Director Jiang watched with rapt attention, completely unresponsive even as others submitted their manuscripts.
It wasn't until his assistant prompted him that all manuscripts had been collected that Director Jiang snapped back to reality from the beautiful prose.
Director Jiang stood up and announced.
“Next is the review period, please wait outside.”
Although he was speaking to everyone, his intense gaze was fixed on Shen Lu.
Director Jiang’s eyes were full of inquiry; he had never encountered someone so young with such strong translation abilities.
While one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, the other person's appearance and abilities were truly mismatched.
He couldn't help but become increasingly curious about her background.
Upon hearing this, everyone got up and went to wait outside the door.
The assistant also called in office employees, and they all began analyzing in turns.
Outside the door, Shen Lu was stopped by a short-haired girl as soon as she stepped out.
This short-haired woman was the same one who had been sitting next to the woman in the blue suit dress earlier.
“Shen Lu, do you even know where you are, coming here like this?”
Shen Lu didn't speak, her cold eyes staring directly at the other person. The fact that the woman knew her name without an introduction indicated they were old acquaintances.
Shen Lu's expression was indifferent. Her stout body added a certain presence, which caused the short-haired woman to swallow the sarcastic remarks she had prepared, unable to utter a single word.
“Alright, Xiaoting, don't make things difficult for Shen Lu. Everyone should be brave enough to try. Although comrade Shen Lu is a bit overweight and was at the bottom of the class in school, you can't discriminate against her because of that.”
“Oh, Xin'er, you're so kind.” Zhuang Xiaoting linked arms with Wen Xin'er and teased.
The surrounding people heard this and burst into laughter.
“Yeah, even pigs have the right to pursue their dreams.”
“Are you sure? Even pigs at the bottom of the class? Hahahaha.”
Wen Xin'er directly calling Shen Lu fat was intended to stab her in the heart.
Shen Lu showed no extra expression, making Wen Xin'er feel like she had punched cotton, a sense of powerlessness washing over her.
Wen Xin'er stepped forward again, feigning kindness.
“Shen Lu, if you want to make money, you can tell me. My dad can find you some cleaning jobs. You can work and lose weight at the same time, don't you think?”
From the brief exchange, Shen Lu had already deduced their identities.
They were the female lead Wen Xin'er and the supporting female character Zhuang Xiaoting from this book.
She also inferred their relationship with the original owner: they were likely high school classmates, and clearly, their relationship wasn't good.
Shen Lu was confident in her own translation skills and wouldn't be angered by their few words.
However, this didn't mean she was a pushover who could be easily bullied.
After a moment of thought, Shen Lu spoke.
“I'm here for the job application. I've been self-studying for a long time at home, and I'm sure I'll be fine.”
Upon hearing Shen Lu say this, Zhuang Xiaoting almost burst out laughing.
“You barely know any words, and you want to self-study? Don't fall into the ditch while learning.”
Shen Lu pretended to be annoyed.
“Don't talk nonsense. I've been studying very seriously, and I'll definitely get the job.”
“I bet, if you get the job, I'll kneel down and bark like a dog. If you don't, you'll kneel down and bark like a dog.”
Hearing Zhuang Xiaoting's confident bet, the corners of Shen Lu's mouth curved into a barely perceptible smile.
The fish had taken the bait.
Shen Lu put on a timid expression and hesitantly said, “Maybe not…”
As soon as Zhuang Xiaoting saw Shen Lu's cowardly expression, she knew she had won.
So she spread the word loudly.
“Everyone be a witness! Shen Lu here has boasted that she will definitely get the job. We're betting that if she gets the job, I'll kneel and bark like a dog, and vice versa.”
Shen Lu, with a look of feigned embarrassment and anger, stepped forward as if to shut Zhuang Xiaoting's mouth.
This appearance, in the eyes of the crowd, was Shen Lu in a fit of rage.
So they all egged her on.
“I'll bet too.”
“Me too!”
Because of the commotion, many employees from the Translation Institute also came to join the fun.
When they found out what was happening and saw the overweight, timid-looking Shen Lu, their faces showed disdain. How could such a woman possibly win?
With so many people joining in, Shen Lu's heart began to beat with excitement.
Someone asked, “Don't tell me you're scared?”
Shen Lu closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and put on a stimulated expression, saying.
“Fine, as you say. We'll bet.”
At this moment, news came from inside the building.
“The results are out.”
Everyone returned to their original seats, waiting for Director Jiang to announce the final results.
“This time, we are hiring three people, specifically the top three in the written test scores.”
They had said they would hire four people before, but after the written test, they announced they only needed three.
Everyone became nervous upon hearing this, fearing they would be the one eliminated.
“First place, Wen Xin'er, 96 points.”
Seeing her score, Wen Xin'er displayed a proper smile. Her gaze fell on Shen Lu's face, wanting to witness firsthand Shen Lu's expression when she wasn't among the top three.
“Second place, Qi Guoliang, 92 points.”
“Third place, Zhao Jianhua, 88 points.”
“Fourth place, Zhuang Xiaoting, 82 points.”
As Zhuang Xiaoting heard she was in fourth place, a look of disbelief crossed her face.
Impossible, her father had pulled strings, and three of the reviewers were supposed to give her high scores.
How could she possibly be eliminated?
But she didn't have time to dwell on this; there was something more important.
Although she wasn't in the top three, neither was Shen Lu.
This meant Shen Lu had lost the bet and would have to kneel and bark like a dog, hahahaha.
Shen Lu was also somewhat puzzled. Based on her understanding of her own skills, her score should not be lower than the third-place score of 88. She had achieved perfection in terms of word precision, the beauty of the entire piece, and even speed.
Wen Xin'er had been watching Shen Lu the whole time but noticed she showed no signs of panic.
She couldn't help but sigh softly.
“Comrade, do you have any objections?” Director Jiang asked Wen Xin'er.
“No, Director Jiang. I was just feeling emotional. Earlier, they were betting outside, and if this comrade didn't get the job, she might have to kneel and bark like a dog.”
“We were high school classmates, so I couldn't bear to see her so embarrassed in front of everyone.”
“But there's no other way. If she doesn't fulfill the bet, comrade Shen Lu's reputation will be damaged. How can she live with herself?”
With a few words, Wen Xin'er elevated a casual bet to the level of affecting one's reputation.
Shen Lu let out a cold laugh. Wen Xin'er wasn't afraid of her losing face; she was afraid she wouldn't lose face enough.
Director Jiang frowned upon hearing this.
“Who said Shen Lu wasn't hired?”
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