61: Made into a Foil

"Inferior skills!" Shaofeng mocked. "We really thought you were something. Tsk, tsk, that performance was embarrassing! I'm telling you, stop causing a scene here, or by tomorrow, everyone in the factory will know that Qiao Shasha can't accept defeat and gets angry enough to hit people!"

"Where did I hit her? Where?" Qiao Shasha already felt guilty, but she still stubbornly argued.

"You didn't hit her because you missed, not because you didn't try." Su Hanyan said coldly. "It's said you shouldn't hit someone in the face, but you came right up and aimed for the face. Sorry, but I can't be polite to you either!"

"Su Hanyan! Don't get too cocky!" Qiao Shasha spat through gritted teeth. "Just wait, I'll get you back for this slap!"

"Anytime!" Su Hanyan's lips curved into a defiant smile. She rubbed her wrist and cracked her knuckles.

Qiao Shasha fled in embarrassment under the peculiar gazes of everyone. As she ran, tears streamed down her face. She had put on the most beautiful makeup, specially arranged for flattering lighting, and had the closing performance. If everything had gone smoothly, she would have been the one stunning the audience, standing in the spotlight, receiving applause and praise.

But all her painstaking efforts ended up being for Su Hanyan's benefit. Not only did she serve as a mere stepping stone, but she also made herself look foolish and clumsy, highlighting Su Hanyan's exceptional talent.

The burning rage in her heart felt like a fire, with the shame and unwillingness colliding wildly in her chest, making her want to tear her chest open.

She had even been slapped today. If she swallowed this insult, she wouldn't be Qiao Shasha anymore.

...

"Thanks to everyone for your help. The stage is almost cleaned up. You can all go home now!" Su Hanyan thanked everyone who helped.

After Su Hanyan turned off the lights, she and Zhu Lin were the last to leave.

At this moment, a tall, handsome man walked over from under a streetlight next to the hall, greeting Su Hanyan. "Hello, Comrade Su!"

Su Hanyan didn't recognize the man, but since he greeted her, she politely nodded back. "Hello!"

"Comrade Su, tonight's performance was astonishing! Your singing was excellent, and your English had a lot of charm. Your quick thinking saved the show spectacularly!"

"Thank you." Su Hanyan smiled gently but didn't say much more.

This guy was probably trying to chat her up. If she talked too much, it would delay her from going back to the dorm to rest.

"Hey, you're the one who helped just now..." Zhu Lin recognized the man immediately. He was the one who blocked Qiao Shasha's rampage.

"Yes, it was me."

"Oh! It was you! Thank you so much! Which department are you from?" Out of courtesy, Su Hanyan inquired about his unit.

After all, they worked in the same factory, so they were bound to meet often. Besides, he helped her tonight.

Out of politeness and gratitude, she should thank him and ask where he worked so they could greet each other in the future.

"I'm a university graduate assigned here this year, now working in the technical department! Let's get to know each other. I'm Zhou Ningkai!" He extended his hand to Su Hanyan.

Zhou Ningkai!!

Wasn't this the male lead of the original novel?

This man was actually the younger brother of Su Hanyan's original husband!

In the original novel, Su Hanyan agreed to marry into the Zhou family and married Zhou Ningkai's elder brother. However, the two brothers didn't grow up in the same household. Zhou Ningkai was adopted by his second uncle's family because they had no children.

After agreeing to the marriage, the original Su Hanyan quickly got married and never returned to work at the factory, so she never encountered Zhou Ningkai there.

62: Not Walking the Same Path

After rejecting the arranged marriage, she chose to continue working at the factory, inevitably encountering Zhou Ningkai.

Back when she was still a reader, she had scoffed at Zhou Ningkai's actions.

The original Su Hanyan married his elder brother, Zhou Ningyuan. Zhou Ningyuan was a man with extreme possessiveness, unable to tolerate Su Hanyan talking to other men. At the slightest displeasure, he would resort to domestic violence against her. With no shelter from her family, she was left to struggle in misery.

In her despair, Zhou Ningkai appeared, showing concern for her and even speaking up for her in front of his brother.

This small warmth ignited her hope to survive and gave her fantasies about love. Little did she know, Zhou Ningkai was interested in Lin Zhiqiu, and he was only using her to get closer to Lin Zhiqiu.

At that time, Lin Zhiqiu was in the midst of a divorce with Su Jingrui.

It was Zhou Ningkai's kindness towards her that made her husband Zhou Ningyuan jealous of his own younger brother. Instead of blaming his brother, he kept her locked up at home and subjected her to physical abuse.

It was during this time that the original Su Hanyan was sent to the hospital and met the young surgeon, Jin Chen.

"Comrade Su?" Zhou Ningkai, seeing Su Hanyan still not reacting or moving, awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Is there something on my face?"

"No." Su Hanyan extended her hand, giving a light handshake. "Thank you for your help tonight!"

"You're welcome! Comrade Su, I really admire your English. Actually, I want to learn English too. Could you teach me? After all, for designing, I also want to read some foreign literature, but I'm having trouble understanding it." Zhou Ningkai asked proactively.

Su Hanyan remained polite but distant in her attitude. "I can't understand those professional papers either. My English is just good enough to sing a song! I'm sorry, you'd better find someone more proficient!"

"Oh..." Zhou Ningkai was stunned. He didn't expect Su Hanyan to reject his request to be friends.

"It's getting late. We should go back now. Goodbye, Zhou Ningkai!" Su Hanyan said, then hurriedly led Zhu Lin away towards the path to the single dormitory.

Left alone in place, Zhou Ningkai puzzled over why, despite speaking up for Su Hanyan, she didn't want to be friends with him.

It wasn't just Zhou Ningkai who was puzzled; Zhu Lin was too.

"Hanyan, he's a highly talented graduate! He's also a treasure in our factory. He took the initiative to befriend you, why did you ignore him?" Zhu Lin asked.

"We're not on the same path." Su Hanyan replied simply.

"How are you not on the same path? He's tall and handsome, much more appealing than the workers in our factory!" Zhu Lin's eyes sparkled with stars; this type of man was exactly her type.

Su Hanyan glanced at Zhu Lin's blossoming infatuation and swiftly cut off the budding romantic feelings. "You're someone preparing for exams. Focus on your studies. Don't distract yourself with other thoughts. If you miss this opportunity again, don't regret it later. You can see men every day, but if you miss this chance, don't cry about it later!*"

[*she says 'don't look for medicine to cure regret' in other words]

Su Hanyan wasn't trying to ruin Zhu Lin's happiness, but she knew that this man had an official partner. Moreover, she didn't think Zhou Ningkai was a particularly good person and didn't want to see her friend fall into a pit while she stood by.

"Uh... Okay." Zhu Lin found Su Hanyan's words reasonable and agreed, "I'll focus on studying."

63: A Request from Him

Early Monday morning, Su Hanyan brought two newly purchased literary books from the Xinhua Bookstore to the office. After New Year's Day, the Publicity Department didn't have much busy work lined up, so they were entering a leisurely period.

Director Niu also encouraged them to read more books during their spare time as long as it didn't interfere with work, so there were no objections.

Just as she sat down and was about to start reading, Director Niu entered the room. She thought he might be starting an early meeting, so she closed her book and took out her notebook from the drawer.

"Hanyan, go to the factory director's office." Niu Hongxia said.

"Huh?" Su Hanyan was stunned. "Director, did you say correctly? You want me to go to the factory director's office?"

"Yes, you heard right. Hurry up! Don't keep the leader waiting!"

"Oh, okay!" Su Hanyan quickly closed her books and followed Niu Hongxia upstairs.

The administrative departments and offices of the factory were mostly located in this comprehensive building. The building had four floors, with the Publicity Department on the first floor and the factory director's office on the third floor.

At the door of the factory director's office, Niu Hongxia knocked, heard a response, and then pushed the door open. "Director Zhang, I've brought her over."

Director Zhang was currently looking at the financial report for the quarter. Upon hearing their voices, he looked up and glanced towards the door. "Ah, Xiao Niu is here! Did you bring the person I wanted to see?"

"Director Zhang, hello, I'm Su Hanyan." Su Hanyan stepped out from behind Niu Hongxia. "I heard you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, yes, come in and sit down." Zhang Hong stood up from his desk and moved to sit on the sofa against the wall. "This matter requires a detailed discussion with you."

A detailed discussion?

What could this be about?

Su Hanyan wondered. Why did the factory director want to discuss something so important with her?

Just as she pondered, Director Niu said to her, "Go ahead, have a good talk. I'll head down first, come down to work after the discussion."

"Oh, okay."

Director Zhang closed the door behind him, poured a cup of hot water from his desk, and handed it to Su Hanyan. "Here, have some water."

"Thank you. Director Zhang, is there something you need me for?" Su Hanyan hurriedly took the cup with both hands.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous." Zhang Hong smiled at her somewhat bewildered and cautious expression. "I watched the New Year's Eve Gala. The event organized by your Publicity Department was very successful! Your hosting was excellent, elegant, and graceful! However, what impressed me the most was the English song you sang at the end. It's the best English song I've ever heard."

Su Hanyan felt embarrassed by the praise. "Thank you, Director. Anyone could learn that English song..."

"Don't be too modest." Zhang Hong chuckled. "I heard that you set up a study group in the single dormitory specifically for studying English courses?"

"You know about that?" Su Hanyan was surprised. While they hadn't intentionally kept it a secret, given that he was the factory director, although not handling every trivial matter, he was still busy enough. Yet he managed to pay attention to their English learning activities, which was quite unusual.

"Yes. After all, I have a favor to ask of you, so I had to do my homework in order to continue our conversation." Zhang Hong explained.

"A favor from me?" Su Hanyan was stunned.

For a moment, she couldn't think of what the factory director might want her help with.

"Yes, I'll be direct. My son will be taking the college entrance examination next year! His English is a mess, and I'm really worried! So, I want you to tutor him!" Zhang Hong stated directly.

64: Tutoring

Tutoring the factory director's son?

Su Hanyan had never imagined encountering such a situation before.

"Well... are you willing?" Director Zhang asked.

Since the factory director personally came to find her, she certainly couldn't refuse this face-saving request. But if she took on tutoring for that child, wouldn't it mean she couldn't teach classes to Shao Yu and Zhu Lin anymore?

Those two had just pooled money to buy a tape recorder. Their enthusiasm for learning was unprecedented, and they were striving towards their goals with great determination.

If she abandoned them at this time, it wouldn't be fair.

"I'm willing, of course I'm willing. But, I need to adjust my schedule. Director Zhang, would you mind waiting for my response? I'll get back to you this afternoon." Su Hanyan replied.

"Sure. I'll wait for your reply."

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now! I'll come back in the afternoon!"

"Alright."

Zhang Hong saw Su Hanyan out, and as she was leaving, he added, "Xiao Su, rest assured, I won't let you tutor my son for nothing. I'll pay you for your tutoring."

"No need, Director. It's just tutoring, no trouble at all!" Su Hanyan smiled.

At lunchtime, Su Hanyan, Zhu Lin, and Shao Yu gathered around a table to eat, discussing the morning's events from various departments.

"Hanyan, we need to discuss something with you." Zhu Lin and Shao Yu said simultaneously.

"Perfect timing, I have something to discuss with you both as well. Why don't you go first?" Su Hanyan suggested.

"Alright! So, after New Year's Day, many people learned how great your English is, and a few of us from the union want to learn English with you." Zhu Lin began.

"Yes, that's right," Shao Yu nodded eagerly.

"So, we wanted to ask if you'd be willing to teach a few more people?" Zhu Lin continued.

"Well..." Su Hanyan hesitated. "Our time is already quite tight. If we take on more people, I'll have to juggle and won't be able to focus my energy on teaching just the two of you. What do you think?"

"In that case, forget it." Shao Yu and Zhu Lin agreed, "We also think so. It wouldn't be right to burden you with teaching us when you're already so busy. What do you think?"

"I agree." Zhu Lin had her own motives. "The more people there are, the more our studies will be affected."

"In that case, could you please tell them? I have too much going on here, and I'm afraid I won't be able to manage both." Su Hanyan requested.

"Sure." Zhu Lin nodded in agreement. "What about your matter? Didn't you say you had something to discuss with us?"

"Today, Director Zhang asked me to tutor his son. I wanted to ask for your opinion on this!" Su Hanyan explained.

"Tutoring the director's child! Of course, you have to go! If you want to develop here in the factory, you must go!" Zhu Lin understood Su Hanyan's meaning and comforted her. "Don't worry about Shao Yu and me. We're grateful enough that you're willing to tutor us. Don't let tutoring the director's child slow you down."

"Yeah." Shao Yu nodded in agreement. "Are you going in the evening? It's okay, Zhu Lin and I can study together. We'll compile our questions while you're gone and then you can find time to help us sort them out."

"Alright then. Don't worry, I won't let tutoring the director's child interfere with helping you with your studies. If you're not tired, we can also use the lunchtime for our sessions." Su Hanyan assured them.

65: Humble

Zhu Lin and Shao Yu naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

"You two must keep this matter confidential for me, so that it doesn't get twisted by gossipmongers," Su Hanyan reminded them repeatedly.

...

In the afternoon, as soon as she started work, she went directly to see the factory director to give her answer.

Director Zhang was very pleased when he heard that Su Hanyan agreed. He proactively brought up the issue of tutoring fees: "Xiao Su, I can't let you work for nothing. I thought about it at lunch and decided to pay you thirty yuan a month for tutoring. Are you satisfied with this amount?"

"No, really, there's no need!" Su Hanyan quickly waved her hands in refusal. "I can help for free."

"How can that be?" Director Zhang insisted. "There's still half a year until the college entrance exam next year. I can't let you work so hard for nothing! Take it, you must accept this money. Otherwise, if this matter gets out, people might think I, Zhang Hong, am abusing my position as a factory director."

Since the director had put it this way, Su Hanyan felt it would be impolite to refuse again.

So, she happily accepted: "Alright, since you put it that way, I won't be polite!"

"Great, great! When should we start tutoring? How about tomorrow?" Director Zhang asked eagerly.

"Okay. I'll prepare tonight! Director Zhang, please leave your home address. I'll come over to tutor your child." Su Hanyan said.

Without a second word, Zhang Hong lowered his head and scribbled an address on a sheet of paper: "You can take the bus at the door. It's two stops away! I live in the staff residential compound of our factory!"

"Okay!"

Feeling extremely pleased, Su Hanyan left the director's office. She hadn't expected to become a tutor, and the salary was quite good.

After repaying Zhu Lin's loan last month, she only had ten yuan left.

For someone who usually spent money generously, having just ten yuan was very distressing. She had to watch beautiful makeup products and stylish clothes she couldn't afford, which broke her heart.

Now, with tutoring added to her monthly income, she would earn over sixty yuan. From now on, she wouldn't give a single yuan to Wei Guiqin. She would manage her money herself. She could save up to buy clothes, makeup, eat out, watch movies, and do everything she wanted to do.

...

The next day after work, Su Hanyan took fifteen minutes to buy dinner, then explained some difficult problems to Zhu Lin and Shao Yu, and arranged their evening study content. After that, she slung her military green bag over her shoulder and left the factory, heading towards the bus stop.

At seven o'clock, although the bus was no longer crowded, it was still full. There were no seats, so she stood in the middle of the aisle holding onto the handrail.

This bus came from the city's department store, and there were many stylishly dressed young women on board, carrying trendy handbags.

Su Hanyan quietly assessed her own appearance and suddenly felt quite humble.

Once she earned some money, she resolved to treat herself well. She wouldn't let poverty mar her beautiful youth.

The bus stopped at the next station, where no one got off, but a few people got on. Among them was a young man with a slender figure, dressed neatly and cleanly. His pale face was remarkably handsome, and Su Hanyan recognized him almost instantly.

HODDEOKI's note
thirty chapters for the three years i've been gone! now that i have a new laptop and some time to burn, i'll be updating nearly everyday, typically around night-time in PST. we're not even near the 915 total chapters yet, jesus christ.