Emily Allen glanced at him impassively and said calmly, “We have a new colleague today. You should get to know each other.”

After speaking, she pointed at Ryan Carter and said, “This is Little Ryan, a recent graduate from Bincheng University. He’s a top student, so you all should learn from him in the future.”

Then she turned to Ryan Carter and said, “His name is John Smith, also a temp in the office. You wait here with him for now and get to know your colleagues.”

Ryan Carter nodded and said to Emily Allen, “Thank you, Director Allen. Please go ahead with your work.”

Emily Allen chuckled and turned to leave.

Watching her go, the young man named John Smith looked at Ryan Carter with a smile. “Bro, were you assigned here?”

Ryan Carter smiled and replied calmly, “I’m just like you, also a temp.”

Hearing this, the hint of apprehension on John Smith’s face immediately changed. He glanced at Ryan Carter and muttered, “I thought college grads were something special, turns out you’re just a temp too.” Then he ignored Ryan Carter, turned around, and sat down behind a desk.

Ryan Carter really had no interest in dealing with people like that. He smiled, reached out, and picked up a newspaper to read.

Chapter 007: Old Friends

Where a person stands determines the breadth of their mind. As a reborn man with fifteen years of foresight, Ryan Carter had asked himself: what kind of life did he want this time around?

The answer was a happy life!

What is happiness?

To live a truly good life, a life that no one can look down upon.

In his previous life, Ryan Carter had had enough of being looked down on by others. Even though his income as an online writer wasn’t high, it was enough to live on—even in those years of soaring prices, he could support himself. But in the eyes of others, he was still a hopeless loser. Not only because he didn’t have a formal job, but also because he had given up the chance to become a civil servant and insisted on venturing out on his own.

In this life, Ryan Carter no longer wanted to be looked down upon. After much soul-searching, he realized that if he wanted to live a truly good life, one that no one could look down on, he needed power—because only power could put him in a position where others had to look up to him.

No matter the era, in a country where officialdom is highly valued, among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, those who pursue an official career are always more respected.

So, Ryan Carter wanted to be an official! A high-ranking official, so as not to waste this chance given to him by fate!

Just as he was thinking this, he heard the voice of the man named Adam Reed speaking to him: “Little Ryan, go get some water and mop the floor.”

Ryan Carter squinted and looked up at him, only to see Adam Reed looking at him with disdain. “The new guy is in charge of cleaning the office. I’ll go tidy up Deputy Secretary Grant’s office.”

With that, he got up and left the office.

Ryan Carter smiled slightly. He actually found such small-minded people rather amusing. It was clear that Adam Reed was a temp eager to “make progress,” otherwise he wouldn’t have volunteered to clean the deputy secretary’s office. But if he thought he could bully the newcomer, he was sorely mistaken.

Just then, a hesitant voice came from the doorway: “Woodenhead?”

Ryan Carter was startled. “Woodenhead” was his nickname in middle school, and no one had called him that in seven or eight years since graduation. He quickly looked up and saw a burly man, over 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, looking at him in confusion. The man was wearing a black leather jacket and holding a motorcycle helmet—he looked like he worked here too.

Blinking, Ryan Carter studied him for a while and ventured, “Are you Mike?”

The young man froze, as if he’d seen something unbelievable, then suddenly rushed over and gave Ryan Carter a bear hug, shouting like a child, “Woodenhead, it really is you! When did you get back? Why didn’t you call me?”

Ryan Carter was nearly suffocated by the bear hug and struggled for a while before saying, “Michael Thompson, you’re still as impulsive as ever. I just got back! Haven’t had a chance to visit you yet. Besides, I’m not like you—I can’t afford a phone.”

Only then did Michael Thompson let go of Ryan Carter, but he grabbed his arm and laughed, “Ever since you went to college in the provincial capital, it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other. Later, I’ll call Monkey and we’ll have a proper get-together.”

Then, looking at Ryan Carter curiously, he asked, “How did you know I work here? You actually found your way to our place.”

Ryan Carter smiled and pointed at his desk. “Starting today, we’re colleagues!”

As soon as he said this, Mike Smith was stunned.