The day passed. The previously disheveled Qiu Lin, with his messy, unkempt hair, was gone. His shoulder-length hair was now a neat buzz cut.
Revealed was the face hidden beneath the messy hair – a handsome face with stereoscopic and deep features.
Seeing such a handsome young man driving his car to the factory entrance, the security guard wasn't overly vigilant. He slightly opened the glass window of the guard booth, just enough to let out his voice without losing too much of the air conditioning's cool air, and shouted in Qiu Lin's direction:
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
Qiu Lin took out his phone and glanced at the message he had received.
"Brother, could you help me find Liu Chen from the Meimei E-commerce Department? Tell him I'm here for an interview, recommended by Mi Zhuzhu."
The security guard, in his forties, couldn't help but smile when this handsome young man, who looked no older than twenty, called him "Brother."
"Wait a moment, I'll send someone to ask."
With that, the guard retracted his upper body into the booth and picked up the walkie-talkie from his desk. The sound insulation of the booth was good, and Qiu Lin could only vaguely hear words like "handsome guy" and "interview."
Liu Chen, informed by the security guard inside the factory about someone referred by Mi Zhuzhu for an interview, was a bit baffled. When did Zhuzhu get involved in such matters?
Besides, knowing Zhuzhu's personality, if she wanted to recommend someone, she would definitely give him a heads-up.
As he was thinking this, Liu Chen's phone rang. The Apple 3 on his desk clearly displayed - Zhuzhu.
Liu Chen nodded at the guard who had come to call him, picked up the phone, and walked towards the factory exit.
"Hello? Chenchen? Ahhhh!!! We've hit the jackpot!!!"
Mi Zhuzhu's shriek came from the other end of the line. Liu Chen had to pull the phone away to avoid his eardrums being pierced by the sound.
"There was a senior from our university named Qiu Lin. He's incredibly talented. In his freshman year, several of his photos were published in National Geographic. In his junior year, a commercial photo he took sold for a staggering two million yuan!"
Liu Chen recalled what the security guard had just said and guessed, "This senior wants to work at our Meimei Food company?"
Mi Zhuzhu's shriek on the other end stopped abruptly, as if a pause button had been pressed.
"Huh? How did you know? I got a call from this senior early this morning, asking if I could recommend him for an interview at Meimei Sausage Company. I originally wanted to refuse, you know... His photos are too expensive, and I was worried Meimei couldn't afford his salary. Guess what he said?"
Liu Chen was now nearing the factory entrance. He looked up and saw a man standing outside the gate, estimated to be over 1.9 meters tall, with a buzz cut, and sharp features.
Perhaps sensing he was being observed, Qiu Lin looked up towards the factory. His eyes immediately landed on Liu Chen, who was standing inside holding his phone, and walking towards him.
Qiu Lin nodded and waited outside the factory gate with a serious expression.
"What did he say?" Liu Chen asked, holding his phone.
Mi Zhuzhu's voice from the phone took a deep breath:
"He said he doesn't want money!"
Thanks to Mi Zhuzhu's powerful lung capacity, the words "doesn't want money" not only pierced Liu Chen's ears through the phone speaker but also carried an extra three meters, reaching Qiu Lin's ears.
Liu Chen looked up at the young man standing outside, whose entire face had rapidly turned red at those three words. Yes, he confirmed, this must be Qiu Lin.
"Hello, my name is Qiu Lin. I am a senior at the Communication University of China. I am currently on a leave of absence due to health reasons. My major is Film Photography. I wish to work at Meimei Food Company, and also..."
Qiu Lin paused here.
"I, I don't want a salary. Just eating our company's Meimei Sausages is enough."
This statement confused not only Liu Chen but also the security guard standing beside Liu Chen.
"Hey, little brother, you can't just not want a salary because our boss's daughter is pretty, right? How are we supposed to handle things if you do that?"
Qiu Lin's face turned even redder, as if it could bleed. He opened his mouth, but then insisted:
"Then, then a hundred yuan per photo."
The security guard frowned upon hearing this and waved his safety baton, standing next to Liu Chen.
"Hey, you. I think you have some serious issues. First you say you don't want money, then you say a hundred yuan per photo. Are you trying to rob us or something?"
Liu Chen, seeing the panic on Qiu Lin's face, understood what he meant. He smiled slightly.
"Uncle, it's okay. He's a friend of mine introduced to our department. Don't worry, this handsome guy is fine, maybe just a bit shy. Qiu Lin, right?"
After speaking, Liu Chen looked at Qiu Lin and nodded slightly, trying to soften his tone:
"The car behind you is yours, isn't it? Drive it, and let's park outside our department. I can't be bothered to walk those few steps."
Qiu Lin quickly nodded, turned around, and walked towards his SUV. Before Liu Chen even reached him, he was already in the car and started the engine.
The security guard watched the young man's swift movements and still felt a bit uneasy. He insisted on handing Liu Chen a walkie-talkie.
"If anything happens, press this walkie-talkie, and our security department will be here immediately!"
Liu Chen took the walkie-talkie and smiled, replying:
"Thank you, Uncle. Shall we go in then?"
"Yes, yes, alright. I'll open the gate for you."
As he spoke, the sliding folding gate at the factory entrance began to retract to both sides. Qiu Lin saw that Liu Chen had fastened his seatbelt and stepped on the accelerator.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Liu Chen's eyebrows rose when he saw the trash can inside the car filled with the pink packaging of Meimei Sausages. However, considering the young man's previous behavior, Liu Chen decided to wait until the car was parked before asking.
Once Qiu Lin had pulled up the handbrake and turned off the ignition, Liu Chen got out of the car and casually asked:
"Qiu Lin, I want to confirm something. Are you applying to Meimei Food because you like eating Meimei's starch sausages? I mean, while I have confidence in our sausages, if you're coming here for this reason, and then you taste even better food elsewhere, you might also apply elsewhere. What would happen to our company's work then?"
Qiu Lin, who had just stepped onto the ground, quickly replied to this question:
"No, no, no, that's different. Meimei Sausages saved my life. In fact, a week ago, I was already prepared to bid farewell to this world."
Liu Chen quickly turned back to look at Qiu Lin, who was wearing a leather jacket and jeans.
"You don't really look like it."
Qiu Lin followed Liu Chen's gaze and looked down at his own clothes, then smiled and shook his head.
"All of this is the change Meimei Sausages brought me. I took a leave of absence because I suffered from severe anorexia. I couldn't eat anything, and eventually, I had to rely on glucose drips to sustain my body.
But when one's body is merely functioning at a basic level, your love for life gradually fades. It was at that time that I smelled the soup made by my neighbors.
That was the first time in half a year that I had the desire to eat something. I even knocked on my neighbor's door for the first time."
Liu Chen thought about Qiu Lin's tendency to blush easily and his knocking on a stranger's door for a bowl of soup. It seemed like a very serious case of anorexia.
"Later, I found out they used Meimei brand starch sausages, so I went to the 99 Supermarket and bought all their Meimei Sausages."
"Hmm, so the packaging for Meimei Sausages in the car must be from the few days you ate them?" Liu Chen said with a smile as he knocked on the office door and led Qiu Lin inside. "Please have a seat. Given your complex situation, I hope we can have a formal contract to bind both parties' rights and responsibilities."
Qiu Lin nodded seriously, obediently placed his hands on his knees, and looked at Liu Chen.
To be honest, being looked at so earnestly by this 1.9-meter tall young man, Liu Chen suddenly understood the joy of those working in the fashion industry.
A feast for the eyes!
"Alright, here's how it is. According to our company's standard base salary, it's 2,200 yuan per month. For each photoshoot, I will pay an additional 1,000 yuan.
Also, as long as you are at the factory, you can eat thirty Meimei Sausages per day. Any more than that, and your digestive system might not be able to handle it.
I won't take advantage of you either. The contract will be for six months. After the contract expires, whether you renew it or return to school to complete your studies will be your decision, okay?"
Qiu Lin nodded, then remained seated. After two seconds, he slowly blinked and asked Liu Chen, who had turned around and was scrolling through Weibo on his computer:
"Can I eat them now?"
Liu Chen looked at the screen and nodded: "Yes."
Qiu Lin immediately stood up. His height of over 1.9 meters made him almost look down on everyone in the department office. However, Qiu Lin himself didn't seem to notice. He walked to the wall where a shelf was filled with Meimei Sausages, a satisfied smile on his face. He gently took out a pack of Meimei Sausages.
He slowly tore open the pink plastic packaging, which contained ten sausages, and took out one. He then took out a small knife and neatly cut open the plastic wrap, revealing a perfectly formed meat-pink sausage.
Liu Chen watched Qiu Lin standing in the corner, with his eyes narrowed and a smile on his face, eating the Meimei Sausage bite by bite, savoring each one.
He couldn't help but wonder in his heart.
"Besides being delicious, does this Meimei Sausage really have some strange function?"