Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Change of Heart

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the Lin family hosted a few tables for a banquet.

It was not as extravagant as a perpetual feast, yet they had invited every relative and neighbor in the village with whom they had close ties. Everyone gathered around Lin Ke, bustling with excitement, just as they had three years ago.

"The Lin girl has really made something of herself! It’s no easy feat to gain a firm footing in a big city."

"Indeed! I saw the photos of your office. That building—I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life."

"What could you have possibly seen when you’ve never even been to the town center? The Lin girl is a university graduate; things are different now!"

People in the village cared deeply about "face," and today, the Lin family was the one with the most to show.

Old Man Lin’s back seemed straighter than usual. He had taken several painkillers today just to endure the festivities. Lin Ke was naturally the star of the banquet, but as her father, he insisted on sitting in the seat of honor; being able to raise such an outstanding daughter was his greatest pride.

Lin Ke accepted everyone’s well-wishes with a modest smile, holding a glass. The little girl who rarely had a seat at the table during holidays in the past could now raise her glass with poise. She only drank cola, not alcohol, but that didn’t stop the uncles and elders—who usually looked down on those who didn't drink—from coming over to offer polite pleasantries.

"Actually, I’m not that special," Lin Ke said humbly. "The university I attended is quite ordinary; it doesn't even rank near the top in the country."

"Oh, listen to her! The girl is being modest now!"

The crowd burst into laughter. "You are the first university student in our village! You’re even a name in the whole town! Good university, bad university—if you can get into college, you’re a success!"

"Exactly! Don't tell me you’re comparing yourself to those pampered rich girls? You are the pride of our village. That red-background photo of yours is still hanging on the town high school’s honor roll!"

"You're talking nonsense. How is my Lin girl not a 'young lady of a good family'? Plenty of those city kids can’t even get into college."

"I heard that last year, there were over ten million candidates for the college entrance exam! They call it 'thousands of troops crossing a single-log bridge,' don't they? Lin, when you have time, give the village kids some pointers. Let them learn from you so they can get into college and go to the big cities too!"

Lin Ke smiled warmly. "No problem at all. If the younger ones have any questions, they can ask me. If I can help, I certainly will. My work is hard, though—it’s not as easy as it looks. I’m sure the younger generation will have even better prospects."

Hearing this, the aunts with younger children were all smiles, looking at the girl with even greater approval. In their small village, there were few scholars. Sometimes when children struggled with their schoolwork, the parents couldn't help, and there were no tutoring centers like in the city; everything relied on the children themselves. Now that Lin Ke had made this promise, it was a massive help.

"You don't know the half of it," one villager remarked. "My son works in the city, and he knows the score. Nowadays, even graduates from top-tier universities can't always find jobs, and even if they do, who knows how much they're actually making!"

"That’s true! Lin’s girl works in an office—she's a 'white-collar' worker. That's totally different from laborers at construction sites; she's a step above! To be making this kind of money so soon after graduation... I bet even those graduates from the top universities might not be doing as well."

"University tests your ability to learn, but finding a job tests your ability to work. Those bookworms in the city might not be as capable as our village girl!"

"Lin’s girl has always been capable. Everything she did since she was little was done efficiently. I knew she would go far."

"Yes, even back when she started primary school, I knew she was special. She brought home stacks of certificates; Old Man Lin’s walls were covered with them."

"Old Lin worked hard for the first half of his life, but his blessings are all coming now!"

Lin Ke felt as though she had never heard so many kind words in her life.

Since she was a child, she had loved to show off, competing to be first in everything. Even in college, no matter how difficult the opportunity, she would rush to seize it. In reality, this was because, as a child, she had endured too much criticism and neglect.

"Girls aren't good at studying." "Girls can't earn as much as boys." "Girls can't carry on the family line; investing in their education is a waste of money..."

She had heard these words her entire life until her ears were calloused. It seemed that only by desperately winning more certificates and ranking first in everything could she change all of this. Only then could she make her parents stand tall and tell everyone that their daughter was no worse than any boy.

But only today did Lin Ke feel that she had truly succeeded.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, her parents, who had lived their whole lives keeping a low profile, had finally become the center of attention. On the table were the roast chicken and canned fruit that she had only been able to eat during holidays as a child. Every topic of conversation revolved around her parents and herself.

Before her college entrance exam, it felt as though she hadn't seen her parents this happy in a very long time. After the exam, she hadn't dared to return home for three whole years, watching through video calls as her parents grew more tired and worried.

But today, everything was different.

People are always quick to fawn over the successful and look down on the struggling. Just a few months ago, through messages from Lin Yun, she had heard the snide remarks the villagers made about them. Now that she had clearly made money, their attitudes had changed in an instant.

Mr. Wang was right.

There is nothing wrong with ambition.

Once a person reaches a high enough position, countless people will naturally flock to them, and everything they do will be deemed correct.

Heaven knows why Lin Ke thought of her boss at such a crowded gathering. She remembered how she had worried about being subjected to unspoken rules and had even foolishly steeled herself for a desperate confrontation. She had even gone to Director Snow of the Technical Department to complain that the traffic-pushing strategy provided by the company was flawed.

How incredibly stupid that had been.

One only earns the right to speak once they become successful!

As long as one has the traffic, one can possess everything.

If the company’s executives hadn't patiently persuaded her, she never would have realized this, no matter how many hard lessons she learned.

The second stage of the competition would involve live streaming. Lin Ke had already made up her mind: no matter what script the company gave her, she would perform it. She would do it wholeheartedly, and she would do it with total seriousness.

Since the night she first met Cheng Guanzhi, Lin Ke had experienced countless moments of inner conflict and hesitation. More than once, she had doubted whether what she was doing was truly the goal of her twenty years of hard study. She had been repeatedly tortured by her own conscience, struggling against the immediate benefits and the persuasion of others, unsure of what was right.

But today, Lin Ke was no longer confused.

She was certain that everything she was experiencing today was the goal she had been striving toward for all these years.

She thanked fate for allowing her to meet a mentor as soon as she entered the workforce, and for surrounding her with such experienced veterans who helped her avoid countless detours and shed the unnecessary reserve of the ivory tower.

The days ahead would surely get better and better.

And she would certainly work even harder.