Courtyard House: The Thief System of All Realms

Chapter 7: The Cafeteria Trials, and the Thief System Takes on a New Turn

The previous evening, Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, and the others, brimming with resentment, cleaned up Sun Jingyuan's three west wing rooms and courtyard before slinking away. Sha Zhu cursed incessantly on the way, his heart filled with rage at being humiliated in the courtyard. Yi Zhonghai secretly plotted to sabotage Sun Jingyuan at the steel rolling mill and get revenge. Each of them harbored their own grievances, but dared not cause any more trouble. Sun Jingyuan closed the door, ignoring the whispers outside, and methodically finished tidying up, awaiting his official start date at the steel rolling mill the next day.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Sun Jingyuan quickly washed up and set off for the steel rolling mill. As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard alley, he ran into Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Sha Zhu, who were also going to work with him. Their eyes met; Sha Zhu's eyes were full of resentment, and Yi Zhonghai's expression was also gloomy, but no one took the initiative to speak. Both sides remained silent, walking separately towards the steel rolling mill without exchanging a single word; the atmosphere was heavy and tense.

Upon arriving at the steel rolling mill gate, Sun Jingyuan went straight to the personnel department to complete his onboarding procedures. Ms. Li from the personnel department had already received special instructions from the factory director, Yang Xugang, and treated Sun Jingyuan with exceptional warmth and attentiveness. She quickly produced the prepared onboarding forms, expedited the procedures, and then personally led him to the factory clinic, offering careful instructions along the way.

"Dr. Sun, our factory's previous doctor, Dr. Wang, suffered a sudden stroke at the beginning of the year. His health couldn't keep up, so he went home to recuperate and retired. This clinic has been vacant for over half a year. There are many employees in the factory, and they all do heavy physical labor. Injuries, headaches, and fevers are common. Without a professional doctor on duty, everyone just has to tough it out. Your arrival has solved a major problem for the factory." Sister Li's tone was full of expectation as she carefully explained as she walked, "The factory manager specifically emphasized that you are the factory's specially hired professional doctor. The logistics department has prepared all the necessary white coats and commonly used medicines. If you have any further needs, just come to me for coordination."

Sun Jingyuan nodded slightly, his tone calm and polite, without any unnecessary formalities: "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Li. I'll familiarize myself with the work of the infirmary first and sort out all the supplies."

Pushing open the door to the clinic, the interior was simply and neatly furnished. A wooden medicine cabinet against the wall was filled with commonly used Western medicines and simple medical instruments. In the center stood a solid wood consultation table; though not spacious, it was sufficient for daily medical use. Sister Li handed the clinic keys and a list of supplies to Sun Jingyuan, briefly explained some work precautions, and then turned to return to the personnel department, leaving Sun Jingyuan to manage the clinic alone.

Sun Jingyuan worked calmly and methodically, categorizing and arranging various medicines, counting the number of medical devices, and checking the expiration dates of each medicine, making the entire clinic neat and orderly. No employees came for treatment that morning, and the room was exceptionally quiet. Just as he finished tidying the last set of medicine cabinets, a familiar electronic notification suddenly sounded in his mind—the exclusive command from the Myriad Realms Thief System: [Detected that the host has successfully joined the steel rolling mill, establishing a foothold in both the factory area and the courtyard, solidifying his position, activating the system's hidden benefits, retaining one random thief opportunity; activation will begin immediately upon meeting the trigger conditions.]

The system notification sound disappeared in an instant, but Sun Jingyuan's hands did not stop moving at all, and his expression remained calm and indifferent, as if he had never heard the system notification. He continued to focus on the work at hand, without any extra reaction.

Before he knew it, it was lunchtime, and the factory's closing bell rang on time. Workers put down their tasks and flocked to the canteen for lunch. Sun Jingyuan tidied up the table in the infirmary and followed the flow to the canteen. Just as he reached the main window, he noticed a malevolent gaze fixed on him. Looking up, he saw Sha Zhu standing behind the window, hands on his hips, staring intently at him with vengeful malice in his eyes—clearly, he had been waiting there.

Sha Zhu had been a cook in the cafeteria for many years. Relying on his solid culinary skills and his ability to get along with others, he had always acted recklessly in the cafeteria. The day before, he had been easily subdued by Sun Jingyuan in the courtyard and forced to clean the yard, losing face completely. He had been holding a grudge for a long time and had spent the whole morning plotting his revenge. He deliberately switched shifts with his apprentice and waited at the main food window, just waiting for Sun Jingyuan to come to get his food so he could make things difficult for him and vent his anger.

Sun Jingyuan ignored his provocation and went straight to the window to queue. Soon it was his turn. He handed his lunchbox and full meal tickets to the window and said calmly, "One meat dish and one vegetable dish."

Sha Zhu snatched the lunchbox, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He deliberately mischievously gripped the ladle. He scooped up a large spoonful of meat, then vigorously shook it up and down, causing all the meat to fall back into the bowl, leaving only a little broth and a few withered vegetable leaves. He then haphazardly scooped up some vegetables, shoved the lunchbox back, and sneered, "Alright, take it and get out of here. Don't block other people from getting their food. What's with all the fuss?"

Seeing this, the employees queuing at the window all turned to look, but no one dared to say anything. Sha Zhu was used to running rampant in the cafeteria, and no one wanted to offend him, lest they be harassed when getting their own food later. They could only secretly sympathize with Sun Jingyuan.

Sun Jingyuan glanced down at the meager amount of food in his lunchbox, devoid of any meat, his expression remaining calm and unperturbed. He simply looked up at Sha Zhu and said in a cold, direct tone, "The cafeteria rules are clear: food is distributed according to quantity. I paid the full amount of meal tickets. You are deliberately withholding food and intentionally making things difficult for me."

"I'll give you whatever I want. You're new here, you should be grateful you can even eat here, and you dare to be picky?" Sha Zhu said arrogantly, completely disregarding Sun Jingyuan. "If you're so capable, then don't eat. You're deliberately causing trouble here. Believe me, I'll just call someone to kick you out!"

The argument between the two quickly attracted the attention of the surrounding employees. Ms. Li from the Human Resources Department, who had just finished getting her lunch and was about to leave, happened to be passing by. Seeing this, she quickly walked over. She looked down at the food in Sun Jingyuan's lunchbox, then glanced at the arrogant Sha Zhu in the window. Her face instantly darkened, and she immediately reprimanded him sternly.

"He Yuzhu! How dare you!" Sister Li's clear and powerful voice instantly quieted the noisy canteen. "The factory canteen's rules and regulations are clearly written: all employees must be served their meals in full and treated equally. How dare you openly violate these rules, deliberately withholding food and making things difficult for your colleagues? Do you have no respect for factory discipline?!"

When Sha Zhu saw that it was Sister Li from the personnel department, he panicked for a moment, but still tried to save face and explained, "Sister Li, I just slipped and it didn't happen on purpose. He's a new young man, there's no need to be so serious about it."

"A slip of the hand? One slip could be an accident, but dropping chunks of meat every time is deliberate troublemaking!" Sister Li showed no mercy, her tone growing increasingly stern. She immediately identified Sun Jingyuan, "Do you know who he is? This is Dr. Sun Jingyuan, specially hired by the factory to oversee the medical care of all employees. The factory manager has repeatedly instructed us to give him special attention. How dare you so blatantly make things difficult for him!"

These words caused an immediate uproar. The surrounding employees whispered among themselves, and their gazes towards Sun Jingyuan instantly changed, no longer showing any contempt. Sha Zhu's arrogance froze instantly, his face filled with astonishment. He never expected that this new neighbor from the courtyard was actually the factory's specially hired doctor, someone even the factory director valued highly. For a moment, he stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai, having heard the commotion in the cafeteria, quickly squeezed over. Seeing the situation, he hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over, his face plastered with a polite smile: "Sister Li, we're all neighbors in the same courtyard, we see each other all the time, it's just a small misunderstanding. Sha Zhu was just confused for a moment, he didn't mean it. There's no need to make a big deal out of it, let's just let it go."

"Deliberately withholding food and openly making things difficult for the factory doctor can't be dismissed with a simple misunderstanding," Sun Jingyuan said calmly, his tone carrying an undeniable firmness. "The factory has clear rules and regulations. If employees can arbitrarily violate them and make things difficult for their colleagues, how can order be maintained in the factory in the future?"

The moment Sun Jingyuan finished speaking, the notification from the Myriad Realms Thief System rang out again: [Detected that the host directly confronted deliberate workplace harassment, upholding principles and safeguarding their legitimate rights, triggering a random thief opportunity. This time, the scope of the theft is limited to interpersonal skills. Begin stealing immediately?]

Sun Jingyuan's expression remained unchanged, without the slightest ripple. He silently confirmed the activation command in his mind, without showing any outward signs of anything unusual.

[The Myriad Realms Thief System is activated, randomly stealing target skills...]

[Successfully stolen! Acquired: Workplace and neighborhood interpersonal skills. All skills have been implanted into the host's memory, allowing for flexible handling of various interpersonal disputes in the factory area and courtyard, precise control of actions, and avoidance of unnecessary trouble.]

A wealth of information on interpersonal skills instantly flooded his mind, seamlessly integrating with Sun Jingyuan's own style of conduct, and the system notification sound completely dissipated. Sun Jingyuan remained calm, standing quietly by the window, awaiting further instructions without making any unnecessary moves.

Upon hearing the news, the canteen manager rushed over. Sister Li immediately explained the whole story without showing any favoritism. The canteen manager looked at Sha Zhu with a face full of anger and immediately criticized him in front of all the staff, ordering him to sincerely apologize to Sun Jingyuan and make up for the lost meal.

Sha Zhu was filled with resentment and regret, but dared not disobey the canteen director's orders, and was even more wary of Sun Jingyuan's status as the factory doctor. He could only lower his head and reluctantly say apologetic words.

Yi Zhonghai stood aside, his face turning pale and then red. He had originally wanted to use Sha Zhu to give Sun Jingyuan a hard time and completely overwhelm him, but instead he ended up in an embarrassing situation. He had no face to say anything more, so he grabbed Sha Zhu and hurriedly left the food window.