In the northern part of the Capital City, the Zhaoyang Clothing Factory covered a massive area. Its scale and quarterly sales volume were far ahead of its competitors, and it was the sole designated manufacturer of certain types of cloth-based protective workwear for many work units.

Although named a clothing factory, Zhaoyang actually encompassed processes like textile weaving, printing, and dyeing. Essentially, from spinning thread to the finished product, every step was handled in-house—with only the raw materials being sourced from across the country—and adhered to a set of extremely strict requirements and standards.

The factory had more than fifty workshops and nearly nine thousand employees. As a workshop director, Father Song was in charge of a hundred-odd people, a rank nearly comparable to that of a director of a small factory! 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Because of this, they lived in the cadre family housing compound, assigned to a beautiful two-story, red-brick, tile-roofed house with a small courtyard in the back. Whether planting flowers or vegetables, they could experience a touch of pastoral pleasure in a big city that was growing increasingly cold and impersonal.

It was an early summer evening, and the weather was pleasant—perfect for tending to the courtyards. Many family members were chatting and laughing across their fences.

When they saw Song Huie and Song Ruoyun come out of their house one after the other, the chatter stopped for a moment. Then, they began pointing at the pair, their voices just loud enough to be heard:

"That Song Ruoyun has been petty and scheming since she was a kid. Cunning as can be. She never does anything herself, just orders others around. And my foolish daughter lets herself be used like a pawn and is still happy about it. I don’t know what kind of spell she’s under..."

"Isn’t that the truth? Look how good her grades were in school, but the few girls she was close to did nothing but fool around, and their grades were a complete disaster! Maybe she was afraid they’d surpass her, so she deliberately lured them away from their studies..."

"Pushing the Song Family’s real daughter down from the second floor—that’s exactly something she would do! So young, but with such a venomous heart!"

"I doubt her grades were even that good. If they were, why wouldn’t she go to college or get an office job? Why insist on joining a cultural troupe to be a dancer? Is that the kind of place a girl from a decent family goes?"

"That makes sense. The university placements our factory sponsors are all earned by kids through genuine talent and hard work, not by cheating on some petty school tests..."

Song Huie deliberately slowed his pace, as if the gossip was a release for his own indignation.

’His little sister was pushed down the stairs by this cuckoo who stole the nest, yet Mom and Dad couldn’t bear to make her face the punishment she deserved. Fine. Let her hear what everyone else thinks of her!’

Song Ruoyun raised her voice and said coolly, "Song Huie, if your short legs make you walk that slowly, you should just get on your bike and go ahead. If you keep dawdling like this, the office staff will have already gone home."

Song Huie whipped his head around to glare at her. "This is the first time I’ve realized just how thick-skinned you are."

’After hearing all that, shouldn’t she be too ashamed to even show her face?’

But her face was completely blank, as if she was the one who couldn’t wait to cut ties with the Song Family.

Song Ruoyun’s lips twitched into a smirk. "For a single-celled organism like you to make that discovery, it’s a huge step forward!"

Furious, Song Huie started pumping his standard-issue Song Family short legs again, taking huge strides as if he wanted to take flight.

With her hands in her pockets, Song Ruoyun strolled along on her long legs, her pace unhurried, yet she easily kept up right behind him.

Every time Song Huie turned his head, worried she might bolt, he was met with a sight that he felt wasn’t very aggressive, but was extremely insulting!

The Zhaoyang Clothing Factory was practically a small, self-contained town. You never had to leave the factory gates; anything you needed could be handled right on the grounds.

Song Ruoyun had just turned eighteen, making her a legal adult. With all her documents in order, she was eligible to be added to the work unit’s collective household registration.

With an acquaintance from the Song Family leading the way, the process went quickly. Song Ruoyun officially changed her name to Xia Zhaoyun, pointedly not using the surname Zhang.

As she left the administration building, Xia Zhaoyun didn’t spare Song Huie a single glance. Clutching her documents, she headed toward a smaller, low-rise building nearby.

Song Huie jumped on his bike and sped away, leaving behind a single sentence ground out through clenched teeth: "You’d better take care of yourself!"

"Hello, Comrade. I’d like to request a half-month salary advance," Xia Zhaoyun said, her lips pressed thin as she handed over her documents. "And I also need to update my personal information."

The woman at the desk barely lifted an eyelid before looking back down at the cup cozy she was crocheting. "Sorry. The factory just paid everyone, and we’re in a critical production period, so money is tight. Unless it’s a matter of birth, sickness, or death, no other requests for advances will be approved!"

Xia Zhaoyun glanced at the expressions of the others in the room. Most were gloating. Only a couple of the men looked away, a flicker of guilt or pity in their eyes. She understood instantly.

She had been exceptionally beautiful since childhood, even performing on stage to celebrate the New Year at the tender age of three.