Chapter 842: Chapter 509: Xiaowai the Scapegoat Tree, Master Huo Always Gets to the Point (Second Update)
"Itâs your first time being an interviewer, so youâre not quite familiar with the rules and scoring criteria. Everyone is human, and scoring can be subjective, inevitably influenced by personal feelings. Generally, the highest and lowest scores are excluded, so..."
"The score you gave has no impact on your senior brotherâs performance."
Lin Luyou: "..."
"Tomorrow weâll announce the list, post it online for a week. If all goes well, by the end of this month, youâll be colleagues with your senior brother."
"..."
**
Meanwhile, after leaving the lab, Jiang Shiyi had a faint smell of chemicals on him. He made a point to go home, shower, and change clothes before driving to the club.
"Uncle!" Jiangjiang was playing around with Taotao and, seeing him come in, ran over and hugged him.
Jiang Shiyi is a bit of a germophobe, but he wouldnât make those around him feel disrespected. For instance, his car had carried Shen Shuci, his private lab was open to Taotao, and he would hold Jiangjiang in his arms... at most, heâd pick on Jiang Chengsi a bit.
"Uncle, I asked mom to buy you a cake to celebrate your new job."
"I havenât secured the job yet, and youâre already celebrating?"
"Youâll definitely get it." Jiangjiang just wanted to eat cake and used him as an excuse.
"Uncle had a hard time at the interview, donât cling to him." Shen Zhixian urged Jiangjiang to step back.
"Itâs okay, I can still hold a child."
...
Soon Tang Wan and Jiang Jinsang arrived. Looking around at the people in the house, they were all family. Usually, Qi Zeyan and Huo Qinqi would come too, but neither showed up today.
"I just called Zeyan, he had something come up at the last minute and couldnât make it." Jiang Chengsi frowned.
"Isnât big brother Huo and little auntie coming either?" Tang Wan hadnât seen Shen Shuci in a while.
When they lived in the old house, she would often visit, but ever since they moved to a new place, she rarely visited and said it was to give them some sweet, personal time together.
"Isnât old Huo in Beijing?" Jiang Yanting asked.
Jiang Chengsi shook his head, "I notified them by phone this morning, he should be in Beijing, heâs usually quite busy, always going back and forth between the base and Beijing. I heard heâs planning to transfer back."
"Heard from whom?" Jiang Jinsang frowned, "Who said that?"
Having more elders is good, but heâs far away, not necessarily coming back for holidays, so they donât see him often. If he transfers back to Beijing...
Doesnât that mean heâll be around every day?
"From guests at the club, I hear all sorts of people here, lots of different information. Anyways, uncle and auntie are definitely planning to come back, arenât you all paying attention to the higher-upsâ movements?" Jiang Chengsi thumbed through his phone contacts.
"Lately, a lot of people seem eager to get close to the Huo Family. With Huo uncle returning, the whole dynamic of the northern region is going to shift."
"Typically, members of the Huo Family who settle in Beijing are usually retirees returning home, but this time is different. We have a good relationship with the Huo Family; their return to Beijing benefits us, but others may not think the same. For some, Huo uncleâs return to Beijing might not be good news. Lately, this news has been causing quite a stir in the circle..."
Itâs said that higher-ranking officials have more power, especially someone like Huo Zheng.
Jiangjiang and Taotao only half-understood their conversation, but they both had one clear thought:
Auntieâs grandfather is amazing!
In the midst of conversation, Jiang Chengsi dialed Huo Qinqiâs number, "Hey, Old Huo, is little auntie working overtime tonight? Why havenât you guys come yet?"
Jiang Chengsi assumed Huo Qinqi was going to pick Shen Shuci up from work.
"We have other plans, wonât be able to make it tonight."
"But we made plans long ago, what could have come up?"
"Some teammates are in town, we planned a gathering."
"Introducing her to friends, huh? Alright then, wonât disturb you. Oh, by the way, whereâs Huo Ran? If you canât come, let him come and hang out."
"Him?" Huo Qinqi glanced at the person sitting in the back of the car and, taking advantage of the red light, parked to ask, "Huo Ran, Chengsi is asking if youâd like to go to the club?"
Huo Ran smiled, "Thanks for fourth brotherâs offer, but Iâll pass."
Heâs going to hang with sister-in-law.
Jiang Chengsi was a bit down after hanging up...
Isnât Little Red my little supporter?
Whatâs going on with him? Has he changed loyalties? Found someone else to latch onto? Is my leg not thick enough? Not strong enough?
**
Huo Qinqi hung up the phone and looked over to the person in the passenger seat, "Whatâs up? Nervous?"
"No." Shen Shuci shook her head, "Can you pull over for a moment? I want to buy something."
"What are you buying?"
"Itâs my first time meeting them, and you said theyâre all your brothers and teammates; itâs rare to meet up in Beijing, itâs not nice to show up empty-handed. Thereâs a store just ahead..." Huo Qinqi mentioned some of them werenât from Beijing, just on leave, so they gathered.
"Want me to come with you?" Huo Qinqi offered as he was about to park and get out.
"No need, just wait a few minutes for me."
Though she said that, Shen Shuci still felt a bit nervous. She got out of the car and went into a pastry and tea shop, where the window displayed many exquisite foods.
"Bro, sister-in-law is really caring." Huo Ran smiled, "You should hurry up and marry her home."
Huo Qinqi watched as she moved around inside the shop, choosing items, with a deep look in his eyes, fingers rubbing the steering wheel. "Meeting those guys, whatâs the need to buy anything?"
"Bro, you donât understand. Her doing this means she likes you." Huo Ran felt his brother was really...
Not great in this area!
He dared not say this to his face, just mumbling it in his heart.
"Sister-in-law buying things is to earn you face. When those brothers bring stuff back to the base, others will ask, and theyâll say it was from your wife, sister-in-law sent it, which feels different."
"It shows sister-in-law is generous and makes you look smart."
"Besides, giving gifts is to leave a good impression on them. If sister-in-law didnât care about you, sheâd naturally not care what your friends thought of her."
"Bro, think about it..."
Huo Ran said a lot yet saw no reaction from him, so he couldnât help but frown, "Bro, are you even listening to me?"
He let out a cool "hmm."
"Do you think what I said makes a lot of sense?"
"Rare to hear ivory come out of your mouth."
"..."
What was that? Ivory? What was that saying again? Something like you canât expect ivory from a dogâs mouth? Is he implying that I usually donât speak properly?
"Did you understand what Iâve been telling you?" Huo Ran figured his brotherâs emotional intelligence probably didnât grasp the multiple layers of his meaning.
"I understood."
Huo Ran quickly asked, "What did you understand?"
"She likes me."
"..."
Huo Ran scratched a tuft of red hair on his head; his brother sure knows how to focus on the main point! And summarize.
...
Shen Shu paid for the items she selected, still feeling a bit apprehensive. Huo Qinqiâs friends in Beijing were all part of Jiang Jinsangâs group, whom she was very familiar with.
But the group she would be facing later, she had never met, and given their special professions, neither Jiang Jinsang nor Tang Wan had seen them. She just wanted to do her homework in advance, yet there was no way to consult anyone.
Feeling uncertain, anxiety crept in.
Just as her items were packed, Huo Ran got out of the car to help move the gifts into the trunk, "Sister-in-law, are you feeling nervous?"
"Not really."
"Donât worry, theyâre just regular people. Besides, with the big brother around, they wouldnât dare treat you disrespectfully." Huo Ran treated her like an idol. If it werenât for her having to work, he wished he could spend all day around her.
Shen Shuci merely smiled, but inside, her nerves were still on edge.