Chapter 25: Wonderful, It’s Comrade Pretty Face

"An interview?" The old gatekeeper looked puzzled. "Aren't you from the textile mill?"

Tian Xiang replied, "Oh, I'm just a temporary worker there. The kind who can leave at any time." *Which is why I’ve left and come here instead.*

"A temporary worker, huh?" The old man didn't give it much thought and took the recommendation letter to inspect it. It was true that the factory labor union was planning to form a new team and had been making preparations recently. However, he had heard they were only hiring two people, and those positions were usually reserved for the children of factory employees. This girl was from Sanli Lane; how could she have managed this?

The gatekeeper looked at the signature at the bottom of the letter. It was a recommendation from Chairwoman Jiang! Ah, that explained it—she had come to see Chairwoman Jiang two days ago.

"Are you a relative of Chairwoman Jiang?" the gatekeeper asked.

Tian Xiang glanced at the old man’s forehead. *Supporting Character 99+.* This guy wasn't just a casual bystander; why was he so gossipy?

"I’m not related to Chairwoman Jiang," Tian Xiang said. "She simply appreciates my selfless dedication and professional capabilities, so she wrote me a recommendation letter personally."

"Oh, I see." The old man didn't mean anything by it; he was just surprised that Chairwoman Jiang would write a letter for anyone, as she was known throughout the factory for being strictly impartial.

"Sir, it's almost time," Tian Xiang reminded him.

"Right, go ahead. Turn left, to that building you visited two days ago. The Internal Affairs Department of the factory labor union is in the first room on the ground floor, on the far left."

Tian Xiang tucked away her recommendation letter and headed over. The office of the Internal Affairs Department was small, and the door was wide open. When she arrived, there were already two young people—a man and a woman—being questioned by a middle-aged man. It was clearly an interview in progress.

Tian Xiang knocked lightly on the door. The three people inside turned to look at her.

The middle-aged man looked at her with confusion. "Who are you?"

Tian Xiang smiled and handed over her recommendation letter. "Hello, comrade. I’m here for an interview."

"An interview?" The man’s confusion deepened as he took the letter and began to read it.

Beside them, the two young people who had arrived earlier naturally shifted their gaze to Tian Xiang. The one closest to her was a young woman named Tao Huilan. She was eighteen or nineteen, had just graduated from high school earlier that year, and had a relative serving as a director in the factory committee. Tao Huilan was usually quite arrogant, and she was very annoyed to have her interview interrupted. Seeing that the newcomer was also here for an interview, she felt a surge of impatience and disdain.

*So, she’s one of Chairwoman Jiang’s people!*

Who was this? She had never seen her before; she clearly wasn't from their machinery plant. How did she manage to catch Chairwoman Jiang's eye? *She must be a relative of the Jiang family!* Jiang Qin, Jiang Qin... she had been incorruptible her whole life, but now that she was only a few years away from retirement, she couldn't help herself anymore, could she? Starting to bring her own people into the factory.

Tao Huilan looked on with disdain and turned to look at Chen Yong, another factory youth standing nearby, wanting to see if he recognized the newcomer. Instead, she found him staring blankly like a lovesick fool. *How pathetic, staring at a pretty face and getting stuck like that!* Tao Huilan frowned and shot him a look of disgust.

Chen Yong snapped out of it, meeting Tao Huilan’s gaze with a look of confusion. *What’s her problem?* He saw a pretty girl, so what was wrong with looking a few extra times?

This Chen Yong was someone Tian Xiang had actually encountered before—the street hoodlum who had almost clashed with her on the night of the dance, now revealed to be a hopeless romantic. Back then, he had been a "Street Hoodlum," and that label remained, with "(Lovesick)" added in the suffix.

When Tian Xiang had first walked in, her attention was on the interviewer, so she hadn't noticed him. But Chen Yong had seen her clearly. *Oh my, it’s the beautiful comrade!* Was she joining the machinery plant too? Being a colleague with a pretty girl would be fantastic! Last time at the dance, the gatekeeper had told him Tian Xiang was Meng Chengan’s partner, and Chen Yong had been so heartbroken he left without dancing. But this time... *It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Engagements can be broken, and couples can split up.* He still had a chance—plenty of chances!

The two people who had arrived earlier had very different thoughts about Tian Xiang, but she was oblivious, her attention fixed entirely on the interviewer. It was a simple letter with only a few sentences; why was he staring at it for so long? It wasn't as if it were a blooming flower.

"Comrade, is there a question?" Tian Xiang asked. *This is a recommendation from Chairwoman Jiang! Do you dare to have questions?*

The interviewer looked at Tian Xiang, then back at the signature on the letter. He let out an "uh" and said, "No questions. It’s just... you three wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back."

The interviewer took the two previously submitted recommendation letters and left the room. By now, Tian Xiang realized something was wrong.

*What’s going on? Overbooked!*

Tian Xiang lowered her eyes and grit her teeth. Overbooked or not, she held a recommendation from Chairwoman Jiang; if anyone was going to be turned away, it would be someone else.

With that thought, she finally had a moment to observe the other two. *A top-tier villain, and... a street hoodlum (lovesick)!*

As soon as she saw Chen Yong, Tian Xiang recognized him. Wasn't this the guy who had bullied Comrade Meng at the dance? No wonder his tag was "Street Hoodlum"—the man didn't even have a job yet. But since he treated the machinery plant like his own home, he must be the child of an employee.

*A top-tier villain plus a street hoodlum,* Tian Xiang thought, silently stepping a bit further away.

Tao Huilan rolled her eyes at the sight of her. Chen Yong, however, walked right up to Tian Xiang to strike up a conversation. "Comrade, are you here for an interview too? Wow, what a coincidence! Where do you live? I’ve never seen you in the residential compound before."

Because the new positions in the labor union were internal, Chen Yong assumed Tian Xiang was also part of the machinery plant.

Tian Xiang used her hand to maintain a safe distance between them and said coldly, "We are here for an interview. Be professional; let's not discuss private matters."

Ever since that night when she saw him bullying the background-character comrade, her impression of him had been terrible. But the man was thick-skinned and lacked any self-awareness.

Chen Yong chuckled. "It’s fine, Director Li isn't here."

*So the interviewer is Director Li,* Tian Xiang noted.

"Don't put on an act in front of people and then gossip behind their backs," Tian Xiang said. "Comrade, please don't distract me."

The positions were overbooked. As a factory youth, he would have other opportunities if he missed this one, but she had fought hard for this recommendation letter and couldn't afford to waste it. She even suspected he was doing this on purpose, trying to get her to talk so she would leave a bad impression on Director Li.

Chen Yong’s smile froze, and he retreated silently, though his heart was racing with excitement. *So fierce, so much personality. What should I do? I’m falling for her even more.*

***

Upstairs in the Labor Union General Affairs Office, Jiang Qin looked over the three recommendation letters and frowned. "Why is Vice Factory Director Zeng recommending someone, too? We are only hiring two ordinary clerks; this has nothing to do with the Management Department."

Li Huai muttered under his breath, "I thought the letter from the Vice Factory Director was the one you mentioned earlier."