Chapter 63: Now This Is True Skill

This successful interview was clearly a golden opportunity for Su Rulan. The Yunhai Chamber of Commerce already offered excellent benefits, and once she was officially employed, there would be no shortage of chances for advancement. With such a promising job in hand, Su Rulan was determined to give it her all, no matter what.

“This interview really was thanks to Chen Zhigang, and I’m truly grateful for that. But if it hadn’t been for Tianlin, we wouldn’t have come here at all. Dad, it’s not quite fair for you to say otherwise,” Su Rulan said.

Su Weimin placed his hands on his lower back, raised his chin with disdain, and snorted, “Stop trying to make Ye Tianlin look good. That kid was just taking credit for someone else’s work and has no real ability at all.”

“Exactly! Compared to Chen Zhigang, Ye Tianlin is worlds apart—he couldn’t catch up even if he tried,” scoffed Gao Yulan, curling her lip in contempt.

Su Rulan felt her anger rising and couldn’t help but retort, “You have no right to criticize Tianlin at all. Don’t forget who it was just now that was ready to give up and insisted on leaving!”

As soon as the words left her lips, Su Weimin and Gao Yulan both flushed with embarrassment, rendered speechless, and slunk off to start the car.

Just as Su Rulan was about to catch up, Li Jiaojiao suddenly stepped out from the chamber’s entrance. Gone was the pride she had shown before; her face was now ashen with frustration and humiliation. The moment she saw Su Rulan, she snapped, “What are you staring at? Careful, or I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

“Li Jiaojiao, you look furious. Did your project negotiations fall through?” Su Rulan wasn’t foolish—she guessed the truth at once.

Li Jiaojiao stamped her foot, her anger boiling over like a shrew in the marketplace. “What’s it to you? Maybe the Beijing consortium had issues with our contract terms. Once I revise them, it might still work out. You’d better worry about yourself!”

“Don’t think I don’t know how tough the matriarch is being on you these days.”

“So, if you ask me, it won’t be long before you and the young master of the Ye family are divorced!”

Li Jiaojiao’s words were vicious, and she vented all her anger on Su Rulan, mocking her relentlessly.

“You…” Su Rulan’s face turned pale; her earlier good mood instantly plummeted.

“What? Did I hit a nerve? Don’t tell me you actually think you’re the young mistress? Don’t kid yourself. To think you could leap from nothing to nobility is pure fantasy. You’re not worthy of the Ye family, and they’ll never accept you. In the end, your fate will be miserable indeed,” Li Jiaojiao pressed, refusing to relent.

Su Rulan had no desire to argue. She forced herself to ignore the insults, turned on her heel, and strode quickly toward the parking lot.

Yet Li Jiaojiao wouldn’t let up; she kept chattering behind her, “Ha! I struck a sore spot, didn’t I? You can’t even face me!”

“Su Rulan, oh Su Rulan, just as I said, I really do pity you!”

“Unlike me—I'm about to negotiate a major deal for the Wang family of Yandu. You’ll never be able to measure up to me!”

Su Rulan’s mind was in turmoil as she hurriedly opened the car door and climbed inside.

Su Weimin, gripping the steering wheel, finally noticed Li Jiaojiao and asked suspiciously, “Rulan, did Li Jiaojiao say something to you again?”

Su Rulan sank into silence, unwilling to answer.

“Forget about it, let’s just leave before she catches up and causes more trouble. After all, she’s backed by the Wang family of Yandu—we can’t afford to cross them,” Gao Yulan urged, glancing nervously in the rearview mirror.

“The Su family bastards are truly shameless—now we’re being falsely accused and forced to sneak around like this!” Su Weimin fumed, grinding his teeth, but could only drive away.

In about ten minutes, they arrived at the apartment complex. Su Rulan composed herself and went straight upstairs. When she walked in, she found Ye Tianlin seated in the living room and immediately shared the good news about her successful interview.

“See? I was right. How would you know unless you tried?” Ye Tianlin was not surprised in the least. After all, he had arranged everything beforehand; no matter which department conducted the interview, she was bound to pass.

Su Weimin shrugged with disdain. “Stop pretending. It was all thanks to Chen Zhigang. Without his connections, a hundred applications wouldn’t have helped you.”

“Look at you, acting all smug. Take a good look at yourself. Chen Zhigang is the real talent here—he’s the deputy director of Yunhai’s business department!” Gao Yulan added, rolling her eyes.

“Chen Zhigang?” Ye Tianlin raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Seeing his reaction, Su Rulan detailed the interview process.

“Tianlin, don’t misunderstand—he’s just a classmate from years ago. We haven’t seen each other in ages,” Su Rulan hastened to explain, afraid that Ye Tianlin might get the wrong idea.

Ye Tianlin, of course, harbored no suspicions, but he felt somewhat aggrieved. He had engineered everything behind the scenes, yet by a twist of fate, Chen Zhigang received all the credit.

What frustrated him most was that Su Weimin and Gao Yulan hadn’t even participated in the interviews, squandering his efforts entirely.

“Dad, Mom—what were you thinking? Why didn’t you at least give it a try?” Ye Tianlin asked.

Su Weimin coughed awkwardly to mask his embarrassment, then, emboldened by who knows what, declared, “Isn’t Chen Zhigang the deputy director? When the time comes, Rulan can put in a good word for us. Who needs an interview when we’ve got connections?”

“Exactly! With Chen Zhigang’s position, he could get us in with a snap of his fingers. No need for you to worry about us!” Gao Yulan added self-righteously.

Before Ye Tianlin could respond, Su Rulan’s phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Chen Zhigang.

“Put it on speaker!” Su Weimin urged excitedly.

Su Rulan complied and switched on the speakerphone. Chen Zhigang’s voice came through at once.

“Ha! Congratulations, Rulan. I’ve submitted your interview materials, and the Yunhai Chamber of Commerce has approved your employment. You can start work tomorrow,” Chen Zhigang announced cheerfully.

“So soon? Are you joking?” Su Rulan asked, surprised.

Chen Zhigang chuckled, “Have you already forgotten my position? It’s a small matter. If your uncle and aunt need it, I’d be happy to help them join Yunhai as well!”

“Excellent, Zhigang. Thank you in advance!” Su Weimin couldn’t help but chime in, grinning from ear to ear.

“No problem. Bring them along tomorrow, and I’ll have everything arranged!” Chen Zhigang promised confidently.

After a moment, the call ended.

Gao Yulan was so elated she nearly jumped for joy. “Ha! Who would’ve thought we’d get hired without even an interview!”

Su Weimin, hands on his hips, was beside himself with pride. “Ye Tianlin, see that? Now that’s what I call ability—Chen Zhigang knows how to get things done!”

“Dad, Mom, how could you make such a comparison? You’re driving me mad!” Su Rulan was anything but happy; compared to all this, what she cared about most was Ye Tianlin’s dignity.

Su Weimin straightened his collar and retorted, “Am I wrong? If Ye Tianlin’s so capable, let him become a deputy director at Yunhai and show us what he can do!”