Being targeted by the director meant facing obstruction from the entire factory, so everyone fell silent.

Only that chubby boy, Guangyao, paid no mind to any of it and insisted on making a scene.

"Any child of a factory employee who disrupts order is forbidden from taking over their parents’ position here. Wang Daqiang, take down his name! Our factory has no need for a worker who shows no love for his family and no respect for his own sister!"

Xie Changning’s hand remained cupped over the girl’s face as the girl listened to her resounding words.

It was as if something within her heart had broken through the soil, sprouting to life at Xie Changning’s words.

’The director wants to train me simply because I have ability, because I am needed—not because of my parents or my brother...’

The girl’s eyes grew moist. Her lips trembled for what felt like an eternity before she finally found her voice. "Director, I’ll go."

Her voice was so quiet it was barely audible.

"Good. Go home later, pack your things, and report to me tomorrow." Xie Changning withdrew her hand, saying the same to the other talented child.

"Director, can you take me with you right now?"

Hearing this, the girl shook her head, her sense of security gone. A look of conflict crossed her face, then hardened with resolve as she spoke to Xie Changning. "Director, if you don’t let me leave with you now, my parents will beat me to death tonight. They won’t let me go."

She was the family’s servant, hardly even considered a person.

If she didn’t leave now, a beating would be waiting for her. Because she had "stolen" her brother’s talent, his opportunity—his everything.

At these words, anger finally flashed across Xie Changning’s face. She shot the parents a cold glare, then nodded. "Fine. You two go pack your things right now," she told the girls. "I’ll stay here and watch over them. I’d like to see who dares to interfere."

Both children were girls, and neither was in good shape. It was obvious they hadn’t been well cared for.

Their general disposition was far worse than the boys’.

Similarly, it was clear that when told to go home and fetch their children, these workers had only brought their sons, not their daughters.

"These two children are priority trainees for our factory. They have exceptionally sensitive noses—they’re what we call Xiang Bi Zi. The pinnacle of their career path is to become our factory’s Perfumers, an extremely important position," Xie Changning said to Wang Daqiang, who was standing beside her.

"They are irreplaceable. Understand?"

Wang Daqiang knew this family favored boys over girls, but how other people raised their children was none of his business.

He had personally figured that if a replacement were possible, the family would definitely show up and cause a scene.

But he never expected Director Xie to lay out the two girls’ entire career paths for him.

Irreplaceable.

No one could take their place. They represented the future of the factory’s development. If anything were to happen to them—

A sharp glint appeared in Wang Daqiang’s eyes. He assured Xie Changning, "Director, don’t you worry. If anyone dares to hinder this factory’s progress, I’ll make sure they live to regret it!"

In their community, girls from most families had the chance to compete fairly with boys.

But this was the 1970s, after all, and some people still clung to their old-fashioned ways, prejudiced against their own daughters.

It was an unavoidable fact of the times.

Xie Changning had no intention of correcting their thinking. She was simply using her actions to show these people who favored sons that there were some jobs that even their "glorious" boys couldn’t handle.

’Don’t be so naive.’

Since he wasn’t chosen for the special training, Guangyao ran to his parents to complain.

However, with the eyes of two directors on them, his parents didn’t dare act out of line and could only try to placate him.

In the end, the boy, sixteen or seventeen years old, sat on the ground and wailed, demanding his sister give up her spot to him.

Seeing a boy that old cry like that, a look of open disgust appeared on Xie Changning’s face. The other factory workers instantly grew wary, glancing nervously at their own children, silently praying they wouldn’t do something so foolish.

They were confident, though; they hadn’t spoiled their own children that badly.

Their kids would never do something so outrageous.

At first, the couple saw their son’s behavior as perfectly normal. It was only when all eyes turned to them, many filled with disgust and contempt, that they were jolted into awareness: their son was sixteen or seventeen, not six or seven.

This behavior was just shameful. It wouldn’t make anyone think he was a fighter, striving for what he wanted. It was nothing to be proud of.

"Don’t cry, sweetheart." Guangyao’s mother knelt down, wiping his tears. "It breaks my heart to see you cry."

"If your heart is so broken, then make her give me the spot!"

"That’s impossible!"

This time, the one who answered was not Xie Changning, nor was it his parents. It was his sister, who had just returned.

The girl, who had been oppressed for years, spoke loudly for the first time in her life.

Clutching the paltry few belongings she owned, she fixed her gaze on Guangyao, her eyes shining with a light he had never seen before. "You can’t replace me. The director will not let you take my place. I am one of a kind. So give up."

With that, she turned and walked toward Xie Changning.

"That’s still my talent you stole! Why won’t you give it to me?!" Guangyao shrieked like a stuck pig.

The sound was utterly grating to Xie Changning.

She took a deep breath and looked at Wang Daqiang.

Wang Daqiang immediately barked at the couple, "If you don’t shut his mouth this instant, you can pack him up and send him back to your ancestral village! I will not tolerate anyone disrupting the order of this factory!"

"I’m warning all of you: get your children under control. Don’t make me deal with this again, or I’ll send them straight to the police station!"

The workers fell as silent as the grave, not daring to make a peep.

This new director was formidable. If they spoke up, wouldn’t it be seen as taking the couple’s side?

And they all still wanted to earn more money, didn’t they?

They wouldn’t dare.

The two girls, holding their belongings, stood by Xie Changning’s side. Xie Changning glanced at the overprotective father, then crossed off a mark for "priority training" in her notebook.

Yes, the girl’s talent was indeed influenced by her father.

However, her talent far surpassed his. This was a classic case of the student surpassing the master.

"Go wait for me in the car."

The two girls exchanged a look, then headed for the car.

Only after the two girls were in the car did Xie Changning speak. "You all know what I’m capable of. I’m standing here today because I can lead you—and this factory—to a prosperous future."

"As one of the few chemical plants in the province, I trust the provincial leadership will be keeping a close eye on us. I expect you not to hold me back. A worker who obstructs our progress might not get fired, but they can certainly be... relocated."

"And whose voice do you think the leadership will listen to? Yours, or mine?"

With that, Xie Changning nodded to Wang Daqiang. "Vice Factory Director Wang, I’ll leave things to you for now. I’ll be back after I find a suitable chemist and get these two settled."

"As for the orders, there’s no rush. Just produce an initial batch. I’ll be using it as a perk for a few of the other factories."

"Yes!"