Qiao Lin raised her chin slightly, looked at the young female instructor, and said loudly:

“I know there are rules in the military that we can’t bring personal belongings. But this face cream, I didn’t prepare it for myself.” Her voice was clear and bright, with a deliberately practiced and just-right sincerity.

She paused deliberately, her proud eyes subtly sweeping over the other female soldiers in the formation. She enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, as if she was born to be the center of the stage.

“We’ve come to the Gobi Desert in Northwest China. The wind and sand are fierce, and the climate is dry and cold. Our female comrades have delicate skin. If we stay here for half a year, the wind and sun will chapped our faces and hands like old tree bark, making them unsightly. I brought this jar of face cream because I want to contribute it so that all of us female comrades can use it. It’s also for the sake of the collective and to protect our revolutionary fighting capacity!”

His words were perfectly watertight and dignified.

She was extremely pleased with herself.

Look at that, that's skill, that's brains.

What her father taught her was indeed true.

Rules are rigid, but people are flexible.

She cleverly packaged the shady act of "bribery" as a noble act of "putting the overall situation first" and "uniting comrades," demonstrating both her "magnanimity" and potential leadership skills while subtly extending an olive branch to these seemingly fierce instructors and doing them a favor.

She believed that her family background, coupled with her impeccable rhetoric, would be enough to win over the seemingly naive young female instructor in front of her.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the way the female soldiers around her looked at her immediately changed.

Those who were just a little indignant because of her arrogance now showed a hint of wavering and envy in their eyes.

Several girls even showed expressions of gratitude.

After all, what girl doesn't love beauty? In this godforsaken place, having a jar of fragrant face cream is an absolute luxury.

Feeling the gazes of everyone, Qiao Lin's smile deepened.

Look, that's her skill; that's the fundamental difference between her and a country bumpkin like Wang Xiaoya.

They only passively accept and fear, while I know how to take the initiative and change the rules.

However, the young female instructor's reaction exceeded her expectations.

She didn't praise her for being sensible and accept the gift as Qiao Lin had imagined.

She merely glanced indifferently at the jar of face cream exuding an alluring fragrance, and said to her expressionlessly:

"This isn't something I can decide. The head instructor is over there; you should talk to him."

After she finished speaking, she raised her hand and pointed to the burly figure not far away—Lei Kuan.

Is she... passing the buck directly to the top leader?

Qiao Lin's smile froze for a moment.

What does that mean? Things didn't go smoothly from the start? Is this junior instructor afraid to accept the job, or unwilling to? Or... did she simply not value what she had?

But Qiao Lin's mind worked very quickly, and she immediately realized what was happening, feeling even happier.

That's fine.

What's the point of talking to a mere teaching assistant? Wouldn't it be better to have a direct conversation with the head instructor?

Doesn't this prove that I and others were never on the same level from the very beginning?