Xie Youzhou happened to be conducting a new round of recruitment that day. The initial admission quota was set for 18 people, all of whom would be added to the game development department.
Although Nianzhi Technology Co., Ltd. was still in its early stages of development, it had already emerged as the biggest dark horse among Chinese Internet companies, with a visibly bright future ahead.
The remuneration offered was also very generous, attracting many talented individuals to apply.
As a top figure in the tech field, Xie Youzhou had a sharp eye for talent. He could discern the true abilities of applicants within just a few minutes. Consequently, his recruitment process was highly efficient: capable candidates passed through quickly, while those lacking skills were dismissed before they even warmed up.
Every few minutes, the interview room door opened and closed, revealing faces filled with either excitement or disappointment, which sparked interest among the existing employees.
“Sympathize, I sympathize with them! I remember how nervous I was during my interview.”
“Me too! I admire our boss’s ability so much that I wanted to stay. The effects of some of the black tech functions that the boss developed for JT are extraordinary. He’s a genius, and his unique approach isn’t what you’d expect from ordinary entrepreneurs. I had only one thought at the time—I must work under such an arrogant god!”
“I remember the guy in front of me turned pale when he came out of the interview. He was probably a master’s student from the University of Washington, and he must have felt offended.”
“By the way, I know that person you mentioned. We used to be friends—classmates. Ahem… His skills are quite decent, but he was always considered average in our class.”
“Our boss is just too discerning. He doesn’t want ordinary elites; he only seeks the elite among the elites! Ah!”
“You’re hilarious, Da Mingzi! Are you bragging about being the elite of the elite?”
“We’re the first batch of veteran employees! We’ll be the backbone of this company in the future. The boss must choose carefully. I predict the company will expand significantly over the next two years—getting a position here won’t be difficult for classmate Xiao Xu…”
“I can’t listen to this anymore! Each one of you praises yourselves more than the last!”
“Beep—!”
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the chatter. Initially, everyone thought it was a mistake and didn’t take it seriously, but after a few seconds, another “Beep—!” followed.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you to put the milk tea on the table first?”
A short-haired female colleague, who had been working near the entrance, stopped what she was doing, anxiously left her seat, and rushed toward the access gate.
However, upon reaching the gate, she didn’t see the delivery person; instead, she was momentarily blinded by a girl in high-end clothing wearing sunglasses.
“Hello, is this Nianzhi Technology Co., Ltd.?” Ruan Jiaojiao hurriedly asked as she noticed someone approaching.
As she spoke, a pang of regret hit her. What kind of company is this? Why doesn’t it even have a front desk? It seemed so shabby and simple. Her grandfather had claimed that this company wielded the power of an empire…
Her grandfather must have been mistaken.
“Yeah, are you here to apply?” The short-haired woman frowned slightly. “Did you bring your resume? You’re late.”
“I… I’m not here to apply. I’m looking for someone,” Ruan Jiaojiao explained, clearing her throat.
“Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for…” Ruan Jiaojiao smiled, “I’ll just wait for him here.”
“Okay, just don’t try to break through the door. Stay away from it, or I’ll have to keep yelling.”
The short-haired woman said this and picked up the milk tea from the table before leaving.
Ruan Jiaojiao stood there momentarily stunned. What kind of attitude was that?
It had been a long time since she had been treated like this. Watching the woman walk away, she felt both aggrieved and angry, clenching her fists in frustration.
Her phone beeped twice, interrupting her thoughts. It was a message from Jiang Shiwan and Hu Liya.
“Jiaojiao, have you found the person you’re looking for? We can come find you now!”
“Jiaojiao, we’re at a milk tea shop. What do you want to drink?”
Before arriving at the office building, Ruan Jiaojiao had asked Jiang Shiwan and Hu Liya to split up. She told them she wanted to catch up with an old friend and asked the two to go watch a movie at an entertainment area two streets away.
Now, however, Ruan Jiaojiao was uncertain whether she should continue waiting.
She felt so wronged—wronged. Xie Youzhou had misunderstood her, and his subordinates didn’t seem to respect her at all. She felt a heavy sadness as if her heart was being squeezed tightly.
With her eyes beginning to redden, Ruan Jiaojiao leaned weakly against the wall, feeling the weight of her emotions.
A male colleague was making his way to the restroom when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a beautiful woman standing outside the entrance. His eyes lit up with intrigue.
However, before he could approach her, the door to the interview room swung open, revealing the last candidate emerging with a pale, dejected expression. He walked away slowly, glancing back as if he couldn’t quite accept that he had failed the interview.
Xie Youzhou also stepped out of the room. Despite conducting numerous interviews that day, he was satisfied with only 16 candidates, leaving two positions still unfilled.
He planned to post another recruitment notice on the homepage of the JT website.
“Mr. Xie! Please, give me another chance,” pleaded the lanky young man, visibly distraught. He seemed unwilling to accept his failure. “I messed up that data model because I stayed up too late last night. I’ll never make the same mistake again! Just look at my grades in school—”
“If you want to work at Nianzhi, pay attention to the next recruitment information. If you keep pestering me, I will never accept your resume again.”
Xie Youzhou’s voice was cold and stern. His calm yet intimidating demeanor caused the tall, thin man to lose the courage to argue further, and he stepped back, his resolve faltering.
Just as the young man hesitated, a soft, sweet voice broke through the tension. “He just begged for a chance because he wants to work here so much. Why did you treat him like this? Xie Youzhou, do you have misunderstandings about people?”
Ruan Jiaojiao had removed her sunglasses, revealing delicate makeup that accentuated her fair complexion. Her tearful expression, framed by elegant eyebrows, was enough to captivate countless onlookers, leaving several men in the corridor momentarily stunned.
However, Xie Youzhou’s demeanor changed abruptly. His gaze turned icy, like a specter emerging from the abyss. The authority he had carefully restrained now surged forth, and his dark eyes glowed with overwhelming disdain.
Ruan Jiaojiao’s heart sank at the sight of his cold expression. For a fleeting moment, she was engulfed by fear, her mind blank as the reality of the situation hit her. When she finally regained her senses, Xie Youzhou had already turned away, leaving without a word or glance.
Overwhelmed, Ruan Jiaojiao’s legs buckled, and she collapsed onto the floor. Tears streamed down her face as the weight of her pain suffocated her, and she felt as if she might break down entirely.
What did Xie Youzhou mean? Why did he regard her with such coldness and disdain?
The memories of his icy gaze and indifference haunted her. She felt lost and heartbroken, even fearful.
As she wept, the men in the corridor, who had previously admired her, hesitated to approach, chilled by the boss’s sharp rebuke.
Among the crowd, one female colleague recognized Ruan Jiaojiao and gasped in disbelief. “Wait, isn’t this Ruan Jiaojiao, the daughter of the Ruan family from Country M?”
“Oh my god, it seems to be her! What is she doing back in China?”
“Isn’t she shameless? The Ruan family tarnished our Huaxia scholar Lin Zhiyu and our nation’s reputation. How dare she show her face here?”
“Don’t insult the boss. I heard he and Scholar Lin Zhiyu are good friends. No wonder he despises the Ruan family.”
“Hey, the boss just sent a notice in the group asking everyone to head to the conference room now!”
As everyone hurried to the meeting, Ruan Jiaojiao found herself confronted by the security captain, a rare female in the role.
“How did you sneak into our building? Hurry up and leave!” the captain commanded, her tone firm.
Ruan Jiaojiao had never been dismissed so harshly in her life. She felt as if she might faint from the humiliation.
How could this happen?
Overwhelmed with sorrow and anger, Ruan Jiaojiao stumbled away, looking dazed. She wanted nothing more than to escape this place—the source of her pain and humiliation—and to make those who had wronged her pay the price.
Meanwhile, Xie Youzhou, having quickly wrapped up an emergency meeting, fought to suppress the nausea building within him. He focused on his computer screen, typing furiously, pulling up all the activity logs and communication records related to Ruan Jiaojiao from recent days.
He felt sickened by her blatant attempts to approach him. Yet, he was determined to uncover her true intentions, pushing forward the plan that had originally been scheduled for months later.
He needed to act swiftly; otherwise, he couldn’t predict what disturbing schemes someone like Ruan Jiaojiao could devise.
