Initially, the man had thought of taking this ‘credit’ for himself. That way, he would have the chance of being invited to the Qiao family’s house for a meal and show his existence in front of Chief Zhai. After all, he would have to share his credit with others if they were to learn about it.

  Unfortunately, he had forgotten all about Ding Jiayi’s temper and image that he had seen on the news in the past.

  He had thought that everything would be solved once Qiao Zijin passed the written examination and reached the interview stage. Once Qiao Zijin passed the interview, he would have finished his work here. Who would have known that Ding Jiayi would appear yet again, presenting him with a bigger problem? “What? You want me to let someone shortlisted for the interview go and give their space to this young lady?”

  Looking at the name on the note, the man did not know whether to laugh or cry. It was such a coincidence that he did have an impression of this name. If he had not done Qiao Zijin that favor, this young lady’s name should have been on the list for the interview. It was exactly because Qiao Zijin had been shortlisted that this young lady had been kicked off the list.

  At that time, he had thought that it was a pity since that young lady’s results were pretty good. It was just unfortunate that this young lady had not taken the examination at the right time.

  \r \r \r

  “Yes, that’s right.” Thinking about the hundred thousand yuan at home, Ding Jiayi repeated herself even more firmly. “You might not know this, but this young lady grew up following my younger daughter around. They have a close relationship. They might not be biological sisters, but they are closer than real sisters. I didn’t know that she was taking the test this time too. It’s a little troublesome, but I hope that you’ll be able to help us out again. I still remember what I promised you the previous time. Once she and my daughter become civil servants, we’ll organize a banquet. When that time comes, I’ll arrange for you to sit right next to my son-in-law.”

  Ding Jiayi talked about Zhai Sheng as her ‘son-in-law’. Her tone made it seem as though she shared a close relationship with him and that Zhai Sheng respected her as his mother-in-law. The other party was moved by Ding Jiayi’s mention of arranging his seat beside Zhai Sheng’s.

  How was he supposed to have known that the picture that Ding Jiayi had painted was nothing more than an illusion? The Zhai family had not even left a seat for Ding Jiayi at Zhai Sheng and Qiao Nan’s wedding. In fact, Ding Jiayi had not even been allowed to get past the door and had even been sent to the police station for an entire afternoon.

  Ding Jiayi had already thought it through. It did not matter whether she was on good terms with Zhai Sheng or Qiao Nan. The facts remained that one was her son-in-law, while the other was her biological daughter. If Qiao Zijin really became a civil servant and she were to hold a banquet, the other party would probably be upset if Zhai Sheng and Qiao Nan did not show up. But that did not matter either. She was certain that the other party would not dare to get revenge on her, much less scheme against Qiao Zijin.

  Apart from the relationship between the two of them, she had not lied about anything. Everything else had been nothing but the truth.

  No matter how much the other party had wanted to get close to the Zhai family, he knew that Ding Jiayi’s request was a little too ridiculous. “Auntie Ding, I could possibly have done something if you had come to me about this before the examination. But now that the results have been announced, I really can’t do anything about it. I’m sorry. Auntie Ding, you’re putting me on the spot……”

  It would cause an uproar if he were to add another name to the list after it had already been announced and published. The public generally viewed a civil service job as a good job. As such, there were many people who had their eyes on this job. How could he possibly add a name to the published name list just like that? Did she think that this was a game?

  Thinking once again about Ding Jiayi’s description of this young lady’s relationship with Qiao Nan, the other party smirked. It was really true that having a friend with status and power helped an official do well. What was even truer was that when one was successful, those around them were sure to ride on their success.

  The younger daughter of the Qiao family had married well and had become the chief’s wife. That was why even a childhood friend of the chief’s wife could become a civil servant just because she wanted to. It seemed as though the door to the government sector was open to the Qiao family. They could enter as and when they wanted, inviting anyone they wished along.

  In the face of Ding Jiayi’s unreasonable demands, this person, who had wanted to get close to the Zhai family, was starting to regret his decision. It was alright that they were crazy, but they were even foolish. There were no limits to their actions.

  No matter how impressive Chief Zhai was, he was only a chief. There were superiors above him. It was not as though Chief Zhai was like an emperor in ancient times, whereby he had the final say. If he were to interfere in this matter, even Chief Zhai might no longer be able to handle it. “Auntie Ding, don’t be like this. Why don’t you ask her to try again next year? We’ll definitely be recruiting for the civil service again next year. I’ll remember this young lady’s name. I’ll make sure she’ll get in next year. How’s that?”

  “No way. It’s not as if you guys are only selecting one person this year. Since both she and my daughter can be selected at once, why should we have to wait until next year?” If she accepted his proposal, she would have to return that hundred thousand yuan at home.

  This was Ding Jiayi’s first time ‘earning’ money relying only on her own capabilities! Moreover, it had been such a huge sum of money! This was undoubtedly a great success and joy for Ding Jiayi.

  This hundred thousand yuan was the fruit of her labor. There was no way she was going to return it, but that would also mean that she would have to ensure that that neighbor’s daughter was selected for the interview too.

  Thinking about that thick stack of banknotes, Ding Jiayi was even more adamant. “You’ve done this in the past. I trust that you’ll definitely be able to get it done for me. Because you’ve helped me out, I’ll make sure that I introduce you well to my son-in-law who’s a chief. Since you address me as ‘auntie’, I know you’ll do me this favor. Don’t think that you’ll have many opportunities in the future just because you’re still young. You have to seek out these opportunities. Don’t regret it in the future for not cherishing these opportunities that are right in front of you!”

  Ding Jiayi purposely tried to seem profound and played hard to get. “Of course, if you really think that you can’t do it, I won’t force you into it either. You should know the position my son-in-law is in. To be honest, there are many people who are eager to help my son-in-law. It’s just that I don’t want to trouble my son-in-law. That’s why I came to find you. That’s right. If my son-in-law were to handle this matter, he would have looked for your immediate supervisor instead of you.”