The moment Xu Mian stepped into the interview room and saw the person sitting squarely in the middle seat, she instantly understood why Jiang Yuanchuan had gone crazy today.
Because that person was Ji Yuanhang, the “childhood sweetheart” Jiang Yuanchuan always talked about, whom she had not seen in five years.
The once poor youth, who had to apply for student loans just to attend university, had now grown into a mature, restrained, and extraordinarily dignified man.
But, how did Jiang Yuanchuan know that coming to this interview would lead to a reunion with Ji Yuanhang?
That was the first thought that flashed through Xu Mian’s mind after recognizing Ji Yuanhang.
She had never given Jiang Yuanchuan the detailed name of the company she was interviewing with. Had he been secretly investigating her?
This realization made Xu Mian extremely uncomfortable.
Did Jiang Yuanchuan think she had intentionally applied to Ji Yuanhang’s company? In reality, she had no idea that this company was connected to Ji Yuanhang at all; the company’s homepage only listed the legal representative’s name as Song Di.
If she had known, she would not have come to apply.
For no other reason than the fact that when Jiang Yuanchuan got jealous, he was like a madman.
Back when she was in graduate school, a younger male student had pursued her. Not long after, that student dropped out of school. She suspected that Jiang Yuanchuan was the one behind it, as he had always been ruthless, though she lacked concrete evidence.
Ever since then, however, she had almost completely stopped talking to male classmates or any men at all, and she closed off her social circle for fear of harming others.
And now, since she was already standing at the interview scene, no matter how complex the emotions inside her were, she could not show them. She especially could not let on that she knew Ji Yuanhang; otherwise, what would the others think?
So, she merely glanced at Ji Yuanhang and calmly sat down in the chair in front of her.
There were three interviewers. To Ji Yuanhang’s right was the company’s legal representative, Song Di, and to his left was the HR manager who had re-evaluated her earlier, a middle-aged man around fifty years old.
The first interview question was raised by Song Di. He was the same age as Ji Yuanhang, looking to be just in his early thirties. Carrying a somewhat gentle smile, he asked Xu Mian a few professional questions.
The HR manager then briefly chatted with Xu Mian about salary and benefits before handing the floor over to Ji Yuanhang in the middle.
Ji Yuanhang focused a pair of clear, cold black eyes on her, his voice carrying the warm gentleness familiar to Xu Mian: “I only have one question. I see from your resume that Miss Xu is married with a child. I wonder if your husband has any objections to you coming out to work?”
Xu Mian answered calmly, “He has no objections.”
Song Di, sitting to the side, chimed in half-jokingly, “That’s good then. After all, we don’t want to ruin the harmony of a family. You know, some men don’t like their significant others coming out to work, especially successful men.”
“He won’t,” Xu Mian frowned slightly, feeling that Song Di was intentionally reminding her of something.
Ji Yuanhang said nothing more, while the HR manager extended an olive branch: “Miss Xu is very outstanding and is exactly the person we want. If you have no objections to the salary conditions and benefits we offer, I think we can sign the contract right now.”
Before stepping into this room, Xu Mian had sworn to herself that as long as they chose her, she would sign the contract immediately and start work tomorrow.
But at this moment, she shrank back. If she were to work alongside Ji Yuanhang, there was no telling how much of a fuss Jiang Yuanchuan would make.
Even more, she did not want to harm Ji Yuanhang. It had not been easy for Ji Yuanhang to strive all the way from a poor youth to his current achievements.
If Jiang Yuanchuan targeted him, he would not be able to win against Jiang Yuanchuan.
Over these past few years, the unpleasant incidents between her and Jiang Yuanchuan caused by his jealousy were too numerous to count. It was not just that one incident with the younger male student; by now, she was utterly exhausted from all the friction, so her subconscious reaction was to retreat and avoid it.
Thus, she softly declined, “Thank you three for the warm invitation. I am sorry.”
Having said that, she stood up and left.
“Mianmian!”
At the corner of the corridor, Ji Yuanhang chased after her and called her to a stop.
Xu Mian lowered her eyes to compose her emotions, then turned around with a polite smile: “Hi, Yuanhang-ge, long time no see.”
Ji Yuanhang was three years older than her and was her maternal grandmother’s neighbor.
Because her parents were busy with work, she had grown up at her grandmother’s house since childhood and only returned to her parents’ side in high school. Therefore, she and Ji Yuanhang had known each other since childhood, and she had always called him that.
During middle school, her grades dropped drastically due to teenage rebellion. It was Ji Yuanhang who gently guided her through her mental state and patiently tutored her, bringing her grades back up.
So no matter the circumstances, she could never bring herself to give Ji Yuanhang the cold shoulder.
Ji Yuanhang paused in front of her, a clear and gentle smile appearing on his face: “It really has been a long time.”
He added, “On my way to the company, I received the list of final interview candidates from Song Di. When I saw your name, I thought I was seeing things. I did not expect it to really be you.”
“What made you want to come out to work?”
Ji Yuanhang’s tone was as familiar and natural as if they had not lost touch for five years, and as if he had been completely unaware of her coming for the interview.
Xu Mian answered truthfully, “My child has started kindergarten, and I just happened to complete my graduate studies as well.”
The word “child” almost caused the fake, calm smile on Ji Yuanhang’s face to crumble.
His slender hands hanging at his sides clenched tightly into fists, and the resentment swelling in his chest reached capacity in an instant.
Just how selfish was Jiang Yuanchuan to make such a talented and outstanding girl bear his child right after graduating from university?
His scheming calculations had wasted five years of her life. Did he not feel a single trace of heartache or guilt?
Peers of the same age, after five years of workplace honing, were now capable of holding their own, yet she could only start from scratch. Although she had a master’s degree, how much competitiveness could it really add for her?
He still remembered that as a teenage girl, she had said that because she grew up without her parents’ company and felt very lonely, she did not want to have children in the future. She was not sure if she could be a qualified mother, or if her partner would be a qualified father who could provide sufficient companionship to the child.
Yet Jiang Yuanchuan had schemed to make her have a child!
He was certain that Xu Mian getting pregnant back then was not a so-called accident, but Jiang Yuanchuan’s deliberate calculation. Otherwise, why had she not gotten accidentally pregnant again over these five years?
Clearly, Jiang Yuanchuan was perfectly capable of taking contraceptive measures.
He deliberately directed the anger in his heart toward Jiang Yuanchuan: “To think Jiang Yuanchuan is actually willing to let you come out to work.”
Xu Mian did not pick up on his words, instead shifting the topic with a slight smile: “When did you return to the country? How have you been these past few years?”
Ji Yuanhang let out a self-deprecating laugh: “Pretty good. At least I am no longer empty-handed and dirt poor.”
“That is great.” Xu Mian felt happy for Ji Yuanhang.
Ji Yuanhang glanced at his wristwatch and took the initiative to invite her: “Have lunch together?”
Xu Mian shook her head and politely declined: “No, thanks. I have plans with Senior Su Can.”
A look of disappointment flashed in the depths of Ji Yuanhang’s eyes, but he quickly recovered: “It is alright. I have settled down in Haicheng City now, so I believe we will always find some free time to get together.”
“Okay.” As they spoke, the elevator happened to stop on this floor. Xu Mian smiled, “Then I will take my leave first.”
She could not ignore Ji Yuanhang, but she could not get any closer to him or chat any further either, because between them now stood Jiang Yuanchuan.
Jiang Yuanchuan spent all day believing she still held Ji Yuanhang in her heart. She indeed had feelings for Ji Yuanhang when her young heart first awakened, but those feelings had long vanished like smoke into thin air after she married Jiang Yuanchuan and Ji Yuanhang went abroad.
Over these five years, both in body and mind, she had only had Jiang Yuanchuan.
Yet Jiang Yuanchuan refused to listen and was hyper-paranoid. He could not even stand hearing the three words “Ji Yuanhang.” The moment he heard them, he would go crazy.