Everyone’s heart was in their throat, their appetites thoroughly whetted.
“Who came in first in the selection for the Gold Medal Lecturer?”
“Who?”
“Who?”
“Who?”
“This is driving me crazy!”
“I’m dying of curiosity!”
Just as everyone held their breath, so tense they didn’t even dare exhale, Yuan Jingcheng said, “To find out what happens next, we’ll be right back after this commercial.”
A chorus of boos rose from the audience, everyone feeling as if they’d been left hanging.
Commercials at the crucial moment—what a classic move. It was very much in keeping with local television tradition!
The host walked onto the stage and, in a polished announcer’s voice, began introducing the sponsors of the conference.
Chen Siyan complained, “It’s just some conference, and it even has sponsors. The education and training industry really is thriving.”
Dong Dongdong said, “After all, all the big shots from the International Education and Training Association are here as judges. Everyone competing for the Gold Medal Lecturer title is a top performer from their respective company. This conference carries a lot of weight.”
He turned his head left to look at Chen Siyan, then right to look at Song Xinya. “The winner is definitely going to be one of you two.”
Dong Dongdong had once desperately wanted to become a Gold Medal Lecturer. He had put in a tremendous amount of effort, braving the scorching sun and forty-degree heat to visit clients nonstop every day. For this speech, he had memorized his script a hundred times and practiced until his throat became so inflamed that he had to see a doctor.
But now he knew he wasn’t going to win.
The string he had kept pulled taut finally snapped loose, and he felt a sense of relief.
Besides, there was nothing he could do about it.
If he kept dwelling on it, he would only be making himself miserable.
People had to learn to accept failure.
To accept their own mediocrity.
Sometimes it wasn’t that you hadn’t worked hard enough. It was simply that someone else was too strong.
Dong Dongdong took a deep breath and looked at Chen Siyan and Song Xinya. He said sincerely, “Both of your speeches just now were especially impressive, particularly…”
He glanced at Song Xinya.
Realizing that what he was about to say would be inappropriate, he hurriedly cut himself off.
Chen Siyan finished the sentence for him. “Especially Teacher Song. Her speech was absolutely phenomenal—humorous, entertaining, clear and well organized, and incredibly engaging. It was so easy to get immersed in it and empathize with her.”
Song Xinya said, “Manager Chen, you’re too kind.”
Chen Siyan said, “I’m not being modest. I really brought out everything I had for this speech, but I still didn’t do as well as you. That wasn’t because I held back. You’re simply more capable.”
Chen Siyan sighed. “I’d say first place definitely belongs to Teacher Song.”
Dong Dongdong said, “But Manager Chen’s sales performance is higher than Teacher Song’s. Once the overall score is calculated, it really could go either way.”
Song Xinya shared Dong Dongdong’s opinion. Chen Siyan’s sales performance was the highest among all the contestants. The final score would be based on both sales performance and the live speech, so it was truly impossible to say who would come out on top.
When the commercial finally ended, Yuan Jingcheng walked onto the stage again.
“I know you all really wanted to hit me just now. Even I wanted to hit myself. But what could I do? The sponsor was paying far too much, and as a lowly little monkey, I simply couldn’t bring myself to turn down his request.”
“All right, back to business. We’ll now announce the first-place winner of this Gold Medal Lecturer selection.”
Yuan Jingcheng glanced at Song Xinya, then at Chen Siyan.
His powerful voice echoed throughout the venue through the speakers.
“The first-place winners of this Gold Medal Lecturer selection are Song Xinya and Chen Siyan. They are tied for first place.”
The entire venue erupted.
“Wow! You really do see everything in this life. There are actually two people tied for first!”
“They really were the best of the bunch. One had the highest sales performance, and the other gave the best speech.”
“Each company only gets one Gold Medal Lecturer slot. If they’re tied for first, then who gets the title?”
“Exactly! Two people came in first, but there’s only one slot. Who will be chosen?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted back and forth between Song Xinya and Chen Siyan before turning toward Yuan Jingcheng.
As the general manager of Song Xinya and Chen Siyan’s company, as well as the chairman of the International Education and Training Association, Yuan Jingcheng had the final say.
Onstage, Yuan Jingcheng faced the crowd’s expectant looks and spoke calmly.
“To be honest, the tie between these two candidates came as a surprise to me as well. In all the years since I became chairman of the International Education and Training Association, this is the first time something like this has happened.”
“As for who will ultimately be selected as the Gold Medal Lecturer, I will make a careful decision after taking a rigorous and responsible approach toward every candidate. I will then inform Teacher Song and Manager Chen of the result.”
Everyone was disappointed that they hadn’t heard the final answer, but they also felt that Yuan Jingcheng’s reasoning made sense. One after another, they praised him as a good leader who took responsibility for his employees.
After all the results had been announced, everyone gradually left the venue.
Chen Siyan looked at Song Xinya. “Everyone else’s fate has been settled, while the two of us are still floating around in midair.”
“We won’t be floating for long,” Song Xinya said. “Mr. Yuan should announce the final result once we’re back at the company.”
And just as Song Xinya had predicted, not long after they returned to the company, Yuan Jingcheng sent an email through the company intranet to every employee, announcing that the winner of the Gold Medal Lecturer title was—
Song Xinya.
When the employees in the lobby saw the email, an awkward silence fell over them.
They wanted to congratulate Song Xinya, but they were worried about hurting Chen Siyan’s feelings.
In the end, everyone pretended they hadn’t seen it. They remained silent, secretly watching Chen Siyan and Song Xinya.
The moment Song Xinya saw the result, she had no idea what to say to Chen Siyan.
She knew that Chen Siyan had always wanted to be selected as a Gold Medal Lecturer.
He was a longtime employee of the company, and losing to a newcomer like her had to be painful.
He probably felt humiliated, too.
Besides, Chen Siyan was her closest friend at the company.
Song Xinya’s mind raced as she tried to think of something to say to him.
Failure is the mother of success. You didn’t make it this time, so keep working hard and try again next time?
Those words sounded too superficial.
They wouldn’t be enough to comfort him.
While Song Xinya was still in turmoil, Chen Siyan suddenly shot up from his chair.
He strode purposefully across the room, pushed open the door, and walked into Yuan Jingcheng’s office.
Yuan Jingcheng saw him and said, “I knew you’d come looking for me.”
“Of course,” Chen Siyan said. “I’m the kind of person who needs to get to the bottom of everything. Even if I have to die, I want to know why.”
“If you have questions, ask them,” Yuan Jingcheng said. “I’ll answer each one.”
“Teacher Song and I tied for first place. Why was I eliminated?”
Yuan Jingcheng countered, “What do you think the reason was?”
Chen Siyan had a vague premonition.
Yuan Jingcheng continued, “We’re all adults who’ve been working for years. Some questions don’t need to be spelled out. The truth is, you and I both know.”
He looked at Chen Siyan and stated his selection criteria plainly.
“Because Song Xinya is President Qin’s wife!”
“Chen Siyan, don’t blame me. If you were sitting in my position, your selection criteria would be exactly the same. You’d give the Gold Medal Lecturer slot to the boss’s wife, not to an ordinary employee with no connections.”
“You should understand that if I give you the spot instead of President Qin’s wife, I’ll be offending President Qin. You and I have no personal connection, so I have no obligation to offend one of the group’s top executives for your sake.”
“That’s simply how the world works. Some people rely on connections, while others rely on ability. When someone has both connections and ability, of course they’ll climb higher and advance faster than you.”
“If your score had been higher than Song Xinya’s, I would have given you the spot without hesitation. But you and Song Xinya tied. If you want someone to blame, blame your bad luck.”
Chen Siyan didn’t say a word. He turned and walked out.
Because although Yuan Jingcheng’s words had been harsh, they were undeniably true.
They reflected the way the world worked.
A very realistic truth.
As Chen Siyan stepped out of Yuan Jingcheng’s office, he came face-to-face with Song Xinya.
Their eyes met, and Song Xinya saw the disappointment in Chen Siyan’s eyes.
She had heard everything Yuan Jingcheng had said.
She explained to Chen Siyan, “I didn’t use my connections. I never asked Qin Yuhe to pressure Mr. Yuan into giving me the spot.”
Chen Siyan forced the corners of his lips into a smile. “I know. I know what kind of person you are. You’re not like that.”
“Anyway, being chosen as a gold-medal lecturer is something worth celebrating. You should go celebrate.”
“I’m not going to your celebration dinner. I’m in a terrible mood right now. I need to go be miserable for a while.”
How could Song Xinya possibly feel like celebrating?
She had come in first as well, but given the circumstances, it made her look as though she had won unfairly.
Besides, her friend was heartbroken.
Through the glass of his office, Yuan Jingcheng watched everything unfold, a calculating smile spreading across his face.
In fact, there was another personal reason he had chosen Song Xinya as the gold-medal lecturer: he wanted to force Chen Siyan out.
As the company’s top salesperson, Chen Siyan had indeed made a great deal of money for the company. But that money had been earned for Qin Yuhe, not for him.
Yuan Jingcheng was an extremely controlling man. In his eyes, Chen Siyan had rendered outstanding service and was now challenging his authority. It would be better to fire him.
If he proposed firing Chen Siyan for no reason, it would be unjustifiable and would give people something to gossip about.
This opportunity allowed him to use President Qin’s hand to push Chen Siyan out.
He could preserve his authority without attracting criticism—a perfect solution.
Yuan Jingcheng looked at Chen Siyan standing outside with a dispirited expression and Song Xinya, whose mood had also fallen.
Given the situation, Chen Siyan should be submitting his resignation next.
The thought of Chen Siyan packing up and leaving made a pleased smile appear on Yuan Jingcheng’s face.
That evening, Song Xinya returned home and started a video call with Qin Yuhe.
On the screen, Qin Yuhe saw his wife’s listless face. Her brows and eyes drooped like a little eggplant beaten down by frost.
“Who made my wife unhappy?”
Song Xinya said, “It’s because of the gold-medal lecturer selection.”
Qin Yuhe asked, “You were chosen. Why aren’t you happy?”
Song Xinya replied, “Chen Siyan and I tied for first place. We both deserved to be chosen, but now I’m the only one who got the title. Everyone is saying I only got it because I’m President Qin’s wife.”
“What can I do for you, Yaya?”
“Qin Yuhe, help me with something.”
And that favor had something to do with Chen Siyan…
