Shine on Me

As it turned out, all my preparations were for nothing when I arrived in Shanghai.

The manager in charge of the interview, Manager Li, was even more polite than I expected. He addressed me as "Miss Nie" repeatedly and didn’t ask any substantial questions. Instead, he engaged in polite conversation with me for an hour before welcoming me to join the company. He even asked if my accommodations in Shanghai were arranged and offered to make arrangements on behalf of the company if needed.

Baffled, I muddled through the interview. As I stood up to leave, Manager Li opened the door to see me out, smiling as he said, "Miss Nie, please send my regards to Mr. Nie."

So that was it.

After my parents divorced, I had lost touch with my father for so long that I nearly forgot he was Nie Chengyuan. My father—I’d describe him as a handsome middle-aged nouveau riche. In his youth, he was so poor he could barely scrape by, and only my mother was willing to marry him. By middle age, he had gained status and wealth, but then he started chasing love, divorcing my mom to reunite with his first love, who had left him years ago.

Fortunately, my mom was broad-minded. She told me, "I had your father when he was young and handsome. Who wants an old man now?" Still, she strictly forbade me from taking even a penny from my father, insisting I belonged to her. I think deep down, she still resented it.

A few days ago, out of the blue, my long-absent father called to ask about my graduation plans. When I mentioned I’d sent out resumes, he asked which companies I’d applied to. I couldn’t remember most of the names—the only one I knew was Shengyuan, the company Zhuang Xu had helped me apply to. When I mentioned it, my father didn’t say much at the time, just asked a few more questions before hanging up.

Now it made sense. He must have pulled some strings afterward.

So it wasn’t because of Zhuang Xu after all. For some reason, I felt a pang of disappointment.

On the train back to Nanjing, I kept wondering whether I should take the job at Shengyuan. According to my agreement with my mom, I should have refused outright. But I couldn’t forget the sight of the logo on the building across from Shengyuan’s headquarters when I walked out.

A golden, sunlit arc—the emblem of Bank A.

Where Zhuang Xu would be working in the future.

Back in the dorm that evening, my roommates eagerly asked about the results. I sighed and said, "I haven’t decided whether to take it yet."

The next morning, while having breakfast in the cafeteria with Siliang, she scolded me, "Xiguang, you really weren’t careful with your words yesterday. Rong Rong still hasn’t received any interview notice."

Oh, I hadn’t noticed. I nodded. "Got it."

In the afternoon, Manager Li called again to ask about my decision. Hesitating, I said I needed more time to consider. He immediately raised the salary and benefits. The position I’d applied for was just a cushy job—even in Shanghai, the pay wouldn’t exceed three or four thousand. The offer he gave me was absurdly high.

He probably thought I was playing hard to get because the salary was too low.

After hanging up, I suddenly felt uneasy and paced back and forth by the school lake.

I could almost picture what working at Shengyuan would be like. It was the same at the firm in Wuxi—the other interns were run ragged while I had it easy. Even when someone asked me to do something, they were all smiles and politeness.But what do others think? Although I don’t particularly care about others’ opinions, being the kind of parasite Zhuang Xu mentioned doesn’t seem very appealing either.

After wandering by the lake for a while, I called my mom and told her I wanted to try finding a job on my own. At first, she objected, but as we talked, she grew happy, saying I had finally learned to plan for myself. Then she reminded me not to stubbornly struggle if I couldn’t find anything—she could still help me.

Honestly, before making the call, I had only a vague impulse and wasn’t sure what I really wanted. But my mom’s happy and relieved voice strengthened my resolve.

I’ll find a job myself.

As for Shengyuan… I stared blankly at the shimmering lake.

I’d probably still refuse. Not because of my dad, but because it was too close.

Whether I went or not, it was all because it was too close to Zhuang Xu.

Once I made up my mind and settled my thoughts, I went back to working on my thesis. These past few days, worrying about job hunting had set me behind.

That day, while I was copying materials in the library’s magazine room, I got a text from Siliang— Xiguang, come back to the dorm. There’s something we need to discuss.

Huh? Was there a dinner gathering tonight?

Recently, with graduation approaching, group meals had become a trend, so that was my first thought.

Seeing that it was indeed mealtime, I quickly returned the books and excitedly rushed back to the dorm with my backpack.

When I got there, I pushed the door open and tossed my bag onto the bed. “Who’s treating?”

No one answered. Only then did I notice the gloomy and strange atmosphere in the room. Everyone was there except Xiaofeng, who had gone to Shanghai—even Zhuang Xu was present. I gave him a puzzled look. Was he treating again?

But… why was everyone staring at me?

After a moment, Rong Rong was the first to speak, her tone far from friendly.

“Nie Xiguang.”

“What?” I was baffled.

“You’re asking me what?” Rong Rong sneered. “Isn’t that strange? How can you not feel guilty after doing something like that?”

“What did I do?” Her accusatory tone made me angry, and all thoughts of food flew out of my head.

“Rong Rong, be reasonable. We haven’t clarified things yet.” Siliang stood up from her chair and said to me seriously, “Xiguang, did you receive Rong Rong’s Shengyuan interview call on Monday afternoon?”

I shook my head. What was this all about?

“Still denying it? Nie Xiguang, I never thought you’d do something like this.” Rong Rong’s expression was peculiar—seemingly furious and disdainful, yet with a hint of barely concealed triumph.

A Fen interjected softly, “Maybe Xiguang forgot? She was asleep when we left that day. She might’ve answered and gone back to sleep, then forgotten about it afterward.”

With A Fen’s explanation, I finally understood what was going on. Was Rong Rong suspecting that I had taken her interview call and not told her? I felt more amused than angry. “Maybe there’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t get any interview call for Rong Rong.”

“Why bother denying it?” Rong Rong kept up her tone. “Too bad you were too clever by half. If I hadn’t called to ask, you might’ve really gotten away with it.”

What nonsense was this? Suppressing my irritation, I took a deep breath and turned to Siliang. “Siliang, can you explain the whole thing from the beginning?”Siliang nodded. "That's right. Rong Rong never received the interview call, so she called Sheng Yuan Company to inquire. The HR department said they had made unified notifications right after work started on Monday afternoon, and Rong Rong was on the list. They even asked why she didn't come for the interview."

"You know Rong Rong's phone was stolen at the job fair last Saturday, so the company could only call the dorm. That afternoon, me, Rong Rong, A Fen, and Xiaofeng all went out together. You were sleeping at the time, and our dorm leader was back in her hometown and didn't return until Tuesday, so..."

Siliang paused before continuing, "Think carefully—did you maybe answer the call and forget about it?"

I carefully recalled and shook my head. "No, actually I got up and went to the library shortly after you left. I definitely didn't receive any interview call."

"How conveniently clean," Rong Rong sneered.

Ignoring her, I frowned in thought. I certainly hadn't taken that call, but according to Siliang's account, I was indeed the only one who could have answered it. What exactly happened here?

A sudden thought struck me. "Maybe Sheng Yuan's staff never actually made that call. They might have missed it, or called but no one answered, then forgot to call again later."

"Too bad they have call records showing a full two minutes," Rong Rong said with mocking certainty, already convinced I was responsible.

Struggling to maintain my composure, I said firmly, "I have no reason to do this."

"No reason?" Rong Rong scoffed. "Don't you still like Zhuang Xu?"

My face paled.

Rong Rong didn't give me a chance to respond, continuing coldly, "Sheng Yuan is so close to Bank A. You don't want me and Zhuang Xu together, do you? So you used such a despicable method—"

"Rong Rong!"

The sharp rebuke came from Zhuang Xu, who had remained silent until now.

Right—why was he in the dorm? Did Rong Rong bring him here? To jointly interrogate me and expose my true nature? I clenched my hands, feeling my body tremble slightly.

Siliang quickly pulled Rong Rong back. "There might really be some misunderstanding. Anyway, you have another interview opportunity now, so let's just drop it. No need to make everyone unhappy."

"The matter can pass, but look at her—has she shown even a hint of remorse or apology from start to finish? I can't swallow this anger."

She couldn't swallow her anger? I laughed bitterly in my fury. "Ye Rong, you're underestimating me too much. If I really didn't want you to have this interview opportunity, do you think Sheng Yuan would still call to notify you?"

Her expression stiffened. After a long pause, she spoke again, her tone noticeably strained. "Who do you think you are? In this society, what really matters is capability."

"Shall we test that?" I mimicked her cold smile.

The business card Manager Li had given me was casually tossed among the clutter on my desk. I dug it out, picked up the dorm phone, and began dialing.

The others in the dorm seemed stunned by this turn of events, all frozen in place.

"Hello, Manager Li? This is Nie Xiguang. There's something I'd like to tell you—"

Before I could finish, the receiver was swiftly and decisively snatched away by a strong male hand—Zhuang Xu's.

As he grabbed the phone, I looked up and met his gaze clearly.

Then I froze.His gaze...was exactly the same as when I told him I liked him last year. Back then, I couldn't quite figure out what that look meant...but now it suddenly became crystal clear.

It was disgust.

So it was disgust.

It turned out to be disgust.

He detests me.

Like a lost soul, I let him easily take the receiver from my hand. Standing there dumbly, unable to move, only one thought circled endlessly in my mind.

He detests me...

He detests me, but why?

And it wasn't because of the current reason. He'd disliked me long before, back when I'd just lent him money for his mother's surgery...

"Sorry, we're..."

He spoke a few words into the receiver, then frowned and hung up. Turning to a nervous-looking Rong Rong, he said, "It's a non-existent number."

Yes, I'd dialed a fake number. I had genuinely intended to make that call, but when it came to the last three digits, I gave up and randomly pressed buttons instead.

Rong Rong breathed a sigh of relief, then sneered, "I really thought money could move mountains. Turns out it was all an act."

Siliang tugged at her sleeve, and she reluctantly stopped.

I had no energy to dwell on her sarcastic remarks. I just kept looking at Zhuang Xu. I knew my current state would only invite more ridicule, but I couldn't help it—I could only stare at him.

I wanted to ask why he disliked me, whether he also believed I'd intentionally hidden Rong Rong's interview notice. But the words stuck in my throat. What difference did it make whether he disliked me or believed me?

Yet I still felt so wronged I could cry.

Before the tears could fall, I turned and ran out of the dorm.