CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: HANDING IN THE EXAM EARLY

Zhang Dongmei glared at her, stepped off the bus wearing high heels, looking just like a rooster that had won a fight.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t be bothered with her and followed her off the bus.

The spot where they got off was not too far from the department store; upon walking over, they found the entrance already swarmed with people.

Su Xiaoxiao was shocked by the spectacle before her.

Goodness, she knew that being a salesperson at the department store was appealing, but she hadn’t expected it to be this popular.

The scale was practically rivaling the massive crowds at modern civil service exams.

Seeing her looking so inexperienced, Zhang Dongmei snorted coldly and pushed forward arrogantly.

Before long, someone at the front shouted for the entrance to open, and the crowd began moving forward like a tidal wave.

With so many people, friction was inevitable.

Soon, several shrieks resonated through the crowd.

"Hey, who stepped on my foot?"

"Why are you pushing me?"

"Where’s my shoe? Who stepped on it and knocked it off?"

Su Xiaoxiao was also jostled around, nearly getting pushed into the exam hall.

She took a deep breath, found her designated spot by following her number, and sat down.

As soon as she settled in, the invigilator began distributing the exam papers.

She quickly scanned through the test paper and realized she knew most of the content.

With a smile on her lips, she picked up her pen and started writing earnestly.

Sitting not far behind her, Zhang Dongmei initially felt quite confident, but seeing the questions on the paper left her mind blank.

She remembered having seen much of the knowledge on it, yet she couldn’t recall any of it.

Raising her head, she looked around restlessly and incidentally fell into gaze at Su Xiaoxiao, who was absorbed in her answering.

Seeing her calm demeanor, Zhang Dongmei felt even more agitated.

That wretched girl must be making things up. With her pig brain, after reading just a few days, how could she remember?

Zhang Dongmei had gotten the exam materials a whole month in advance.

Even if Su Xiaoxiao truly remembered them, it would be useless.

Mocking flashed briefly in Zhang Dongmei’s eyes; indeed she gave Su Xiaoxiao the materials, but only half of them.

No matter how hard she tried, it would be impossible for her to get into the department store.

Thinking about this made Zhang Dongmei feel instantly relieved.

Perhaps feeling happier made her mind clearer as she returned to the test paper.

She scoffed, picked up her pen, and began answering questions.

For a moment, the only sound left in the exam hall was the soft scratching of pen tips on paper.

The reciter for the test this time was the department store’s HR manager.

She was a stern-looking middle-aged woman, peering over her black-framed glasses at everyone in the room.

Soon, her gaze locked onto two suspicious individuals.

Someone had the nerve to cheat right under her nose?

Face darkening, she marched over and grabbed the wrist of the woman passing a note.

That woman’s face flushed instantly, stuttering and unable to speak.

The girl in front buried her head even lower, almost sinking into her test paper.

Xu Cuilan gave the two a dispassionate look and spoke coldly, "You two will never be hired again; get out now."

Following this drama, all the remaining test-takers dared not make any more moves.

Su Xiaoxiao was immersed in her answering and hadn’t noticed the situation.

Halfway through the exam, she suddenly stood up and raised her hand, "Excuse me, Comrade, I’d like to submit my paper."

Xu Cuilian frowned slowly at these words, her eyes falling on Su Xiaoxiao with contempt; she’d seen many like this over the years.

Practically another who relied on family connections, trying to walk through procedure to enter the department store.

Thinking of this, her tone turned cold.

"Make sure you’re certain; once you submit your paper, there’s no turning back. No matter how strong your family connections are, they’ll be useless if you fail the test."

Su Xiaoxiao nodded firmly, "I’ve thought it through, thank you very much."

Done already? How is that possible? In such a short time?

Zhang Dongmei’s eyes flashed with disdain at this; she knew Su Xiaoxiao’s level.

Always bottom in school exams; if it hadn’t been for her mom begging and pleading, she wouldn’t have qualified for high school.

Bah, acting pompous now, she thought the department store was easy to get into?

With this thought, she glowered contemptuously at Su Xiaoxiao and continued answering questions.

Seeing how persistent Su Xiaoxiao was, Xu Cuilan’s expression grew colder, "Submit your paper since you’ve decided."

With permission granted, Su Xiaoxiao promptly gathered her belongings and walked up with her paper.

She respectfully placed the paper on the desk, giving Xu Cuilan a sweet smile, then turned to leave.

Xu Cuilan watched her retreating figure, coldly laughing internally — trying to go through the backdoor? Impossible.

As the door closed, her indifferent gaze landed on the paper, and she was slightly taken aback.

The writing on the paper was neat and tidy.

More crucially, not a single question was missed—all had been carefully answered.

Instinctively, she picked up the paper for a closer look, surprise flickering through her eyes.

The accuracy rate was over ninety percent.

Years of overseeing exams, and this was the first case of a paper this accurate, and it was submitted early.

Her eyes instinctively fell on the name written on it.

Su Xiaoxiao? She’d remember that.

Zhang Dongmei looked up just as Xu Cuilian’s expression began to change.

She believed Xu Cuilian was shocked by Su Xiaoxiao’s terrible scores, and the smile on her face grew even more triumphant.

Meanwhile, after leaving the department store, Su Xiaoxiao arrived at the state-owned restaurant according to the agreed time.

Today was the day she had arranged to meet Liang Guofu; unexpectedly, the time coincided with the exam.

Which was why she had no choice but to submit her paper early and leave the exam hall.

Luckily, those questions weren’t too difficult for her, and submitting early hardly made a difference.

Before reaching the door, she spotted Liang Guofu waiting anxiously.

Once Liang Guofu saw her, he immediately put on a smile and couldn’t wait to say, "Comrade Su, our meatpacking plant’s leadership has agreed to your requests. Anytime you come to buy items, no tickets required."

After speaking, he paused and looked at Su Xiaoxiao hesitantly before continuing, "However, there is a small request."

Su Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, "What request?"

Liang Guofu rubbed his hands, "Could you possibly come to our plant to guide us with the formula? We’ll cover all your travel expenses."

The earnest words couldn’t conceal the real intention—which was validating the formula in person.

She wasn’t busy lately anyway, and a trip would be fine, allowing her to stock up on meat supplies.

They scheduled everything for three days later.

After bidding farewell to Liang Guofu, Su Xiaoxiao boarded the bus home.

The journey this time went quite smoothly.

Returning to the village, as soon as she stepped in, a bicycle wobbled toward her.