Chapter Five: The Lingering Ghost

"There's hot milk and sandwiches, have some!" Chu Zhen pointed to the dining table.

"Thank you, I'm not hungry!"

"Don't worry, there was no drugging."

"I'm not hungry, thank you!" I went into the second bedroom and woke Huang Yanyan up. The girl was still drooling.

"Hurry up, we've run into some thugs!" I shouted.

"You rascal? What rascal? Dangdang, are you alright?" She really is my best friend; at a time like this, the first person she thought of was me.

"Alright, let's hurry up and go! We haven't encountered anything yet, but I don't know if they'll turn into thugs."

"Wow, where are we? Did you open a hotel?" Huang Yanyan looked around and realized something was wrong.

"What hotel? We've been taken home by another man! Let's get out of here!"

Huang Yanyan's first reaction was the same as mine: she looked at herself and saw that she hadn't lost her virginity, so she felt relieved and the two went to the living room.

"Thank you, we'll be going now!" I said briefly.

"Take care, I won't see you off!" He replied casually, without getting up, so Huang Yanyan only saw his back. However, all the way, Huang Yanyan kept analyzing that he must be a high-quality man, which could be seen from his living environment.

"Tell me, how did you two get together?"

"I didn't tell you before that I encountered a scammer, this is him."

"Damn, this is a staged accident, but I think you're the one trying to scam me!"

"How can you be like this? I'm pretty too. Don't judge his character just because he looks decent. He tricked me!"

"Lin Dang, I'm not trying to be mean, but someone like him would be willing to get scammed or cheated. Besides, look at where he lives, why would he need to scam a poor student like you?"

What Huang Yanyan said makes sense; there's absolutely no need for that! But why does it keep haunting us?

"I'm certain he's got his eye on you!" After being forced to confess the whole story, Huang Yanyan came to my conclusion.

"That's true. It's really hard to find a girl like me on the street."

"You're having a lucky streak with the ladies. If, and I mean if, you two meet again, please stop pretending to be aloof and just show your true infatuated nature. Someone like that is in high demand."

Next time? I firmly believe there will be a next time. Since our first meeting, I've seen him several times already, and this time I even woke up directly in his bed. Surprisingly, I'm actually looking forward to our next meeting.

All the documents were submitted, and all that was left was to wait. But I wasn't just waiting passively. Although my parents always deposited my living expenses into my account on time, and I didn't have to worry about rent, I was already twenty-two years old, and I needed to rely on myself more. I decided to try my luck at a TV station and see if I could find a part-time news intern position.

"The station has just started a new program and does need manpower, but the host is a bit aloof and difficult to approach. It's hard for ordinary people to get close to him, and the station's veteran employees avoid him like the plague. If you dare to take on the challenge, I can recommend you for the position." Old Cao, a senior two years my senior, got into the local TV station during his senior year internship because of family connections, and is now a program director.

"It's okay, it's okay. You know I'm very resilient. Anyway, I don't have much experience, so it's normal for them to say a few words to me. I won't care." For the sake of work, one can put one's pride aside for a while.

"Okay, I'll talk to the station. If all goes well, I can come over tomorrow."

"Okay, then call me later. This is my resume."

"Then you'll have to wait for the notification!" I had wanted to treat Lao Cao to a meal, but that guy said things weren't settled yet, and it wouldn't be too late to eat after everything was finalized, so I didn't want to waste the unemployed man's welfare allowance.

After leaving the radio station, feeling utterly bored, I walked to the city study, picked up a novel at random, and started reading. It was such a great place to kill time, with all the amenities you could need, and the air conditioning was on 24 hours a day, so I didn't have to stand outside in the scorching sun or waste electricity at home.

"Lin Dang, report directly to the 'Before Dawn' program team tomorrow. Just look for Xiao Ai." Lost in thought, Lao Cao's text message arrived.

"Okay, thank you! I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow!"

"Hello, this is Lin Dang. May I ask where Xiao Ai is?" After arriving at the TV station, which was divided into many departments, I finally found the office with the title "Before Dawn" on it. It was an inconspicuous office at the very back of the entire floor.

"I'm Xiao Ai, and you are?" The girl in front of me answered with a smile, and she seemed to be a recent graduate as well.

"I am Lin Dang, from the Department of Journalism and Communication at the Teachers College. Cao Gang introduced me here."

"Oh, I see. You're here for an internship, right? Come with me. Teacher Chu already told me." Xiao Ai led me inside and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

"Go in by yourself!"

"Hello, Ms. Chu, I'm Lin Dang, the new intern!"

"Sit down!" Teacher Chu, whom everyone was talking about, turned around.

"Chu Zhen?" I exclaimed in surprise.

“You should call me Teacher Chu here,” he said with a smile.

So this is the legendary difficult program producer. It's no exaggeration at all.

"Introduced by Cao Gang? What's your relationship with him?" Chu Zhen asked bluntly.

"He's my senior, two years ahead of me. He's currently waiting for the graduate school admission list, so he's thinking of finding a part-time job first." I answered his question quite seriously.

"Not bad, very independent. Are you familiar with my show?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know what the time before dawn is?"

Before dawn.

"That's just a literal interpretation. Do you know roughly what time it is from here to there?"

"From 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., this range can be defined as before dawn."

"Your knowledge is alright, you're a journalism and communication major, right?" I saw Chu Zhen flipping through my resume. "Here's what we'll do: spend the next two days gathering some information about the city before dawn."

"Data from before dawn? You mean humanities and society?"

"Use your own guesses!" I've witnessed Chu Zhen's coldness today. Aside from the surprise he gave me when he first walked in, I now realize that my previous assumptions were wrong. When we meet again, I am just me, and he is still him.

"My program is newly launched, and the TV station doesn't have high hopes for it. So, as you can see, my office is quite small. You can sit across from me and work. I'll use a laptop, and you can use a desktop."

"I'll just find a seat outside!"

"There are no seats left!"

Helpless, I put down my bag and sat down opposite him. I now seriously suspect that he sabotaged my smooth hiring process and that he might be trying to frame me.