Chapter 36: The Capable Holds the Position

Chapter 36: The Capable Holds the Position

Jiang Yu felt she performed fairly steadily and completed her essay quickly, put down her pen, and submitted her paper.

Surprisingly, although she was the last to enter the exam room, she was the first to submit her paper.

Duan Yuzhen glanced at her and frowned, then quickly submitted her own paper.

She turned around, walked out, and found the woman who had issued their exam passes.

"Li Ling, what's going on?"

Li Ling looked guilty and avoided her eyes.

"I just learned that Jiang Yu was recommended by Editor Huang. If Editor Huang found out I discarded her application, I’d be in big trouble. I agreed to help you, but I didn’t agree to risk my own neck."

Duan Yuzhen angrily stomped her foot. "What am I supposed to do now? If things fall apart during the interview, what am I going to do?"

Remembering she had taken five yuan from her, Li Ling hurriedly tried to reassure her. "Don’t worry, no one will know you used her application. I gave her a new form to fill out and filled it out randomly, omitting a lot of information. Later, I’ll check who scored higher on the written test and swap the papers for you."

Duan Yuzhen finally relaxed a bit. "Then I'll have to trouble you. I'll treat you to a meal later."

When she submitted her application, she happened to see Jiang Yu’s form and saw that Jiang Yu had even submitted articles to the newspaper under a pen name.

She used to love reading magazines, and several were still at her home.

The pen name ‘Xiao Jiang’ was very familiar to her. Several magazines had published her work.

On a whim, Duan Yuzhen bribed Li Ling and replaced Jiang Yu’s application with her own.

Li Ling, however, thought that since Duan Yuzhen was the niece of Chief Editor Wen, perhaps this position was intended for her anyway, so she might as well use this chance to curry favor with her.

It nearly came to light.

Duan Yuzhen anxiously awaited her interview.

Neither in the written exam nor the interview did her uncle intervene.

In fact, her uncle had said early on that he would only give her a registration opportunity but would not pull strings for her, which made her grind her teeth in frustration.

For the interview, her turn came before Jiang Yu’s.

Before even entering, she felt cold in her hands and feet, her body stiff.

During the interview, she stumbled through her answers, not understanding anything.

When she came out, she was like a wilted eggplant, just like the others.

Duan Yuzhen felt she had no hope because the interview accounted for sixty percent of the score.

When it was Jiang Yu's turn to enter, she was certainly nervous, but she appeared relatively composed on the surface.

The interviewing leader glanced at her registration form and asked, "Jiang Yu?"

"Yes, I am Jiang Yu."

"The profit model of our newspaper is currently quite limited. Do you have any ideas to improve the profitability of the newspaper?"

This question had deviated from the writing module and was not within Jiang Yu's area of expertise.

She bit her lip, thinking deeply.

The leader nodded. "Alright, go on..."

"I think..." Jiang Yu opened her mouth, "we could add an advertisement slot in the newspaper."

The leader narrowed his eyes and looked at her intently.

"What do you mean? What is an advertisement slot? Elaborate."

Jiang Yu said, "Set aside space for ads, allowing state-owned enterprises or other legitimate organizations to advertise their products and boost their visibility."

For instance, the state-owned cotton mill hasn't performed well over the past two years.

Besides product quality, poor performance may also stem from insufficient exposure.

If people don’t know about you, how can they seek cooperation?

The leader looked at her approvingly. "Very good. The interview is over. You can leave now."

Jiang Yu’s interview would certainly earn the highest score among all candidates.

Zhang Jiadong, the director of the newspaper’s administrative office, handled logistics and personnel matters.

Following the interviews, they still needed to consult several editors and Chief Editor Wen.

"Jiang Yu scored the highest in the interview, while Duan Yuzhen topped the written exam."

When Duan Yuzhen’s name was mentioned, everyone turned to look at Chief Editor Wen.

Editor Wen asked, "Let's start with Jiang Yu's interview."

The director then relayed Jiang Yu's thoughts to Editor Wen.

Editor Wen nodded, "She certainly has some good ideas. Where is her written test?"

An editor beside him handed it over, shaking his head.

"How can someone who doesn't follow current events be competent for our newspaper? When asked to write about the Long March 1, she was completely clueless and incoherent. This isn't journalism; it's gibberish!"

After reading it, Editor Wen furrowed his brow.

"Indeed, not up to par."

The editor then quickly handed over Duan Yuzhen's paper, with a hint of flattery.

"Duan Yuzhen, however, is different. Her article is concise, clear, and well-focused. It’s clear she regularly follows current events. I reviewed her application; she even has a pen name, Xiao Jiang. She has submitted several articles to our newspaper, all of which have received positive feedback."

Editor Wen was pleasantly surprised by his niece's talent, which made him very proud. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Let's discuss and choose between Jiang Yu and Duan Yuzhen."

Unsurprisingly, Duan Yuzhen received the most votes.

Editor Wen hadn’t expected much from Duan Yuzhen, but her performance exceeded his expectations.

"Alright, let’s hire Duan Yuzhen. Inform her to come in."

The meeting concluded, and everyone dispersed.

Zhang Jiadong felt a bit of regret. He genuinely thought Jiang Yu was a talent.

Unfortunately, the recruitment exam combines both a written test and an interview.

He walked out of the meeting room and saw Huang Ying.

"Editor Huang, you're back."

Huang Ying nodded. "How did today's recruitment exam go?"

"I was just about to tell you. We've chosen Wen Zongbian's niece, Duan Yuzhen. But it's not just because of the family connection. Her writing is really excellent, and everyone was satisfied with her previous achievements."

Huang Ying felt somewhat disappointed but didn't dwell on it.

"It's fine, the position should go to the most capable person."

Zhang Jiadong laughed. "Exactly."

However, Zhang Jiadong wasn't impressed with Duan Yuzhen, especially remembering how she trembled and couldn't speak clearly during the interview.

But what could he do about it? Her writing skills were undeniable.

Despite the bad news, Huang Ying had Xie Feifei pass the message to Jiang Yu.

Xie Feifei comforted her, "Don't be too disappointed. She has an influential uncle in the industry."

Jiang Yu gave a wry smile. "We can't say that for sure. Perhaps she's just very talented. There's always someone more capable out there. I don't think I'am so outstanding that I can surpass everyone."

Still, she felt quite disappointed about losing such a good opportunity.

"It's okay. If I didn't get the job, I'll just keep trying next time."

Xie Feifei nodded. "That's the spirit. I'll have my parents keep an eye out for you. There will be another opportunity, and we'll ensure you can apply again. Don't give up on submitting your work. My mom said the story you wrote last time received great feedback and the payment was good."

The only difference is that writing isn't a formal job and can't guarantee Jiang Yu a permanent position in the city.