“How could he just report on it without asking any questions or investigating?”
“For my article, I checked every piece of evidence you gave me—I made sure everything was true before publishing it.”
Tian Man was furious. She slammed her hand on the table. “Cao Yuejin is twisting the truth! He doesn’t deserve to be a journalist!”
“Sis, I actually think this is a good opportunity,” Shen Zhiqiu said, sharing her thoughts. “You can write another article to set the record straight.”
“And while we’re at it… have you considered starting a dedicated column?”
“A column?” Tian Man guessed her meaning. “Zhiqiu, are you suggesting I create a column about cases like yours?”
Shen Zhiqiu shook her head gently. “No—something related to legal education.”
“When I consulted Professor Cheng, he mentioned how few ordinary people truly understand the law.”
“Take my father, for example. He thought marrying my mother and then Wang Fengqin right after was just ‘enjoying the benefits of two wives.’ But what he did was bigamy—a violation of the Marriage Law, punishable by prison time.”
“And this time, he got arrested because he actually hired someone to attack my second uncle. That counts as intentional assault, yet he saw it as nothing more than a ‘family dispute’—just a little lesson.”
“To us, it might sound like some wild story, but many people genuinely don’t realize their actions break the law. And victims often don’t know they can use legal means to protect themselves.”
“Both Professor Cheng and Mingli have said that many people ruin their lives and their families’ futures simply because they don’t understand the law.”
Shen Zhiqiu looked at Tian Man. “Sis, I don’t know if this idea is any good—I just feel like it’s something meaningful that someone should do.”
“Right now, I don’t think any newspaper has a column like this. If you started one, you’d be the first.”
“Zhiqiu, this is a fantastic idea.” Tian Man bit her finger, forcing herself to calm down despite her excitement. “Honestly, I’ve been wanting to create a column for a while, but I didn’t have a clear direction.”
“What you’ve suggested is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’ll go back and research this properly before making a decision.”
She clenched her fist and slammed it down on the National Capital News. “But right now, we need to strike back!”
“It’s only polite to return the favor. Cao Yuejin has thrown down the gauntlet—if I don’t respond, he’ll think I’m afraid of him!”
“A petty man like him needs to be beaten at his own game! That’ll shut him up about his nonsense like ‘men handle outside matters, women stay at home.’”
“I’ll make him understand that while people may be divided by gender, journalism is about who reports more objectively, fairly, and truthfully! And Tian Man is just better than Cao Yuejin!”
“Sis, let me walk you through everything that happened in detail.”
As Tian Man took notes, she already had a clear plan—she knew exactly who to approach for verification.
After leaving Shen Zhiqiu, she headed straight for the area near Yangxi Alley.
First, she interviewed people near where Ye Yunlin and Ye Jiawu had been attacked, then moved on to Yangxi Alley itself.
From there, she went to the police station where Shen Daqiang was being held and the hospital to speak with relevant personnel. The facts lined up almost exactly with what Shen Zhiqiu had told her.
That night, after Tan Jianping and the kids were asleep, Tian Man organized all the interview notes and wrote a thorough report. The next morning, she submitted it to the editor-in-chief.
The editor had already seen the article in National Capital News the day before and recognized Cao Yuejin’s writing. But he didn’t confront Cao—he pretended not to know and waited to see how Tian Man would respond.
“Good, very good. Really well done.”
After quickly reading Tian Man’s report, the editor smiled in satisfaction. “Xiao Tian, your reporting skills haven’t slipped at all. In fact, your writing has grown even sharper.”
Tian Man knew exactly what the editor wanted to hear. “That’s all thanks to your guidance and encouragement, Chief.”
“My guidance matters, but your hard work matters more.”
The editor sighed regretfully. “Xiao Tian, in every way, you’re actually stronger than Xiao Cao—it’s just that family responsibilities held you back.”
“Chief, at different stages of life, we have to make different choices. Before, my kids were still young, and I couldn’t bear to neglect them, so I naturally devoted more time and energy to my family.”
“But now they’re older, and I can shift my focus back to work.”
“As you can see, I haven’t let my professional skills rust. I hope you’ll give me more opportunities in the future.”
“Xiao Tian, don’t worry. With that attitude, you’ll have my full support.”
The conversation between two sharp minds didn’t need to be spelled out. The editor understood Tian Man’s intentions—and he had been testing her all along.
The evening paper’s editorial team was already understaffed, stuck in an awkward transition period. Most were either nearing retirement or too young to handle major responsibilities. Only three or four people could truly carry the weight.
Cao Yuejin had already found another job and would likely resign any day now. Once he left, Tian Man would have to step up for his team—but the editor wasn’t entirely confident in her.
A woman her age might suddenly get caught up in family matters again, leaving no time or energy for work. So he decided to observe her for a while longer before making any decisions.
At the evening paper, the final draft was usually finalized in the morning, reviewed by the editor in the afternoon, and then sent to the printing press. The printed papers would be distributed to newsstands by noon the next day.
Just after lunch that day—
“Tian Man, what the hell is this?” Cao Yuejin exploded when he saw her article, throwing the newspaper down in front of her.
Tian Man had been talking to Li Xiaoli, who was so startled she nearly fell off her chair.
“Cao Yuejin, I should be asking you the same thing!” Tian Man steadied Li Xiaoli before standing up and glaring at him. “If you want to throw a tantrum, go do it at home with your parents! Don’t bring that nonsense here!”
“Who told you to write this article?”
“Cao Yuejin, I’m genuinely curious—why are you so worked up? What does my article have to do with you?”
Only then did Cao Yuejin realize he’d overreacted. He scrambled for an excuse. “I mean, why wasn’t I informed about this article?”
“Tian Man, this is the second time you’ve gone straight to the editor without going through me. That’s against protocol.”
Tian Man had a ready explanation. “You weren’t here, and this was time-sensitive. I had no choice but to take it straight to the editor.”
“Tian Man, you’ve been going to the editor an awful lot lately.”
