Interview

Star Arts Entertainment Company was one of the top ten entertainment companies in the country. It had signed countless artists, including quite a few A-list stars, and boasted substantial capital—the entire office building was its asset.

Qin Baobao circled the hexagonal building once. The structure stood thirty stories high, its glass curtain wall reflecting the harsh sunlight. They found a parking spot in a shady alley behind the building. Little BMW slid into the space in a perfect arc. Qin Baobao had gotten her driver's license back in high school, and with five or six years of experience behind the wheel—unlike most students who tucked their licenses away in a drawer as souvenirs—she drove her Old Dad's car during winter and summer breaks, and even on weekends, taking Qin Ze along for joyrides. They'd drive wherever the road led, then squeeze living expenses out of Qin Ze to sit down for coffee and snacks in the afternoon sun. Every time that happened, Qin Ze felt awkward. Pedestrians passing by would constantly be drawn to Qin Baobao's beauty—one glance here, another there—making him feel like they were gawking at a giant panda.

Before getting out of the car, Qin Ze checked the time. It showed 9:30—they'd driven a full hour. The mission ended at 11:30, so he still had two hours.

It was rush hour now. In front of the Star Arts Entertainment office building, men in suits and women in fashionable outfits streamed in and out. Everyone working in this building belonged to the white-collar or gold-collar class—high-income urban earners. Qin Baobao took it all in stride, her high heels clicking crisply. Qin Ze, on the other hand, felt a bit out of place. He was still a college student and hadn't been exposed to this kind of social tier or scene.

They entered the lobby and got the interview location from the front desk girl—Meeting Room 2 on the seventh floor. They waited for three elevators before finding an empty one. Qin Ze had initially wanted to just squeeze in, but Qin Baobao shot him a look and said, "What if someone gropes my butt?"

Qin Ze thought to himself, That's actually a good point. I've got nothing to say.

The truth was, Qin Baobao was once bitten, twice shy. Back in middle school, she'd taken the subway home during evening rush hour. The car was packed shoulder to shoulder, and some train pervert secretly touched her butt. Without a second thought, she spun around and drove her knee straight into his crotch. After that, her Old Dad either picked her up from school or she took taxis.

On the seventh floor, the front desk girl let them through the security gate, asked their business, and handed Qin Baobao a numbered slip with a smile. "The meeting room is straight ahead on the left."

"Thanks!" Qin Baobao tucked the slip into her bag and led Qin Ze inside.

On the wide, bright corridor, a dozen or so handsome men and beautiful women were either sitting or standing. A female staff member in an OL Suit, with a name badge hanging around her neck, stood at the meeting room door. When she spotted Qin Baobao and Qin Ze, she approached with a smile, not even glancing at Qin Ze. "Give me your resume and the numbered slip."

Qin Baobao pulled the resume she'd prepared earlier from her bag and handed it over along with the slip. The Female Assistant flipped through it, confirmed that Qin Baobao was on the interview list, and said politely, "Please wait a moment."

Qin Baobao led Qin Ze to a seat in the corridor and pulled out her phone to play with it.

Qin Ze whispered, "That's so annoying."

"What's annoying?" Qin Baobao tilted her head, looking at him curiously.

"She didn't even look at me just now."

Qin Baobao giggled. "That just means she has good judgment."

"You don't seem very nervous," Qin Ze said, poking his sister's Xiao Man Yao.

"You're the one who's nervous," Qin Baobao replied.

"I'm not nervous. I just feel out of place. They're all staring at you."

Qin Baobao turned her head to look at the handsome men in their crisp suits. Some instinctively averted their gaze, while others smiled smugly, full of self-satisfaction. Qin Baobao flashed a bright smile, making many hearts pound wildly.

She withdrew her gaze and snorted. "Ignore them. I'm used to it anyway."

"But I'm not used to it. Wherever you go, you're a giant panda, and I'm just the bamboo next to the panda." Qin Ze said gloomily, "Bamboo has its dignity too, you know."

"Alright, alright, bamboo. Let this giant panda take a bite." With that, she leaned her delicate face in, pretending to bite Qin Ze's cheek.

Qin Ze quickly pushed her away. "What are you doing? So many people are watching."

Qin Baobao clicked her tongue and went back to her phone. "I'm not nervous. There's nothing to be nervous about. If the interview doesn't work out, I'll just try another company. Entertainment companies have all kinds of ways to scout new talent. There are plenty of channels for ordinary people to become stars, and lots of singing variety shows too."

"Wang Li Hong!"

"My turn?"

"Come in."

The previous interviewee was a cute, delicate young girl. She walked out with her head down, her face full of dejection, looking like she was about to cry.

"How'd it go? Did you pass?"

"What did they ask in the interview?"

People immediately crowded around to ask, all talking at once.

Qin Ze pricked up his ears too.

The girl shook her head. "They said I can't sing and I don't have a professional background, so I don't meet the signing conditions."

Another girl trying to make it in the entertainment industry on her looks, Qin Ze thought, glancing at the stunning beauty beside him, who was also banking on her face.

"What? I can sing pretty well too," the beauty shot back, glaring at him.

Time passed quickly. The interviewees went in one by one, each taking about five minutes. Some came back beaming, while others walked out with long faces.

A handsome young man emerged from the meeting room, brimming with smug satisfaction. He swept his gaze across the corridor, strode over to Qin Baobao, and sat down beside her. "Hey, beautiful. My name's Gou Dai!"

Qin Baobao glanced at him and smiled. "Hello."

"You're here for the interview too, right? I guarantee, with your looks, you'll definitely get signed by Star Arts. We'll be colleagues from now on. Want to grab lunch together?" The handsome guy was electrified by her smile.

Qin Baobao's eyes twinkled. She wrapped her arm around Qin Ze's. "Honey, let's have spicy hot pot for lunch, okay?"

"Sure, but no spicy hot pot for dinner."

"Ugh, you're so annoying."

Gou Dai slunk away awkwardly.

Qin Ze watched his retreating figure and bared his teeth at Qin Baobao. "That spicy hot pot joke is way too old. Come up with a new one next time."

"Qin Baobao!"

The Female Assistant called from the door.

"My turn." Qin Baobao handed her bag to Qin Ze. Her high heels clicked on the polished floor tiles as she swayed her hips with extra charm.

She pushed open the imitation-wood door. A long conference table sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows. The interviewers were seated behind it—three potbellied middle-aged men and two middle-aged women.

When the men saw Qin Baobao walk in, their eyes lit up in unison.

Even more beautiful than the photo!

No wonder she had the confidence to try her luck in the entertainment industry. These days, if your looks didn't meet the standard, you wouldn't dare wade into those murky waters.

Qin Baobao keenly sensed the intense gaze sweeping up her body like a scanner. Her heart tightened as she recalled something Qin Ze once told her about a popular online method for distinguishing men from boys. Simple: when a boy sees a beautiful woman, his first instinct is to look at her face, and then keep looking at her face. Once he's "driven a few times," his gaze shifts from the face downward, focusing on the figure. The day comes when he becomes an experienced Old Driver, and he always looks at women from the bottom up.

Qin Baobao had asked him back then, "So what level are you?"

Qin Ze was thoroughly embarrassed, forcing himself to claim he was already an Old Driver in theory.

Qin Baobao thought to herself, Damn, they're all Old Drivers.

Her expression remained unchanged, her demeanor aloof and elegant, as she offered a polite smile. "Hello, teachers. My name is Qin Baobao..."

A middle-aged woman cut her off coldly: "We have your resume."

Qin Baobao's finely arched brows furrowed slightly as she sensed the woman's hostility.

The man beside the middle-aged woman cleared his throat and warmed the atmosphere with a genial tone: "Have a seat first."

Qin Baobao nodded and sat down on the chair prepared for interviewees, legs together, hands folded over her abdomen. Her long, shapely legs, bare of stockings, were especially alluring.

When the middle-aged man in the center swept his gaze over Qin Baobao's long legs, he paused and smiled. "Miss Qin, we've seen your resume. You graduated from Fudan University and worked at a foreign enterprise for a year. Both in school and at work, you've received praise from those around you. You could have had a much better future. Why choose to become an entertainer?"

A dozen pairs of eyes fixed on her. Qin Baobao straightened her posture, showing no stage fright at all. "It's my dream."

You have a dream, so you think you're the boss? the middle-aged woman muttered inwardly.

The middle-aged man smiled dismissively and said gently, "To be honest with you, given your education and ability, we'd welcome you—but not as a signed artist. First, your specialty doesn't match. A minute on stage takes ten years of practice off it. Acting isn't something you can just pick up. And for training from scratch, we'd rather look for promising high-potential talent."

Qin Baobao thought, This opening isn't right. They're trying to brush me off.

"But as far as I know, many famous entertainers didn't graduate from relevant majors or formal programs."

"Then do you know how many years they spent as extras? How many years they endured?"

Qin Baobao had nothing to say.

"How about this: my office just happens to need a secretary. You have work experience, outstanding ability, and you're from a prestigious university. If you're interested, you can come work for me, and we can discuss salary right now."

This damn persistent secretary gig—I've had enough of it.

Qin Baobao: "How should I address you, teacher?"

"I'm Director Zhang, General Manager of the Personnel Department."

"Director Zhang, I can't accept that. I practiced dance in elementary and middle school—I have a foundation, not zero background. And I'm pretty good at singing..."

The middle-aged woman cut in abruptly: "Can you sing 'Green Green Lapel'?"

Qin Baobao nodded. "Yes."

The middle-aged woman gestured: "Go ahead, sing a cappella."

Qin Baobao pursed her lips, coated with lipstick, and began to sing. Her voice had a soft, seductive timbre, a captivating tone that complemented the song's deep, melancholic feel perfectly.

The middle-aged woman's expression shifted slightly. She sings too well. She had assumed that Qin Baobao, without professional training, meant "pretty good at singing" in the ordinary sense—maybe even exaggerated by others. But as she sang those lyrics, it wasn't flawless, and there were plenty of technical flaws in her singing method, but her voice was just too beautiful—tingling, numbing, itching right into people's hearts.

"Stop, stop, stop!" the middle-aged woman called out, expression unchanged. "Your voice is decent, but when it comes to singing, you're a complete amateur. Frankly, it's just random noise. Someone like you would be hard to fix even in a recording studio."

Qin Baobao's face turned icy cold, her delicate features becoming more like a Greek sculpture. If Qin Ze, who knew her well, had seen this, he would have realized that Elder Sister was on the verge of exploding with rage.