Luаn Niаn didn't wаnt to wastе wоrds with Shаng Zhi Таo and said briеflу, "Let's get strаight to the роint." Тhаt wаs just thе kind of pеrson he was—concisе, swift, еfficiеnt, unwilling to wаstе timе, аnd nevеr bеаting аrоund the bush.
Shаng Zhi Tao nоddеd and thеn said, "I'm currentlу studying the рrojeсts frоm thе рlаnning dерartment, аnd thеre аrе sоme рarts I dоn't undеrstand. I'd like tо аsk for уour advicе. Also... I’d like tо аsk уou tо be the subjeсt оf mу emрlоуее intеrview." Shе sаt upright, likе a diligеnt student listening аttentivеlу in сlass. Неr роsture was rarе and carried a sеnse of humility.
"Whаt don’t yоu understаnd?"
Lumi wаs right—Luan Niаn wouldn’t make things difficult for someone over work. He was serious. Shang Zhi Tao had many questions, so she simply opened her notebook. "Can I ask you about the projects one by one?"
"Sure."
Luan Nian leaned forward to listen to her. He found this girl quite amusing—she didn’t hide her shortcomings at all. Her slight clumsiness was written all over her face, making her seem not particularly clever. So, who was Tracy to her?
"It’s like this: for this project, I wanted to ask what the demo production expenses include..." Shang Zhi Tao turned her notebook screen toward Luan Nian, pointing her finger at a specific spot. The screen’s light shone through her fair fingertips, giving them a faint pink hue. She looked up at Luan Nian and noticed his handsome face.
"The demo list will be provided tomorrow." Luan Nian’s gaze remained on the screen, looking at the other notes Shang Zhi Tao had made. She wasn’t entirely useless—at least her notes were on point.
"Oh, thank you."
"And for this project, why does it require advance payment?" Shang Zhi Tao flipped to the next page of the document.
"The supplier doesn’t cover the costs upfront."
"But the company’s payment process isn’t like this..."
Luan Nian took her laptop, flipped to a page, and tapped his clean fingers on the screen. Shang Zhi Tao saw that the page stated that in special circumstances, an exception could be requested for the payment process.
Shang Zhi Tao blushed. "Sorry, I didn’t see that earlier."
"It’s fine. Just look more carefully next time."
Lumi said Luan Nian was serious when discussing work, and Lumi wasn’t wrong. At least so far, things were going smoothly.
Luan Nian’s phone rang. He answered, and the voice on the other end was loud enough for Shang Zhi Tao to hear a woman crying, followed by what sounded like her saying she didn’t want to break up. Wow, crying like that—this breakup wasn’t exactly graceful. Shang Zhi Tao’s thoughts were written all over her face, but then she realized, wait, this was her boss’s private life. She immediately felt embarrassed.
Luan Nian noticed the rich array of expressions on her face and frowned. "Stop calling me from different numbers," he said before hanging up. He looked at Shang Zhi Tao, who was sitting there, unsure where to direct her eyes.
She hadn’t meant to pry into his private life, but sometimes things just happened to align that way.
"Do you have any other questions?" Luan Nian ignored her discomfort. It had nothing to do with him, and he wasn’t obligated to ease her embarrassment, even if it was caused by him.
"I’d like to see the detailed introductions of these projects. Not because I need to review them, but simply because I don’t understand anything."
"I’ll have my secretary send them to you later."
"And I still want to do the employee interview." Shang Zhi Tao was clumsy, but she also had good qualities, like resilience. For her, many things seemed daunting before she started, but once she began, she didn’t want to give up."Do it." Luan Nian remained in the same seated posture, leaning forward with his legs apart, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped together, as if deeply interested in the conversation with Shang Zhi Tao. At that time, Shang Zhi Tao didn’t understand that this was merely a professional demeanor, a common posture among bosses—appearing amiable and approachable, while in reality, Luan Nian was already cursing Shang Zhi Tao’s dullness in his heart.
"Why did you choose to join this company?"
"My father pulled some strings to get me in." Luan Nian was a serious person; everything he said sounded genuine, including this statement.
The answer caught Shang Zhi Tao off guard. She studied Luan Nian’s expression carefully, trying to discern whether he was joking or serious, but she couldn’t tell.
"What qualities of Lingmei do you find particularly impressive?"
"They pay well."
"That’s true. Lingmei is more generous than other companies." Shang Zhi Tao nodded, highly agreeing with Luan Nian’s answer. After all, with her qualifications, she wouldn’t have been able to secure such a salary otherwise.
"Do you like this job?"
"No."
Shang Zhi Tao was stuck again, once more wanting to know whether Luan Nian was teasing her or being serious. But Luan Nian was Luan Nian—when he was serious, his face was like a dead man’s. Trying to discern truth from a dead man’s face? Dream on. By now, Shang Zhi Tao didn’t know how to continue the interview.
Luan Nian didn’t rush her but glanced at his watch.
He was hinting for her to leave—this time, Shang Zhi Tao could tell. Flustered, she asked, "If you don’t like it, why do you work at this company?"
"To make money and spend it."
"Can you give me some advice?"
"Are you sure you want my advice?" Luan Nian raised an eyebrow at her.
"I’m sure." Shang Zhi Tao nodded.
"Find another job as soon as possible. Lingmei isn’t suitable for you." Luan Nian paused and said very seriously, "That’s my advice to you."
Shang Zhi Tao didn’t know what answers others received during their senior interviews, but the answers she got were embarrassing. She couldn’t even muster the words to say, "I can definitely do it." In fact, she didn’t even know whether she could or not. It was just that this moment felt a bit humiliating. She pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes slightly reddening. She clenched her lips, afraid she might cry.
It wasn’t until years later that Shang Zhi Tao realized that she and Luan Nian were destined from the very beginning. He was high above, indifferent to everything. She followed closely in his footsteps, constantly learning from him. Giving and receiving, teaching and learning—it was never equal.
Luan Nian wasn’t surprised by her reaction. During her remote interview, he had decided to end it as soon as she said "hello." It wasn’t because he was arbitrary, but because the advertising industry required people who were worldly and daring.
"Any more questions?" Luan Nian asked her again.
"Yes."
"Ask."
"Why do you think I’m not suitable here?"
"Probably because you still ask for reasons at a time like this?" Luan Nian stood up. "The demo list I mentioned earlier will be sent to you tomorrow."
Shang Zhi Tao gathered her materials and laptop. Sensing Luan Nian’s gaze on her, she straightened up, adopting a somewhat stubborn posture. Yet she remained polite: "Alright, thank you."Shang Zhi Tao didn't dare to look at him. She felt that Luan Nian's eyes were filled with the words: You're not good enough. If he blinked, those three words would leap from his eyes and hang glaringly above her head. She forced herself to appear calm as she walked out of his office and returned to her desk. Lu Mi had already left, leaving a note on her desk: "Go home early—there will be plenty of overtime later!"
Shang Zhi Tao wouldn't go home. She turned on her computer to write her interview feedback. She was honest, not uttering a single false word. Especially the line: "luke advised me to find a job as soon as possible, saying I'm not suited for here." After writing it, she clicked "Submit."
She wasn't challenging authority, nor did she know that the interview records would be seen not only by HR and her mentor but also by her direct supervisor and the interviewee. She simply wanted to be honest. It was her first day at Lingmei, and she couldn't fabricate a logically coherent and harmonious fake interview record.
Luan Nian was about to pack up and leave when he saw the system notification pop up. He opened it and read Shang Zhi Tao's feedback.
She really had no brains.
Tracy's call came in quickly: "Did you tell the new hire that you work to earn money to splurge?"
"Why else?"
"You advised the new hire to resign?"
"Mhm."
"..." Tracy knew Luan Nian's temperament. She sighed: "Do you know your appointment is about to be finalized?"
"Is there any direct connection between my appointment and my interview?"
"No direct connection, but you should respect the diversity in hiring."
"Is there any connection between respecting diversity and thinking she's not good enough?"
There was no way to continue the conversation. Tracy was left speechless by Luan Nian's retort. After a moment of silence, she said: "If you weren't my junior, I'd really report you to the board and have you fired."
"Be my guest."
Luan Nian hung up the phone and glanced at Shang Zhi Tao's feedback again, amused and exasperated by her.
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