The world of film and television begins in the ideal city

Chapter 6 Su Xiao's Day of Suffering

Su Xiao had just returned to her workstation when Yu Chao came over.

His face was somber, and his tone was very soft and gentle, lacking any of his usual official authority, instead carrying a hint of guilt.

"Su Xiao, you... come out with me for a moment."

"According to the company's investigation, you were responsible for the follow-up audit of the accident that occurred in the Anju residential project. The cement grade and usage data were incorrect, which led to an inaccurate cost estimate. You failed to fulfill your auditing responsibilities. The company has decided to dismiss you," Yu Chao said slowly.

"Ah!" Su Xiao's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.

Immediately afterwards, Su Xiao loudly questioned:

"Why? I'm just the cost manager. The safety incident was a problem with the construction company and the materials. What does it have to do with me? All my cost reviews and on-site compliance checks were done according to procedure, without a single mistake. There were safety supervisors, supervisors, and project managers on site. Why are you pushing the blame onto me?"

"They were all punished too," Yu Chao then added, "I disagree as well. I talked to President Pan for an hour yesterday about this, but it was no use talking to him."

"Su Xiao, you're the one I spotted at first glance during campus recruitment and personally recruited. I've always thought you're a down-to-earth, hard-working, and principled person—a promising talent. This time, for the affordable housing project, I specifically entrusted you with the cost management, hoping you could gain valuable experience and improve your skills so you can move up in the future. You should know how much I value you."

"But this incident has blown up too much. Director He came to inspect in person, and an accident happened at the construction site. The relevant authorities are putting immense pressure on us, and someone has to take responsibility. General Manager Pan has been trying to hold the line, but he just can't take it anymore. Xiao Su, I'm sorry, I really can't protect you."

"I know you feel wronged, and I feel bad too. But that's how the workplace is; many things can't be resolved just by reasoning. You're still young, and you have a long road ahead of you... Consider this a lesson learned."

Su Xiao silently walked out of the office, looked at her workstation, and her past work experience flashed through her mind, leaving her deeply confused.

Thinking back to her argument with Huang Lilin yesterday, she said, "The cost engineer's responsibility is to ensure the cleanliness of the cost estimate. A clean cost estimate means a clean project." This was what her teacher told her, and it is also her workplace belief. She regards it as a guiding principle, and she speaks of it with great conviction.

However, Yu Chao and Huang Lilin remained unmoved by these words. Later, after Yu Chao distracted her by saying he was delivering something to the cafeteria, Xia Ming chased after her to help her carry the things and said those words to her again.

Xia Ming said that his teacher had also said the same thing. He added that there was a second half to the statement: "Every cost estimate is a relationship table."

Xia Ming was subtly reminding her that the real challenge for a qualified cost engineer isn't dealing with numbers, but with people. Most importantly, it's about understanding the underlying human psychology. Unfortunately, she didn't grasp it.

She never imagined that a major reason for her dismissal was that her cost estimate sheet was too clean. She also never imagined that another important reason would be because of her boyfriend, Zhou Jun.

Zhou Jun was secretly dating his boss, Li Xue, without her knowledge. Li Xue was very fond of Zhou Jun and didn't care that he already had a girlfriend, yet he still accepted her advances. However, Li Xue wouldn't tolerate Su Xiao. She hinted to Yu Chao that Su Xiao should be fired and withheld Su Xiao's Level 1 Cost Engineer certificate, refusing to register her. This would make it difficult for Su Xiao to find a good job, let alone establish herself in Shanghai. She was determined to drive Su Xiao out of Shanghai and completely cut off Zhou Jun's future.

Su Xiao carried the storage box out of Zhongjian Group. The box wasn't big, but it was heavy and uncomfortable to hold. Inside were her water bottle, several cost specifications, a few pens, a stack of ledgers that hadn't been filed yet, and all her efforts and hopes at Zhongjian over the past two years.

The afternoon sun was bright and dazzling, and the streets were bustling with people and cars. She walked slowly along the sidewalk with her head down, without crying or showing any expression. She moved mechanically towards the subway station, like a machine whose commands had been removed.

As I approached an intersection and waited for the light to turn red, I heard a female news anchor broadcasting the news. Looking up, I saw a giant outdoor screen on an office building in front of me.

The female anchor's clear and articulate voice pierced through the noise.

"Breaking news from this station: A construction safety accident occurred today at the construction site of the Anju Residential Community project, a key livelihood project in the city. Five people were injured, all with minor injuries. The cause of the accident is currently under further investigation, and relevant departments have ordered the responsible unit to immediately rectify the situation and hold those responsible accountable..."

The scene flashed to Tianke's construction site: scaffolding, warning lines, onlookers, and figures being hurriedly carried into ambulances.

Her name wasn't mentioned in the news, but every word seemed to be referring to her.

Pedestrians waiting for the green light stopped and looked up, pointing and whispering among themselves.

"Even affordable housing projects can have problems..."

"I heard that even the leaders were injured; this needs to be thoroughly investigated."

"Someone is definitely going to be in trouble."

Holding the box, Su Xiao stood at the edge of the crowd, feeling a chill run through her body.

She didn't stop or look up; with her head down, she followed the surging crowd, step by step, down the subway entrance. The escalator slowly descended, the overhead lights gradually receded, and the noisy voices were blurred by the subway wind.

She was like a grain of sand swept away by the tide, silently disappearing into the most crowded background of the city.

She began to doubt herself. She doubted the meaning of her tireless efforts day and night, whether the principles she had always upheld were too naive, and whether she was truly as others said—unfeeling, naive, and deserving of sacrifice. Her steps were light, as if she were walking on clouds. The surrounding noise was deafening, but she couldn't hear a single word. All she knew was that the world she had desperately protected had, for the first time, crashed down on her. And she couldn't even utter a single "why."

She entered the subway car, found a seat, and sat quietly for a while. Not knowing where to go, she took out her phone and called her boyfriend, Zhou Jun.

He said in a low voice, "Where are you? I have something I want to talk to you about in person."

The boyfriend's voice, deliberately lowered, came through the microphone: "I'm not at work right now, I'm at the hospital with my boss, I can't come see you right now. I'll come find you after get off work, okay? Xiaoxiao, be good."

Su Xiao hung up the phone helplessly and slumped onto the subway, lost in thought and aimless. Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly took out her phone to open the location app. She and Zhou Jun had installed it when they were deeply in love, but they hadn't used it in a long time. She saw Zhou Jun's location—Fuxing General Hospital.

She arrived at the hospital, found out the location of the inpatient department, and was walking towards it. At the same time, Li Xue also arrived at the hospital, called Zhou Jun out of her ward, and was now whispering sweet nothings to him at the stairwell of the inpatient department.

Su Xiao entered the inpatient department and went up to the second floor. After walking a short distance down the corridor, she turned around and saw two people being intimate at the other end of the stairs on the second floor. Su Xiao froze on the spot.