Chapter 6

The three of them took the same seats as last time.

Sun Kecheng had already prepared the employment agreement in advance, along with a document detailing the partnership equity terms. He explained to Lin Koukou, “The industry standard for headhunting fees is typically a 70-30 split between the company and the headhunter, rarely exceeding that. But if Consultant Lin joins Crossroads, we can reverse it—70% for you, with the company taking 30% just to cover operational costs. If after a year, our collaboration goes well and you find us reliable, you’re welcome to consider becoming a partner. The relevant agreements are all here.”

Lin Koukou took the documents and skimmed through them.

Sun Kecheng added, “However, Crossroads doesn’t have many people. Our headhunters are divided into two teams of six each, currently all managed by Consultant Pei—”

“Don’t even think about it.” Before he could finish, Pei Shu lifted his eyelids and coldly cut him off. “Those two teams were handpicked and painstakingly trained by me. I won’t hand them over to anyone else. Besides…” He paused, then smirked at Lin Koukou. “Besides, Consultant Lin might not even want people I’ve trained, right?”

Sun Kecheng froze, hesitating.

Lin Koukou met Pei Shu’s gaze.  

It was true—their working styles were fundamentally different. Even if Pei Shu were willing to share his team, Lin Koukou likely wouldn’t find them compatible.  

Lowering her eyes, she ignored Pei Shu’s remark and quickly signed the agreement before looking up at Sun Kecheng. “Does the company have a new talent pool?”  

It took Sun Kecheng a moment to process the question before he hurriedly replied, “Yes, we do.”  

The so-called “new talent pool” consisted of recent hires—either still in their probationary period or not yet qualified to become Headhunting Consultants, stuck in assistant roles.  

Any team in need could pull from this pool.  

Though Crossroads wasn’t large, it placed great emphasis on nurturing fresh talent, so the new talent pool was surprisingly sizable, with as many as six people.  

Sun Kecheng asked, “Are you planning to pick from there?”  

Lin Koukou said, “Since I’ve just joined, it’ll take time to recruit people who fit my style. For now, I’ll see if any of them are passable.”  

She couldn’t very well start work with no team at all.  

Sun Kecheng stepped out and signaled for the new talent pool to gather in the adjacent meeting room, then asked Lin Koukou, “Would you like to review their resumes first?”  

Lin Koukou shook her head. “No need. I’ll talk to them directly.”  

With that, she stood and headed for the meeting room.  

Sun Kecheng watched her go, hesitating as if wanting to say something, but ultimately held back and glanced at Pei Shu instead.  

Pei Shu chuckled, well aware of what he was thinking.  

Sun Kecheng whispered, “I recall you already screened this batch, didn’t you?”  

Pei Shu nodded. “Only one stood out. The rest are mediocre.”  

Sun Kecheng immediately felt a headache coming on.  

Meanwhile, Pei Shu watched Lin Koukou’s retreating figure thoughtfully before unexpectedly following her out.  

Surprised, Sun Kecheng asked, “You’re leaving?”  

Pei Shu replied, “No. I’m going to observe.”

Just now, Sun Kecheng had someone call out the few individuals from the New Talent Pool, and everyone outside had seen it. Now, witnessing Lin Koukou, Pei Shu, and Sun Kecheng entering the meeting room one after another, they couldn’t help but speculate.

“Are they going to pick someone?”

“But I remember Boss said before that this batch wasn’t particularly strong.”

“Are you dumb? Today must be Lin Koukou’s turn to pick someone, just for temporary use. Didn’t you see her go in first?”

“Oh, right.”

“Who do you think she’ll choose?”

“Zhang Tong, probably.”

“I also think it’ll be Zhang Tong. Even though he’s new, he’s very methodical. Last time he assisted me, his communication skills were quite strong—just lacks a bit of experience.”

……

Though the chatter was all over the place, their judgment on the question of “who Lin Koukou would pick” was surprisingly unanimous.

Inside the meeting room, Lin Koukou took a seat. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pei Shu and Sun Kecheng following her in and sitting near the door. She didn’t comment, merely lifting her gaze to size up the six people before her. “Someone should have already briefed you, right?”

All six nodded.

Lin Koukou continued, “I’m currently short an Assistant Consultant and would like to select one from among you. But don’t be too nervous—this is just a simple chat.”

The six were a mix of men and women, with a noticeable age range.

Lin Koukou had them introduce themselves first.

Among them, three were fresh university graduates, two had switched from insurance sales, and one had come from real estate brokerage.

Of the three fresh graduates, one stood out particularly.

His name was Zhang Tong—tall and lean, with decent looks. He wasn’t timid and spoke with precision. While the others hesitated to speak up during the self-introductions, he glanced around and took the initiative.

Despite the impromptu nature of the request, his introduction was remarkably well-structured.

He had graduated from a domestic first-tier university with a degree in Human Resource Management. Having been with the company for two months, he had already assisted on several Big Cases under the guidance of senior colleagues from the second team, giving him some experience.

Lin Koukou had a favorable impression of him. While others hesitated, he stepped up first—showing courage, confidence, and, objectively, buying time for the others to think of their words. He also knew how to highlight his strengths.

Especially in contrast to the others.

After all, even with Zhang Tong buying them time, the most composed among the remaining candidates merely followed his template for their introductions.

And then there was one particularly outrageous case.

The one who had switched from real estate brokerage.

He appeared to be the oldest of the group, probably around thirty-four or thirty-five, of average height with small eyes. He seemed restless in the meeting room, fidgeting constantly, his gaze darting around.

When Lin Koukou asked him to introduce himself, he stammered, “My name is Yuan Zengxi, uh… I’m thirty-four. I, uh, graduated from high school. Used to work in real estate, but my performance wasn’t great. Then I heard that recruiting could be profitable, so I came here. I’ve been with the company for two months now. I’ve, uh, helped colleagues from the first and second teams—poured tea, fetched packages, picked up takeout.”

Lin Koukou: “……”

When she heard the words “high school graduate,” she was already a bit surprised. By the time the last sentence was uttered, Lin Koukou could barely hold herself together and couldn’t help but glance at the two partners by the door.  

Sun Kecheng immediately wanted to die of embarrassment. He quickly covered his face with one hand and whispered to Pei Shu, “How did this guy even get into our company?”  

This was too humiliating—letting someone new witness such a joke right after joining.  

Pei Shu refused to take the blame and coldly reminded him, “You were the one who wandered upstairs to the real estate agency last time and said that even though this guy couldn’t make it there, his sales performance was decent, so he could try ‘selling people’ here.”  

Sun Kecheng: “…”  

Pei Shu smirked frostily. “Ring any bells?”  

Sun Kecheng nearly burst into tears, feeling the urge to dig a hole and bury himself on the spot.  

From their reactions, Lin Koukou understood immediately—apparently, even they had just learned about Yuan Zengxi’s absurd situation.  

Crossroads…  

Didn’t seem as reliable as she’d imagined.  

She gave a slight shake of her head. Just one round of introductions had already given her the answer.  

If she had to pick someone from this group, Zhang Tong was undoubtedly the only suitable candidate.  

But her habit was to observe a little longer before making a decision.  

So after a moment’s thought, Lin Koukou said, “I’ve got a basic understanding of your backgrounds. Now, I’d like to hear what you think your strengths are.”  

Being a headhunter required certain qualities.  

Right now, she was the interviewer, and the six people before her were all job candidates.  

Some answered that they were good at music; others said they excelled at running; one even admitted they felt they were decent at everything but truly exceptional at nothing.  

Zhang Tong was the fifth to answer.  

His academic credentials were the highest among the six, and he was the most promising in this batch of the new talent pool. Yet, when Pei Shu had made his selection a few days ago, he hadn’t been chosen, leaving him somewhat disheartened and even resentful.  

But now, the opportunity had arrived.  

If he succeeded, he would directly become Lin Koukou’s assistant—a stroke of luck many could only dream of.  

His heartbeat quickened for a moment as he began speaking, but it quickly steadied once he started.  

The disappointment from last time had trained him in emotional control.  

Calmly, Zhang Tong said to Lin Koukou, “During my time at university, I participated in debate competitions and won second place. While I wasn’t the best, my eloquence and logical thinking are solid, giving me an edge in communication. Debates also require quick preparation—identifying key points and responding swiftly—so my adaptability is stronger than most of my peers. Overall, I can quickly establish rapport with strangers and pinpoint the crux of complex situations.”  

He didn’t even need to cite specific examples—his words alone were proof enough of his competence.  

No matter how friendly Lin Koukou appeared, this was still an interview.  

And the six candidates should remember that their goal was to compete for the position of assistant consultant, not to mistake this for a casual chat.  

Music, running, or even not knowing one’s strengths—while honest—had nothing to do with being a headhunter.

Only Zhang Tong grasped the crux of Lin Koukou’s question with ease—  

She wanted to know how their skills could actually benefit the work.  

At this point, the outcome was already crystal clear.  

Lin Koukou even gave an almost imperceptible nod.  

But just as the corner of her eye caught Yuan Zengxi sitting beside Zhang Tong, she remembered there was still one person left to ask.  

Well, formalities had to be observed.  

She asked, “And you?”  

Yuan Zengxi clasped his hands on his knees, his posture shrinking slightly, his gaze evasive, as if struggling to speak. “I, I’m good at…”  

Lin Koukou didn’t catch it. “Good at what?”  

Yuan Zengxi’s voice was tiny, barely audible: “Character divination, dream interpretation, face reading, fortune telling… I know a bit of all that.”  

Lin Koukou: ????  

For a moment, she wondered if she had misheard.  

Even Pei Shu and Sun Kecheng by the entrance were utterly stunned, nearly tripping over themselves.  

What the hell—fortune telling?!  

Outside in the office area, the others were still chatting idly.  

But the topic had long since shifted.  

After all, if they were picking from the New Talent Pool’s six candidates, Zhang Tong was the undisputed first choice—nothing much to discuss.  

Instead, everyone was talking about Zhang Tong’s sheer luck.  

Meng Zhixing glanced toward the meeting room and said, “Last time, Boss didn’t pick Zhang Tong, saying he still needed polishing. Who’d have thought he’d end up being chosen by our arch-rival?”  

Ye Xiang was practically green with envy. “Why wasn’t I in the New Talent Pool…”  

Just then, the meeting room door opened.  

The earlier candidates filed out one by one.  

Meng Zhixing watched them and mused, “Zhang Tong’s about to skyrocket, getting to be this Consultant Lin’s assistant. Though I wonder—”  

His words abruptly cut off.  

Meng Zhixing’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared ahead.  

Ye Xiang, sitting across from him, noticed and followed his gaze—  

Then, just like him, her eyes bulged, her mouth falling open—  

Because trailing behind the group of unpromising candidates, Zhang Tong actually walked out of the meeting room too, stiff and dazed, looking utterly bewildered.  

Ye Xiang gasped involuntarily. “No way… Zhang Tong wasn’t chosen?”  

Meng Zhixing was equally baffled. “If not Zhang Tong, then who?”  

Five had left the meeting room—one remained.  

The two exchanged glances, counting on their fingers, and simultaneously sucked in a sharp breath, their faces twisting with indescribable shock.