The Early Spring - Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - The Beginning of the Story
Shang Zhitao boarded the bus early in the morning. As the city was just waking up, the bus wound its way through the thin mist. With earbuds in her ears, she looked out at the streets. How industrious the people living here truly were; even at this early hour, the sidewalks were already packed with hurried commuters.
She was a commuter too, rushing along.
She wore a white shirt dress today, cinched at the waist with a slim light-brown belt. Her hair was tied up high, and though she wore no makeup, she radiated a peerless, youthful charm. Sitting there, she looked quiet and well-behaved, just like the obedient child from next door that people always talked about—outstanding, yet not too flashy.
Shang Zhitao had always been this kind of person since she was little. Her academic grades were only slightly above average, and her looks were similarly middle-of-the-pack. Because of this mediocrity, even with all her diligence and eagerness to learn, she could only ever manage to keep from falling behind. Thus, from a young age, Shang Zhitao learned to comfort herself: I am just a nameless passerby, an unremarkable face in the vast sea of humanity. I can't move mountains or overturn seas, so as long as I can look at myself with a clear conscience, that is enough.
Over time, she cultivated a wonderful, sunny personality. In the words of her teachers: "Shang Zhitao has such a great personality, she's so radiant, and her character is upright." No other words could be found to praise her.
So when she submitted her resume to this top-tier international advertising company, she honestly didn't think she stood a chance. Yet through the first and second rounds, she somehow managed to muddle her way through. By the third round of remote interviews, among her competitors were graduates from Columbia University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua, Peking University, and Renmin University. By the time the interview reached her, the interviewer Luan Nian was already exhausted. Holding her resume, he frowned upon seeing the name of the university she graduated from, and his frown deepened even further when he looked over her work history.
Everyone else's resume boasted titles like Student Union President, Outstanding Student Representative, International Olympiad First Prize, or Special Admissions Student from prestigious universities. And what about her? Head of the Living Quarters Department. The HR person sitting beside him shrugged: You know how it is, just to keep people from accusing our company of institutional elitism.
"Did you just download this resume at random from a job hunting website?" At that time, Luan Nian was the creative consultant of the company, overseeing the planning department. Originally, he was supposed to conduct the final interview, but due to a last-minute schedule adjustment, his participation was moved up to a preliminary phone interview.
The recruitment HR specialist Liang Xin was clearly already accustomed to Luan Nian's style. With a smile, she said, "Why don't you try interviewing her?" Liang Xin had been an HR professional for fifteen years and had read countless people. If Shang Zhitao had made it to the third round, she naturally had her strengths.
"Whatever."
The call connected, and Luan Nian heard a smiling voice say, "Hello."
"Shang Zhitao, I'm Tracy. Today's main interviewer is Luke Luan. Shall we begin?"
"Okay." Even through the phone, one could tell she must be sitting up straight, her voice trembling slightly. In his mind, Luan Nian had already failed her interview.
Seeing Luan Nian looking down at his phone, Liang Xin knew Shang Zhitao was done for, having tripped right at that slightly nervous greeting. Luan Nian was formidable; he kept no weak subordinates around him. Even for fresh campus recruits, he insisted on picking the absolute best. Shang Zhitao clearly wasn't that best. Not expecting Luan Nian to speak anymore, Liang Xin asked Shang Zhitao directly, "Have you done any internships recently?"
"Yes, recently I've been working with some classmates on exhibition design and reception work for an art exhibition."
"Exhibition design—what does that all include?"
"Main visual design, venue setup, event scheduling, and so on. My classmate is handling the main visuals, and I've been taking the lead on the rest." Shang Zhitao's voice sounded less nervous now. She seemed to give a shy smile. "It's our first time doing such a large project, so there are a lot of things I don't know how to do."
"And you dared to take it on anyway?"
"Well... that art exhibition didn't have much budget, but we were interested... so..." Shang Zhitao was completely honest; there was no point in lying about it. Her career guidance counselor had said that job hunting is a two-way selection process, and over-packaging oneself is never a good thing.
Liang Xin chuckled. What a silly girl. Beside her, Luan Nian had already stood up, clearly feeling that the interview was a waste of time. Liang Xin sighed inwardly, watched Luan Nian walk out, and continued the interview. The remote interview was being recorded. She chatted with Shang Zhitao for half an hour, listening to her talk about her experience with that project. It was genuine, humble experience—which might look clumsy to a company like theirs, but represented something a student had acquired through sheer personal effort, and that was worth noting. Down-to-earth, hardworking, and easygoing—those were the tags Liang Xin mentally pinned on Shang Zhitao.
After the interview ended, Liang Xin sent the interview audio to Zhang Ling in the marketing department: "Didn't you say you wanted to hire someone who is down-to-earth? Take a listen and see if this one fits the criteria. If she does, I'll schedule an in-person interview."
Zhang Ling looked at the online process and said to Liang Xin with some hesitation, "Doesn't this break protocol? Luke already failed her."
"Never mind Luke. Just listen to it yourself."
"Alright."
Liang Xin called Luan Nian: "Human resources values diversity in hiring. Our company has way too many elites; everyone is floating high up in the clouds and refuses to come down to drink a drop of dew. If this keeps up, the team is going to run into trouble. For this campus recruitment batch, I want to hire a few down-to-earth, hardworking youngsters who aren't quite so blindingly dazzling. Please let Shang Zhitao pass."
"A relative of yours?" Luan Nian asked casually. "Is it really worth it for someone so mediocre?"
"I wasn't able to act as an HRBP right from the start either; we all have to learn."
"Then I'll do you a favor." Luan Nian hung up the phone and casually modified Shang Zhitao's interview result.
Shang Zhitao knew nothing of these behind-the-scenes events. Sitting on the early morning bus, she looked forward to her job with eager anticipation, while also feeling puzzled about what was actually so good about her. What made her good enough to beat out candidates from Columbia University, Harvard, Tsinghua, Peking University, and Renmin University? What made her good enough to get the exact same offer as them? She harbored no blind self-confidence; instead, she attributed it all entirely to luck.
The rain-washed morning in Beijing still carried a touch of mist. She arrived far too early, and the company's massive office building was completely deserted. The security guard pointed her toward a waiting area to sit down. Next to the giant floor-to-ceiling windows stood a tall ginkgo tree.
With time to spare, she placed her backpack beside her, sat up straight to look at the scenery outside, popped her earbuds in, and rested her hands on her knees. That was in the year 2010. In the Beijing of 2010, very few girls sat with such posture anymore. Most girls would sit in an utterly relaxed state, as if they owned the entire world.
Catching the scent of coffee, she turned her head and saw a handsome man with a robust build and broad shoulders walk past. Showing no expression and looking straight ahead, he strode on long legs toward the access gates, swiped his card with a beep, and vanished into the elevator lobby.
A flutter of excitement stirred in Shang Zhitao. Yao Bei had once told her that all the men with the most style and flair in Beijing were at Limelight. Shang Zhitao had asked her what "style and flair" even meant, and Yao Bei had kept it a mystery, telling her to experience it for herself. On the morning of her very first day of work, Shang Zhitao suddenly understood what style and flair truly were.
Style and flair, she supposed, must look just like the man who had just walked by.
Luan Nian certainly had no idea that someone had just defined him as a man with style and flair. They had a major project today, and he needed to arrive early to review everything again. When he passed by Shang Zhitao, he didn't notice her at all.
He went upstairs, placed his coffee on his desk, and heard his phone ring. Picking it up by reflex, he heard a woman crying on the other end: "I regret it. I don't want to break up. Can we start over?"
"Well, I'm terribly sorry, but I don't eat leftover grass." He hung up the phone and immediately set it to block incoming calls from her, his movements executed with a ruthless and practiced speed. Then, picking up his laptop, he headed to the meeting room.
Many people in the company were afraid of Luan Nian. He had never been an easygoing person, yet people were still willing to follow him. As for himself, having climbed to this position at the tender age of twenty-eight, he possessed natural talent, exceptional capability, relentless drive, and, of course, the right background. His future prospects were undoubtedly boundless.