Chapter 14: The Final Defiance

In the end, the machinery factory never held a commendation ceremony for Wei An’s courageous act.

Wei An let out a deep sigh of relief as she received rewards like an enamel basin and towels, each printed with the phrase “Labor is the most glorious” alongside the factory’s name.

She truly did not want to go on stage to give a report. Doing so would not only embarrass her but also risk revealing to more people how Xiao Qianqian had nearly been harassed by a scoundrel.

Even a vague mention would be too much.

There were many clever people in the world, and even more who knew how to spread gossip. Since Xiao Qianqian had not wronged her, Wei An naturally couldn’t let her be troubled by rumors because of her.

Still, in the days that followed, quite a few people cast looks of curiosity, admiration, and envy whenever they saw her.

Some even praised her openly for what she had done and congratulated her on receiving the reward.

Wei An could only laugh and cry at the same time.

These events didn’t affect her much, but after a few days, the attention gradually faded.

“Write the summary for August. Once you’re done, show it to Deputy Director Jin,” Li Kunshan assigned her a new task.

Wei An was speechless.

She had no ambition. In this day and age, what good would ambition do her? The college entrance exams wouldn’t be reinstated for another five years. Speculating and profiteering were out of the question. As for entering politics or becoming an official, she simply wasn’t cut out for that.

“Brother-in-law, this is Deputy Section Chief Jin’s work. Is it really appropriate for me to keep interfering?”

The propaganda department of the machinery factory had one director and three deputies.

One of Deputy Section Chief Jin’s responsibilities was drafting speeches, work summaries, and plans.

Wei An had never heard of him delegating these tasks before—unless he didn’t need to handle them personally.

“Remember to do it quickly.”

Li Kunshan pointed toward the office door, signaling that she could leave.

“Sister Su, you really have to study hard. Our section chief is grooming you as a talent!”

Back at her desk, Sister Liu gave a sour look, while young Clerk Xiao Li and the others cast envious glances her way.

Obviously, they had all heard the news.

Wei An was speechless.

Could she say that she didn’t want this opportunity at all?

She smiled helplessly, pulled out previous summaries from a stack of materials, and buried herself in study.

It took a full four hours, and she only finished the summary by the time work ended.

Next came the double-checking—making sure all the data matched, looking for typos, and finally copying it neatly by hand.

She pulled out a clump of hair in frustration.

“Now you regret not studying harder back then, don’t you?”

Seeing her finally stop scratching her head, Li Kunshan shook his head.

He had come over because it was almost quitting time and she still hadn’t finished.

Wei An noticed no one else was left in the office. She snorted, tidied her desk, and prepared to leave.

Working overtime was impossible—leaving on time was her last bit of stubbornness.

---

Li Kunshan couldn’t help but shake his head with a chuckle.

“Remember to hand it to Deputy Director Jin tomorrow morning. You see, it’s just a simple summary, and it took you four hours to write it.”

He really wanted to scold her.

But thinking that this girl had never really endured hardship or been scolded much, he swallowed the words.

Fine, take it slow.

After all, he couldn’t let her continue without a hint of youthful drive.

Wei An snorted back at him.

“You’re the last one leaving, remember to close the windows and doors properly.”

She didn’t want to hear Li Kunshan’s nagging at all.

Was it easy for her?

She had dropped the books years ago and hadn’t the faintest idea how to write a summary anymore.

Finally, she had a clue, but had to write every stroke by hand.

Used to typing on a computer, suddenly writing with a pen made her forget the latter half of what she wanted to say.

Now she truly understood the saying: “The eyes and brain know, but the hand is still useless.”

…

Xiao Qianqian came to the Su household before the weekend.

Wei An had just persuaded Su Yuping and helped her bring some daily necessities home.

“Second Sister is here too?”

Xiao Qianqian stepped forward without formality to help the two sisters carry things.

Su Yuping liked her quite a bit and smiled as she let her enter the courtyard first.

“Stay for dinner later.”

“Sure! I already told my dad. If it’s too late, I won’t go back—I’ll just stay here and share a room with Wei An.”

She was excited.

Wei An was speechless.

They weren’t close!

And was this girl really so trusting of others?

“But my dad disagrees. He said he’ll come pick me up later.”

Her heavy breathing revealed her disappointment.

Su Yuping was somewhat amused.

“That’s alright. Next time, you can sleep in the same room with Wei An again.”

Wei An shot her a glance.

Did no one ask for her opinion?

“Okay, okay.”

Xiao Qianqian turned to look at Wei An.

“I don’t have any sisters, but I’ve imagined what having one would be like.”

“But it was all just imagination until I saw you. I thought, if I had a sister, she’d be exactly like you—sweet, well-behaved, and especially sensible.”

Wei An was sure this was the halo effect of being a transmigrated novel character.

“Well, then you can consider me your sister.”

She didn’t mind having more sisters, especially one with status and background.

“Great, then you can call me Third Sister from now on.”

She naturally placed herself after the Su family’s eldest and second sisters.

Just as Qu Xiurong arrived home and stepped into the courtyard, she heard this and laughed.

“So I’ve got another daughter now? Old Su, cook an extra dish tonight—we need to celebrate.”

Su Jin nodded in agreement.

Xiao Qianqian shyly called out “Uncle Su” and “Aunt Qu,” probably because their parents had overheard her casual tone.

Wei An reached out and pulled her.

“Enough, I know you’re secretly pleased. But if you want to be my sister, it’s not easy. Can you cook? Can you stir-fry? Come on, help me in the kitchen.”

If this shameless girl kept talking like that, her parents would soon turn into her parents!

“Uh…”

She really couldn’t cook.

She only knew the simplest dishes—making rice porridge or boiling dumplings and tangyuan, and frying eggs for vegetables.

Xiao Qianqian was very embarrassed.

But watching Wei An’s efficient back, she bit her lip.

“I can’t do it now, but I can learn, right?”

Of course, she didn’t forget to explain why she couldn’t cook.

“After my mom passed away, my dad raised me alone. He wouldn’t let me get involved in anything. Later, I joined the performing arts troupe, where I lived and ate. I took care of my own clothes, washing and mending them, but I didn’t have to do anything else myself.”

She was telling Wei An that she never even had the chance to learn.

Wei An turned back with amusement.

“I never said anything against it.”

“If you want to learn, find time to do it. If not, that’s fine too. No one says girls must know how to cook or do housework.”

If she had Xiao Qianqian’s background, she’d be even more inclined to do nothing and just enjoy life.

Didn’t she still want to win effortlessly, even falling behind Xiao Qianqian?

“You think so too? My dad said the same thing. He said he just wants me to find a son-in-law who can do everything.”

Saying this made Xiao Qianqian blush, a rare sight.

Wei An knew this girl was definitely a daddy’s girl.