Chapter 214 213: Worse Than a Beast

Li Xue's expression was incredibly grim. "Is that all you think about? Can't you be a decent human being for once?"

Mu Lin reached out and grabbed Li Xue's hand. A sudden shiver ran through her body.

The moment he took the initiative, Li Xue couldn't handle it.

"See... you still can't accept me. I'm just a country bumpkin. Being able to come to the city and enjoy a few days is already great. If you expect me to live in the city for the rest of my life, I won't be able to stand it."

"I'll find enough backing for the Li Family. From now on, no one will dare to provoke the Li Family again."

"As for the construction materials, I'll figure something out for that too."

Li Xue gritted her teeth. "With just you? What kind of solution could you possibly come up with?"

To her surprise, Mu Lin simply rolled over and fell fast asleep.

This left Li Xue feeling extremely awkward.

All night, Li Xue didn't dare to move. Though her eyes were closed, she was on high alert.

But throughout the night, aside from the sound of Mu Lin's steady, peaceful breathing, there was no other movement at all.

'This guy... he's even worse than an animal!'

The next morning, Elder Li acted as if nothing had happened.

Mu Lin couldn't help but wonder if Elder Li had actually grown suspicious.

They arrived at the company.

Mu Lin and Li Xue went their separate ways. When they reached a secluded spot, Li Xue suddenly lowered her voice. "From now on, sleep in my room. Don't go back."

Mu Lin was silent for a moment. "Oh."

"Let's not talk about that. Has Wu Long come looking for you recently?"

Li Xue thought for a moment, then shook her head. "He came, yes. He even brought a transfer contract, but I didn't dare to sign it."

Mu Lin tilted his head. "And you have the nerve to criticize me? You won't even take a company that's delivered to your doorstep?"

"Wu Long is so cunning. What if there's some kind of trick in the contract? I'm just a woman; I can't deal with him at all!"

"Just go ahead and sign it. There won't be any problems with this contract. It's very simple: he's handing over the company to save his own skin, that's all."

"Who's threatening him? Who could possibly threaten him? How interesting!" Li Xue didn't take the matter seriously.

"Me," Mu Lin said simply. "If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been so kind as to spit it out so easily."

"You? Do you really think I'm an idiot?"

Mu Lin's expression remained grim. 'This marriage is really becoming unbearable.'

"Believe it or not. In any case, sign the contract later and send it to the Yuelong Group. From now on, the Yuelong Group will be a subsidiary of the Li Group."

"This also means that in the construction sector, the Li Group will be the undisputed number one in Anhua."

Hearing Mu Lin's words, Li Xue was captivated by the idea. 'If a day like that really came, how wonderful would that be?' Just thinking about it was thrilling.

She made up her mind. She would go to her office and sign the contract.

'If there's some kind of trap, I'll just pin the blame on Mu Lin and see how he cleans up his own mess.'

"Fine, I'll sign it, okay?" Li Xue said decisively.

Mu Lin nodded. "Since you've said that, I can rest easy."

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. 'Wu Long, lying in the hospital right now, probably can't even move.'

'Otherwise, why would he hand over his company so readily?'

Mu Lin returned to the Special Team's office. The few rich kids hadn't seen him in days and were practically staring holes through the door waiting for him.

"Brother Lin, you're finally back! You should have seen us during our moment of glory!"

The moment Chen Xi saw Mu Lin, he rushed over excitedly and threw his arms around him.

"What's all this?" Mu Lin thought it was very strange.

"The project we're in charge of has started construction!" Zhou Yu exclaimed excitedly. "We went to the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday. It's a real shame you weren't there!"

Mu Lin smiled. "The low-income housing project?"

Zhou Yu nodded. "The profit is pretty good! After factoring in materials and labor, the final profit is over three hundred thousand!"

Mu Lin pursed his lips. 'My salary alone is two hundred thousand. Split the rest among a few rich kids... In reality, the company probably isn't getting much benefit from this.'

But Zhou Yu was so happy, he didn't have the heart to discourage her.

After all, this was the first time she had accomplished something through her own efforts.

"The main credit goes to Brother Xi. Brother Xi pulled two all-nighters for this!" Zhou Yu shouted excitedly. "But that's not even the most important part! The most important thing is that I've learned how to do it too! I'm writing a bid proposal myself, and if we win, I'll be a core member of the team!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "You will be. I'm sure that after working so hard for so long, something good is bound to happen."

Everyone joked around for a bit before getting busy at their desks.

Mu Lin was once again left with nothing to do.

After a while, Xue Yang poked his head in and beckoned to him.

Mu Lin understood and walked out.

The two of them walked to a nearby balcony, where Xue Yang casually lit a cigarette. "Mu Lin, do you know Cheng Xin?"

Mu Lin shook his head. "Never heard of him. What's his deal?"

Xue Yang said, "The newly appointed Financial Director. It seems like he has it out for your team."

"President Li just called me in for a meeting. All the department managers were there, just a quick huddle."

"Turns out, the bastard hasn't even properly started his job, but he's already drafted a reform plan. And let me tell you, the main target is your Special Team!"

Mu Lin raised an eyebrow. 'Is this ever going to end?'

'If I don't help these rich kids sort out their work, their jobs might not be secure!'

As they were speaking, the sound of unfamiliar footsteps came from the other end of the hallway. A look of disgust appeared on Xue Yang's face. "That's Cheng Xin."

Mu Lin turned to look. He saw a middle-aged man, greasy-haired and pasty-faced, exuding a repulsive aura from head to toe.

Cheng Xin stopped three meters from Mu Lin and Xue Yang, forcing a slight smile onto his stern face.

"Director Cheng, what brings you to the Project Department? Since you've just taken office, don't you have a ton of paperwork to handle?"

Cheng Xin said, "It's all handled. No need for Manager Xue to worry about it."

"Well, since you're done, why not take a break? What are you doing in the Project Department?"

"Hasn't Manager Xue seen my reform report? A very important item in it is the reform of the Special Team."

Mu Lin took a step forward. "I'm Mu Lin, the Vice Team Leader of the Special Team. If you have something to say, say it to me. The team leader is very busy."

"Very busy? Busy playing video games?" Cheng Xin said maliciously. "The Li Group Project Department's Special Team is famous even within the industry—for supporting a bunch of useless freeloaders just so they can draw a salary from the company's books."

Mu Lin pressed his lips together. Although Cheng Xin's words were harsh, they were actually the truth.

'But aside from being a bit incompetent, Chen Xi and the others aren't bad people,' Mu Lin thought. 'There's no need to be so confrontational.'

'Besides, their parents are on the board of directors. This is basically just a place to keep them occupied.'

'It's just another way of giving them an allowance.'

'Who are they bothering?'

'Why is it that two successive financial directors, Lu Yi and now Cheng Xin, have targeted this team first thing?'

Mu Lin's mind was in turmoil, but he maintained a smile as he looked at Cheng Xin.

"I hope Director Cheng won't make baseless accusations. The members of the Special Team are all very hardworking."

"Hardworking?! HAHA, that's hilarious. How are they hardworking?"

"After a period of study, they are now capable of bidding for and taking on projects."

"I think that's definitely a huge step forward, isn't it?"

Cheng Xin laughed even more exaggeratedly. "If someone in the Project Department can't handle bidding, can they even be considered part of the Project Department? Vice Team Leader Mu, your statement indirectly proves that this team has no reason to exist."

'I fell for it,' Mu Lin thought. He hadn't expected that his words defending the Special Team would be completely twisted and used against him by Cheng Xin.

Cheng Xin thought for a moment. "Forget it, let's talk about something else. Vice Team Leader Mu, may I ask which university you graduated from? What was your major? Did you have any project experience before becoming the vice team leader?"

Mu Lin said, "I never went to school."

The old man had taught him with a whip, so he really hadn't had a formal education.

Cheng Xin was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "You said it yourself! With the vice team leader's education level being so low, how can you possibly manage the Special Team's daily operations?"

"I've already submitted the proposal to disband the Special Team to President Li. As soon as President Li reads it, she will definitely approve it."

Xue Yang said, "Don't talk nonsense! The Special Team is incredibly important to the Project Department. They've contributed a lot!"

"What contributions?" Seeing Xue Yang get flustered, Cheng Xin asked with a slow, deliberate smile.

At this, Xue Yang was rendered speechless.

Cheng Xin patted Xue Yang's shoulder. "Because of this Special Team, the Li Group has become the laughingstock of the industry!"