Chapter 36: Guan Ju'er is Targeted

As the afternoon approached the end of the workday, the manager arranged for overtime on short notice again. Naturally, Guan Ju'er couldn't escape it.

However, shortly after the manager left, the other interns from her cohort began to speak in a passive-aggressive manner.

"Alright, the manager's gone. Who are you trying to impress with that 'striving for excellence' act?"

"Exactly. Some people really ought to have some self-awareness. Every single person who gets a permanent position in this company graduated from a prestigious university. Don't think you can stay just because you got in through the back door."

Guan Ju'er's eyes instantly reddened. It was true that this internship was a favor arranged by her father, but for the past six months, she had worked diligently and treated her colleagues with kindness. Aside from Michelle, she had never had a conflict with anyone. She couldn't understand why her colleagues were so hostile toward her.

At nine o'clock that night, Guan Ju'er sat on the subway heading home, her body heavy with exhaustion. Just as she was about to drift off, a ringtone jolted her awake.

"Hello, Guanguan, it's Mom."

Guan Ju'er wanted to vent her grievances to her mother, but fearing she would cause too much worry, she could only force herself to sound calm.

"Mom."

Her mother asked, "Why is it so noisy around you? Are you out?"

"Mm, I'm on the subway. I just finished work," Guan Ju'er said, pursing her lips.

Her mother was heartbroken. "Oh, what is wrong with this company? There's always endless overtime. How can your body take this?"

"Mom, I'm fine. It's actually okay; we even had last weekend off," Guan Ju'er said quickly to soothe her.

Her mother continued her barrage of concerned inquiries until Guan Ju'er reached her stop, at which point they finally hung up.

"Look at you, what kind of job did you find for our daughter? Calling it a Fortune 500 company—it's not much better than a sweatshop. Overtime day in and day out, she's going to work herself into illness," her mother snapped, seeing her husband calmly watching TV beside her.

Her father maintained his innocence. "You can't put it like that. Young people are in the prime of their careers. Besides, our daughter wants to venture into the big city and see the world; that's a good thing."

"See what world? With this daily overtime, she doesn't even have time to find a boyfriend," her mother complained.

Her father curled his lip. "Guanguan is still young, she just graduated. There's no rush to find a boyfriend..."

Before he could finish, his mother interrupted him. "What do you mean no rush? For young people today, love doesn't succeed on the first try. Two years of dating, then engagement, then marriage—the timing is just right. Would you be happy watching our daughter become an old maid or a leftover woman?"

Her father ran out of arguments. "Fine, you're right. We'll do it your way."

"I *am* right, so you *should* listen to me!" her mother said, lifting her chin proudly.

The next day, while catching a ride with Andy on her way to work, Guan Ju'er recounted what had happened.

"Sister Andy, I know I didn't graduate from a prestigious school, so I try to work harder than everyone else. My individual performance among the interns in my group is always number one every month. I don't understand—is it because I didn't go to a top school that I can't even get basic respect? Why are they saying those things about me?"

Andy frowned slightly. "Actually, Guanguan, when I first started working, I encountered the same situation. If they want to, they can find any point to attack you. No one is perfect. All you can do is be yourself. Your superiors will see your work capability. The more composed and unperturbed you appear, the more your superiors will like you."

"As for those people attacking you, let them have their fun. Just remember one thing: your ultimate goal is to secure a permanent position. On that matter, your fellow interns have no say. Whether you stay or not depends entirely on your boss. Do you understand?"

A lightbulb went off in Guan Ju'er's head. "That's right! Why didn't I think of that? Thank you, Sister Andy."

Andy smiled. "Guanguan, you really don't need to care too much about what others think. I once mentioned to Qu Xiaoxiao that you are a very good employee. If you were to lose your job one day, we would both be willing to give you a position—as long as you shed that tiny bit of preciousness, you'd be perfect."

"Sister Andy, I'm not precious, really. My mom always thinks girls should stay by their parents' side and marry a suitable man, but it's me who wants to venture into the big city. I want to do the work I love and meet the person I love..." As Guan Ju'er spoke, her face suddenly flushed.

Andy wasn't particularly sensitive to matters of the heart, and since she was driving, she didn't notice Guan Ju'er's unusual reaction.

Guan Ju'er suddenly thought of Qin Hao's words: *None of your damn business.*

Hearing this, Andy couldn't help but laugh. "Qiu Yan is truly an interesting person. Sometimes the way he speaks is different from the average person's logic, but the effect is usually quite good."

"But I don't dare say it directly; I can only say it silently in my head. Sister Andy, do you think that's not quite right?" Guan Ju'er asked sheepishly.

"There's nothing wrong with it. You aren't affecting anyone else, so what does it matter? Guanguan, don't try to be a perfect person. You'll live a very exhausting life that way."

"Thank you, Sister Andy. I feel much better now."

Upon arriving at the company, Guan Ju'er followed Andy's advice. Regardless of what others said, she focused solely on her own work. At first, the other interns thought she was an easy target and mocked her even more aggressively, but Guan Ju'er kept repeating to herself: *None of your damn business.*

Later, seeing that Guan Ju'er never responded, those people actually began to panic. Furthermore, these incidents were being observed by other colleagues and superiors.

People eventually grow tired of seeing honest people being bullied, and gradually, some began to speak up for Guan Ju'er. Michelle's group, on the other hand, ended up receiving a reprimand.

One weekend, Guan Ju'er happened to work an early shift. Qiu Yingying and Fan Shengmei hadn't finished their shifts yet, and just as she was feeling a bit bored, there was a knock at the door.

When Guan Ju'er opened the door, she found it was actually Qin Hao.

"Brother... Brother Qiu." Guan Ju'er's heart suddenly raced.

After Qin Hao entered, he casually closed the door, making Guan Ju'er even more nervous. A man and a woman alone in a room—could he be thinking...?

However, just as indescribable images began to flash through Guan Ju'er's mind, she felt a sudden thud on her forehead.

Guan Ju'er let out a pained whimper and rubbed her forehead, looking at Qin Hao aggrievedly.

"Speak. What are you hiding from me?" Qin Hao looked like a man who was very angry.

Guan Ju'er immediately grew nervous. "I... I'm not hiding anything."

"Hmm?" Qin Hao stared her down with a stern face.

Guan Ju'er pouted, looking very wronged. "But I really am not."

"I think you're the type who won't cry until you see the coffin. You're being targeted by your colleagues—Andy knows, Yingying knows, so why am I the only one hearing about it from other people?"

(End of Chapter)