Chapter 20

Gao Ge stared at her for a while, half-smiling, and said: "No need. How could I snatch a newcomer's office? If word got out, they'd think I was bullying a newcomer."

She kept saying "newcomer," sounding as if she wasn't too convinced by Xia Xi.

Lu Mingji frowned, about to explain for Xia Xi, when a voice cut in: "May I ask which one is Ms. Xia Xi?"

Xia Xi replied: "That's me."

The coffee she had ordered from the downstairs café arrived, carried by two staff members, each holding two buckets, each bucket with six cups, all different flavors.

Xia Xi had them put the coffee on an empty desk, turned to everyone, and said: "Nice to meet you, please have a cup of coffee."

"Thank you, Xia Gong."

"I'm exhausted, I was just about to order a coffee—this saved me money, haha."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Voices of agreement rose and fell, everyone went to pick their favorite coffee. Xia Xi got herself a coconut-green Americano and leisurely walked toward her own office.

Since Gao Ge himself said he didn't want it, she had no need to keep declining.

Making a fuss over an office was really affected.

Seeing that Xia Xi didn't mind, Lu Mingji also didn't bother to argue with Gao Ge. She's the type who relies on her talent to act arrogant; once she sees Xia Xi's ability later, she'll naturally be convinced.

Gao Ge's assistant Yu Xiaoxiao brought over a mocha: "Engineer Gao, this is what you like to drink—I got it for you."

"Do I lack a cup of coffee?"

Gao Ge flicked his eyelids, voice cold, didn't take the mocha, flicked his head back to his own office.

"Xia Xi, right?" she thought, wanting to see how much substance she had—whether she could handle a lead case right away. At her age, she herself had been just an ordinary designer.

In the office, Xia Xi put down her bag, turned on the computer, downloaded a few of her usual programs, and sorted some materials. She had no projects for the time being, so she relaxed.

At noon, Xia Xi went out to eat alone; Lu Mingji had invited her, but she avoided suspicion and didn't go with him.

After lunch break, Xia Xi pulled a decoration magazine from the shelf and flipped through it.

The office door was knocked; she looked up from her reading: "Come in."

The person looking for her was Lu Mingji, standing at the doorway without entering, waving: "Come with me."

Xia Xi closed her book: "What's up?"

"The interview next door is in progress—go take a look." Lu Mingji said bluntly.

Xia Xi pointed at herself, doubting he'd called the wrong person: "I'm not HR—why would I go watch an interview?"

Lu Mingji: "You're picking an assistant, so of course you need to look—what if the person you choose isn't to your taste?"

Xia Xi was amused by this—picking an assistant isn't like picking a partner; whether they're pleasing to the eye doesn't matter much.

Thinking that, she didn't defy Lu Mingji's wish, grabbed a notebook and pen from the desk, tucked them under her arm, left the office, pushed open the door of the neighboring meeting room, and put on a serious expression.

After all, she was an interviewer—she had to put on a show.

"Xia Gong, sit here." HR Sister Zhao gestured to the empty chair beside her and greeted Xia Xi.

Xia Xi smiled at her and took the seat. A row of interviewees stood in front; seeing the interviewers assembled, they all perked up. One girl, upon seeing Xia Xi, blinked in disbelief, unable to hide her surprise.

After the formal start, each person gave a self-introduction in turn and answered the interviewers' questions.

Xia Xi rested her chin on one hand, flipping through the stack of résumés; this was her first time as an interviewer, she lacked experience, her main duty was to listen in, and she hardly asked any questions—unlike Sister Zhao, whose questions were sharp and seasoned.

Just as she turned to the résumé of a girl named Huang Shiyu, a pleasant female voice came from nearby: "Hello everyone, I'm Huang Shiyu—the 'Huang Shiyu of plum rains'—I graduated from the Architecture Department of Nancheng Daxue, and I'm a master's student..."

Xia Xi raised her eyebrows—Nancheng Daxue, that was her junior schoolmate.

Just as she thought that, the junior named Huang Shiyu called her by name: "That's right, I'm Xia Gong's junior schoolmate; I never expected to run into her here. Senior Sister Xia is outstanding at our school—my advisor Professor Li Zongyu has mentioned her campus creations many times, praising them endlessly, and I personally admire her, hoping for a chance to work together. This is my portfolio; please advise, teachers."

Huang Shiyu stepped forward and handed over a printed booklet.

HR Sister Zhao gave Xia Xi a meaningful glance; Xia Xi shook her head, laughing helplessly. Frankly, being praised like this made her a bit embarrassed—she, a Nan Da dropout who left school midway, what merit did she have to earn Professor Li Zongyu's compliments?

After everyone finished their interviews and left the meeting room, the interviewers voted among themselves to discuss who would be suitable.

Sister Zhao asked Xia Xi's opinion: "What do you think?"

Xia Xi modestly said: "General Manager Lu's intention was just for me to come along for the fun, not to make decisions; as for picking people, of course you, Sister Zhao, are more capable."

Sister Zhao, pleased by the praise, pointed at Huang Shiyu's résumé: "Her background is truly excellent, her answers were clear and logical, plus she's your junior schoolmate and admires you greatly—I'm more inclined to favor her."

The others also had a good impression of Huang Shiyu; after discussion, they decided to hire her.

Xia Xi had no objection: "Then it's her."

After it ended, Xia Xi was the first to gather her belongings and leave the meeting room. A few of the interviewees hadn't left yet; they waited for the result while admiring the work display on the wall.

Seeing Xia Xi, Huang Shiyu's eyes lit up; she clutched her bag and ran over, asking nervously: "Senior Sister Xia, I—I got in, right?"

Xia Xi didn't reveal: "Wait for the notice."

Huang Shiyu instantly grew nervous, thinking she hadn't been selected.

In front of everyone, Xia Xi suppressed a smile, brushed past her shoulder back to the office, just sat down, hadn't even taken a sip of water, when the door knocked: "Xia Gong, someone's looking for you at the front desk."

Xia Xi felt surprised—on her first day at work, who would come to the company looking for her?

She remained seated, unmoving, and asked the messenger: "Did they say who they were?"

The person shook his head, describing the visitor he'd seen: "It's a foreign couple, about seventy years old."

"Foreigners?"

Xia Xi frowned slightly, unable to guess who it was, but she could be sure the visitors were people she knew abroad.

Yet she raked her memory for any match and found none, so she could only go see for herself.

Xia Xi went to the front desk full of doubt, and indeed there was an elderly couple, hair white, wearing matching white silk shirts with dark blue vests. The old man wore glasses, carried a black backpack, and was gesturing to the young front-desk girl, speaking English mixed with a few broken Chinese phrases.

Seeing Xia Xi, the front-desk staff thought she was a savior: "Xia Gong, they're here for you." Then she turned and said in English to the two elders: "The Xia Xi you're looking for has arrived."

The couple both turned their gaze to Xia Xi, their eyes becoming eager.

Xia Xi felt they looked a bit familiar, but couldn't recall where she'd seen them; she was pondering when the old lady rushed over, grabbed her hand, and chattered away.

(End of chapter)