High-Altitude Worker, Unfortunately a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role - Chapter 25

“First High…” Yin Wenyuan murmured softly. Having been away from school for so long, he was completely out of touch with the current high school landscape.

Suddenly, the rooftop emergency exit door crashed open, and several figures in bright orange jumpsuits jogged toward them, stopping three or four meters from the girl.

“Sister, classmate, it’s dangerous up here!” the lead firefighter called out, cautiously taking a step forward. Seeing the girl didn’t react, he extended his hand as far as he could, pleading for her to take it.

“Tang Rong! Come down now! Come down!”

A gaunt, wiry figure materialized from the shadows. Tang Rong’s mother, with her practical short haircut, clutched a cloth bag bearing the tutoring center’s logo.

“Don’t come any closer!” Tang Rong shrieked, her voice trembling as she scrambled to her feet, instinctively backing away.

“Don’t move, classmate!” the firefighter shouted.

But Tang Rong’s mother ignored him, her face contorted with anger and fury. “Look at you!” she spat. “We’ve wasted so much money on you, and now it’s all gone down the drain! You can’t even get into First High! What good are you?!”

“Yes, I haven’t!” Tang Rong retorted, clearly provoked. “Anyway, you think I’m a complete failure! My life ends here!”

Tang Rong relinquished control of her body and leaned straight backward.

The firefighter’s pupils constricted as he lunged forward, desperately trying to grab something.

Tang Rong’s mother stood frozen, her mouth agape, her breath suspended.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

In the next instant, Tang Rong’s backward-leaning back was abruptly shoved forward.

Zhao Ke had been hiding beneath the parapet at Tang Rong’s feet, fearing the girl might accidentally lose her footing and become a tragedy. If Tang Rong had willingly moved to safety, that would have been ideal. But if an accident occurred, Zhao Ke was ready to intervene.

The shove sent Tang Rong hurtling forward, crashing into the firefighter’s arms. He firmly gripped her and dragged her away from the rooftop’s edge.

Zhao Ke vaulted onto the parapet, crouched on the wall, and watched as the crowd slowly gathered around.

Ahhh, she’s saved! Thank goodness!

Teary-eyed

How could this mother say such awful things? How could she tear her daughter down like that?

Are they really mother and daughter???

Zhao Ke crouching there is so cool! Damn, why does she look exactly like Spider-Man making his entrance?

“Madam! Please calm down and focus on your daughter’s feelings!”

Several firefighters and building staff members surrounded Tang Rong, trying to comfort her, but her mother continued to rant relentlessly, her words harsh and unbearable.

“Tang Rong, you only have one option now: retake the exam, do you understand?!”

“Mom,” Tang Rong whispered, her voice barely audible. For the first time in her life, her mother seemed like a complete stranger.

Does it have to be First High? Is this the only path for my life?

“Tang Rong, you’re destined for an office job. You can’t possibly end up like these people.”

“Relying on your youth is a recipe for lifelong misery.”

Tang Rong’s mother cast an arrogant glance around, her wrinkled silk blouse transforming into a royal robe, elevating her from the middle class to the aristocracy in an instant.

The firefighters’ expressions turned cold. The building security guard and lobby manager, who had come to help out of kindness, silently retreated a few steps, no longer wanting to deal with this mess.

This mother clearly didn’t realize the scene was being live-streamed, every word and action broadcast to the entire nation.

What’s this? Blatant discrimination!

The office workers were so infuriated they could only laugh. What kind of feudal, outdated values are these?

We all earn our living with our own hands. How dare you act superior?

With such narrow-minded parents, what kind of future can their tiger-parented children hope to achieve?

Tang Rong’s mother glared at Zhao Ke, who was still adjusting the climbing rope at the edge of the rooftop. “Look at them,” she sneered. “These workers spend their days hanging outside in the sun, only to be mocked and despised by those inside. What value does their lives even have, tell me?”

Hey, don’t drag me into this!

Are you the only one who thinks like this, old lady?

Ha! Three thousand yuan a month inside versus thirty thousand outside. Who’s really looking down on whom?

Zhao Ke suddenly felt a surge of irritation. She yanked off her helmet and tossed it to the ground.

The plastic clattered against the concrete, making a grating noise that set her teeth on edge.

She unclipped the climbing rope from her waist, flung the cumbersome rope aside, and strode directly toward Tang Rong’s mother.

Just as the woman had said, Zhao Ke was indeed a delinquent who never studied. Now, she no longer bothered to suppress her natural swagger, letting the full force of her rebellious spirit crash down on the woman like the weight of the night.

Zhao Ke’s sleek, practical outfit seemed to be missing just one thing: a weapon, like a knife or a gun, to perfectly match her current aura.

“This is someone I just rescued,” Zhao Ke said, her voice soft but with an unusual gravelly edge, as heavy as a thousand tons. “I suggest you think before you speak.”

The woman involuntarily took two steps back, tightening her grip on the canvas bag slung over her shoulder. “Tang Rong, stand up and thank her properly.”

“Hmph,” Zhao Ke scoffed softly.

Tang Rong, cowering in the shadow between her mother and Zhao Ke, struggled to her feet on her weak legs. “Thank you, Sister,” she mumbled.

Zhao Ke glanced at Tang Rong, her voice cold. “I want to talk to you alone.”

“Hmph, even a simple thank you is such a struggle,” the woman sneered. “I can’t believe I raised such a spineless daughter.”

After berating her daughter, she turned a contemptuous gaze on Zhao Ke. “What’s this about? You want money, is that it?”

“Madam,” Yin Wenyuan suddenly stepped forward, blocking the woman’s hostile glare. “Regarding the office job, perhaps I have some say in the matter.”

Great! Yin Wenyuan is here—we’re saved!

What’s he getting at?

Brother Yin is a scion of the compound. Even if this tiger mom pushes her kid to the limit, she’ll never be worthy of even carrying his shoes.

Exactly! It’s time she faced reality.

Zhao Ke exchanged a meaningful glance with Yin Wenyuan and led Tang Rong aside.

The two women crouched against the wall. Zhao Ke sighed, her earlier fiery attitude instantly dissipating like smoke.

“Sorry about that. I got a little carried away.”

“No, no problem,” Tang Rong replied, her voice still trembling, but her gaze remained fixed on the person beside her.

A strange blend of weariness and resilience radiated from Zhao Ke, creating an aura of calm and stability.

“Honestly, I don’t have much to tell you,” Zhao Ke said, tugging at her overalls. “I just happened to be working here today. I’m not exactly qualified to give you advice.”

In Zhao Ke’s relatively eventful life, she had rarely encountered someone as naive as Tang Rong, a sheltered student.

Immersive learning was a concept foreign to Zhao Ke, who had grown up in an orphanage. During her adolescence, she had struggled to get enough to eat, spending most of her time and energy on odd jobs to earn money. Long-term investments like education, with their delayed returns, were never an option for her.

Over the years since entering the workforce, Zhao Ke had occasionally daydreamed about the idealized college life romanticized online, but overall, she harbored few regrets.

“What I think is, life’s margin for error is much wider than you imagine. Even in the worst-case scenario, as long as you have your hands and feet, you can support yourself.”

Zhao Ke’s gaze was earnest.

“But my… my mom…”

“She has hands and feet too.”

Family ties were another difficult subject for Zhao Ke to navigate.

Zhao Ke had always believed in the life philosophy of “one person fed is enough for the whole family.” She kept her distance from people like Lü Yikang, who had a wife and children and carried the sole responsibility of providing for his family.

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Zhao Ke said with a smile. “Whether you get into a good university or work odd jobs your whole life, I’ll still applaud you.”

“Really?” Tang Rong felt a lump in her throat, the bittersweet emotion stinging her eyes and bringing tears to the surface.

No one had ever said such things to her before. In her world, everyone insisted that studying was the only way out. Now, it seemed her world was just a tiny corner of a much vaster realm, slowly unfolding in her subconscious.

“Thank you, Sister. I understand now.” Tang Rong wiped the tears from her eyes.

Her mother’s embrace had been both a warm haven and a hidden shackle, blinding her to other possibilities. Now that she knew she had countless fallback options, her mother’s daily lectures were nothing more than irritating noise.

This society is a massive information cocoon. Sometimes, the silent aren’t silenced; they’re simply focused on living their lives.

LOL, that auntie’s face when she found out about Brother Yin’s family background!

It’s wrong to use power to bully people, but it’s so satisfying!

Just laugh about it in the livestream, everyone. Please don’t spread it around to protect the privacy of ordinary people. Let’s not bring trouble to Brother Yin and Keke.

“Did your phone accidentally fall just now?” Zhao Ke asked after a moment’s thought. The rooftop had no tiles, so it must have been Tang Rong’s nerves causing her to drop something that hit Zhao Ke.

Tang Rong suddenly realized and patted herself. “Oh, I think so.”

“Then I’ll buy you a new one,” Zhao Ke said, standing up. She knew Tang Rong’s relationship with her mother was strained. If her mother found out she had to spend money on a phone, there would inevitably be another scolding.

“No, no, don’t worry about it,” Tang Rong said, quickly grabbing Zhao Ke’s arm.

Zhao Ke glanced down at Tang Rong’s flustered expression and smiled. “I’m not as poor as you think.”

In the end, Zhao Ke couldn’t buy Tang Rong a new phone. Tang Rong’s father finally appeared after the family’s relatives had called him five times. The ever-agreeable man smoothed things over between mother and daughter, thanked everyone with practiced diplomacy, and led his wife and daughter away.

Tsk, the dad’s playing invisible again.

What else could he do? Yell at his wife or daughter in front of all these people?

Even though the fans didn’t actively promote it, the heated social media discussions about the incident still made it to the trending topics.

Online debates raged endlessly about the academic pressure faced by teenagers, eventually extending to discussions about career prospects and social status.

The fervor persisted for days, but ultimately, only official media outlets issued symbolic calls for attention to adolescent mental health, and the matter fizzled out without any concrete action.

Star Yue Media, a conglomerate with diverse business interests, was preparing its girl group for a survival show. Zhao Ke was summoned to the company to film an encouraging video for the group.

Zhao Ke had become a regular fixture on trending searches. Even with their eyes closed, company employees couldn’t escape the constant buzz about her.

With her reputation improving, Zhao Ke’s return to the company was met with a reception line of employees eager to greet her. Many asked for autographs and photos, and Zhao Ke, considering them all colleagues, didn’t refuse a single request.

“Sister Ke, you’re so cool!”

“Sister Ke, you were amazing on the variety show!”

Bold employees openly showered her with praise.

Zhao Ke’s cheeks flushed crimson. Hearing such compliments in person felt entirely different from reading online praise. She nearly wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

After finally pacifying the eager employees, Zhao Ke let out a long sigh and slipped into the filming studio.

Manager Kong Jianshan, still impeccably dressed in a suit, held his phone against his chest. His thumb gently stroked the volume buttons on the side as he greeted her with a warm smile. “Zhao Ke, you’re here! Your recent performance has been excellent. Let’s give you some well-deserved praise.”