Volume 10: Pro and Con
Chapter 15:
The interview shouldn’t be a very pleasant affair. Two people, born with no difference, could be divided into host and guest, superior and inferior, just because of the order in which they were born. A series of questions and answers, cold and rigid. Lu Li had been interviewed when he entered university in his past life. That day, when he walked out of the interview room, the soles of his feet were soaked with sweat. Wen Hupo always said he was a free person, that he and she were like two sides of the same coin, from the same root—Hupo also disliked interviews. She felt that other people had no right or qualification to interrogate her. It was just that Hupo’s expression was more outward and prominent, while Lu Li’s was more introverted and silent.
There are always many lies in this world. The most prominent example is that all men are born equal.
Lu Li and Chen Jianing sat in the office of the office building. Chen Jianing had somehow managed to get a partial suit—a white business shirt and gray casual pants. Lu Li thought her outfit was nondescript. What was more noteworthy was not her outfit, but her demeanor. Chen Jianing sat in the recliner, her little bottom shifting left and right, the eyebrows above her eyes like two constantly waving black whips.
“Can… can I go sit outside? You can just handle the interviews.” She was backing out again. This girl was already reclusive. Although she seemed barely like a normal person in front of Lu Li, she instantly revealed her true colors in front of outsiders.
“No. You’re going to be the BOSS in the future. In this kind of situation, they should be the ones who are nervous, not you.”
“But I don’t want to be the boss.”
“You’ll have to work eventually.”
“I…” Chen Jianing looked at Lu Li, and for some reason, her attitude softened. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.” Lu Li quickly turned his head away, not daring to look at Chen Jianing again. Ever since he had that strange impulse, Lu Li had become more and more aware of the Annoying Ghost’s weakness. Just now, that little girl’s aggrieved glance had made his heart tremble. What was this? Friendship turning sour?
One day, when the Annoying Ghost was no longer annoying, what should he call her?
Lu Li handed a copy of the sorted resumes to Chen Jianing. “These are the resumes of this morning’s interviewees. Take a quick look, and pay attention to how I ask questions later. There’s another batch this afternoon. It will be quite tiring today. If you’re tired, you can go to the general manager’s office next door to sleep.” In the early stages of a company like this, the boss himself was actually an employee, and a hard-working beast of burden with no rest at that.
The unintentional gentleness in Lu Li’s words was very well-received by Chen Jianing. What she didn’t tell Lu Li was that ever since she found out he and Chu Jingyi had broken up, a strange emotion had arisen in her, as if a shepherd’s sheep had gone missing, and she, a little tiger, could pretend to be a lamb and follow the shepherd home.
The Little Tiger flipped through the resumes and suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise. Before she could explain her confusion, Lu Li’s phone rang.
“Are you here? Mm, Building F4, 7th floor. Mm, yes, the entire 7th floor is our company.” Lu Li hung up the phone, smiled at Chen Jianing, and revealed his neat, white teeth. “Deep breath, Jianing. The interviewees will be here soon.”
Chen Jianing grunted in agreement and began to look at the resumes. This morning’s recruitment was mainly for the company’s administration, human resources, finance, and planning assistants. Her mind was filled with random thoughts, mainly about An Baili and Wen Hupo. Perhaps only she herself knew why she would think of those two “love rivals.” After her heart finally calmed down, she heard a knock on the door outside.
Chen Jianing subconsciously curled her toes, like a startled black cat.
“Come in,” Lu Li said.
The office door opened, and a total of ten interviewees entered, five men and five women. The moment they entered, three of the couples exclaimed, “Jianing! It’s you?”
Chen Jianing had rehearsed this scene countless times in her mind. She imitated Lu Li’s stern expression, looked down at the resumes, and pretended not to hear her roommates’ exclamations. She felt she was so cool. She had heard Liang Xiaoqi say before that she would introduce her roommates to an interview, but she hadn’t expected it to be Lu Li’s company…
Only then did Lu Li realize that four of the people were Chen Jianing’s roommates and their boyfriends, whom he had met on the bus back in August. He smiled. “Please have a seat. Let me first explain the important points of the interview.” There was another couple who were strangers. Were they also Chen Jianing’s roommates?
The group suppressed their shock and sat down with some trepidation, only daring to sit on the edge of their seats.
“Let me first introduce myself. I am Lu Li, the executive director of Changle Company.” Lu Li felt this title sounded quite intimidating. His company wasn’t directly funded; rather, with Long Di’s help, another investment company was established to hold a controlling stake in Changle. There were too many behind-the-scenes dealings, and Lu Li couldn’t be bothered to explain them in detail. “This is the company’s general manager, Chen Jianing. We will be conducting this recruitment.”
“As you can all see, we are a new startup company with insufficient personnel, and the age of the management team may also make you look down on us.” Lu Li smiled. “If any friends are disappointed with the current situation of Changle Company, you can leave now.”
The interviewees looked at each other, but in the end, no one left. The reason was simple: the conditions listed in Changle Company’s recruitment notice were too generous.
“Mm, please wait in the office outside first. I will call the interviewees in order of rank.” Lu Li stood up and personally opened the door for them. Chen Jianing’s roommates’ lips quivered. They looked back and forth between Lu Li and Chen Jianing, wanting to say something, but Lu Li’s face was a professional smile, and Chen Jianing’s face was indifferent, forcing them to swallow their words.
“Liang Xiaoqi, please stay. You are the first interviewee.”
Liang Xiaoqi let out a sound of surprise, looked hesitantly at the people walking out the door, and sat down nervously in her chair. Chen Jianing watched Liang Xiaoqi, who usually put on airs in the dorm, now sitting there obediently, and felt an indescribable pleasure in her heart. The petty girl was full of ideas on how to make things difficult for her later. But for some reason, when Chen Jianing saw Liang Xiaoqi’s uneasy, darting gaze, her heart stirred. It was as if she were seeing her own usual demeanor. In their eyes, was she usually just like the Liang Xiaoqi of this moment?
At this thought, the sense of smugness in Chen Jianing’s heart instantly dissipated, and a strange sadness arose in her. In the end, what was the difference between her and Liang Xiaoqi? She had only borrowed Lu Li’s east wind to be able to turn the tables on Liang Xiaoqi. If not for Lu Li, she would just be the “Liang Xiaoqi” in Liang Xiaoqi’s eyes.
She put down the resume and, for the first time in her life, cast aside her prejudices and smiled at her roommate. Liang Xiaoqi nodded awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.
Lu Li pulled out a chair and sat down. “You know her?”
“She’s my roommate,” Chen Jianing said. “Let’s keep business and personal matters separate, okay?”
Lu Li was stunned for a moment. This Annoying Ghost actually knew how to be considerate of others? Had the sun risen from the west? But it was a pity that Lu Li was a person with double standards. He smiled warmly. “Introduce yourself, Senior Liang?”
