The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 161: Cheerful Colleague (920+) _1

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Cheerful Colleague (920+) _1

Huo Yingjie often came over, and Aunt Li didn’t hesitate to take over, wiping her hands and asking with a smile, "Is this pine nuts sent by your little girlfriend?"

"Yeah!" Huo Yingjie answered. Now, almost everyone in the research institute knew he had a girlfriend in the countryside, and this was a good thing as some female colleagues wouldn’t set their sights on him.

It wasn’t him bragging, but you would struggle to find someone better looking than him in the entire institute.

Some of the unmarried female colleagues glanced at him, with or without intention, and Huo Yingjie could always feel it. However, he had only room in his heart for that silly girl, and couldn’t care less for anyone else.

"Hehe, do you have a photo?" Aunt Li asked curiously, as the woman who could captivate the graceful and handsome Huo Yingjie must be far from ordinary. She was very curious.

Zhou Yuanchao’s eyes sparkled; he was equally curious!

He had asked several times before, but Huo Yingjie guarded the photo like it was his eyeball, never letting him see it. Every time, it was only Huo Yingjie who sneaked peeks, revealing a smile that hovered between naughty and tender, which was extremely annoying.

Huo Yingjie took out a small leather wallet from his chest, opened it, where there was a transparent plastic sleeve with a photo inside; on the photo was a very cute and beautiful girl.

Aunt Li straightened her glasses on the bridge of her nose, scrutinized it closely for a moment, and kept nodding her head in admiration, "Mhm, mhm, not bad! The girl is really pretty, no wonder you can’t forget about her."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuanchao came closer, tilted his head to have a look, and was instantly awestruck. He excitedly grabbed Huo Yingjie’s sleeve, his urgency apparent as he said, "Good brother, nice one. Hurry, introduce her to me..."

With his face darkening from Zhou Yuanchao’s words, Huo Yingjie, who had been smiling proudly because of Aunt Li’s compliments, wondered who this person was, blatantly asking to be introduced to his girlfriend right in front of him?

Seeing Huo Yingjie’s darkening expression, Zhou Yuanchao realized he had been too eager and caused a misunderstanding. He hurriedly corrected himself, "I didn’t mean for you to introduce your sister-in-law to me, but rather her sisters or cousins. I’m okay with an age difference of up to five years either way. No sisters or cousins? Even a cousin from the same clan would do!"

Aunt Li and Chief Engineer Sun both shook their heads, laughing at Zhou Yuanchao’s amusing words.

Love isn’t just about appearances!

"Haven’t I told you before? She doesn’t have sisters or cousins, let alone cousins from the same clan, so stop dreaming," Huo Yingjie said as he pried Zhou Yuanchao’s hand off his arm. "Besides, my girlfriend is eighteen this year. Adding five years is okay; they’re all adults, and that’s not illegal. But subtracting five years? That would make her thirteen. Are you that sick to make a move on a thirteen-year-old kid?"

Zhou Yuanchao felt quite hit by Huo Yingjie’s words. Eighteen years old, much younger than him!

"I’m not sick, it’s just that I didn’t know! And if anyone’s sick here, it’s you, I can’t compare to you. Didn’t you say she was your childhood sweetheart? How much earlier must you have taken a liking to that young girl?" Zhou Yuanchao said with contempt, his tone filled with the sour jealousy of one who cannot have what they want.

Life was so unfair, why did Huo Yingjie have such a beautiful childhood sweetheart and he didn’t?

If it were anyone else, they might have been too embarrassed to respond, but when it came to the most important person or thing in his life, he would never shy away from answering because of embarrassment.

"You’re right, we are childhood friends," Huo Yingjie declared righteously. "It’s not only a love match but also an arranged marriage with the blessings of our parents and the matchmaker. A couple matched by their talents and looks, a match made in heaven."

Chief Engineer Sun and his wife smiled at each other, Sun holding his wife’s hand. Their love, too, was as Huo Yingjie described. They came from affluent childhoods with their parents being close friends, growing up and studying abroad together. Throughout all their happiest times, they were always in each other’s company, their memories full and warm.

The love Huo Yingjie summarized left Zhou Yuanchao enormously envious.

"Anyway, you’re just an old cow eating young grass," Zhou Yuanchao resisted obstinately, refuting Huo Yingjie’s words.

Huo Yingjie chuckled, his expression as harmless as a farm animal, and gently said, "We’re the same age!"

"What?" Zhou Yuanchao was displeased, "You’re only eighteen this year? When we first met and I asked your age, you said twenty-one, and I was twenty, you insisted I call you ’brother’. After all this time, it turns out you’re two years younger than me, you should be calling me ’brother’!"

Huo Yingjie was taken aback as if he just remembered their past interaction, and gave an embarrassed chuckle. He didn’t want to call the other party ’brother’, so he could only use his wits to make Zhou Yuanchao call him ’brother’.

"Huo Yingjie, you’re just too shameless," Zhou Yuanchao complained like a nagging wife, accusing Huo Yingjie of his shameless deeds.

"Ahem ahem ahem!" Huo Yingjie cleared his throat a couple of times, "Being my little bro, are you losing out? I’ve given you so much advice; I deserve that big brother title from you."

"You..." Putting age aside, Zhou Yuanchao realized he couldn’t beat Huo Yingjie at fighting or outsmart him, and it seemed even less likely he could compete with him in finding a girlfriend—indeed, he had no grounds to call himself the big brother!

Huo Yingjie smiled, his clear eyes squinting into slits, and said, "Hehe, it’s just a title, no big deal."

Hmph, you smug kid, acting all high and mighty!

Had Huo Yingjie forgotten how he made Zhou Yuanchao fetch hot water, get meals, and run all sorts of errands unconditionally under the guise of being the ’big brother’?

"Anyway... Anyway, I’m not calling you ’big brother’ anymore, you’re bullying an honest person. Chief Engineer Sun, don’t you agree?" Zhou Yuanchao looked for backup, hoping the senior leader would stand up for justice.

Chief Engineer Sun had been enjoying the show all along. Huo Yingjie and Zhou Yuanchao were both good kids. Despite their bickering, they actually had a solid relationship privately!

"Hehe, you can call each other by names in the future!" Chief Engineer Sun suggested, "Aunt Li has cooked a delicious meal, let’s eat together. Join me for a drink."

Aunt Li chuckled and said, "You’re both good kids, stop being awkward with each other!"

Although Zhou Yuanchao felt somewhat dissatisfied, he couldn’t continue arguing when the leaders had spoken. But from now on, he’d never call Huo Yingjie ’big brother’ ever again.

Wearing a smile, Huo Yingjie thought to himself, just you wait, I have plenty of ways to handle you, making you willingly call me ’big brother’!

Seeing Aunt Li carrying a bottle of liquor labeled 52%, a plan formed in Huo Yingjie’s mind.

As Zhou Yuanchao handed the bottle to Chief Engineer Sun and poured the drink, he said, "It was my bad earlier, just take it as me joking with you, don’t hold a grudge. Here’s a toast to you. If you could let it slide, that would be generous of you, don’t stoop to my level."

"Yeah, since little Huo is being so sincere, you should forgive him," Aunt Li persuaded from the side. Both men were her husband’s competent subordinates, and they couldn’t let such a small conflict cause hard feelings.

******

Highly recommending Tuanzi’s "Ancient Counterattack Strategy," a heroine with a hearty, tomboyish laugh on a wild ride to splitting her personality. Accidentally, she became a leading figure. The content is exciting and not to be missed!