Chapter 12 Marry her and pamper her every night

“It wasn’t me who tore it! It has nothing to do with me!” Seeing the supervisor and the general manager, Song Baozhu immediately tried to distance herself from the situation.

The supervisor looked at the half-torn piece of paper still in her hand, his expression turning grim. “Do you even hear what you’re saying?”

If this were a public security case, it would be considered solid evidence—caught red-handed.

Following his gaze to her own hand, Song Baozhu shivered and hurriedly threw the torn document onto the floor. “It really wasn’t my fault! It was all Song Youyou’s doing!”

Watching Song Baozhu go from aggressive to instantly shirking responsibility when she made a mistake, Lin Lao (the general manager) instinctively furrowed his brow.

Earlier, he’d already heard a bit about their family situation, and now, seeing her behavior in person, he found her even more detestable.

Song Baozhu panicked when she saw the disapproving expressions on their faces. “It really wasn’t me!” she insisted. “It was her! Song Youyou stole the foreign language documents from the supervisor’s office—I was just trying to catch her!”

The supervisor listened quietly, then spoke coldly, “Stole? What do you mean stole? I gave her the foreign language documents myself.”

“Song Baozhu, could you try using your brain for once? Who steals something and then just sits there openly waiting to be caught by you?”

W-what? Song Youyou didn’t steal anything?!

Panic surged through Song Baozhu’s chest.

So Song Youyou hadn’t stolen anything? Then what she did—tearing up important documents—had been witnessed by the higher-ups…

When panic reaches its peak, a person sometimes finds clarity. Song Baozhu quickly adjusted her expression, trying to appear weak and innocent.

“Leaders, I was just fooling around with my sister. I didn’t mean to damage it… it’s not really my fault…”

This tactic had always worked with Song Youyou’s adoptive parents—just show a little vulnerability, and they’d take her side.

But she didn’t realize: not everyone in the world was like them.

“First of all, you already had the Song family cut ties with me. You’re in no position to call me your sister.”

Song Youyou cut off her excuse coldly.

She wasn’t stupid—she wasn’t about to let Song Baozhu dump this mess on her.

The three people present were visibly stunned by this revelation, their expressions quickly shifting from surprise to anger and sympathy.

A teenage girl, kicked out of her home just because Song Baozhu incited it? Absolutely disgraceful!

If it weren’t for the leaders being present, Wen Xiaorou would’ve already jumped on Song Baozhu and fought her.

“Second of all, you already stole my job. So now, when I come to the Xinhua Bookstore, it’s as a customer.”

“You wrongly accused a customer without any basis, then tore up the customer’s materials and destroyed public documents. Is this how an employee should behave?”

“Matters concerning the state, no matter how small, are still serious. Destroying public property and trying to dodge responsibility—this is behavior befitting the bourgeois class, not the proletariat.”

Every word was clear and deliberate.

Song Baozhu was dumbfounded by the political rhetoric, struggling to even understand some of the terms, let alone refute them.

The supervisor, equally stunned, instinctively nodded and said, “Comrade Song Youyou makes a good point.”

From the beginning, Lin Lao had been quietly observing. Now, seeing this promising young woman handle the situation with such clarity, he couldn’t help but show a smile of approval.

He was always busy and didn’t know every employee personally. Until today, he’d only thought of Song Youyou as a pretty, obedient girl.

But now he saw she wasn’t just gifted at translation—she also had a strong sense of duty and a revolutionary spirit. A model comrade indeed.

He nodded with great satisfaction, but the moment his gaze turned to Song Baozhu, his face darkened.

“Comrade Song Baozhu, you destroyed public property. You’ll be fined three times the value of the materials—30 yuan—and given a major demerit.”

Song Baozhu’s eyes widened.

How much?! She must have misheard—30 yuan??

“It was just a few sheets of paper! What kind of documents could possibly be worth 30 yuan?!”

She had only been working for a few days and hadn’t even gotten her first paycheck. Now she had to pay a fine first?

“Just a few sheets of paper?” Lin Lao’s expression turned colder.

“N-no, I didn’t mean that,” she backpedaled, realizing she’d made another mistake.

But Lin Lao had had enough of her. If it weren’t a state job—a “golden rice bowl”—he would’ve fired someone with her attitude on the spot.

After issuing the punishment, Lin Lao invited Song Youyou into his office for a private talk.

He mainly wanted her to spend more time translating and even suggested fast-tracking her promotions and evaluations based on her output.

Song Youyou had the time, and she needed the money, so she gladly accepted.

After being punished, Song Baozhu didn’t dare stir up trouble again. She became as quiet as a mouse around Song Youyou.

Finally, Song Youyou could sit in the reading room in peace and finish translating the journals.

In one morning, she translated three journals—a total of 6,800 characters—earning an estimated 20 yuan and 40 cents in manuscript fees.

Of course, she wouldn’t receive payment right away. She’d have to return in a few days to collect it.

She submitted her translations, paid a 50-yuan deposit, and brought five more foreign journals home to continue her work.

“What do you want to eat? I’m treating you to lunch,” Song Youyou said as soon as Wen Xiaorou finished her shift.

“What are you talking about? Obviously I’m treating you!”

Her best friend had no job, no fiancé, and now no home. If she still let her pay, what kind of friend would that make her?

“But I just earned 20 yuan and 40 cents this morning, you know?”

“What?!” Wen Xiaorou had been feeling sorry for her all morning. But now, hearing that she had earned over 20 yuan in just two or three hours, all that sympathy instantly vanished into thin air.

“Youyou, my dear! If you get rich, don’t forget about me!” Wen Xiaorou clung to her arm, shaking it back and forth, acting adorably clingy. The whole place was filled with her hearty laughter.

If it had been in the past, Song Youyou would have definitely joked back, and the two of them would’ve messed around together. But now, she was completely immersed in enjoying her friend’s clinginess. Because for Wen Xiaorou, they had only been apart a few days—but for Song Youyou, they had been separated for many years… even by death.

Two young women together always had endless things to talk about. They chatted while buying groceries from the supply and marketing cooperative, then headed to Gu Xiao’s place to cook.

But when the conversation turned to Gu Xiao, Wen Xiaorou immediately jumped up.

“What? You and Gu Xiao are getting married?”

“When did you two start hooking up? How come I didn’t know anything?!”

Song Youyou: “…”

Song Youyou carefully replied, “Yesterday I fell into the water and he saved my life. Also… he’s done a lot for me in other ways. So, I thought I’d give it a try with him.”

“No way! This is a marriage without love—how can it last? Hmph, don’t think I don’t know—back in school, that Gu Xiao guy had a crush on you just because of your looks!” Wen Xiaorou was a firm believer in love above all.

“I’ve thought about that. If he was attracted by looks, then so be it. If he gets tired of me when my beauty fades, I’ll just leave. I can make money—if I have money, I don’t have to worry about life.”

“Well… that’s true, but…” Wen Xiaorou glanced over at her friend. Lips like red petals, teeth like white shells, long lashes casting shadows on flawless fair skin. Just her face alone was more eye-catching than any flower in bloom—not to mention her graceful figure. They all ate the same rice growing up, yet somehow she had a chest that filled out her clothes perfectly.

A beauty like this, brought home to be spoiled every night—what man could get tired of that?

“So annoying… Gu Xiao, that big oaf, really got lucky!” Wen Xiaorou huffed.