Chapter One Hundred and Two: Job Interview

My phone kept ringing, and I kept hesitating over whether to answer. Hua Jingjing never called for any real reason; she was always finding excuses to bother me, to cling to me, and then to work out some pretext for meeting me. Ever since she had laid her heart bare to me, this willful, spoiled young lady had suddenly grown fervent as fire, launching a full-scale assault. I had no way to resist her and had been driven back step by step. In the end, I could only flee in defeat and avoid her whenever I could.

At first I had intended to let the phone ring itself out, so it would seem as though I were nowhere near it. Eventually Hua Jingjing would tire of calling. But she seemed determined to pick a fight with me; if I refused to answer, she would keep calling until she blew my phone apart.

If I simply shut it off, I would be walking straight into her trap. I had promised her I would never ignore her calls without cause, and turning the phone off would only prove that I had seen her call and deliberately refused to answer. Once she caught me in that slip, how could she possibly let it go? She would surely start making a scene again and demand some kind of punishment. Good heavens, just thinking of her endless bag of tricks gave me a headache.

With no choice, I sighed and answered. "Hello?"

"Hmph. Hmph. So you finally decided to answer? I thought you were going to keep pretending all the way to the end and ignore me to death!"

"I... was asleep and didn't hear it, all right? What is it this time, my lady?"

"You're still sleeping? Please. Look at the time. Even if you don't have to go to work, there's no need to be lazy as a pig!"

"Who are you calling lazy? I only got back so late and have been asleep for barely three hours. Do you think I'm made of iron?"

"Late? When I dropped you off last night, it wasn't even ten o'clock yet, was it? Ah... I get it! Tang Qian, you're so sneaky! The moment I left, you must have rushed off to see your girlfriend again, right? So you've only slept three hours until now. Doesn't that mean you didn't get back until dawn? Ah! You... you and your girlfriend stayed together until daylight? I... I don't care anymore! Tang Qian, you're shameless! It's unfair of you. You wouldn't even agree to give me a single hug, yet you and your girlfriend were wrapped up in each other until dawn! I'm... I'm so angry!"

Seeing Hua Jingjing throw such a fit of jealousy, I could not help but find it amusing. I said, "What are you talking about? I never promised you anything, so why are you so worked up? Besides, even if I really did stay with my girlfriend until dawn, what's so strange about that? Isn't that perfectly natural? It's not illegal. On what grounds do you call me shameless?"

"Tang Qian! No, I want to see you right now! Come out this instant. I... I have to find out for myself what indecent things you and your girlfriend have been doing!"

"I'm not free. I'm sleepy. Besides, those are very private matters. How could I tell you?"

"Tang Qian... oh, this is killing me! If you won't come out, then fine! Just wait, I'm coming over right now. I'm going straight to your house!"

I was startled. She was coming to my house? That would turn everything upside down. I hurriedly said, "Wait, wait! All right, all right! I'll tell you the truth. I wasn't with my girlfriend last night. I was busy with something else, which is why I got home late. There, happy now?"

"Don't try to fool me! At that hour of the night, if you weren't with your girlfriend, what else could you possibly have been doing? You said you would never lie to me again!"

"I haven't lied! What I was doing is none of your business, but I promise you this: I did not see my girlfriend at all last night!"

"Really?"

"Really."

Hua Jingjing burst into laughter over the phone, sounding much happier. But only for a moment. Then she said, a little sourly, "Tang Qian, tell me honestly: how far have you and your girlfriend gone? Have you... have you done that yet?"

"Done what?"

"Hmph! You're so bad. You obviously know, and you're doing this on purpose so that a girl can't bring herself to say it out loud, aren't you?"

I did understand what she meant, but Hua Jingjing was so bold and outspoken—what kind of words could possibly be beyond her? Rubbing my forehead, I sighed at the thought of how I had managed to tangle myself up with such a difficult woman. After holding out for a long time, I finally told the truth. "All right, I'll be straight with you. My girlfriend and I are still perfectly proper. Nothing you've imagined has happened. Are you satisfied now? Enough? What else do you want me to tell you?"

"Really? If you lie to me, you're a puppy!"

"Fine. If I lie to you, I'm a puppy. Happy now? Do you have anything else to say? If not, I'm hanging up. I'm sleepy."

"Wait! I do have something to tell you, but I'll tell you tonight. Tang Qian, you're... really wonderful. I don't even know how to praise you. Let's have dinner together tonight. My treat. There's also something important I need to tell you, and you'll definitely be very happy to hear it. Wait for my call later, and I'll come pick you up."

I frowned. "Why not just tell me now on the phone? Why wait until tonight? That's so much trouble."

"I want to see you," she said. "It's something very important to you. If you don't listen, you'll regret it!"

I had a bad feeling that if we met tonight, she'd drag me into another hopeless tangle. What exactly was this so-called important matter she kept hinting at? So mysterious. I hesitated for a moment and thought, well, if it is fate, then so be it; if it's a disaster, there is no avoiding it. It was impossible for me to escape Hua Jingjing's pestering for the time being. Fortunately, after all this time dealing with her, I had already learned how to handle her, and besides, she truly did like me. What was there to fear from some scheme of hers?

So I said, "All right, then let's talk tonight. I don't know whether I'll be free by then. I'm hanging up now."

"And one more thing! There's one more thing I need to tell you!"

"Are you ever going to stop? What is it? Say it quickly!"

"Tang Qian, I... love you so much. You're really so adorable. Please, please make sure you keep your pure relationship with your girlfriend intact, all right? Definitely! Hehe. Goodbye!"

I listened with exasperated amusement to the dead tone in the phone and could only shake my head again and again. This Hua Jingjing... ah, there was really no telling what to make of her.

I tossed the phone aside and lay back down at once. I thought to myself that at last it was quiet, and I could finally get some good sleep. But less than a minute later, that damn ringtone sounded again.

I cursed under my breath. "Good heavens, are they trying to keep me from living? Why is it so hard to sleep now?"

Grimly grinding my teeth, I snatched up the phone and glanced at it, only to sit up at once. The caller was Zhao Yanjin. It looked as though he had news.

Sure enough, once I answered, Zhao Yanjin said, "Old Tang, I just got in touch with my friend. He said that as long as I recommended you, there'd be no problem. But he hopes you can come help as soon as possible, because his wife's complaints have already worn him down. So he wants to meet you at noon and take you to his shop. You’ll still need a day or two to get acquainted with his wife."

"Noon already? What time and where?"

"After lunch, around twelve. Why don't we just eat together? After that, I'll take you to see him."

"All right. I'll wait for you at the company gate when you get off work!"

"Fine. See you later!"

After hanging up, I sprang out of bed at once. It seemed I would not be sleeping any more that day, and since I was going to meet a new employer soon, I had better shave and comb my hair and do my best to make a good impression.

The time was about right. After washing up, dressing properly, and shaving my face clean, I told my parents I was going out and left.

By noon, I had returned to the familiar office building of Green Lady Company. To avoid running into anyone I knew, I chose to wait across the street in the Bank of China lobby until Old Zhao came out. I checked the time—there were still a few minutes left—so I stood watching the building across the way while opening a pack of cigarettes I had brought from home and lighting one.

Before I had taken even two puffs, I saw someone hurrying out of the office building. From the look of her, it was Cheng Jia. I was overjoyed. She had been my benefactor, after all. I ought to go over and greet her, shouldn't I?

Just as I was about to push open the glass door of the bank and call out to her, a motorcycle came speeding to a stop in front of Cheng Jia. The rider called out to her, and Cheng Jia immediately climbed on behind him, taking the helmet he handed her. Because the man in front was wearing a visor and a full-face helmet, I could not see what he looked like. I only knew he was a man, and from his clothes he did not seem very old. After Cheng Jia put on the helmet, she naturally wrapped her arms around the man's waist. The motorcycle roared once and sped away.

I guessed that man was most likely Cheng Jia's boyfriend. But where were they rushing off to in such a hurry?

As I was still speculating wildly, the Green Lady Company employees began streaming out of the building for lunch. Soon enough, Zhao Yanjin came out as well, and I hurried to call him, telling him I was across the street.

When Old Zhao met me, the first thing he said was, "Old Tang, have you been waiting long? I meant to slip out earlier, but today that old tigress must have been on some kind of warpath. Everyone in the business department she didn't like got scolded until they were drenched in blood, and she was furious. It scared the lot of us half to death. Who'd dare poke that hornet's nest? All right, let's fill our stomachs first, then I'll take you to meet my friend."

When I heard that, I could only smile bitterly to myself. No one in the world understood better than I did why Gu Ruoyan was in such a foul temper. Frustration, dissatisfaction, and lack of sleep—how could her temper not be terrible? Ah, the poor men and women in the business department.

Zhao Yanjin and I casually found a place to eat a bowl of noodles. After that, he made a call, and not long later a Santana 2000 pulled up in front of us.

The door opened, and a man around thirty leaned out and called to Zhao Yanjin, "Old Zhao, get in!"

Zhao Yanjin agreed and motioned for me to get in with him.

The man turned back to look at us. Smiling, Zhao Yanjin introduced us. "Old Zheng, this is the one I told you about, Tang Qian. We used to be coworkers, and we're as close as brothers. You really need to take good care of him!"

The man also smiled. "Hey, if you're Old Zhao's friend, then you're my friend too. Don't worry! Besides, you've done me a huge favor. My wife has been nagging at me every day for a whole week, and my eardrums are practically growing calluses. I had thought of posting a hiring notice, but I was afraid some dishonest person might come along. After all, I'd be entrusting the whole shop to him, so I couldn't take the risk. But now it's different. With your guarantee, Old Zhao, what do I have to fear?"

As he spoke, he extended a hand to me. "My name is Zheng Jianye. I'm truly glad Brother Tang can come and help me out. Thank you very much."