Chapter 1 Finding a Job
The Excellence Hotel is a standard eight-star hotel in City Z. Jun Lan stood in front of the door, feeling a little sacrosanct. Standing there was almost a bit of a blasphemy. Jun Lan's thoughts could not help but drift back to the time when she came for the interview three days ago.
Junlan is a recent college graduate. In this day and age when PhDs and Masters are everywhere, graduating from a junior college is essentially the same as being unemployed.
I have interviewed for several jobs, and unsurprisingly, I was rejected for all of them. Of course, I have no education, no experience, and my appearance is average. Most importantly, I have no background or connections. How can I compete with those who have ability and resources?
When she was at her wit's end, Junlan thought about doing some menial labor work. At least there were fewer barriers to entry and less competition!
But she was wrong again. Although those land-expropriated and retired aunties in the countryside no longer had to worry about food and clothing, they were idle anyway and could not sit still, so they still wanted to shine for the society. However, the fact was that Junlan, a spoiled girl, was not as physically strong as them, and was once again eliminated by them.
Although my parents at home don’t say anything explicitly, they always make indirect remarks. The one I hear the most is naturally “other people’s children”.
"I heard that Lao Wang's son got a promotion recently and is going to take Lao Wang and his wife on a trip to Europe in a few days!"
"That's nothing. Do you remember that lame Chen from our previous unit? His son was dumb and ugly when he was little, and our daughter never played with him. I heard he's a big boss now and has bought several houses. He no longer lives in the old dormitory and has moved to the villa area."
"No wonder I haven't seen him for a long time. It turns out he went to enjoy his life. How did you know?"
"A few days ago, his son invited us old coworkers to dinner at Yuefulou. The gold chain on his son's neck was almost as thick as his chopsticks."
Jun Lan: "Then he doesn't mind the weight? He's not afraid of cervical spondylosis, he's really asking for trouble."
"What do you know? It's a symbol of identity and status."
"That was the best meal I've ever had. All the expensive seafood, abalone, shark's fin, and bird's nest were delicious and plentiful. Most importantly..."
As soon as Jun Lan heard it, she knew there must be something else to come, and that what came next was the most important.
"What is that... Tell me, old man!"
"It's Old Chen's son. They say girls change a lot when they grow up, and I didn't expect the same thing from my son. He used to be dumb and ugly, but now he looks like a Korean star. He still doesn't have a girlfriend! I heard that he's been delayed by business. He even asked for our daughter's phone number! I..."
With a "bang", before her father could finish speaking, Jun Lan walked straight into her room and closed the door. Needless to say, her father had given her phone to someone else without her consent.
The sound of my parents' incessant scolding could still be heard outside the door.
"Who the hell does she think she is? I've beaten her and scolded her plenty before, but she still doesn't study hard. Look, now she can't even get a third-rate undergraduate degree. I want to spend a lot of money to send her to school, but she still can't get in. She hasn't found an internship half a year after graduation. She has no skills but a bad temper. Her partner is also a second-rate guy. I've been eating, wearing, and paying for her education for more than 20 years, and now I can't even say a few words to her. Am I not telling the truth?"
"Alright, alright, stop talking, she doesn't want to either."
Junlan had no idea what her father said afterwards. She had already put on her headphones and fell asleep.
The next morning, her father, Lao Lin, bought Junlan's favorite dumplings and placed them on the dining table. The flavor was unique to the Old Beijing Dumpling House, two blocks away. That place was always busy; if they were late, they would be gone. Needless to say, it was her father who had gotten up early and rode his electric bike to buy them for her.
Junlan couldn't help feeling guilty when she thought of this. She looked at her old dormitory of more than 50 square meters, which was a welfare house allocated by her father in the 1970s. Even now, the furnishings and furniture in the house still retain the style of the 1990s. If she had known that she was not good at studying, she would have bought a better house with the money she had spent on education over the years. At least the two elders could live a better life in addition to their pension.
All of her classmates have found good jobs and are planning to take out loans to buy houses and cars and get married, but she is the only one who has not achieved anything and can't even afford food and clothing without her parents, which makes her family worry. Thinking of this, Jun Lan couldn't help but tear herself apart.
Although it was her favorite dumplings, Junlan didn't enjoy this breakfast. After a quick meal, she went to the kitchen and said to Lao Lin, "Dad, I have an interview and may not be home for lunch. Do you want me to bring anything home for dinner?"
Lao Lin: "No need, just come back. There are a lot of pyramid schemes these days, don't be scammed. Do you want me to take you there on my electric bike?" "I can take the bus myself. See you tonight."
"Um."
After a morning, all the replies she received after the interview were to go home and wait for news. Having interviewed countless times, Jun Lan naturally knew the meaning behind this sentence.
At 12 noon, Junlan, who had visited several companies, was already starving. In order to save money, she naturally did not dare to go to a restaurant. When she went to a bakery, she did not even dare to buy a sandwich and could only choose the cheapest steamed bun.
After drinking a few sips of hot water from the thermos, Junlan planned to take a short rest before regrouping and continuing to fight.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar cell phone rang. It was indeed a new code without a name. Jun Lan was excited and thought that maybe the interview was successful or there was a new interview.
Jun Lan smiled widely: "Hello, hello!"
A male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, are you Junlan?"
Shouldn’t Junlan be thinking in her heart, “Excuse me, are you Miss Lin Junlan?”
"Yes, what can I do for you?"
"Hey, Junlan, it's me. I'm your old neighbor Chen Zhiqing. Do you remember me?"
It turned out to be the son of Lame Chen. Why did he call at such a good time? Jun Lan felt like a bucket of cold water was poured on her heart, and she felt cold from head to toe. She wanted to scold him, but she had to be cautious in order to save her father Lao Lin's face.
"Oh, it's you. Long time no see. I've been a bit busy lately. What can I do for you?"
"Even if you're busy, you still have to eat. Where are you now? I'll drive over and take you to dinner, okay?"
"No, no, you're so polite. I'm still interviewing!"
"Is that so? Then I won't bother you anymore. I wish you success. By the way, if you feel that the job isn't suitable for you during the interview, I'll give you a phone number. That's my business partner and buddy, the head of the HR department at the LaCrosse Hotel. I think he should be able to get in touch with you. Just say I introduced you, and he'll be able to find you a better position."
When Jun Lan heard about the job introduction, she was deeply moved: "Thank you so much, my mobile number is also my WeChat ID, could you please add me now and send me the phone number of the HR manager!"
"Okay, remember to call me when you find a job. I'll treat you to a meal to celebrate!"
"Of course, of course. I'll treat you to a meal to express my gratitude. If you have nothing else to do, I'll hang up first!"
"Yeah, okay!"
After hanging up the phone, Jun Lan immediately opened WeChat. Unexpectedly, Chen Zhiqing was also very straightforward. He sent her a name and phone number without saying anything nonsense.
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