Chapter 16: (The CEO versus the cow)
The barn smelled faintly of hay, earth and quiet humiliation. Lei Zhang stood there rolling his sleeves up while beside him, Xu Jin was visibly regretting every career decision that led him there.
"Zhang, I just want to confirm one last time, are we actually doing this ",
Xu Jin asked but Lei Zhang didn't answer and just took the stainless steel bucket.
"Listen, you can code a gaming AI that beats humans but you can't even handle a cappuccino machine let alone milk a cow ",
Xu Jin said and Lei Zhang glared at him.
"Are you going to help me or not ",
Lei Zhang said and the cow flicked her tail lazily snorting as if to say, try me.
"She looks angry",
Xu Jin said shaking his head and Lei Zhang rolled his eyes then slowly walked to the cow kneeling beside it. He hesitated then reached for the udder like someone defusing a bomb, a long moment passed yet nothing came out.
"Maybe it's out of milk", Xu Jin said.
"Don't be ridiculous, I watched a tutorial before coming here, it's all about rhythm",
Lei Zhang said trying again, this time pulling harder and the cow whipped him straight across the face with it's tail and he immediately let go of the udder while Xu Jin tried his best not to laugh.
"Did that hurt?",
Xu Jin asked and Lei Zhang glared at him then turned back to the cow. He was definitely not going to lose to this dumb mammal.
He tried again determined. With one pull, then two pull, then
'SQUIRT',
finally milk shot out straight to his face and Xu Jin burst out laughing.
"You finally got results",
Xu Jin said still laughing. The cow shifted her weight, flicked her tail and suddenly gave a low ominous moo.
"Zhang she sounds angry ",
Xu Jin warned but Lei Zhang still remained stubborn.
"I'm not backing down ",
Lei Zhang said but suddenly before he could reach for the udder again, the cow kicked him hard and everything went in slow motion, Lei Zhang's eyes widened, the bucket flew into the air and the next second came the
SPLAT!
sound. Lei Zhang landed face first in a glorious steaming pile of cow poo.
For three seconds, no one breathed. Xu Jin walked closer to the pile of poo bending a little.
"Lei Zhang, are you still alive?",
he asked with mockery. Lei Zhang slowly lifted his head, bit's of hay sticking to his hair. With a serious glare on his face. He wasn't glaring at Xu Jin but at the cow that was now calmly chewing hay, eyes half lidded in victory and Xu Jin chuckled.
"I think she's the new CEO now",
Xu Jin said and Lei Zhang threw the glare at him but just then Xiao Yanran's voice came from outside.
"Sir Lei, how's the milking going?",
she shouted and Lei Zhang froze while Xu Jin began wheezing with laughter.
Xiao Yanran opened the barn door and was surprised to see Lei Zhang head to toe in brown disaster while the cow chewed quietly behind him.
"Oh my God, what happened to you",
Xiao Yanran asked walking up to him while Xu Jin doubled over in a corner half laughing half choking.
"He....uh... connected deeply with nature",
Xu Jin said wheezing and Lei Zhang shot him a death glare then turned back to Xiao Yanran clearing his throat as if nothing was wrong.
"The cow was emotional",
Lei Zhang said with a composed tone and Xiao Yanran tried not to laugh.
"Emotional?, Sir Lei you look like you wrestled with her and lost",
Xiao Yanran said and even the cow mooed like it was supporting what she said.
"Dont worry, I'll just call Hao Ran",
Xiao Yanran said and Lei Zhang's mood changed immediately but Xiao Yanran didn't notice, leaving the barn to make a call.
The evening sky was now completely dark. Xiao Yanran, Mr Chen, Hao Ran, Lei Zhang and Xu Jin sat around the table having cake and milk. Xu Jin had ordered new clothes for Lei Zhang which arrived in time for him to take a bath before settling at the table.
The cake which had been designed "H.B.D" and a number seventeen was now cutted into several parts. The fresh and warm milk really went well with it.
"Thanks for your help",
Xiao Yanran said to Hao Ran and Lei Zhang's grip tightened around his glass of milk. He already recognized Hao Ran as the guy he had seen talking with Xiao Yanran the first day he began pretending to be her home tutor after he left her at the restaurant entrance.
"Why didn't Li Wen come", Mr Chen asked.
"Oh, she told me she had something really important to do",
Xiao Yanran said and Mr Chen nodded. Xiao Yanran began scrutinizing Xu Jin as if trying to figure something out and Xu Jin noticed her eyes on him.
"Is there a problem?", Xu Jin asked her.
"No it's just that, some new twin classmates of mine look like younger versions of you", Xiao Yanran said.
"Xu Jun and Xu Yun?", Xu Jin asked surprising her.
"Yes", she said.
"They're my younger brothers ", Xu Jin said and Xiao Yanran nodded.
"Thought so ", she said.
The table became quiet as everyone ate, no one could think of a topic until Xu Jin finally spoke.
"So how long have you and Hao Ran known each other", Xu Jin asked and Xiao Yanran smiled.
"Well since I started working at the restaurant", Xiao Yanran said.
"She was very shy and alone when she began working there, it was the same for me when I first began so I had to try starting a conversation with her to get her comfortable", Hao Ran said scratching his nape shyly.
"Yes, and she ended up sticking to him all the time",
Mr Chen said and everyone laughed except for Lei Zhang who was only getting upset.
"What's funny is we both have Ran in our names so sometimes customers teased us of making a perfect couple",
Xiao Yanran said and the cup in Lei Zhang's hand finally shattered due to how tight he kept gripping it, the milk wasting on the floor.
"What happened",
Xiao Yanran asked as everyone's attention turned toward Lei Zhang.
"The cup fell",
Lei Zhang said and Xu Jin rolled his eyes. He could lie to others but he knew very well that Lei Zhang had squeezed the innocent cup into shatters out of jealousy.
"You're injured ",
Xiao Yanran said seeing blood coming out of his palms.
"It's nothing serious ", Lei Zhang said coldly.
"Don't say that, sometimes small looking wounds can actually kill. Come in, I'll apply some treatments ",
Mr Chen said standing and Lei Zhang decided not to refuse, standing up as well and followed Mr Chen inside leaving Xu Jin, Xiao Yanran and Hao Ran still seated at the porch.
Xu Jin's eyes landed on the pink watch on Hao Ran's hand and creased his brows.
"Isn't a pink watch quite odd for a guy your age to be wearing, how old are you?", Xu Jin asked.
"I'm twenty, but I didn't buy it though, Yanran bought it for me ",
Hao Ran said and Xu Jin raised brow. He looked up at the door glad that Lei Zhang had already gone in and didn't hear that.
Lei Zhang was seated on the couch while Mr Chen sat beside him applying some medications on his palm. There was silence until Mr Chen broke it.
"I know you broke the cup with your hands, there's no way it fell and your hands got injured",
Mr Chen said finally done and Lei Zhang looked away a bit guilty.
"Xiao Yanran told me a lot about you, I heard you're tutoring her for free and sincerely she's gotten improvements in her studies",
Mr Chen said but Lei Zhang didn't say anything.
"I know you like her",
Mr Chen said and Lei Zhang finally turned to look at him surprised.
"I can see it from the way you look at her, including your reaction with Hao Ran. Hao Ran is just a friend, believe me they're not closer than that, he just has her shy and nerd personality that's why he was the first male she could get along with. You're a good young man but I'd advise you take things slow with Yanran or you'll scare her off, she's a sweet and innocent young girl, plus she's still a minor ",
Mr Chen said and Lei Zhang nodded. It was almost like Mr Chen was her dad.
Xu Jin, Xiao Yanran and Hao Ran were still at the porch enjoying the milk and cake when Mr Chen and Lei Zhang finally came out to the porch.
"I'll need to get going now",
Lei Zhang said and Xiao Yanran immediately stood up.
"Let me see you off", she said.
"No need, it's fine, Xu Jin let's go",
Lei Zhang said and Xu Jin got up.
" Once again happy birthday",
he said to Xiao Yanran before leaving with Xu Jin.
"I think I like that young man",
Mr Chen said to Xiao Yanran as they watched them disappear. TBC.