"Thank you, leader. I will work hard." Xia Lan nodded to the factory manager and smiled confidently.
Under Xia Lan's composed aura, Zhao Li was so defeated that she couldn't lift her head.
She had already noticed the harmonious atmosphere on Xia Lan's side. Zhao Li looked at the test paper in front of her unwillingly, and suddenly stood up as if she had thought of something.
"Her test paper must be different from mine. She couldn't possibly be better than me. She clearly never even went to school!"
Zhao Li's words immediately made everyone's faces darken.
Minister Yang's expression turned hostile as he turned to Zhao Li. "Comrade Zhao Li, your two exam papers are exactly the same! It's just that you don't know how to do them."
"Losing is not terrible, but it is ridiculous to make excuses after losing."
Director Wen glanced at Zhao Li, adjusted his glasses, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
The factory manager glanced indifferently at Zhao Li, whose face showed dissatisfaction, and beckoned to her. "Come here with your test paper and take a look yourself."
Zhao Li paused, still finding it impossible, and walked over with her test paper.
The factory manager took her test paper and placed it next to Xia Lan's.
In terms of sheer neatness, Xia Lan is the clear winner.
The paper was neat and tidy, and the handwriting, like her, was elegant and appropriate, pleasing to the eye.
In contrast, Zhao Li's paper was covered in corrections because she was unsure of the answer. The paper was black and dirty, the handwriting was crooked, and there were even many typos.
The bureau chief immediately began to correct Zhao Li's answers.
"Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong..."
After grading for a while, not a single question was correct.
"I was wrong, you do have some skill!"
After the document was approved, the bureau chief glanced at Zhao Li.
Hope ignited in Zhao Li's eyes.
"How did you manage to avoid all the correct answers so perfectly? You could probably guess at least one right, right?"
"..." The factory director and Minister Yang glanced at Director Wen, still thinking she might actually have some merits!
"This is impossible, this is impossible! How could I possibly lose to a village woman?" Zhao Li refused to admit it, but the two test papers were right in front of her, a stark contrast.
Zhao Li had no choice but to admit it.
"Comrade Zhao Li, one should have some self-awareness." Director Wen smiled gently at Zhao Li, but his words chilled her to the bone.
"If you want to take the college entrance exam, you need to study hard for the next two months. Otherwise, with your current level, it's unlikely."
Wen Ju's words dealt a severe blow to Zhao Li's self-esteem.
"Who do you think you are! You think I can just say I can't pass the exam and that's it!" Zhao Li said angrily through gritted teeth.
"He is the director of the Education Bureau." The factory manager kindly answered Zhao Li's question and introduced the man in front of her as the director of the Education Bureau.
"His surname is Wen, you can call him Director Wen."
Zhao Liru was struck by lightning.
I never imagined the education bureau chief would be this seemingly insignificant person in front of me. What had she just done? She yelled at him…
"Waaaah... You're all bullying me!"
Zhao Li chose to escape reality, covering her face and crying as she ran out.
The four of them rolled their eyes speechlessly as they watched Zhao Li run away.
"Comrade Xia Lan, you performed very well today. We hope you can keep it up. If you encounter any difficulties, please feel free to ask. Our factory will fully support you."
"As long as you get into university, our factory will give you an additional 300 yuan bonus."
The factory manager looked at Xia Lan, patted her on the shoulder encouragingly, and said solemnly.
"Thank you, leader. I will definitely work hard to bring honor to the factory!"
Xia Lan nodded gratefully. With the bonus, she would study even harder for the exam.
"We believe you can do it!" Director Wen extended his hand to Xia Lan, and Xia Lan shook hands with Director Wen.
"Thank you for your trust, leader. I will not let you down," Xia Lan replied with a smile.
"Old Wen, would you like to come to my office for a bit?" the factory director invited Director Wen.
"Perfect timing, let's talk about the funding." Director Wen nodded, as he had come with a mission today as well.
After Minister Yang personally saw the two leaders off, Xia Lan returned to her counter.
Xu Li and the others immediately gathered around.
"So, so, Xia Lan, you won, didn't you?"
"Huh?" Xia Lan paused. "You all know already..."
"We're not deaf. Zhao Li was shouting so loudly, how could we not hear her? We just didn't dare to go over because we were afraid of getting scolded by the boss!"
"That's right, Zhao Li's voice is so loud, it's like she's afraid we won't hear her."
"Judging from your expression, do you think you've won?"
"Tell us quickly, we're all hoping you can beat Zhao Li! Tell us you won..."
Many people looked at Xia Lan, anticipating her answer.
Xia Lan and Zhao Li were both newcomers, but they preferred the approachable Xia Lan, while no one liked the aloof Zhao Li.
"Yes, I won." Xia Lan smiled confidently at everyone.
"Hey! I knew it! Xia Lan definitely wouldn't lose to Zhao Li!"
"Exactly! Xia Lan's illustrations for that magazine are so well done!"
Everyone was very happy and applauded Xia Lan.
Everyone laughed when they heard that Zhao Li hadn't done well on the exam.
"That Zhao Li keeps telling us every day that she went to high school, acting like she's educated and looking down on us."
"Tsk, let's see what she has to be proud of now!"
"Exactly! He hasn't done a single thing well, yet he's full of cunning."
Zhao Li would make sarcastic remarks to them every day, saying that they were uneducated and had only gone to school for a few days. Although they didn't say it outright, it didn't mean they weren't angry.
They're not stupid; how could they not understand what she was saying?
They just couldn't be bothered with her.
Otherwise, she would really think she's something special.
"Where is Zhao Li?" Xia Lan looked around but didn't see Zhao Li anywhere.
"Oh, her! She just ran out crying!" The sales clerk at the counter closest to the door saw Zhao Li run out.
"Xiaoling, hurry, hurry! Zhao Li ran out of work, she's been absent without leave!" Xu Li said excitedly, beckoning Xiaoling over.
Xiaoling frowned when she heard that Zhao Li had run out during work hours. The factory would never tolerate such behavior!
"Give her half an hour! If she doesn't come back, treat it as absenteeism." Xiaoling glanced outside the door and said to everyone.
"Xiaoling, you're just too kind-hearted," the group said, laughing at Xiaoling.
But deep down, I thought it was nice that Xiaoling was so kind and compassionate.
Xiaoling meant well for Zhao Li, but Zhao Li didn't appreciate it and ran away for over an hour without returning.
"Xiaoling, look, it's not that we're not going to help her, she just ran off and hasn't come back for over an hour! That's a serious violation of the rules." Xu Li said with a smile to Xiaoling, who was still waiting at the door, as she helped Xia Lan organize the candy counter.
“You’re right, she’s very disappointing.” Xiaoling nodded, turned around and went back to her office to report the matter to Minister Yang.
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