Jiang Jingyu lowered his head and ate in silence. After hearing Mama Tong's string of complaints, his assistant had to interject.
"May I ask which university and major Miss Tong graduated from?"
Tong An'an knew they were being polite, but before she could reply, her mother cut in.
"Oh, speaking of which, I'm embarrassed. She was always first in class from childhood, and everyone praised her for having a great future. Ah, she did test well, Nan Cheng University."
"But she wouldn't listen to us and insisted on majoring in history. Even though she got scholarships every year and was recommended for postgraduate studies, so what? Those who didn't go to her university or pursue postgraduate studies have been working for years. But her? Not a single company is willing to hire her!"
"I told her long ago, you can't make a living out of hobbies, you can't make a living out of hobbies. You have to be realistic about life, but she wouldn't listen. Now look!"
Instead of offering comfort for her daughter's misfortunes, the mother continued to heap on the criticism.
Although the assistant sympathized with Tong An'an, as someone who had navigated the professional world, he understood the importance of one's major.
While his mother's words were harsh, they were also quite accurate.
Her chosen major was indeed poor.
Even if he wanted to help her, he was powerless given this.
Ultimately, the assistant also lowered his head to eat, no longer engaging in conversation.
Tong An'an, amidst the awkwardness, watched them pay the bill and leave politely.
Back in Nan Cheng, the busy work schedule quickly made Jiang Jingyu forget what had happened in the small town that day.
Only occasionally, late at night when all was quiet, would he look through Lu Jiaying's old photos and happen to think of that girl named Tong An'an.
Because of the similar face, he would sometimes wonder if she had found a job and if her situation had improved.
But it was only for a fleeting moment. He knew very well she wasn't Lu Jiaying, and he forgot as soon as he put down his phone.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, new employees were coming in for interviews, and several senior executives required Jiang Jingyu to participate in the final round. His assistant had scheduled him with some free time, so Jiang Jingyu went to the interview room early.
On the way to the interview room, in the corridor outside the small interview rooms, sat a row of young men and women dressed professionally.
Jiang Jingyu, who normally kept his gaze straight ahead, faltered as he passed the person in the middle, noticing something different about her.
Tong An'an?
With her distinctive appearance, Jiang Jingyu spotted her in the crowd at a glance.
However, Tong An'an didn't see him.
She was nervously rehearsing her interview lines in her mind, her hands gripping the edge of her laptop, her eyes slightly closed, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy.
Jiang Jingyu's gaze quickly swept over her face, his steps not faltering. Only when he entered the conference room did he ask his assistant.
"What are those people sitting outside doing?"
"The sales department is recruiting new sales talent and has requested six positions from Human Resources. They should all be here for sales interviews."
These were just a few sales personnel, and Jiang Jingyu wouldn't normally care.
But Tong An'an was a postgraduate from Nan Cheng University.
With such an excellent academic background, was she applying for a sales position?
Jiang Jingyu's interest was inadvertently piqued.
"It seems the sales department is going to achieve new heights this year. Get me the profiles of those people."
The senior executives still needed some time. The assistant, thinking he was just bored and looking casually, quickly pulled up the information.
As Jiang Jingyu scrolled with his mouse, he realized he didn't know enough about his company's strength.
He had assumed Tong An'an was desperate, overqualified, and applying for a sales position with her master's degree.
But upon reviewing the profiles, he discovered that all her competitors were top graduates.
Their resumes were more dazzling than the last.
Among them were master's graduates from Xiang Cheng Chinese University, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Suzhou Business School. The competition was so fierce it couldn't be described with a mere word like "慘" (miserable).
Seeing so many talented individuals vying for a mere sales position, Jiang Jingyu felt a sense of satisfaction.
He asked his assistant, "Does the group have high academic requirements for talent selection?"
"Not particularly. The standard on the official website is a bachelor's degree or above, with work experience preferred. However, due to the severe employment situation, applicants generally have higher academic qualifications, which naturally raises the bar."
He then sighed inwardly for himself.
Fortunately, he had graduated a few years earlier and became Jiang Jingyu's assistant with a bachelor's degree from Bei Cheng University.
If it were now, he might not even be able to step through the door of the sales department.
Recalling his mother's words and seeing her unremarkable academic background, Jiang Jingyu couldn't help but frown, worrying for Tong An'an.
At the same time, he became even more interested in this interview.
"When do their interviews start?"
The assistant replied, "HR told me that these candidates have all passed the first and second rounds of screening. Today is the final round, and it has already begun."
"It's been a while since I've experienced this kind of interview. Anyone I pick out has a much higher academic qualification than me."
Jiang Jingyu closed his laptop and stood up with considerable interest.
"Tell them to postpone the interviews over there until tomorrow. I'm going to observe here."
The president always had his reasons for his actions, and as an assistant, his job was to cooperate unconditionally. Without daring to ask further questions, the assistant quickly made the arrangements.
Jiang Jingyu was soon led to the conference room for the sales department interviews.
In the conference room, there were originally only the HR Deputy Director, the Sales Vice President, and the heads of the domestic and international marketing departments.
Seeing Jiang Jingyu suddenly enter, everyone quickly stood up to offer him a seat.
Jiang Jingyu waved his hand, telling them not to move, and casually pulled up a chair to sit against the wall behind them.
The interview proceeded in a more serious atmosphere.
Jiang Jingyu found that today's students were truly talented and versatile, not only highly educated but also very confident.
They spoke enthusiastically about their resumes, talking eloquently, which explained why they were applying for sales positions; they indeed had a talent for it.
After listening to five or six candidates, all of whom seemed promising, Tong An'an entered. She sat properly in her chair and gave a reserved self-introduction to everyone.
In stark contrast, the department heads clearly weren't impressed with her. Their tone became casual, and their questions more pointed.
Tong An'an was interviewing for an international marketing position. The department head flipped through her resume and said dismissively.
"Your resume isn't done with much care. It's like a blank piece of paper. Did you just download it from the internet?"
Tong An'an had attended many interviews, and regardless of whether the interviewer was interested in her, they generally possessed basic professional courtesy and spoke more tactfully.
This was the first time she had encountered someone who, before the interview even began, pronounced a death sentence and showed such disdain.
Awkwardness, embarrassment, and nervousness became even more apparent on her face.
But she replied sincerely, "No. I made it myself. Every piece of information written is one hundred percent true."