Chapter 14

Yuan Zengxi wasn’t exactly a big shot to begin with, and prided himself on being adaptable. After picking up the business card and wiping it clean, he tucked it back into his pocket, still smiling as he chatted with Lin Koukou.  

But how could Lin Koukou not see through it?  

This was pure bravado.  

Who in this world doesn’t care about saving face? It’s just that reality can be so damn harsh that most people have no choice but to swallow their pride for a meal.  

She hesitated, but in the end, pretended not to notice and kept the conversation going with Yuan Zengxi.  

It was almost eleven when Wang Liang finally came down to personally escort them upstairs. Once inside the elevator, he said, “Director Su was just meeting with a headhunter from Turui—I heard they’re really good. They’re almost done, so I’m taking you up now. You guys…”  

His voice was dry, tinged with obvious nervousness.  

Yuan Zengxi immediately asked, “So the position’s already been handed to Turui?”  

Lin Koukou, however, understood Wang Liang’s concern and said knowingly, “Don’t worry. Even if we don’t land this deal, we won’t let you take the blame. We’ll explain things clearly to your boss.”  

Wang Liang quickly muttered, “That’s good,” then, overcome with guilt, added in a low voice, “I’m sorry, I…”  

Lin Koukou smiled. “It’s nothing. Workers understand workers—don’t take it to heart.”  

Wang Liang’s eyes grew warm, and he whispered again, “Thank you.”  

The HR department was on the fifth floor, with several connected offices.  

As luck would have it, just as Lin Koukou and the others arrived, Director Su Ying’s meeting with Zhou Fei was wrapping up—though it didn’t seem to have gone well.  

Su Ying was a woman with a commanding presence, dressed in a black pencil skirt, tall and slender, with permed hair. Her professional makeup accentuated her features, making her appear particularly aloof.  

She strode out of her office with a deep frown.  

Zhou Fei followed behind her, sounding urgent. “At least tell me the requirements. How am I supposed to find someone if you don’t?”  

Su Ying snapped impatiently, “Why do you need to ask so much? Shouldn’t assessing candidates be part of your job as a headhunter? My standard is no standard—just find someone suitable.”  

Zhou Fei said, “Director Su, at Turui, we have rules and procedures—”  

Su Ying suppressed her anger, her voice turning firmer. “Those are Turui’s rules. At Jiang Shangbai, this is how we work with headhunters. Can’t you just follow the client’s standards?”  

Zhou Fei, being young, had a bit of a temper. He had always worked under Turui’s prestigious name and had never encountered such a difficult client before. His frustration flared, and he seemed about to say something sharp.  

But then he looked up and saw Yuan Zengxi and Lin Koukou.  

He swallowed his words instantly, blurting out in surprise, “What are you two doing here?”  

Though their argument had been brief, Lin Koukou, being a seasoned veteran, had easily grasped the situation.  

For a moment, she couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for Zhou Fei—  

This HR director at Jiang Shangbai was indeed a tough nut to crack.  

In the past, Lin Koukou might have taken pity and given him some pointers on how to handle it.  

But now?  

Even though she was just an external consultant for Crossroads and had only known Yuan Zengxi for a day or two, she naturally had little patience for people who flaunted their big-company background with an air of superiority.  

Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to kick a man while he was down?

Lin Koukou’s eyes flickered as she nudged Yuan Zengxi and stepped forward proactively. “Director Su, hello. We’re Headhunting Consultants from Crossroads. We previously collaborated with your company on the Market Director position. After extensive screening, we’ve finally identified several suitable candidate resumes and brought them today for your review.”

At the mention of “Crossroads,” Su Ying frowned, instinctively preparing to show them the door.  

After all, this firm had been particularly sluggish before, taking forever to provide any candidates, which had been incredibly frustrating.  

Yet when she heard they’d brought resumes, she hesitated.  

Zhou Fei, meanwhile, was stunned—especially when he saw Lin Koukou. He’d noticed her downstairs earlier, but since she’d remained seated while Yuan Zengxi spoke, he assumed she wasn’t with him.  

But now, these two…  

A sense of urgency surged in him instantly.  

Noticing Su Ying’s wavering expression, Lin Koukou pressed further. “I understand your dissatisfaction with our efficiency, but this position at your company is genuinely hard to fill. We’ve put in significant effort. The resumes we’ve brought today are all strong examples. Take a look—if any catch your eye, great. If not, it won’t take much of your time.”  

The Market Director position at Jiang Shangbai Liquor had been vacant for a long time, with only a deputy director acting in the role.  

But the boss, Feng Qing, was dissatisfied with the deputy’s capabilities.  

Moreover, he had a company strategy to “sell liquor to young people”—something an ordinary Market Director simply couldn’t handle.  

Su Ying had been so anxious about filling this role lately that she’d been losing hair, reaching out to every major Headhunting Firm in desperation.  

Now, with resumes right in front of her, even if it was a last-ditch effort, she had to look.  

What HR professional short on staff would ever refuse to review resumes?  

She glanced at Lin Koukou, her expression still displeased, but took the resumes anyway. “By contract, you owe me candidates. Consider this making up for it. Fine, I’ll take a look.”  

Yuan Zengxi broke into a cold sweat.  

Lin Koukou remained composed, smiling. “Of course.”  

It was hard to snap at someone being polite. Su Ying, disarmed by her attitude, said nothing more and began flipping through the resumes.  

These were the ones Yuan Zengxi had screened yesterday per Lin Koukou’s instructions.  

There was one in his forties, formerly from a major distillery, with extensive experience; another in his thirties, in his prime, ambitious and driven despite coming from a smaller company with limited experience; one specializing in premium liquor but with only a college diploma; another handling budget brands, yet a graduate degree holder…  

Su Ying skimmed through them all without much reaction.  

Only when she reached the high-education, budget-brand resume did she spend a little more time.  

Yuan Zengxi tensed up: The first four resumes were all from baijiu professionals, and Su Ying hadn’t shown interest in a single one? Then what about the last one…  

His eyelid twitched, his palms growing clammy.  

Lin Koukou, however, remained perfectly calm, utterly unfazed.  

Soon, Su Ying reached the fifth resume and frowned immediately. “This person is from the cocktail industry. Why are you recommending them to me?”  

Jiang Shangbai dealt in baijiu, while cocktails were mixed with foreign spirits. Though both were alcoholic beverages, they belonged to entirely different markets.  

Yuan Zengxi flushed red.

Zhou Fei chuckled from the side, “Isn’t this a complete mismatch?”

But Lin Koukou remained composed and simply said, “Why don’t you take a closer look?”

Su Ying frowned, initially wanting to snap back, but seeing Lin Koukou’s confident expression, she hesitated and instinctively glanced at the experience section of the resume.

That one glance made her suddenly exclaim, “Huh?”

This candidate was only a regional director for East China, not a full-fledged marketing director. However, the company he worked for was a rising star in the industry—a bottled cocktail brand. Priced at just a few yuan per bottle, their pre-mixed drinks had low alcohol content but came in attractive packaging. With extensive advertising on TV and online, they were hugely popular among young consumers.

Though it was the cocktail industry…

This was the only resume among the five that showed potential understanding of the young target audience.

Lin Koukou asked, “Are you satisfied with this candidate?”

Su Ying replied, “Indeed, he seems quite suitable.”

Yuan Zengxi’s eyes widened in disbelief at what he had just heard.

He immediately turned to look at Lin Koukou.

At that moment, he felt an inexplicable awe—

Because this fifth resume was one Lin Koukou had specifically instructed him to find after reviewing the initial batch he had gathered.

At the time, he had grumbled that cocktails were completely irrelevant.

Who would have thought this would turn out to be the most suitable one!

Zhou Fei was also surprised, though unlike Yuan Zengxi’s delight, his reaction leaned more toward alarm—even a sense of threat—his expression turning grave.

He assumed Su Ying had already made her choice.

But Lin Koukou noticed Su Ying’s furrowed brows hadn’t relaxed. In fact, as she stared at the birthdate on the resume, her expression grew even more conflicted.

A suspicion formed in Lin Koukou’s mind.

She asked, “Director Su, is there something about this candidate’s birth year that concerns you?”

Su Ying sighed. “I calculated his zodiac sign—he’s a Horse. What a shame.”

Yuan Zengxi and Zhou Fei were both stunned: What’s wrong with being a Horse?

But Lin Koukou understood instantly. “Does President Feng have an aversion to people born in the Year of the Horse?”

Su Ying nodded helplessly. “Yes, it’s an incompatible zodiac.”

Yuan Zengxi and Zhou Fei were speechless.

Lin Koukou, however, smiled.

Some private company bosses had their quirks when it came to superstitions—each with their own taboos. Some avoided hiring people with the surname Pei, others disliked those born in the twelfth lunar month, and some simply couldn’t stand single eyelids…

Avoiding Horses was a critical requirement.

But no company would ever list such a demand in a job posting—unless they wanted to make headlines and trend on social media.

This kind of information was always hidden.

HR knew it internally and screened candidates during interviews. Even if they rejected someone for this reason, they’d find a polite excuse rather than admit it outright.

A headhunter had to be sharp enough to ask and probe.

Lin Koukou relaxed completely now. “No problem at all. If you think this type of candidate suits your needs, we have several similar alternatives. Though, does your company have strict educational requirements?”

Zhou Fei had asked this same question earlier, only to be met with an impatient “As long as they’re suitable.”

Clearly, Su Ying despised such questions.

So Zhou Fei thought Lin Koukou had made a misstep.

But he never expected that this time, Su Ying didn’t lose her temper. Instead, she looked at Lin Koukou meaningfully and said, “The boss doesn’t really have strict requirements for academic qualifications. Higher education is naturally better, but if someone has ordinary qualifications, as long as they have the ability, we won’t reject them either.”

Zhou Fei nearly choked with anger when he heard this—

At first glance, her response to Lin Koukou seemed similar to the one she gave him, showing no discrimination against lower academic qualifications. But anyone with a bit of tact could tell the underlying message: academic background is extremely important. Unless you’re Steve Jobs, don’t bother submitting your resume if your qualifications are mediocre.

Some companies post job ads saying, “Creating opportunities for young people, priority given to youth, but those over 35 are also welcome to apply,” yet they rarely hire anyone over 35. Others write, “Bachelor’s degree preferred, other qualifications also considered,” which really means a bachelor’s is the bare minimum—they’ll only consider those with higher degrees, not lower.

Whoever believes a capitalist’s lies is a fool!

The same question, yet such different treatment.

Zhou Fei’s expression darkened as he stared at Lin Koukou, his sharp eyes filled with deep wariness.

Lin Koukou was no less perceptive than Zhou Fei. She understood Su Ying’s implication perfectly and nodded knowingly before adding, “Then I understand your requirements. I can send you a few new resumes later for review. As for our collaboration…”

Su Ying’s attitude had completely changed from before. She smiled and said, “I was too hasty earlier and didn’t consider the difficulty of your work. The lawsuit threat was just something I said in the heat of the moment—don’t take it to heart. Just send the new resumes directly to me later.”

Lin Koukou replied, “Of course. Thank you for your generosity. It’s also thanks to Mr. Wang’s repeated reminders. We truly apologize for the earlier misunderstanding.”

Su Ying then glanced at Wang Liang, who was standing at the edge, and gave a slow nod without another word.

Clearly, the matter was settled.

Wang Liang didn’t dare speak, but his face flushed with excitement.

In just over ten minutes, the situation had completely turned around.

Su Ying had another meeting to attend, so she didn’t keep them long. After a few pleasantries, she asked Wang Liang to see them out.

Once outside, Zhou Fei sneered, “I know the HR at that cocktail company. All their director-level executives are stable—I haven’t heard of anyone wanting to jump ship. You provided resumes, but can you really guarantee those candidates will attend the interviews?”

The resumes had been hastily pulled together, of course, without any prior communication with the candidates. Naturally, Lin Koukou couldn’t guarantee anything.

But no one would admit that outright.

She looked at Zhou Fei and said flatly, “Do you know why you lost?”

Zhou Fei’s face instantly turned ashen.

Standing on the steps by the entrance, a breeze ruffled Lin Koukou’s hair. Her laughter was as light as the wind as she remarked, “When meeting a client, bring resumes. Don’t ask for requirements out of thin air—discuss them concretely with resumes in hand. Such a basic rule… As a headhunter at Turui, didn’t Lu Taosheng teach you that when you joined?”

Zhou Fei froze for a moment.

Not because of anything else, but because of the casual familiarity with which she mentioned Lu Taosheng—as if he were nothing special in her eyes.

At Turui, Lu Taosheng was a seasoned veteran, a golden headhunter who had made it onto the rankings of *Headhunter Circle* magazine.

Zhou Fei had heard of him even before joining the company.

After joining, Lu Taosheng did indeed conduct a training session for all the new employees.

But back then…

Zhou Fei had been recruited by Xue Lin, the newly promoted deputy director, and hadn’t paid any attention to what Lu Taosheng had to say.

Now, hearing Lin Koukou’s words, he broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed, upon reflection, the questions Lin Koukou had asked were more or less the same as his. The only difference was that she had brought along a few extra resumes.

It’s difficult for someone to directly describe their ideal appearance;

But if you place photos in front of them, they can quickly offer their opinions, and the listener can then grasp a general outline.

Zhou Fei was unwilling to concede defeat or admit it: “Just a small trick, doing a little more, that’s all.”

Lin Koukou found it somewhat amusing.

In fact, she did laugh, casually remarking, “The difference in taste between a few dozen yuan and a few hundred yuan worth of tea is huge—easy to distinguish. But the higher you go, the smaller the gap becomes. By the time you reach thousands, the difference is almost negligible. Between three thousand and five thousand, there might only be a 1% difference. Unless you’re an expert, you might not even notice it. But that 1% is worth two thousand.”

Zhou Fei vaguely grasped the meaning behind her words. His throat felt dry, and he couldn’t muster a response.

At this moment, it was as if an immense presence stood behind this woman, looking down at him from above—

As if gazing down at an ant.

Lin Koukou’s voice was calm, yet every word struck like a hammer to the heart: “In school, it was ‘just waking up two minutes earlier than me.’ During exams, it was ‘just getting one more question right.’ At work, it’s ‘just doing a little more than me.’ But those two minutes, that one question, that little bit extra—why didn’t you do it?”

Zhou Fei was speechless.

Lin Koukou didn’t expect him to say anything either. With an air of indifference, she turned her gaze away and waved to Yuan Zengxi, who had been standing there dumbfounded: “Let’s go, Consultant Yuan.”

Yuan Zengxi followed in a daze, taking a long while to snap out of it. Only after walking quite a distance did he glance back at Zhou Fei.

The young Headhunter from the illustrious Turui stood rooted in place, looking utterly disheveled and humiliated.

Where was the arrogance he had shown when tossing out his business card earlier?