Chapter 17: “Cute little Tang, good afternoon…”
The door opened, and an elegant, charming, and richly fragrant butterfly orchid glided in.
She was graceful, her physique slender and long. Her emerald-green floral branches were as supple and enchanting as a water snake’s waist, and the roots she used to walk resembled a platter of wriggling fettuccine. Jian Tang couldn’t appreciate the aesthetic of such a “wriggling-type” monster, but his octopus Big Boss wore a look of total fascination, deeply enamored.
The massive purple flower bud on the branch bloomed, revealing the face of an incredibly beautiful woman. She parted her flaming red lips, smiling delightfully.
“It seems I’ve come at a bad time?”
“No, no, no, you’ve come at the perfect time, the perfect time!”
The big, fat octopus used a tentacle to pull Jian Tang over, eagerly dragging him in front of the butterfly orchid. “I’ve already called him over.”
Hm?
Jian Tang’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t reveal his confusion, instead bowing respectfully to the butterfly orchid. “Good afternoon, Lady Sally.”
Every monster in the town knew this “Lady Sally.” The dungeon prop factory she ran was right across the street from the trash recycling factory. Because the two factories’ businesses didn’t conflict and even complemented each other, the two bosses had a good relationship and visited often.
Seeing Jian Tang, the beautiful face within the flower immediately beamed with a warm smile.
“Cute little Tang, good afternoon.”
Lady Sally knew how to conduct herself. Although she knew most of the trash factory’s employees, she wouldn’t overstep her bounds by giving orders directly to another boss’s employees. The butterfly orchid swayed its waist and walked over to Octopus Gale, handing him a small card.
The fat octopus’s gaze was glued entirely to Lady Sally; he took the card without even glancing at it and handed it directly to Jian Tang.
“?”
Jian Tang took it and realized it was a promotional card for a shop. The shop name was[Pretty Feifei’s Dress Shop], located at 234 Sunset Avenue, District XX. Judging by the address, this should be a clothing store run by humans.
“Boss, are you asking me to pick something up from this shop?” Jian Tang asked.
As the little monster with the most perfect human transformation in the trash factory—and perhaps the whole town—Jian Tang often received tasks like this: running errands to human territory for the bosses, picking up packages, or grabbing custom-made goods.
“Tomorrow, VIPs will be arriving. I’ve ordered new formal wear for the bosses who need to accompany the guests,” Lady Sally said with a smile. “This dress shop closes at 8:00 PM. Could I trouble you, little Tang, to pick up the formal wear before they close, and bring it to us when you come to work tomorrow morning?”
Jian Tang agreed and looked at his own Big Boss: “Boss, may I request to use a spatial tool?”
He didn’t want to lug a box of formal wear onto a crowded bus. Requesting taxi fare from his stingy boss was definitely a non-starter; better to just request the factory’s tools to store the clothes in a space card, which would be much easier to carry.
“Mm-hmm.” The octopus boss didn’t refuse. “But you’d better keep a close eye on it. If you lose it, fifty times the compensation!”
As the words left his mouth, the fat octopus suddenly realized his tone was inappropriate. He quickly looked at Lady Sally, adding, “T-this is factory policy! Not charging fines just for the sake of it, just wanting them to treat factory assets with care.”
“I understand,” Lady Sally smiled. “Our factory has a one-hundred-times compensation policy for loss.”
“Oh! That’s truly a wonderful policy, Sally, you really understand management!”
“Haha, Boss Gale, you understand it even better; I have much to learn from you.”
“You #?%?…”
“You #?%#%…”
Jian Tang, listening to the two stingy bosses engaging in enthusiastic business-related flattery, thought: “…”
I really want to fight all you black-hearted capitalists!
“Oh, by the way,” the octopus boss said, pausing in the middle of flattering Lady Sally. “Among those formal clothes, there’s a set for you, too. Remember to pick it up.”
Eh?
Jian Tang almost thought his ears were malfunctioning: “…I get one too?”
“That’s right, little Tang,” Lady Sally said with a smile. “You also need to accompany us to receive those VIP guests.”
“???”
“Those big shots of that caliber always have some strange quirks,” the fat octopus muttered. “Among the VIPs coming this time, one of them is particularly interested in humans. You have the highest level of human transformation in town and have the most contact with humans, so you’ll be the one to properly entertain that lord when the time comes.”
Jian Tang: “…”
Jian Tang: “Uh, the cost of this formal wear…”
“It’s an employee benefit!” The fat octopus shouted irritably. “You don’t have to pay for it! Shit, you’re even asking about such a small amount of money? Look at how unpromising you are!”
“To please that lord, beautiful and decent formal wear is essential,” Lady Sally chimed in. “So, the generous Boss Gale specifically provided the funds to have a new outfit custom-made for you. Isn’t it a wonderful surprise, little Tang?”
Jian Tang: “…Yes.”
It wasn’t so much a surprise as it was a shock—his miserly, penny-pinching boss had actually opened his wallet!
Good heavens! What has happened to this world!
After a few more words, the fat octopus started shooting him glances. Jian Tang knew it was time to go—after all, he had to leave the boss some space for his “date.” He politely bid farewell to the two bosses and turned to leave the office.
He hadn’t walked more than a few steps when his arm was suddenly hooked by something.
Jian Tang turned his head and found that a tentacle of the Big Boss had sneakily slipped out through the door crack, shoving a bag firmly into his hands. The tentacle that completed the mission retreated into the door crack at lightning speed. Jian Tang opened the bag and saw three beautifully wrapped candies inside, along with a note.
[Entrance: Golden Bay Hospital]
[Address: 245 Sunset Avenue, District XX]
Jian Tang closed the bag speechlessly, his expression somewhat complicated.
…As expected, it’s this kind of “Heavenly Punishment” again.
Although it wasn’t difficult for him to dump this kind of thing at the entrance of a rival town, using this as “retaliation” against a business competitor was just so childish. Perhaps real business warfare was just this plain and unadorned. =?=
Jian Tang put the items away, returned to the first floor, and threw himself back into the heated grand cleaning work.
As the end of the shift approached, the phone in his pocket vibrated. Jian Tang took it out, and joy bloomed instantly in his emerald-green eyes.
Wow, it’s a message from Wife!
—[Are you working overtime today?]
Jian Tang estimated the time: he had to stop by “Golden Bay Hospital” after work, and then head to “Pretty Feifei’s Dress Shop.” Both places were on Sunset Avenue and not too far apart; it shouldn’t take too much time.
—[No overtime today! (^o^)/]
Jian Tang typed back happily.
—[But I have to run an errand for the boss after work, so it will probably be half an hour late when I get back (:”?)]
The reply came back quickly.
—[Good. I have some things to do too, so I’ll be half an hour late as well.]
—[Received! See you at home then! (#^o^#)]
—[Mm, see you at home.]
The conversation ended. Jian Tang stared at the screen, reading the words “See you at home” several times, then happily stowed away his phone. While eyeing the large clock on the wall, he secretly began warming up for a sprint after the shift ended.
On the other side, Feng Xun stared at his phone screen for a moment, then put it away and looked up at the building before him.
This was an old hospital that had been around for quite a few years. The exterior walls of the building had already suffered wear and tear, but the entrance signage looked like it had been replaced just a short while ago—
The large gold characters[Golden Bay Hospital]reflected a dazzling golden light in the sunset.
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