Chapter 33: Work

To prepare for the interview, Chen Jin first ran to Wanmin Square but found that the formal outfits were either too stiff or too fashionable, suitable only for working at outside companies. In the end, she went to the old department store in Dongcheng District, where she bought two dresses at the direct store of Baiyou Clothing Factory. They were somewhat formal but not overly so. Anyway, she felt they were very suitable for the interview.

“Why did you name your store ‘Minimalist Women’s Clothing’ instead of using ‘Baiyou’?”

“The factory manager said that the previous production line of Baiyou was too diverse, and now we’re focusing on clothing for young women, so we changed the store name,” the store manager said as she helped pack the clothes and handed her a small white card. “A few days ago, several girls came and bought a lot of clothes, saying you recommended our store. To thank you for your promotion, we specially prepared a membership card for you…”

Chen Jin took the card and examined it. Her cardholder was gradually filling up with membership cards, each one distinctive. This store’s membership card was the simplest among all the cards she had received; it didn’t even have any extra patterns, which perfectly matched their “minimalist” style.

However, when the store manager mentioned that a few girls had come in a few days ago, she guessed they were Chen Jia and her friends, as Chen Jia liked the clothes from this store.

After leaving the clothing store, Chen Jin stopped by Sister Jiang’s cosmetics store and went upstairs to get a skincare treatment.

She heard that Sister Jiang wanted to take over the adjacent shop to expand her store, aiming for enough space to have separate areas for makeup and skincare.

Sister Jiang’s beauty business was thriving, while Aunt Xin seemed much more relaxed. When Chen Jin finished her skincare treatment and went downstairs, she happened to run into her picking out cosmetics. She learned that Aunt Xin only went to collect rent at the beginning of the month and spent the rest of her time idling. Recently, she had become obsessed with hiking and had been to Rong City Forest Park countless times.

Jiang Kexin said, “If it weren’t for Chen Yue still being in school, I would have traveled long ago. But I can hold on for a few more months; once she gets into college, I’ll be free.”

“Oh right, she said she doesn’t want to stay in Southern Province for school; she wants to go to Beijing. I told her she can study wherever she wants; at most, I can save up a year or two of rent and buy her a place in Beijing.”

Saving up a year or two of rent to buy a house in Beijing? Who wouldn’t be envious?!

Chen Jin was still thinking about houses in Beijing and Shanghai. However, even if she wanted to buy one now, she didn’t have the money. But she could encourage others to buy. She relayed what she had heard from the tour guide on their last trip verbatim to Aunt Xin.

“Now is actually a great time to buy a house; I’m considering it too, but I don’t have much left.”

Jiang Kexin meaningfully patted her shoulder. “You may not have much left now, but you have quite a bit in assets. Everyone is talking about how your uncle’s land is expected to make money. Some people want to invest in it, but your uncle hasn’t agreed. You should have invested quite a bit, right?”

Chen Jin waved her hand, “I really don’t understand these business matters. My uncle told me to invest a little, so I did. If I get rich thanks to my uncle, I’ll treat you and Chen Yue to a big meal.”

“I’ll be looking forward to that big meal,” Jiang Kexin said, glancing around before leaning in and whispering, “My uncle heard the news that the new planned subway line will reach the suburbs of Western District, passing through our beautiful community and getting close to your uncle’s land. It was initially supposed to go the other way, but after evaluation, they decided it wasn’t suitable and changed the route.”

Jiang Kexin jokingly said, “Your uncle keeps saying he’s lucky. Once the news comes out, who will believe him? Just wait and see; there will definitely be a lot of people wanting to buy land in Qiaoxi Village.”

Chen Jin was taken aback. Is her uncle really having good luck, or does he have inside information?

“Aunt Kexin, is this subway line news for real?”

Jiang Kexin gave her a half-smile and said, “Do you think that’s why I’m not asking Chen Wensong for money, but instead asking for a place in beautiful Community? Once the news comes out, even with Chen Wensong and his parents’ money, they won’t be able to buy a whole building in beautiful Community.”

“Well, can this news be spread?”

“Of course! Those with channels already know most of it. The houses in beautiful Community sold out before the New Year; there was even a price surge back then. People have been asking if my properties are for sale. But I can’t sell them; I’m not short on money, and it’s much better to keep the houses for rental income.”

With this news, Chen Jin couldn’t wait to call her uncle as soon as she got back in the car. However, her uncle wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, he said, “If you have time, go visit Old man Liu at Qiaoxi Village. Recently, there have been a lot of people running to Qiaoxi Village, and the locals have noticed something is off. Now they’re not allowing outsiders to buy land there.”

“Liu Mantang called me again, asking if I had any news. If I had any news, I would have bought up all the land they have right then and there! Tsk! These people just won’t listen to me!”

Chen Jin scratched her head. “So, Uncle, did you hear something? Did your friend get drunk again?”

“…Stop talking nonsense!” As soon as her uncle finished speaking, she burst out laughing. “I hadn’t thought of that method until you mentioned it. I should find some time to get old friends together for a drink and catch up. Haha, you really are my niece; your mind works fast. Alright, I’m busy, so I won’t talk to you anymore.”

Chen Jin looked at the phone call that had just ended, feeling bewildered. Did her uncle really not have any news from Qiaoxi Village?

So, was he going to see if he could dig up some information?

On the other end of the line, Chen Wenqiang chuckled after hanging up. He turned to Chen Yongxin, who was waiting for him in the office to go out for a social engagement, and said, “What do you think? How did my third sister come up with that idea?”

Getting someone drunk to extract information? He hadn’t even thought of that tactic.

“It’s a pity that if your third sister had studied business or accounting, she’d be great at the company.” After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head. “Forget it, forget it. Your third sister isn’t cut out for business.”

That girl, although she seemed diligent in her studies, was fundamentally lazy. Her serious studying was just to find a job where she could drink tea and read newspapers like her second uncle.

Chen Yongxin listened to their conversation, his expression quite nuanced. He was certain his third sister had no intention of asking their dad to get someone drunk for information, but his dad was good at making excuses for her.

Now he believed his third sister’s ridiculous claim: his dad really believed his third sister brought him good fortune.

Chen Jin returned to school with her newly revised graduation thesis. First, she went to the academic affairs office to print her transcript from the first three years of college, then she went to the department to submit her paper to Professor Jiang.

Chen Jin felt uneasy; her thesis had gone through several revisions, and the more she changed it, the less it resembled her original work. She honestly didn’t know how else to revise it.

“Mm, this version is pretty good,” Professor Jiang said, pushing up his glasses. “Just make some adjustments to the format and fix the typos I’ve marked. Once that’s done, you can finalize and submit it.”

Professor Jiang was fairly satisfied with Chen Jin’s paper; after all, he couldn’t set expectations too high for undergraduates. Currently, three undergraduates had chosen him as their thesis advisor, and Chen Jin was the only one who had completed her paper. He didn’t even know how the other two were doing, especially since both of them were applying for graduate programs while Chen Jin wasn’t.

Thinking about it made him sigh. He regretted not encouraging Chen Jin to pursue graduate studies back then.

After receiving Professor Jiang’s affirmation and knowing she wouldn’t need to continue revising her thesis, she could also return the borrowed books. A huge weight lifted from Chen Jin’s heart.

She truly couldn’t write any further!

As Chen Jin was about to leave, Professor Jiang reminded her, “There will be teachers from our department at the interview tomorrow. Make sure to perform well.”

That one sentence from Professor Jiang gave Chen Jin a bit more confidence. Since there were “people from her side” present, her advantage was even greater. As for the deputy dean, who was her ex-boyfriend’s uncle? He had already helped her pass the preliminary selection, and there were more leaders in the interviews, so it shouldn’t be too embarrassing.

Well, whatever comes her way, she would face it head-on.

While Chen Jin walked, she mumbled to herself, analyzing her advantages for the interview. Shen Baichuan called out to her from behind a couple of times, but she automatically tuned him out. Shen Baichuan assumed she was deep in thought and silently followed her.

She walked down the path in front of the library, out through the west gate, crossed Wutong Road, and headed toward the small Western-style building.

Shen Baichuan followed closely behind, just under two meters away, watching as the ends of her large, wavy hair swayed gently with her movements.

The temperature in Rong City during the late spring morning, around ten o’clock, was the most comfortable, as she walked along the shaded sidewalk, as if traversing the last stretch of spring 1994.

Chen Jin unlocked the door and, hearing some movement next door, turned to glance. Just in time, she saw Shen Baichuan also taking out his keys. Their eyes met, and Chen Jin politely nodded at him before efficiently opening the door and entering her home.

Although they were neighbors and had formally met at Professor Song’s house before, Chen Jin felt that he and Shen Baichuan wouldn’t have much interaction. It was enough for them to acknowledge each other politely when they met.

Shen Baichuan stood outside the yard, momentarily forgetting what he was supposed to do. His right hand was still in the motion of taking out his keys to open the door until Aunt He, the housekeeper from Professor Song’s, returned from grocery shopping. Her call of “Teacher Shen” snapped him back to reality.

When he looked up again at the gate of the house next door, he noticed it was tightly shut, clearly indicating the owner’s attitude of “no disturbances.”

Oh no, perhaps the owner of the neighboring house might change that to: “No men allowed.”

As soon as he got home, the old man called him again, asking when he would have time to come back to the old house for dinner.

Shen Baichuan had just taken a can of drink from the fridge and casually said, “I’m busy with school courses.”

On the other end of the line, the old man’s voice was loud and didn’t sound like someone over seventy, “Are you kidding?! How many classes do you have at school that I wouldn’t know?”

Shen Baichuan remained unfazed, replying, “Oh, then I’m busy with things at my company.”

“If it’s not something serious like dividing the property, don’t call me back. If I go back and someone scratches my car, you’ll have to pay double. I have too many cars and nowhere to put them now.”

“……” The breath on the other end became rapid, taking a while to calm down. “Your Grandpa Ji’s granddaughter has also returned from studying abroad. You…”

Shen Baichuan, who hung up the phone directly, could guess that the old man was definitely furious and cursing him as a little brat. Tch, he’s given him face, and still wants to set him up for a blind date?

After looking at a book in his study for a while without making any progress, he finally pulled out a book on computer programming from the shelf and went out to find Dean Xi next door.

“Baichuan, you’re here! The courses at school aren’t too busy lately, right? Stay for dinner later.”

Professor Song was always so warm and hospitable. Shen Baichuan placed the fruits he had brought on the table and agreed to stay for lunch. He followed Dean Xi to the study on the second floor. Dean Xi had recently developed an interest in computers; otherwise, he wouldn’t have visited several times.

Before long, it was mealtime. As he went downstairs, he indeed saw Chen Jin sitting on the sofa, chatting with Professor Song about a skincare product she had recently bought, claiming that it made her skin delicate. She even mentioned taking Professor Song with her next time for skincare and suggested going to the nearby hair salon for a trendy hairstyle.

Dean Xi, who walked in front of him with his hands behind his back, scoffed lightly at what he heard and remarked, “All they talk about is vanity or the romance of TV dramas. Look at that, instead of chatting, they might as well read more.”

Shen Baichuan couldn’t help but laugh quietly in his heart. Dean Xi was even afraid to say this too loudly, clearly worried that Professor Song would hear and get angry. He was even less likely to echo his words. Glancing at the girl on the sofa whose eyes sparkled while she spoke, he smiled slightly and said, “Apart from work, having more leisure in life is a good thing; one should experience different things.”

Dean Xi turned to look at him. “That’s true.”

“Now that everyone’s down, let’s eat.” Professor Song called them over as they descended, pulling Chen Jin to take a seat. At a large round table, he specifically arranged for Chen Jin and Shen Baichuan to sit next to each other. “You young people will have more common topics to discuss and can communicate more.”

Chen Jin maintained a smile and quietly scooted her chair a bit further away.

When looking for a partner, one shouldn’t choose someone with conditions worse than their own, but they also shouldn’t choose someone with conditions that are significantly better. The saying “matching families” has some truth to it. She certainly couldn’t agree to be subservient in someone else’s home.

Although she wasn’t clear about Shen Baichuan’s family background, her uncle had mentioned when buying the small villa that he had connected with Shen Baichuan’s father through a friend of a friend. So, she could guess that Shen Baichuan’s family was not simple.

She hadn’t thought about guarding against others being interested in her. Based on her few encounters with Shen Baichuan, she believed he wouldn’t have any feelings for her. Right now, she was avoiding suspicion because she was afraid others might think she was trying to climb the social ladder.

Sigh, she wasn’t short on money; there was no need to exert herself to associate with someone in a higher position.

Chen Jin secretly thought: Ancestors, please bless Qiaoxi Village with demolition soon, so I won’t have to secretly look at other people’s luxury cars!

Chen Jin planned to quietly finish this meal and then find an excuse to go home. Just as she set down her chopsticks, Dean Xi suddenly expressed concern about her applying for the counselor position and asked how her preparations were going.

Just as she was about to doze off, someone handed her a pillow. Chen Jin replied, “I just need to photocopy some materials; I was planning to do that after lunch with my certificates and awards.”

“Then eat a bit more; later you should prepare to go back.”

“Professor Song, Dean Xi, Teacher Shen, I’m full; you all enjoy your meal. I have something to attend to, so I’ll head home first.”

“Alright, next time when you head to Dongcheng, come find me.” Professor Song watched Chen Jin walk out and then turned to Dean Xi, saying, “Look at Xiao Jin; she’s so patient with us older folks. It’s a pity that Qinghe won’t come back to Rong City after graduation.”

Dean Xi discreetly glanced at Shen Baichuan to stop his partner from continuing, “Don’t speak recklessly. Qinghe plans to stay in Beijing for work; I see that Chen Jin doesn’t seem to have any intention of dating either.”

“True. Xiao Jin says she’s fine on her own; she’s worried about being cheated out of her money if she finds a partner.”

Dean Xi had nothing to say to that; it did sound like something Chen Jin would say.

Shen Baichuan thought he didn’t know what to say, so he might as well just eat.

Today, Chen Jin had intentionally worn a pair of slightly heeled shoes, thinking that it would take at least twenty minutes to walk from her home to the academy. So, she chose to drive to school.

While registering to enter through the west gate of the school, she saw Shen Baichuan walking in with a textbook. Chen Jin decided to act like she hadn’t seen him; otherwise, she’d have to decide whether to give him a ride or not.

After completing her registration, Chen Jin got in the car and swiftly drove past Shen Baichuan.

“Chen Jin?!”

Qin Xuemei had just arrived at the foot of the academy building when she saw a white sedan approaching, which then parked in the empty space next to the academy building. The driver who got out was none other than her roommate, Chen Jin, whom she hadn’t seen for over half a year!

At the start of the semester, when she heard Song Jiajia mention that Chen Jin’s house was being demolished, she had been eager to confirm the news but couldn’t find anyone; Chen Jin hadn’t returned to school at all. She heard that Chen Jin had a small villa outside the west gate and had registered to see it but didn’t know which building was hers. Regardless of which one, all those small villas made her heart race.

But after a long time without finding Chen Jin, her anger and jealousy were gradually soothed by time. She belatedly realized that Chen Jin was not like Yang Qian.

Yang Qian’s family was wealthy; that was something everyone knew from the very first day of school. Sometimes, she helped Yang Qian find materials or submit applications and prided herself on being the one closest to Yang Qian in class. Yang Qian often gave her some skincare and makeup products.

But Chen Jin was not Yang Qian. From the start of school, they had never gotten along. Regardless of whether she was right or wrong, Chen Jin would never let her gain any advantage.

So, what did it matter if Chen Jin’s family was being demolished? Chen Jin was a stingy person; could she expect to gain anything from her? Not likely; getting close would only result in being scolded by Chen Jin.

“Knowing your family has money now, is it necessary to show off like this? Driving to school?”

Chen Jin sniffed hard and said, “Wow, what a strong sour smell, hehe!” After saying that, she walked away.

“You! I… Hey!” Qin Xuemei watched Chen Jin’s departing figure, stomping her feet in anger.

She just knew it! Chen Jin would never let her get an advantage.

Oh, what was she just going to say to Chen Jin?

Right, she wanted to tell her not to get her hopes up because whether she could pass the interview was still a question.

But Chen Jin’s cheeky expression just now had made her so flustered that she couldn’t remember what she wanted to say. She let her walk away like that.

When Chen Jin arrived at the door of the conference room on the first floor with her materials, there were already five other people waiting.

They were all acquaintances: two were her classmates, and three were students from the same college but from the psychology major; they had attended public courses together, so they also knew each other.

Only one person from each major was needed, so her real competitors were the two classmates from her own class. Those two classmates didn’t perform as well academically as she did, but in terms of student work experience, they were clearly more outstanding than her. It all depended on how the interviewers would choose.

“Chen Jin, do you still need to work now? If I were you, I would just stay at home and not come out to work anymore.”

Chen Jin glanced at the speaker, who was the vice class monitor. They hadn’t talked much and weren’t very familiar. This statement didn’t sit right with her. Chen Jin replied, “What’s wrong with that? There are plenty of millionaires out there who still have to work. I’m just a small fry; I can’t get complacent. I still need to work honestly. Oh, by the way, why are you thinking of staying at school to work? Aren’t there better positions in other places?”

The vice class monitor laughed a couple of times and bitterly said that good positions outside were beyond him, adding that he wasn’t like her—he could be fine without working.

Another inexplicable sour grape! Just because she was getting richer didn’t mean she robbed them of their wealth; why did they have to speak sourly?

Chen Jin smiled and remained silent, holding a thick stack of materials as she stood aside, silently going over her prepared self-introduction in her mind.

Soon, the leaders and teachers responsible for scoring the interview entered the conference room one by one. Chen Jin watched as they walked in. Until the office door closed, she didn’t see the vice dean of the college enter. One of the teachers participating in the evaluation was the head of their Chinese department. This indicated that the vice dean, who was someone’s uncle, wasn’t involved in this interview at all.

Chen Jin felt completely relieved.

Chen Jin was the first one to go in for the interview. She handed over her materials, feeling nervous for about ten seconds. When she saw the department head smiling kindly and amiably, she quickly relaxed and recited her self-introduction like it was memorized.

She listed a series of awards, including those she received for exams and some from essay competitions, accumulating quite a few.

After her introduction, the teachers and people on both sides exchanged opinions, and then one teacher asked her how she would handle various problems if she were a counselor.

The last teacher asked her, “If a student you are in charge of gets pregnant and has a miscarriage in the dorm, how would you handle it?” This question nearly stumped her.

She knew that a counselor’s job would definitely be tedious, and troublesome students wouldn’t be lacking. But she clearly underestimated the situation and hadn’t anticipated such an outrageous scenario.

Her mind quickly spun through the possibilities, and after a couple of gulps, she organized her thoughts.

In fact, after she finished her interview and came out, she couldn’t even remember how she answered. Was it to take the person to the hospital first and then notify the parents and leaders? Or did she say something else? She was confused.

Ah, help! How could they ask such an absurd question? Could it be that the school really had such a real case?

Or was she just too inexperienced?

“Chen Jin, what questions did they ask in the interview?”

Chen Jin gave him a deep look. “You’ll find out later.”

The interview results wouldn’t be announced until three days later. After walking out of the college building, Chen Jin took a few deep breaths and then drove away.

During the three days of waiting for results, Chen Jin couldn’t calm down to revise her thesis. She received a call from her grandfather urging her to visit Qiaoxi Village, and she didn’t feel like dealing with it, saying she would go when she felt better in a few days.

Old man Liu was so angry he wanted to curse, but he had to coax her instead, “What troubles could you possibly have at your young age? Just come back; there’s something important to discuss with you at home.” With money, a car, and a house, what troubles could she have?

But Chen Jin wouldn’t listen, saying, “Let’s talk in a few days. I’ll contact you again once my job is settled. I’m not in a good mood right now; nothing feels right. I’m hanging up!”

She then turned on the TV and started cleaning the house.

Before the three days were up, her counselor called to inform her that the results were out. She and a male classmate from psychology were selected. Once summer vacation started, they would be colleagues.

After receiving the news, Chen Jin happily called her uncles to share the good news. Everyone was busy lately, so there wasn’t time for a celebratory dinner. However, they would see each other soon enough; after all, Qingming Festival was coming, and she needed to return to the village to pay respects to their ancestors.

Chen Jin called her grandfather’s house back.

“What’s the matter with you calling me back? Can’t you tell me over the phone?”

Old man Liu silently cursed her for being disrespectful and not knowing how to honor her elders, but he only grumbled to himself. If he really said it out loud, he believed Chen Jin would hang up immediately. Did she care about what others said regarding respecting elders? If someone said it in front of her, she would probably smile and ask how they knew.

He couldn’t say too much; the more he talked, the more annoyed he became.

“The newly planned subway line passes through the land your uncle bought, as well as the beautiful community your uncle recommended to everyone. Doesn’t your uncle have any insider information?”

She just knew it!

“My uncle doesn’t know anything! He bought in the beautiful community because it was cheap. Back then, the real estate salespeople told potential buyers that the subway would come through, so others must have bought it after hearing that.” But at that time, the news was mixed; nothing was confirmed. That was a marketing tactic. Otherwise, the people from Qiaodong Village couldn’t have bought so many houses, some even an entire building.

“As for the land in the suburban area of the West District, he really doesn’t know. Before, it was said that it would go around the other side. Who would have thought it would change direction all of a sudden? My uncle just got lucky, but he really doesn’t have any news channels.”

Old man Liu was now determined not to believe her; Chen Jin must know something, but she had a close relationship with her uncle and wasn’t willing to share details with the Liu family.

“Was it your uncle who told you to buy the land in Qiaoxi Village? Last time, I heard your uncle mention building according to certain specifications. Can you tell me more about it?”

“Tsk, how would I know? I’m not the one doing this for a living. The construction team is still in the village; you can just ask them directly.”

Chen Jin frowned. “Did you ask me to come over just to ask about this?”

What did he mean by “this”?

This was a big deal for the Liu family and for all of Qiaoxi Village!

“There’s a village meeting coming up. You need to come back tomorrow and listen in,” Old man Liu said irritably. “After all, those houses of yours are built in the village, and your household registration is in Qiaoxi Village as well…”

“Fine, fine, fine! I’ll come back tomorrow. What time?”

“Eight o’clock.”

“…Wait, I’ve noticed that there’s a bad habit with Qiaoxi Village meetings. Why do they insist on holding meetings so early in the morning?” Oh, last summer, she was called back; it was sweltering hot, and they had a meeting in the morning, followed by a big communal meal.

Every day was filled with so many affairs.

Old man Liu was momentarily taken aback by her words. “You should tell that to the village chief. By the way, your dad is coming back too.”

“If he comes back to his own home, that’s his business. He doesn’t need to report to me; it has nothing to do with me. Anyway, there’s no way I’m giving him any money. You should tell him to give up hope early.”

Old man Liu didn’t want to continue the conversation and abruptly hung up the phone, muttering angrily, “Relying on her for money is worse than relying on a demolition!”