I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Meanwhile, the personnel department of the steel rolling mill.

After handing the money to the accountant at the guesthouse in the morning, Wang Defa was dismissed from his post and sent back to the factory without even seeing Li Jing'an. He walked out of the guesthouse looking dejected, with Xu Damao following him, his face full of mockery.

"Hey, Wang Defa, you're leaving already? Didn't you say you were looking for the director? What, you didn't even go inside?" Xu Damao laughed sarcastically, his voice so loud that everyone at the door turned around to look.

Wang Defa gritted his teeth and remained silent, quickening his pace.

Xu Damao escorted him all the way to the guesthouse entrance, standing on the steps with his arms crossed and a look of schadenfreude on his face. Even after Wang Defa had walked quite a distance, he could still feel Xu Damao's eyes piercing his back like needles, and he could faintly hear Xu Damao laughing and joking with the gatekeeper: "Him? A college student, huh? He's already slinking away like that..."

Wang Defa's anger surged, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He secretly vowed: Xu Damao, you wait, I will climb to the top step by step—wait! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential! Hmm?

The thought had barely formed in his mind when he was startled. Where did this idea come from? How did it suddenly pop into his head? He shook his head, suppressing the strange thought, and pushed open the door to the personnel department.

Section Chief Zhang was sitting behind his desk drinking tea, without even looking up.

Wang Defa took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calm: "Section Chief Zhang, what position do you think the organization has assigned me to?"

Section Chief Zhang then glanced at him, his gaze as if he were looking at an object awaiting disposal. He put down his teacup and called out towards the door, "Xiao Liu!"

A young clerk pushed open the door and entered. Section Chief Zhang gestured with his chin towards Wang Defa, his tone indifferent: "Take this Comrade Wang to the factory's sanitation team to report."

"The medical team?" Wang Defa's pupils contracted, and like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his voice suddenly rose, "Sir, are you sure you're not mistaken? You want me to go to the medical team?"

He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Mingde in disbelief. Wang Defa had thought that with his degree from a teachers' college, he should at least be working in the factory office, or at the very least in the propaganda department. How could they send a college graduate to clean the latrines? His face flushed red, and the veins on his temples throbbed.

"No doubt about it." Section Chief Zhang leaned back in his chair slowly, picked up his teacup, took another sip, and said unhurriedly, "Don't have any bad ideas. I'm not asking you to do manual labor. You'll still be in a management position, and you'll be in charge of the sanitation team. It won't be too tiring for you. Focus on your work and don't let the guesthouse incident weigh on your mind."

"But Section Chief Zhang, I—" Wang Defa still wanted to plead his case.

Section Chief Zhang waved his hand, interrupting him: "That's it then." There was no room for negotiation in his tone.

Wang Defa was filled with resentment. His lips trembled slightly, but seeing that the other man had already lowered his head to look at the documents, there was no room for negotiation. He was like a fish on a chopping board, forced to swallow his anger. As he turned and walked out the door, his eyes were terrifyingly dark, and he silently added Zhang Mingde to his list of enemies: You just wait! One day, I'll make you kneel and beg me!

Section Chief Zhang didn't even look up. He said a few more bland words like "work hard" and "don't overthink it," and then let Xiao Liu take him away.

Wang Defa's face was so gloomy it could drip water, as he followed the personnel officer through the winding factory grounds. His mind was a complete mess, and he kept cursing: "Damn it, even keeping me in the office building to manage sanitation would have been fine. At least I could have some contact with the leaders when they went to the restroom. Now they've sent me to that godforsaken place, where I can't even see a soul!"

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, and his steps became heavier. They must know my talent and potential, and that's why they're deliberately making things difficult for me—that must be it! They're afraid I'll climb too fast, so they're holding me back from getting ahead!

Xiao Liu walked very fast ahead without saying a word, as if she was afraid of getting involved with him.

The two finally stopped in a secluded corner. The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds and the walls were peeling, clearly a place no one wanted to come to.

A strong, pungent stench suddenly assaulted Wang Defa's senses, like a punch to the face. He instinctively covered his mouth and nose, his stomach churning, almost vomiting. The two were standing in front of the factory's public toilet—no, to be precise, beside the latrine.

Xiao Liu covered his mouth tightly with his sleeve and shouted into the room in a muffled voice, "Is anyone there? Come out for a second!"

A short while later, a young man wearing a mask came out, carrying a shovel with filth on the tip. He saw the two men and asked with a puzzled look, "Who are you looking for?"

Xiao Liu took a step back and said from a distance, "I'm from the personnel department. This Comrade Wang will be the captain of your sanitation team from now on."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Liu didn't want to stay a moment longer. He turned around and left in a hurry, his leather shoes clicking on the stone pavement before he quickly disappeared around the corner.

Wang Defa was left standing alone. The stench made him dizzy, his stomach churned, and he felt like vomiting but couldn't. He could only force himself to swallow, letting out a dry heave. His eyes were red, whether from the stench or from the grievances he felt, it was hard to tell.

The masked young man was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up—although his expression couldn't be seen through the mask, the light in his eyes was unmistakable. He immediately rushed over enthusiastically, without even taking off his gloves—which were still covered in wet water—and grabbed Wang Defa's hand, shaking it vigorously.

Wang Defa tried to pull his hand away but couldn't. He felt a sticky, slippery sensation on his palm, which made his scalp tingle with disgust.

"Captain! We've been waiting for you!" The young man's eyes crinkled with laughter, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "My surname is Ma, you can just call me Little Ma! If you need anything, just let me know! Don't hesitate to ask!"

Xiao Ma smiled obsequiously, shaking Wang Defa's hand vigorously, but a strange, inexplicable look lurked deep in his eyes.

Wang Defa stood there blankly, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

At that moment, he couldn't care about anything else. All he wanted was to escape immediately, wash his hands thoroughly, scrub off the filth, and find a secluded place to breathe some clean air.