As the spring recruitment season approached, BuildBest, the city's most prestigious architectural firm, came to the university to hold a career seminar.
The college mobilized many students to prepare the venue and serve as volunteers. Zong Yan wouldn't have normally attended, as it was an event for seniors and fifth-year students. However, a staff member had an urgent matter and couldn't make it, posting a request for a substitute in the group chat. She took the job on a whim.
Donning her staff badge, she stood silently in a corner of the classroom, waiting for the event to begin. Her responsibility was to pass the microphone.
Word was that an executive and the HR director were attending this time.
Zong Yan toyed with her phone idly. A couple of days ago, Wang Yao had mysteriously asked for specific details about her school again, mentioning there would be a surprise. Zong Yan couldn't guess what it might be; she had never experienced such things before.
Since the New Year, Zong Yan’s life seemed to be smoothing out. Her income was steadily increasing, and the numbers on her debt ledger were dropping at an accelerated rate. This should have been a cause for celebration, but Si Jiang felt that Zong Yan’s reaction was overly subdued. At times, he even felt she was resistant to the improvement of her circumstances.
He didn’t know why.
But aside from that, he and Zong Yan lived in harmony. Whether in their daily routines or otherwise, once his greatest anxieties were resolved, Si Jiang’s appetite surged. He no longer looked like he was at death's door. Having discovered a talent for cooking on New Year’s Eve, and having nothing else to do while stuck at home, he threw himself into the kitchen.
He managed to feed both Zong Yan and himself until they had put on a bit of healthy weight.
It seemed life was truly getting better and better.
A commotion rose outside the door. Zong Yan looked up and put away her phone. It seemed the representatives from the company had finally arrived.
Accompanied by college leadership, two people walked in. Leading them was a tall man in his early thirties wearing rimless glasses. He had a cold, stern expression and wore a perfectly tailored suit, the very image of a young, successful elite. Beside him was a woman with long, curly hair, smiling as she scanned the room.
These were evidently the executive and the HR director.
The event began. The executive, Li Zeqi, stood by the projector screen, giving a concise introduction to the firm’s honors, business philosophy, and general roadmap. Then, he invited the woman to the stage to explain the recruitment plan and requirements. The HR director, a Ms. Yang, possessed immense personal charisma. She captured the attention of nearly every student in the room, sparking a flurry of eager questions and interactions.
Zong Yan moved back and forth across the venue, walking until she felt slightly dizzy.
Fortunately, after an hour and a half, the seminar concluded. They instructed the suitable candidates to wait for email notifications for further interviews at the company office.
The college leaders, smiling broadly, directed the other students to leave in an orderly fashion before walking over to the two distinguished guests to converse.
"Your students are indeed very impressive. We look forward to recruiting the talent we need from here," Ms. Yang said with a smile.
Zong Yan placed her staff badge on the table, preparing to leave.
Unexpectedly, the usually taciturn Li Zeqi suddenly spoke up. "I recall that in last year’s Three-School Competition, a junior from your college took third place. Is she not here today?"
the leader froze, unsure of whom he was referring to. "Ah? Er... she should be here, such a talented child." He beckoned to someone nearby. "Mr. Song, come here for a moment. You’re in charge of the junior class, right? Where is that girl?"
Mr. Song hadn't expected this topic to come up, and his expression turned somewhat sour. "Vice Dean, that student had her awards revoked due to a disciplinary demerit."
"A demerit? Revoked awards? Our company was one of the organizers, yet we don't seem to have received any notification of this," Li Zeqi said, his brow furrowing and his gaze sharpening.
Seeing the atmosphere turn tense, Ms. Yang smoothed things over with a smile. "What exactly did the student do? Such a harsh punishment."
The Vice Dean signaled Mr. Song to explain.
Mr. Song hesitated several times before finally squeezing out a few words: "Brawling and fighting. She seriously injured her classmates."
"Huh?" Ms. Yang’s mouth dropped open in exaggerated surprise. "A girl involved in a brawl? With whom?"
Li Zeqi also looked at Mr. Song with an inquiring gaze.
Mr. Song thought to himself that he was finished. Why was someone suddenly asking about this old news? He couldn't think of a pretext on the spot and could only whisper, "Um... it was with four male students."
"Pfft."
Everyone heard a cold scoff. It came from Li Zeqi.
Ms. Yang’s expression also became quite intriguing. "That girl... was in a 'brawl' with four male students? And she seriously injured them?"
Internally, she was practically cheering. *What a fierce and powerful little sister! A true heroine.*
"Your students are indeed exceptional. Even the women are so formidable."
Even a fool could hear the sarcasm in the words of the two BuildBest representatives. How could anyone have the nerve to describe a girl fighting four males of the same age—and winning—as a "brawl" initiated by her? It was obvious the boys had started the trouble and ended up being neutralized by the girl.
To directly cancel a girl's competition awards because of that—if there wasn't something fishy going on, no one would believe it.
The Vice Dean’s face turned ashen. He turned to Mr. Song. "What exactly happened? Which department were those four boys from?"
"They weren't from our college..."
"How did you handle this? What was the underlying reason? Did you even bother to investigate clearly?!"
"Vice Dean, those boys... they..." Mr. Song couldn't hold it in anymore and leaned in to whisper a few names into his ear.
The Vice Dean’s expression shifted brilliantly; his anger hadn't dissipated before shock took its place.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "This matter... there must have been a misunderstanding. Mr. Song, as teachers, we should be more lenient with our students. We shouldn't be too harsh. Zong Yan didn't commit any major fault; you shouldn't have punished her."
Throughout his speech, he didn't mention the four offending boys again.
Everyone present was a seasoned veteran of society; who couldn't see what had happened? Li Zeqi was naturally someone who loathed injustice, and seeing this scene, he found it utterly farcical. Ms. Yang’s warm smile had also vanished.
"Then, can we meet this Zong Yan? The design department highly appreciated her work at the time. Our company welcomes students like her."
Zong Yan stopped in her tracks and thought: *Fine, I can't leave now.*
Sure enough, Mr. Song looked in her direction and said, "She’s actually here today. Let me see... right there."
"Zong Yan, come over here quickly."
Zong Yan sighed inwardly, turned around, and walked back.
Li Zeqi and Ms. Yang treated her with a level of attention that was out of the ordinary. They asked several questions about her major and her studies before making a decision on the spot.
"When it’s time for internships, you must come to us," Ms. Yang said, pulling out her phone to add her on WeChat.
Zong Yan nodded and dutifully scanned the other woman’s digital business card.
With the appreciation of a major firm, the Vice Dean also chimed in with a few words of praise, acting as if she were the pride of the college.
Before leaving, Li Zeqi brushed past her, and a sentence drifted lightly into her ear.
"I am very satisfied with the drawings for [Redacted] 2. I’ve already told Wang Yao about the new requirements. I hope you can surprise us again."
Only then did Zong Yan understand what Wang Yao had meant. It turned out that among the commissions Wang Yao had taken for her, one was actually from Li Zeqi, and it had caught the attention of the people at BuildBest.
Li Zeqi must be a customer of Wang Yao’s shop. She didn't know how the two had become acquainted, but it was enough to prompt a man who looked so difficult to get along with to come specifically to back Zong Yan up.
Zong Yan smiled, a strange bitterness rising in her heart.
Now, her previous disciplinary record would be wiped clean. The bonuses and scholarships she had lost because of it would be reimbursed in full.
Another influx of money.
Zong Yan did the math in her head. In just over six months, she had managed to pay off two years' worth of bills. That meant if she wanted to, she was fully capable of paying off all her loans within this year.
Her original plan had been to pay them off by graduation. At that point, she would be... free. Free from this endless, meaningless, lonely life.
But now, her heart began to waver.
Zong Yan was somewhat dazed, still immersed in her thoughts when she returned to the classroom. The women in her class seemed to be chirping about some photo.
Apparently, a passerby had shared a story about getting sick before the New Year and going to a small clinic for medicine, only to discover a handsome "civilian" guy. Although his full face wasn't clear, the silver highlights, the superior profile of his jawline, and his tall, slender build led her to conclude he was definitely a heartthrob.
Most importantly, the guy looked fragile and pitiful, matching the current internet buzzword "cold and broken" to an uncanny degree. On an impulse, she had secretly snapped a photo and posted it on a small social platform. Recently, for some reason, it had been shared by a marketing account and suddenly went viral.
"Look... doesn't this look like Si Jiang?"
Zong Yan sensitively caught the keyword. She looked over abruptly.
"No way, how could Si Jiang be so shabby?"
"Yeah, even if he were sick, he’d go to a hospital. How could he be getting an injection in some run-down clinic?"
"Wait, has the Si family found Si Jiang yet? Didn't they say there’s been no news at all?"
"Then is this Si Jiang or not?!"
At the same time, this post was forwarded to Chen Bai. Having been friends with Si Jiang for over a decade, he recognized his childhood friend at a single glance.
"Holy crap!"
Si Jiang was indeed still alive! Then why hadn't he contacted them? Why hadn't he come back?
How could he be in a place like that? He looked completely transformed. Had there been an accident? Amnesia? Or was he being coerced by someone and couldn't return?
He gripped his phone tightly and suddenly dialed that familiar number.
"Ring... ring... Hello, the user you have dialed is busy. Please try again later."
Chen Bai slammed his phone onto the desk.
He hissed through gritted teeth, "The phone isn't even turned off!"
***
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