fictionpage Chapter 57 Team Building Day
Chapter 57 Team Building Day
Sun Du walked out of the Fifth Group's office with a livid face. He felt cheated and humiliated. He wanted to get angry, but his persona as a refined gentleman prevented him from saying anything polite.
So far, no one has been able to cause trouble in Group Five and escape unscathed. The last time Zhou Xin came to cause trouble for Fatty, it ended up being pretty much the same.
After Sun Du left, the tense atmosphere in the office dissipated. The two, who had been imagining their resignations for days, were now so embarrassed they were practically digging their toes into the ground.
Chang Biao, being shy, moved to Su Xiaohe's side first, his voice low and full of guilt: "Xiaohe, I'm so sorry, I was just overthinking things."
The fat man's way of admitting his mistake was much more practical. He didn't bother with any formalities. He simply opened his drawer and took out all the snack gift packs that he had been hiding for more than half a month, not knowing if they had expired or not, and piled them on Su Xiaohe's desk.
"I apologize! Pick whatever you like! All the inventory is yours today!"
Watching the two of them, one shyly apologizing and the other generously showing off their treasures, Su Xiaohe couldn't help but smile. But as she smiled, all the grievances, entanglements, and relief that had been weighing on her heart for the past few days surged up at once, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Why are you crying? Don't cry, don't cry." The fat man panicked and became flustered.
Chen Shi, standing to the side with his arms crossed, was currently occupying the moral high ground: "You two should be less gossipy in the future. The worst thing in the team is to make wild guesses. You have to trust your teammates."
"Yes, yes, Teacher Chen is right!" The fat man nodded quickly in apology, then turned to Sun Tiemei and began to change the subject, "But boss, something's not right about this."
Sun Tiemei raised an eyebrow at him: "Something's not right?"
The fat man said with a serious expression, "Aren't our two new recruits a bit too capable? First, Group Nine tried every means to poach Chen Shi, and now the Intelligence Section is trying to poach Xiao He. Isn't this blatant bullying of Group Five because they think we're easy to talk to? Can you tolerate this?"
He originally intended to fan the flames and have Sun Tiemei confront the various departments.
Sun Tiemei merely glanced at him indifferently and said lightly, "The archives are currently working on yearbook filing and need a few strong men to move the documents. I recommend you. Go ahead."
The fat man's face immediately fell: "Huh?"
"Go quickly, don't delay the archives from finishing up." Sun Tiemei's tone left no room for argument.
Chen Shi and the other two laughed. The fat man hung his head, picked up his water cup, and went out to work.
After this commotion, all the trivial matters of the morning were finally settled. With some free time, everyone remembered the team-building plan that had been finalized long ago.
When it came to team-building activities, the team instantly split into two factions. Su Xiaohe was a pure "food-loving" type, with a simple and direct demand: find a good restaurant and have a good meal. She called Fatty for advice, and his opinion was completely in line with Su Xiaohe's.
Chen Shi and Chang Biao felt that just eating was too monotonous. Sitting in the office all day or staking out crime scenes made them feel stifled. They needed to go out for a walk, get some fresh air, and stretch their muscles. The fat man complained on the phone, "Your legs are no good."
Both sides stuck to their own arguments and argued for a long time without reaching a conclusion, so they simply handed over all the decision-making power to Sun Tiemei.
Sun Tiemei made the final decision: "Let's go to Tianping Mountain Camping Base first this weekend. After we've had our fill of fun, we'll all have a big dinner together in the evening." Everyone was overjoyed. It's a popular camping spot on the outskirts of Linchuan City with a great environment. Many locals come here on weekends to camp, barbecue, relax, and unwind. It has a very good reputation.
The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye. The weather was lovely, sunny but not hot at all, with a pleasant breeze. Fatty somehow managed to get his hands on a seven-seater minivan and even invited his wife over.
The campsite was about an hour and a half drive from the city. By the time they arrived at their destination, it was almost noon. After everyone got out of the car, they started tinkering with various equipment. Fatty was quick and efficient, setting up a canopy in no time and arranging the entire barbecue set neatly.
There weren't many tourists at the campsite; most were friends having gatherings or families of three. The atmosphere was lively but not noisy. The chubby guy kept saying he'd be allowed to do the barbecue later, trying his best to cultivate a hardworking image in front of his wife.
Fat Sister was skilled and meticulous, organizing all kinds of ingredients and washing all kinds of tableware spotlessly clean, her hands and feet moving very quickly. Chang Biao and Su Xiaohe set up the table and chairs and arranged the tableware. Sun Tiemei and Chen Shi wanted to help, but Fat Sister stopped them, so they could only lean back in the camping chairs, occasionally handing over a tool and making a few sarcastic remarks to the busy Fat Man, feeling comfortable and at ease.
Not far from Group 5, a canopy was set up on the lawn. Under the canopy, a family of three was sitting there drinking tea and eating. The couple were not very old, and they laughed occasionally as they talked. Next to them sat a little boy of about three or four years old, with fair skin and bright eyes. He was impatient with his parents sitting quietly, and after finishing a bottle of fruit milk, he ran and jumped around on the lawn, full of energy.
A little while later, the little boy ran over to Group 5 and curiously looked at the group members who were having a lively barbecue.
"What are you doing?" The child's sweet, childlike voice instantly touched everyone's soft spot.
Aunt Pang and Su Xiaohe were instantly charmed, bending down to gently pat his little head: "We're making something delicious, do you want some?"
The fat man immediately handed over a bunch of meat skewers. Children this age are obsessed with meat, and seeing the lamb skewers in his hand, he immediately smiled happily. The child's parents then hurried over, their faces full of apology and gentleness, saying that the child was too active and curious, and had disturbed their rest.
The group quickly waved their hands to indicate that it was alright. Looking at this harmonious and warm family of three, the mood of the group members became brighter. Even Sun Tiemei, who was usually indifferent, had a faint smile in her eyes.
Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, the gentle-looking man who had been helping his wife and children tidy up the snacks suddenly froze without warning. He remained standing, his breathing steady, the warm smile on his face still lingering, but he didn't move an inch.
Those once gentle and bright eyes suddenly became empty and lifeless, losing all their luster.
It's like a machine that's running, suddenly having its plug pulled out.
"Honey? What's wrong?" His wife, noticing something was wrong immediately, shook his arm in confusion. There was no response. The man remained standing ramrod straight, but he seemed unresponsive to everything around him. He was like a living dead man, outwardly vibrant but devoid of any soul.
A surge of anxiety and panic overwhelmed the wife. She shook the man more violently, her voice trembling with tears, "Say something! Don't scare me! What's wrong?!"
The little boy next to him ran over and called for his father, thinking that his father was playing a game with him. But when he saw his mother's expression, he realized that it was not a game and suddenly felt like crying.
The campers nearby noticed something was wrong and quickly gathered around. The five groups of people who had been chatting and laughing almost simultaneously stopped laughing.
"Something's happened." As soon as Sun Tiemei finished speaking, the group rushed over.
Chen Shi immediately stepped forward to observe, his gaze sweeping over the man's entire body. There were no wounds on the skin exposed outside his clothes, and his physical condition seemed normal, yet he had completely lost all reaction, making him extremely eerie. He stared at the top of the man's head, but could see nothing; the man was devoid of any thought at that moment.
Shortly after, patrolling police officers who had been alerted by the public arrived at the scene. Immediately afterwards, paramedics arrived as well. The medical personnel immediately examined the individuals, and after a series of tests, everyone looked completely bewildered.
The patient's vital signs were all normal, and all organs and bodily functions were in good condition, fully meeting the physiological standards of a healthy adult.
No matter how much stimulation they tried, he remained completely unconscious. The patrol officers nearby were also utterly bewildered; the man wasn't dead, nor did he appear to have fainted, making a criminal case entirely out of the question.
Just as everyone was at a loss and discussing among themselves, a slender woman wearing a white hoodie hid behind the crowd not far away. She didn't look at the unresponsive man at all, but stared intently at the group of five.