"Turns out she was putting up a show for Dad to see! I have to say, she's quite the performer. Living outside this past year has made her more adept at it. I wonder who she's trying to seduce with these tactics."Karen massaged her cheeks with a jade roller. "Forget about whom she's trying to seduce. Just trust me, I'll find her a good match."The mother and daughter exchanged a smile. "Oh Mom, you better find her a good match, but make sure Dad doesn't catch on.""Naturally. After all, I'm a very kind stepmother. I can't afford to let gossip spread, can I?""With you on the case, I have nothing to worry about."…"Alright, everyone's gone. Why are you still standing there stiffly?" Vince sat on the sofa, brushing off nonexistent dust from his knees, gesturing for his daughter to come sit beside him.Rita remained unmoving."What, do I have to formally invite you over as your father?" Vince put on a stern demeanor.Thinking about the news they were about to discuss, she finall
Rita frowned. "If someone doubts my innocence because of this kind of news, I have no reason to marry that man. Besides, it's the twenty-first century now. Everyone has some sort of past, and only old-fashioned people care about whether someone has had previous relationships. Dad, you're not one of those old-fashioned people, are you?""Where are you going with this? Having a past and being defiled by a vagrant are two completely different things! I'm warning you: sort this out quickly, or you can forget about being a reporter!""Dad!"Vince waved, his decision already made. Perhaps he had been too lenient with his daughter. Who would have thought she would be so careless about her reputation? Rita could have her freedom, but only as long as it did not jeopardize her future interests.As Vince looked at his daughter, who had grown to be a head shorter than him, all he could think of was her future.'She's still too young to understand that I'm only looking out for her. When she ge
Rita left the house again, carrying her bag. Since she reached adulthood, she came and went to the house as if she were just a visitor.Vince had many things he wanted to say, but as he watched her resolutely leave, he found himself speechless.He wanted to say he understood her well. If something had really happened, she would not have stood before him so calmly. He wanted to say that it was because he understood her that he did not ask.Even when he appeared on the second floor, he had carefully scrutinized her. If she could stand there without any issues, then she was surely fine. However, to Rita, all of this seemed like his indifference.He sighed, mindlessly touching the jade ring on his ring finger. It was left behind by Taya all those years ago. Vince had only this ring on his finger for many years; he did not even have a wedding ceremony when he married Karen.He had gifted Karen many pieces of jewelry but never a ring. Having Taya's ring on his ring finger was enough for
"Thanks to you and your friends… If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't know where I'd be right now..." He rubbed his hands together, feeling somewhat embarrassed.Perhaps he would have left behind his wandering life long ago if someone had been willing to lend him a hand from the start.Rita smiled and said, "Where else could you go? You'd still be stuck at that piece of land of course."Virgil scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Heh, you're right. But I still have to thank you all."Rita nodded. "I also have to thank you for trusting me. Alright, I just came to see you. Since you're settling in so quickly, I'll head back now. There's still a lot of work to be done."Virgil walked a few steps with her, hesitated, and finally said, "I know figuring things out can be tough, but since I've settled down now...you don't have to rush the matter. You can just take things at your own pace."Rita understood his meaning; achieving this task alone would indeed be very difficult fo
"Chase, I called you several times. What's the matter with you?" asked the colleague.Chase awkwardly scratched his head and flipped through the documents in his hand. "Huh? Did you just call me? Maybe I didn't get enough rest last night, so I sort of spaced out a little..."His attitude only made things more peculiar."Chase, I've finished editing the draft. Can you take a look?"He nervously accepted the papers, still avoiding eye contact with Rita. "Um...yeah, sure. I'll take a look first, you can go back for now."Under the watchful gaze of his colleagues, he slowly sat back at his desk. After a while, he tried to sneak a glance at Rita, only to find her staring at him with an amused smile playing on her lips. He immediately lowered his head."Hmm…" Rita chuckled and shook her head.Chase's mental resilience was even worse than she had imagined. She had thought about playing a trick on him, but at this point, it seemed unnecessary.Still, was it worth her effort to deal wit
Coupled with the previous conversations Rita had with the boss, she deeply doubted her female colleague's judgment. Rita did not hold any expectations.However, the other colleagues seemed excited. They gathered around to gossip to the point of even neglecting their work.Chase was very pleased. It was clear that the boss intended to criticize Rita at the staff meeting. Perhaps he could even get rid of this annoying newcomer altogether.Thinking about how there would be no one left in the department to challenge him in the future, Chase felt rather satisfied.With a stack of documents in hand, he walked up to Rita's desk, leaned against her workspace, and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.Rita did not even bother to lift her head. She found him extremely irritating and had no desire to engage with him.Chase sneered inwardly at her indifference. 'Let's see how long she keeps this calm facade on her.' The thought of her being caught off-guard and criticized filled him with even m
Their boss, Lenny, did not respond to Chase's words as usual. Instead, he glanced at him before shifting his gaze to someone else."I don't know if everyone here still remembers the oath we took when we first became reporters. Do you still remember what our primary responsibility is?"'I remember,' Rita quietly answered in her mind. 'Respect for truth and the public's right to know the truth are a reporter's primary responsibilities.'Everything she did was to fulfill the oath she had made at the beginning. However, while the oath was simple, putting it into practice was incredibly difficult, especially when walking the path of a true reporter which was fraught with many challenges and obstacles."I believe everyone here hasn't forgotten our primary responsibility. However, as time goes by and years pass, it seems that some people have forgotten why they embarked on this journey in the first place."Lenny slammed the newspaper on the table heavily. Silence filled the conference ro
Most of them were in their middle age, with elderly parents and young children to support. They simply could not afford to abandon everything for the sake of fairness. Thus, when facing reality, these reporters could only selectively forget their primary responsibilities."Well done, all of you," said Lenny sarcastically. "Have any of you seen this article?"On the big screen, the article in question was projected—it was obviously the one that had falsely accused Rita. However, the ambiguous photo and the names of the individuals involved were blurred out.Rita clenched her hands together.She understood that Lenny was protecting her privacy, and she was grateful for it. The article caused a stir among them, and some were already whispering and discussing it.Articles of this quality would never appear in New Capital Times, let alone such ambiguous wording, which was not appropriate for a proper reporter."Boss, did you make a mistake with the article? What's there to learn from