B5SB -Chapter 215 The Newcomer

The next morning, Gu Yihan finished her breakfast, picked up her satchel, and left.

When she arrived at the textile factory and pushed open the office door, she found that she didn’t recognize anyone inside.

She immediately stepped back, closed the door, and looked up at the sign on the door: Accounting Department.

“Xiaohan? What are you looking at?”

Hu Shan followed Gu Yihan’s gaze, frowning slightly. “There’s nothing on the door, though…”

Gu Yihan muttered softly, “Did I come to the wrong place?”

Hu Shan couldn’t help but laugh. “No way you’re wrong.”

She pushed the office door open. Inside, she saw two unfamiliar female colleagues.

A look of understanding flashed in her eyes—it was no wonder Gu Yihan thought she had walked into the wrong office.

Even though she didn’t know them personally, she had heard their names from Secretary Jiang.

Smiling, she stepped forward and greeted them: “Good morning, Sister Limin, Sister Guixiang.”

Zhang Limin and Wang Guixiang both smiled and returned Hu Shan’s greeting.

Seeing that Hu Shan was chatting happily with the two newcomers, Gu Yihan didn’t greet them and went straight back to her desk.

Creak.

Sister Min entered the office. Seeing two strangers, she frowned and snapped, “Who are you? Don’t you know you can’t just barge into the accounting office?”

Zhang Limin and Wang Guixiang exchanged glances, then smiled and said in unison, “We’re the new accountants.”

Sister Min’s face paled slightly at their words. She pressed her lips together and nodded at them.

Gu Yihan noticed that the two only said they were accountants without giving their names and smiled slightly. Secretary Jiang was truly clever.

By using her salary raise, he had sent a clear warning to everyone in the accounting office.

Noon

Employee cafeteria

Sister Min carried her lunch tray to sit beside Gu Yihan, her voice trembling. “Xiaohan, Sister Su really isn’t coming back.”

Gu Yihan snapped, “Didn’t you already know that?”

She could tell at a glance. Sister Min was trying to cling to her for warmth now that a newcomer was taking over Sister Su’s work—and perhaps also to size up the new colleagues.

Ridiculous.

After all the fuss over her salary raise with Sister Min and Su Yonghong, there was no way she’d ever team up with them.

Seeing Gu Yihan’s disinterest, Sister Min didn’t blame her.

“Xiaohan, Secretary Jiang used us. We have to help each other now, or the next one to leave might be you.”

Gu Yihan closed her lunchbox, stood up, and smiled at Sister Min. “Sister Min, you eat slowly.”

Then she left the cafeteria and headed back to the office.

Seeing Gu Yihan return, Hu Shan froze mid-bite and asked, “Xiaohan, how did you eat so fast?”

Even though she had brought her own lunch, she hadn’t eaten faster than Gu Yihan.

Gu Yihan shook her lunchbox and smiled. “I didn’t wash the lunchbox. That made it faster!”

Hu Shan said, “Oh,” and went back to eating.

Gu Yihan put her lunchbox in her satchel and casually asked, “Sister Shan, do you have your own office now?”

Hu Shan slammed the lunchbox lid in frustration, the crisp sound echoing. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I don’t have any extra office space. Just because Zhang Limin transferred from the provincial garment factory, they reserved a separate office just for her…”

She stopped mid-sentence, embarrassed, and glanced at Gu Yihan. “Xiaohan, don’t misunderstand. She’s just handling the factory’s cooperation with the provincial office.”

Gu Yihan smiled faintly, unfazed. “Sister Shan, I’ll just focus on my own work. I don’t worry about other things.”

Afternoon

As Hu Shan had said, only Wang Guixiang returned and immediately took over Su Yonghong’s desk.

The office remained quiet all afternoon. Sister Min wanted to talk to Gu Yihan alone but couldn’t find a reason.

Near the end of the day, Secretary Jiang pushed open the accounting office door.

Smiling at Gu Yihan, he said, “Accountant Gu, please guide the new Accountant Wang if she has anything she doesn’t understand.”

Gu Yihan lowered her head, not even lifting her eyelids. Coldly, she said, “Secretary Jiang, I’m not familiar with Sister Su’s work, so I’m afraid I can’t guide Accountant Wang.”

Secretary Jiang’s expression gradually darkened. He had already given Gu Yihan an easy out, and she still refused.

Hearing this, Sister Min immediately looked up at Secretary Jiang. Seeing his face turn cold, she held her breath.

She was genuinely worried that if he got angry, he might take it out on them innocent bystanders.

Wang Guixiang noticed the tense atmosphere and quickly tried to smooth things over. “Secretary Jiang, you’re underestimating me. I’ve been an accountant for so many years.”

Secretary Jiang gave a soft “Hmm,” glanced at Gu Yihan reading with her head down, and left the office.

In the Secretary’s office, Director Yang pushed open the door and looked at Secretary Jiang behind the desk. “Xiao Jiang, did you tell Accountant Gu yet?”

Rubbing his temples, Secretary Jiang sighed. “I didn’t get the chance.”

He was so flustered he completely forgot he had something to discuss with Gu Yihan.

“You need to hurry. Our foreign partners really like the factory’s designs and want additional styles,” Director Yang urged.

Secretary Jiang glanced at his watch. It was already time to leave; he wouldn’t have time today.

“Let’s talk to Accountant Gu about it tomorrow.”

Director Yang didn’t overthink it. After a brief chat with Secretary Jiang, he saw the time and realized it was the end of the day.

He said, “Xiao Jiang, Uncle Yang’s leaving first,” and hurried off.

Secretary Jiang clenched his teeth and muttered, “Who’s the factory director, really?!”

He had worked himself to exhaustion improving production and sales, yet the director lived so carefree.

Residential compound

At the small courtyard gate:

“Sister-in-law.”

Gu Yihan had just stopped her bicycle when she heard Zhang Xia calling her. She stopped.

Zhang Xia approached Gu Yihan cautiously. “Sister-in-law, my mother is always straightforward; she means no harm.”

“Sister Zhang, if your mother doesn’t mean harm, you should be glad!” Gu Yihan smiled.

Hearing this, Zhang Xia’s eyes reflected helplessness. Then she gave Gu Yihan a faint smile.

“Sister-in-law, you don’t know my father. If things don’t go his way, he hits people.”

“Because of work, he hits my mother every day.”

“Could you, for my sake, speak a good word for my mother with the factory leadership?”

“No.”

Gu Yihan said this and quickly walked into the courtyard.

Snap! The gate closed behind her.

Ridiculous. Speak for her sake? What a nerve.

At the gate, Zhang Xia’s smile froze. She realized this approach wouldn’t work and would have to find another way to reconnect with her family.

Ever since giving birth to her daughter, the deputy battalion commander’s mother had treated her coldly every day.

Now she finally understood how foolish it was to sever ties with her family over the dowry.