Chapter 16: Enemies on a Narrow Road
Another day, another busy day at the editorial department. Chen Xi adjusted her tinted glasses and began reviewing submissions. As an editor, reviewing manuscripts was her primary job. She had already nurtured several best-selling authors. At a young age, she had achieved both success and fame, holding a prominent position in the editorial department, even the editor-in-chief gave her some face. Who would have thought this young woman was just a graduate of a broadcasting university, a field completely unrelated to her current work?
“Sister Chen, could you please work overtime tonight? There’s an error in our data.”
“Okay.”
“Sister Chen, the editor-in-chief is looking for you.”
“I’ll go over later.”
Chen Xi sat at her desk and got to work, a routine she was accustomed to as an office worker. However, due to her outstanding talent, the higher-ups were already considering her as a potential successor. If nothing unexpected happened, Chen Xi would become the editor-in-chief before turning thirty. It was a remarkable achievement. When she first graduated, her relatives and friends thought she was crazy for working at the editorial department, but she proved them wrong.
There was no such thing as useless people, only treasures placed in the wrong positions. Chen Xi proved her worth with her strength and genuine abilities.
“Sister Chen, there’s a young girl downstairs waiting for you. She’s here to submit a manuscript.”
“Okay, I’ll be right down.”
Truly tiring.
Having worked in this field for so many years, Chen Xi was well-versed in the industry’s rules. This high-intensity work was quite demanding. Overtime every day, burning herself out. The accumulated stress over the years had taken a toll on her health.
But in a first-tier city, who cared about health?
Downstairs, Chen Xi went to the reception room and saw a young girl sitting on the sofa, looking slightly nervous. She had short hair and dressed in a rather androgynous style, but her fair face revealed her femininity. Although her looks weren’t as striking as Yu Linna’s, she was still quite attractive.
“I’m editor Chen Xi. Are you here to submit a manuscript?”
“Hello, my name is Luo Nan. I’m here to submit a manuscript.”
This girl was straightforward, directly handing over her manuscript. Chen Xi asked her to sit down, prepared tea for her, and then sat down to read. She started calmly, but gradually, her brows furrowed, and she took a deep breath.
“Your name is Luo Nan, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not the best submitter I’ve met, but you’re the most surprising.”
She indirectly acknowledged the girl’s talent.
Chen Xi had been in the editorial department for a long time and was very good at scouting talent. Those she took a liking to were usually quite good. This was one of the reasons why she was able to discover outstanding authors. Those who passed through her hands were rarely bad.
It was precisely because of this occupational habit of judging people that she often unearthed unexpected talents.
Leaving the editorial department aside for now, shifting the focus back to Yu Linna, since she started working as an extra, she hadn’t gained much in the past two weeks, only earning meager wages. She gradually realized that staying here wouldn’t make her a star.
She had boasted about making a name for herself; she was too naive. She didn’t have the same fate as Nangong Ying.
Afterward, she returned to the tutoring center, continuing her work as an art teacher’s assistant. Teaching these mischievous children wasn’t easy, but it was better than staying on the film set. Life there was too tough.
“Sister Linlin, you haven’t been here much recently. Why?”
“I’m an adult, I have things to do. How can I be here every day?”
As she spoke, she demonstrated a painting technique. Just as she finished a stroke on the gouache painting, the children started making noise again. The children really liked Yu Linna, perhaps because her blonde hair was different from others. Children were curious by nature and naturally took a liking to Yu Linna.
“Teacher Zhou is so strict, she doesn’t play with us. We want to play with Sister Linlin!”
“Sister Linlin, can you come every day?”
“Sister Linlin~”
“Okay, quiet down, it’s class time!”
Dealing with mischievous children was Yu Linna’s weakness. She couldn’t hit them, and they weren’t doing anything wrong to scold them for. It was hard for Yu Linna to find an excuse to control them. It was better to just focus on her work; after all, she needed this meager salary.
After finishing the demonstration painting, Yu Linna assigned them a task: to draw their classmates. While they were drawing, Yu Linna could take the opportunity to rest. She had been exhausted lately, juggling several part-time jobs, including being a film extra, a convenience store cashier, and a fast-food delivery person. This tutoring center assistant job was just one of them. On top of that, she was also a third-year high school student, staying up until at least midnight every day and waking up at 6 am.
“Linna, are you free?”
“Oh, Sister Qing, what’s up? Are you looking for me?”
Zhou Xiaoqing probably came over during the children’s self-study time. Seeing Yu Linna come out, she approached her.
“I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“…”
“You’ve been coming less and less recently. Although you’re just an assistant, not a formal teacher, you should at least be punctual.”
“I’m very sorry, I really haven’t had the time lately.”
“I think you’re getting lazy.”
Zhou Xiaoqing snorted. Although dissatisfied, she wasn’t angry. Yu Linna was still a child, and she wouldn’t make things too difficult for her. But she hired her to improve her tutoring center. Yu Linna, who frequently skipped work to do other jobs, was her least favorite employee. If Yu Linna weren’t a part-timer, she would have lost her temper.
“Sister Qing, I’m sorry, I’m really short on money, so I’ve been working many jobs and haven’t been able to keep up with the work here.”
“The pay here isn’t low. Do you have to work elsewhere? Compared to those dishwashing and cashier jobs, the work here is relatively easy.”
Zhou Xiaoqing was quite dissatisfied. Although the salary she offered wasn’t high, it was already a lot for a student like Yu Linna. 700 yuan per month, calculated hourly, and not an 8-hour workday. It was a high rate for any student. Zhou Xiaoqing treated her well, but she never seemed to appreciate it, which was why she was unhappy.
Yu Linna had wasted too much time on that competition and then went to work as a film extra, fantasizing about changing her fate, but it all came to nothing. In the end, she could only return obediently.
Regardless of Yu Linna’s feelings, how could Zhou Xiaoqing understand? From Zhou Xiaoqing’s perspective, she was in the right.
“Sister Qing, I’m really sorry…”
“Alright, forget it. Anyway, your salary is calculated hourly, that won’t change. Just do your job properly.”
Zhou Xiaoqing didn’t give her any face.
But Yu Linna also knew she was in the wrong. It was her own fault for messing around, causing so much trouble. However, the money she lacked couldn’t be made up by this meager salary.
Just as she was wondering how much her salary would be deducted, a luxury car pulled up outside the tutoring center. The car was so eye-catching that many children were stunned, having never seen such a beautiful car before. Even Zhou Xiaoqing, the owner of the tutoring center, was taken aback.
Why would such an expensive car come to this shabby place?!
The car parked, and the door opened. A young girl with long black hair, dressed in fashionable clothes, got out of the passenger seat and opened the rear door. A little boy with a round face stepped out. The boy looked around and then spotted Yu Linna, his face breaking into a bright smile.
“Hello, pretty sister!”
“Oh… hello…”
Yu Linna instinctively greeted him. Was this little boy a face-con from a young age? Or were all rich young masters like this, judging people by their looks? It wasn’t impossible.
“Huh? Yu Linna, what are you doing here?!”
But that wasn’t the end of it. When Yu Linna looked up again, she was shocked to find that the black-haired girl was the one she encountered on the bus a few days ago, Ye Zhiyun! The Miss Ye who almost caused a scene over two yuan!
“Oh, oh, Ye Zhiyun… what a coincidence…”
“Yeah! What a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you here. What are you doing here? Are you naturally opposed to me?!”
“I work here. I’m an assistant teacher.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhiyun was about to say something when a thought struck her, and she had a brilliant idea.
“Ye Zhiyun, what about you? What are you doing here?”
“I’m enrolling my relative’s child here. I heard the teaching here is good, so I want to sign him up for art classes. You’re an assistant teacher here?”
“Just part-time, I come here occasionally.”
As the two girls talked, the little boy stood there, staring at the pretty blonde sister. It had to be said, this sister was comparable to his cousin, both beautiful. The only flaw was that this sister didn’t have long legs like his cousin.
“Ahem, Miss, are you here to enroll your younger brother?”
“Yes, this is my cousin. I brought him here to sign up for art classes. Who’s the art teacher here?”
“Our art teacher is Su Wanwan. She’s teaching in another classroom. By the way, that girl is Teacher Su’s assistant. Her name is Yu Linna. If you have any questions, you can ask her.”
Ye Zhiyun turned her gaze to Yu Linna, scrutinizing her. Yu Linna was unnerved by her dangerous gaze, feeling uncomfortable all over.
“You’re an assistant teacher here, right?”
“Y-yes…”
“Oh.”
Ye Zhiyun smiled, a sinister smile.
This Yu Linna, this scoundrel, actually dared to sabotage her relationship with her childhood friend. She had to teach her a lesson. She, Ye Zhiyun, would definitely make her pay.
“Can you even teach?”
“Of course I can!”
“If you don’t teach well, I have the right to complain.”
Ye Zhiyun’s words were like a call from hell, sending chills down Yu Linna’s spine.
I’m doomed! I’ve provoked someone I shouldn’t have!
Ye Zhiyun wouldn’t let her off the hook. She would teach this girl a good lesson, show her what true power was. The black-haired girl revealed a playful smile.
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