Chapter 3: What Kind of People Are These

Yao Jia watched as the figure approached, his face becoming clearer with every step closer, as if zooming in on a close-up.

Indeed, he was quite handsome. With that appearance and physique, he would be perfect as a model for clothing on Taobao, or perhaps even make a name for himself in live streaming. Working as customer service seemed a waste. Why rely on words when you can rely on looks?

While Yao Jia was lost in these idle thoughts, the man had already reached her. There was an empty seat beside her, and it was clear he was heading for it.

However, upon catching sight of her, his expression froze for a moment, and he frowned.

Then, with a voice tinged with disbelief and a hint of displeasure, he said, “Mouse enthusiast?” He paused. “Is the world really this small? Did one of us forget to check the almanac before going out today?”

“…” Yao Jia thought, not a waste at all. Compared to his looks, his mouth was an even more lethal weapon. While others might have landed face-first in their reincarnation, he must have landed mouth-first, and it was a vicious fall.

Yao Jia silently mocked him in her mind but maintained a puzzled expression on her face. “Excuse me, who are you?”

The sharp-tongued handsome man frowned even more, seemingly unable to believe that someone could forget his face in just a few days.

He looked at Yao Jia, smirked, and nodded twice, as if to say, “Fine, you win.” Then he sat down in the chair next to the empty seat between them.

As soon as he sat down, he crossed his long legs with a graceful, fluid motion. His posture was relaxed, and even the tips of his shoes in the air exuded an aura of extraordinary confidence. He looked like a young heir of a billionaire family watching a fashion show in Italy.

Yao Jia silently bared her teeth. Truly a king of pretentiousness.

His demeanor, however, attracted many admiring glances filled with hormones.

Yao Jia confirmed that no matter how advanced civilization becomes, the world still values appearances.

Not long after, another person entered, also a man. He was tall and sturdy, with slightly dark skin, a round face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a double eyelid. His chin had a perpetual shadow of stubble that made him look rugged. He glanced around and headed straight for the empty seat between Yao Jia and the sharp-tongued handsome man.

As soon as he sat down, he struck up a conversation with Yao Jia. His voice, surprisingly high-pitched, didn’t match his appearance at all. Yao Jia felt he could effortlessly sing the female parts of “The Drunken Concubine.” His speech was melodious and soft. Looking at his physique and listening to him speak, Yao Jia imagined a character from an animated series, a “Barbie King Kong.”

Barbie King Kong beamed brightly and introduced himself to Yao Jia, “Hello, my name is Tian Huasheng. And you?”

Yao Jia politely replied, “Hello, I’m Yao Jia.”

“We might be colleagues in the future, so please take care of me!” Barbie King Kong’s delicate voice came from his rugged body.

“…You’re too kind!” Yao Jia felt she might be more masculine than him.

One moment Tian Huasheng was smiling at Yao Jia, and the next, he turned abruptly to the handsome man beside him.

Yao Jia: “…”

This person’s actions were quite sudden.

Yao Jia watched as Tian Huasheng introduced himself to the seemingly fashion-show-attending handsome man, “Hello, I’m Tian Huasheng.”

The handsome man turned to look at Tian Huasheng and responded, “Meng Xingzhe.”

Yao Jia heard Tian Huasheng repeat like a broken record, “We might be colleagues in the future, so please take care of me!”

Meng Xingzhe nodded slightly, “You’re too kind.”

Tian Huasheng clapped his hands, looking at Meng Xingzhe and then at Yao Jia, “Wow, you two are so in sync! By the way, you don’t know each other yet, right? Let me introduce you: Meng Xingzhe, Yao Jia!”

He gestured between them as if introducing a pair of older singles on a blind date.

Yao Jia grinned. Meng Xingzhe raised an elegant eyebrow.

Both of them simultaneously offered a half-hearted “Hello.”

Their little group created a semblance of lively harmony. Someone, attracted by their energy, came over and asked, “You’re here for the interview too, right?”

The voice was sweet, almost cloyingly so.

Yao Jia looked up and saw a girl about her age, dressed and made up meticulously. Her makeup was carefully applied, giving her a sweet yet slightly glamorous look. Her outfit was expensive, costing several thousand yuan, showing she took this job opportunity seriously.

Yao Jia thought the girl was quite invested in this job. She herself usually wore expensive clothes—her irritable father would complain if she dressed cheaply, saying it embarrassed him, as if he mistreated his daughter—so to blend in with the working class, she borrowed an outfit from Ling Xiaoxin for the interview, something reasonably priced.

While observing, the girl introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Tong Yumo!” Her gaze lingered briefly on Yao Jia and Tian Huasheng but stayed much longer on Meng Xingzhe.

It was clear where her interest lay.

After introducing herself, Tong Yumo took the seat next to Meng Xingzhe.

The four of them sat in a row: Yao Jia next to Tian Huasheng, next to Meng Xingzhe, next to Tong Yumo.

Amidst the chatter of two people, Yao Jia vaguely heard Tong Yumo trying to start a conversation, but Meng Xingzhe consistently responded with monosyllabic answers, seemingly hoping to end the discussion quickly. However, he didn’t succeed.

“Are you here for the interview too?” Tong Yumo asked again with an innocent tone.

“Yes.”

“Are you a local?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, how old are you? I just graduated from college, I’m twenty-two.”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean you’re older than me?”

“Yes.”

“By three or four years?”

“Yes.”

Yao Jia thought to herself that Meng Xingzhe must have a bit of patience. If it were her, she might have already waved a magic staff to silence him. This girl, Tong Yumo, was the same age as her, but she acted like an old lady conducting a census.

Tian Huasheng turned to Yao Jia and winked, his rugged face somehow managing a coquettish expression, which oddly comforted Yao Jia.

“Actually, we men generally don’t like such direct probing; it feels intrusive,” he said, his loli voice interpreting the male perspective.

Yao Jia nodded in agreement. “Actually, we women don’t usually probe so directly either; it can come across as desperate.”

As they spoke, someone opened the meeting room door and walked out.

It was a cold, elegant beauty, slightly older than Yao Jia, from the Human Resources Department. She had a lovely name, Lu Fangfei.

Lu Fangfei asked everyone to be quiet and announced that the interviews were about to begin, asking those called to enter the room in order.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

People were called in one after another. Those further down the line seemed increasingly nervous.

Yao Jia wasn’t nervous at first, but the atmosphere created by Tian Huasheng, who was like a helpless child weighing 300 pounds, constantly rubbing his large hands and muttering, “Is it my turn yet? I’m so nervous!” gradually made her anxious too.

In contrast, Meng Xingzhe, sitting one seat away from her, remained calm and composed, as if he were watching a fashion show in Italy. His demeanor seemed to convey: tremble all you want, I will definitely top the interview and exam scores.

He was even relaxed enough to play on his phone.

Yao Jia sighed, feeling a bit more nervous. Exams were like that; other people’s nerves could make you anxious, but their calmness could make you even more so.

As she waited, Yao Jia’s anxiety level rose, and she began to hope her turn would come soon.

In the end, among the four people in the row, she was the last to be called in.

※※※※※※

For a moment, the irritation in Meng Xingzhe’s heart peaked, and he felt like transferring his shares to Bei Luonan. He no longer wanted to endure the inhuman torture at Kunyu Electric.

He took out his phone and messaged Bei Luonan: “What kind of freaks are coming for the interview?”

Just considering the people sitting near him.

One was a narrow-minded adversary with zero aesthetic sense, who had called his carefully designed logo a pair of silly mice fighting over food. He was baffled by how small the world was, that even when he was undercover, he still ran into people he didn’t want to see. It was like seeing a ghost.

Another was a rugged man with a loli voice, his large frame capable of wrestling, yet his words were delicate and charming. His voice and tone were indeed suitable for a customer service role.

And then there was the most absurd one, a human question machine, incessantly asking questions, none of which had any substance. If an employee of his dared to chat with him like that, he would have fired her long ago. He had said “yes” more times in this short span than in his entire life.

And she was still going.

“Ah, do you think I’m a bit nervous?”

“Aren’t you nervous too?”

“Oh, what should I do? I’m getting more and more nervous! Why hasn’t it been our turn yet?”

If not for maintaining the demeanor of a handsome man and concealing his grand stature as a company boss, he would have stood up and ordered this Tong-something to shut up and calm down, as there was nothing to be nervous about.

But then, not only this Tong-something, even the Barbie King Kong beside him, and the ponytail next to Barbie King Kong, started to encourage each other’s anxiety.

He was exasperated.

“What is this nonsense? It’s just a customer service position, what’s there to be nervous about?”

Bei Luonan replied with a string of laughing emojis and a message: “I really hope all of them get hired!”

Then he sent another message.

“I really hope to see you, the pretentious king, tormented by these freaks every day, until you forget how to be pretentious!”

Meng Xingzhe scoffed and tossed his phone aside.

Just then, the HR specialist came out and called his name.

————

“The Drunken Concubine” (贵妃醉酒) is a famous Peking opera aria about Yang Yuhuan, a beloved concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. The story shows her sorrow and longing, often expressed while she is drunk, as she reminisces about lost love. It is celebrated for its emotional depth and the skill required in singing and acting, and has been famously performed by legends like Mei Lanfang.