Chapter Nineteen: The Interview

Hearing her daughter's long-lost cheerful laughter drift into her ears from time to time, Liu Xizhen could perfectly imagine her daughter's mood right now. A trace of guilt and sadness stirred within her heart. At this moment, Liu Xizhen wished her daughter could laugh like this forever! However, she felt too embarrassed to let a stranger, with whom she had no connection, play with her daughter for too long. In fact, Zhang Hupan had already been with Liu Feifei for more than the half hour Liu Xizhen had mentioned; it had been over an hour.

Liu Xizhen sighed deeply in her heart, gently closed the ledger she had finished calculating over half an hour ago, and stood up, walking softly towards the two people playing enthusiastically by the window. Although her daughter was already five years old and she herself was over thirty, Liu Xizhen had maintained a very good figure and skin. A refreshing, delicate fragrance wafted into Zhang Hupan's nostrils. Zhang Hupan found his Dao Heart stirring slightly. He couldn't help but look up and saw Liu Xizhen walking towards him. This was a woman whose age couldn't be immediately discerned at first glance; she appeared to be in her mature thirties, yet her complexion was so tender, like someone in her early twenties. Closer up, one could only feel that her hands were like soft sprouts, her face like a blooming hibiscus, her skin like congealed fat, and her presence like a secluded orchid, exuding a dreamlike, ethereal beauty. Zhang Hupan's heart skipped another beat, but years of cultivation allowed him to control his emotions well. Since the little one was still clinging to him, Zhang Hupan could only slightly nod towards Liu Xizhen from his seat to greet her.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting! I'm truly sorry!" Liu Xizhen sat down opposite Zhang Hupan and his daughter, looking at her daughter with doting eyes as she spoke apologetically.

"Mom, look! This is the KITTY Cat the big brother gave me. Isn't it pretty?" Liu Feifei, seeing her mother approach, eagerly clung to her, carefully holding the jade pendant on her chest with her small hands to show off to Liu Xizhen.

Although Liu Xizhen had already formed the preconception that the KITTY Cat was a faux jade handicraft, the exquisitely crafted, vibrantly green, warm, and smooth jade pendant still made Liu Xizhen's eyes gleam with surprise. She blurted out, "How beautiful! Such exquisite craftsmanship, such perfect imitation!" In reality, for someone from the upper class like Liu Xizhen, it wasn't strange that she didn't recognize the jade in front of her as genuine top-tier jade. Who would have thought that a stranger she had never met, and who was looking for a job as a bar waitress, would casually give away a piece of exquisite jade? It seemed more ridiculous than a pie falling from the sky, and more miraculous than meeting an immortal on the street. However, it had to be said, Liu Xizhen and her daughter had indeed encountered a legendary immortal, they just didn't recognize her.

Hearing her mother's praise, Liu Feifei held the jade pendant even closer to her chest as if it were a priceless treasure. Then, she very obediently said, "Mom and big brother, you talk about important matters first. I'll go play nearby for a bit. But when you're done talking, big brother must promise to play with me again!" After saying that, she looked at Zhang Hupan with her innocent eyes, full of hopeful anticipation.

Zhang Hupan couldn't bear to refuse such a cute little girl, especially since playing with her brought him an unprecedented sense of warmth. He nodded without hesitation.

"Thank you for playing with my daughter for so long, and thank you for giving her such a beautiful gift. She hasn't been this happy in a very long time." Liu Xizhen's voice was very soft and pleasant, and Zhang Hupan could hear genuine gratitude and a hint of sadness in her voice.

Sensing the sadness within this charming and graceful woman, Zhang Hupan felt a touch of pity for some reason. Although the jade was genuine, Zhang Hupan disdained to point it out. He said, "It's just a small trinket. I'm glad Feifei likes it! Playing with her also brought me joy, you don't need to thank me!"

For some reason, Liu Xizhen felt a strong sense of goodwill towards this ordinary-looking, gentle young man. Perhaps it was because he had brought long-lost laughter to her daughter, or perhaps it was because this man's eyes were crystal clear when he looked at her, devoid of any ill intentions. Liu Xizhen was confident in her own allure and beauty. Moreover, since it was morning and the room was warm, Liu Xizhen, besides wearing a loose jacket on the outside, was actually still wearing a silk pajama inside with a low neckline and high transparency. If it were another young man, Liu Xizhen would definitely have gone upstairs to change before meeting him. But for some reason, Liu Xizhen vaguely felt that chatting with this young man like this was not inappropriate. In fact, it was true; this young man's gaze was different only at the first glance, and at all other times, it was crystal clear, without any ill intentions. Although Liu Xizhen was happy that the person her daughter liked was a gentleman, she felt a sense of loss when she realized that her figure and appearance, which she had always been proud of, couldn't pique the interest of this ordinary-looking young man. She even wondered if she was truly getting old.

In reality, Liu Xizhen had overestimated Zhang Hupan. Zhang Hupan's Dao Heart was teetering on the verge of collapse, provoked by the unfathomably deep cleavage and faintly visible fair skin exposed before him. However, he was there to find a job and attend an interview. Moreover, Song Feng's months of intensive training had taught Zhang Hupan some of the taboos when interacting with girls. Thus, Zhang Hupan managed to conceal his inner turmoil very well. If a cultivator who had reached the middle stage of the Nascent Soul stage deliberately concealed his inner activities, how many people could perceive even a fraction of it, let alone ordinary people like Liu Xizhen?

Although Liu Xizhen had already decided to hire the young man who had left a good impression on her and her daughter, she still very seriously inquired about Zhang Hupan's basic information. When she heard that Zhang Hupan was still a university student and had no prior experience in food service, Liu Xizhen felt somewhat relieved and happy for the young man's self-reliance. Uncharacteristically, she didn't consider, as a boss, that such an employee would require a lot of her time for training.

"How is your English? Since we have quite a few foreigners here, it would be best if you could communicate using simple English," Liu Xizhen asked gently. Knowing that Zhang Hupan was just a student from the countryside who had only been at university for a little over a month, Liu Xizhen was afraid that this question might make him feel awkward. She inexplicably added, "It's okay if you don't, you can practice your spoken English here!"

As Liu Xizhen spoke these words, even she felt a bit bewildered. As a highly educated individual who had returned from studying in America, Liu Xizhen had already adopted the American approach of focusing on practical results rather than personal connections. How could she lower her standards time and time again for this young man? She was even disregarding her own principles!

Zhang Hupan could clearly feel the care this sexy, charming woman had for him. Although Zhang Hupan, as powerful as he was, no longer needed anyone's help, that genuine feeling still stirred something within him. He truly understood his master's intention in sending him into the world to cultivate; without experiencing the world, how could he appreciate such rich life experiences and emotions?

"My English should be alright. If you don't mind, we can converse in English." Zhang Hupan was very confident in his English. Even the beautiful Scottish woman had to admit that Zhang Hupan spoke authentic New York English, so what was there to worry about?

"Really!" Liu Xizhen instinctively knew that this young man was not one to brag. Since he said he could communicate in English, it meant his English should be quite good. Knowing that English education in more remote areas nowadays was primarily exam-oriented, and that spoken and listening skills were always a major gap between students from the countryside and those from the city, Liu Xizhen couldn't help but ask again upon hearing Zhang Hupan's confident tone.

Following that, Zhang Hupan's authentic New York accent made Liu Xizhen feel as if she were back in New York. Her beautiful eyes revealed an incredulous look. If she hadn't heard Zhang Hupan's introduction earlier, Liu Xizhen would have definitely thought Zhang Hupan was a scholar who had just returned from overseas after further studies.

"Mr. Zhang's English is truly excellent. Even I, who have lived in New York for nearly 4 years, feel inferior!" Liu Xizhen praised him from the bottom of her heart.

"Not at all, not at all!" Even with Zhang Hupan's excellent composure, he couldn't help but blush slightly under the compliment from a beautiful woman. However, being a master of the cultivation world, he quickly regained his composure and said, "Ms. Liu, if you don't mind, please call me Hupan!"

"Since that's the case, Hupan, you can call me Sister Xizhen!" Liu Xizhen was not a pretentious person and said it naturally and casually.

"Okay, then do you think you can hire me?" Although Zhang Hupan felt that hiring him shouldn't be a problem after their interaction, he still asked with a bit of unease, hoping for an opportunity to work there. On one hand, he could continue to spend time with the lovely Liu Feifei, and on the other hand, having such a beautiful and charming boss was something to look forward to.

"Of course, you're hired! Not only are you a top student, but you're also good with foreign languages, which is exactly the talent we urgently need! However, since you have no prior experience in the catering industry, you'll start as a regular waiter first. We can make adjustments later once you're familiar with the work. The wage is 15 yuan per hour, and the working hours are from 6 PM to 1 AM. Do you have any issues with that?"

"There are no issues with the wage. It's just that I'm still a student, so I hope to have Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays off each week, and adjust the evening working hours to 6 PM to 11 PM. Do you think that would be acceptable?" The school dormitory closes at 11:30 PM. Although the gate couldn't possibly lock out a master of the Nascent Soul stage, he was still a student and needed to adhere to the rules. As for the number of working days, Zhang Hupan felt that working four days a week was sufficient. An income of around 1200 yuan per month would basically meet his expenses. Therefore, Zhang Hupan made the aforementioned requests.

As a boss, all decisions are made from her own perspective. Zhang Hupan's requests actually disrupted Liu Xizhen's staffing arrangements. However, Liu Xizhen didn't find anything wrong with them; she even felt gratified by Zhang Hupan's approach of balancing his studies and readily agreed. After Liu Xizhen agreed, even she felt a bit strange as to why she was being so accommodating and generous to this young man. Perhaps it was because he brought laughter to her daughter, so Liu Xizhen found such a reason for herself.

Originally, Zhang Hupan was planning to return to school after the interview. However, because Liu Feifei insisted on clinging to him, and he truly couldn't bear to refuse such a cute little girl, he stayed longer and played with Liu Feifei until noon. Afterward, Liu Xizhen changed into very casual clothes, and the three of them went to KFC on Yan'an Road for a meal.

Since it was the weekend, there were many people. As the only man, Zhang Hupan had to take on the responsibility of queuing and ordering. Liu Xizhen and her daughter sat comfortably in a corner, waiting for Zhang Hupan's triumphant return. Looking at the long queues, seeing Zhang Hupan's smiling face, and noticing him occasionally turn around to make funny faces at Liu Feifei, Liu Xizhen felt a sense of happiness for some reason. She even gazed somewhat dazed at her daughter and the young man she had just met less than half a day ago, who had been a stranger just moments before.

Lunch was very enjoyable. Zhang Hupan's occasional brilliant illusionary techniques not only elicited bursts of laughter from Liu Feifei but also brought Liu Xizhen the happiest mood she had experienced in many years. After the meal, under the guise of the KITTY Cat, Zhang Hupan solemnly promised to visit and play with Liu Feifei more often when he had free time, only then did Liu Feifei reluctantly let Zhang Hupan leave. (To be continued)