Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s

Part 22 Grab a job

"You think I have to answer you just because you ask? Who do you think you are?" Sining retorted sharply.

"I, I am..."

Fu Qianqian was momentarily speechless, her face flushing red with anger. "This is my workplace! You're not working here anymore, so what right do you have to come here?"

Sining furrowed her brow. When did she ever say she quit? She only arranged for someone to cover for her temporarily, but that didn't mean she quit altogether. Even if she did quit, she would need to come in person to resign and get approval from higher-ups. Who told her she quit?

Sining replied, "Who told you I quit? I just had someone cover for me temporarily, but it doesn't mean I'm not working anymore."

"What? Didn't you transfer your job to that Lin Sisi?" Fu Qianqian's face was full of shock and frustration. This matter had left her feeling humiliated. As the daughter of a high-ranking officer, she couldn't believe she was being sidelined for a woman from the countryside. It was even more humiliating than when Sining was still here!

"And I don't think that Lin Sisi is prettier than me!" Fu Qianqian retorted indignantly.

"That's not right. I heard from your family that you willingly transferred your job to Lin Sisi. I even said when did you become so willing, but now you're acting like you don't know?" Fu Qianqian looked at her as if she were a fool.

"Lin Sisi?" Sining narrowed her eyes. The person she had arranged to cover for her before was another broadcaster who gladly accepted the opportunity to earn double pay. How did it suddenly become about Lin Sisi?

Fu Qianqian's expression turned sour. "Yu Xiao worked for a while, and then Lin Sisi came to work. I heard you were gone, and I thought you'd never come back."

Of course, she didn't tell Sining about her schadenfreude. She had been gloating for so long. But when she heard that Lin Sisi had replaced Sining, she couldn't find joy in it anymore. How could someone inferior to her take her place?

Sining could roughly guess what happened. When she first transmigrated, her mind was in chaos, and she hadn't thought about her job. It seemed that her family, seeing her leave, didn't want to leave the position vacant and used their connections to get Lin Sisi to replace her.

Originally, she didn't intend to have any contact with this family. After all, they had raised the original host so well.

But Sining wasn't about to let Lin Sisi off easily when it came to this job. She owed gratitude to the Si family for raising her, not Lin Sisi.

Realizing the dynamics at play, Sining looked at Fu Qianqian, who seemed utterly frustrated, and said, "I didn't give it to her. I competed hard for this job. How could I just give it away to someone else? Even if I were to give it up, I would sell it, not hand it over for free. I'm not stupid."

Fu Qianqian immediately imagined the worst and looked at Sining with pity. "You're really unlucky. Not being the biological daughter is one thing, but having your job stolen too... But you're much better than Lin Sisi. At least you competed fair and square like me, without relying on family connections. You earned it through your own abilities. Compared to her, I admire you."

The thought of Lin Sisi getting the job through connections made Fu Qianqian resent her even more. If even a military officer's daughter felt too ashamed to use connections, why should Lin Sisi? Fu Qianqian's disdain for Lin Sisi extended to Sining, whom she previously disliked, now seeming more agreeable in comparison.

"And her Mandarin isn't as standard as yours. The broadcast quality is much worse compared to yours," Fu Qianqian added.

Lin Sisi was new to the industry and clearly couldn't keep up, lacking professionalism entirely.

Sining's lips twitched as she listened to Fu Qianqian's relentless complaints. At that moment, she felt like Fu Qianqian wasn't there to pick a fight with her but rather to vent about Lin Sisi.

After finishing her tirade, Fu Qianqian nonchalantly said, "Let's go, I'll take you to see her. Chen Jie is talking to her right now."

Fu Qianqian led Sining to the broadcasting room where Chen Jie was having a serious conversation with a young girl. Chen Jie's expression was stern, and her face didn't look welcoming.

Chen Jie was the veteran broadcaster who had mentored the original host. Every time a new person arrived, they had to undergo her strict scrutiny. Even the original host had been scolded by her several times.

Everyone in the unit was afraid of this old lady.

"Chen Jie! Look who's here!" Fu Qianqian called out loudly, drawing the attention of the two over.

Lin Sisi turned her head and met Sining's scrutinizing gaze, her expression tightening suddenly.

"Sining? What are you doing here?" Chen Jie's face turned dark upon seeing Sining.

Sining was originally her most promising newcomer, but she had disappeared shortly after starting, transferring her job to someone with much less skill, which had increased Chen Jie's workload significantly. Chen Jie was not pleased. Seeing Sining now, her surprise quickly turned into displeasure.

Sining withdrew her gaze from Lin Sisi and looked at the middle-aged woman in her early forties, wearing professional attire and red-framed glasses. "Chen Jie, I'm back to work."

Upon hearing this, Lin Sisi's face changed suddenly, and she began to panic.

Chen Jie's expression also showed surprise. "Didn't you transfer your job to Lin Sisi?" Chen Jie's gaze shifted between the two.

"Yeah, Sining, what are you talking about? Mom and Dad said you went to the village, and it wouldn't be convenient for you to work anymore, so they asked me to take over for you." Lin Sisi quickly chimed in, emphasizing the words "Mom and Dad" heavily, as if trying to exert pressure on her using their authority.

In the novel, the original host indeed didn't return to this job, fully immersed in her tragic fate of marrying an older man and raising his child.

Sining couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had never mentioned anything about not being able to work or feeling inconvenienced. Besides, if she had decided to quit or found it difficult to work, wouldn't she have informed Chen Jie about it?

"It's not like that, Sining. Mom and Dad just didn't want you to work so hard, so they asked me to help you out. They said they would tell you about it when you came back. I just finished something, so if you want, I can take you back and let Mom and Dad explain it to you?" Lin Sisi continued, emphasizing the role of their parents as if trying to emotionally manipulate her.

Sining couldn't help but chuckle. Lin Sisi seemed to be using their parents' wishes as a way to pressure her into agreeing, as if refusing would be an act of disobedience. It was a clear attempt at moral blackmail, and Sining found it rather amusing.