Chapter 2: See which crack to squeeze through and create a chance encounter
Lin Yaowo sat cross-legged on the sofa chair on the balcony, working on her computer. This Spring Festival in Flower City was neither too cold nor too hot, neither too humid nor too dry. The midday sunshine was brilliant, and she loved spending time on the balcony. The house was about 60 square meters, rented. The branches of the royal poinciana tree extended into the south-facing balcony, and the sun shone a pleasant woody fragrance. The hydrangeas and purple daisies she had bought before the New Year were bursting into bloom, and the new branches of the potted lemon tree had an orange lucky windmill hanging on them. Qian Duoduo had bought it with his pocket money when they went to the flower market together before the New Year, saying it would bring good luck. It was magical, too. Without a trace of wind, the windmill kept turning and stopping, stopping and turning again. She searched the talent pool for Shi Zhenglin's resume, and her fingertips typed rapidly, adding some information and sending it to Long Weihe. "I updated my resume. Take a look. He's back in Guangzhou now, and we've moved to Zhucheng before the New Year. Xingtan is in Huangpu, so his commute to work will be between Zhucheng and Huangpu. He used to play golf, but doesn't seem to play much anymore. He still runs in the mornings. He ran around 6 or 7 yesterday morning, along the river near his home. He posted his mileage and a map of his route on WeChat Moments. I took a screenshot." "Gopher hunting? You're not on his WeChat Moments, are you? Where did you find it?" Long Wei replied. "We had morning tea this morning. We met up with someone who knew him a little to gossip. She has his WeChat, and I looked through her WeChat Moments for clues. See if you can find any holes to explore. If we can't get together, we can just arrange a chance encounter." "It's just a short walk, why send a voice message? Come up, let's eat!" They lived in the same building, just a few floors apart. "Being together all day will cause problems. Keep your distance." Lin Yao closed her computer and went into the kitchen. Tang Ruifen once had a close friend who she always hung out with. But they fell out, fighting openly and covertly, their children becoming weapons of competition. She thought they were too close, but it ultimately backfired. She remembers that maintaining a proper distance is the key to long-term relationships. When Long Weihe heard her talk about her old best friend, she replied, "Never mind! I'll weld myself to your thigh and won't let go." She lifted the lid of the stewing pot with one hand, but steam washed over her hand. She pulled it back to her lips and blew on it. "Come down for some soup?" "No, I'll take Duoduo skateboarding later." The soup was a double-boiled stew of black-bone chicken, astragalus root, longan, and red dates. A clay pot rice simmered gently over the top, topped with slices of Tang Ruifen's cured meat and sausage, an egg, a few choy sum, a few mushroom slices, and a sprinkle of chopped green onions. She flipped it with a wooden spatula, revealing a crusty, oily rice on the bottom. She meticulously prepared a solo lunch, excelling at it and never finding it cumbersome. The trouble lay in the list. Eating...
Lin Yaowo sat cross-legged on the sofa chair on the balcony, working on the computer.
This year's Spring Festival in Flower City was neither cold nor hot, neither humid nor dry. The sunshine at noon was very bright, and she liked to stay on the balcony.
The house is about 60 square meters, rented. The branches of the flamboyant tree extend into the south-facing balcony, basking in the sun and emitting a pleasant woody fragrance. The hydrangeas and purple daisies I bought before the New Year are bursting into bloom. The potted lemon tree has an orange lucky windmill hanging from its new branches. Qian Duoduo bought it with his pocket money when they went to the flower market together before the New Year, claiming it would bring good luck.
It was also magical. There was no wind at all, but the windmill kept turning and stopping, stopping and turning again.
She searched for Shi Zhenglin's resume in the talent pool, typed quickly with her fingertips, added some information, and sent it to Long Weihe.
"I updated my resume. Take a look. He's now back in Guangzhou and moved to Zhucheng before the New Year. Xingtan is in Huangpu, so his commute to work will be between Zhucheng and Huangpu. He used to play golf, but doesn't seem to play much anymore. He still has a running habit, running in the mornings. Yesterday morning he ran around 6 or 7, along the river near his home. He posted the mileage and route map on his WeChat Moments, so I took a screenshot."
"Digging for moles? You're not in his circle of friends, right? Where did you dig it?" Long Weihe replied.
"In the morning, we had breakfast and met someone who knew him a little bit to gossip about him. She had his WeChat. I looked through the circle of friends on her phone and found some clues. If you can't find a date, we can just create a chance encounter."
"It's just a short walk, why send a voice message? Come up and eat!"
They lived in the same building, a few floors apart.
"There will be problems if we stick together every day. Keep your distance." Lin Yao closed the computer and went into the kitchen.
Tang Ruifen once had a close friend who she used to be with every day. But they fell out over time, fighting openly and covertly, their children becoming weapons in their rivalry. She felt they were simply too close, but the result was a misunderstanding. She remembers that maintaining a proper distance is crucial for any relationship to last.
Long Weihe heard her talk about her old bestie and replied, "Never mind! I'll weld myself to your thigh and won't let go."
She lifted the lid of the stew pot with one hand, and the steam hit her hand. She pulled it back to her lips and blew on it. "Come down and have some soup?"
"I can't drink, I'll take Duoduo to play skateboarding later."
The soup was simmered in a double boiler, a mixture of black-bone chicken, astragalus root, longan, and red dates. Atop it was a gently simmered clay pot rice, topped with a few slices of Tang Ruifen's cured meat and sausage, an egg, a few stalks of choy sum, a few mushrooms, and a sprinkle of chopped green onions. She stirred it with a wooden spatula, revealing a crusty rice crust at the bottom of the pot.
She is good at preparing lunch for one person and doesn't find it troublesome.
The trouble lies in the list.
While she was eating, a candidate's message arrived. Li Xuan, the candidate recommended to Taoxiang Bio, had just finished his probationary period and had sent her a message saying that Taoxiang was rumored to be laying off employees and that he was worried about his instability.
The guarantee period for this deal overlapped with the candidate's probation period. Having a candidate leave during the guarantee period after such a difficult deal was the biggest headache for her in her headhunting career.
She asked Li Xuan to meet up with her at a nearby coffee shop tomorrow afternoon.
---
On the first day of work after the New Year, Taoxiang Bio's general offices gathered together to give out red envelopes.
The customs for starting a new business are still the same, but the atmosphere is not the same as in previous years. Li Xuan feels that the words "good luck" and so on are not the same.
Lin Yao recommended her for the role of Head of Business Development. Within Taoxiang, she was positioned as a "strategic hunter," responsible for identifying market opportunities for drug development pipelines, technology platforms, and commercial partnerships, and spearheading acquisitions and collaborations. A few months into the job, she realized her position was precarious when she saw weak support from higher-ups for a target drug rights acquisition project she was promoting.
Lin Yao asked her to meet him at three o'clock in the afternoon, but unexpectedly, at two o'clock in the afternoon, the human resources department asked her to go to the small meeting room.
She was the first one in her line to be notified. When she reached the conference room door, everyone in the large office area stared at her, and private messages were exchanged in waves: "I'm coming! I'm coming!"
She was given five minutes' notice by HR. Before entering the meeting room, she sent Lin Yao a message: "I have a meeting. Can you imagine laying off employees on the first day of work?"
At this point, she wasn't blaming Lin Yao for the recommendation. Lin Yao had done as much objective analysis of the company as he could with her beforehand. At the time, she was under pressure from her boss at her previous company and desperate to get out. And for family reasons, she only accepted local opportunities in Guangzhou. After weighing the pros and cons, she took this position as a springboard.
In the conference room, her business line leader and HR director Zhou Zixin sat side by side.
The line leader started the conversation by explaining that the company was adjusting its business strategy and that they had to withdraw the purchasing line from the business development department. He then proceeded to discuss HR.
Li Xuan calmly placed her phone upside down on the table. "During my interview, you mentioned the company's strategic adjustments and its emphasis on the purchase line. Just a few months later, you're making another strategic adjustment. For such a large company, strategic changes are faster than turning the pages of a book. Are you kidding me about human resource planning?"
Zhou Zixin continued, "It's not the company's strategy that's changing quickly, it's the market. The company is just reacting sensitively, which is normal. Please understand."
"It's the first day of work, and you're in such a hurry to get people out, isn't that bad luck for the company?" Li Xuan looked straight at her.
"The company is very humane and lets everyone celebrate the New Year. If we lay off people before the New Year, won't everyone complain that we can't even celebrate the New Year properly?"
Zhou Zixin has worked in human resources for more than ten years. His slow and measured manner reveals his shrewdness. His two thin eyebrows look like two barbs when they are raised. He is a difficult person to deal with.
She said that the decision on whether to lay off employees was made during the Spring Festival. Once the decision was made, they would not wait a single day.
"Where's my team?"
“It’s part communication about leaving, and part reintegration.”
Li Xuan moved over, leaned back in his chair, and said with a wry smile that the entire line was cut, but in the end, he still picked someone.
"Regarding the resignation plan, you have been employed for five months, which is less than the six-month probation period. If you sign and confirm this performance appraisal form, we can pay compensation on a monthly basis." Zhou Zixin pushed the form in front of her.
Li Xuan glanced at it. She'd been asked to sign and confirm her performance-based assignments upon joining the company. She knew they might form the basis for her probationary period evaluation, so she'd carefully considered and revised them before signing. Some of the assignments hadn't been completed due to a change in company policy. She'd kept the evidence, knowing she had no leverage over HR. She'd fight it out to the bitter end. Now, the evaluation comment section clearly stated, "Performance assignment not completed due to personal reasons." It was ridiculous.
"My performance is fine. Why would I ruin my reputation for a month's salary?"
"We'll handle it privately. The resignation certificate we issue can state that you initiated the resignation, not that it was forced, so it won't affect your job search. If a company asks us to do a background check on you, don't worry, I'll handle it properly."
Zhou Zixin used a combination of petty gains and threats.
Li Xuan couldn't figure out her tricks with this chaotic approach. Passive during the probation period, she knew it was pointless to argue.
“Can you tell me why you do this?”
Zhou Zixin shrugged. "Isn't it good for the company to handle this in a humane way? This is good for you. In short, we will ensure that you will not suffer any losses."
"What if I sign it and you guys turn against me after I leave this place?"
Zhou Zixin glanced at her phone, which was placed upside down on the table, and gave a perceptive smile. "Integrity is the company's principle for treating employees."
Li Xuan, a veteran of the workplace, smiled and pushed her watch back. "I can leave, but I'll get every cent I deserve. But I won't touch anything that's taken without a clear explanation. And don't keep saying it's humane, that's just making people look stupid. Also, I, Li Xuan, have never failed a probationary period assessment."
She tore her face off, picked up her phone, turned off the recording in front of them, and walked away.
When they received Li Xuan's message, Lin Yao and Long Wei were having a post-New Year meeting with a few friends.
Our small team operates from a small office in a relatively affordable, off-the-beaten-path, off-the-beaten-path area, approximately 80 square meters. Two people share a private office, while several other headhunters occupy booths. There's also a tea room and a casual chat area. While small, it's neatly maintained. On weekdays, everyone works freely, and meeting candidates is prioritized for individual convenience.
"Zhou Zixin will definitely ask her to sign the performance appraisal form." Long Wei expected it.
Lin Yao texted Li Xuan back but received no reply.
"There's no way she'll sign," Lin Yao said confidently. "With the guarantee period extended to six months and the money on hold, I knew Zhou Zixin had a plan."
Initially, they had a difficult time recruiting Zhou Zixin. She extended the guarantee period, but they gritted their teeth and accepted it. Several headhunters presented themselves, and the smaller you were, the more they squeezed you; the larger you were, the more lenient they were. This was a pattern of discriminatory treatment, a practice common to most clients. They endured the process.
The word "forbearance" is like a knife stabbing into my heart, dripping a drop of blood, causing pain. Too many times, I can no longer bear it.
"If it really doesn't work, let's give up this line of hers. It's too costly and she can't make any money." Long Weihe spun the pen in her hand off the table.
Her friend Tan Ming bent down and crawled under the table, picked up the pen, and handed it back to her, chewing his gum vigorously. "It won't be easy for Zhou Zixin to deny paying this money. If she does, I'll pester her to death!"
The other three friends looked at each other in silence.
The matter of Shi Zhenglin of Xingtan Pharmaceutical is still pending, and Zhou Zixin is making a fuss about not paying the final payment of Taoxiang, so the work at the meeting is not going well.
Two hours later, Lin Yao met Li Xuan at the agreed place.
"Zhou Zixin is still threatening." Li Xuan sat down, took off her coat, and smoothed her stylish, fluffy, short, curly hair. She was from the north, dignified and generous, capable and straightforward.
Lin Yao handed her the coffee he had just taken and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't predict it."
"It's not your problem."
The two people have been dealing with each other for a long time and have a good impression of each other and speak frankly.
In the eyes of candidates like Li Xuan, headhunters serve as bridges to opportunities. They simply need to be objective about industry development and positions, clearly explain the pros and cons, and be sincere and truthful. She hates headhunters who pretend to be all-powerful and start brainwashing people with marketing tactics that disregard conventional logic.
Lin Yao has worked with countless candidates and encountered setbacks. She has some experience, which she often shares with her teammates. For example, the more capable candidates are, the less likely they are to listen. In this era of information-rich headhunters, don't be so naive as to think of yourself as a pyramid scheme leader. Candidates are intelligent individuals. When weighing the pros and cons, no one knows better than you what to choose. Invest time and effort in deeply understanding their core needs and solving their problems. This is how she develops friendships with candidates like Li Xuan.
"Did she ask you to confirm the assessment form?" Lin Yao asked.
"I didn't sign it. She used it to threaten me with the resignation certificate and background check. She's not doing her job, she's just doing evil things. I recorded the whole thing, you can listen to it."
Li Xuan took out the recording and went straight to this part.
Lin Yao handed the phone back and frowned, "That's her style."
"What do you mean? Why did she do that?"
"The contract between her and me includes a guarantee period, which overlaps with your probation period. If you resign for personal reasons during the guarantee period or fail the assessment, according to the agreement, not only will we not receive any remaining fees, but we will also have to refund all previous payments. However, our agreement requires written evidence of failing the assessment, so she's offering to have you sign the assessment form as written evidence for not paying our service fees. Between the headhunting fee and your monthly salary, she chose to eliminate the headhunting fee to save money."
"She mixed this matter up and got it for free! So cunning! So did I save your headhunting fee? The situation is not too bad." Li Xuan curled her lips and smiled.
"She can't handle the performance appraisal form. You were laid off during your probation period, so there's no evidence to prove it. Half a month's compensation can be legally retroactively paid."
Li Xuan shook his head and smiled bitterly. "There were twelve of us in our line, nine left and three stayed. Five of those who left were women, and the ones who stayed were all young men. This is insane! Discrimination!"
"Being short-sighted and focusing on short-term per capita energy efficiency will backfire on the company. What are your plans for the future?" Lin Yao asked.
"Help me look for more opportunities. Women like us, if we're in a relationship, they worry you're too romantic to focus on work. Married women without children, they worry you'll have kids soon. For those with children, they assume your fertility is normal and worry you'll have a second child. And those with a second child are getting older, so they're given some bullshit third- and fifth-tier cities. It's ridiculous! Where exactly is a woman's golden career period?" Li Xuan took a sip of coffee. "I'm only focused on opportunities in Guangzhou. There are limitations. In this environment, there aren't many suitable positions, and it's hard to find one."
Like Long Weihe, she was a single mother with a three-year-old daughter. She couldn't avoid taking time off from work when things got tough. Her former boss, beneath her in competence, was extremely volatile, constantly changing things, and often put her down. Once, when her daughter was sick, her boss deliberately created a business trip to make things difficult for her. She decided to leave, and that's when Lin Yao happened to come looking for her.
"Okay." Lin Yao agreed.
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