Chapter 1123

But after knocking for a long time, he heard no response from Wan Qing; Zhang Aiguo was furious: "Are you deaf? At least answer me!"

He was about to knock again when the door was pulled open from inside by Wan Qing.

She held her stomach with one hand and gripped the doorframe with the other, frowning as she asked: "What's wrong with you?"

Wan Qing wanted to complain, but she knew today was the first day of the Canton Fair—if she caused trouble, Old Zhou would surely go straight to the logistics director when they got back; she stammered: "Brother Zhang, I'm feeling a bit unwell, but it's nothing serious—I can push through."

Zhang Aiguo was a straight man: "If you're truly unwell, you'd be better off staying behind—everyone's going to be swamped, no one's got time to look after you; that's just adding to the chaos."

Wan Qing got no comfort, only a blunt retort: "Brother Zhang, I..."

Zhang Aiguo had no patience to hear more: "Fine, go downstairs first. Whether you come or not, tell my master yourself."

After saying that, he turned around and went downstairs immediately.

Old Zhou saw his apprentice come down: "Where's she?"

Zhang Aiguo jerked his chin backward: "Behind me."

Old Zhou glanced at his apprentice's expression, then frowned up the stairs and saw Wan Qing clutching her stomach, face twisted in pain as she descended; he couldn't hold back his anger: "What now?"

Wan Qing shot Liu Chuxue a furious glare, but dared not drag her into it—she knew if Old Zhou found out she'd destroyed Liu Chuxue's technical terminology reference sheet, she'd be fired before they even got back to Beijing; she regretted her impulsiveness.

Wan Qing forced a shy smile: "Comrade Zhou, sorry—I'm feeling a bit unwell, but don't worry, it's much better than before—I promise it won't affect today's work."

This job was hard-won; if she lost it, she'd only be traded off as bride price by her family.

Old Zhou had sharp eyes—he knew Wan Qing wasn't lying; the sweat on her forehead was real: "Fine. You know your own body best. Today, we simply don't have time to take you to a doctor."

These words came out of Old Zhou's mouth only after gritting his molars—he knew in his heart how much he wanted to curse.

If it weren't for the fact that he'd brought her out, and that today was the first day of the fair and he didn't want bad luck, he'd have screamed at her till his throat cracked.

Liu Chuxue wanted exactly this result—if you're going to stir up trouble, you'll bear the consequences.

Old Zhou turned to the group: "We've wasted enough time. Since everyone's here, let's hurry to the state-run restaurant for breakfast, then head straight to the venue."

Everyone knew how important today was; as soon as Old Zhou finished speaking, they filed out of the guesthouse in order.

If it weren't for fearing they couldn't hold out until lunch, they'd have rushed straight to the exhibition hall—they were too excited to even feel hungry.

But Old Zhou had experience: breakfast was mandatory; once things got busy, no one knew when lunch would come.

After a quick bite, everyone hurried toward the exhibition hall.

It seemed everyone shared the same eagerness—when they arrived, many factory representatives were already at their booths preparing.

The first visitor to stop at the steel rolling plant's booth was a Malaysian businessman; he pointed at the marine-grade steel plates and asked in Malay: "Corrosion resistance?"

But fearing they wouldn't understand, he repeated it in English.

No one understood; all eyes turned to Liu Chuxue.

Liu Chuxue gave them a reassuring glance, stepped forward, and replied: "We've conducted five thousand impact tests—100% integrity rate."

The businessman raised an eyebrow, circled the booth several times, asked a few more questions, then moved on without lingering.