“Alright, Xiao Hang,” Liu Huihui interrupted him, smiling as she said to Lin Miaomiao, “Little sister, don’t mind him. My brother is used to being frugal in the village and can’t stand seeing others spend lavishly. But he means no harm—he’s actually looking out for you.”
Lin Miaomiao glanced at her, then at her cousin, and nodded. “Your brother is right. Being diligent and thrifty is a good thing.”
A satisfied expression had just begun to show on Liu Hang’s face.
Lin Miaomiao continued, “I’ll go return the clothes I bought for Ningning right away.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Hang’s smile froze, and Sister-in-law’s expression also turned unpleasant.
“Since you’ve already bought them, what’s the point of returning them?”
“Better to return them. It’s too wasteful.” Without waiting for her to say more, Lin Miaomiao took the child’s hand and turned to leave.
She couldn’t shake the strange feeling in her heart. The way Sister-in-law’s cousin spoke and the way he looked at her made her very uncomfortable!
It seemed she really needed to move out as soon as possible.
…
The next day, she was thinking about asking around for rental places, but she hadn’t expected that as soon as she arrived at the factory, the manager approached her with a grave expression. “Xiao Lin, Director Lu wants to see you.”
Lin Miaomiao’s heart sank. She looked at Yu Meijing, who also wore a look of alarm.
Yesterday’s annual report—they had checked it over and over several times before submitting it.
There shouldn’t have been any issues.
Lin Miaomiao’s mind was in turmoil, filled with annoyance. Her entire face was etched with resistance.
But he was the factory director, after all. She had no choice but to go.
Well, whether it was a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, she’d find out once she got there.
When Lin Miaomiao arrived at the factory director’s office, she realized that in her five years at the factory, this was her first time stepping inside.
She stood for a moment before reaching out to knock on the door.
“Come in.”
A cold, low voice rang out, stirring a pang of bitterness in Lin Miaomiao’s heart.
Even though she already knew her fate from the novel and had been away for five years, she couldn’t help but feel sad.
At this moment, she seemed to understand why the version of herself in the novel went mad and turned dark upon seeing him with the female lead.
Lin Miaomiao took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked into the office.
Lu Yanzhou was wearing glasses, seated in a black leather chair. She glanced at the chair and couldn’t help but feel envious. It was good to be the factory director—even the chair was more luxurious than hers.
It had taken her five years to earn a wooden chair, while he got to sit in a boss’s chair as soon as he arrived.
Comparing people really was infuriating.
The man held a document in one hand, a cigarette pinched between his slender fingers. Lin Miaomiao couldn’t resist complaining inwardly. What’s the point of smoking? It stinks to high heaven.
At least he didn’t smoke when he was with her.
The female lead really had it rough, having to smell cigarette smoke every day.
Lin Miaomiao suddenly felt a sense of balance.
Though she was grumbling inside, her face remained respectful. “Director Lu, is there a problem with my report…?”
The man stubbed out his cigarette, raised his eyes, and looked at her.
“Did you prepare the report alone?”
“No, my colleagues helped. I couldn’t finish it by myself and was afraid of delaying…”
“You can’t even handle this much work, yet you think you deserve this position?” Lu Yanzhou said coldly.
Lin Miaomiao’s expression froze, leaving her speechless.
Given her abilities, she truly couldn’t finish it before the end of the workday.
After all, she had just been promoted and wasn’t yet familiar with the work. She had to learn while doing it.
She was a bit slower than the others.
The manager had the same thought, which was why he asked Yu Meijing to help him.
“I despise people who occupy good positions without the ability to do the job. Don’t you think it’s unfair to others for you to sit in this position?”
Lin Miaomiao clenched her hands tightly. “I admit I can’t handle this much work right now, but I’m trying my best to learn and not hold anyone back…”
“Our factory isn’t a school. We’re not paying you to come here and learn.”
“I don’t think you’re suitable for this job.”
Lu Yanzhou interrupted her, his voice low and cold.
Lin Miaomiao’s chest heaved twice from the sting of his words, unable to hold back any longer. “Lu Yanzhou, what do you mean? Are you firing me?”
She hadn’t gotten this position through connections—she was promoted by her supervisor, and even the manager said she was capable.
What right did he have to say she wasn’t good enough!
Lin Miaomiao’s eyes reddened with anger.
“I’m not firing you. I just think you haven’t met the standard yet. If you want to keep this position, you can…”
Lin Miaomiao immediately looked at him.
Meeting those reddened, restrained eyes, Lu Yanzhou felt a pang in his heart. He tightened his grip on the documents and said, “The factory is currently recruiting and conducting assessments. You can take part. If you pass, you can stay in your position.”
“And if I don’t?”
“If I don’t, can I go back to my old position?”
Lin Miaomiao held onto a sliver of hope.
“No, there are no vacancies in other positions.”
The color drained from Lin Miaomiao’s face.
She finally understood—this was his revenge.
Back in the village, when he was sent down, she had heard he came from a “bad element” family and had targeted him too.
She gave him more work than others and often picked on him.
This was his payback.
She knew it—as long as she was around him, even if she didn’t interfere with his relationship with the female lead, she wouldn’t have an easy time.
After all, the things she had done… she owed him.
But she had worked here for almost four years, finally got promoted, and felt hopeful about the future.
And now, just like that, it was gone.
She didn’t know if it was because of the job or because of Lu Yanzhou’s words.
Her chest felt as if it had been torn apart, the pain twisting her entire face.
Lin Miaomiao took a moment to steady herself, inhaling deeply before she could recover from the overwhelming resentment and anger.
As if all her strength had left her, she said, “…Fine, I’ll do it.”
Lin Miaomiao returned to her seat in a daze.
Though she said yes, her mind was blank.
The accountant assessment wasn’t something she could just take on a whim.
She had learned to read and write, but that was it.
How could she compete with those who had professional training for this position?
Lu Yanzhou’s words were harsh, but he wasn’t wrong.
Even though she had been promoted, without the ability or qualifications, she didn’t deserve such a good position.
Yu Meijing’s face turned pale. “What’s wrong, Miaomiao? Did Director Lu give you a hard time?”
“You look terrible. Don’t scare me…”
Lin Miaomiao burst into tears. “Meijing, I might get fired.”
Yu Meijing was stunned and quickly asked what had happened.
Lin Miaomiao wiped her nose on Yu Meijing’s clothes and explained everything from start to finish.
Suppressing her disgust, Yu Meijing said indignantly, “That’s too much. I’ve never heard of such a thing. You didn’t get here through connections.”
“What should I do? Are you really going to take the test?”
“I heard this assessment is extremely strict, precisely to prevent those who rely on connections and backdoors from getting in. The factory director is personally invigilating!”
“If I don’t take the exam, my old position is already filled—I’ll have nowhere to go.” Lin Miaomiao’s eyes reddened again.
What a calamity. This is truly a calamity.
Who said disasters linger for a thousand years without retribution?
Isn’t her retribution right here?
“Don’t worry. I still have some of my college textbooks from my university days. I’ll show them to you and teach you.”
“You’re so smart—you’ll learn quickly. Even if those others are professionals, you might not be worse than them.”
Yu Meijing’s eyes also reddened: “If you leave, who will cook for me?”
Lin Miaomiao: “…” So it’s not that she’ll miss me, but that she’s afraid of losing good food?
…
That afternoon, Yu Meijing hauled over a large, dust-covered box of books.
“Read through these, and I guarantee no one can compete with you.”
Looking at the pile of books nearly as tall as herself, Lin Miaomiao felt even more like crying.
She never liked studying before. If it weren’t for Lu Yanzhou forcing and coaxing her, she could never have focused.
Now she had to read so much material. Damn it, that dog of a male lead—I must have been blind to fall for you!
It’s not like I slept with him that many times, yet he’s tormenting me like this, as if he didn’t enjoy it too.