Su Xiaotian had dealings with the Translation Department before, and her name was practically known by everyone there.
Many in the Translation Department said Su Xiaotian possessed both beauty and wisdom.
After all, for an underage girl to be proficient in multiple languages was a talent that few, even within the Translation Department, could match.
To date, the most outstanding translator in the department only knew five languages.
Su Xiaotian had surpassed him.
Most of them liked Su Xiaotian, such a lovely young girl.
Of course, some people showed her particular favor out of respect for Fan Shufang.
But regardless of the reason, Su Xiaotian found herself thriving at the Translation Department.
This situation left the other interns who had come with her feeling even more resentful.
How could this be?
They were the ones with formal training, the actual interns, yet they weren't as good as an unconventional figure like Su Xiaotian?
Su Xiaotian, of course, also sensed that some individuals within the Translation Department harbored a defensive attitude towards her.
After all, opportunities were limited, and the emergence of Su Xiaotian inevitably meant fewer chances for others.
These people were a minority, and Su Xiaotian paid them no mind.
Su Xiaotian went to work as usual every day, focusing on her own tasks.
The new interns were not yet assigned any oral translation work.
Most of the time, they were engaged in textual translation.
For these individuals, textual translation was not difficult.
Each of them performed their tasks well.
Su Xiaotian read books quickly and translated even faster, with greater accuracy. Consequently, her daily output was always the highest.
To avoid appearing too conspicuous, Su Xiaotian had actually slowed down her pace.
Her daily output was about thirty percent more than that of the others.
Even so, the others found Su Xiaotian's output unbelievable and suspected something was amiss.
How could it be that their diligent translation efforts resulted in so much less output than Su Xiaotian's?
Had foreign language proficiency in Chinese Language and Literature programs become this high?
The disbelief led these individuals to conclude that Su Xiaotian must have used some improper means.
Soon, whispers began to circulate within the Translation Department, suggesting that Su Xiaotian's manuscript translations were done with help from others.
Some even claimed that Su Xiaotian didn't understand foreign languages at all and had only secured her position through Fan Shufang's connections.
Subsequently, there were even disparaging remarks about Su Shouwen, who had already joined the Translation Department.
Although these were baseless rumors, they quickly spread throughout the department.
Fan Shufang only heard about this news three days later.
She had initially intended to address the matter.
Xiaotian was a rare, genius-level talent, and such a person should not be slandered by gossip.
However, at this particular time, she was extremely busy and could not spare any time.
Two days later, a delegation from Country Y was due to visit. While this was not Fan Shufang's direct responsibility, as a leader in the Translation Department, she was swamped with work.
If Fan Shufang had heard, then naturally, others had too.
Especially those in leadership positions, who were aware of the disharmonious voices within the Translation Department.
The Translation Department dealt with foreigners, making internal harmony and unity even more crucial than in other units.
The leaders of the Translation Department naturally could not tolerate such rumors.
Especially since Su Xiaotian was at the center of these whispers.
Furthermore, it also implicated Fan Shufang.
If it were only Fan Shufang, it might not have been such a big deal.
But Fan Shufang was Dong Yuanzhong's wife, which made the situation somewhat delicate.
However, one could not simply order everyone to shut up in response to rumors.
The most important thing was to uncover the source of these rumors.
And then, to let everyone witness Su Xiaotian's true capabilities, convincing others through her own merit.
Ultimately, the head leader of the Translation Department arranged for Fan Shufang to have Su Xiaotian participate in this reception event.
When the news spread that Su Xiaotian, barely ten days into her tenure at the Translation Department, would be joining the reception for an important foreign delegation, the rumors intensified.
Su Shouwen never expected human hearts to be so complex.
Xiaotian had only been here for about ten days, working diligently every day, not causing any trouble, so why was she targeted?
Su Xiaotian herself found it hard to believe.
She was merely an intern who had just arrived at the Translation Department; how could she possibly be qualified to participate in such an important event?
But the fact remained that Su Xiaotian was indeed qualified.
"It's different when you have connections. Unlike us, who have formal training, we're still stuck here doing nothing."
"Tang Ping, you've hit the nail on the head. The backing is indeed quite substantial." Ye Kaiyu chimed in sarcastically.
Lu Xuan, however, merely glanced at the two of them and did not join in.
He felt that the situation was not that simple.
If one were to talk about connections, Tang Ping had them too, as she came from a diplomatic family.
Her parents were still working in embassies abroad, people who could speak up, so how could they not help Tang Ping?
Yet, the higher-ups chose Su Xiaotian, indicating that Su Xiaotian must have some real abilities.
However, perhaps Su Xiaotian was benefiting from misfortune this time, due to these inexplicable rumors.
"Lu Xuan, why aren't you saying anything?" Tang Ping, not hearing Lu Xuan's agreement, asked.
She hoped to gain everyone's support, ideally to corner Su Xiaotian.
Then, perhaps the leaders of the Translation Department, to appease everyone's emotions, would dismiss Su Xiaotian.
"In matters like these, it's all about individual capability! If Su Xiaotian truly lacks ability, even if entrusted with an important task, she will inevitably suffer."
Tang Ping was so angered by these words that she didn't know what to say.
Individual capability?
He said it so lightly; she wondered if he would willingly give up his chances of staying at the Translation Department in the future.
"Let's hurry and translate. Today's work tasks are not yet completed."
Lu Xuan did not want to waste time on such meaningless matters, so he spoke up.
Following that, Lu Xuan immediately bent over his desk and began working.
The other two, not having received Lu Xuan's support, were quite displeased.
However, they couldn't quite figure out Lu Xuan's temperament yet and couldn't say much more.
"Forget it, Tang Ping, we're just here for an internship. Let's just work hard!" Ye Kaiyu thought about it and found it rather dull.
Of the four of them, he probably had the least hope of staying at the Translation Department, so whether Su Xiaotian stayed or not, strictly speaking, didn't concern him much.
Tang Ping watched as the two boys started working and could only suppress her dissatisfaction, sitting down to work as well.
However, with a knot of resentment in her heart, she was distracted while working and couldn't focus on translating.
They were unaware that at that very moment, someone was standing just outside their office.
This person had witnessed all three of their interactions.