**Chapter 3: Word, Just for That Face Value…**
Unlike the tense atmosphere in the elevator earlier that morning, now it was neither awkward nor uncomfortable as they went upstairs together.
Lin Siyi stood slightly behind Cheng Yixiu, quietly observing him.
Looking back on their brief encounters, he’d always dressed impeccably. With his handsome face and gold-rimmed glasses, he had a refined sophistication. Someone might mistake him for a young actor.
Natural attraction to beauty was undeniable. As Lin Siyi stared more boldly, Cheng Yixiu finally couldn’t take it and coughed to get her attention.
Lin Siyi pretended to scratch the back of her neck, feeling quite embarrassed to be caught like that.
Before long, the elevator reached the 25th floor. Cheng Yixiu moved aside to let Lin Siyi exit first, holding the elevator door to prevent it from closing accidentally.
Both pulled out their keys. Just before opening her door, Lin Siyi turned around, a bit shy. “If I decide to take the job, can I contact you anytime?”
“Of course you can.”
Once home, Lin Siyi didn’t even bother to change her shoes. She immediately went to her bedroom, grabbed her laptop, opened the browser, and typed in the keyword “Yiyang Capital.” She quickly found its official website and clicked in to check the relevant information.
With her finance background, even though she’d never worked in private equity, the website was easy to navigate.
Lin Siyi specifically looked at the core team introduction of Yiyang Capital, including the founder’s profile, management team, and investment research team, as well as the company’s investment philosophy, strategy, and risk control concepts.
Currently, the company had about a hundred people, with nearly sixty to seventy in the investment research team. Most of the core members came from prestigious domestic and international universities. Undoubtedly, this was a top-notch investment research team.
This intimidated Lin Siyi, who hadn’t gone to a top-tier university.
With such a strong team of both senior and junior researchers, would she survive at all?
Lin Siyi was spiraling when Song Yunxiao called.
“Yiyi, are you okay? Why did you suddenly hang up just now?”
“Song Song, if someone offered me a job that looks promising and lucrative, should I take it, take it, or take it?”
“Are you crazy? You’re dreaming before even going to sleep?”
“Didn’t you just say on the phone that the company you interviewed with today asked you to wait for a notification? Where did this new job come from?”
Lin Siyi then briefly explained what had just happened to Song Yunxiao.
Lin Siyi: “What do you think?”
Song Yunxiao: “It sounds pretty good, like an enticing offer.”
“But didn’t you say you had a past issue with him? Is he joking with you?”
“Probably not. After all, he’s a partner at a billion-dollar private equity firm. Oh, right, there’s a photo of him on their company’s website. I’ll send it to you.”
The photo Lin Siyi had casually saved earlier came in handy, “Take a look.”
“Word, just for that face value, that aura, I’d work for free every day and still feel like I’m earning!” Song Yunxiao immediately switched sides, utterly shameless.
Song Yunxiao exclaimed again, “Just for that look, I’d willingly work 24/7! Those phoenix eyes are exactly what every historical and modern drama fights over for their male lead.”
Lin Siyi: “…Is it that exaggerated? But I have to tell you, I almost got lost in his beauty in the elevator earlier, hehe.”
“So, Yiyi, since he brought it up, why not give it a try at his company? Who knows, you might actually be able to handle the job. At the very least, you get to feast your eyes on a handsome guy every day, so you won’t lose out!”
“Then I’ll go talk to him in person later.”
“Now? It’s a bit too late, isn’t it? It’s almost ten, girl. Better wait until tomorrow.”
“Okay, got it.”
Chatting with Song Yunxiao for so long, Lin Siyi almost forgot about the fish-flavored shredded pork rice she had packed for dinner, still sitting on the cabinet by the door. She quickly finished her meal, took a hot shower, and then went to her wardrobe to pick out clothes she might need for tomorrow’s interview.
Lin Siyi was half-asleep when she was awakened by a knock on the door. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and realized it had only been half an hour since she lay down. Just as she was about to go back to sleep, she heard a woman’s voice speaking at the door.
Curiosity got the better of her, and Lin Siyi climbed out of bed and walked to the front door.
Through the peephole, she saw a girl standing in the hallway.
Thinking the girl was looking for someone, Lin Siyi didn’t hesitate and opened the door.
“Hello, who are you looking for?”
The sudden female voice startled Shen Yu.
At that moment, the door to 2502 across the hall also opened from the inside.
Shen Yu’s face lit up with surprise, “Uncle? You finally came out. I’ve been waiting for you for a while. Surprise, I just got off the plane and came straight here.”
“Why are you here so late?”
“I haven’t seen you in so long! Don’t you miss me? I’ve been thinking about you all the time while I was abroad!”
Cheng Yixiu rubbed his forehead, feeling both helpless and headache. He looked up and saw Lin Siyi, who had been drawn out by Shen Yu’s knocking, standing at her door with slightly messy hair, wearing pajamas, and looking at them with a face full of questions.
In a flash, a crazy idea popped into Cheng Yixiu’s mind.
Then, he gave Lin Siyi a steady look.
Lin Siyi was puzzled, “What?” and returned a questioning look.
Before Lin Siyi could speak, Cheng Yixiu intercepted the conversation.
He strode across the hallway, passing by Shen Yu without stopping, and continued towards Lin Siyi. In just a few steps, he stood beside her and reached out his right hand, wrapping it around Lin Siyi.
Lin Siyi was utterly dumbfounded, “???”
Cheng Yixiu leaned down and whispered in Lin Siyi’s ear, “Help me out.”
Shen Yu: “???”
After a while, everyone present seemed to find their voices again.
Shen Yu stared intently at Lin Siyi, “Uncle, who is she?”
Cheng Yixiu: “You came at the right time. Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, with whom I’ve confirmed a romantic relationship. If you don’t mind, you can also call her Aunt.”
Sensing Lin Siyi’s physical resistance, Cheng Yixiu tightened his grip on her arm, signaling her not to act rashly.
Tears slowly filled Shen Yu’s eyes, “You’re lying to me, aren’t you? I heard my mom was still trying to set you up with someone. Where did this girlfriend come from? Why should she be my Aunt? I don’t believe it. I won’t believe a word.”
“Shen Yu, I’ve explained to you repeatedly that it was a misunderstanding. I was just helping someone pass something along and mistook you for someone else. I really don’t have feelings for you. You’re the daughter of my sister’s friend, and even though my sister adopted you, I truly see you as my niece. I can’t possibly have feelings for you.”
“Rest assured, even if I fall for someone else, I’ll still take care of you like before, along with your mom.”
Cheng Yixiu released Lin Siyi and walked over to gently support Shen Yu, “It’s too late today. The driver is still waiting downstairs. I’ll have him take you home first. I’ll bring her to visit you at your mom’s place another day.”
Shen Yu felt like she was losing control of her emotions and chose to ignore Lin Siyi’s presence. She steadied her voice and slowly asked, “You’ll remember to visit me, right?”
“Yes, Uncle promises you, I’ll definitely remember.”
“Then you must come.”
Cheng Yixiu: “Okay.”
After sending Shen Yu off, Cheng Yixiu felt as if all his strength had been drained.
Turning back, he found Lin Siyi leaning against her door, looking at him with a face full of confusion, “Mr. Cheng, don’t you think there’s something you need to explain to me?”
Cheng Yixiu: “Your place or mine?”
Lin Siyi: “???”
Cheng Yixiu: “Sorry, slip of the tongue. I meant, should we talk at your place or mine? It’s so late, we can’t just stand in the hallway and chat all night, can we? We can also discuss your job.”
Lin Siyi: “Give me a moment. I’ll go change. I’ll knock on your door in five minutes.”
Cheng Yixiu gave an OK gesture and turned to enter his own home.
When Shen Yu came knocking earlier, Cheng Yixiu had just finished reading a research report and was about to go to sleep. The unexpected situation before bed made him a bit irritable, especially since he still had to explain his abrupt behavior to his neighbor later.
Just then, the doorbell rang, as if urging him to face reality quickly.
Cheng Yixiu opened the door and found that Lin Siyi had gone back to tidy herself up, looking as if she was ready for a company interview, “Come in.”
He led Lin Siyi to the living room to sit down and handed her an unopened bottle of mineral water from the cabinet.
While he was gathering his thoughts, Lin Siyi was also observing the apartment.
The developer had done a fine job with the initial decoration, and the two units on the first floor originally had similar styles. However, after Lin Siyi’s mom bought it, she made quite a few changes, so upon closer inspection, the two apartments were noticeably different.
“I must apologize for my behavior earlier. It was a sudden situation that led me to ask you to pretend to be my girlfriend, which was indeed inappropriate. Shen Yu, my niece, has had some unpleasant experiences in the past, leading to her current PTSD. My sister is worried that my straightforwardness might upset her, so we’ve always been accommodating.”
“She has always misunderstood that I like her, which is why tonight’s situation occurred. But today, I told her face-to-face that I have a girlfriend. I hope she’ll let go of her feelings for me.”
“What if she doesn’t let go? I mean, what if she still insists you’re lying to her? Besides, the truth is, I’m not your girlfriend, Mr. Cheng.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“I have a proposal that might sound a bit unbelievable.”
“Go ahead.”
“Let me pretend to be your girlfriend for a while. Once your niece truly gives up, we can break up.”
“Isn’t that inappropriate?”
“I mean, we only need to pretend to be a couple in front of your niece, so she believes it. But in other situations, we’ll just be non-romantic acquaintances.”
Cheng Yixiu smiled, wearing a business-like expression, “What are your terms?”
“I want to work directly at your company.”
“My assistant is on maternity leave for her second child. If your expertise matches, I was thinking of having you take over the assistant role for a while. Of course, if you prove to be capable, there are other positions in the company for advancement.”
“What are the requirements for directly applying as an industry researcher?”
“Our company usually follows a multi-round selection process. In the first round, we eliminate resumes that don’t meet the job requirements. The remaining candidates are invited for a written test. This requires participants to complete a research report on a listed company within a specified time, usually a week. After receiving the reports, we review the content one by one.”
“If the quality of the report meets the standards, we invite those candidates for an interview. Those who pass the interview are invited to the company, where they need to spend a day completing a research report, and we’ll specify which company. After this, the results are reported to the investment committee, and candidates are required to attend a final interview. Once all these steps are completed, the investment committee will discuss whether to hire.”
“So if you directly arrange for me to join the company, do I still need to go through the interview?”
“If it’s for a researcher’s position, theoretically, the process still needs to be followed. But if it’s just to be my personal assistant, I can make the decision directly.”
“But I’m interested in the researcher position. How do you think it can be arranged, Mr. Cheng?”
Cheng Yixiu was noncommittal, “Our company isn’t easy to get into.”
“Or how about this, you start as an assistant researcher and also serve as my personal assistant. Once you prove capable, we can discuss promoting you to a formal researcher internally.”
“But before that, I need to see your resume. If you don’t have a paper copy, you can recite it.”
As soon as Cheng Yixiu finished speaking, Lin Siyi handed over a paper resume, as if afraid he might change his mind at the last minute.
No need to be in such a hurry.