Noah Johnson sat there with a chuckle, watching his tall, strong son walk over in shorts and bare-chested, a deep sense of satisfaction flashing briefly in his eyes. His official career had not been smooth—without connections and unwilling to curry favor or give gifts, he had spent fifteen or sixteen years in the government before finally scraping together a deputy director position. But even as a deputy director, things were not going well; he was constantly excluded and suppressed... The only thing that allowed him to stand tall in the officialdom was his sensible, steady, and academically outstanding son, Nathaniel Johnson.

Guanghua School of Management at Jinghua University was the top of the top among domestic institutions. Being admitted to this school was a great honor for ordinary people. In fact, Nathaniel Johnson was the first graduate from Haidu to ever attend Guanghua School of Management since its founding. Four years ago, when Nathaniel Johnson was admitted, it caused quite a stir in the Haidu government compound, making Noah Johnson and his wife feel especially proud.

The family enjoyed a warm meal together. After dinner, Paige Walker tidied up the table and joined her husband and son in the living room for a chat. Now that Nathaniel Johnson had graduated from college, he was facing the issue of employment, so the conversation naturally shifted in that direction.

Paige Walker made a cup of tea for Noah Johnson, then sat down and smiled gently, “Old Zhou, how’s it going with Nan Nan getting a job at the Municipal Economic and Trade Commission? Any progress?”

Noah Johnson sighed inwardly. As a deputy director without real power, it wasn’t easy even to find a decent job for his son. He had talked to Director Director Cooper at the Economic and Trade Commission several times, but the other party only gave verbal promises without any real action. Noah Johnson understood that unless he offered some gifts, Nathaniel Johnson’s chances of getting into the Economic and Trade Commission were slim—even though Nathaniel Johnson was a graduate from a prestigious university.

But Noah Johnson couldn’t say this directly to his wife and son, so he just chuckled, “I’ll keep looking for someone. If the Economic and Trade Commission doesn’t work out, we’ll try other places—if it really doesn’t work, he can join a state-owned enterprise in the city. The salary and benefits are actually about the same.”

Paige Walker pursed her lips at this, “About the same? Not even close! I heard the Economic and Trade Commission has amazing benefits. One of my colleagues’ husbands works there, and they got a small fridge as a New Year’s bonus. How can a company compare? If business is bad, they can’t even pay salaries!”

“Well then, how about joining our bureau?” Noah Johnson suggested tentatively.

He knew it was a pointless suggestion—Nathaniel Johnson had never liked the idea of being a police officer, even though his father was a public security leader. Otherwise, Nathaniel Johnson would have applied to the police academy in the first place. Besides, Nathaniel Johnson majored in science and economics, so joining the police bureau didn’t really fit.

Sure enough, Paige Walker immediately waved her hand and frowned, “One police officer in the family is enough... Your job may look glamorous, but only you know the hardships. Besides, Nan Nan studied economics and trade—joining the police bureau would be totally out of place...”

“Our Nan Nan is a top student from a prestigious university, and his major is a perfect fit. The Economic and Trade Commission is just right for him...” Paige Walker hesitated for a moment as she spoke. She actually understood that her husband had probably been given the cold shoulder by Director Gu at the Economic and Trade Commission, but with his personality, he would never admit it.

“Otherwise, Old Zhou, why don’t we pay them a visit at home? These days, who cares about personal connections? Why should they help you? There are only so many positions and quotas—why should they give it to you? The city leaders can’t even take care of their own kids, let alone you, a deputy director without real power.”

Noah Johnson frowned, “Let’s wait a bit, I’ll ask around again.”

Paige Walker shot Noah Johnson a dissatisfied look and couldn’t help but mutter, “You’re always like this, never willing to swallow your pride. If you want someone’s help, you have to lower yourself. But you always act so high and mighty, even when you’re the one asking for favors... Or maybe we should ask our neighbor, Old Lewis? Old Lewis is a city committee leader—this kind of thing is a piece of cake for him! I keep telling you, you can’t just stubbornly stick to your ways. These days, nothing gets done without gifts or money! Look at all the guests bringing gifts to our neighbor every day... After all, we’ve lived across from each other for so many years, and Nan Nan and their Lillian Grant are classmates. If we spend a little and give him two bottles of liquor and two cartons of cigarettes, would Quinn Lewis really not do us this one favor?”

Her words were a bit “blunt,” directly wounding Noah Johnson’s fragile self-esteem. He was a little “angry out of embarrassment,” but when he heard Paige Walker mention Quinn Lewis, he was secretly moved, his eyes flickering as his thoughts began to turn.

He didn’t like to flatter or give gifts, but for his son’s job, he was willing to go all out.

Nathaniel Johnson sat quietly to the side, listening to his parents’ conversation and watching Noah Johnson’s changing expression, knowing his father was tempted. He got up to pour himself a glass of hot water, took a small sip, and smiled gently, “Dad, Mom, there’s no rush about my job. If I can’t get into the government, joining a state-owned enterprise is fine too, really. You have to trust your son’s abilities. After all, I’m a graduate in economics and management from a top university—I won’t have trouble wherever I go.”

Before his mother Paige Walker could object, he added, “Dad, Mom, please don’t go to Uncle Lewis next door—absolutely don’t! Even if he finds me a job, I won’t take it! I absolutely won’t go!”