She was like a plum blossom, standing firm against the wind and frost in the face of hardship, neither joyful nor sorrowful.
Although he couldn't bear to see her like this, Tang Haichao had to compromise.
They chose an auspicious day, the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, at eight:08 in the morning, to deliver the baby.
It was a daughter.
Despite being premature and weighing only four catties and two taels, the baby was healthy.
After the doctor cleaned her, they let Xiang Wan see her before sending her to the incubator. Xiang Wan named her Niannian.
The name sounded like "niannian," meaning "thinking of."
Of course, this was something she kept to herself, not to be revealed to anyone.
Niannian was a good child who didn't cause her mother any trouble. After just one 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, so they didn't need to visit relatives and friends.
With her grandmother accompanying them, the mother and daughter spent a peaceful month at home, eating and sleeping.
Because Niannian was light and Xiang Wan hadn't carried her to full term, her figure was largely unchanged.
After the postnatal confinement period, she had returned to her youthful appearance.
The day after her full moon, Xiang Wan prepared the milk and, after bidding farewell to her grandmother and Niannian, went out to find a job.
With her limited education and unimpressive resume, she couldn't apply for jobs online.
She didn't meet the basic requirements for job applications and lacked even the qualification to be screened.
She was well aware of her strengths, so she chose to visit companies one by one in the bustling commercial centers where businesses were concentrated.
"Are you looking for a job? Do you have your resume?"
Before answering their questions, Xiang Wan spoke about her previous entrepreneurial experience in Nancheng.
The interviewer, seeing her attractive appearance and strong communication skills, gave her an interview opportunity.
Soon, Xiang Wan found a job as a streamer assistant at an online live-streaming studio.
She was hired as an assistant because the company was unsure of her capabilities and wanted to assess her during the probationary period.
If she proved to be as capable as she claimed or showed potential as a streamer, she would be promoted later.
Xiang Wan was confident.
As long as she could get through this internship, she was sure to showcase her strengths.
She was determined to build her career step by step.
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 relevant product materials and understand the script for live-streaming before starting her duties, and to help the streamer prepare for any emergencies.
However, the administrative clerk took her to the live-streaming supervisor, who scrutinized her from head to toe.
"You're the new Xiang Wan?"
"Hello, Sister Zhang. I am."
"You worked in Nancheng before? Was the XX live-streaming room operated by you?"
It seemed the supervisor had already reviewed her file.
Xiang Wan confirmed.
"Then why did you stop working there?"
Xiang Wan explained that due to personal issues, she wanted to develop in Hangcheng, and at that time, she was short of money, so she sold her account.
With her beauty, good temperament, strong communication skills, and such a brilliant past achievement, as a professional, the supervisor immediately sensed a threat.
"Nowadays, people can find jobs by just spouting some nonsense. What are the HR people even doing?"
"You're over 30, with no education, and you think this outdated experience is something great?"
"Let me tell you, Hangcheng is full of people younger, prettier, and more ambitious than you, who want to succeed. Don't try to fool me with your vague, intangible talk."
"If you want to work, we need a customer service representative. If not, leave immediately, and we won't waste each other's time."
"I have no obligation to train you to become a streamer."
When going to work at a new place, the worst thing is when your direct superior dislikes you.
If they constantly put you down, you won't be able to showcase your abilities, no matter how great they are.
Seeing her strong hostility towards her, Xiang Wan learned her lesson.
In her subsequent job search, she deliberately avoided female supervisors of similar age.
After two more days of searching, she finally found a job as a streamer assistant in a smaller live-streaming room that primarily sold 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.
Furthermore, her work ability was indeed very strong. She was proficient in everything from lighting, camera angles, on-site personnel arrangements, scripts, backend network operations, creating links, and uploading links.
The boss was very impressed with her. Within two weeks, he decided to have her appear on camera with the other two streamers.
Like in other live-streaming rooms, she would first show her face, get acquainted, and occasionally prompt the streamers with lines.
Over time, they would manage a separate account for her and let her start her own live-streaming room.
At the company dinner that evening, after everyone had toasted, the boss made this announcement.
The others didn't react much, but the two streamers exchanged glances and simultaneously felt contempt for Xiang Wan in their hearts.
Their company was small, currently having only one male and one female streamer.
It could be said that all the business relied on these two individuals. They were highly valued by the boss, and their income was the most substantial among everyone.
This was the result of their hard work last year, staying up day and night, their voices hoarse and bodies worn out.
Why should Xiang Wan, who had only been there for a few days, be on equal footing with them just as the live-streaming business started to pick up?
"Who knows if she has some private relationship with the boss? In this day and age, some women will do anything to get ahead."
The male streamer joked privately with the female streamer.
"You're a woman too, and you're much prettier than her. Why don't you try to act cute and flirt with the boss? If you were smarter, your salary wouldn't be at this level."
The female streamer replied, "My mother worked hard to raise me, and I'm not meant to be taken advantage of by old men."
"Beautiful women love money, and they pursue it righteously. I'd rather not have that money than endure that suffering. Besides, he has a shrew at home."
"Then what should we do? Just watch this Xiang Wan get ahead? What if she becomes more and more favored by the boss and replaces you..."
"Then I'll just have to accept it. What else can I do? Compete with him for that old man?"
The female streamer sighed, "Speaking of which, when I leave, you two will be partners. She's so easy to get along with, you can take advantage of her too."
The male streamer scoffed, "Get lost. My mother raised me to be a handsome and elegant man, not to be casually taken advantage of. I won't fight with old guys over women either."
After a bout of laughter, they got back to business.
"We can't just sit here 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, went to the live-streaming room early to review materials and rehearse the script with them.
The two of them were somewhat cooperative, but during the live stream, they completely ignored her and frequently jumped to different product links.
Xiang Wan felt like a monkey, flustered and caught off guard.
This live stream was a failure.
She was removed midway.