Chapter 361: The Exposed Lie

“Ruyi Airlines really isn’t bad.”

“In terms of salary and benefits, it’s even a cut above Southern Airlines.”

Zheng Weiyi felt his girlfriend pinching his hand so hard it was about to turn purple. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and add a few more objective, positive remarks on Jiang Ruan’s behalf.

“But…”

Jiang Dong still couldn’t get over it. His daughter was so well-qualified; she could have easily joined a state-owned enterprise. To think she’d ended up relegated to a private company… he just felt it was a terrible shame.

“Dad, I’m doing very well at Ruyi Airlines.”

At that, Jiang Ruan pulled the work ID and credentials that Gu Heng had prepared for her from her pocket. “Here, see for yourself.”

Jiang Dong took the items Jiang Ruan handed him.

“Ruyi Airlines, Cabin Services Department…”

“Deputy Director?”

Jiang Dong slowly read the information on the ID badge. As he uttered Jiang Ruan’s title, his voice was thick with disbelief.

“Deputy Director? That’s a management position, isn’t it?”

“I just knew there had to be a misunderstanding!”

“She’s only been working for less than two years and she’s already a deputy director! It just goes to show how outstanding our Ruan Ruan is!”

…

A chorus of praise erupted from the relatives.

“Ruan Ruan, are you really in a leadership position?”

Liu Ting held Jiang Ruan’s arm, searching her daughter’s face for any hint of a lie.

“Mom, you can go to the official Ruyi Airlines website.”

“You can see my official title there. I doubt a company with a market cap of over twenty billion would put on a show just for me.”

After saying this, Jiang Ruan silently added a thought.

‘I certainly can’t…’

‘But he can.’

Liu Ting met Jiang Ruan’s steady gaze. After a moment’s hesitation, she turned to look at Zheng Weiyi, and the rest of the family followed suit.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, Zheng Weiyi worked for the Civil Aviation Administration.

For ordinary people like Liu Ting, living in a small border city like Bai City, anything Zheng Weiyi said about the aviation industry was authoritative.

When Zheng Weiyi saw all eyes on him, he wordlessly pulled out the tablet he used for work and logged onto the official Ruyi Airlines website.

In fact, he was also skeptical about the matter.

Even if Ruyi Airlines was a private enterprise, with fewer rules for promotion than a state-owned one, a 23-year-old deputy director of a department still sounded a bit far-fetched.

And yet, after carefully inspecting and handling the ID badge and documents Jiang Ruan had produced, he couldn’t find a single sign of forgery.

Still, Jiang Ruan had a point. The badge and documents could be faked, but a company worth over twenty billion wouldn’t be part of the charade. A quick check of the official website would reveal the truth.

“Found it…”

After a few minutes, just as Jiang Ruan had said, Zheng Weiyi found her employment information on the Ruyi Airlines website.

From the ID photo to her personal information, everything matched Jiang Ruan perfectly!

23 years old!

Deputy Director of a department at Ruyi Airlines!

Zheng Weiyi was genuinely stunned. Even though his work put him at the core of the civil aviation industry, he had never heard of anything like this.

“Look!”

“It really is our Ruan Ruan!”

Jiang Ruan’s third uncle took the tablet from Zheng Weiyi, his voice trembling with excitement. As the others looked on, their reactions were all much the same.

In an instant, the dark cloud that had been hanging over the family vanished, and the lively atmosphere appropriate for New Year’s Eve returned.

“For her to become a deputy director at Ruyi Airlines so young… if she continues on this path, she could become a department director with an annual salary of a million yuan before she’s thirty,” Zheng Weiyi remarked at the perfect moment.

Everyone was stunned by his words.

Before this, none of them had really known what kind of power or status came with Jiang Ruan’s position at Ruyi Airlines. All they knew was that she had become a manager at a young age.

But after Zheng Weiyi’s remark, which tied the title to a specific salary, everyone finally understood the true value of Jiang Ruan’s position.

A department director earned a million a year. Even if you cut that in half, a deputy director had to be making at least five hundred thousand, right? In a small border city like Bai City, five hundred thousand yuan was more than enough to buy a nice three-bedroom apartment in a good location.

“Our Ruan Ruan is so successful!”

Jiang Ruan’s second aunt patted Jiang Dong’s shoulder. “Big Brother, stop fretting about her not having a state-sector job. Gold will shine no matter where it is. Everything worked out for the best. If our Ruan Ruan had really joined Southern Airlines, who’s to say she would be doing any better than she is now at Ruyi Airlines?”

“I’m not fretting anymore.”

“A daughter is her own woman when she grows up.”

“As long as Ruan Ruan is doing well and has a good future, I can rest easy.”

After such an emotional roller coaster, Jiang Dong seemed to have come to terms with it.

Compared to all the terrible scenarios he had imagined before she came home, this outcome was the best he could have hoped for.

“What a false alarm!”

“Kids, go light the firecrackers! Adults, let’s serve the food and get ready to eat!”

The grandfather, who had remained as steady as a mountain the whole time, spoke up at just the right moment.

“Sis, you just got back. You should stay inside and rest.”

Jiang Ruan’s cousin, Jiang Xinjie, volunteered for firecracker duty. “It’s cold out,” he said to Jiang Ruan. “I can go light them.”

“Let’s go down together.”

“I brought a lot of New Year’s gifts for the family that I haven’t brought up yet.”

Jiang Ruan then looked over at Zhou Ruoyu and Zheng Weiyi. “Ruoyu, you and Weiyi should come along too. Let’s try to get everything in one trip.”

“Okay…”