Ryan Carter realized things were going south. If Matthew Wright and Emily Allen started arguing here because of him—even if it had nothing to do with him—once both sides calmed down, they’d probably blame him anyway. With that in mind, Ryan Carter suddenly stepped forward, took a resume out of his bag, and pulled out his diploma, handing them to Emily Allen as he said, “Director Allen, please take a look—this is my file, and here’s my diploma.”

After speaking, he added a bit sheepishly, “I joined the Party back in college, but I’m not sure if I still need to pay Party dues? Maybe you could show me where to go?”

His interruption made both Emily Allen and Matthew Wright too embarrassed to continue. It was really just a matter of saving face, and neither wanted to lose face in front of Ryan Carter, this young guy. Now that he’d given them such a proper excuse, everyone could save face, and there was no need to insist further.

Emily Allen was in charge of all reception work for the entire Yanjiang Township government. Whether it was new cadres reporting in or work teams sent from above, she was responsible for arranging their reception. She was a smooth operator. After glancing at Ryan Carter’s diploma, she looked at him with a hint of surprise and smiled, “I didn’t expect it—Little Ryan, you’re actually a top student from Bincheng University! That’s one of the best schools in our province!”

Ryan Carter smiled modestly and said nothing.

Turning his head, he greeted Andrew Foster and Matthew Wright, then followed behind Emily Allen as they headed out the door. Just before leaving, Ryan Carter grinned at Matthew Wright and said, “Uncle, my mom said the pheasant Auntie asked her to prepare the other day is ready. I’ll bring it over to you tonight.”

Matthew Wright was taken aback, then chuckled, “Alright, you go report in with Director Allen. I still have to head out to the countryside in a bit. Remember to come over for dinner tonight.” To be honest, he was quite fond of a sensible kid like Ryan Carter. After all, the boy was perceptive and well-mannered, and most importantly, he hadn’t distanced himself just because Matthew Wright didn’t hold much power in the township. By mentioning coming to his house in front of Allen and Foster, he was clearly showing where his loyalties lay. Thinking of this, Matthew Wright’s face showed a meaningful smile. After chatting with Andrew Foster for a while, he returned to his own office.

Emily Allen took Ryan Carter to the personnel department to hand over his diploma and file. Even though he was a temporary worker, government offices still had to follow the rules.

After finishing these formalities, the two of them went to the general office. “Little Ryan, you’ll be working here from now on. Including you, there are eight people in the office. The Party Secretary and the Township Head each have dedicated staff, so the remaining six of you are responsible for serving the other leaders in the township government. Just pay attention, answer the phone when it rings, and I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

Ryan Carter’s mind stirred. It seemed Emily Allen didn’t have a great relationship with Andrew Foster, the supervising leader. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have avoided mentioning Deputy Township Head Ma at all. He wondered whether this Director Allen was close to the Township Head or the Party Secretary. Although he thought this, Ryan Carter kept a calm expression and nodded.

“Take a break here for a bit. The others should be coming in to work in a few minutes…” Before Emily Allen could finish, Ryan Carter reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, smiling as he said, “Director Allen, you see, I haven’t paid my Party dues for this year yet, and I’m not sure who to give them to. Since you’re the supervisor, could you help me hand them in?”

Emily Allen was momentarily stunned and hesitated, but after feeling the thickness of the envelope, her eyes lit up with a smile. This kid really was sensible, knowing to give a welcome gift to his leader. There had to be at least a thousand yuan in there. What she didn’t know was that Ryan Carter was secretly sneering inside. Having lived more than ten years longer than others, he naturally knew that open bribery was illegal. But when he handed it over, he’d already said it was this year’s Party dues, and he’d said it in front of both Andrew Foster and Matthew Wright. If this woman pocketed the money, one day he could use it against her. Even if she tried to turn the tables, he could always claim he trusted his leader and never expected Emily Allen to embezzle it. Either way, he’d be in a position of strength.

Sure enough, the saying “money opens all doors” was true. After accepting the envelope, Emily Allen became much warmer toward Ryan Carter, carefully explaining various things about the office. Finally, she said, “Including you, there are six temporary workers in the general office, plus two regular staff who serve the Township Head and Party Secretary. Just do whatever they ask, and don’t get into conflicts. Otherwise, even I won’t be able to protect you.”

Ryan Carter chuckled, “Oh, come on, I’d never cause trouble for the leaders. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Emily Allen nodded, clearly satisfied with Ryan Carter’s attitude.

Just then, a tall young man walked in at the door, dressed in a black jacket. When he saw Emily Allen, his expression changed instantly, and he walked over with a big smile, saying, “Director, what brings you here today? Is there something you need?”