“Comrade Li Yang, right?”
After pouring two cups of water for them, Jiang Nianxin began asking questions.
“I know you’re a girl with strong opinions. Can you tell me about your general plans for the future?”
Li Yang was naturally intelligent. Without much thought, she began outlining her life goals.
“My greatest dream is to become an outstanding screen actress, bringing many great works to the people, and spreading a positive attitude toward life and a resilient character.”
“My current primary goal is to join the art troupe. I believe in my abilities to pass the organization’s assessment. For a long time to come, I will grow and hone myself within the troupe, continuously enriching my cultural knowledge and personal qualities.”
“Asking my uncle to recommend me to you this time is indeed presumptuous. At home, my grandmother favors boys over girls and treats our family of three poorly. She and my eldest uncle forcibly accepted a large bride price from a leader’s family at his workplace and are threatening my parents to marry me off to that leader’s foolish son…”
As she spoke, Li Yang’s eyes reddened.
“I can only rely on my own hands to carve out a future.”
“Director Jiang, I have always admired outstanding female leaders like you—women who hold up half the sky. You are elegant and intelligent, shining brightly on the path of artistic performance. I admire and aspire to be like you.”
“We women are born as mountains and streams; we are no less than men. I simply lack a valuable opportunity!”
Li Yang stood up and bowed deeply to Jiang Nianxin.
“Director Jiang, I know it would be easy for you to accept me. I hope you can give me this opportunity. I will prove that your choice is exceptionally far-sighted.”
Jiang Nianxin had already intended to take her in. After hearing about Li Yang’s experiences and seeing that she still held such great ideals, she regarded her even more highly.
“I believe your abilities won’t be lacking.”
Li Yang smiled confidently. “You may assess me as you wish. If I fail to meet the troupe’s standards, I’ll leave immediately.”
Jiang Nianxin raised her brows slightly, now truly taking Li Yang seriously.
This girl didn’t seem like an inexperienced small-town girl at all, but rather like a capable woman who had already seen the world. With such mindset and intelligence, her future would be limitless.
Jiang Nianxin nodded.
“Alright, I’ll handle your matter as soon as possible. Your待遇 will follow that of a first-class dancer—regular salary, overtime subsidies, and benefits totaling sixty yuan per month. Your quota won’t count among the four temporary slots.”
Upon hearing this, Li Yang immediately understood—Director Jiang intended to recruit her as a formal employee.
“Also, I expect you to report to work on time tomorrow. The selection for the Northwest Grand Performance begins in three days. If you’re selected, I’ll appoint you as a small team leader.”
“Comrade Li Yang, I’m very much looking forward to the exceptional performance you’ll bring.”
Only then did Li Yang finally feel at ease. A first-class dancer was essentially a title reserved for principal performers, meaning she would have the qualification to perform solo pieces right after joining the troupe.
It showed that Jiang Nianxin had taken note of her language skills, singing, and dancing abilities. Li Yang nodded to herself—this was a leader who truly valued talent.
As long as Jiang Nianxin was willing to help, everything would be fine.
After bidding farewell to Jiang Nianxin, Zhao Guoqiang escorted Li Yang home before rushing off to report the good news to his bureau chief.
Their unit had practically received a windfall—seven thousand US dollars in project funding out of nowhere…
Hearing that Li Yang’s situation had been perfectly resolved, her aunt Zhang Huayan insisted on taking Li Yang and her mother-in-law shopping at the department store.
Meanwhile, the Li family still thought they could control Li Yang, not realizing she would soon head to the Northwest as a well-paid formal employee.
The “worthless girl” they looked down upon would one day become a household-name star.
Putting future matters aside, she had successfully joined the art troupe, and as long as she passed the selection, she would only need to go to the Northwest for one year. No matter how she thought about it, it felt like fate was favoring her.
Her aunt and grandmother-in-law bought her two beautiful dresses and a pair of white leather shoes before finally letting her return home.
After hearing that everything had been resolved, Li Qinghui and Zhao Wanrou finally relaxed. The family of three began living a peaceful and pleasant life together.
In contrast, at the old Li household, after Li Yang and Zhao Wanrou—the long-suffering mother and daughter—left, all the heavy work fell onto the eldest aunt Ma Limei. Though her natal family was wealthy, Li Xiujin insisted on controlling the household finances and refused to hire help.
After enduring a few days, Ma Limei made an excuse to return to her parents’ home, leaving the old lady alone most of the time.
Since Li Qinghui and his wife had cut ties with the Li family, all kinds of rumors spread through the compound. People had little goodwill toward Li Xiujin and avoided interacting with her.
Yet the old lady still believed she held leverage over Li Qinghui. His second son only had a “worthless girl,” and in old age, wouldn’t he still need to rely on his nephew?
Once her second son cooled down and returned, she would make Zhao Wanrou—the “hen that couldn’t lay eggs”—and Li Yang—the “worthless girl”—pay.
Meanwhile, Li Yao had already stayed in the art troupe dormitory since yesterday, waking early to practice vocal training with the girls from the singing department.
She had heard that Jiang Xue, who joined the singing department with her, was Director Jiang’s niece, so she planned to curry favor with her…
Li Yang and her family were unaware of Li Xiujin’s delusions. Zhao Wanrou woke early to cook egg noodles for her daughter. On her first day of work, she couldn’t be late and had to leave a good impression.
Li Yang wasn’t in a hurry, as she wasn’t sure whether Jiang Nianxin could complete her employment procedures within half a day. Still, she followed her mother’s advice and arrived early at the art troupe.
The gatekeeper had seen Li Yang the day before, personally escorted out by Director Jiang, so he let her in without question.
“Miss, Director Jiang arrives at work at 8:30 sharp every day. You can stroll around nearby first, then head to the office when it’s time.”
Li Yang felt warmed by his kindness and smiled sweetly.
“Alright, thank you, sir!”
Behind the art troupe was a large garden with beautiful scenery.
After wandering for a while, Li Yang went to wait outside Jiang Nianxin’s office.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Nianxin had arrived early. After seeing Li Yang off yesterday, she had gone straight to the commune to transfer Li Yang’s household registration. The process went smoothly, and everything was completed within half a day, including her work ID.
“Good morning, Director Jiang!”
“Li Yang? Your matters have all been settled. I still have a meeting to attend. Go to the Propaganda Department on the third floor and find Minister Chen.”