Chapter 20: Recruitment Exam and Selling Positions

Only then did Manman realize that it hadn’t been Chengxu who informed Qinghuan; it was Qinghuan herself who, having overheard the news about the lamp factory recruitment yesterday, had come on her own today.

“Sister, the registration closed yesterday morning. Today is the exam. If you didn’t register, you can’t take the test,” Manman kindly advised.

“Didn’t register? How could Qinghuan not register? Didn’t you already sign up yesterday?” Xin Yan asked in surprise.

Register? Qinghuan had registered yesterday? She knew the lamp factory recruitment was happening but hadn’t told either herself or Manman. How selfish of her!

“Qinghuan, this is such an important matter. You knew and yet didn’t tell me or Manman. Isn’t that too much?” Chengxu looked at Qinghuan with disappointment.

Being upset was one thing, but there had to be priorities.

His own cousin, the daughter of his uncle who had raised him, Qinghuan could so easily disregard them both. He wondered if her heart was made of iron.

Xin Yan regretted having spoken out just now; perhaps she had said too much.

Qinghuan gently took her hand. “Let’s go inside. There’s no time to waste.”

Xin Yan hurried to follow and couldn’t help but ask, “Who were those two just now?”

“One is my fiancé I’m about to break off with, the other is my cousin,” Qinghuan twisted the corners of her mouth. “Not important people.”

“Oh? I thought—well, never mind!” Xin Yan, not wanting to distract Qinghuan from the exam, quickly added, “Qinghuan, results won’t come out until two o’clock this afternoon. After the test, I’ll treat you to a meal at the state-run restaurant!”

Qinghuan had originally planned to handle the breakup paperwork at noon, but since a new friend invited her, she couldn’t refuse. It was their first treat after all; refusing might end the friendship.

“All right!”

Watching Qinghuan leave, Chengxu felt an invisible force tearing at his heart, something slipping further away from him that he couldn’t grasp. The pain was maddening.

“Qinghuan!” he called out angrily, but no one looked back. His hand froze mid-air, a moment etched in time.

Suddenly, another hand tugged at his other arm. Chengxu snapped back to reality to see Manman sprawled on the ground with her bicycle. She wore a skirt, her exposed calf scraped by the bike, revealing a frightful streak of blood. She gasped in pain.

She hadn’t expected to be hurt so badly—she had miscalculated.

Seeing Qinghuan go in to take the exam, Manman decided not to take a chance herself. She knew she wouldn’t pass; she had, at best, some middle school education but hadn’t even graduated. She couldn’t even recognize the twenty-six letters, let alone speak a foreign language.

If Qinghuan passed, she could ask her to give up the position in her favor. If Qinghuan failed, there was no hope at all.

So she didn’t enter the exam—no need to embarrass herself.

She was also afraid that if she did terribly, Chengxu would look down on her.

That was why she deliberately knocked over her bicycle, though she hadn’t expected to be hurt so badly.

Seeing the blood on her fair leg, Chengxu panicked. “Does it hurt? How did you fall?”

“I thought you’d help me, Chengxu, it’s all my fault—I can’t do anything right!” Manman’s eyes reddened, tears falling instantly. “But it’s okay. Chengxu, the exam is about to start. I’ll go in first.”

With that, she limped toward the factory. The gatekeeper couldn’t stop her.

Near the entrance, her leg buckled and she began to fall. Chengxu rushed forward, catching her just in time. She collapsed into his arms, blushing deeply.

“Chengxu, let me go! I can do this. This chance is too precious. I have to seize it or I’ll have to go to the countryside. I don’t want to be sent away, I don’t want to be separated from you!”

Manman’s admiring gaze made the young man feel as if she saw only him in the world.

His heart softened. “You’re hurt like this—how can you take the test? Better to go to the hospital first.”

Moved, Manman shook her head firmly. “No, I want to take the exam. I don’t want to miss such a good opportunity. If I miss it, who knows when I’ll get another chance.”

Chengxu pursed his lips but finally relented. “I heard this exam focuses heavily on English or Russian. If your sister passes, talk to her. It’d be best if she could give the position to you, so both of you have a future.”

He hadn’t told Qinghuan about this because he felt the younger sister needed the chance more than the elder.

But unfortunately, Qinghuan hadn’t thought that way; she was a little too selfish.

Yet if she was willing to give up her position to Manman, Chengxu would withdraw his judgment of her.

After all, no one was perfect, and he believed in forgiving those willing to correct their mistakes.

Manman smiled, but the triumphant gleam in her eyes was deeply hidden. Only Chengxu saw the dependence, gratitude, and love shining in her gaze, as if he were her entire world.

“Chengxu, if someone offered me the whole world in exchange for you, I wouldn’t trade you. To me, having you is having the whole world—though you don’t belong to me.”

Her voice carried a faint, unmistakable sadness.

Chengxu was moved. “I’m your brother-in-law; this is what I should do.”

“I know. It’s just a pity my sister always misunderstands us. But that’s not her fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me—I rely on you too much!”

Qinghuan hadn’t expected that the position would already be reserved by someone else when she took the exam.

This exam was relatively difficult. The last fifty points were translation questions, not in Russian but in English, the international language. Yet for Qinghuan, it was a breeze.

In her previous life, even middle school English was simpler than this. Among the nine test-takers, only Qinghuan breezed through; the others scratched their heads, with limited vocabulary, many having nearly forgotten their words.

Qinghuan finished the test in half an hour. After reviewing it once, she handed in her paper.

The proctors, one from the personnel department and one from the foreign translation bureau, admired her beautiful handwritten script and neat, flawless answers.

Both nodded almost simultaneously.