EPISODE 14: THE CEO WHO CANCELED PLANS TO LAY BRICKS — WHEN CEMENT MEETS TRUE LOVE
(He thought plastering walls was suffering. Turns out Tuấn was fully prepared to plaster for the rest of his life as long as he got emotional validation at the construction site.)
SCENE 1: THE MAN ACTIVATED BY A SINGLE SENTENCE
At lunchtime on the eleventh day of Lunar New Year, Tuấn proudly showed Trang the “wanted notice” messages Nam had been sending him, hoping to gauge her reaction.
Trang glanced at the screen, then casually dropped a sentence that hit him harder than an energy drink on an empty stomach.
“Well then, go finish the job this afternoon. A real man should keep his word.”
That was it.
One sentence.
One command.
One emotional power-up.
Tuấn instantly received a 200% boost in motivation.
The moment work ended, he flew home, logged out of his shiny CEO outfit, and jumped straight back into his cursed construction gear to go settle his debt with Nam once and for all.
SCENE 2: ROMANCE AS INDUSTRIAL FUEL
When he arrived, Tuấn was once again mixing cement and plastering walls like a man trapped in a suspiciously low-budget redemption arc.
Meanwhile, “site supervisor” Nam was sitting comfortably nearby with his girlfriend, peeling grapes and feeding them to each other like they were on a luxury resort vacation.
Tuấn wiped off sweat and muttered to himself,
“Come on, Tuấn… just finish this section and you’ll finally be released from unpaid labor.”
He kept working.
Then suddenly—
a familiar motorbike stopped outside.
Trang had arrived.
The moment she stepped in and saw her boyfriend covered head to toe in dust and plaster, while Cousin Nam sat there living his best soft life, her sympathy level shot through the roof.
Without saying much, she rolled up her sleeves and walked straight toward the pile of bricks.
“I’ll stay here with you so it goes faster. Just tell me what you need, I’ll help.”
That sentence nearly sent Tuấn into orbit.
The second he heard it, fireworks went off in his chest.
With his girl standing beside him, his hands started moving like he’d been possessed by the spirit of construction excellence. His speed doubled. His skills upgraded. His entire performance unlocked premium features.
And then, because love makes fools out of men, a terrible thought entered his head:
Maybe I should work a little slower…
Maybe I should pretend this part still isn’t smooth…
Just so Trang will stay here with me longer.
A tragic thought.
A deeply stupid thought.
A very understandable thought.
SCENE 3: TRANG’S INTERNAL AUDIT BEGINS
Unfortunately for Tuấn, romantic motivation turned out to be too effective.
He became too good at the job.
Before he knew it, the wall was done.
Perfectly smooth.
Beautifully finished.
A masterpiece.
Tuấn stared at it in silent heartbreak.
“Oh no… why did I work so fast? I barely got to enjoy this.”
Across the yard, Trang had already begun a separate operation:
the full moral audit of Cousin Nam.
She pulled him aside, her face cold and calm.
“Nam. Enough is enough. You’ve squeezed enough labor out of him already. From now on, stop bullying Tuấn, or I’m revoking cousin privileges permanently.”
Nam froze for three full seconds.
Then he gave a crooked grin.
“Wow. You’re not even married yet and I’ve already lost status in this family?”
SCENE 4: THE EVIL MASTER PLAN IS REVEALED
Once the wall was done, Nam walked over, clapped Tuấn on the shoulder, and laughed like a man completely at peace with his own moral corruption.
“See, Tuấn? If I’d told you two the truth earlier and helped you make up sooner, then who exactly was going to finish plastering this wall for me?”
Tuấn stopped dead.
His trowel nearly slipped out of his hand.
“Wait. So you deliberately kept us from making up… just so you could exploit me for free labor?”
Nam winked, shameless to the very end.
“Every good love story needs conflict. I created the obstacle so you could appreciate the happy ending. Honestly, I should get credit as your matchmaker.”
Trang slowly walked over, folded her arms, and gave both of them a look.
“Alright. Both of you need to calm down. One of you needs to stop pretending to be something he’s not, and the other needs to stop scheming like a low-budget villain. The world will be a much more peaceful place.”
And really, nobody could argue with that.
BÁC BẢY’S COMMENTARY
“Lord have mercy, I’m telling you right now—this is a perfect case of one trickster meeting someone even sharper.
Nam thought he was clever, sure, but he forgot Trang has the eyes of an auditor and the patience of a prosecutor.
And Tuấn? Sure, he lost money on construction work. But he gained official protection from his future wife, so frankly, that man is still walking away with a profit.
Wall finished.
Love restored.
Cousin exposed.
Ego reduced.
That’s what I call efficient project management.”
BÁC BẢY’S POETIC SUMMARY
The wall got done, the feelings returned,
The scheming cousin got quietly burned.
Drop the fake swagger, take things slow—
Try being honest. See how far that’ll go.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
As the author, I would simply like to sit back and observe what happens next:
After today, does Tuấn finally get to walk Trang home properly and reassure the family…
or is this man still one awkward incident away from another public collapse?
Chuyen Phương 
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