When Lin Chu smiled, Gu Jiayan smiled back, slightly abashed.

"It might sound a bit strange, but I think the label that suits me best is ’a good person.’"

"Of course, I have my own principles and I understand some of society’s rules, but I just try my best to be who I am."

"Let me give you an example. During college, starting from my sophomore year, I volunteered every week, mainly at the children’s welfare home in Longgang. It’s filled with orphans."

She spoke calmly, but her long eyelashes trembled slightly, betraying a hint of nervousness.

Lin Chu: ?

’Such a saint?’

’Uh, calling her a saint seems a bit malicious.’

’A "saint" sacrifices others’ interests for their own so-called kindness, but she’s... just... genuinely kind?’

"Why did you decide to do something like that?"

Lin Chu asked curiously.

"I think I was born this way. I didn’t come from a similar background—my grandparents and parents are all around. I just can’t stand to see others suffer. Plus, it’s related to what I studied, and I enjoy spending time with children."

"Of course, analyzing it from my own perspective, it probably also satisfies my own desire to ’save’ people. As the saying goes, ’When you give someone a rose, the fragrance lingers on your hand.’ It nourishes my spirit."

"Besides, it helped me develop some of my social skills. I even started a social media account to get donations through that channel to improve their living conditions."

Lin Chu nodded.

’Not bad.’

’It’s not the kind of pure but incompetent kindness. She can actually get things done.’

"If you’re ever stressed from work, you could actually go for a visit. Spending time with the kids is a great way to de-stress."

"Also, when you realize there are so many people in the world who have it worse than you, you might find more peace of mind when you run into your own difficulties."

She didn’t just explain herself; she even gave Lin Chu advice.

Lin Chu couldn’t help but smile.

’She’s so earnest.’

Of course, Lin Chu instantly understood her ulterior motive. ’You’re a rich boss, how about a donation!’

"Alright, I can check it out sometime. Make a donation or something," Lin Chu said casually, then continued, "Tell me about your time in school. How did you end up studying Chinese Language and Literature at Harbin Institute of Technology?"

That was also a rather "unconventional" point.

When the topic came up, a flicker of embarrassment appeared in Gu Jiayan’s eyes.

"I originally applied for Biomedical Engineering, but my score wasn’t high enough to get in, so I was reassigned to a different major."

"Getting back to the previous question, this is probably my second label: I see myself as an ordinary person. I worked incredibly hard for all three years of high school—waking at the crack of dawn, burning the midnight oil, that sort of thing—but I still couldn’t outscore others. What can you do?"

"You just have to take it one step at a time. I gave up on the rat race and decided to live a normal life."

Talking with her gave him a unique feeling: a sense of peace.

She was a breath of fresh air.

Lin Chu: "Any other labels? Let’s hear them all."

She thought for a moment, then looked at Lin Chu. "Another one would be... contradictory."

"Sometimes two opposing ideas will be in my head. Selfishness? Or altruism? I don’t have enough real-world experience yet, so I’m still trying to find a balance."

"Also, should I be a detached sage who has withdrawn from the world, or a worldly powerhouse who engages with it? This is about my personal path, and I’m still wavering. It’s not causing me any serious internal conflict, though. I’m still figuring it out through trial and error."

At this point, she felt like she might as well throw caution to the wind.

’With values like these, I’m probably not a qualified employee.’

’A qualified employee should have a wolf-pack mentality, always howling and charging forward.’

But since they’d come this far, she figured she might as well see it through.

It wouldn’t be a big deal even if she was rejected.

’It’s just a job, after all.’

’Though I could ask this President Lin where he bought this incense. It smells really nice.’

"Anything else?"

Lin Chu asked.

She pursed her lips, smiled, and shook her head. "That’s all. Thank you."

Lin Chu was also getting into the swing of things. "Do you have any questions for me? About the job."

Huh?

She was suddenly taken aback.

’What?’

’Does this mean I passed the interview?’

Glancing at Lin Chu’s expression, she asked timidly, "Did I... pass the interview?"

Lin Chu smiled. "I think you’re okay. What, you weren’t confident you’d pass?"

She breathed a sigh of relief and said with a lighter tone, "A little. Your questions were so strange. It didn’t feel like a normal interview; it felt more like a therapy session."

Gu Jiayan knew she was something of an oddball.

But this company was pretty odd too.

Lin Chu said, "As for the job, what you learned in school is basically useless for actual work. Since you’re a fresh graduate, you’ll have to learn all the professional skills from scratch anyway."

"Do you have any other questions? Ask now. I have another interview at three."

Gu Jiayan glanced at the time. It was already two-thirty.

After a moment of thought, she asked softly, "I’d like to know, what kind of person are you?"

A company’s boss naturally represents the company’s style.

You can tell a lot from that.

Huh?

The question even startled Lin Chu.

’The nerve of you, turning the tables on me.’

’This girl has some guts.’

"Me? To borrow a phrase you just used, a worldly powerhouse. That’s it, nothing else."

Lin Chu said it almost without thinking, with extreme confidence.

She stared straight at Lin Chu, her mouth slightly parted and her teeth gently biting her lower lip. She could feel a kind of... domineering aura.

It really was a domineering aura.

The domineering air of a young and successful man, or perhaps you could call it high-spirited confidence.

"I have no more questions. Thank you."

She stood up and bowed slightly again.

"Mm, you can go. President Zhang will talk to you about salary, benefits, and all that. It’s about the same as what was listed on the recruitment site."

Lin Chu said casually, waving a hand. He flicked out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a long plume of smoke.

’A good person?’

’I wonder if she’ll be corrupted after two or three years in the professional world.’

’But it doesn’t matter. We’ll just have to wait and see.’

’Hiring a girl like this can be considered enriching the company’s ecosystem.’

’Meng Changjun kept three thousand retainers, including those who could crow like roosters and steal like dogs. You never know which cloud will bring rain.’

’Besides, she really is beautiful, tall, has a great figure, and seems so pure and kind... it almost gives me the urge to corrupt her.’

Tsk...

’I’m such a dirty old dog.’

...

As Gu Jiayan walked out of Lin Chu’s office, Zhang Peng heard the door and came out of his own.

"How did it go?" he asked with a smile.

Gu Jiayan smiled and nodded lightly. "It went smoothly. President Lin said I passed."

Zhang Peng: "What are your thoughts?"

Gu Jiayan looked up at him, then glanced around the office.

Zhang Peng understood her meaning instantly. "Let’s go. We can talk in the conference room."

The two of them walked into a conference room.

"I’d like to know if the administrative position in the President’s Office involves business entertainment? Will I be required to drink? I’m not very good at it. Of course, I can learn, but that would add unnecessary costs and trouble for the company."

She hesitated for a moment before asking with a serious look in her eyes.

Zhang Peng mentally praised her emotional intelligence and smiled. "You won’t be needed for business entertainment. The company has plenty of people for that. Your main job is to manage President Lin’s daily schedule."

She hummed in acknowledgment and nodded lightly.

"The salary is twenty thousand during the probationary period. After three months, you’ll become a permanent employee, with performance pay and bonuses added on. Any problem with that?" Zhang Peng added.

Gu Jiayan pursed her lips again. It still felt surreal. ’Why is the salary so high?’ 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I wanted to ask, isn’t the salary a bit too high? Is the workload very intense?" she asked hesitantly.

Zhang Peng couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Is there really someone who thinks their salary is too high?"

After the joke, he fell silent for a few seconds before explaining seriously, "It’s not because of your value, it’s because of President Lin’s value. The core of your job is to save President Lin’s time. One hour of his time is worth much more than twenty thousand. Understand?"

She... instantly understood.

"Okay, okay, I understand."

...

...