Not far from the Embroidery Association stood a row of single-story houses with four rooms. Yesterday, Yang Xueyan had brought Lin Aiyun here to complete her membership registration, so coming alone this time was familiar territory.
As she approached, she spotted Zhuang Dongping darting out from a corner. A large tree beside her partially obscured the view—if Lin Aiyun hadn’t been standing at just the right angle to avoid the blind spot, she probably wouldn’t have seen her at all.
She was about to call out when she noticed a tall figure lurking behind Zhuang Dongping, peeking out stealthily before slipping away in another direction.
Lin Aiyun’s eyes widened slightly. Wasn’t that the man who had splashed ink all over Zhuang Dongping yesterday? The two of them hiding in a corner early in the morning, away from prying eyes, was far too strange. Combined with her suspicions from yesterday, the unease in her heart grew deeper, as if something was about to break through the surface.
Forcing down her swirling doubts, Lin Aiyun took a deep breath and quickened her pace to catch up, calling out to Zhuang Dongping, who had already walked quite a distance ahead.
“Xiao Ping!”
At the sound of that familiar voice, Zhuang Dongping’s heart leaped. Her body instinctively flinched, and she glanced back toward where she’d come from. Not seeing Luo Cheng, she managed to force a smile. “Sister-in-law, you’re here for work?”
“Yes, I just got here not long ago. I was thinking about how you helped me dodge a disaster yesterday, so I came specially to thank you.” Lin Aiyun’s gaze swept over Zhuang Dongping, and she naturally noticed the guilt flickering in her eyes. Perhaps because she was still young and couldn’t hide her feelings, everything was written plainly on her face—easy to read.
Lin Aiyun’s heart sank. Her intuition told her that yesterday’s incident was connected to Zhuang Dongping. But if it had been planned, why did she throw herself forward to shield her in the end? It was like trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it.
“There’s nothing to thank me for—it was nothing, really.” Zhuang Dongping let out a dry laugh, waving her hand with an unnatural expression.
“How can you say it was nothing? If it weren’t for you, all my things would have been ruined, and my entry into the association would have been delayed.” Lin Aiyun sighed, at the same time pressing the gift bag into Zhuang Dongping’s arms.
“Xiao Ping, just take it. It’s a small gesture from your sister-in-law.”
Hearing Lin Aiyun bring up yesterday’s events, Zhuang Dongping’s panic only grew. The gift bag forcibly pressed into her arms felt unbearably hot. Her hand trembled, and she nearly dropped it.
“Really, you don’t have to—”
Before she could finish, Lin Aiyun interrupted firmly, “Just take it. Go on.”
Left with no choice, Zhuang Dongping accepted the thank-you gift Lin Aiyun had specially brought. Both of them had things on their minds and weren’t in the mood for small talk, so the atmosphere between them inevitably fell into an awkward silence.
After a long moment, it was Zhuang Dongping who broke the silence first. “Sister-in-law, would you like to come in and sit for a while? Since I’m only a temporary worker right now and not yet an association member, I’m not in your building.”
“Temporary worker” was really just a euphemism for a general helper—running errands every day, with barely any money to show for it at the end of the month. The only real perk was being able to bring embroidery pieces to the main building and ask association members for guidance for free—something others outside would beg for but never get.
“No, I should be getting back to prepare a new embroidery piece. I’ll come visit another time.” Lin Aiyun shook her head. Looking at Zhuang Dongping now, her feelings were complicated. She didn’t know how to face her. Though she had no solid evidence yet, even suspicion alone was enough to form a thorn lodged in her heart—unable to go up or down, and deeply uncomfortable.
Zhuang Dongping nodded in understanding. Just as Lin Aiyun turned to leave, something suddenly came to mind. Her hand gripping the gift bag tightened involuntarily, her fingertips turning white, and she called out, “Sister-in-law, have you ever thought about taking on a master? Most people in the association have teachers. With someone guiding you, your embroidery skills would improve by leaps and bounds.”
“Of course, with your talent, sister-in-law, even without a master, you’d still shine in the future.”
Lin Aiyun paused, caught off guard by the sudden question. She hadn’t really thought about whether she wanted to take on a master. Her only thought right now was to focus on embroidering good pieces, accumulate points, and become a full member as soon as possible.
But if the right master came along, she’d be more than happy to accept—after all, who would turn down a chance to improve their skills?
So she let out a light laugh and replied, “Where did you get the idea that I’m that amazing? Don’t tease me, Xiao Ping. There are so many embroidery experts in the association—I’m nothing compared to them. I still need to work hard.”
She paused for a few seconds, then added, “If—and I mean if—a senior were willing to take me as a disciple, I’d jump at the chance, hahaha. But since that’s not the case, for now I’ll just focus on improving my skills.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Dongping remembered the conversation she’d overheard outside the president’s office. She couldn’t even muster a smile. After changing her clothes yesterday, she’d naturally gone to find Yang Xueyan. But before she could knock, she heard laughter and chatter coming from inside.
So her teacher really did intend to take Lin Aiyun as a disciple—and she’d said it openly in front of so many people, without any regard for Zhuang Dongping’s situation. She didn’t even dare imagine how many people in the association would point and laugh behind her back if those words got out.
And Yang Xueyan wanted to take on a disciple, while Lin Aiyun wanted to be one—a perfect match. Add to that the close relationship between the Zhang and Xiao families, and it was as good as settled. It would probably happen very soon.
By then, everyone would know. Her former pride—being the sole disciple of the Vice President—would become nothing more than a slap in the face.
Her teacher had been so good to her all these years. Why had things changed? What did she even mean to her?
Was it because she’d been a disciple for so many years and still couldn’t get into the association, embarrassing her teacher? Had her teacher finally given up on her, shifting her affection and hopes to someone else, even breaking her promise to take on a new disciple?
And that person was Lin Aiyun. She was pretty, had a good temperament, knew how to win people over, and possessed exceptional embroidery skills and astonishing talent. Among embroiderers her age—even among association members—few could rival her.
The moment she arrived, she stole everyone’s attention.
Zhuang Dongping’s eyes burned. She dropped her head abruptly, and her gaze fell upon her own tightly clenched fists, the veins bulging on the backs of her hands, betraying her unwillingness and fury.
Why was fate so unfair? She’d tried so hard—day after day, year after year, picking up her needle and thread whenever she had free time, embroidering over and over, practicing again and again. Yet she still couldn’t compare to others, nor to Lin Aiyun, who came later.
The association’s once-every-three-years selection competition—she always got stuck just outside the top ten. So close, yet she could never break through that bottleneck.
If only she had a little more luck, she would definitely make it into the association. Why wouldn’t fate just give her that chance! Even her teacher was about to belong to someone else.
She was certain that if Lin Aiyun really became her teacher’s disciple, her teacher would have no room left for her. Even children knew to pick the prettiest stone from a pile—let alone adults.
Zhuang Dongping’s breathing grew heavier, her mind swirling with chaotic thoughts. Her head throbbed as if it were about to explode.
“Xiao Ping, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Lin Aiyun looked at Zhuang Dongping, who had been standing there with her head down for a long time without speaking. Frowning, she reached out and patted her shoulder. But the moment she touched her, her hand was violently shoved away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Lin Aiyun glanced at her reddened forearm, her frown deepening. She opened her mouth, at a loss. “Xiao Ping?”
By now, Zhuang Dongping had snapped back to reality. Realizing what she’d done and said, something inside her seemed to break with a snap. A flicker of panic crossed her face, and she said stiffly, “I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well. I have to go.”
Without waiting for Lin Aiyun’s reaction, she turned and ran off.
It wasn’t until she returned to her own workstation that she gradually calmed down. Auntie Liu, who shared the office, gave her a strange look, then noticed the bags she was carrying. Surprised, she asked, “Didn’t you go to the bathroom? Where did all this come from?”
Zhuang Dongping didn’t want to bother with Auntie Liu at first, but then she remembered what a big mouth she was. If she offended her, everything would spread through her gossip. So she took a deep breath and explained the whole story.
“She’s quite good at repaying kindness.” Auntie Liu’s eyes swept over the items. Seeing that Zhuang Dongping had no intention of sharing, she pursed her lips and made a casual remark before turning back to her own work.
Zhuang Dongping sat in her chair. Before long, a man walked in from outside—it was Luo Cheng. Their eyes met briefly in midair before they both looked away. He lowered his head and sat down by the door.
After a moment, Auntie Liu stood up. “I’m going to the main building to drop off some documents. I’ll be back later.”
The door opened and closed, leaving only Zhuang Dongping and Luo Cheng in the office.
“You…” Although he’d gone in a different direction earlier, he’d also spotted Lin Aiyun’s figure and seen her catch up with Zhuang Dongping. But they were too far apart for him to hear what was said.
Now that the office was empty, he wanted to ask Zhuang Dongping about it. But before he could get the words out, she shot him a fierce glare and snapped impatiently, “Didn’t I say we need to keep our distance? Try not to talk to me, remember?”
“Dongping…” Luo Cheng flinched at her tone. The name slipped out, and he realized his mistake too late, scrambling to make up for it. But Zhuang Dongping’s expression had already darkened. “Who gave you permission to call me that?”
Luo Cheng immediately stood up from his chair. “I’m sorry. That was my fault.”
Zhuang Dongping’s eyes reddened with anger. She walked over to the door, opened it, and checked outside several times, making sure Auntie Liu was gone and no one else was around, before finally letting out a breath of relief.
She slammed the door shut, turned to glare at Luo Cheng, and lowered her voice to warn him: “Don’t think that just because you helped me with that thing yesterday, I’m going to date you. Don’t even dream of it. You did it of your own free will!”
“I know. I never thought that.” Luo Cheng gave a bitter smile. Though he’d long known how it would end and understood that Zhuang Dongping didn’t like him, hearing her say it out loud still hurt terribly—like a thousand ants gnawing at his heart.
Seeing the pained look on Luo Cheng’s face, a flicker of guilt passed through Zhuang Dongping’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by another emotion.
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