As if forgetting the existence of this call, he only heard a few bursts of noise from the other end of the phone, followed by Jiang Jing’s coaxing, childlike voice: “What’s wrong? Xiao Xue, my dear.”
Wen Xuxue said sadly, “I can’t find a job. They all look down on me…”
Jiang Jing asked, “Do you have to become a lawyer?”
Wen Xuxue said firmly, “I absolutely must.”
“Hmm…” Jiang Jing pondered for a moment. “Then I’ll ask my older brother for you.”
“Your older brother?”
This was the second time Jiang Jing had mentioned her older brother in front of her. Wen Xuxue felt curious.
“Yeah,” Jiang Jing said. “Our family makes money by acquiring multinational companies. In this industry, the demand for legal talent is extremely high. My older brother definitely has resources.”
“That sounds impressive,” Wen Xuxue said. “But will your older brother be very fierce?”
“Yes.”
The moment Jiang Jing uttered this word, the sound of prayer beads being violently squeezed rang out again from the other end of the phone.
But it was too faint. Neither of the two girls noticed.
Jiang Jing continued, “My older brother is over thirty this year, managing tens of thousands of people all by himself. He’s definitely fiercer than anyone else. He probably says things like ‘deduct your pay,’ ‘do it if you can, get out if you can’t,’ and ‘the company doesn’t support useless people’ all the time.”
“And he has a terrible temper and a rotten personality. Serves him right for still being unmarried in his thirties.”
“Ah…” Wen Xuxue listened to these words with concern. “In that case, you’d better not ask him for help. Even if I got in through his connections, I’d probably end up being scolded to tears by him.”
Snap—
Invisibly, something seemed to have shattered violently.
The two girls looked puzzled.
On the other end of the phone, expensive prayer beads clattered to the floor one after another.
All that remained in the man’s slender, elegant hand was a thin string.
Zhou Shijing indifferently opened his palm, and the thin string fell to the ground, soundlessly.
Jiang Jing observed for a while before finally noticing her phone, still lit up and placed beside her.
Her expression instantly froze.
Oh no.
She had forgotten she had already answered the call and had also forgotten to hang up.
In the dead silence, Jiang Jing tremblingly picked up the phone and tentatively called out, “Older Brother?”
Zhou Shijing said coldly, “Call me back later.”
Without hesitation, he hung up the phone.
Jiang Jing suddenly smiled bitterly.
Wen Xuxue had already returned to her seat, unaware of the abnormality, and happily began eating her green grape cake.
Jiang Jing looked at her, and her smile suddenly turned cheerful again.
The two best friends ate, chatted, and laughed, sweeping away all gloom.
After Jiang Jing took Wen Xuxue home, she didn’t dare delay for a moment. While still sitting in the car, she called back.
Several dozen seconds later, Zhou Shijing finally answered.
“I’m sorry,” Jiang Jing immediately apologized. “I didn’t mean to speak ill of you. I didn’t know I had answered the call, and I didn’t know you hadn’t hung up.”
Zhou Shijing seemed to ignore her lengthy apology and went straight to the point: “Your best friend needs a job?”
Jiang Jing nodded. “Yes, does our company have any open positions?”
Zhou Shijing’s thin lips moved slightly. “Yes.”
“Have her come directly, but don’t reveal any information about me.”
He specifically instructed.
Jiang Jing understood.
She also didn’t want to reveal her true relationship with Zhou Shijing to outsiders, so she readily agreed.
“From now on,” Zhou Shijing paused, warning, “don’t speak of me like that in front of outsiders.”
Jiang Jing responded, “Understood.”
Wen Xuxue received a call from Jiang Jing the next morning.
She told her to go directly to “Jiade Group” for an interview, saying she had already arranged everything.
Upon hearing the name, Wen Xuxue felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t quite place it at the moment, so she agreed somewhat blankly.
After the car accident that day, her car had been towed away by the insurance company for repairs and hadn’t been returned yet, so Wen Xuxue had no choice but to take a taxi.
Her luck was terrible—she ran into the morning rush hour.
The road was densely packed with traffic, and Wen Xuxue kept glancing at the time while texting Jiang Jing: What should I do? I’m stuck in traffic.
Jiang Jing replied quickly: I’m stuck in traffic too. Don’t panic. You’re a connection hire—if you’re a little late, HR won’t say anything.
With this reassurance, Wen Xuxue’s heart settled.
But then it immediately tightened again.
She thought of Jiang Jing’s older brother.
She’d heard he was very strict.
Intolerant of the slightest flaw.
Click—
Without hesitation, Wen Xuxue opened the car door and began running miserably toward Jiade Group.
Under the warm sun, a snow-white figure sprinting through the nearly stationary traffic stood out vividly.
The girl’s long hair fluttered in the air, and the little white rabbit hanging from her bag swung heavily before falling to the ground with a thud.
Wen Xuxue didn’t notice.
Behind her, inside a black Bentley, a man quietly watched her retreating figure, his gaze suddenly dropping to the plush toy on the ground.
The car door opened and closed.
As the traffic light turned green, the Bentley sped forward.
By the time Wen Xuxue reached the entrance of Jiade Group, she was panting heavily.
After giving her name to the receptionist, she was provided with directions. Wen Xuxue nodded and hurried toward the elevator lobby with her bag.
At the same time, the prestigious Bentley had already entered the underground parking garage.
A pair of polished leather shoes stepped out.
The man was tall and slender, dressed in a suit, exuding an aura of mature elegance as he strode steadily toward the elevator lobby.
The CEO’s office had a private elevator, but today, Zhou Shijing unusually headed for the regular elevator lobby.
When he appeared among the crowd, hands in his pockets, cold and detached,
the entire area fell silent instantly.
After a moment, everyone chorused, “Mr. Zhou.”
Zhou Shijing’s face showed no emotion, and his gaze toward his employees was devoid of warmth or weight, like an icy lake.
He gave a faint nod in acknowledgment.
The elevator arrived quickly, its doors sliding open. Several people hurriedly crowded in, and the more observant ones pressed the door-open button, stepping aside respectfully. “Mr. Zhou, please.”
Zhou Shijing nodded, still with his hands in his pockets, and stepped into the crowd.
He stood in the center, his presence commanding.
So, when the elevator reached the first floor and the doors opened, Wen Xuxue immediately caught sight of this stern, aloof man.
At that moment, her pupils contracted, and memories flooded back.
No wonder Jiade Group sounded so familiar—it was the Zhou family’s business!
Zhou Shijing was the boss!
Wen Xuxue unconsciously tightened her grip on her bag’s shoulder strap, not daring to speak at that moment.
She cautiously stepped into the elevator while quickly glancing backward.
She noticed his employees preferred to squeeze together rather than stand within a meter of him.
Subconsciously, she also kept her distance from him.
Wen Xuxue curled up, shrinking into the corner, and quietly glanced at her phone to check the time.
Holy crap.
Only one minute left.
So when the elevator doors opened, Wen Xuxue completely forgot about respecting her boss and letting him exit first. She dashed out first, swiftly locating the HR office.
Finally, at the last moment before the second hand ticked, she stepped inside.
Not late.
Wen Xuxue patted her chest and sighed with relief.
The HR representative sat inside, waiting with a smile.
Wen Xuxue prepared to sit down, but then her phone received a message from an unknown sender:
“In the elevator, why didn’t you call me Older Brother?”