76: Unique

"Alright, thank you for your effort," Zhou Ningkai said as he moved to his desk. He sat upright, holding a pen in one hand and a ruler in the other, focusing intently on the blueprint in front of him, looking serious and dedicated.

"One more shot!" Su Hanyan said, "This time, look straight at the camera."

Zhou Ningkai complied and posed for two more photos. When the interview was over, he offered to walk Su Hanyan out.

Su Hanyan declined politely, "No need to trouble yourself, Engineer Zhou. It's just a short distance from here to the publicity department. I won't get lost."

"It's no trouble at all. I could use some fresh air," Zhou Ningkai insisted.

"Suit yourself," Su Hanyan replied, turning on her heels and quickly heading downstairs.

Zhou Ningkai had hoped to use this opportunity to chat with her, perhaps learn about her interests and hobbies, so he could find a chance to invite her out. However, she seemed to give him no chance to speak, moving downstairs at a rapid pace and soon disappearing from his sight.

Zhou Ningkai could only shake his head in resignation. Beautiful girls always seemed so different!

After a week of effort, enough material had been collected. The three staff members of the publicity department began to rack their brains to write the articles. The large four-page newspaper needed to be filled with content on both sides.

Su Hanyan calculated that they needed to write over a dozen articles of varying lengths. She made a detailed plan, deciding where each article and photo should go, what themes to emphasize, and which articles to use as fillers.

Lin Qingyu and Jiang Kuo focused on writing about the good deeds and warm stories within the factory. Major topics, such as leadership directives, cultural development, quality control, and product innovation, were handled by Su Hanyan.

Before finalizing the articles, she sought advice from Section Chief Niu.

Section Chief Niu believed that the core themes of the newspaper should focus on production quality and innovation, which were the factory's top priorities. This meant that Zhou Ningkai would be prominently featured in the most visible section. Additionally, the paper should highlight how the leadership cared for the workers, good deeds among the staff, and extracurricular learning activities.

Su Hanyan took the stack of drafts downstairs and briefly conveyed the plan to Lin Qingyu and Jiang Kuo.

"If that's the case, you'll need to consult Zhou Ningkai again. We can't afford any mistakes with the professional content. If necessary, have him write a few parts himself," Lin Qingyu suggested.

Realizing the importance of the factory newspaper, Lin Qingyu refrained from causing any trouble this time, knowing that any mistakes would bring severe consequences.

"You're right," Su Hanyan agreed.

"And we need to contact the printing factory," Jiang Kuo said, picking up the phone. "It's the end of the year, and the printing factory is busy. We need to schedule a slot in advance."

"Thanks for handling it!"

Jiang Kuo nodded. After a brief conversation with the printing factory, he hung up and said, "They're really busy. The earliest slot available is four or five days from now."

Four or five days was too long. With the month almost over and the city leaders scheduled to visit soon, any delay in printing the newspaper would likely anger the factory leadership.

This would reflect poorly on the entire publicity department!

77: Urgent Rush

"Four or five days is too long. Can you try calling again? If that doesn't work, maybe we can get a slot? We only need about two thousand copies! It shouldn't take too long for the typesetting and printing," Su Hanyan suggested.

"Alright." Jiang Kuo called again, negotiating for a long time, and finally, the printing company agreed to squeeze them in.

He put down the phone and said to Su Hanyan, "They can typeset it tonight. If we deliver it by seven o'clock, they'll fit us in."

Su Hanyan glanced at the clock on her desk. "It's almost five o'clock. I'll go find Zhou Ningkai to proofread the drafts! We should be able to make it before the end of the day."

"Okay. You go ahead! I'll handle delivering the drafts to the printing company, but you need to come with me," Jiang Kuo said.

After all, she was the one who had planned the whole thing and knew it best.

"Alright."

Su Hanyan took the drafts upstairs to find Zhou Ningkai. He was working on a drawing but immediately greeted her warmly when he saw her.

"Engineer Zhou, here are the drafts I wrote. They might not be very professional. Could you take a look and help revise the technical descriptions?"

"No problem at all." Zhou Ningkai took the drafts and started proofreading them.

The office was very quiet. Zhou Ningkai pretended to think while proofreading and occasionally glanced at Su Hanyan.

Every time, he saw her eyes fixed on him.

Zhou Ningkai felt a bit nervous and quickly lowered his head, concentrating on the drafts.

Actually, Su Hanyan's writing was quite good and fairly professional. There weren't many places that needed revision. Secretly, Zhou Ningkai hoped she could stay a bit longer in the office, even if they didn't talk, just to quietly keep him company.

"Is it done?" Su Hanyan was anxious about delivering the drafts to the printing company that evening and worried that proofreading too slowly would delay things. She didn't dare to rush too much.

"Almost." Zhou Ningkai put down his pen and stretched. "I'll get some water."

"You focus on your work, I'll get it!" Su Hanyan got up to fetch water. If it weren't to save time, she wouldn't be doing this.

"Su Cadre. Um... can I call you by your name?" he asked.

"Of course."

"Su Hanyan, do you have any hobbies? Like reading or watching movies..." Zhou Ningkai took the opportunity to ask.

"No." Su Hanyan put the water cup in front of him and urged, "I'm a very boring person, I don't like doing anything. Engineer Zhou, I need to deliver the drafts to the printing company by seven tonight. Please hurry!"

"Oh, oh, alright!" Zhou Ningkai, feeling a bit embarrassed by her urging, quickly lowered his head and continued proofreading.

He worked until the end of the workday.

The whole office building had emptied out by the time Zhou Ningkai lifted his head and handed the corrected drafts to Su Hanyan.

"It's finally done, you should take it to the printer."

"Thanks." Su Hanyan grabbed the drafts and quickly ran downstairs, rushing into the office.

Jiang Kuo was already very anxious. Seeing her finally return, he hurriedly asked, "How did it go? Are they ready?"

"They're ready! I'll pack the drafts, and we'll head out now!" Su Hanyan opened the drawer, quickly packed all the drafts that the three of them had written into a manila envelope, and dashed out the door with it.

78: Fight Back

Just as she rushed out, someone came rushing from the opposite direction. Both were moving quickly and collided heavily, causing both to fall backward.

Su Hanyan fell hard on her backside, and the document folder she was holding flew out of her hands, scattering the drafts everywhere.

These documents were crucial to her. Ignoring her own pain, she quickly scrambled to pick up the folder.

Jiang Kuo saw this and hurriedly rushed to help pick up the drafts.

The person she collided with was none other than Qiao Shasha. She was there to pick up keys for her aunt, Qiao Chunhua, and had just rushed out of the opposite office. The collision left her head buzzing and her backside in pain.

She was both angry and in pain, rubbing her aching forehead. She was about to curse whoever was so blind, but then she saw it was Su Hanyan.

In that instant, it was as if a firecracker had been lit inside her, and all her rationality exploded!

Today was the perfect day to settle both old and new grudges together!

She stepped on the drafts that Su Hanyan was picking up, and when she saw Su Hanyan's face change dramatically, she ground her foot into the papers even harder.

Watching the draft get ruined right before her eyes, Su Hanyan felt a pang of heartache.

"Are you crazy? Get your foot off! These are our drafts!" She was anxious and angry, forcefully pushing Qiao Shasha off the papers and hurriedly picking them up from the floor.

Seeing the damaged drafts, she didn't have time to carefully sort them, just gathering them up as quickly as she could.

"Su Hanyan!" Qiao Shasha, fuming with rage, stormed up and pushed Su Hanyan to the ground. "I've tolerated you long enough! You always go against me! You bump into people without apologizing, and you're fussing over these worthless drafts! I'll show you fussing, I'll show you fussing!"

She stomped her feet on the ground, and still not satisfied, grabbed the document folder from Su Hanyan's hands and started tearing it apart.

"Qiao Shasha! This is the factory newspaper!!!" Su Hanyan screamed, scrambling up to snatch it back.

Jiang Kuo also panicked. These documents were the result of more than half a month of hard work, and the most crucial part was that they had to be submitted for typesetting and printing within an hour. Any delay could be disastrous for them.

Without caring for his own gentlemanly demeanor, Jiang Kuo's large hand reached out to seize the documents.

Qiao Shasha dodged Su Hanyan but couldn't evade Jiang Kuo.

The manila envelope was tugged back and forth like a tug-of-war, until finally, it tore open with a ripping sound, splitting the drafts inside in two.

Qiao Shasha grabbed the pile of drafts and tore and crumpled them, gleefully tossing the ruined papers into the air as Su Hanyan and Jiang Kuo stared at her with murderous looks.

As the shredded paper and crumpled balls fell to the ground, Jiang Kuo could almost hear the sound of his heart breaking. He stood there, looking at the mess on the floor, not even daring to think about the consequences of this mess!

All he could think was: We're doomed! This is the end!

Su Hanyan was so angry her back teeth were nearly grinding to pieces, her blood boiling. Seeing all their hard work over the past days destroyed in an instant, she felt an uncontrollable rage burning inside her.

She could hear a voice inside her head, shouting over and over: "Fight back!"

Since the situation was already beyond repair, she surged forward, grabbing Qiao Shasha by the collar and swinging her hand for a slap.

79: A Big Mess

Qiao Shasha screamed as she was slapped, trying to dodge and run away several times, but Su Hanyan grabbed her by the collar and dragged her back each time.

[LMAO, MY BRO CANNOT ESCAPE]

Jiang Kuo watched in disbelief, utterly dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that the woman venting her anger like this was Su Hanyan.

She never seemed this fierce on normal days. How could she be so violent when she started hitting people, one slap after another on Qiao Shasha's face and body, leaving her unable to fight back.

"What day is today... What is happening..." Jiang Kuo pinched his thigh hard, making sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Stop it! Stop it!" He couldn't just stand by and watch anymore. He nervously rushed forward to break up the fight. Unfortunately, just as he got close, Qiao Shasha swung her hand and slapped him right across the face.

Jiang Kuo covered his face, stepping back two steps immediately.

Alright! It seemed that these two could indeed fight!

Su Hanyan was exhausted from hitting, and Qiao Shasha was tired too. They both stopped, panting heavily.

"Su Hanyan, are you trying to kill me?" Qiao Shasha was in a sorry state, her face swollen, hair messy like a bird's nest, and covered in white plaster dust from the walls. Her eyes were filled with anger, fear, and tears.

"Qiao Shasha, are you out of your mind? Do you know what you've done?" Su Hanyan pointed to the scattered papers on the ground that had been crushed into a mess. "These are for the factory newspaper! The city leaders are coming to inspect, and the factory director specifically ordered these to be ready! We need to start typesetting and printing by seven tonight. If we miss today, the factory newspaper won't be ready in time for the inspection. How do you propose we handle this?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Shasha's face instantly changed color. She stood there like she had turned into a statue.

She... she had really caused a big mess!

"I... this... how... why didn't you tell me earlier? What should we do now? Su Hanyan, what should we do?" Qiao Shasha's voice trembled, with a hint of crying.

"What should we do? Did I tell you these were for the factory newspaper?" Su Hanyan glared at her.

"Yes..." Qiao Shasha nodded.

The problem was, who could have anticipated that there would be such a big problem with the factory newspaper! Ahhh, she was so unlucky, so unlucky! What should she do now?

"Su Hanyan, stop arguing with her! Quickly think of a solution!" Jiang Kuo's head was still buzzing. Seeing Su Hanyan and Qiao Shasha arguing endlessly, he was getting anxious.

"A solution? What solution can there be?" Su Hanyan sighed. "Unless a miracle happens and these can be restored... otherwise, we're dreaming!"

"So what do we do? We can't keep arguing with Qiao Shasha like this, right?" Jiang Kuo was furious inside. He was really unlucky. If he had known this would happen, he would have left earlier and let Su Hanyan handle the delivery herself. He wouldn't have gotten involved in this troublesome matter.

"What can we do?" Su Hanyan shook her head. Her gaze fell on Qiao Shasha. "Since there's no way to salvage this, we might as well find someone to take the blame!"

Qiao Shasha burst into tears. "It's not my fault! I didn't know they were drafts!"

"If you didn't know, why did you tear them up? Didn't I tell you?" Su Hanyan glared at her angrily, reaching out and grabbing her collar. "Let's go. Come with me to report to the leaders!"

80: Utter Confusion

"Which leader should we go to?" Qiao Shasha cried, refusing to move. "I'll go find my aunt and ask her what to do."

At this point, she was completely at a loss and didn't bother hiding her relationship with Qiao Chunhua. She just wanted to find someone to help her and resolve the current predicament.

Just then, Vice Chairman Qiao from the union arrived. She had been waiting for Qiao Shasha to come to the office to pick up the keys. Not seeing her for a while, she hurried over and saw Su Hanyan grabbing Qiao Shasha.

"What are you doing?" Vice Chairman Qiao's face turned fierce, looking like she wanted to swallow Su Hanyan whole. "What's going on with you, little girl? Are you picking on our Shasha every day?"

Su Hanyan let go of Qiao Shasha and pushed her towards Vice Chairman Qiao. "Go, explain to the leaders why this happened!"

Qiao Shasha was already terrified. When she saw Qiao Chunhua, she burst into tears. "Aunt, I tore up the drafts for the factory newspaper!"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Chunhua took a few steps back in shock. "What is going on here?"

After Qiao Shasha finished speaking, Qiao Chunhua slapped her twice. "You really can cause trouble but can't fix it! I can't save you this time!"

"What should we do?" Qiao Shasha was panicked.

"Light punishment or dismissal!" Qiao Chunhua was frustrated. "I just asked you to come and get the keys, and look at the trouble you've caused! It's also my fault for being careless and leaving the keys in someone else's office this afternoon!"

"Vice Chairman Qiao, what do you think we should do?" Jiang Kuo looked at her in distress.

"See if you can salvage anything. I'll go contact the factory director." Qiao Chunhua didn't dare take risks with such a big matter in the factory and went to see what the factory director's opinion was.

"For now, that's all we can do." Jiang Kuo agreed.

Qiao Chunhua dragged Qiao Shasha away, scolding her as they walked. "Why are you crying? Afraid they won't know about this? Shut your mouth and stop crying!"

The corridor became quiet, leaving only Su Hanyan and Jiang Kuo crouching quietly on the ground, tidying up the papers.

"Su Hanyan, I don't think these drafts can be salvaged! What should we do... maybe you should talk to the department head... Since it's too late for printing, we might as well delay it." Jiang Kuo suggested.

Su Hanyan thought for a moment. "Alright. I'll talk to the department head. But you stay here. I can't handle this alone. We'll report together."

"Okay."

Back at home, Niu Hongxia was furious when she received the call.

She was so angry she couldn't breathe properly, scolding Jiang Kuo and Su Hanyan nonstop, and giving Qiao Shasha a severe tongue-lashing.

Finally, she said, "See if the printing press can still coordinate! If you can't handle it, I'll come over later! But the factory newspaper must be done! You still have two days. Come back tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to make up for it, but don't postpone it!"

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Kuo looked at the messy drafts, feeling extremely stressed. He turned to Su Hanyan and said, "Today's a mess. Let's start tomorrow. The department head seemed to agree to start tomorrow..."

"Yeah," Su Hanyan stared at the drafts, thinking hard. "We shouldn't have thrown away those used drafts. We could have used them."

"But keeping them wouldn't have helped either. They're all waste drafts now." Jiang Kuo said with a troubled expression. "We'll have to rewrite them. We might have to stay up all night tomorrow to get this done..."

"Don't worry. Let's start with what we have tonight. Maybe I can salvage some of it." Su Hanyan suggested.