MLMD -Chapter 356 Major Procurement (Part 1)

“Boss, over the past few days our warehouses have stockpiled quite a lot of goods. In total, we have three thousand tons of edible salt, seven thousand sets of stab-resistant vests, five thousand tons of steel ingots, two thousand tons each of saltpeter and sulfur machines, two thousand tons of lard…”

In the general manager’s office of Guangyuan Trading Company, Liu Shengnan stood in front of Yue Yang, holding a notebook and reading item after item aloud. Yue Yang listened while pondering in silence, not speaking for a long time.

Seeing that Yue Yang didn’t seem to be in high spirits, Liu Shengnan’s slender brows knit slightly as she asked, “Boss, you don’t seem very satisfied with my work. Could you tell me why?”

“Hmm? Not satisfied?” Yue Yang snapped back to attention. Looking at Liu Shengnan, who now seemed somewhat displeased, he remembered that the woman in front of him was highly competitive by nature. His earlier expression had probably made her think he was questioning her work, which had triggered her dissatisfaction. He smiled and explained, “Assistant Liu, don’t misunderstand. I’m not questioning your ability—I was just thinking about something else.”

“Thinking about something else?” Liu Shengnan studied his face with some suspicion, as if judging the truth of his words.

“What kind of look is that? Is that how you speak to your boss?” Yue Yang found it amusing inside, but being questioned by a subordinate still bruised his pride. His expression darkened.

Having led troops for years and occupied positions of authority, once Yue Yang wiped the smile from his face, the air of authority and murderous intent immediately surfaced. Though Liu Shengnan had been in management for more than two years, she still couldn’t help but be startled when facing him like this. She immediately realized that doubting her boss over something as trivial as an expression was extremely impolite. She hurriedly stammered, “I… I’m sorry, Boss. I was wrong.”

Yue Yang shook his head and said sternly, “Regardless of the reason, what you did just now was unacceptable. What right do you have to question me, and in what capacity do you doubt me? I don’t want this to happen again. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.” Liu Shengnan’s face turned pale.

“Alright. If there’s nothing else, you may leave.” With that, Yue Yang waved his hand, signaling her to go.

When Liu Shengnan left the general manager’s office and returned to her own office, the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over…

Watching her leave, Yue Yang shook his head inwardly. What he’d said earlier had been intentional; there was also an element of warning in it. Over the past two years he had rarely come to the company, leaving all matters in the hands of Liu Shengnan and Zhang Xiaoxiao. Zhang Xiaoxiao wasn’t someone who liked to seize power, so effectively everything in the company was decided by Liu Shengnan. Naturally, with most decisions resting on her shoulders, her “strong woman” aura had grown increasingly pronounced. When she spoke to Yue Yang just now, she had unconsciously brought that usual attitude with her. In Yue Yang’s view, that wasn’t a good thing—some tempering was necessary. Of course, such tempering had to be measured; going too far would be counterproductive.

In another office, Zhang Xiaoxiao was comforting Liu Shengnan.

“Oh come on, Shengnan, stop crying. President Yue just said a word or two to you—was it really necessary to cry like this?”

With tearful eyes, Liu Shengnan asked, “Xiaoxiao, do you think I’ve been too harsh lately?”

“Yes!” Zhang Xiaoxiao nodded decisively. “Without a doubt. Ever since you became assistant, that ‘strong career woman’ vibe has only gotten heavier over the past two years. It’s one thing to be decisive at the company, but you even dared to question the boss. If it were me, I’d scold you too!”

“Hey, you’re something else, Xiaoxiao. I’m already this upset and you don’t comfort me—you pile on instead. Just you wait!” Liu Shengnan, annoyed, reached into Zhang Xiaoxiao’s armpit to tickle her. The two started roughhousing in the office.

After a long while, once they had finally tired themselves out, both lay panting lightly on the sofa. Only then did Liu Shengnan sigh. “Yeah, I felt it too. These past two years, with the boss handing the company’s authority to me, I got used to being the final word. Just now I actually questioned the boss—and got scolded for it. But it was a wake-up call. Whether in life or work, you can’t overstep your bounds. Getting scolded is nothing—getting fired would be the real disaster.”

Zhang Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement. “Hehe… that’s true. It’s not easy to find such a relaxed yet well-paid job in Mingzhu. Look at me—after just two years of work, I’m almost done saving for a down payment on a house!”

To be fair, Yue Yang had always been generous with employee compensation. Whether salaries or benefits, they might not have been the absolute best in Mingzhu—the country’s most economically developed municipality—but they were certainly above average. Generous benefits, good pay, and light workloads gave employees a strong sense of loyalty. Liu Shengnan and Zhang Xiaoxiao were no exception.

After a while, Liu Shengnan hesitated before asking, “Xiaoxiao… with how I treated the boss just now, do you think he might fire me in a fit of anger?”

“Probably not… The boss doesn’t seem like that kind of petty person,” Zhang Xiaoxiao said, shaking her head, though not entirely certain.

Just as the two were worrying, the office door opened and Yue Yang walked in. His gaze swept over the two women sitting on the sofa. “By the way, I’m heading out for a bit. I’ve got another list here—have the procurement department rush to buy everything on it. I want to see all of it in the warehouse in a month. Understood?”

Startled by his sudden appearance, Liu Shengnan hurriedly nodded. “Yes, President Yue. I’ll take care of it right away!”

“Good. I’m off then. Call me if anything comes up.”

Yue Yang nodded and was about to leave, but when he reached the door he suddenly turned back, frowned at Liu Shengnan, and said, “Assistant Liu, in light of your attitude toward me just now, I’ve already informed Finance to deduct your bonus for this month. If there’s a next time, your year-end bonus will be gone. Understood?”

“Yes… understood!”

After Yue Yang left, Liu Shengnan and Zhang Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance and both let out a sigh of relief. Though her bonus for the month had been docked, Liu Shengnan didn’t look upset at all—instead, she seemed noticeably more relaxed…

…

On the outskirts of Mingzhu City there is a famous place known as Mingzhu Film and Television Park. Hailed as one of China’s top ten film bases, this studio city is located in Chedun, Songjiang District, covering an area of 433,000 square meters. Its architecture mainly features Republican-era and European styles. Most Chinese films or TV dramas set in the Republican period are shot here, and on any given day there are usually seven or eight, sometimes even more than ten, crews stationed on site.

On a street in the northeastern part of the studio—steeped in strong Republican-era flavor—a crew was in the middle of an intense shoot. Amid a barrage of gunfire, a squad playing Nationalist soldiers fought desperately against a group of Japanese troops, using the street for cover as they exchanged fire. A lieutenant in Nationalist uniform was dragging a tall female student dressed in 1930s attire through the smoke. Explosions boomed along the street they passed, plumes of smoke rising one after another, until they finally stopped at the far end.

“Cut!”

With the shout, the fierce gunfire ceased at once. The two “armies” that had been fighting to the death emerged from behind their cover, joking with one another.

As filming stopped, a group dressed in modern clothes stood up from the roadside. Leading them was a bearded, middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, jeans, and a T-shirt. He walked up to the pair and smiled at the woman. “Alright, Xiaolu, that take’s a wrap. Your part’s done too—you can head home and rest today.”

“Really, Director Zhang? That’s great!” The girl dressed as a Republican-era student jumped with joy.

The director looked at her radiant smile and alluring figure and joked, “Of course it’s true. But if you don’t want to go back, you can stay and help out on set. I wouldn’t mind.”

“Come on, Director—anyone who doesn’t want to go home is a puppy!” the girl exclaimed anxiously.

Her flustered expression drew laughter from those around them—especially the young man beside her, dressed as a Nationalist lieutenant, whose eyes were filled with unmistakable admiration.

This woman was Xiaolu—Gan Lu—currently filming. Dressed as a Republican-era student, her jet-black short hair made her look especially lively. Her large, captivating eyes were mysterious, almost soul-stealing if you stared too long. A straight, rounded nose and soft, slightly upturned lips, combined with her pearly white teeth when she smiled, made her exceptionally beautiful and adorable.

At this moment, the young man in the lieutenant’s uniform smiled and said to her, “Miss Gan, my scenes will be done tomorrow too. How about you stay one more night and we head back to the city together? I heard a new Western restaurant just opened—we could try it.”

He looked at her with longing eyes; the affection was obvious to anyone.

Xiaolu smiled and shook her head in gentle refusal. “Thank you for the invitation, but I already made plans with Sister Shi and Sister Li to get together tonight. Maybe another day.”

With that, she headed toward the makeup room to remove her makeup.

Watching her long, shapely figure and the rounded, pert sway of her hips as she walked away, the man’s throat bobbed. He swallowed hard, a flash of resentment and desire in his eyes. Just as he was about to step forward and try again, the director called out to him.

Director Zhang glared at him and scolded, “Kid, do you have any idea what time it is? This show wraps in a few days. If you want to chase women, wait until the wrap party. If you delay shooting because of flirting, see how I deal with you!”

With that, Director Zhang walked toward the camera.

“Alright, I got it!” the young man scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. “Don’t worry, Director. I know my limits—I won’t mess up the shoot. I just really want to ask her out to dinner.”

“And then book a room afterward—we all get it,” a few cameramen and crew members joked, grinning with knowing looks.

One staffer laughed and said, “Zhang Qing, Miss Gan has a pretty good reputation. She’s been in the industry for years without any scandals. I even heard she lives in a luxury mansion in Mingzhu—over two thousand square meters. If you want to pursue her, you’d better be prepared for a reality check.”

“Who knows if that’s even true,” Zhang Qing scoffed. “Just rumors made up by bored people. I went to her place half a year ago—it was just a twenty-square-meter basement. Two-thousand-square-meter mansion? Dream on. In our line of work, plenty of people look glamorous on the outside but are struggling inside. If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet—one week after the wrap party, I’ll have her.”

“Oh please, keep bragging!” The group burst into laughter.

As they joked, Xiaolu came out after removing her makeup. Already alluring, she now wore modern clothes, a small bag slung over her shoulder. Her long, smooth legs were clad in flesh-colored silk stockings—irresistibly enticing. Even the bearded Director Zhang showed a flash of amazement.

Xiaolu walked over, smiling. “Director Zhang, I’ll head out now.”

Director Zhang nodded. “Alright… go on. Don’t forget the wrap party in a few days!”

“Got it, Director!” Xiaolu waved to everyone and was about to leave when she turned and saw a man in a suit standing not far away, long hair tied back in a braid, smiling at her.

“Ah… oh my God…”

Seeing him, Xiaolu immediately covered her mouth, disbelief written across her face. Her eyes reddened at once, and in less than a second she ran lightly toward him, throwing herself into his arms.

Everyone watching was stunned. The actor Zhang Qing turned livid.

Xiaolu clutched the man’s solid waist tightly, inhaling a familiar yet distant masculine scent. Tears welled up uncontrollably. She had been apart from this man for several months, spending that time buried in filming, forcing herself not to think about him. She kept telling herself she was just a kept woman—a gilded bird—only with him for money, that she shouldn’t yearn for him.

But some things, the more you suppress them, the stronger the rebound. When he truly appeared before her, everything she had suppressed for months erupted at once. Her actions had been instinctive—natural, without the slightest hesitation.

After a long while, Xiaolu finally lifted her head from his chest and realized she was still on set, with many eyes watching. She quickly straightened up, wiping her tears in a fluster. “Why are you here?”

The man was none other than Yue Yang. He looked her over and found that after several months apart, she had grown even more beautiful, with a hint of maturity added. Satisfied, he smiled. “I promised I’d come visit you on set. I keep my word.”

Xiaolu snorted softly, taking his hand. “Hmph… then why did you come so late? If you were any later, I’d have already left!”

Perhaps by instinct, women naturally act coquettishly before their men. Even Xiaolu didn’t realize she was doing just that—leaving the onlooking crew dumbfounded. They had worked with her for months and had never seen her show such an expression. In that moment, her natural femininity captivated everyone.

“Alright, alright, I get it. Didn’t I come to see you the moment I got back? Come on… let’s go home.” Yue Yang affectionately tapped her rounded nose and wrapped an arm around her slim waist.

It was just an ordinary sentence, but to Xiaolu it sent a shiver through her body. Her eyes reddened again, gazing at him with watery eyes. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “Mm… let’s go home.”

The two walked out together, leaving behind shattered illusions and one livid face.

Watching them disappear, a crew member muttered, “Damn… looks like the rumors were true. I knew it—if a woman as beautiful as Miss Gan didn’t have a boyfriend, that would be real news…”

Late night, Yulong Bay Villa.

On the large bed in the master bedroom, Yue Yang and Xiaolu were locked in passionate intimacy. Though she had already been sent to the peak several times, months of separation had left Xiaolu desperate to reclaim all that longing. Exhausted as she was, she clung to her lover like an octopus, demanding more and more. Gone was her usual shyness and coolness—she was like a valiant knight, bravely trying to conquer a fierce steed. But the steed was not so easily subdued. After repeated failures, the brave knight finally spent her last ounce of strength, collapsing limply against her lover’s broad chest.

Yue Yang caressed the smooth skin in his arms, gazing at her tender, dewy face and softly panting form pressed against him, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction well up within.

At that very moment, the man he cursed had already slipped off to the modern world…