Chapter 80 : Soaked

As noon approached, the blazing sun beat down relentlessly. Outside the canteen of the radio station, there was a row of lush osmanthus trees, which blocked most of the sunlight and brought cool breezes.

Since the Cultural Bureau and the Broadcast Bureau were adjacent, they shared the same cafeteria. It was quite spacious, with several windows. The group quickly received their meals after a short wait, stir-fried water spinach and spicy stir-fried pork. Although there were only a few pieces of meat, it was a rare treat in the countryside.

“Do you have a grudge against the person from earlier?” Liang Qingqing poked at the water spinach with her chopsticks and looked up at Huang Yali, who was sitting opposite her. The others also turned their attention to Huang Yali upon hearing the question.

Upon hearing Liang Qingqing mention Hu Peiyun, Huang Yali’s mouth curled into a frown, and she snorted, “She’s just a crazy woman!”

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing’s eyes sparkled with amusement, and she pretended to listen intently. Seeing Liang Qingqing’s reaction, Huang Yali sighed and began recounting the so-called “grudge” she had with Hu Peiyun.

“Originally, Hu Peiyun and I had nothing to do with each other. She was good at broadcasting and had been with the Broadcast Bureau for years, always getting the best assignments. I didn’t have as much experience as she did, so I didn’t want to stir up trouble with her.”

“But about half a month ago, there was a cultural performance organized by the military district, and they needed a host. Hu Peiyun was originally assigned to it, but she suddenly came down with a severe cold and lost her voice. The director asked me to substitute for her, and that’s when she became hostile. She thought I was deliberately taking her job, and since then, she’s been making things difficult for me. I’m not a pushover, so naturally, we’ve developed a grudge.”

After finishing her story, Huang Yali took a frustrated bite of the spicy pepper. The others felt that this was an unjust situation and were more deeply aware of Hu Peiyun’s unreasonable and domineering behavior. They silently decided to avoid her for the next half month to avoid any possible trouble.

“Yali, you did the right thing. If you let people bully you without resisting, they’ll only become more arrogant and won’t stop,” Liang Qingqing nodded in agreement. She herself wouldn’t tolerate it, nor would she advise others to.

The principle of “taking a step back to gain a broader view” was well understood by everyone, but how many people could actually put it into practice? Not taking a stand would only make others think you’re easy to bully, and you might end up as a scapegoat.

In any case, it was better to be firm from the start.

Upon hearing Liang Qingqing’s words, Huang Yali suddenly lifted her head, and after a moment of stunned silence, she slowly broke into a faint smile.

After lunch, the group returned to the dormitory to rest. Liang Qingqing went to the balcony to check on the clothes she had hung out to dry the previous day. Finding them dry, she took them in, washed her face, and lay down for a nap. After standing for an entire morning, her legs felt sore and heavy.

When she awoke, she was still groggy. After greeting the others, she walked through the corridor to get some water from the water room. However, before she had taken more than a few steps, someone suddenly opened the door from the inside and threw a basin of cold water over her, drenching her thoroughly.

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t see anyone there. Are you alright?”

With her upper body completely soaked and her hair dripping wet, Liang Qingqing felt a chill despite the summer heat. The wind made the cold even more biting, and she took a deep breath, wiped her face, and looked up at the speaker with what seemed to be an apologetic tone but was actually tinged with sarcastic. The familiar face was glaringly obnoxious.

“Although this outfit isn’t expensive, considering your family’s situation, it must have taken you quite a while to save up for it, right? Tsk tsk, I really wonder if you’ll have anything else to wear later. I suppose you’ll end up with patched-up, cheap clothes?” Hu Peiyun leaned against the door frame, looking at Liang Qingqing, who was drenched and looking like a drowned rat. Her red lips curled into a mocking smile, and her eyes were filled with satisfaction.

Behind her, several unfamiliar faces also bore smiles of amusement.

Liang Qingqing scanned them one by one, realizing they weren’t the same people she had seen at noon. They were likely new announcers staying in the same dormitory. She wasn’t sure what benefits Hu Peiyun had offered them, but they seemed willing to help her scheme against others.

They should be careful, if things blew up, they might face repercussions too.

Liang Qingqing glanced at her wet clothes, suddenly smiled faintly and shot Hu Peiyun a cold look before continuing towards the water room without changing her expression.

As it was just after the lunch break, everyone was packing up and preparing to head back to the Broadcast Bureau. Seeing Liang Qingqing’s state, they were shocked and stood at the door for a while, wondering what had happened.

Hu Peiyun felt a pang of anxiety under Liang Qingqing’s cold stare. Seeing her say nothing and just walk away made Hu Peiyun feel frustrated with herself for being intimidated by a mere girl.

“I thought she would be more formidable,” she said, trying to regain her composure. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. If you learn well, I can recommend you to the County Broadcast Bureau.”

“Thank you, Comrade Hu.”

“You’re so kind. You’re beautiful and gracious, unlike Liang Qingqing, who seems to think everything is smooth sailing just because she got selected for the Provincial Broadcast Bureau. Look at her flaunting around. I think this lesson from Comrade Hu is just what she needs to experience some hardship and bring her back down to earth.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

Seeing the grateful smiles on the young girls’ faces, Hu Peiyun sneered with contempt. “Fools,” she thought. “Why would I teach them anything useful about dining? Simply sharing a couple of well-known facts is the most I’ll do.”

Besides, getting into the County Broadcast Bureau isn’t that easy. If she could recommend people, she’d have already gotten her own younger female relatives in, rather than letting them take a chance.

These rural girls have limited experience, a few words of flattery and they’re completely won over.

But she certainly wouldn’t tell them that. After enjoying their praise and adulation, Hu Peiyun put the basin down and prepared to return to her dormitory to join her friends and head back to the Broadcast Bureau.

“I’m leaving now, you all…”

But just as she turned around, a bucket of cold water was thrown right at her. She gasped and coughed repeatedly. Before she could even react, another bucket of water was harshly thrown at her.

“Bitch, bitch!” Hu Peiyun, in a fit of rage, opened her tightly shut eyes and started cursing. She was about to charge forward, her furious demeanor causing the onlookers to step back in fear.

“Hu Peiyun, if you have the guts, just hit me! There’s a rule at the broadcasting bureau that anyone caught fighting will be immediately dismissed. After all these years here, you should be aware of that, right?” Liang Qingqing raised the bucket high, as if to say she’d throw it if Hu Peiyun dared to come any closer.

The red-and-white enamel bucket shone brightly in the sunlight. Coupled with Liang Qingqing’s forceful words, it effectively made Hu Peiyun stop in her tracks. She clenched her teeth, her chest heaving with anger. The form-fitting brocade dress she wore, now soaked, accentuated her curves even more.

Below, the area where the male staff resided…

Their commotion had attracted attention from downstairs…

Hu Peiyun covered her chest with both hands ()? (),

I dare not stay for long.

Before leaving, he glared at Liang Qingqing fiercely and said angrily, “Liang Qingqing, I will remember you.”

“You act as if it’s such an honor to be remembered by you. How shameless.” Liang Qingqing rolled her eyes and warned Hu Peiyun from behind: “If you dare to play tricks on me next time, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Hu Peiyun paused for a moment, but then left with a heavier and faster pace.

“What are you looking at? I’ll dig your eyes out.”

The onlookers were divide,; some shrank back at the harsh shout, while others retaliated with their own curses. Hu Peiyun’s single outburst couldn’t compete with the many voices against her. In the end, she could only awkwardly slam the door behind her and leave, preferring not to see or be bothered by what she couldn’t see.

Liang Qingqing set down the basin in her hand and returned the other one she had to the person next to her, offering a friendly smile and saying, “Thank you.”

“No, no need to thank me,” the person said, swallowing hard as they took back their basin. They couldn’t believe that the seemingly gentle woman in front of them was the same person who had caused such a scene earlier.

Earlier, while getting water in the water room, they had heard a soft and polite request from a very pretty young woman asking to borrow a water basin. The person agreed and even volunteered to help carry it over, only to find out that it was used for throwing water!

Liang Qingqing pretended not to notice the shock in their eyes, smiling as she pulled them along to her dorm, handed them a large amount of dried meat, and then let them go.

Zhou Lilan and the others saw her come back completely soaked.

“This is too much! Let’s go, Qingqing, and find the teacher to sort this out!” Zhou Lilan had never seen such arrogance before and was fuming with anger.

Liang Qingqing shook her head, “I threw water at her too. This is how it is.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lilan pursed her lips, still feeling a bit indignant.

“I threw two basins of water, and she only threw one, so I came out ahead,” Liang Qingqing quickly changed into dry clothes, towel-drying her hair and giving Zhou Lilan a faint smile.

At this point, Liang Qingqing still had the presence of mind to comfort others. Zhou Lilan was both angry and amused but could only sigh slightly in the end. “I don’t think Hu Peiyun will just let this go.”

“Of course she won’t just let it go, but you can’t be on guard against thieves all day long. No matter what tricks she uses, we will just deal with them as they come. Just don’t let me catch her.”

Liang Qingqing narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing through them.

After getting ready, the group arrived at the meeting spot just in time. Liang Qingqing had barely settled when she noticed a resentful gaze fixed on her from not far away. She glanced casually in that direction, and as expected, it was Hu Peiyun.

Hu Peiyun was also with wet hair, dressed in a much more subdued outfit compared to her earlier glamorous attire. Now she wore a white shirt and a black long skirt, with her long hair cascading down her back. Her twisted expression made her look like a vengeful ghost from afar.

“Qingqing, did you wash your hair at noon?” Huang Yali, still yawning, had come to the broadcasting station after only a short nap, having scheduled a chat with friends and thus not knowing what had happened in the dorm.