Chapter 3

The office door closed, leaving Lin Koukou and Pei Shu sitting across from each other, each with a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of them. Sun Kecheng was sandwiched between the two, glancing left and right, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles for the first time in his own domain.

Pei Shu picked up the deck of cards on the table again and began playing with them.

Lin Koukou, meanwhile, lifted her teacup and looked at him with feigned curiosity. “What’s this? Didn’t Consultant Pei just say he was leaving?”

“Suddenly, my legs aren’t cooperating, so I can’t walk,” Pei Shu replied, narrowing his eyes and curling his lips into a smirk. “Besides, we’ve long heard of Consultant Lin’s reputation. Now that you’ve graced us with your presence today, how could I not show some courtesy to such an esteemed guest? After all, Old Sun here is slow with words and blind to subtleties—I was afraid he wouldn’t entertain you properly.”

At this, he shot Sun Kecheng a sidelong glance.

Sun Kecheng didn’t dare refute him.

Lin Koukou now had a rough understanding of their dynamic: it was said that Crossroads was co-founded by the two of them, with Sun Kecheng handling company management while Pei Shu oversaw operations.

At first glance, it sounded like Sun Kecheng was the emperor and Pei Shu the general.

But now, it was clear that Pei Shu was the real emperor, while Sun Kecheng was more like a chief eunuch.

She smiled faintly. “I’d long heard that Consultant Pei had a temperament unlike ordinary people, but I didn’t believe it until today. Truly, the rumors don’t do you justice.”

Pei Shu, never one to be outdone in verbal sparring, drawled in response, “I’ve also heard that Consultant Lin doesn’t follow the beaten path and has a rather unconventional style. But seeing you now, I realize that description was far too modest.”

The two locked eyes across the tea table.

On the surface, their words were polite, but beneath them, the tension was thick enough to ignite.

Sun Kecheng, witnessing this exchange, felt a headache coming on. He forced a smile and tried to salvage the situation. “Ahem, Consultant Lin, please don’t take it to heart. He’s always been like this. Let’s get down to business. When Direction had that incident a year ago, we were shocked. We wanted to reach out to you back then, but we heard you’d signed a one-year non-compete agreement. We’ve been counting down the days, waiting for it to end. We’re thrilled you could come today.”

Lin Koukou responded politely, “I’m honored to receive Crossroads’ invitation.”

Pei Shu inwardly scoffed at the hypocrisy.

He was all about efficiency and had no patience for empty pleasantries. Cutting straight to the point, he said, “Alright, let’s not waste time. Let’s talk seriously. We’re well aware of Consultant Lin’s reputation and capabilities in the industry. I heard rumors a while back that all four major Headhunting Firms were trying to poach you, reaching out long before your non-compete period ended. So I’m curious—what could our small firm possibly offer to make you turn down their olive branches and sit here today?”

To be honest, Sun Kecheng was also puzzled.

Though he didn’t handle company operations, who wouldn’t be tempted by someone like Lin Koukou, who wielded such dominance in the industry?

So even though he knew his company had a certain someone who saw Lin Koukou as a sworn rival, he couldn’t resist sending her an invitation. He’d expected it to vanish into the void—after all, even if Crossroads stood out in the industry, how could it truly compare to the four major Headhunting Firms?

Yet, to his surprise, Lin Koukou responded just a few days later.

Sun Kecheng had thought he was dreaming at the time.

Lin Koukou, however, remained composed. “I’ve heard Crossroads has excellent benefits and flexible working hours, which would suit someone like me who’s been out of the game for a while and needs to ease back in.”

Sun Kecheng saw an opportunity to chime in.

Unfortunately, Pei Shu didn’t give him the chance. “That’s a lie. With your skills, any firm would treat you like royalty. Even if you skipped the office for a month at one of the Big Four, no one would bat an eye.”

Lin Koukou glanced at him and amended, “Crossroads only handles positions with annual salaries above three million, never touching smaller deals. Its high-end positioning in the industry intrigues me.”

Pei Shu scoffed. “Half the roles you handled before leaving Direction were in the tens of millions. No matter how high Crossroads positions itself, it can’t surpass you, can it? Consultant Lin, care to give a less perfunctory reason?”

Lin Koukou admitted to herself that the excuse was indeed flimsy.

After a brief pause, she asked, “What if I said joining a smaller firm like Crossroads and helping it grow would better showcase my abilities?”

Pei Shu smirked. “Then you should start your own company.”

Lin Koukou couldn’t help but laugh at that.

Only Sun Kecheng was left bewildered—what was so funny?

Setting her teacup down, Lin Koukou turned to Pei Shu. “Consultant Pei, has anyone ever told you how irritating you can be?”

“Plenty. Thanks for the compliment.” Pei Shu’s skin was notoriously thick; even direct insults wouldn’t faze him. “So, are you ready to share the real reason now?”

Sun Kecheng looked at Lin Koukou expectantly.

This time, she hesitated before answering. “In the past, Crossroads loved targeting Direction, always going head-to-head with them…”

Pei Shu stared at her without a word.

Sun Kecheng, alarmed, worried she held some grudge against Crossroads and quickly interjected, “No, no, it was just minor professional friction between our firms—”

But Pei Shu cut him off. “So what if we did?”

His gaze didn’t waver; if anything, it grew sharper, like a blade trying to pierce through her calm exterior to uncover the intent behind her question.

Lin Koukou met his eyes.

Sun Kecheng finally sensed the tension and fell silent.

The office grew quiet.

In the teacup, the leaves, fully steeped, unfurled their tender buds and slowly settled to the bottom as the water stilled.

A scattered deck of cards lay strewn across the table.

Lin Koukou lowered her lashes, and after a long moment, a slow smile curved her lips. The daylight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the depths of her pupils, revealing a startling sharpness.

Pei Shu’s gaze flickered as if burned, his ring finger twitching imperceptibly where it rested on the armrest. Then, he heard her voice, calm as still water—

“I heard your firm rejects all financing and acquisitions?”

In an instant, Sun Kecheng understood everything: the rumors were true. Lin Koukou’s departure from Direction really had been a clash of ideals!

Direction’s helm was held by Shi Dingqing, a formidable figure in the industry. Though perhaps not the most skilled in headhunting, she excelled in management and networking. After founding Direction, she leveraged her close ties with Lin Koukou to bring her on board, setting “becoming the best headhunting firm in China” as Direction’s goal.

Over the past period, they had indeed lived up to that goal.  

If it weren’t for Crossroads frequently opposing and undermining Direction, Lin Koukou’s talent would have long propelled Direction to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Big Four headhunting firms, turning the “Big Four” into the “Big Five.”  

But no one could have predicted—  

Just last year, Shi Dingqing accepted Quantum Group’s full acquisition offer of 1 billion yuan, selling off Direction entirely!  

At the time, Direction’s management remained unchanged, so logically, it shouldn’t have affected Lin Koukou much.  

The problem, however, lay in Quantum Group’s ulterior motives for acquiring Direction.  

They were a rapidly expanding company with a massive talent gap. Their goal in acquiring Direction was to dismantle and restructure its headhunting department, extracting its elite members to form an “Advanced Talent Recruitment Team” under the corporate HR division—abbreviated as the “ATRT.”  

In essence, they wanted Direction’s headhunters to transition into HR roles at Quantum Group, solely handling the company’s recruitment.  

But anyone in the industry knew Lin Koukou’s notorious disdain for HR.  

She seemed to harbor a natural prejudice against the profession.  

Back in her early days, before joining Direction, when she was still a freelance headhunter, her uncooperative and arrogant attitude toward HR had led to a joint “blacklisting” by most HR professionals in Shanghai. Though the attempt ultimately failed—spectacularly so—it earned Lin Koukou a resounding industry-wide nickname:  

HR Enemy.  

So it went without saying that on the very day Quantum Group announced the ATRT initiative, Lin Koukou led the opposition, the first to openly defy the decision.  

Most of Direction’s headhunters had been trained under her, so naturally, they followed her lead and joined the resistance.  

And that, of course, stirred up a hornet’s nest.  

The next day, Lin Koukou was fired and vanished from the scene for a year.  

Recalling this, Sun Kecheng suddenly realized: Maybe Lin Koukou wasn’t here today for a casual chat—she might genuinely want to join Crossroads!  

His heartbeat quickened as he glanced back at Pei Shu.  

Pei Shu was far too sharp not to grasp the implications.  

But unexpectedly, he didn’t seize the chance to mock his former arch-nemesis, the thorn in his side. Instead, he silently studied her, offering no comment.  

Sun Kecheng immediately turned to Lin Koukou: “Absolutely genuine, no deception! Our company has far more experience than our peers in resisting corporate tyranny and rejecting financing! Once, someone came in with an 800-million-yuan investment proposal, only to get his head bashed in by our consultant Pei the moment he stepped into the office—”  

Pei Shu’s eye twitched at this. Through gritted teeth, he snapped, “How many fucking times do I have to say it? He tripped and hit the desk!”  

Sun Kecheng ignored him completely, as if he hadn’t heard a thing: “In short, on this front, Crossroads is absolutely a trustworthy company. I’d stake Consultant Pei’s life on it!”  

Pei Shu: ?????  

Lin Koukou: …  

For a moment, she was too stunned to speak.  

Sun Kecheng, however, was practically glowing with enthusiasm, rattling off an exhaustive introduction to Crossroads’ operations.  

Pei Shu sat to the side, wearing a look of utter disdain the entire time.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of talking, Sun Kecheng extended a sincere invitation: “Really, come join our company. I guarantee that once you’re a headhunter here, you’ll be a headhunter for life. No one will ever trick you into becoming some godforsaken HR. Plus, we’re directly opposing Direction. If Direction wants to be the top headhunting firm in the country, we’ll be the ones to take that top spot down! Consultant Lin, what do you think?”

“I think…”

Lin Koukou found herself momentarily at a loss for words.

First, she’d never encountered someone so relentlessly talkative—she’d been bombarded the entire time.

Second…

As the former Headhunting Director of Direction, sitting here listening to a rival firm recruit her while declaring their ambition to crush Direction stirred an indescribable mix of emotions within her.

After a moment’s thought, she replied, “I’ll give it serious consideration when I get back.”

She hadn’t agreed on the spot.

Sun Kecheng couldn’t hide his disappointment, but his enthusiasm quickly returned as he beamed, “Then we’ll await your response.”

Lin Koukou nodded and stood to shake his hand in farewell.

Pei Shu caught sight of the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist again.

After shaking hands with Sun Kecheng, Lin Koukou glanced at Pei Shu. Considering their mutual dislike, she saw no need for a handshake—doubtless, he felt the same.

Yet Pei Shu unexpectedly extended his hand toward her.

Lin Koukou froze in surprise.

With one hand in his pocket and the other held out to her, his steel-gray eyes fixed on her as he smiled and asked, “What, am I not worthy?”

There was no denying it—the man was absurdly good-looking.

Despite his abysmal personality, that smile transformed him into pure, unadulterated temptation.

Lin Koukou was certain that if he were facing a crowd of adoring girls, they’d be ready to walk through fire or throw themselves off cliffs for him right then.

Unfortunately…

She wasn’t one of them.

Her expression cool, Lin Koukou reached out and shook his hand, saying simply, “You flatter me, Consultant Pei.”

Their palms met.

Her hand was warm from holding the teacup, while Pei Shu’s long fingers were icy cold.

Seizing the moment, he glanced down and finally got a clear look at the beads on her wrist.

Twelve in total, each crafted from polished agarwood. The largest guru bead bore faintly carved characters, followed by several smaller counter beads below.

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, Pei Shu’s eyes glinted, and he suddenly asked, “Was it your doing that Zhou Xin Rong left Clear Spring Temple to join Evergreat?”

Lin Koukou’s gaze snapped up to meet his.

Their hands remained clasped mid-air, neither moving.

After a pause, she smiled slowly and reminded him mildly, “The Evergreat case was finalized at least a month ago. My non-compete agreement only expired today.”

Pei Shu arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Lin Koukou didn’t answer, merely withdrawing her hand with a smile—neither confirming nor denying.