Shang Zhitao boarded the bus early; the city was just awakening, and the bus traveled through thin fog. She wore earbuds as she gazed at the streets outside. The people living here were truly industrious—so early, yet the streets were already filled with hurrying people.

She, too, was one of those hurrying people.

Today she wore a white shirt dress with a light brown thin belt, her hair tied up high. Though without makeup, she radiated youthful vitality. She sat there, quiet and well-behaved, like the obedient child from next door that people talked about. Outstanding, yet not too outstanding.

Shang Zhitao had always been this kind of person. Her academic performance was only above average, her appearance was also above average. Because she was so close to ordinary, even though she was humble and studious, she could only manage not to fall behind. So Shang Zhitao learned to comfort herself from a young age: I’m just an extra, just an inconspicuous member of the masses, I can’t fly to the sky or dive into the earth, I just need to be accountable to myself.

Over time, she developed a very, very good personality. In her teachers’ words: “Shang Zhitao, she has such a good personality, so positive, and upright character.” They couldn’t find other words to praise her.

So when she submitted her resume to this international top-tier advertising company, she didn’t think she stood a chance. She somehow muddled through the first and second rounds. By the third round of remote interviews, there were competitors from Columbia University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua, Peking University, and Renmin University. By the time it was her turn, the interviewer Luan Nian was already exhausted. He frowned when he saw her school on the resume, and frowned even deeper when he looked at her experience.

Others’ resumes listed student council president, outstanding student representative, International Math Olympiad gold medalist, special admission candidate for certain prestigious universities, while hers showed “Director of the Life Department.” The HR person next to him shrugged: “You know, to avoid people saying our company discriminates against certain schools.”

“Did you download this resume randomly from a recruitment website?” At that time, Luan Nian was the creative consultant for the company, overseeing the planning department. He was supposed to conduct the final interview, but his schedule was temporarily adjusted to include an earlier phone interview round.

The recruitment HR Liang Xin had grown accustomed to Luan Nian’s style and said with a smile: “Just see how the interview goes.” Liang Xin had been an HR professional for fifteen years and had met countless people. For Shang Zhitao to reach the third round, she must have her strengths.

“Whatever.”

When the call connected, Luan Nian heard a voice with a hint of a smile: “Hello.”

“Shang Zhitao, I’m Tracy, today’s main interviewer is Luke Luan, shall we begin?”

“Yes.” Even through the phone, one could feel that she must be sitting up straight, her voice slightly trembling. Luan Nian had already mentally rejected her interview.

Liang Xin saw Luan Nian looking down at his phone and knew Shang Zhitao was finished, rejected at that slightly nervous “hello.” Luan Nian was formidable; he didn’t keep weak people around him, even for campus recruits, he would pick only the best. Shang Zhitao was not the best. Liang Xin didn’t expect Luan Nian to speak anymore, so she asked Shang Zhitao: “Have you done any internships recently?”

“Yes, I’ve been working with classmates on exhibition design and reception for an art show.”

“Exhibition design, what does that include?”

“Main visual design, venue setup, event procedures, and so on. My classmate is doing the main visual, and I’m leading the rest.” Shang Zhitao sounded less nervous, and she seemed to smile shyly: “This is our first time doing such a big project, and there’s a lot I don’t know how to do.”

“And you still dared to take it on?”

“Well… the art exhibition didn’t have much money, and we were interested… so…” Shang Zhitao was being honest; there was no need to lie. Her career guidance teacher had said that finding a job is a two-way selection process, and excessive packaging isn’t good.

Liang Xin laughed out loud—this naive girl. Beside her, Luan Nian had already stood up, obviously feeling the interview was a waste of time. Liang Xin sighed inwardly, watched Luan Nian leave, and continued the interview. Remote interviews were recorded; she chatted with Shang Zhitao for half an hour, listening to her talk about that project experience. It was a genuine, small experience that might seem clumsy in their company, but it was something a student had learned through her efforts, which was noteworthy. Diligent, hardworking, easygoing—these were the labels Liang Xin attached to Shang Zhitao.

After the interview, Liang Xin sent the interview audio to Zhang Ling from the marketing department: “Didn’t you want to recruit someone down-to-earth? See if this one meets the requirements, and if so, I’ll schedule an in-person interview.”

Zhang Ling looked at the online process and said to Liang Xin with some difficulty: “Doesn’t this violate the procedure? Luke has already rejected her.”

“Don’t worry about Luke, just listen for yourself.”

“Alright.”

Liang Xin called Luan Nian: “Human resources emphasizes diversity in hiring. Our company has too many elites, everyone’s floating in the air, and no one is willing to come down for a sip of dew. If this continues, the team will have problems. For this campus recruitment, I want to hire a few young people who are solid, hardworking, and not so dazzling. Please let that Shang Zhitao through.”

“Is she your relative?” Luan Nian asked casually: “Is it worth it for such a mediocre person?”

“I wasn’t an HRBP from the beginning either, everyone needs to learn.”

“Then I’ll do you this favor.” Luan Nian hung up and casually modified Shang Zhitao’s interview result.

Shang Zhitao knew nothing of this process as she sat on the early morning bus, dreaming of work, yet also puzzled about what made her good enough to beat candidates from Columbia University, Harvard University, and top Chinese universities? Good enough to get the same offer as them? She wasn’t blindly confident but attributed it to luck.

After the rain in Beijing, the early morning was shrouded in mist. She arrived too early; the company’s large office building was empty. A security guard directed her to a waiting area, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a tall ginkgo tree outside.

It was still early, so she placed her backpack beside her and sat upright, looking at the scenery outside, earphones in her ears, hands on her knees. This was 2010, and in 2010, in Beijing, few girls sat like this anymore. Most girls would sit in an extremely relaxed manner, as if they owned the world.

She smelled coffee, turned her head, and saw an attractive man with a strong physique and broad shoulders walking by. The man had no expression, eyes fixed straight ahead, taking long strides to the door access, swiping his card with a beep, and disappearing into the elevator.

Shang Zhitao felt a bit excited. Yao Bei had said the most stylish men in Beijing were all at Ling Mei, and when Shang Zhitao had asked what “stylish” meant, Yao Bei had teased her to figure it out herself. On the first morning of her first job, Shang Zhitao suddenly understood what “stylish” really meant.

Style, it was probably embodied by the man who had just passed by.

Luan Nian certainly didn’t know he had just been defined as stylish. They had a big case today, and he needed to arrive early to go through it again. He didn’t even notice Shang Zhitao as he passed by her.

He went upstairs, placed his coffee on the desk, heard his phone ring, and answered it casually. A woman was crying on the other end: “I regret it, I don’t want to break up. Can we start over?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t eat leftovers.” He hung up, immediately set his phone to block the caller, his movements quick, cold, and practiced. Then he picked up his laptop and went to the meeting room.

Many people in the company feared Luan Nian. He had never been an easygoing person, yet people were willing to follow him. At just twenty-eight years old, he had reached this position—he had talent, ability, diligence, and of course, the right background. His future would certainly be limitless.