Chapter 24: Tingting 22

The factory director laughed heartily: "Don't you worry, am I that kind of person? How about this, Tingting, from today on you'll follow Master Hu. As for your wages, we'll settle them together once your summer vacation is over. Rest assured, you definitely won't be cheated!"

Tan You: "Of course I trust you. I'll have to trouble President Yang to look after me during this period."

Although many people said capitalists were vampires, the clothing factory owner Han Tingting had encountered was an exceptionally good person. In her past life, when Han Tingting dropped out of school, she was not yet fifteen. President Yang knew that employing Han Tingting was illegal, yet he still hired her to work in the factory.

He had simply heard from Auntie Yang that Han Tingting was a young girl with no one to rely on, and he wanted to help if he could. Because of this assistance, Han Tingting had continued working in the factory.

If it hadn't been for her later marriage and childbirth, she would never have left this factory. After more than a decade, the bond was naturally deep.

President Yang smiled: "Master Hu is a man of great talent. Learn as much as you can from him; it will serve you well in the future."

Tan You replied obediently: "I know. I will study hard under Master Hu."

The leader of the garment group led people away to move several sets of sample garments, and everyone dispersed. Auntie Yang came over and patted Tan You on the shoulder: "Our Tingting is truly impressive. You just came for a summer job and already made such a big splash."

Auntie Yang was sincerely happy for Tan You. For a girl, if she could stand on her own two feet, her future wouldn't be so hard, and she wouldn't have to rely on a man for everything.

Tan You: "It's all thanks to your help, Auntie. If you hadn't looked out for me, how would I have had the chance to meet Master Hu? And how could I be learning from him now?"

Auntie Yang beamed at Tan You's words: "Our Tingting is going to be someone truly extraordinary in the future. Such a sweet tongue at such a young age. Alright, I'm heading back to work. We'll talk more when it's time for dinner."

And so, Tan You became Master Hu's little apprentice. She was a greedy person; knowing others had skills, she wanted to learn everything. Since Cheng Wenhui had told her from a young age that "having many skills never hurts," how could Tan You let an opportunity like this pass when she encountered a master?

Master Hu's requirements for Tan You were also high. Since Tan You couldn't even draw a design schematic, she couldn't possibly rely on just her words forever, could she? Tan You understood that strictness only comes from earnest expectations.

Now, she kept her schedule very full. During the day, she studied hard under Master Hu in the office; at night, she went back to tackle her high school textbooks; and in her occasional spare moments, she attempted to draw design schematics.

However, to be honest, even Han Cunming couldn't bear to look at those designs.

President Yang was a man of decisive action. Soon, the sales team he had sent out began to see returns, with orders being placed in successive batches. Especially after the new models were released later on, the factory suddenly became very busy.

Other orders had to be pushed back; for now, they had to focus on rushing these orders out.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Tan You didn't even pay attention to the release of the high school entrance exam results. That morning, after washing up, she pedaled her bicycle furiously toward the factory.

Han Cunming didn't think much of it either; both grandfather and granddaughter were so preoccupied that they had forgotten about the upcoming results. But there were people watching constantly—for instance, the teachers at the school.

Many schools could find out the entrance exam scores in advance, especially for top-ranking students. As a strong contender for the city's top scorer, many people were keeping an eye on Tan You.

Principal Tang had connections in the Education Bureau and had naturally asked them to keep a close watch.

"Her name is Han Tingting, right? It's a pity for this child." The other person spoke with long pauses, and that single "it's a pity" left Principal Tang's heart hanging in mid-air. Had Han Tingting failed? Surely not? Wasn't her performance always very stable?

"She scored second in the city, and first in raw score, but others have bonus points. Her father is a doctor who participated in the 2002 medical rescue, so he gets 10 policy bonus points. Because of those points, he was one point higher than her. That's why I say it's a pity..." As the other person continued, Principal Tang's complaint broke out.

"Old Lin, can you please stop talking in such a suspenseful way? You nearly scared me to death just now. I was thinking that no matter what, our Han Tingting wouldn't perform that poorly, would she?"

Principal Tang wiped his sweat. "Second in the city, right? I understand. Hang on!"

To be honest, Principal Tang also felt it was a pity, but the other person had bonus points. And since it was due to the father's contributions, what could Principal Tang say?

The Dean of Students heard this and immediately jumped up: "Then what are we waiting for? Contact Han Tingting immediately! I bet everyone who got the news is already trying to reach her. I'll contact her family right now!"

Principal Tang: "You're right. Quickly contact Han Tingting's grandfather."

They didn't mention her parents; they had long since learned from Han Cunming that those two were unreliable. Would Principal Tang make such a low-level mistake? Unfortunately, after several calls, they couldn't get through to anyone.

Principal Tang made a decisive move: "Stop calling. Let's go directly to Han Tingting's house. Call Teacher Qin; the three of us will go together."

The Dean of Students: "Should we call Teacher Shi as well?"

Principal Tang thought for a moment: "No, let's not involve her. We shouldn't make things difficult for her. That is Han Tingting's own choice; we shouldn't use this kind of sentiment to bind her."

The Dean of Students fell silent for a moment: "The Principal is righteous!"

Principal Tang frowned: "Actually, it pains me too, but some things simply cannot be done."

He wanted to keep Han Tingting at the main campus for high school, but he wanted that to be her own choice, not because she felt she couldn't bear to leave a certain teacher. Those were two different things.

The Dean of Students hurried to the ninth-grade office: "Teacher Qin, let's head out!"

After the entrance exams, the ninth-grade teachers had all been resting, but because the results were imminent, they had returned to school. Currently, everyone was chatting and laughing in the office, naturally centered on the exam results.

Seeing the Dean's expression, Teacher Qin smiled: "In such a hurry? Did you find out the scores?"

The Dean of Students: "750, second in the city."

An uproar broke out in the office. The English teacher frowned: "Wasn't this Han Tingting's best performance ever? And she still came in second?"

The Dean of Students was also somewhat frustrated: "It's said the first-place student's father is a doctor who participated in a very dangerous rescue mission, so he gets 10 bonus points for the entrance exam. He was one point higher than Han Tingting, though her raw score was still first."

He also felt it was a pity, but where could he find logic in this? Because the other person had bonus points, they were the city's top scorer. Consequently, no one cared about the second place or the students following behind.

"Alright, Teacher Qin, come with me quickly. The Principal is waiting downstairs. We can't reach Han Tingting's house by phone, so let's head there immediately."

Teacher Qin also understood the urgency: "Coming."