"Enough!"
"You shut up!"
Director Wang cut Qin Hongmei off sharply, his face ashen. "Comrade Qin Hongmei, you know perfectly well why Sutan ended up in prison this time. Out of respect for Jianfeng, I won't say anything more, but if you keep running your mouth, I don't think you're fit for the accounting position!"
Qin Hongmei panicked at these words. She stood up and shifted her body slightly, her red overcoat falling open to reveal the curvaceous figure beneath. She tucked a lock of her black hair behind her ear with slender, fair fingers.
"Director, I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn," she said, her long, almond-shaped eyes shimmering with a practiced, mature allure.
Director Wang’s yellowish eyes lingered on Qin Hongmei’s prominent chest for a mere two seconds before darting away.
"Acknowledging a mistake is the mark of a good comrade. Once you have completed the handover with Sutan, you will be an employee of this Textile Mill. Every word you speak and every action you take will represent us. Think before you speak!"
"I will take your words to heart, Director!" Outside of Zhou Jianfeng’s line of sight, Qin Hongmei gave Director Wang a provocative wink.
Director Wang felt as if his soul had been hooked.
Sutan’s dark eyes widened, appearing like glass beads as she watched Zhou Jianfeng with undisguised pity. She had once thought Qin Hongmei and Zhou Jianfeng were in true love; now, she realized Zhou Jianfeng was merely one of many men in Qin Hongmei's orbit. They weren't even married yet, and already Zhou Jianfeng was wearing a crown of green—the horns on his head were long enough to graze a pasture.
Sutan shook her head, a faint sigh escaping her pale lips. "How will the mill compensate me?"
Director Wang’s messy eyebrows shot up, his eyes filled with calculation. "Compensate you for what?"
"I have worked diligently at the Textile Mill for the past two years. Half of the 'Moving Red Banner' awards hanging in your office were earned through my hard work!" Sutan said, her long lashes fluttering. She wore a patched, navy-blue work uniform. Her complexion was sallow, and her hair, despite her attempts to tidy it, looked worse than a five-year-old’s. "The mill is forcing me to hand over my job to someone else without me having committed any wrongdoing. Don't I deserve some compensation?"
Director Wang’s gaze drifted to Sutan’s feet—her black cloth shoes were washed thin, while Qin Hongmei wore black, low-heeled boots. The trousers Sutan wore were years old, hemmed too short, and her white socks were unraveling at the seams, leaving her ankles exposed to the biting cold.
Sutan’s sharp peripheral vision caught the man standing by the wall. From the moment she entered until now, Zhou Jianfeng hadn't said a word, merely watching her and Qin Hongmei spar like fighting cocks.
"My monthly salary was thirty-two yuan and fifty-six cents, and with year-end bonuses, I’d make four hundred a year. Considering my years of dedication, if the mill wants me to vacate my position without cause, I expect five hundred yuan in compensation."
"Sutan, have you no shame? You’re acting like a bandit!" Qin Hongmei looked ready to slap the dark-skinned woman. She didn't bother checking a mirror to see her own state, yet she demanded five hundred yuan—that was a full year’s salary for Jianfeng! If Jianfeng gave all his money to Sutan, how were she and Taotao supposed to live? She had finally started living well with Zhou Jianfeng; she had no intention of returning to a life of poverty.
Director Wang tapped his fleshy fingers impatiently on the desk, then cast a cold, sharp look at Zhou Jianfeng, who was still seated. "Director Zhou, Comrade Qin Hongmei only has a middle school education, while Sutan is a high school graduate. You told me earlier that Qin Hongmei was capable and knew how to handle things, but after today, don't you think we should reconsider having her take over Sutan's position?"
"Director, that simply won't do," Qin Hongmei interjected. "Sutan is a convict who has just come out of prison. As long as she remains in the accounting department, not a single one of the hundreds of workers in our mill will feel secure! My education might not match hers, but I ask you to trust in my professional ability!"
A gust of cold wind blew through the doorway, and Sutan coughed violently, her eyes turning red. Her watery gaze fixed on Zhou Jianfeng. "Zhou Jianfeng, if the mill doesn't pay me, I won't hand over the job!"
Her voice was firm, her eyes resilient. Zhou Jianfeng’s cold, aloof gaze swept over her small face. In that brief moment of eye contact, his icy, rigid heart seemed to be struck by something.
He stared at Sutan for a long moment, then rose and smoothed out his black wool coat. His voice, deep and resonant, seemed to emerge from the depths of his throat. "Director Wang, let’s settle it this way: compensate Sutan with five hundred yuan, and then Comrade Qin Hongmei will take over the position."
Sutan walked up to Zhou Jianfeng, looking at Director Wang with clear, icy eyes. "Director, I want the compensation today."
Director Wang hesitated, looking toward Zhou Jianfeng. Zhou Jianfeng’s cold, aloof eyes seemed frosted over. Seeing a stray hair of Sutan’s touch his coat, a flicker of disgust passed through his dark pupils. He took a step back, widening the distance between them.
Seeing Zhou Jianfeng’s reaction, Director Wang agreed. "Fine. We will handle all the paperwork this morning. After that, you won’t need to come to the unit anymore."
While Director Wang went to the finance office to get the money, Zhou Jianfeng left with a dark expression. The small office was left with only Qin Hongmei and Sutan.
Sutan had been standing for a long time and was exhausted. However, there were only two chairs: the one at the Director’s desk and the one Zhou Jianfeng had just vacated. Sutan crossed her arms and leaned against the cold wall, unwilling to touch the chair Zhou Jianfeng had occupied.
"Sutan, are you even human?" Qin Hongmei sneered. "It’s just a job—you should have just handed it over! To think you’d open your mouth and demand five hundred yuan! Aren't you afraid of nightmares from doing such wicked things?"
Sutan cast a disdainful glance at her. "If I’m not human, then what are you? If you wanted to admit you were a beast, you could have just said so earlier. I would have let you have your way while you were screeching just now."
Qin Hongmei couldn't believe it. This woman, who was the same height as her but inferior in every other way, seemed like a different person after her time in prison. Before, whenever the topic of divorce with Zhou Jianfeng came up, she would howl like a stray dog, but now, she showed no fear at all. She dared to talk back, showing absolutely no regard for Zhou Jianfeng.
Qin Hongmei looked Sutan up and down. It was the same person, yet the look in her eyes had changed. She realized Sutan was demanding the five hundred yuan because she suddenly felt she had leverage. She believed that because Zhou Jianfeng was paying the money—and because he had sent Sutan to prison for her—if she just acted a little coquettish, Sutan would obediently hand over the money. To her and Zhou Jianfeng, it was just moving money from one pocket to another.
Once she realized this, Qin Hongmei’s anger dissipated. She looked at Sutan haughtily, eyes slanted. "Since you’ve vacated the position without causing any more trouble, I’ll be the bigger person and let this slide!"