Chapter 564: Interview, Ascending Heights

October 26, 2023, Thursday.

7:00 AM.

Inside the executive suite of the Four Seasons Hotel, the air was permeated with a faint woody fragrance.

In the master bedroom, a sliver of morning light filtered through the gap in the curtains, spilling onto the edge of the bed.

The moment Lin Mu opened her eyes, she instinctively reached out to the side.

The other side of the bed was already empty; even the duvet was folded neatly.

Shen Yu must have gotten up who knows when.

"Acting like such a go-getter," she muttered in complaint, rolled over, and closed her eyes again.

Yesterday, she had just flown from Yancheng to Xiangjiang; this was the first day of her business trip.

Having acquired several new limited-edition handbags exclusive to Xiangjiang, plus sleeping in the same bed as a fierce rival, she had been too excited to sleep well, tossing and turning for over thirty minutes.

A faint stirring came from outside.

Lin Mu yawned, reluctantly rolled over, and sat up.

She got out of bed, slipped on soft slippers, and walked outward.

Passing the full-length mirror, her steps involuntarily paused; she put on a professional smile, struck a few poses, and admired herself.

In the mirror, her features were exquisite and her hair slightly tousled, exuding a unique lazy sensuality.

It was undeniable that having Shen Yu as a comparison had ignited much fighting spirit in her, even making her significantly more "ambitious."

She walked out of the master bedroom door.

Sunlight spilled through the half-open curtains into the living room; the hotel's climate control made the interior comfortably pleasant, while the Xiangjiang morning was humid and warm.

Lin Mu scanned the room with her gaze but did not see Shen Yu anywhere.

She walked a few steps at random and faintly heard the sound of keyboard typing coming from the study.

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow and gently pushed the door open.

Shen Yu was sitting at the desk, dressed in a fresh set of sportswear, eating breakfast while typing on the keyboard, her expression focused.

Her hair was still slightly damp, her cheeks flushed, as if she had just finished exercising not long ago, and she was surrounded by an aura of fitness and beauty.

"Morning, Shirley." Lin Mu leaned against the doorframe, her voice lazy.

"Good morning, Luna." Shen Yu smiled and looked up, her tone relaxed. "I'm back from my morning workout and have already gone through today's meeting documents. I ordered shrimp dumplings and an English breakfast for you, your favorites; they're in the dining room."

"Uh—thanks for your thoughtfulness." Lin Mu's expression was somewhat awkward.

Come to think of it, this was her first real business trip with Seeing Xiao Xue; in her heart, she was more inclined to treat it as travel and enjoyment, never thinking about much else.

Moreover, since she was attending a meeting where headquarters staff would be reporting to her, she hadn't bothered to review the meeting documents on Teams beforehand.

Compared like this, she, as the Chief Assistant, appeared somewhat inadequate.

Shen Yu chuckled lightly, stood up, and walked over. "It's only proper; after all, we are 'teammates' now. And teammates who sleep in the same bed, wouldn't you agree?"

Her tone was ambiguous, her movements natural, and she even lightly patted Lin Mu's arm with her shoulder.

Lin Mu furrowed her brow, gave a light laugh, and did not answer her.

Who is your teammate? If it weren't for fear of showing off without an audience, I would never have let you move in!

"I'll go wash up first; you should eat early too, then we'll head to the company together. Go, go, go!" Shen Yu, full of energy, made a cheering gesture, turned around, and swayed her plump hips as she left.

Watching her retreating figure, Lin Mu couldn't help but pout, then headed toward the dining room.

Immediately after, she switched into photo-taking and check-in Normal Mode, documenting her life.

Coming to Xiangjiang this time, she intended to pull off something big!

To firmly establish her persona as a "socialite" and "elite"!

8:30 AM.

Lin Mu changed into a custom Loro Piana suit, looking capable and sharp, elegant and bright, as she walked out of the walk-in closet.

She happened to bump into Shen Yu coming out of the room, still wearing that familiar gray professional suit.

Lin Mu's eye corner twitched upward; she smiled and said, "Shirley, don't you have a hundred-thousand-Zhao Yuan clothing allowance for assistants? Why do you keep wearing this same set? Do you want me to accompany you to buy some decent ones? There are a few private custom shops right here in IFC."

Shen Yu's expression remained unchanged; she replied gently and calmly, "I value occasion and coordination more than labels and price tags."

Lin Mu let out an "Oh," her gaze sweeping lightly over the small square Chanel bag on Shen Yu's shoulder, then she smiled as if nothing were amiss. "And this bag of yours—if I remember correctly, isn't it Sister Sister Sister Qingqing's?"

The corner of Shen Yu's lips twitched imperceptibly. "We have a very good relationship; occasionally we swap bags to match our outfits."

"That's true." Lin Mu nodded, smiling brightly. "I have plenty of bags on my end; if you're short, you can just say so. There's no need to keep borrowing others'. After all, we are both direct team members under Tang Zong now; we must pay attention to our image and not cause him to lose face, right?"

Shen Yu's breath hitched slightly; she smiled without reaching her eyes. "Thanks, Luna, but no need. I was actually planning to buy a few new outfits recently; I'll go shopping tonight if I have time."

She had only joined the company recently; almost all her past savings had been invested in the Youjie project and Xu Qing's option subscription, so the money she truly had available to spend was not much.

Therefore, the professional suits she used to save face were all bought previously in Yancheng; the most expensive one cost no more than seven or eight thousand.

Lin Mu's eyes lit up, her smile growing even broader. "That's perfect then; I also plan to buy a few limited-edition items tonight. We can go together."

"Uh, o-okay." Shen Yu exhaled, her eyes flashing slightly, then suddenly said, "Seeing Xiao Xue, actually, since we are both Tang Zong's assistants, we should be more harmonious, especially now that we've arrived at headquarters. Everything should prioritize work first; at the very least, we shouldn't let others laugh at us, don't you agree?"

This trip to Xiangjiang had indeed given Lin Mu quite a shock, causing her to temporarily shift her approach.

Instead of forcefully confronting the other party "head-on," she wanted to try appeasement first, then proceed gradually.

"Oh?" Lin Mu said with a ambiguous smile. "I've always thought that way."

"That's good then; I look forward to our cooperation ahead."

9:00 AM sharp.

The two left the executive floor of the Four Seasons Hotel together, taking the exclusive elevator straight down to the lobby on the first floor.

At the hotel entrance, on one side was the view of Victoria Harbour with the sea breeze brushing against their faces; on the other side was the passage connecting to International Finance Centre Phase II.

Since both belonged to the IFC complex, there was a dedicated internal passage from the Four Seasons Hotel, making it extremely convenient; this was the main reason they had booked here.

The "click-clack" sound of high heels striking the marble tiles was exceptionally crisp and capable; at the other end of the passage, the IFC Mall was softly lit and pleasantly warm, with glass display windows showcasing seasonal limited editions from brands like CHANEL, LV, and Brunello Cucinelli.

Limited edition pieces for the season from brands like Brune, IoCucine, and Ili.

Lin Mu casually introduced the design concepts and prices of luxury goods as they walked. "These shoes are a joint collaboration between Jimmy Choo and a Xiangjiang designer, exclusively launched at IFC. This bag, I just acquired it last night; you should have seen it."

Her tone was casual, yet carried a natural sense of superiority.

Shen Yu listened with a smile, her pace neither fast nor slow, but her hand kept twitching involuntarily.

Soon, the two arrived at the entrance of the IFC Phase II office building.

This was a skyscraper truly standing at the pinnacle of Asian finance, gathering the world's top banks, hedge funds, and law firms.

As the automatic doors opened, a unique financial atmosphere rushed toward them.

The lobby was spotless, quiet, orderly, and expensive.

Well-dressed men and women were quietly lining up to swipe their cards to go upstairs; their aura was steady, their movements restrained.

Standing in this space, both Lin Mu and Shen Yu subconsciously held their breath.

Striving to suppress their excitement and intoxication.

The two simultaneously turned their heads to look at each other; their gazes met briefly before quickly shifting away.

The atmosphere was inexplicably tacit and subtle.

Making both of them feel somewhat ill at ease.

Shen Yu took a light breath, took out the headquarters ID badge she had received upon joining, and passed through the access control.

Lin Mu followed closely behind.

The elevator rose slowly; the mirrored walls reflected two figures with completely different auras, yet equally elegant and bright.

"Ding—"

The elevator doors slowly opened.

An entire floor of floor-to-ceiling windows unfolded, so bright that sunlight poured in, illuminating the company logo ahead.

【Confluent Capital】

The iconic infinity symbol (∞) was composed of two abstract rivers intertwining, symbolizing capital flow and strategic closed loops; it was concise, modern, and highly recognizable.

Behind the reception desk, two people were already waiting.

Shen Yu recognized them at a glance as the two executives she had met in Modou: Zhang Zhang Weiran (Vivian), Director of Brand and Public Relations, and Chen Chen Qihang (Harlan), Director of Operations.

Upon seeing them, the two quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Shen Yu responded with grace and generosity, "Good morning, Vivian, Harlan. This is Chief Assistant Luna."

"Luna, Shirley, welcome to headquarters."

"Hello to you both."

Lin Mu's expression tightened slightly.

She hadn't expected that Shen Yu had already met with people from headquarters, and their relationship appeared quite familiar.

Truly wolfish ambitions! Intending to harm the Great Emperor!

However, she did not reveal any emotion; instead, she responded with a smile, walking steadily in the middle.

The official office area of Confluent Capital's headquarters officially unfolded before them.

Dark gray soundproof carpeting, high-end furniture, custom Herman Miller office chairs, a uniquely designed pantry...

... very much fitting the style of a financial company. The meeting areas were distributed in the east wing, with each conference room named after a "river" from around the world. Further inside was the executive office area and the Chairman's office.

It was worth mentioning that, as assistants to Tang Song, Shen Yu and Lin Mu shared an office space at headquarters.

Right next to Tang Song's office.

9:30, the meeting began on time.

All eleven headquarters executives were present; the atmosphere in the conference room was quiet and restrained.

Harlan and Vivian delivered the report, introducing the headquarters' core structure, current asset allocation, and future investment directions one by one.

Shen Shen Shen Shen Yu Yan sat with her back straight, hands folded on the desk, her expression focused.

From time to time, she exchanged glances with them, matching the names and resumes in her mind to establish connections one by one.

Within Rongliu Capital, the hierarchy was clearly defined.

Analyst → Associate → Investment Manager →

Director → Vice President (VP) → Managing Director (MD).

The highest-ranking executive present was Vincent Wong (Wang Jiajun), the Vice President in charge of investments.

He had formerly served as the Head of Asia Strategy at Blackstone, overseeing global LP relations and top-level strategic alignment.

Alice Li (Li Anlan), the Chief Financial Officer, was a senior finance and tax expert and a former audit partner at KPMG; Steven, the Director of Investor Relations, was a former VP at Kate Fund.

These people were not merely a pile of resumes; they were true top-tier figures in the financial circle.

Their backgrounds, experience, and resumes were all shining existences without exception.

In comparison, her and Lin Empress Mu Xue's resumes appeared exceptionally ordinary.

Fortunately, she had once been an Executive Director at a startup, which barely counted as something presentable.

At least she was better off than Lin Empress Mu Xue.

Thinking of this, she glanced slightly to the side, the corner of her eye twitching.

This Vice President-level Chief Assistant, though sitting upright with proper decorum on the surface, kept her long legs tightly pressed together, her toes gently wiggling, obviously excited beyond measure.

"So hopeless!" she muttered inwardly.

Shen Shen Shen Shen Yu Yan, however, also tightened her legs.

Situated in the heart of the international financial center, with capital flows worth hundreds of millions swirling around her ears, these were companies, cases, and projects she had only ever seen in financial news.

This was a world she had once gazed at from afar.

And now, she was within it.

In a certain sense, she had already reached a spiritual climax.

Even her hostility toward Lin Empress Mu Xue became insignificant.

10:50 AM.

Shencheng.

The Liu Liu Liu Qingning Technology Building stood 52 stories tall, an ultra-grade A office complex integrating workspaces, R&D, exhibitions, and conference facilities.

Liu Liu Liu Qingning Technology employed approximately 1,200 people, with office areas concentrated on floors 35 to 52.

The remaining floors housed upstream and downstream ecosystem enterprises, strategic partners, and high-end brand exhibition zones.

Floor 42, Qingmi AI Office Area, Large Conference Room.

Outside the window lay the azure sea and the city skyline dotted with towering buildings in the distance, while a faint aroma of coffee filled the air.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning sat in the main seat, her brows focused, her fingers lightly tapping her notebook to turn the pages.

"Although our current performance in the semantic understanding module surpasses GPT-4, we still exhibit certain ambiguity recognition biases when handling complex multi-turn conversations—"

"For the next month, everyone needs to work a bit harder to break down the optimization tasks in these three directions, ensuring verification is completed before the next version goes live."

Low discussions gradually arose in the conference room as everyone began quickly recording their assigned tasks.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

The glass door was gently tapped, and everyone instinctively fell silent.

Cai Sisi, the HRD of Qingmi AI, walked in briskly, leaned close to Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning, and whispered, "President Liu, there's an interviewee you need to meet personally."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning raised her eyebrows slightly, asking in surprise, "For which position?"

As the person in charge and General Manager of Qingmi AI, the only people truly requiring her to conduct interviews were top-tier talents and management personnel.

Recruitment at this level required notifying her from the initial project initiation stage; it generally did not happen suddenly.

"A referral from headquarters, for a Senior Product Manager. Former Product Director at Wisdom AI, led the voice assistant project, with experience that matches extremely well."

"No resume was submitted; it was an urgent appointment. They are in Negotiation Room Q5."

"Oh?" Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning's eyes lit up, and she immediately stood up. "I'll go right over."

Qingmi AI was currently at a critical stage of product enrichment; what they lacked most were product managers, especially for their core area of voice interaction, which was a perfect fit!

She rose neatly, nodded to her colleagues present, and said, "Let's pause the meeting here; we'll follow up on the rest via email later."

With that, she strode out of the conference room.

Walking down the corridor through the dappled light and shadow of the office area, she turned two corners, and Negotiation Room Q5 came into view.

A sign reading "In Negotiation" hung at the door, and it was unusually quiet.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning paused briefly, a proper smile appearing on her face; she reached out, gripped the doorknob, gently pushed the door open, and walked in.

Facing her was a seated figure.

He wore a dark gray shirt, the cuffs neatly rolled up to his elbows; his long fingers rested on his knees, and dark hair brushed across his clear, handsome brows.

His entire presence appeared relaxed and upright, exceptionally outstanding.

Time seemed to freeze.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning stood there stunned, motionless, her eyes inexplicably turning red.

The young man slowly stood up, a familiar smile curling the corners of his lips. "Hello, may I ask if you are President Liu?"

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning bit her cherry-red lips, her eyes suddenly brightening as if filled with starlight.

The two gazed at each other for a moment, their heartbeats intertwining, as if electric currents were flowing through the air.

But the next second, Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning blinked, quickly reined in her emotions, and adopted a serious tone: "Yes, you are today's interviewee, correct?"

"Mm, a candidate for the Senior Product Manager position. Coming suddenly has caused you trouble." Tang Song nodded cooperatively.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning sat down lightly opposite him, unable to hide the slight upward curve of her lips, yet her tone remained professional. "Then let's begin directly."

"Alright, please ask." Tang Song's expression was cooperative, his posture upright.

"Please start with a brief self-introduction."

"My name is Tang Song, I am 25 years old, from Quancheng in Yan Province. I graduated from Shan Ye University in the United States and served as Product Director at Wisdom AI for three years, mainly responsible for—" Tang Song began to spout nonsense.

Suppressing her laughter, Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning asked, "How do you understand the 'data closed loop' in AI products? How is it built in actual products?"

"Designing user behavior tracking points, establishing data labeling processes, planning model iteration cycles—"

"Please explain the core structure of the Transformer model and describe its application advantages in NLP."

"The Transformer model is primarily based on the self-attention mechanism... effectively capturing global dependency relationships..."

After all, Tang Song was a computer science graduate; due to Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning, he had seriously studied AI-related knowledge, so these basic contents obviously did not stump him, and he spoke very fluently.

However, as Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning's questions grew deeper, involving many underlying principles and logic,

he began to stammer, giving answers that did not address the questions.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning did not expose him; she struggled to maintain the smile on her face and continued to bluff with him.

Their gazes remained intertwined, and the atmosphere grew strange. After more than ten minutes,

"Alright, Mr. Tang, I have understood your basic situation."

"Then, is President Liu satisfied with me?"

"Emm, not bad." Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning cleared her throat lightly and, following convention, asked, "One last question: Why do you want to join Liu Liu Liu Qingning Technology? Which type of our company's products interests you the most?"

Tang Song leaned forward slightly, his gaze burning as he looked at her. "I am most interested in your company's Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning; I can't wait to explore her, contact her, and develop her thoroughly."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning's heartbeat instantly lost its rhythm, her cheeks flushing at a visible speed, like a freshly washed apple.

She quickly turned her head, crossed her arms, and pretended to be angry: "I'm sorry, Mr. Tang, but you are not suitable for our company's culture and requirements."

"Pfft—" Tang Song couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He stood up, slowly walked to her side, bent down, and moved close to her face.

Examining this face that could not be more familiar, all the damage from previous overtime work and staying up late had been fully repaired.

Plus the nourishment from the system item 【Green Gourd】, her condition was excellent.

Her skin was delicate and smooth, faintly glowing with luster.

It was as if she had once again become that fresh and dewy white moonlight.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning shrank back uncomfortably, reaching out to lightly pat his chest. "Hey, please maintain a proper attitude, Mr. Tang; this is an interview site."

Tang Song did not respond; he simply slowly lowered his head and kissed her cherry-red lips.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning let out a soft "Mmm," leaned back against the chair, closed her eyes, and allowed this sudden surge of emotion to sweep her away like a tide.

Their breaths intertwined, and the temperature rose rapidly.

Tang Song kissed with great seriousness, savoring the sweetness of his white moonlight bit by bit.

The air in the negotiation room seemed to be quietly dyed with a layer of ambiguous crimson.

After a long while, the two slowly separated.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning patted him, her tone coquettishly complaining, "Why did you suddenly run over without saying anything in advance?"

"Someone teased me last night; today I've come to make her fulfill her promise." Tang Song looked at her without blinking.

Although she was wearing a loose top today, it still could not conceal her ample E-cup breasts.

During their student days, when he was in puberty, Tang Song had fantasized about his white moonlight more than once.

At this moment, meeting again after a long separation, his heart was already swaying.

"I never promised you anything." Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning shifted her gaze, daring not to meet those scorching eyes of his.

Tang Song suddenly raised his hand, gently resting it on her shoulder, his fingertips slowly sliding down.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning let out a low cry, immediately pressing his hand down, and whispered, "What are you doing? This is the company; pay attention!"

Feeling her warm, smooth skin.

Tang Song took a deep breath and said softly, "You're wearing the 【Green Satchel Gourd】 today, aren't you?"

"I am—"

"Then let me touch the gourd, just to see how well you've warmed and nurtured it."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning's eyes widened abruptly, her cheeks flushing so deeply they seemed ready to drip blood. "No."

"I promise, I'll only touch the gourd, nothing else. You should trust me, Liu Liu Liu Qingning."

She pressed her lips together, her gaze flickering uncertainly as if locked in an internal struggle.

After a long moment, she finally succumbed to those fervent, gentle eyes.

As if making an immense decision, she gently drew the jade gourd tied with a red cord from her chest, her movements slow, her fingers trembling slightly.

"Don't do anything reckless."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning looked at him, her expression wrestling for a moment before she slowly drew out the 【Green Satchel Gourd】.

"So beautiful." Tang Song kissed her cheek and took hold of the gourd.

The jade texture transmitted through his fingertips, carrying an exceedingly subtle sensation.

Warm, smooth, and imbued with the heat of her body.

The negotiation room suddenly fell silent enough to hear a pin drop, leaving only the faint, faint sound of his fingers rubbing against the jade stone.

A few minutes later.

The two walked out of the negotiation room, one following the other.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning kept her gaze slightly lowered; her expression appeared calm, yet her steps were somewhat unsteady.

Tang Song wore a smile at the corner of his mouth, his long fingers hanging naturally at his sides, his face bearing an expression of satisfaction.

Just as they reached the door of the General Manager's office, a voice suddenly rang out:

"Tang Zong, Liu Liu Liu Qingning."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning's body stiffened; she quickly composed herself, looked up, and saw Qin Qin Qin Yingxue standing on one side of the corridor, her demeanor calm and sharp.

"Chairman Qin."

Tang Song nodded. "Qin Qin Yingxue."

Qin Qin Qin Yingxue stepped closer and said in a low voice, "Tang Zong, regarding the fund arrangement for Rongliu Capital, I would like to confirm the details with you in person. Is now convenient?"

Liu Liu Liu Liu Qingning, standing nearby, quickly said, "You two talk first; I'm going to the restroom."

With that, she hurried away, her figure disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Outside the quiet office door.

Qin Qin Qin Yingxue lowered her voice and cut straight to the point: "Tang Zong, the ten billion USD funds from Kate Trust and the Tang Jin Family Office have successfully passed cross-border compliance reviews in both the United States and China; the documents were officially stamped last night. The Hong Kong SFC"

"and the Monetary Authority have also given preliminary approval; formal release is expected tomorrow afternoon."

"Excellent." A trace of undisguised delight flashed in Tang Song's eyes.

For cross-border capital flows at the ten-billion-dollar level, such approval efficiency could almost be called a "miracle."

Achieving this relied not only on the funds being fully compliant with a clear path but also on the deep resources and high-level credibility that the Kate Consortium and the Tang Jin Family Office commanded within regulatory systems across multiple countries.

Seeing Tang Song in high spirits, Qin Qin Qin Yingxue stepped forward once more.

Her tone was soft yet probing: "There is one more point. Since a significant proportion of these funds will be used for equity acquisitions in several listed companies, once we intervene, it could trigger short-term violent fluctuations in the secondary market, or even lead to premature leaks."

"When do you wish us to release this news to the outside world?"

Tang Song pondered for a moment, then replied calmly, "Tomorrow is Friday. Let's make the official announcement after the market closes, giving the market a full weekend to buffer. By Monday's opening, the first wave of volatility should largely be absorbed."

Qin Qin Qin Yingxue's expression turned solemn, and she responded gravely, "Understood. I will arrange for the investor relations team to draft the statement and complete synchronized pre-heating across all channels tonight."

Tang Song nodded lightly, his brows radiating a spirit of vigorous confidence.

Charm 80 meant he would truly step onto the stage under the spotlight.

And this mobilization of ten billion USD in funds was his summons to ascend.

He believed it would not be long.

His name, along with Rongliu Capital, would grace the front-page headlines of major financial media outlets, becoming one of the hottest topics in the capital markets.