She had graced the cover of the factory’s newspaper twice, and not to any lesser extent than the "Bai Tian’e" once did.
At the time, Bai Tian’e made it onto the cover of the factory’s newspaper twice, once for her engagement with Meng Fan, and again when Meng Fan died, because she firmly refused to remarry.
Sheng Ning kept her face cold as she concentrated on selecting dishes. The sight of her slender fingers holding a pen was exceptionally beautiful, her skin so fair it seemed water could be squeezed from it.
The man unconsciously swallowed his saliva, his eyes glued to her hand, unable to look away no matter how hard he tried.
"How could you be so outrageous?" Wu Youli glared at the man protectively, like a hen guarding her chick, "It’s shameful for comrades like you to behave like hooligans and rogues. You’re a disgrace to all our comrades." Huh! It was her first time cursing at someone, how nervous, those men were really frightening.
"Hahaha... Shaobo, someone just called you a rogue."
"Jiang Shaobo, you really need to cure this habit of freezing up whenever you see a pretty girl."
The others burst into raucous laughter.
"How have I lost face for my comrades?" Jiang Shaobo was being pointed at and scolded for the first time. He promptly walked over to Sheng Ning’s table in a few strides, pulled out a chair and sat down with great aplomb.
Sheng Ning put down the menu she had completed and asked Wu Youli to hand it to the boss. Only then did she look at the man, her scrutinizing gaze carrying a hint of disdain and contempt. She sized up Jiang Shaobo from head to toe for a long while before slowly saying, "There isn’t a single thing about you that doesn’t lose face."
"Woman, make yourself clear," Jiang Shaobo swung his fist, stung by such a harsh accusation for the first time. If it weren’t for her being a woman, he would have punched her already.
Sheng Ning had no desire to engage with him, poured herself a glass of water and decided to ask the boss for a seat further away.
"Make yourself clear," Jiang Shaobo snatched the cup from her hands, commanding forcefully.
Wu Youli returned and went pale at the sight of his actions; she wanted to scold him with boldness but hesitated and didn’t dare to speak.
Sheng Ning gave her a reassuring look, gesturing for her to sit down. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
"Disrespectful towards women, arrogant, and self-righteous. If you’re not losing face for the comrades, who is?" She scoffed softly, her red lips moving slightly. Jiang Shaobo looked on fascinated, clearly aware she would utter even sharper words, yet he did not come forward to stop her.
"Moreover, the way you are, you’re just a mishmash, a ’neither this nor that’. If I were you, I’d hide away and focus on self-reform."
"How is Shaobo a ’neither this nor that’?" a companion who had come along asked loudly.
Sheng Ning turned around, her gaze clashing with a pair of eyes as cold as a deep pool. This man, the only one among the five who hadn’t spoken, appeared about five or six years older than the ’Living Yama’, brimming with heroic vigor and the air of a ’rescue comrade’.
Yet those eyes seemed not to harbor an ounce of goodwill, and even a touch of indiscernible disdain.
Sheng Ning furrowed her brow; she hadn’t felt afraid when facing Jiang Shaobo, but now, seeing this man, a cold sweat broke out on her back, and her hands on the table were covered in fine goosebumps.
"Yeah, where exactly is the ’neither this nor that’?" the man persisted.
In order to quickly escape the awkward situation, Sheng Ning decided to take a harsh approach. She looked at Jiang Shaobo expressionlessly and said, "In terms of being a scoundrel, you’re no match for Qin Yue; in talent and education, you’re inferior to Su Huai’an. When it comes to overall quality and military achievements, you’re not on par with Xu Qigang, and in terms of strategy and command, you can’t compare to the late Meng Fan. What makes you so self-important? Who gave you the courage?"