Chapter 7: Let’s See Who Gets Eliminated

Yao Jia asked Meng Xingzhe, “Are you trying to seduce me?”

Truth be told, this was Meng Xingzhe’s first time deliberately trying to charm a girl. In the past, it was always the girls who blushed and approached him, calling him “big brother” and asking for his WeChat.

Faced with such a direct question, he was caught off guard and, lacking experience, blurted out, “Is it that obvious?”

Yao Jia nodded seriously and then asked, “Why do you want to do this?”

Meng Xingzhe replied, “You’re quite pretty. Is that reason enough?”

Yao Jia thought for a moment and nodded, “That’s true, but it’s not convincing enough for me.”

Tian Huasheng, who accidentally overheard their conversation, was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped.

It was truly a meeting of a straightforward man and a straightforward woman. The flirtations between men and women, usually filled with heart-pounding ambiguity and the beauty of hormones that require guessing, were being handled so bluntly by these two.

He heard Yao Jia earnestly continue to tell Meng Xingzhe, “I don’t know what your intentions are, but let me tell you, I’m very rebellious. The more you tell me not to do something, the more I want to do it. The more you want me to do something, the more I’ll pretend not to hear. Similarly, the more someone is interested in me, the less interested I am in them.”

“…”

Meng Xingzhe looked at the girl in front of him, her hair tied in a ponytail, her face small and serious, her skin as white and delicate as porcelain, her features exquisite, and her eyes bright and full of spirit.

She was indeed a very pretty girl.

At first glance, she seemed particularly obedient. But in reality, she was a person full of wild ideas.

The more you go left, the more she goes right.

They were actually similar people. If they followed their true thoughts, they would not be good at customer service. Their straightforward nature couldn’t handle the twists and turns of compromise and pretense.

He quietly watched her seriously spout nonsense, curious to see what other tricks she would come up with to deter his intentions.

“The more you pay attention to me, the less I’ll pay attention to you. So if you really want to flirt with me, the best way is to ignore me and wait for me to make the first move. But you need to distinguish this; my behavior is called rebellion, which is fundamentally different from being cheap.”

Meng Xingzhe propped his chin and half-closed his eyes, listening to Yao Jia’s nonsense. He found her nonsense refreshingly unique.

She was so stubbornly interesting that it completely dispelled his desire to flirt. Now, he just wanted to find a place to…

Laugh out loud.

※※※※※※

When Yao Jia returned home that evening, her parents weren’t there. She was used to it by now. The live-in nanny said that Yao Bingkun and his wife had called, saying they had social engagements and would eat out. She had already prepared dinner for Yao Jia alone. So Yao Jia sat by herself at the dining table to eat.

The dining room was already spacious, and with Yao Jia sitting there alone, it seemed even larger and emptier. The space wasn’t filled with the aroma of food, but with the echo of a solitary diner’s heartbeat.

Yao Jia couldn’t remember the last time she had a meal with her parents. She had to rely on the nanny to find out whether they would be home for dinner.

But it was fine; eating alone meant peace and quiet. Whenever two people with the surname Yao appeared at the dining table together, Big Yao would inevitably nag Little Yao, and Little Yao would inevitably suffer from indigestion.

Yao Jia sometimes felt conflicted. She wished that Yao Bingkun and Gan Yu could be like other parents, sitting at the dining table every day, asking her, “How was your training today? Was it smooth? Did anything interesting or memorable happen? Did you encounter any difficult problems?”

But she also feared this moment. Past experiences taught her that whenever Yao Bingkun asked, “Was it smooth?” if the answer was not very smooth, he would say, “If it’s not smooth, it’s because you’re not capable enough. If you were more competent, nothing would be unsmooth. Look at Xiao Hui; he’s never said he’s had any problems.”

As for the subsequent questions, they could all be omitted.

With a sigh, Yao Jia put down her chopsticks, left the dining room, and looked around. For the first time, she felt that oppression didn’t only come from cramped spaces. The house was so large that it felt suffocating, and living there made her feel like a guest who never saw the host.

※※※

Back in her room, Yao Jia video-called Ling Xiaoxin.

Ling Xiaoxin immediately noticed Yao Jia’s lack of energy and gently asked, “Jiajia, what’s wrong? Did your dad mentally abuse you again?”

Yao Jia scratched her head and said to the phone screen, “Isn’t it strange? It’s like there’s a time difference in our house. I haven’t seen my great daddy and mommy for days. Would you call that mental abuse? But I’m not losing energy over this; I’m used to it.”

Ling Xiaoxin made a head-patting gesture across the screen, speaking softly and gently, “It’s okay, Daddy Ling cares about you.”

Yao Jia mouthed, “Get lost.”

Ling Xiaoxin asked, “If it’s not because of your dad, then why are you feeling down?”

Yao Jia thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know if you can understand this kind of low energy, but during training today, I suddenly realized everyone is better than me.”

Everyone seemed to have their strengths, except for her.

When you suddenly find yourself at the bottom of the group, a sense of powerlessness and self-doubt can envelop you like a vacuum.

Tong Yumo’s strength was that she did everything by the book. Although she wasn’t outstanding enough to make people take notice, she never made mistakes. The trainers and department managers all liked her.

Tian Huasheng seemed like someone with a cheat code for being a two-faced person. In private, he would join her in mocking all sorts of bizarre complaints, but once called upon to answer a question, he could instantly switch to customer service mode, handling everything with ease and clarity. The most amazing part was that his personality shift didn’t make him seem duplicitous; instead, it was charmingly amusing and endearing.

As for Meng Xingzhe, whom she initially dismissed as a pretentious show-off, he turned out to be quite impressive. Somehow, he understood the basic principles of numerous electrical appliances. Given his extensive knowledge, he must have thoroughly prepared before interviewing at Kunyu Electric. So, even though he was indeed a bit of a show-off, he undeniably had real skills.

“Only me,” Yao Jia sighed, “I find myself unable to answer any questions well. I thought customer service would be simple, that phone service was just about picking up calls with a pleasant voice, responding with ‘hello’ and then improvising. Isn’t that easy?”

“But it turns out it’s not like that. Not only do you need to know the basics of various electrical products, but even the tone and pitch of answering calls are strictly regulated.”

After a pause, Yao Jia rubbed her chin awkwardly, saying, “The trainer said my simulated customer call voice was too stiff. He wants me to soften my voice, making it pleasant to the ear.”

Ling Xiaoxin continued to tease her, “You really need to practice how to be coy and sweet.”

Yao Jia sighed, “We’re only in training and not officially on the job yet, but I already know I really dislike this customer service work.”

“It’s like they’re asking every customer service rep to work on their knees.”

“Really, I just don’t want to do it anymore.”

Yao Jia’s words came out in quick succession, leaving no room for interruption.

Ling Xiaoxin wanted to find a moment to comfort and encourage her, but couldn’t find an opening. However, knowing Yao Jia’s rebellious nature, she figured there would be a twist after this outpouring. With that thought, she wasn’t worried.

“But!” Yao Jia suddenly slapped the table, shaking her phone, “I refuse to believe I can’t handle this job!”

Ling Xiaoxin thought, as expected. The moment of reversal had arrived.

“Isn’t Yao Bingkun waiting to see if I can’t last three months? I’ll stick it out just to show him!”

“Aren’t others doing better than me right now? Can’t I catch up? I’m not an idiot; I’ll start studying all kinds of product manuals right away!”

“Don’t I hate this job? I’ll challenge myself to see if I can excel at a job I dislike!”

Ling Xiaoxin applauded Yao Jia through the phone, trembling with admiration.

This woman was truly fierce, so rebellious she even defied herself.

She sneaked a glance out the window at the moon. Thankfully, it was a crescent. If it were full, she might worry that this little rebel would transform into a wolf.

※※※

The night sky looked like it had been wiped with a damp cloth, glistening and bright. The crescent moon resembled a gentle smile with upturned corners.

But under the moonlight, sitting in his beloved massage chair by the window, drinking alone with a globally limited and expensive wine to drown his costly sorrows, Meng Xingzhe couldn’t smile.

He called Bei Luonan, complaining irritably, “I’m telling you, I really regret this and don’t want to do it anymore!”

There’s no joy in it, having to go against my true feelings every day just to be considered competent. The only fun was flirting with Little Ponytail, and now even she’s seen through me.

Bei Luonan quickly used reverse psychology to comfort him, “Meng Xingzhe, pull yourself together! Think of our bet. Do you want to be a loser? Do you want to be a fool? Do you want to hand over your shares to me for nothing? Do you want to be worse than someone who said your logo design is ugly? She’s also at the bottom but she’s persisting. Can you forgive yourself for this?”

Meng Xingzhe immediately fell for the reverse psychology, “You’re damn right!” He downed his wine in one gulp, savoring it with narrowed eyes, and said through gritted teeth, “Just wait, don’t lose to me in this bet, or you’ll be in trouble.”

Suddenly, he sighed and complained, “But really, this isn’t a place for humans! You say a young and promising boss like me has to kneel and work as a customer service rep, I can bear that, but can you handle women throwing themselves at you every day? That Tong something, I don’t even know how long we’ve known each other, where does she get such enthusiasm for me?”

“I know I’m too talented and handsome. But that’s natural, what can I do about it?”

“I’m telling you, I’m really fed up with the trouble my good looks bring me!”

Bei Luonan couldn’t be bothered to listen any longer and hung up the phone.

※※※※※※

The last day of training was the assessment.

After the assessment ended, before announcing the results, the Customer Service Manager stood on the podium to lay down the rules.

The Customer Service Manager, a middle-aged man in his forties named Li Wangli, had a high hairline, making his forehead look large. He particularly liked girls who seemed soft and cute, like Tong Yumo, who received much of his attention and praise.

Li Wangli wiped his shiny forehead and began setting the rules with a booming voice. He added an “ah” after each opening sentence, which made him sound a bit pompous, but it wasn’t too severe.

“Your calls, ah, will be monitored and randomly checked. If the failure rate is too high, there will be corresponding penalties, and serious cases will lead to immediate dismissal.

“And your call quality, quantity, complaint status, and customer satisfaction, ah, these data will be included in the Monthly Performance Review, and the assessment results are linked to your monthly salary.

“During work, every morning, ah, there will be a ten-minute morning meeting. When it’s not busy during the off-season, ah, there will be a fifteen-minute break in the morning and afternoon, but note that each team should stagger their breaks. At noon, everyone eats together in the company cafeteria, located in the basement.”

“Each of you needs to write daily, weekly, and monthly reports, and send them to your team leader’s email on time. These reports will be linked to your performance evaluations, and the results will ultimately reflect in your monthly salary.”

…

Yao Jia felt dizzy listening to all the rules, as if she had returned to her university days, where every afternoon was filled with two major lectures, with a 15-minute break in between.

Just when she thought the briefing was finally over, Li Wangli suddenly shifted the focus and handed the stage over to the HR Manager.

“Now, the HR Manager will announce your training assessment results.”

Yao Jia was taken aback.

Here we go again.

She glanced at the four people in her row.

Tong Yumo still looked terrified and on the verge of tears, as if she had scored the worst in the universe. But Yao Jia thought she must have done well.

Tian Huasheng, brimming with confidence and eagerness, asked the two people beside him if they wanted to compare answers. Tong Yumo pitifully said, “I must have gotten it wrong again.” Meng Xingzhe, with an indifferent tone, said, “The results are about to be announced, so there’s no need for that, right?” Yao Jia knew Tian Huasheng was the type who liked to compare answers when he did well.

The only one whose results Yao Jia couldn’t predict was Meng Xingzhe. Judging by his demeanor, he exuded an air of invincibility and superiority. So he probably did well too.

Suddenly, he turned his head. Yao Jia’s gaze met his.

He smirked, raised an eyebrow, and his eyes softened as he smiled and asked, “Am I so handsome you can’t get enough? If you keep looking, I’ll have to start charging.”

Yao Jia nearly jabbed him in the mouth with her pen to seal his lips shut.

She turned away and ignored Meng Xingzhe.

Based on their usual performances and the current situation, Yao Jia had a sinking feeling that her results might be at the bottom.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the HR Manager to announce the results.

As expected, Tian Huasheng and Tong Yumo did well, tying for first place.

As expected, she was indeed at the bottom, once again scoring last.

As expected, Meng Xingzhe’s results were… wait, no! Meng Xingzhe’s results were unexpected; he also scored at the bottom.

He actually tied with her for last place again?

Hearing Meng Xingzhe’s results, Yao Jia almost wanted to laugh with joy.

Meng Xingzhe was just like her, both at the bottom, hahaha.

She hadn’t even finished laughing in her mind, nor had she had the chance to see if Meng Xingzhe’s face showed any murderous or suicidal intent, when she heard the HR Manager continue, “As Manager Li mentioned earlier, we don’t just have assessments during Pre-job Training. We will have monthly performance evaluations, and based on those results,” the HR Manager emphasized, “we have a Last-place Elimination System.”

After giving everyone a moment to digest this news, the HR Manager continued, “This means that at the end of next month’s assessment, whoever scores last will be eliminated.”

Yao Jia felt a jolt in her chest.

Is there such an inhumane rule? How is being a customer service rep like passing levels in a game, with endless challenges?

The HR Manager suddenly called out, “Meng Xingzhe and Yao Jia, you two need to work hard. You’ve already tied for last place twice. If either of you is last again in the next assessment, you’ll be eliminated.”

Yao Jia slowly turned to look at Meng Xingzhe beside her. He was looking at her too. In their exchanged glances, there was a fierce, bloodthirsty tension. Their eyes seemed to say to each other:

Bring it on, let’s see who gets eliminated!