Chapter 17: Factory Director Song, Beware—This Fish Might Explode

As Li Juan led her daughter to their new home, she held Tao Yu’s hand tightly.

On the way, Li Juan glanced at her quiet and obedient daughter.

Her lips moved hesitantly before she finally couldn’t hold back. Her voice was filled with concern.

“Yu’er, if you run into people like Mrs. Mao in the future, you must curse them right back! Don’t let anyone bully you, understand?”

“And if you can’t win in an argument, don’t worry. You still have me. I’ll protect you with my life if I have to. There’s nothing to be afraid of…”

She kept talking as they walked.

Tao Yu, listening, found herself recalling a scene from her previous life.

It was the first day of elementary school.

Parents bustled around the school gate, dropping off their children.

Only little Tao Yu stood there alone, her expression blank and indifferent, a large bedding roll at her feet.

As mentioned before, her parents had divorced when she was very young, each forming new families.

And her?

She was the unwanted one.

From what she’d heard, her grandparents on both sides were too old to take care of her and weren’t close to her anyway.

At about five years old, her parents paid a small amount of money, and she began a life of being passed around.

Two weeks at one family’s house, a month at another’s—it didn’t matter where, as long as it wasn’t in her parents’ new homes.

Her parents, each with new families to support, naturally didn’t provide much money for her.

So, her relatives didn’t go out of their way to take good care of her. She wasn’t their child, after all, and with the meager money they were given, how much effort could they really be expected to put in?

She learned early on that if she wanted to eat, she had to work. No work, no food.

Those words, though she barely understood them at the time, stayed with her.

And so, the days dragged on until she was old enough to attend elementary school.

Her parents and relatives finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that she could board at school, she’d only need a place to stay during summer and winter breaks—no one had to keep her full-time anymore.

On the first day of school, a relative dropped her off at the gate, plopped her bedding roll down, and told her to wait for the teacher before quickly leaving.

Little Tao Yu stood there, watching the other parents fuss over their children.

“Don’t go hungry at school, okay? Let me know if you run out of money.”

“If anyone bullies you, fight back! If you can’t win, Dad will come and help you!”

She listened quietly, then bent down to pick up her bedding roll. Staggering slightly, she walked into the school by herself.

She didn’t wait for the teacher. She could manage on her own.

Remembering this, Tao Yu blinked gently.

Li Juan’s rambling now reminded her of those parents back then.

After moving into their new house and hosting a housewarming meal for Aunt Chang and the others, a brand-new chapter of life began for the Tao family.

Tao Yu continued to show up punctually at the factory for work.

Li Juan, meanwhile, threw herself into her tailoring business.

She had just purchased a cartload of fabric and even acquired a second-hand sewing machine on the black market.

The few hundred yuan she had saved was nearly spent, but she wasn’t worried.

Li Juan was hardworking.

With the courtyard gate shut, she boldly set up her equipment in the bright and spacious front room.

No more worrying about nosy neighbors prying into her business or working in the cramped, dark little room in secret.

Thinking back on those days, Li Juan felt her eyes had truly suffered.

Now, with her bright, spacious new home, she couldn’t be happier. Thanks to her daughter’s advice, she decided to rent the house!

Meanwhile, Tao Yu was carrying a tray as usual, delivering meals to the office building of the factory.

In just a few days, many people in the building had become familiar with Tao Yu.

Especially on the third floor, where the employees—both male and female—would greet her with smiles whenever they saw her.

Was Tao Yu’s charm really that strong?

Perhaps.

After all, it had always been this way: whenever she wanted, she could integrate seamlessly into any environment.

She was adept at faking kindness and skilled at pretending, wasn’t she?

Tao Yu delivered the meal to the secretary’s office.

Coincidentally, Xu Guochao and Lu Wu were absent today.

The only one in the director’s office was Song Hecheng.

Behind the desk, Factory Director Song sat with his eyes downcast, lips slightly pursed, fully immersed in the documents in his hands.

His face—marked by seemingly gentle features—subtly carried an undertone of sharp intensity.

Tao Yu’s long lashes fluttered, and a glimmer of light flickered in her eyes.

Today, he was wearing that army-green military-style uniform again.

Tao Yu raised a brow ever so slightly.

That outfit was particularly pleasing to her taste.

But after only a moment, when Song Hecheng noticed her presence, Tao Yu had already replaced her earlier expression with a serene and elegant smile.

Calmly and steadily, she brought the tray into his office.

“Director Song, I’ve brought your meal,” she said softly, standing gracefully in front of his wide desk, her voice light and gentle.

“Thank you,” Song Hecheng replied, standing up to take the tray from her.

As his slender hand reached for it, Tao Yu didn’t let go.

“The soup is a bit full. Let me handle it,” she said.

Song Hecheng didn’t object. Once Tao Yu had set the tray down on the desk, he reached over and took it.

For a few seconds, silence hung in the air.

Although they had met several times and Tao Yu had delivered his meals before, they hadn’t exchanged more than a few words since the incident with Xiao Zhang’s near-collision.

Tao Yu wasn’t about to let the silence linger too long.

Across the desk, she looked up at Song Hecheng. His strong, deft hands were leafing through a thick stack of blueprints.

Tao Yu smiled politely and spoke first.

“Director Song, thank you.”

Song Hecheng glanced at her, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

His voice, as always, was low and composed. “Thank me? For what?”

Tao Yu met his gaze directly, her tone steady and genuinely appreciative.

“Xiao Zhang told me—it was the Director Song who rented me the house. Thank you, Director Song.”

As soon as she finished, Song Hecheng paused briefly, his movements momentarily halted. But in less than a second, he resumed with a calm expression and responded mildly, “It’s a small matter, not worth mentioning.”

Hearing this, a glint of amusement flickered in Tao Yu’s eyes.

He didn’t deny it.

Beneath her composed and elegant exterior, Tao Yu silently chuckled to herself.

She left behind one final comment in her gentle, melodic voice:

“’To express feelings, one sends fish; to connect, one sends letters.’ My name is Tao Yu. Goodbye, Director Song.”

Without waiting to see his reaction, she turned and left.

She had already received the answer she was looking for—there was no need to linger further.

Coincidentally, as she exited, she ran into Xiao Zhang, who had just returned.

The ever-familiar Xiao Zhang cheerfully greeted Tao Yu before heading into the office.

“Fish and letters?” he mused.

Perhaps this “fish” was here to cast a long line and catch a big one.

Humming to himself, carefree Xiao Zhang entered the office to find Director Song sitting at his desk, deep in thought.

His own belly full from earlier, Xiao Zhang earnestly inquired about his boss’s meal schedule, even enthusiastically fetching tea.

But Song Hecheng merely frowned slightly and cast Xiao Zhang a brief, low glance.

That single look was enough to make the bewildered Xiao Zhang immediately straighten up.

Clearly, he was still unaware of the figurative pot about to boil over his head.

Xiao Zhang: I didn’t provoke anyone…