She was like a plum blossom, steadfastly facing the wind and frost amidst difficulties, neither joyous nor sorrowful.
Although he found it hard to watch her in this state, Tang Hai Chao had to compromise.
They chose an auspicious day, the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, at eight past eight in the morning, to deliver the baby.
It was a daughter.
Despite being premature and weighing only four catties and two liang, the baby was healthy.
After the doctor cleaned her, they showed her to Xiang Wan before sending her to an incubator. Xiang Wan named her Nian Nian,
which sounded like "nian nian" (missing).
Of course, this was something she kept to herself, not something she would let anyone know.
Nian Nian was a good child who didn't cause her mother any trouble. After only a week in the incubator, her vital signs were healthy enough for her to be discharged with her mother.
The winter in Hangcheng wasn't very cold, and they didn't have to visit relatives or friends.
With her grandmother accompanying them, mother and daughter spent a peaceful month at home, eating and sleeping.
Because Nian Nian was underweight and Xiang Wan hadn't carried her for the full term, her figure had barely changed.
After the confinement month, she had returned to her appearance from her maiden days.
The day after the full moon, Xiang Wan prepared the milk, bid farewell to her grandmother and Nian Nian, and went out to look for a job.
With her limited education and unimpressive resume, she couldn't apply online.
She didn't meet the job application threshold, lacking even the qualification to be screened.
She was well aware of her strengths, so she chose to go to commercial centers with a high density of companies, visiting them one by one.
"Are you looking for a job? Do you have your resume?"
Xiang Wan didn't answer their questions directly, instead talking about her previous entrepreneurial experience in Nan Cheng.
The other party, seeing her pretty appearance and strong communication skills, gave her an interview opportunity.
Soon, Xiang Wan found a job as an anchor assistant at an online live streaming studio.
The reason it was an anchor assistant position was that the employer was not yet aware of her capabilities and wanted to assess her during the probationary period.
If she proved herself as she claimed, or showed potential as an anchor, she would be promoted later.
Xiang Wan was confident.
As long as she got through this internship, she was sure to showcase her strengths.
She was determined to build her career slowly.
She was very diligent and arrived at the company early on her first day as an assistant.
Her plan was to familiarize herself with the products for the live stream and understand the script after settling in, preparing for any emergencies the anchor might face.
However, the administrative clerk took her to the live stream supervisor, who scrutinized her from head to toe.
"You are the new hire, Xiang Wan?"
"Hello, Sister Zhang, I am."
"You worked for yourself in Nan Cheng before? You single-handedly operated the XX live stream room?"
It seemed the supervisor had already seen her resume.
Xiang Wan said yes.
"Then why did you stop working there?"
Xiang Wan explained that due to personal matters, she wanted to develop in Hangcheng. Also, she was short of money at the time, so she sold her account.
With her beauty, good temperament, strong communication skills, and such a brilliant track record, as a professional, the supervisor immediately sensed a threat.
"Nowadays, people can find jobs just by bragging a few words. What are HR professionals even doing?"
"You're over 30 and have no education. Is this outdated experience really that impressive?"
"Let me tell you, Hangcheng has plenty of people younger, prettier, and more ambitious than you, who want to succeed. Don't try to fool me with those vague, unsubstantiated tales."
"If you want to work, we have a vacancy for a customer service representative. If not, leave immediately, and no one will waste each other's time."
"I have no obligation to train you to become an anchor."
When you go to work somewhere, the worst thing is when your direct superior dislikes you.
If they constantly suppress you, you won't be able to utilize your abilities, no matter how great they are.
Seeing her strong hostility towards her, Xiang Wan learned from her experience.
When looking for jobs next, she deliberately avoided female supervisors around her age.
After visiting two more days, she finally found a job as an anchor assistant in a smaller live streaming studio that primarily dealt with men's clothing and shoes.
Men tend to be more accommodating to women, especially attractive ones.
As long as you appear non-threatening, gentle, and amiable.
Xiang Wan successfully stayed on.
Moreover, her work capabilities were indeed outstanding. She knew everything from lighting, camera angles, on-site personnel arrangements, scripts, backend network operations, creating links, and adding products.
The boss greatly appreciated her and, within two weeks, decided to have her appear on camera with the other two anchors.
Like in other live streaming rooms, she would first show her face, become familiar to the audience, and occasionally provide cue lines from the side.
With time, they would manage a separate account for her and eventually open her own live streaming room.
That evening, at a company dinner, the boss made this announcement after everyone had toasted him.
The others didn't react much, but the two anchors exchanged glances and simultaneously felt contempt for Xiang Wan in their hearts.
Their company was small, currently having only one male and one female anchor.
It could be said that all business relied on these two, who held significant positions in the boss's heart. Their income was also the most substantial among everyone.
This was the result they achieved after toiling day and night at the company last year, straining their voices and damaging their health.
Why should Xiang Wan, who had only been there a few days, be on equal footing with them just as the live streaming business started to pick up?
"Perhaps she has some private dealings with the boss. Nowadays, some women will do anything to get ahead."
The male anchor jokingly remarked to the female anchor in private.
"You're a woman too, and you're much prettier than her, so why don't you try to act cute and flirt with the boss? If you were a bit smarter, your salary wouldn't be at this level."
The female anchor replied, "My mother worked hard to raise me, and I'm as beautiful as a flower. I wasn't raised to be abused by old men."
"Beauty loves wealth, and it can be obtained righteously. I'd rather not have that money than endure that suffering. Besides, he has a tigress at home."
"Then what should we do? Just watch this Xiang Wan overtake us? What if she becomes more favored by the boss later and replaces you..."
"Then I'll just accept it, what else can I do? Compete with him for that old man?"
The female anchor sighed. "Speaking of which, when I leave, you two will be partners. She's so easy to pick up, you might as well take advantage of her."
The male anchor sneered, "Get real. My mother raised me to be handsome and elegant, not to be casually disrespected by others. I don't compete with old guys for women either."
After a moment of joking, they returned to the topic.
"We can't just sit back and wait. For both of us to stay in this company long-term, we need to come up with a plan."
The next day, Xiang Wan, as usual, arrived at the live streaming room early to review materials and rehearse the script with them.
The two of them were relatively cooperative at first, but during the live stream, they completely ignored her and frequently switched products to promote.
Xiang Wan felt like a monkey, flustered and caught off guard the entire time.
The live stream was a complete failure.
She was removed midway.