19. Adoption Interview
Chi Jin had made an appointment to help Chen Yisheng choose a potential adoptive parent over the weekend, and she hadn't broken it. She'd wanted to live up to her high-paying part-time job by getting dressed up, but before leaving, she hesitated in the mirror—what if she was misunderstood as someone who dresses to please others? After much deliberation, she deliberately put on a cartoon T-shirt she'd worn for years and arrived at Chen Yisheng's door, practically bare-faced.
The orange cat is still as fat as before, and its name is Dabing, which really suits the cat’s name.
Chen Yisheng was dressed more casually, looking much more approachable and younger than when he was wearing a suit.
"I've arranged the video interview order for the four groups of candidates you sent me last time based on priority."
His tone was still as clear and organized as when he was working.
Chi Jin scratched his head: "Don't be so formal, just take a look at their home environment and chat about raising kittens. If you act so formal and official like this, they will be scared."
"Okay." Chen Yisheng nodded. "Then don't call me 'you' all the time, like a secretary."
How dare Chi Jin? He was about to retort when Chen Yisheng spoke again: "Isn't this your break time? If you keep calling me your boss, I'll report you for having a side job."
"Okay, okay."
Chi Jin agreed embarrassedly.
The first couple to be interviewed were the newly married DINK couple. They also looked very prepared, as if they were having an academic defense. They first picked up the indigenous Siamese cat, which looked relatively docile and well-behaved, and showed it to Chi Jin and Chen Yisheng on the other side of the screen.
Chi Jin leaned closer to Chen Yisheng and lowered his voice to explain: "Siamese cats are the little dogs among cats. They are lively and enthusiastic, and have high IQs. Netizens call them Filipino maids."
Chen Yisheng nodded: "What is the orange cat?"
Chi Jin glanced at the cat pancake spread out beside him: "A truck among cats."
"Meow~"
Dabing seemed to understand and meowed in a very human way.
Even Chen Yisheng couldn't help but curl his lips. The two highly educated elites on the other side of the screen remained expressionless. Chi Jin internally sighed, "Tsk!" How serious!
Seeing that they were temporarily repairing the malfunctioning automatic feeder, Chen Yisheng stood up and whispered, "Coke, Sprite, orange juice, sour plum soup, yogurt, what do you want to drink?"
"Yogurt, thank you." Chi Jin was a little surprised that his house had such a rich stock.
Chi Jin secretly complained that he had so many drinks at home.
As soon as Chen Yisheng left, the hostess across the street asked, "Is your husband also an engineering student? Actually, quite a lot of engineering students keep cats. We're busy with work and don't have time to walk the dog."
Not sure if this "husband" Chen Yisheng heard it, Chi Jin was startled and shook her head: "No, no..."
On second thought, explaining to a stranger seemed too much of an effort, so she mumbled, "Uh...he's a liberal arts student, I guess."
Chi Jin thought that since he had a bachelor's and master's degree from Jingda University, he should be good at science as well.
"Oh, you speak very coherently and seem to have strong logical thinking." The lady understood.
Chen Yisheng returned with a glass of iced cola and yogurt, sat down naturally, and placed the yogurt in front of Chi Jin. She noticed from the corner of her eye that after he sat down again, the two of them were closer than before. The sofa sank slightly, and his cool scent lingered around her.
The couple meticulously demonstrated their complete suite of smart pet-raising equipment, expounding on their cat-raising philosophy like a thesis defense. Chi Jin felt like he was listening to a senior editor's presentation. Chen Yisheng asked a few key questions about resource allocation and stress management in multi-cat households, while Chi Jin quietly stared at the Siamese cat on the screen.
The next person to be "interviewed" was a celibate, childless, cat-loving woman. When Chi Jin was chatting with her on WeChat, she seemed a bit aloof, but when the video started, she smiled warmly and was very approachable.
"I'm working in HR for a foreign company now. The monthly salary I make is definitely more than enough to support a kitten. This house has seen two golden tabby cats, and the cat climbing frames and beds they left behind have been thoroughly disinfected." She stood up and pointed the camera at the balcony. "It's the twelfth floor, the windows are sealed, so there's absolutely no problem with safety. Now that Fatty Orange is here, he'll be my only child. I advocate a one-cat-one-person lifestyle. We don't usually have many friends over, so there's no need to worry about the environment. Even if they do, it's always nice-smelling girls, no men. Many of the guys are unhygienic and stink."
Chi Jin subconsciously tilted his head quickly, sniffing in Chen Yisheng's direction. Hmm, a refreshing scent of jasmine. Luckily, he wasn't considered a "stinky man."
"I don't know her..." Chen Yisheng glanced at Chi Jin, seemingly unsure how to address her. Finally, he simply didn't address her and continued, "...did I tell you about it? She was a stray before, and I adopted her not long ago. She's a bit sensitive, and I need to slowly adjust to her habits."
The lady nodded cheerfully. "Yeah, your girlfriend told me that it usually gets angry when it sees you. Of my two golden shaded cats, one was raised from a puppy, and the other was also adopted from a registered adoption fair. It shouldn't be a problem for them to adapt. I have some experience."
"My colleague has already told you." Chen Yisheng nodded calmly, "I don't have any problems anymore."
After hearing his natural explanation of their relationship, Chi Jin was a little slow to react: "Okay. I don't have a problem with that either."
The next two interviews were scheduled after lunch. Chi Jin glanced at the table Chen Yisheng had drawn, listing the pros and cons.
"Which of these two groups do you think is more suitable?" She almost blurted out "you" again, but stopped herself in time. "I think the first one is quite scientific. It looks like they were reborn into a wealthy family, but they look a little cold."
"So you prefer the second one?"
Chi Jin nodded: "The first one has two people and a cat, but it feels quite deserted. The second one has only one person, but it feels very lively."
"Do you like lively atmosphere?"
"About the same," Chi Jin said frankly, "It's easy to feel insecure when you're alone for too long."
Chen Yisheng nodded thoughtfully. "I'm leaning towards the second group, too. The first group has good conditions, but the environment might not be the most comfortable for someone like Dabing. It's just that the second group... her workload is quite intense. I'd prefer she go to a family with a more relaxed pace of life."
"The latter two people meet both requirements. One is preparing for an exam and is at home all day, and the other is retired and has plenty of time."
Chen Yisheng agreed, but suddenly changed the subject: "How about lunch first?"
Chi Jin was startled for a moment, then realized that his stomach was indeed protesting: "Okay... okay. Then... should we order takeout or go out to eat?"
“Actually, I’ve never ordered takeout.”
How could a fast-paced media editor, living in the 21st century's golden age of takeout, have never ordered takeout?
"It's a matter of habit," Chen Yisheng explained simply. "Influenced by my family and living alone, I cook when I can. If I'm too busy, I won't eat."
No wonder Liu Min gave him so many warnings about his health at that time.
"It's good to cook for yourself, but irregular eating habits can hurt your stomach." Chi Jin was afraid that he would say, "I'll make lunch, what do you want to eat?" He immediately opened his phone and said, "I have the final say today, let's order takeout."
Chen Yisheng hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Then I'll reimburse you."
"No, people who have never ordered takeout are rarer than fossils. Just consider it a gift for my eyes." Since Chi Jin was treating them, she didn't click on the "Pin Hao Fan" icon. Usually, when she ordered takeout, she would take advantage of it.
"Then I'll go get you another cup of yogurt."
"Actually, I don't usually order takeout. The food in the cafeteria isn't good, but it's almost free after taking into account the meal allowance." Chi Jin said, "Let me see if there's anything nearby... spicy hot pot, maocai chicken pot, etc.... Can you handle spicy food?"
Chen Yisheng glanced at her homepage push notifications and knew that she could definitely handle spicy food. Big data wouldn't lie: "As the host wishes, I can eat a little."
Chi Jin nodded: "How about grilled fish?"
The restaurant she clicked on was the one where she and Xiao Liu had a rather unpleasant meal last time.
"It seems to be a chain store. Do you go there often?" Chen Yisheng asked casually.
"I went there not long ago." Chi Jin paused, "The food wasn't very good that time."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she was stunned. That day, she'd been choking on her feelings about him, wanting to share them with her best friend, but in the end, not a single word came out. Now, facing this "culprit," all the thoughts about Liu Xiaoke's loss, the melancholy of friendship, the accelerating pace of time, the exhaustion of socializing, and her increasingly pitiful social circle, suddenly poured out like water from a dam, pouring out in the thirty-five minutes she waited for the grilled fish to arrive.
She had never imagined she could talk so much nonsense with her boss, and she had never imagined Chen Yisheng would listen so intently. His eyes were calm, like a tolerant sea, which made her talk more and more unconsciously, until the knock on the door by the delivery man finally stopped her.
The aroma of grilled fish filled the air. Chi Jin picked up his chopsticks and said confidently, "I can't let the last grilled fish affect my mood for this one!"
"Yeah." Chen Yisheng's eyes were filled with imperceptible tenderness as he carefully unpacked the cutlery for her and handed her a tissue.
Looking at his spotless dining table, Chi Jin said a little embarrassedly: "Your dining table is so clean, I will clean it up if it gets dirty later."
"It's okay with the tablecloth."
Chi Jin picked up the serving chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish belly and put it in his bowl: "I'm sorry, Editor-in-Chief Chen, I made you listen to my complaints just now, but it was all just the same old story."
"It's okay. I haven't heard young people talk so much in a long time."
Chi Jin quickly said: "You are also a young man."
Chen Yisheng's smile deepened: "You even used 'you', but we are two generations apart."
Chi Jin quickly changed his words: "Oh, don't say that."
"Who do you get along with best in the company? Ouyang Yuan or Qin Xiancheng? You two are about the same age."
"...Is this a sting operation? We're not a small group."
Chi Jin was a little scared.
"Just chatting."
"Hmm...actually, it's just those two. There are editors around my age, but I'm not very familiar with them. Besides them, the only person I'm close to is Xiao Duan. He got into graduate school after starting work, so he's only a year younger than me."
"Xiao Duan's editing qualifications are average, but he's certainly hardworking." Chen Yisheng spoke in a steady tone, his gaze flickering across Chi Jin's face. "He came to me specifically, and his words were all about wanting you. He said he trusted you the most in the editorial department, was most willing to learn from you, and that he thought you were the most patient and reliable. So, he desperately hopes you can mentor him during his internship."
Hearing this, the relationship between her and Duan Xingche seemed a bit ambiguous.
She raised her eyes to look at Chen Yisheng, only to see him slowly picking up the piece of fish belly meat, his expression still calm, as if what he had just said was just an ordinary retelling.
But Chi Jin clearly caught him tapping his knuckles lightly on the tablecloth when he put down his chopsticks.
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