I knocked on the door of the Comprehensive Management Department office and walked in with slight nervousness.

“Little Zhang?” Brother Li from the Comprehensive Management Department looked up when he saw me. “What’s up?”

Brother Li was the manager of the Comprehensive Management Department. I had given him cigarettes several times before to build connections, so his impression of me should be pretty good.

I glanced at the other office staff sitting in the room, then swallowed and said: “Brother Li, I have something I need to talk to you about. Could you step outside for a moment?”

When the others in the office heard what I said, they all lifted their heads to look at me.

Brother Li was slightly stunned when he heard this, then chuckled lightly and said: “Little Zhang, what are you saying… When there’s nothing wrong, you make it seem like there is. Just say whatever you need to say directly.”

I realized I might have misspoken, but I truly hadn’t thought through how to complete my file modification under everyone’s gaze.

But I understood the power of rumors. If I left now, the trouble would be greater than modifying the files.

Brother Li, as the manager of the Comprehensive Management Department, had struggled in the workplace for so many years—naturally he understood the stakes better than I did.

“Alright, Brother Li.” I walked through the door openly. “It’s about my bonus for this month. I thought this kind of thing couldn’t be discussed in public…”

“Oh, hey.” Brother Li was clearly relieved after hearing this. “It’s fine, girl. This is the Comprehensive Management Department. We handle these kinds of issues every day, and everyone’s lips are very tight. Come, sit down and talk.”

I nodded and sat down in front of Brother Li’s desk. The others gradually withdrew their gazes and began busying themselves with their own work.

“What’s wrong, girl?” Brother Li organized several forms in his hands and looked up to ask. “Was it sent incorrectly or was the amount wrong?”

“The situation is this…” I considered for a moment before saying, “My previous bankbook seems to have some issues—deposits are slow—so I went and opened a new one. I’d like to change the file information.”

“Change the payment information…” Brother Li seemed somewhat unwilling to cooperate after hearing this. “There are quite a lot of files, it might take a long time to find them…”

I took out several packs of cigarettes and placed them on the desk. These cigarettes that cost four yuan per pack clearly weren’t expensive, yet sometimes they were more effective than begging a hundred times.

“Aiya… Little Zhang, what are you doing…” Brother Li complained with his mouth, but his eyes smiled into crescents. “That’s not what I meant, you child… Alright, sit and wait a bit. I’ll go find the files.”

He turned his back and rummaged through the filing cabinet for a long time, muttering continuously: “Ai… I’ve told the boss long ago that offices nowadays all use computers… fast and convenient. Wouldn’t it be great if we got a batch too…?”

Before long, he pulled out my file, then opened it and extracted one of the forms.

“Zhang Lijuan… right?” He sat back at the desk, then handed the form to me. “Little Zhang, if this form is altered it becomes invalid. If you don’t mind the trouble, just fill out a new one.”

I hadn’t expected things to go even more smoothly than I imagined. I quickly nodded and said: “No problem, Brother Li. I can refill it right now.”

He nodded and took out a new registration form and a pen to hand to me. I lowered my head and began filling it out again based on the bankbook and ID number in my hand.

Before long, a brand new form was completed, with all my correct information and my own name on it.

“Zhang Lijuan.”

Before the form was even finished, I stared at these three characters in a daze.

Years ago, the fortune teller said this name clashed with my Eight Characters and hoped I would change it.

But in reality? Previously in the workshop, everyone called me “Tiantian,” yet I had the worst luck of my life.

Now everyone called me Zhang Lijuan, and I was actually doing fairly well.

So what exactly…

“Zhang Lijuan…?” A voice softly spoke behind me, startling me.

I turned around abruptly. Zhang Fang, full of smiles, was standing there: “Sis, so your name is Zhang Lijuan? I just saw you looking like…”

I looked at her somewhat at a loss. Before I could speak, Brother Li spoke first: “Which line are you from, girl? Why did you come in without knocking?”

“Ah, sorry!” Zhang Fang said to Brother Li with a smile. “Manager Li, I just arrived… These are the forms for me and Zhang Mantuan…”

“Fine, put them down.” Brother Li tapped the desk somewhat impatiently, then picked up his tea cup and blew on the floating tea leaves on the surface. “From now on, knock before entering the Comprehensive Management Department.”

“No problem… Manager Li, please don’t be angry.” Zhang Fang continued smiling. “Oh right… this is candy I brought from home. Please have some.”

After placing the forms on the desk, she pulled out a package of White Rabbit milk candies and placed them next to the several packs of cigarettes I had brought.

This girl’s intentions were good, but unfortunately for a middle-aged man like Brother Li, the value of White Rabbit milk candies was far less than a pack of cigarettes.

“Brother Li, Sister Lijuan is my mentor. Please calm down for her sake.” Zhang Fang added.

Brother Li turned his head to look at me after hearing this: “Your apprentice?”

“Yes.” I came back to my senses and nodded. “She just arrived today. I haven’t emphasized the discipline rules to her yet.”

“Alright then… I’ll let it go for Little Zhang’s sake.” Brother Li waved his hand. “Girl, put down the forms and go out.”

Zhang Fang’s mind was clearly not on this. She lowered her head to look at the form in my hand and said again: “Sis… I wasn’t mistaken after all. You’re from the same village as us—we’re fellow villagers! What a coincidence!”

“I…”

I instinctively reached out to cover the form, feeling as if I had exposed something.

But even if I covered it now, wouldn’t it be exposed later?

“Hey hey hey!” Brother Li knocked on the desk impatiently again and said to Zhang Fang: “Girl, how can you have no sense of propriety? Can personal files be looked at casually?”

Zhang Fang’s expression gradually changed from smiling to hesitant. She wasn’t listening to what Brother Li was saying at all, only saying with slight uncertainty: “Sis… your name… sounds quite familiar…”

Hearing this, my heart sank with a thud, but I still calmly finished filling out the rest of the form quickly and handed it to Brother Li: “Brother Li, sorry for the trouble.”

“Okay, no problem.” Brother Li nodded. “Leave it here.”

I stood up, took the previously voided form, and left without looking back. I didn’t know what I should do, only that my heart was beating violently.

Zhang Fang had only seen my place of origin and name, yet I felt as if I had been completely exposed. I thought when I rushed out the door she would chase after me and ask more questions, but she just stood there for a long time, making my heart go cold with fear.

I tore the voided form in my hand into pieces, then rushed into the latrine.

I couldn’t stop trembling all over. This latrine was just like the life I was trapped in—foul-smelling and sticky, surrounding me from all directions. No matter which corner I fled to, it was useless.