"Are you saying Iâm a tomboy? Just look at yourself before saying that about me!"
"Whatâs wrong with me?" Zhou Kemeng was somewhat blustering, yet inwardly uneasy; she hadnât anticipated the existence of a Sheng Ning at the General Union.
Thinking of the photo on the cover of the labor newspaper, she regretted it. If she had known, she never wouldâve stood up for Qianjin.
As soon as Sheng Ning heard Chen Huayingâs voice, she was the first one to wriggle out of the car. Then, with the assistance of a pair of large hands reaching out, she effortlessly hopped off the truck.
"Calling you out for having dark skin, and a flat nose!" Sheng Ningâs arrival silenced the entire playground.
Countless pairs of eyes stared agape at her, unsure if they were more surprised by her being even prettier in person than in the labor newspaper, or by her sharp tongue.
This was her first public appearance in places other than on the labor newspaper since being featured, and it was such an important occasion too.
Before this, her comrades at the Research Institute had already been captivated upon seeing that photo, all eager to see the true face of the newly declared âUnion Flowerâ.
Everyone knew the Union was coming today, which was why the playground had gathered so many people in advance.
Zhou Kemengâs face immediately turned sour.
Sheng Ning seemed to completely ignore Zhou Kemengâs expression, smiling warmly and familiarly as her bright eyes seemed to sparkle. "If you look closely, your eyelashes are quite short and they donât curl at all. Even your lip color is dull! Not pink or tender in the slightest."
In her past life, she had been through countless confrontations, and although she seldom won, she understood the essence of quarreling. She knew what hurt people the most.
"Do you know?" she leaned in, whispering to Zhou Kemeng, "I donât know you, and I donât want to offend you, but when you talk about my friend, youâre talking about me."
The closer she got, the more intense Zhou Kemeng felt her inferiority. She widened her eyes to look, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldnât see any pores on Sheng Ningâs face.
How could her skin be so tender, almost like a babyâs?
Chen Huaying couldnât help but sigh, "She really is a woman who comes with her own spotlight, how terrifying. Why am I allied with her!"
They exchanged glances, each sending a sympathetic look to the other.
"What are you so proud of? You think youâre great just because of your looks? A face is nothing more than a shell." The other members of the Fifty-six Association were unconvinced, scoffing in retort, "To see someone who thinks theyâre attractive, what an eye-opener. Without shame, indeed, thereâs no match for it in this world!"
"Thatâs right, thatâs right!" others chimed in hastily, "As a comrade, shouldnât we prioritize quality and capability first?"
Chen Huaying and the others, so angry they wished they could slap these people.
"Youâre the ones without..." Just as she was about to start cursing, Wu Youli timely covered her mouth.
"Donât get mad, and donât curse. If you really start cursing, wouldnât we be sinking to her level?
"But thatâs infuriating! They say weâre ugly, that we canât compare to them, that we donât deserve to be female comrades, and now theyâre saying that if we think weâre pretty, weâre shameless. Let go of me, Iâll make them so beaten their own grandmothers wonât recognize them!" Chen Huaying was quickly losing her temper, ready to resort to violence after a few words.
"Donât fight, donât fight!" Wu Youli couldnât hold her back, turning quickly to others for help, "Come and stop her, if a real fight breaks out, we canât afford that kind of embarrassment."
The others folded their arms and pretended not to see. Clearly, they too wouldnât mind Chen Huaying giving the other side a good thrashing.