Chapter 61 Social Gathering "Wei Ning, what brings you here..."
"Wei Ning, what brings you here?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mingxi realized he had asked a silly question. Wei Ning was from the propaganda department of the steel rolling mill, and everyone from the propaganda department had come to help out today, so of course he had come too.
Wei Ning: "Our department came to help today."
Mingxi slapped her forehead: "Oh right, I remember now, you're from the publicity department!"
Wei Ning nodded and reached out to Ming Xi: "Why don't you come down first? I'll hang the ribbons up."
"Oh, oh, I'm coming down!" Mingxi climbed down the ladder by herself, and Wei Ning awkwardly withdrew his hand, pretending not to care as he smoothed his hair.
Mingxi didn't notice his little action and stuffed the ribbon in her hand into his hand: "Just hang this on the railing above."
After explaining the task, she patted Wei Ning's arm: "I'll go hang up the other ribbons first."
After Mingxi finished speaking, she turned and left. She had a lot to do today and didn't have time to catch up with Wei Ning.
After the ribbons were hung up, Sister Wang called Mingxi to blow up balloons. She blew for more than ten minutes until her cheeks hurt terribly before Sister Wang told her to stop.
Mingxi blinked: "Don't we need to blow it anymore?"
Sister Wang gave an awkward and embarrassed smile: "No, I found this."
She took out a balloon pump from behind her back.
Mingxi wailed, "Sister Wang, why didn't you take this out sooner!"
If she had taken it out earlier, she wouldn't have had to blow on it until her cheeks hurt.
Sister Wang: "Oh dear, I forgot too. I only remembered when I found it just now. I'm so sorry, Xiaoming, thank you for your help."
Mingxi waved her hand, saying that it wasn't that troublesome.
Knowing that Mingxi was tired, Sister Wang quickly said, "Xiaoming, take a break. I'll inflate the rest of the balloons."
Mingxi: "Then I'll go over there and see if there's anything I can do to help."
Mingxi's cheeks were throbbing with pain, and she really couldn't blow up any more balloons. But she couldn't really rest either. Everyone in the auditorium was busy working, and it would be ridiculous for her to be the only one resting.
Mingxi jogged off to arrange the flowers. With many hands making light work, the decorations inside the venue were quickly finished.
I must say, after decorating with flowers, balloons, and ribbons, the auditorium really did have a warm and intimate atmosphere.
Yu Xiaomin leaned closer: "How is it? Isn't it beautifully decorated?"
Mingxi nodded: "It looks good."
Yu Xiaomin: "What you see now is the effect without the lights on. Once the lights in the auditorium are turned on and the social gathering officially begins, the effect will be even better!"
Mingxi was filled with anticipation after Yu Xiaomin's words. At that moment, Mingxi saw a group of men carrying in musical instruments such as pianos, saxophones, and French horns.
Mingxi exclaimed in surprise, "There's a band too?"
She was only responsible for compiling the registration materials before the social gathering. She only found out about the event's schedule and setup today.
I didn't expect there would be a band playing music at today's social event?
Yu Xiaomin: "Yes, it was Liu Wenhong who made the contact. I heard that Director Shen initially sent her to the steel rolling mill to borrow a set of professional audio equipment from the mill. But later, I don't know what Liu Wenhong did, but she not only borrowed the audio equipment from the mill, but also brought over the band that the mill's employees had formed."
Mingxi pursed her lips, but still had to nod and admit, "Liu Wenhong is quite capable."
Despite her lack of popularity within the Women's Federation due to her tendency to flatter and bully newcomers, Liu Wenhong was quite well-liked outside the Federation.
The reason is simple: who doesn't like to hear pleasant sounds?
She's good at getting things done, has a sweet tongue, and can say whatever she wants to anyone. Having worked in the Women's Federation for so many years, she knows all about the personal relationships and interests of the leaders in various factories. She only says things that the leaders like, so how could she not be popular?
Because of this, Director Shen would always assign tasks involving dealing with leaders from other factories to Liu Wenhong.
While Mingxi was chatting with Yu Xiaomin, the band members went up on stage to prepare for rehearsal. Mingxi quickly pulled Yu Xiaomin to the side of the stage to watch the rehearsal performance.
She went closer to the stage and discovered that Wei Ning was actually a member of the steel mill orchestra.
Wei Ning plays the saxophone and is currently standing at the edge of the stage with his saxophone in his arms. He is dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants, but he stands out in the crowd.
Someone nearby joked, "Xiao Wei, you shouldn't go on stage for the official performance later. Otherwise, I'm afraid all the girls who came to the social gathering today will be attracted to you, and the remaining guys will be crying."
Wei Ning laughed: "That won't do. No one in our troupe can play the saxophone except me. If I don't go on stage, I'll waste everyone's time!"
That makes sense.
The playful banter was just a minor incident. The band quickly got to rehearsals. Despite being an amateur band composed of steel mill employees, their performance was quite impressive. The moment Wei Ning's saxophone started playing, it instantly had that right feel.
Yu Xiaomin closed her eyes and said, "This music is really beautiful."
Mingxi nodded.
At this moment, Sister Wang came over and said, "Come on, Xiaoming and Xiaoyu, these are your name tags. When the social event starts, you should both wear these name tags."
Sister Wang brought over staff name tags, which are used to distinguish staff members from single people attending the social event. By wearing these tags, people attending the event can immediately tell that you are a staff member.
Single comrades attending the social event must wear name tags upon entry. These name tags are different from those worn by staff members and are clearly distinguishable. This is to prevent anyone from sneaking in and taking advantage of the situation.
Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin put on their name tags. Mingxi asked, "Is it almost time to start?"
Yu Xiaomin raised her hand and glanced at her watch: "Hmm, it's almost time."
Mingxi: "Then I'll go check if there's anything else I haven't prepared."
Mingxi walked around the venue once. The flowers and balloons were all arranged, the stage sound system, lighting, and band were all tested, and the buffet tables were all set up.
Several factories in the area provided sponsorship for this event, and the Women's Federation had a sufficient budget, which can be seen from the food on the buffet table.
A wide variety of fruits, drinks, and pastries are available. Pastries alone are divided into many categories, including traditional Chinese snacks such as ox-tongue pastries, poria cocos pastries, and jujube paste cakes, as well as Western-style cream cakes and pork floss cakes...
Of course, if you want hot dishes, that's available too, such as prawns, roast duck, stir-fried meat slices, fried rice... they have them all.
However, in this kind of setting, probably no one can eat heartily and without restraint. Everyone else is on blind dates, and if you're the only one stuffing your face, you'll just become a laughingstock.
Mingxi wandered around the room for a while before Director Shen called out to him, "Xiaoming, you're here right now. Come on, the leaders are here. Come with me to entertain them!"
"Why!"
Mingxi responded and quickly followed Director Shen to the door. There, she saw a large group of leaders walking over. The one at the front was someone Mingxi had seen in the newspaper.
Her eyes widened. How could such a high-ranking leader be attracted to such a small social gathering?
After a brief moment of surprise, she quickly regained her senses and followed Director Shen to the leader.
The leading leader smiled and said, "Your Women's Federation did a great job with this event; it was very successful."
Director Shen said with a smile, "I also want to thank all the leaders and brother units for their support. Without everyone's support, this event would not have been able to be held."
The senior leader nodded: "I heard that your social gathering included ballroom dancing?"
Director Shen, unsure of his leader's thoughts, hesitated and said, "That's right. We've noticed that many factories are holding similar matchmaking events and social gatherings. This time, however, people aren't very interested in signing up. Considering that people might find the format of these gatherings monotonous and boring, we've decided to make a bold innovation and change the traditional matchmaking event into a social dance party."
The top leader nodded, looking satisfied.
Seeing this, Director Shen stepped aside and said to Mingxi, "Actually, this idea wasn't mine; it was the idea of a young person in our unit."
Director Shen was selfless and didn't take credit for anything, giving Mingxi a chance to shine in this situation.
The top leader: "Oh?"
Mingxi, of course, couldn't let the team down. She stepped forward and said in a humble yet assertive manner, "Boss, this is my idea. When I was organizing the data, I found that various factories had held similar matchmaking events in previous years. I thought that since similar matchmaking events have been held so many times, is our social event this time anything special? So when Director Shen was discussing the low number of participants in the meeting, I brought up this idea."
The senior leader nodded, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
After Mingxi finished speaking, she retreated behind Director Shen at the opportune moment.
The senior leader smiled and said, "Your young comrades in the Women's Federation are quite good. What the organization lacks now are young comrades who know how to think, dare to express their ideas, and are bold in innovation."
Director Shen nodded hurriedly, sensing that the leader had a high opinion of Mingxi.
If it were a petty leader, he might have already become jealous of Mingxi, but Director Shen is not that kind of person.
She was a veteran who had worked for many years and was about to retire in a couple of years. The more her subordinates were favored by their superiors, the happier she was.
After the senior leader finished speaking, he stepped forward and walked ahead, with Director Shen quickly following.
Mingxi, standing behind her, smiled broadly. Although it was just a casual compliment from a high-ranking leader, for a nobody like her to get the chance to shine and receive praise from such a leader in this kind of setting was already quite remarkable!
She was incredibly excited and couldn't wait to get home and share this good news with Zhao Sulan, but she managed to keep a calm and composed expression as she followed Director Shen.
The leaders came today for the social gathering. He walked around the venue, and the reporters following behind snapped a few photos of the leaders.
The top leader: "Isn't it almost time to start?"
Director Shen: "Yes, yes, it's time to start. Xiaoming, go tell the security guards at the gate that we can let people in."
Mingxi nodded and quickly ran away. As she left, she could still hear Director Shen explaining to the senior leader why the security department had been assigned to guard the entrance.
Mingxi jogged to the entrance, which was already packed with people. She quickly went up to the security guards and told them that they could let people in.
Before the security department could react, the bustling crowd was already pushing and shoving. The security personnel quickly called out, "Don't rush! Line up and let me take your names. Only those who pass the roll call and receive their name tags can go in!"
"Why make it so complicated, with roll call and name tags?"
"Exactly, it's just a social gathering, but they've made it look like something else."
"Anyone who didn't know better would think it was some important meeting..."
Hearing everyone's complaints, Mingxi quickly spoke up: "Everyone, please listen to me quietly. I understand everyone's expectations for our event, but this event is organized for single comrades who have already registered. To prevent married comrades from accidentally entering and causing a bad influence, we will strictly check people upon entry. Wearing name tags is also to help everyone distinguish between staff and attendees."
She held up her name tag high: "The one I'm wearing is a staff name tag, and it's different from the name tags you're about to wear."
After Mingxi finished speaking, the complaints at the scene did indeed decrease considerably.
The group thought to themselves that although getting in was a bit complicated and troublesome, it was ultimately for their benefit. They were all genuinely looking for partners, and it would be utterly disgusting to waste a night with a married guy who had infiltrated and caused trouble.
Thinking about it this way, everyone calmed down and obediently lined up to get their name tags.
Seeing that there were no problems at the entrance, Mingxi quickly went back into the venue. At this time, the staff were standing on both sides of the venue waiting, the musicians of the orchestra had already taken to the stage, and the leaders were sitting in the seats arranged for them next to the stage.
After all the comrades attending the gathering had entered, the senior leader took the stage and spoke: "Hello everyone..."
After the top leader finished speaking, the district leaders spoke, followed by the leaders of each factory. The speeches by the various leaders alone lasted for more than half an hour, and Mingxi started to yawn out of boredom.
After a long wait, the leader finished speaking, and the social gathering officially began. The orchestra on stage started playing, and a beautiful and cheerful symphony flowed out.
Since it was just the beginning, everyone was still a bit hesitant and reserved. However, there were some lively and outgoing people. Mingxi noticed a very beautiful woman in a red dress leading another woman onto the dance floor.
Two women, hand in hand, began to dance in the middle of the dance floor. The fluttering red hem of their skirts ignited the hearts of the other women, and one after another, they joined their companions on the dance floor. Only a few introverted individuals remained standing in the corner.
After a warm-up piece, the music on stage paused briefly to give everyone a breather, but soon the band resumed playing. This time, they played a more upbeat piece.
This time, everyone was much more relaxed. In the last song, it was mostly men dancing with men and women dancing with women, but this time everyone dared to find dance partners of the opposite sex. For example, the woman in the red dress who was the first to enter the dance floor in the last song was now paired with a handsome man. Watching her enter the dance floor with someone else, many of the men around her looked disappointed.
Yu Xiaomin: "Ah, she's here too."
Mingxi: "Who?"
Yu Xiaomin pointed to the woman in the red dress and said, "Her, Niu Li, works in the steel mill's medical clinic and is also the most beautiful woman in the mill. I heard that many men in the mill are interested in her, but she has high standards and hasn't taken a liking to any of them."
A pretty woman is sure to attract attention; a large portion of the men in the room were focused on her.
As soon as the second song ended, new men immediately surrounded Niu Li, inviting her to dance. Unfortunately, Niu Li refused them all. She took a breather and then went back to the dance floor with her second dance partner.
The rejected men didn't get angry.
Choosing a dance partner is a two-way selection process. Niu Li is beautiful and comes from a good family, so she has the right to be picky. They wouldn't be so ignorant as to think that Niu Li has to dance with them.
Besides Niu Li, there were several other beautiful women on the dance floor, each surrounded by a number of men.
The dance floor was bustling with activity, and the atmosphere at the edge of the dance floor was also quite good. Some shy and introverted people, or those who couldn't dance, were watching the fun and chatting on the sidelines, and they were having a great time.
Mingxi also saw someone she knew—Ning Manqing.
It's Teacher Ning, whom Hou Wu met at the market last time. Hou Wu has a crush on her.
I didn't expect her to come to the social gathering too.
And at that moment, she was having a lively conversation with a man.
Mingxi nudged Yu Xiaomin: "Xiaomin, do you know that guy?"
She pointed to the male comrade next to Ning Manqing.
Yu Xiaomin: "We know each other!"
"The college graduate who was recently assigned to the steel rolling mill, I think his name is Shen Mo. I heard he's educated, articulate, and has a good personality. He's very popular at the steel rolling mill, and many of the female employees like him."
"undergrad?"
Mingxi frowned. The college graduates assigned here this year must have been recommended to attend worker-peasant-soldier universities. It wasn't that she discriminated against graduates of worker-peasant-soldier universities, but the difference between them and regular universities was quite significant.
She just felt that Shen Mo wasn't a good person.
To be fair, he's not bad looking. He's fair-skinned, has regular features, wears small glasses, and a white shirt, giving him a refined and scholarly appearance.
But Mingxi felt that his eyes were frivolous and oily, and he didn't look like a decent person.
Seeing Shen Mo and Ning Manqing chatting happily and walking hand in hand into the dance floor, she could only silently light a candle for Hou Wu in her heart.
Regardless of what kind of person Shen Mo is, just by looking at how well Ning Manqing chatted with him, it's clear that Ning Manqing likes cultured and artistic young men like him.
Hou Wu is nowhere near being a literary youth.
It seems he and his goddess are destined to be together but not to stay together.
While Mingxi was feeling sorry for Hou Wu, Yu Xiaomin, standing beside her, misunderstood: "What, are you also interested in Shen Mo?"
She encouraged Mingxi, "If you're interested, why don't you go up and chat with him?"
Although Mingxi and the others are staff members, Mingxi is single, so it wouldn't be a big deal if she went up and chatted with Shen Mo for a bit.
Yu Xiaomin: "Go ahead!"
Mingxi quickly shook her head: "No, no, no, I don't like him like that!"
She wasn't interested in someone like Shen Mo.
Mingxi: "I know the woman next to Shen Mo, so I'm just asking out of curiosity."
"Oh, I see."
Yu Xiaomin was disappointed, but she became curious: "Hey, Xiaoming, you're twenty this year, right?"
Mingxi nodded: "Mm."
Yu Xiaomin: "Haven't you thought about finding a partner, or what kind of partner you'd like?"
She was genuinely curious: Mingxi had introduced many potential partners to others, hadn't she considered it herself?
"Huh?" Mingxi scratched his head: "I think I'm still too young, I haven't thought about this."
Yu Xiaomin: "Don't your family members pressure you?"
Mingxi: "I won't rush you. You know, I'm my mom's only daughter, and she'd love for me to stay at home for a couple more years."
Yu Xiaomin said with envy in her eyes, "That's great!"
Both were women in their twenties, but Mingxi's mother wanted to keep her for two more years so she could get married later.
Her family wants her to get married as soon as possible. Her mother talks about marriage, finding a partner, and blind dates every day, which makes her not want to go home anymore.
Seeing her like this, Mingxi guessed what had happened and asked, "Is your family pressuring you?"
Yu Xiaomin nodded with a wry smile: "I just can't understand it. When I was in school, the thing my mom said most often was, 'Don't date while you're in school.' But as soon as I graduated and started working, she started saying, 'Why don't you have a boyfriend yet?' There wasn't even a transition period. How could she change her attitude so quickly?"
"Besides, I spend my days either at work or at home. And at work, it's all women. Where am I supposed to meet men?"
Mingxi: "Do you really want to be in a relationship? If so, tell me your requirements, and I'll introduce you to someone."
"But if you don't want to, then forget it."
Although Mingxi introduces people to potential partners, she respects their choices. Not everyone needs a partner; some people are more comfortable living alone.
There's no need for everyone to follow the crowd and force themselves to date, get married, and have children at a certain time.
That's what she always thought when introducing potential partners to others.
Yu Xiaomin thought for a moment and said, "Then let's forget about it."
She's not ready to date or get married yet.
Mingxi remained noncommittal. As the two were chatting, they suddenly noticed two men pulling and tugging at each other at the edge of the dance floor, seemingly having a disagreement. Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin quickly went over to them.
As soon as I approached, I heard one of the short-haired guys say, "Zhang Wei, you think you can dance with Comrade Niu Li? You don't even know your own worth, you toad trying to eat swan meat!"
Another round-faced man said, "Wang Lei, are you sick in the head? You're no one to Niu Li, what right do you have to talk to me like that?"
Wang Lei, the short-haired guy, said: "I just can't stand men like you who have no self-awareness. A temporary worker in a workshop wants to chase after the factory beauty. You have no self-awareness at all."
Zhang Wei scoffed at what he said: "You do have some self-awareness. Even Niu Li doesn't like you. All you can do is talk sourly at me."
Wang Lei's face changed immediately. He was furious and embarrassed: "Who asked you to talk back? Niu Li doesn't like me because she has bad taste. Besides, I don't care about her that much. I just want to play around with her because she's pretty. A woman like her looks restless. Who knows how many men she's been with in private? I'd be disgusted to date her!"
Those around him frowned upon hearing this.
That's a really harsh thing to say.
Upon hearing this, Mingxi also felt a growing dislike for the short-haired guy named Wang Lei. He couldn't even get a date with the girl he liked to dance, so he started spreading rumors about her, saying she was unruly. This guy must be crazy.
Just then, a song ended, and Niu Li and her dance partner left the dance floor. Her expression changed instantly, and her beautiful face turned as cold as ice.
She strode forward, raised her hand, and slapped Wang Lei across the face.
Wang Lei covered his face: "Damn it, how dare you hit me, you little bitch?"
He raised his hand, seemingly preparing to strike back.
Seeing the conflict escalate, Mingxi no longer hesitated, rushed forward, grabbed Wang Lei's arm, twisted it behind his back, and pressed him to the spot.
"What are you doing? Trying to lay a hand on a woman?"
Wang Lei: "Damn it, who the hell do you think you are? Do you even have eyes? It was clearly that little bitch Niu Li who attacked me first, so why can't I fight back?"
He barked like a mad dog: "Are you Niu Li's lover too? You can't stand me talking about Niu Li, so you must be enjoying yourself in bed? Is she particularly promiscuous and good at pleasing people?"
Mingxi rushed over so fast that Wang Lei didn't even get a good look at her face. Plus, the auditorium was so noisy that he couldn't recognize Mingxi's voice. Just by looking at her strength, he assumed she was a man and started spouting nonsense.
Upon hearing this, Niu Li's anger intensified, and she felt an urge to slap him again.
Yu Xiaomin pulled Niu Li back to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Seeing that more and more people were noticing this, and even some leaders who hadn't left yet were turning their heads to look, Mingxi couldn't let the situation escalate any further. She decisively said to Yu Xiaomin, "Keep an eye on this. I'll take this person to the security department."
Yu Xiaomin nodded, comforted Niu Li for a moment, and then turned to the crowd still watching and said, "Come on, everyone, stop staring at this spot. The next song is coming up soon. Has everyone found a dance partner?"
Upon hearing this, the people around quickly dispersed. While watching the spectacle was enjoyable, they had come here today to find a partner!
Just watching the show isn't enough!
Although Niu Li was still unhappy after Yu Xiaomin comforted her, the thought that Wang Lei would not fare well after being taken to the security department made her anger dissipate.
On the other side, Mingxi was escorting Wang Lei towards the security office. All the way, Wang Lei was still cursing: "Why the hell are you sending me to the security office? Who do you think you are? You little bitch, are you having an affair with Zhang Wei? You…"
Calling Wang Lei a mad dog is absolutely right. When he thought Ming Xi was a man, he said Niu Li was having an affair with her. Now that he knows Ming Xi is a lesbian, he says she's having an affair with Zhang Wei.
Anyway, he didn't think he had done anything wrong. He just felt that Mingxi was deliberately bullying him because she had an ambiguous relationship with someone else.
Mingxi was too lazy to listen to his foul language, so she grabbed a rag from the side and stuffed it into his mouth.
I don't know what the rag had been used to wipe before; it was covered in a thick layer of dust and had a strange, foul smell.
However, it would be quite suitable to shut Wang Lei up.
With his mouth gagged, unable to utter a single word, Wang Lei let out angry muffled sounds.
"Oh, Comrade Ming, what brings you here?"
As luck would have it, when Mingxi brought Wang Lei over, they ran into the head of the security department. He had been following the big boss the whole time during the inspection and knew that Mingxi was someone the big boss favored.
So even though Mingxi was just a small temporary worker at the Women's Federation, he didn't dare to be negligent and stepped forward with eagerness: "Comrade Ming, what's going on?"
Mingxi handed Wang Lei over to the other party: "He was causing trouble in the auditorium just now."
The head of the security department's face darkened.
Today's get-together is important for the Women's Federation, and also an important event for their Cultural Palace.
If chaos ensues at the meeting, he'll inevitably be caught in the crossfire.
He glared fiercely at Wang Lei. Where did this blind little punk come from, daring to cause trouble in his factory?
He waved to his subordinate beside him: "Take this bastard inside and sober him up."
It's obvious without even thinking that this "wake-up call" is definitely not a gentle approach.
However, Mingxi had no sympathy for Wang Lei at all; it was all because of his foul mouth.
Serves you right!
The head of the security department turned around, chuckled twice, and said, "Comrade Ming, you can leave this kid to us. We'll teach him a lesson."
Mingxi nodded: "Thank you for your help. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now?"
"No, no."
Mingxi left the security department and was about to return to the auditorium when he suddenly heard a commotion at the entrance of the auditorium.
Upon closer inspection, I discovered that a woman was being stopped at the door.
"What's going on?" Mingxi frowned.
Fearing that Mingxi might misunderstand, the security guards on duty at the gate quickly explained, "Comrade Ming, this woman is not on the registration list. We explained to her politely as required, but she couldn't go in. However, she wouldn't listen and insisted on forcing her way in."
While the security guards were explaining to Mingxi, the woman who had been stopped seized the opportunity and tried to rush back into the auditorium. The security guards saw this and quickly pulled her back.
"Let me go! Let me in! I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to find my man! I'm here to find my man, why won't you let me in? You city people are protecting city people, deliberately making things difficult for us country folk!"
Mingxi felt a chill run down her spine as she listened to these words.
What's this about city dwellers and country folk? Nowadays, everyone talks about the unity of workers and peasants. If the leaders inside heard what she was saying, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause.
Also, besides the staff, the only people in the auditorium today were single men looking for partners. Who was she calling "my man" repeatedly?
Director Shen repeatedly emphasized that everyone attending the social gathering must be single. If even one of them were married, it's easy to imagine how angry Director Shen would be.
Mingxi quickly stepped forward to calm the woman down, and said with a smile, "Comrade, you said you're looking for someone, right?"
After struggling for a while, the woman opposite was disheveled, her clothes and hair were in disarray, and she looked extremely embarrassed. When she saw Mingxi coming over to talk to her, her eyes were fierce and wary.
What are you doing?
Mingxi: "Don't be nervous. I'm Mingxi from the Women's Federation. This is my work ID. You can take a look if you're worried."
She handed over her work ID and patiently explained, "It's like this, there's a social event going on inside today. Because it's a place for unmarried gay people to make friends, the screening is quite strict. People who haven't registered in advance can't go in. The security guards weren't stopping you on purpose. If you want to find someone, you can tell me who you're looking for, and I'll go in and call for you."
"Making friends? Does that mean everyone who signs up is looking for a romantic relationship?"
The woman opposite Mingxi didn't answer her; instead, she asked a completely unrelated question.
Mingxi nodded subconsciously.
Upon seeing Mingxi nod, the woman opposite her instantly flew into a rage: "Then I'm even more determined to go in! I want to ask that bastard Shen Mo why he came here to find a girlfriend?!"
She darted forward in one stride, and Mingxi, realizing what was happening, quickly wrapped her arms around her, saying, "Comrade, comrade, calm down."
"I can't calm down! You make it sound so easy for me to calm down, how can I calm down! I've been married to Shen Mo for six years. He said he wanted to go to university, so I gave him my spot. He said the subsidies weren't enough, so I worked hard to save money and send it to him. Now he's graduated from university, settled down in the city, and is coming here to make friends and find a partner. How can you expect me to calm down!"
The woman screamed, her voice shrill, and by the end, her voice was choked with sobs. Mingxi looked up and saw that her face was covered in tears.
Hearing this, Mingxi roughly understood what was going on. It was nothing more than Shen Mo abandoning his wife in the countryside after going to university. She had seen similar stories online in her previous life.
Her heart skipped a beat. Why did the bad news come true instead of the good? She had just been thinking that Shen Mo didn't seem like a good person, but it turned out that this kid was really no good!
However, she still wanted to ask the other party for more details.
Mingxi took out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to the other person: "Comrade, wipe your tears first. Can you tell me in detail about you and Shen Mo?"
The woman didn't take what she was offered, still looking at Mingxi warily: "Why are you asking this?"
"Don't be nervous." Mingxi pointed to her work ID. "I'm from the Women's Federation. You know what the Women's Federation does, right? It's a place that protects the rights of women and children. Tell me in detail about you and Shen Mo, and I'll see if I can help you."
The woman wiped away her tears: "I know what the Women's Federation does, but what can you do? What's the use of me telling you? Can you punish that heartless Shen Mo?"
Mingxi: "This... I can't."
The Women's Federation has no law enforcement power and cannot punish Shen Mo.
The woman scoffed. She knew the Women's Federation was useless. Wasn't that how the head of the Women's Federation in their village was? All she did was gossip about other people's business. When a daughter-in-law in the village was beaten so badly that she went to the head of the Women's Federation, the head of the Women's Federation just said, "Everyone goes through this. Can't you just bear with it?"
Mingxi: "However, our Women's Federation can contact the police and the factory to punish him. That is, provided that what you said is true."
Fearing the other party wouldn't believe her, she added: "A woman who was abused by her in-laws and almost had her family wiped out came to us. Our Women's Federation helped her get a job for her deceased husband and even sent the family members who abused her to the police station."
The woman opposite her was skeptical when she heard this. She looked Mingxi up and down suspiciously. Seeing how young Mingxi looked, she asked doubtfully, "Are you telling the truth? You're not just kidding me, are you?"
"Really!" Mingxi: "If you don't believe me, ask around!"
The woman scoffed. She was unfamiliar with the place and knew no one. Who could she ask for information? Even if she did ask, she couldn't be sure that the person wasn't in cahoots with Mingxi.
However, with the security department and Mingxi blocking her way, she couldn't break into the auditorium and couldn't confront Shen Mo, but talking to Mingxi wouldn't hurt.
She smoothed her hair, calmed herself down, and said, "My name is Yang Weihong. I'm from Northeast China. I'm here to see my husband, Shen Mo."
Mingxi nodded and tentatively asked, "May I ask how you and Shen Mo met?"
Yang Weihong: "Shen Mo went to the countryside six years ago and was sent to our village as an educated youth. I was the tractor driver in our village, and the brigade sent me to pick him up. That's how we met. Later, Shen Mo took the initiative to pursue me, and I also had feelings for him. That's how we got married."
Speaking of this, she gave a mocking smile. Being able to be the village's tractor driver, she was considered one of the most capable women in the village. At that time, many men in the village pursued her, but she didn't know how she could be so blind as to choose to be with Shen Mo, that beast in human clothing.
Yang Weihong: "After we got married, he worked as a substitute teacher at the village primary school for two years thanks to my connections. Later, the commune gave our brigade a spot to recommend students for the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, and our brigade recommended me. I only have one grandmother at home, and she is old. I didn't want to leave home, so I planned to give up the spot. But Shen Mo told me that he wanted to go to university, so in the end I gave the spot to him."
“When he left, many people in our village said I was stupid. They said he was originally from the city and married me so he wouldn’t suffer in the countryside. Now that he’s going back to the city, he’ll definitely dump me. I didn’t believe it at the time.”
Yang Weihong gave a mocking smile, unsure whether she was mocking herself or Shen Mo.
Mingxi could understand Yang Weihong's thoughts.
No one would think their lover is inherently inferior and would abandon them after settling down in the city.
Yang Weihong was willing to believe that Shen Mo was not wrong, but that Shen Mo was the one who was wrong.
Yang Weihong: "Actually, when he first came to the city to study at university, he would still send me letters, one a month. In the letters, he would tell me about his university life. Later, as time went on, the letters gradually became less frequent, and he would only send one every three or four months, and they would all ask for money."
She had actually begun to notice Shen Mo's coldness towards her, but she was unwilling to accept it. So she kept telling herself that Shen Mo was just under too much academic pressure and too busy, and that things would be better after graduation.
But since the beginning of this year, she has not received a single letter. Shen Mo has completely lost contact with her. When she finally couldn't wait any longer this month, she went to Shen Mo's university at the address on the letter.
As a result, the school dormitory manager told Yang Weihong that Shen Mo had already graduated and moved out of the school dormitory. She didn't know where Shen Mo had been assigned, and she didn't know who to ask.
She could only wait outside the school dormitory building. Later, the dormitory manager couldn't stand it anymore and kindly helped her contact Shen Mo's professor. Only then did she learn that he had been assigned to work in a steel rolling mill.
She eventually found the steel rolling mill, where employees told her that Shen Mo was attending a social gathering at the Cultural Palace that day.
She searched all the way here, and was eventually stopped at the door where she met Mingxi.
After listening to her story, Mingxi patted her shoulder reassuringly: "I understand. Here's what we'll do: wait for me at the door for a while. I'll go inside and tell our director about your situation, and then I'll find Shen Mo for you. Is that alright?"
Yang Weihong remained vigilant, hunching her back: "What if you go in and don't come out?"
Mingxi found it amusing; how could she not come out?
However, she could understand Yang Weihong's feelings of disbelief, so she smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely come out. I have to go home after get off work tonight, right?"
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