Chapter 604 - 603: Shooting Oneself in the Foot (4)

After its debut, the revamped morning news from Imperial City TV Station did not fail to live up to the blood and sweat poured into it. It would be no exaggeration to say it started with a bang.

The initial success allowed it to firmly establish its place.

Li Anna, the host of the debut broadcast, also became an overnight sensation.

She was already attention-grabbing, not to mention young and beautiful. Who wouldn’t adore her? Who wouldn’t like her?

In just one week, while she might not have become a household name, Li Anna’s public recognition had skyrocketed.

Now, whenever she went out, people would recognize her.

Some could call her by name, while others who couldn’t at least knew she was the news anchor.

More people started striking up conversations with her on the street, or simply stared at her with looks of wonder and admiration.

With all the attention she was getting outside, Li Anna’s stock rose within the TV station as well. Everyone she saw greeted her with a smile.

Under these circumstances, the gloom that Su Li had previously cast over her finally dissipated.

Li Anna’s mood finally brightened completely, and her confidence came roaring back, stronger than before.

’So what if Su Li had her moment in the spotlight? So what if she snatched my opportunity? In the end, she’s still no match for me!’

As Li Anna thought this, she conveniently ignored the fact that while Su Li might not be as dazzling, she was still shining brightly in her own way.

Su Li had always been an outstanding performer with sharp instincts. Now that her talent for foreign languages had been unearthed, opportunities would have come knocking even if she hadn’t sought them out—and she was certainly striving hard to seize them.

Su Li might have seemed less glamorous and prominent than Li Anna at the moment, but in reality, taking the long view, her future path was far more expansive and promising.

Thanks to her exceptional abilities, bolstered by her talent for foreign languages, Su Li became busy once more—even busier than she had been before.

Moreover, her work was no longer the kind of tasks any reporter could handle. She was now doing things that other reporters couldn’t.

The locations she went to for her reports and interviews were no longer restricted; she was covering increasingly important events.

She was gaining access to venues that ordinary journalists couldn’t enter. Even when a media outlet was only granted a single spot, that coveted position went to Su Li.

Little by little, she began to cover important, formal conferences attended by foreign dignitaries. As she grew more adept, she became the go-to reporter for such events, whether foreign guests were present or not.

Whether she appeared on-screen or not, any report Su Li filed was almost guaranteed to be broadcast. Furthermore, her segments usually aired within the first few minutes of the news.

To put it in modern terms, if her stories weren’t the top headline, they were at least in the top three or top five.

Quietly, subtly, like a gentle rain nurturing the soil unseen, Su Li established a firm foothold for herself at the TV station and in the media industry.

She was rarely recognized on the street, but no one dared to underestimate her anymore.

This entire process took Su Li just a little over a month.

Before the winter break began, just as her final semester of classes was ending, Su Li showcased her capabilities and was, to no one’s surprise, officially hired by Imperial City TV Station ahead of schedule.

She bypassed the internship period and was hired directly as a full-time employee, becoming a reporter for Imperial City TV Station.

She was young and new, without even a title like "team leader." Yet, everyone from the team leaders to the editor-in-chief—even Li Anna—had to greet her with a smile, whether they meant it or not.

Su Li wasn’t a team leader, but she commanded more respect than one. The cameramen she frequently partnered with no longer dared to order her around arbitrarily as they might have before.

Naturally, Li Anna found Su Li’s current status deeply unsettling, but she could no longer pick fights with her.

Su Li had never directly confronted Li Anna or had a falling out with her, but in everyone’s eyes, she had won a stunning victory and turned the tables completely.

Her performance made Wu Sheng breathe a huge sigh of relief, though his feelings were a complicated mix of slight frustration, pride, and helplessness.

Wu Sheng had great faith in Su Li and didn’t try to manage every aspect of her life. If Su Li wanted to talk about something, he would listen; if she didn’t, he wouldn’t press her.

Su Li never told Wu Sheng about her issues with Li Anna, but he could tell something was off. Worried that someone tactless was bullying her, he started keeping an eye on things from the shadows.

When he saw how Li Anna was treating Su Li, Wu Sheng was absolutely furious. He almost lost control and stepped in to teach that woman a lesson.

In the end, it was Su Li who sensed something was off and asked him to back down.

"Wu Sheng, I know you’re concerned about me and want to help, but please let me handle this on my own. I can take care of it."

Those were Su Li’s exact words.

"I still have a long road ahead of me, both in life and in my career. I’m going to run into all sorts of challenges and problems, and I need to learn to face and solve them myself. I can’t just hide behind you and let you handle everything for me. It’s best if I do this on my own."

Wu Sheng knew Su Li had a point, so he reluctantly agreed not to intervene.

He did, however, tell her to ask for his help anytime she needed it.

And Su Li, of course, agreed.

Afterward, as Wu Sheng continued to watch over her, he noticed that Su Li didn’t seem to be doing anything. She even started going to the TV station less frequently, as if she were afraid of Li Anna and trying to avoid a direct confrontation.

Wu Sheng held back, watching as Su Li kept herself busy. Only after that period of intense work ended did she return to the station and face Li Anna, unhurried and seemingly unprepared.

Just as Wu Sheng was worrying himself to death over her, Su Li finally made her move. It wasn’t the head-on confrontation he had anticipated, but a silent and beautifully executed comeback.

Wu Sheng had long known that Su Li was skilled in foreign languages; after all, she had helped him with them before.

Wu Sheng had already witnessed Su Li’s ridiculously good language skills through her student, Tang Mo, so he took this new development in stride.

When he heard others praising Su Li’s language abilities, he would think smugly to himself, ’This is nothing. The skills she’s showing now are just the tip of the iceberg. You all are in for a real shock later on.’

As Wu Sheng watched with a complex mix of gratification and other emotions, Su Li steadily climbed the ladder, resolving her work-related issues one by one and solidifying her position.

The frequency and length of Su Li’s appearances on the news began to slowly increase, and Wu Sheng found a way to record every single one of her on-screen moments.

Su Li’s performance grew more and more brilliant, so much so that an increasing number of people began to take notice of her.

Li Anna was indeed on her way to becoming a household name, but among the people who were serious news-watchers, the one who truly captured their attention was Su Li.

Wu Sheng started to overhear more and more people praising Su Li, remarking on how remarkable she was for someone so young.

With such an outstanding performance, Su Li became the undisputed number one in her academic year. She was now an object of admiration and a role model for underclassmen and even her own classmates.

Right around the time of final exams, the school newspaper and radio station even ran a special feature interview, and the star of the show was none other than Su Li.

Although graduation was still six months away, everyone had already tacitly assumed that Su Li would be their class’s outstanding representative.

For a time, Su Li was the unrivaled star of the school.

And just then, the final exams arrived, right on schedule.

After final exams, a new year would begin.