Chapter 353: Tang Ye is a Good Actor!

After the Spring Festival, Tang Ye stayed in Xiyue Garden to seclude himself for exam preparation, launching his final sprint for the open selection.

Fearing that she would distract Tang Ye, Du Xi did not stay with him.

Tang Ye was hunched over his desk working through test papers when the crisp sound of the doorbell suddenly rang out.

Pushing open the door, Tang Ye saw Xiao Hui standing outside, and a trace of doubt could not help but rise in his heart.

Xiao Hui wore black-rimmed glasses, her ponytail hanging neatly over her shoulder; her white down jacket made her figure look slender, and her nose tip, reddened by the cold wind, added a touch of gentle quietude, overlapping in a daze with the callow memories of their high school days.

"Are you looking for me for something?" Tang Ye asked softly.

"I heard from Du Xi that you also signed up for this open selection exam, and I saw the lights on while passing by downstairs, so I dropped by to see," Xiao Hui said, her eyes curving into crescents, full of smiles. "Is it convenient for me to come in and sit for a while?"

Tang Ye pondered; since she had already come to the door, it wouldn't be right to turn her away.

After Xiao Hui entered, he handed her a cup of warm water, and after taking the cup and sipping it, she walked straight toward the study.

Tang Ye frowned as he watched; this woman really didn't treat herself as an outsider!

Her gaze swept over the test questions on the table, and she picked them up to flip through them at random, her tone full of nostalgia: "Do I still remember in high school, whenever I encountered a difficult problem, I would ask you for advice? You even generously shared your study notes, helping me charge from the middle-lower ranks of the class all the way to the top. I've also signed up for the exam this time; can you still help me like you did before?"

Tang Ye was slightly stunned, then smiled: "I don't have any Unique Secret Technique, but I do have a few sets of test papers I've done; if you don't mind, take them for reference."

Xiao Hui's brows and eyes immediately relaxed: "That would be great! I will definitely study them well."

Tang Ye found the test papers and handed them over, glanced at the time, and said tactfully: "It's getting late, and I have things to do later, so I won't keep you."

Xiao Hui's expression stiffened slightly, and she laughed at herself: "Tang Ye, do you really not want to see me that much? I haven't even been in for ten minutes, and you're already in a rush to chase me away."

Tang Ye's expression was calm: "It's not that I dislike you, nor can I say I like you, so don't overthink it. Since you've decided to take the exam, give it your all; I wish you success in getting what you want."

Xiao Hui stared at him, her eyes complex: "I know that in your eyes, I might not have any competitiveness, like I'm wasting my effort. But I won't let you look down on me! When I took the teacher certification exam back then, my written test score was in the top three in the city; it was only because I had no background that I was assigned to an ordinary school. Ever since then, I swore I would change my fate."

This sudden psychological confession caught Tang Ye by surprise.

He encouraged her gently: "I believe you can do it."

Xiao Hui turned and left, clutching the test papers.

Tang Ye watched her back and sighed helplessly.

She is already married, so why is she still clinging to the obsessions of the past?

Xiao Hui returned home and walked straight into the study.

"Preparing to pull another all-nighter?" Shao Jinbo's sarcastic voice came from behind her.

"Yes, since I've decided to participate in the open selection, I should prepare seriously; you shouldn't slack off either."

"I think you should stop messing around; isn't your current job stable enough?" Shao Jinbo was the same as always, starting to pour cold water on her.

"Since I can't count on my husband, I can only rely on myself," Xiao Hui retorted without any politeness.

"You can't count on me? Fine, you have high aspirations; I'll see if you can actually pass!"

Shao Jinbo was provoked.

He slammed the door and went into the study.

He was secretly competing in his heart.

If Xiao Hui passed and he failed, where would he put his face?

He was aiming for the Section Chief position at the Municipal Procuratorate; as long as he successfully entered the written test, with his uncle's connections, the interview stage would surely be a sure win.

There were still two months of preparation time.

He was determined to win this exam!

……

In March, the Hanzhou open selection exam arrived as scheduled.

Outside the examination hall, the candidates were in a hurry.

The moment Tang Ye stepped into the examination hall, he happened to meet Hu Zhongping head-on.

"Section Chief Tang, long time no see." Hu Zhongping spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate warmth.

Tang Ye's gaze swept over the other man's slightly haggard face, and the corners of his lips curled into a smile: "Brother Zhongping, your complexion doesn't look too good; your dark circles are almost falling to your cheeks."

Hu Zhongping's expression stiffened slightly, then he explained: "Is that so? I participated in an emergency operation a few days ago and pulled an all-nighter; I still haven't recovered from it."

After Tang Ye turned and left, he looked at that back, and the smile in his eyes instantly froze into frost.

During this period, Hu Zhongping had poured almost all his energy into exam preparation.

He fought through the nights until two in the morning every day, and the level of diligence was even greater than his college entrance exam days.

He even specifically signed up for a professional training class, repeatedly polishing his answering techniques with the teacher, swearing that he must come out on top in this exam.

In his view, Tang Ye, as the Secretary to Jiang Jing, was busy with official business all day, having to accompany the leader to various activities and handle all kinds of social engagements in the evening, leaving him no time to study with a calm mind.

Thinking of this, Hu Zhongping gripped his admission ticket tightly, a flash of determination in his eyes—Heaven rewards the diligent; he firmly believed that fate would never let down his efforts.

The bell rang, and the test papers were distributed to every candidate.

Hu Zhongping scanned the paper quickly, his heart accelerating violently—many of the questions looked familiar; they were exactly the types of questions the training class had focused on!

He suppressed his inner ecstasy, and when he picked up his pen to answer, his pen tip carried an undisguised excitement.

But when Tang Ye received the test paper, his brows furrowed slightly.

This year's administrative aptitude test questions were much trickier than expected, with traps set by the question setter everywhere; one would fall into a snare if not careful.

He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and deliberated over every question repeatedly; his pen tip moved rapidly across the paper, engaging in a silent contest with time.

The moment the bell for handing in the papers rang.

Tang Ye's movement of stopping his pen was almost synchronized with the bell.

He looked around and saw that many candidates had helpless expressions.

Some were staring at their test papers and shaking their heads with sighs, while others were slumped back in their chairs, letting out long breaths.

A familiar classmate from the Party School walked over and said with a bitter smile: "Brother Tang, how did you do? I didn't even finish the last page; I hurriedly filled in an answer, and I'm afraid it's looking grim this time."

Before the results are out, one must keep a low profile!

Tang Ye patted the other person on the shoulder and comforted them gently: "Everyone is about the same; there were quite a few questions I wasn't sure about either, I just had to guess."

Tang Ye is a good actor!

The other person believed it immediately!

"If even you think it's difficult, it seems this time it really is difficult to the point of reaching the sky." The classmate looked toward a spot not far away, their tone carrying a hint of envy, "But look at Hu Zhongping, he's chatting away heatedly with people; he answered several of the difficult questions, it looks like he performed quite well."

A meaningful smile curled the corners of Tang Ye's lips: "Is that so? For this afternoon's essay, we'll have to put in more effort."

From beginning to end, Hu Zhongping had been secretly observing Tang Ye's reactions.

Seeing his expression grave and noticing a hint of dejection when he spoke with others, his own confidence grew even stronger.

Originally, he felt that competing for the same position as Tang Ye left him with slim hopes.

But, judging from his observations, Tang Ye's strength was nothing more than this!