This reason was only half convincing.

Ji Jiangyuan knew Tina had been affected recently, and wanting to make changes was normal.

What wasn’t normal was specifically wanting to work for Harold.

“You’re not doing this because of the Wilsons, are you? Tina, the dispute between the Wilsons and Harold is a family matter. Whatever you’re planning, I don’t think you should get involved!”

Tina anxiously responded:

“Fine, that is part of the reason, but don’t you think Harold went too far? Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Ivan have nothing left. They lost their Upper East Side residence, lost their other properties – only the Broadway theater survived because it was Aunt Cynthia’s pre-marriage asset… I know I can’t do much, but I just want to understand Harold better, to find a chance to persuade him.”

Why couldn’t she get involved in the Wilson family’s affairs?

Tina felt it was unfair.

Xia Xiaolan had interfered in the Xu family matters.

Even if the Xu family issue wasn’t about inheritance, Xia Xiaolan had also gotten involved in the Du family affairs in HK, so what was the difference?

“Ji Jiangyuan, please help me. Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Ivan have been so good to me, that I just want to repay them within my capabilities. If you help me, I’ll help Xia Xiaolan too. Not only will I agree to testify, but I’ll also persuade Aunt Cynthia to set aside her prejudices and testify for Xia Xiaolan! Aunt Cynthia is the client who commissioned the theater renovation plan – surely the court will have to consider her words?”

That was true – Mrs. Wilson’s testimony would be crucial during the trial.

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t even considered asking Mrs. Wilson because they mutually disliked each other, so she naturally wouldn’t ask for her help. Ji Jiangyuan looked at Tina – he had thought he understood her well before, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Was this the Wilsons’ idea?

Or Tina’s own?

“Your proposal is tempting, but I’m sorry, you’re overestimating my importance to Mr. Harold. With your qualifications not meeting the requirements, even if I wanted to help, I couldn’t get you the assistant position. If you’re determined to get an internship to prove yourself, you could share my workload – the salary isn’t particularly high, but if you perform well, my colleague Bill can give you what you want.”

Bill had higher authority than Ji Jiangyuan.

He was someone Harold truly trusted.

Bill stayed in China to oversee the golf course project and to balance George.

Now that even George had been stripped of his position, in China, Bill was the highest-ranking person under Harold, reporting directly to him!

Tina bit her lip.

Insufficient qualifications?

She hadn’t expected to be rejected for this reason.

Truthfully, education credentials were important for most people as their foot in the door. Before showing exceptional abilities, having credentials was better than not having them. With this foundation, they could usually secure a job that met their basic needs.

But for a select few in the world, credentials were merely icing on the cake.

If Tina were still the Los Angeles councilman’s daughter, she wouldn’t need to worry about credentials to get an internship.

Did graduation status matter?

Getting into Columbia was already a decent credential.

Besides, when Xia Xiaolan did so many things – interning at GMP, accepting Mrs. Wilson’s commission – no one ever mentioned that she hadn’t graduated from university!

Tina felt deeply frustrated.

Seeing her expression, Ji Jiangyuan added two more cautionary words:

“Fortunately, you told me about this idea first, instead of going directly to Harold. He has very high standards for such things!”

This was a warning for Tina, hoping she would be more clear-headed and not run directly to Harold after failing to achieve her goal through him.

Tina was close to the Wilsons – just for this reason alone, no matter how excellent she might be personally, Harold would never let her be his assistant!

Moreover, Tina hadn’t even completed her sophomore year at Columbia and was currently on academic leave… She hadn’t shown any exceptional talents in the past – the possibility of Harold agreeing was zero!

Why did Ji Jiangyuan say this?

Harold had arrived in China four days ago. Currently, Pengcheng only had the Nanhai Hotel as its sole five-star hotel, so Harold had naturally chosen to stay there.

The Wilsons were staying at the Nanhai Hotel.

So what?

Harold had booked the entire top floor – private and quiet, with security guards on 24-hour rotation at the entrance. Even room cleaning service had to be conducted under the guards’ watchful eyes.

Ji Jiangyuan didn’t want Tina to rush recklessly to the top floor only to be thrown out by the security guards!

There was no help for it. According to Bill, after the shooting incident at the Wilson Hotel in New York last year, Harold’s personal security standards had increased severalfold. Once a fairly casual tycoon, he was now not easy to approach.

Tina was weighing the pros and cons.

Working with Ji Jiangyuan versus working with Harold were completely different matters.

“…Let me think about it some more.”

Before closing the door, Tina stuck her head back in: “Hey, whether I can be Harold’s assistant and whether I’m willing to testify in court are two separate things, don’t misunderstand!”

She wasn’t using the testimony to pressure Ji Jiangyuan for help, okay?

Away from her former environment, with difficult communications, Tina had recently lost touch with her friends. Ji Jiangyuan was her only friend in China.

This friend understood her and was a great person – Tina didn’t want to be misunderstood by him.

Ji Jiangyuan smiled and gave her an “OK” gesture.

Tina left Ji Jiangyuan’s room and ran to find the Wilsons:

“I can only work with Ji Jiangyuan, is that okay?”

Mrs. Wilson exchanged a glance with her husband.

Old Ivan comforted Tina: “It’s alright, we know you tried your best. That’s how work is – many people start their first job from the bottom. Dear, you’re suffering this because of us!”

“Uncle Ivan, I’m not suffering. I’m happy to work with a friend, but this way, I won’t be able to get close to Harold… Can I help you?”

Mrs. Wilson hugged her:

“Child, you’re already doing wonderfully. Let’s take it slow – we don’t have much more to lose now. Just try to get close to him when you have the chance!”

Tina felt relieved.

That would be best then.

But there was still one thing…

“Aunt Cynthia, did you know that there’s a woman called Lisa at GMP who’s claiming she designed the Broadway theater renovation plan? How can someone be so despicable, stealing someone else’s work!”

While Tina was indignant, Mrs. Wilson remained calm:

“Oh? Is there such a thing? I didn’t know – I haven’t been paying much attention to American affairs lately. If you’re talking about architect Lisa from GMP, I do have a strong impression of her. During the theater renovation, Lisa maintained constant communication with me.”