Chapter 5: Drawing Closer

The tall man slightly lowered his body.

Cen Mo hadn’t intentionally gone to buy those baby bowls.

She had bought so many things that, once packed, they were tightly pressed against each other. Fragile porcelain bowls simply couldn’t withstand the pressure; only stainless steel ones were reliable enough.

By chance, there happened to be a shelf nearby selling children’s tableware.

…

The consequence of drinking last night was that she woke up ten minutes later than usual this morning. Sitting up, her head felt heavy and dull, and her temples throbbed painfully.

Leaning against the wall to rest for a moment, she slowly climbed down from the upper bunk and pulled over a chair to sit.

Huang Zhi, unusually up so early, drew back the curtain groggily and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

Cen Mo lazily replied with a hum, not turning around. She reached back, opened a drawer, grabbed a bottle of stomach medicine, and drank it with some mineral water.

When she looked up again, she saw Huang Zhi resting her chin on the bed rail, gazing at her earnestly.

Cen Mo asked curiously, “What’s up?”

“Nothing, it’s just that… you look really cool taking medicine,” Huang Zhi said with an infatuated tone, which was quite unlike her usual self.

“...?” Cen Mo tilted her head slightly and silently put the medicine bottle back.

On the upper bunk, Huang Zhi still rested her chin on the rail, seemingly not tired at all.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable under such close scrutiny, Cen Mo finally looked up and asked, “Aren’t you going back to sleep?”

“Oh, I am.” Huang Zhi responded, suddenly realizing this, then flopped onto the bed and lowered the curtain.

What was up with this girl? Cen Mo shook her head in puzzlement. Even with her analytical skills, she couldn’t figure out the reason.

Having drunk too much last night, her stomach felt numb and she had no appetite. Coupled with feeling unwell, she didn’t leave the dormitory, lazily returning to the upper bunk to recline and check her emails on her laptop.

Over the past two weeks, she had sent out many resumes and received numerous replies, most from small companies.

She had gone to several interviews and found that many of these companies were located inside residential buildings, with incomplete regulations and high staff turnover, making them unsuitable for long-term employment.

With so many fresh graduates, larger companies had become more selective, filtering first by degree, then by alma mater, eliminating a large number of candidates.

Cen Mo’s university was not a top-tier school, just an ordinary teachers’ college.

When she first enrolled, her homeroom teacher was surprised and asked why someone with such high scores had chosen this school.

What had Cen Mo replied? “Because they waive half the tuition fees here.”

That was the simple reason.

…

Her inbox was cluttered with various emails. After a moment of disinterest, she was about to close the window when she noticed a newly arrived message and opened it casually.

Hearing her rare sound of surprise, Huang Zhi immediately pulled back the curtain, looking fully awake and curious, asking eagerly, “What is it? What is it?”

Cen Mo glanced at her and finally gave in: “Nothing much. I just got an interview invitation from a big company.”

…

“That’s great news! Congratulations! You’re so talented; you’ll definitely be discovered!” Huang Zhi exclaimed excitedly, even happier than if she had found a job herself. She climbed down from the bunk and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

A while later, she peeked out with toothpaste foam on her lips, mumbling indistinctly, “You don’t have a proper suit, do you? Come on, I’ll go shopping with you.”

Cen Mo really didn’t own such formal clothes. The places where she had part-time jobs never required suits; at most, they wore uniform black slip-on shoes.

Perhaps because of Huang Zhi’s enthusiasm, she eventually agreed.

They took the bus out of the campus and headed to the city center’s commercial district, where the streets buzzed with shoppers.

“Let’s eat something first?” Huang Zhi suggested warmly, linking her arm through Cen Mo’s.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Cen Mo tried to pull away, but Huang Zhi held on tightly. She sighed softly, “Alright, what do you want to eat?”

“How about porridge? I know a famous health porridge place nearby,” Huang Zhi proposed.

Cen Mo felt a warmth in her heart. This girl knew she was hungover and feeling unwell last night, so she deliberately wanted to take her out for soothing porridge.

The porridge shop was on the top floor of the mall. After eating, Cen Mo went to a clothing store downstairs and bought a suit skirt set. She wore a white shirt underneath and paired it with black high-heeled leather shoes.

Usually, Cen Mo preferred pants and a simple, casual style. She had a good figure, with a straight, slender posture and long legs that carried a healthy beauty from years of exercise.

Wearing the tight-fitting suit skirt now, her brows furrowed slightly. The feeling of having to take small, careful steps was inexplicably uncomfortable.

She brushed her shoulder-length hair aside, staring at herself in the mirror, slowly exhaling, which made the stray hairs by her cheeks flutter slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Huang Zhi circled around her, about to compliment her, but saw her expression and hesitated.

“Nothing,” Cen Mo shook her head and murmured softly, “I just feel a bit… girly.”

…

The interview was scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.

Cen Mo arrived at 2:40 p.m., neither too early nor too late, leaving plenty of time to prepare.

She was still a bit surprised to have gotten an interview with Yachuang.

It was a very large company with many subsidiaries and had just gone public in the U.S. last year, with stock prices soaring.

When she submitted her resume, she was just trying her luck. She had applied for the position of executive secretary.

But she didn’t belittle herself; since Yachuang had chosen her, they must have seen her strengths. She didn’t overthink and focused all her energy on preparing for the interview.

The interview, however, was unusual.

In a spacious conference room, more than twenty candidates sat around a long table, and the task was to describe each other’s facial features.

While the HR handed out paper and pens, Cen Mo chatted briefly with the people on either side and quickly understood that she wasn’t the only one; this recruitment didn’t emphasize academic qualifications or alma mater, and only recent graduates were eligible.

That made it even stranger.

“Please write down the facial features of the candidates to your left and right on the paper. Avoid obvious details such as color, hairstyle, or accessories. On the back, mark the correct answers,” the HR explained.

Cen Mo looked around and saw the younger girls were confused. She quickly scanned her neighbors’ faces and took notes before starting to write.

Only then did everyone else begin.

…

Once everyone finished, the HR collected the papers, stacked them, and projected them on the screen at the center.

“Now, please write down the corresponding candidate numbers on the remaining sheet.”

Upon entering, each candidate had been given a badge with a number pinned conspicuously on their chest.

Now, the HR asked them to match the descriptions to the correct person.

It was baffling and a difficult task.

Cen Mo had been to several interviews before, but this was the first time she encountered such a process, which made her ponder the purpose.

Still, she was good at recognizing people; since childhood, she could usually recall names after meeting someone once or twice.

Being fellow graduates, the descriptions were detailed, but the HR flipped through the papers too quickly, about every thirty seconds, increasing the challenge.

Having observed the other candidates beforehand, Cen Mo only needed a quick glance to match the notes and wrote down the numbers in order.

After collecting the answers, the HR said no more and left the room, asking everyone to wait.

Instantly, the room buzzed with whispers and worried faces. The young women talked quietly among themselves, none looking pleased.

Only Cen Mo sat quietly, resting her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

After a while, the HR returned, announced the interview was over, and told everyone to wait for news. Cen Mo stood and followed the crowd to the exit.

Just as she reached the door, the HR called her back. “Miss Cen Mo? Please wait a moment.”

“Okay.” She stopped and nodded.

…

Yachuang’s office area was vast. As the company’s headquarters, it was located in the Central Trade Building downtown. The walls were entirely transparent, offering a panoramic view of the bustling streets below.

Cen Mo rode the elevator to the top floor with the HR, while employees passed by, most wearing conspicuous badges displaying their names and positions.

At the reception desk, a few young women whispered excitedly. “The big boss noticed I changed my hair color today. So thrilling, I almost screamed!”

Another scoffed, “So what? He knew I got my nails done a few days ago.”

Someone else said, “The boss is great in every way except for his taste. Why did he give us such ugly badges? They’re hideous.”

“I’d advise you to keep quiet! Our new CEO is a big deal! Rumor has it he was a Wall Street investment tycoon before returning home. The media has tried to dig into his background daily but failed each time. All the news was suppressed.”

Noticing Cen Mo’s gaze nearby, the girls fell silent.

Cen Mo hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but being so close, the words filled her ears regardless.

Before the interview, she had already researched Yachuang online.

The company’s former CEO, 56-year-old Su Qiao’an, had died suddenly of a heart attack recently, sparking much speculation. Shortly after, Su’s eldest son rushed back home. The “mysterious tycoon” these girls mentioned was likely this young new CEO.

And the position Cen Mo was applying for was the secretary to this new CEO.

Connecting these dots, she had a vague guess in her heart. When the elevator emptied, she asked the HR beside her, “Excuse me, where are we headed now?”

The HR, a middle-aged woman with long hair who had been busy on the phone earlier, turned with a smile and said, “To the CEO’s office. Mr. Su wants to meet you personally.”