Qiao Nan gave a sideways glance at He Yi. Look, her senior did not take Deng Wenchang seriously, but he seemed to be like a mad dog that pounced on him when he was unaware and was ready to take a bite off his thigh.Women might be gossipy, but when men were gossipy, they would be worse than women.

  The two colleagues who had lunch with Deng Wenchang were the most gossipy people in the department. Now that they knew that she had lunch with her senior by themselves in the private room, the entire ministry would know about this within half an hour.

  He Yi did not expect that Deng Wenchang would be so blatant in smearing his reputation.

  He Yi smiled in anger. “That’s right. I gave Xiao Qiao a treat by myself to welcome her to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I never mentioned this in the department, but Xiao Qiao has a fairly close relationship with me. However, one should appoint a competent person even when she is one’s relative. I guess everyone should know by now that Xiao Qiao is competent and capable.”


  “Fairly close relationship?” Deng Wenchang knitted his brows. “Are the two of you relatives?” His father knew He Yi for decades. His father never mentioned to him that He Yi and Qiao Nan were relatives.

  This was a pack of lies. He should have put in more effort to cook up a story.

  Deng Wenchang might not believe him, but the two older colleagues believed his words. “I see. Minister, why didn’t you say so? Comrade Xiao Qiao could be seen as a member of the royal family. If you say so, as her uncles, we will take extra care of Comrade Xiao Qiao.”


  Everyone was one family. Xiao Qiao was different from Deng Wenchang. He was an outsider.

  It was no wonder no matter how Deng Wenchang provoked Xiao Qiao, she would never lose her temper. She was not as delicate as other girls. Instead, she was gracious and steady.

  \r \r \r

  Deng Wenchang suspected that Qiao Nan offered He Yi immoral favors so as to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  In fact, the other people in the department had the same sentiments when they heard that a female college student who had yet to graduate was doing an internship at their department.

  They had doubts as well!

  However, they would not be as foolish as Deng Wenchang and express their doubts blatantly, keep a tight watch on Qiao Nan and He Yi, or even attempt to put a tracking device on them so as to catch them doing immoral acts.

  Since there was a young and foolish man in the department, they would watch by the side and see how it unfolded.

  However, the older colleagues realized very soon that Qiao Nan looked upright and righteous. She did not have the shady expression of someone who would resort to using honey trap.

  Qiao Nan was steady and down-to-earth. Compared to Deng Wenchang, she was able to be in control of the situation.

  Qiao Nan did not need He Yi’s help and she proved that she was more competent than Deng Wenchang, who came back from overseas study. Regardless of whether He Yi had any deals with Qiao Nan in order for her to join the ministry, they were willing to accept a newcomer like her instead of Deng Wenchang, who had a nasty temper and was not as competent as he claimed.

  Now that He Yi admitted that he had a fairly close relationship with Qiao Nan, there was nothing to be doubtful of.

  Although they might not be relatives, they might have known each other for a long time.

  Deng Wenchang addressed the minister as his uncle, but it did not mean that they were relatives. Deng Wenchang was not the minister’s nephew either.

  They had worked together for years. He Yi could tell from their expressions that they did not have a wrong impression of them. “There is no need to take extra care of her. I know very well whether Xiao Qiao is capable or not. The reason why I did not mention this to you is so that all of you can give her a chance to toughen up and improve. I hope that she could gain some experience. People in our family do not lead a pampered life. One needs to withstand the strong wind and rain. This would train them to be strong and resilient!”


  “Yes, Minister He is right. Xiao Qiao is indeed competent. It is rare to find young people like Xiao Qiao who is dependable, earnest, and strive to do better.” Deng Wenchang was the opposite of her.

  “Yes, there are many young people who are delicate and arrogant. Xiao Qiao is indeed refreshing and different. When I go back home today, I must tell my children to learn from Xiao Qiao.”


  Qiao Nan smiled shyly as the three of them chatted happily. She stayed by He Yi’s side, remaining silent.

  The atmosphere was good between the four of them. However, Deng Wenchang, who forked out money to treat his colleagues, felt that it was a waste of his money. He did not get to see the ‘good show’ that he had in mind, and the people whom he treated did not stand on his side. Instead, they had a jovial conversation with his enemy.

  Deng Wenchang glared at them, turning green in anger.

  Since there was still some time, Deng Wenchang turned to find a quiet place to make a phone call to his father. “Dad, since when did Qiao Nan become He Yi’s niece? Are you sure you haven’t seen Qiao Nan or heard from He Yi that he has a niece?”


  If they were relatives, it would be so embarrassing for him.

  “No, absolutely not.” Father Deng was certain. “If He Yi had a niece, I would have heard of it. Besides, many people know He Yi. They didn’t mention this as well.” Qiao Nan was a Peking University student. Even if she did not go on overseas study, her performance was considered very outstanding in the country.

  If He Yi had such a niece, he would have boasted about her to his old friends.

  The children of many families sat for their college entrance examination these past few years. After the exams, they were worried sick for their results and which school to choose. If one was from the capital, it was their worst nightmare if they could not go to Peking University or Tsinghua University.

  He Yi would not say anything when people discussed similar topics. “Didn’t you say that Qiao Nan received a lot of scholarships when she was in school? If He Yi’s niece was so capable, he would have told it to everyone!”


  “Dad, how’s the investigation on Qiao Nan going?” Deng Wenchang felt jittery. “He Yi said that he has a fairly good relationship with Qiao Nan in front of two other colleagues. If I cannot find fault with them, it will mean that Qiao Nan will have bright prospects in the ministry. In the future, I might have to work under such a ‘filthy’ woman. Dad, I won’t admit defeat. This has to be resolved as soon as possible.”


  He wondered what the people that his father hired were doing. It was simply doing a background check on a person, and Qiao Nan did not come from an illustrious family. Why was it that they took so long to do a simple task?

  “Don’t worry. We have some ideas about her.”