Interview

Hearing her daughter's long-lost cheerful laughter drifting over from time to time, Liu Xizhen could completely imagine how her daughter was feeling. She could not help feeling a trace of guilt and sadness. At that moment, Liu Xizhen wished more than anything that her daughter could go on laughing like this forever! But she truly felt embarrassed about letting a complete stranger with no connection to her spend too much time playing with her daughter. In fact, Zhang Hupan had already spent far more than the half hour Liu Xizhen had mentioned with Liu Feifei—over an hour already.

Liu Xizhen sighed deeply, gently closed the account book she had finished calculating more than half an hour ago, and stood up. She quietly walked toward the two people playing enthusiastically by the window. Although her daughter was already five and she herself was over thirty, Liu Xizhen had maintained an exceptionally good figure and complexion. A refreshing, delicate fragrance drifted into Zhang Hupan's nose. He discovered that his Dao Heart had actually stirred slightly. He involuntarily raised his head and saw Liu Xizhen walking toward him. She was a woman whose age could not be immediately determined at a glance. She seemed to have the mature appearance of someone in her thirties, yet her features were as tender as those of a woman barely twenty. As she drew closer, he could only feel that her hands were soft as young reeds, her face radiant as spring flowers, her skin smooth as congealed fat, and her breath fragrant as orchids. Her entire body radiated a dreamlike beauty. Zhang Hupan's heart beat faster once more, but years of cultivation still allowed him to control his state of mind well. Since the little girl was still clinging to him, he could only give Liu Xizhen a slight nod from his seat as a greeting.

"Sorry for the wait! I'm really sorry!" Liu Xizhen sat across from Zhang Hupan and her daughter, looking at Liu Feifei with a doting gaze as she spoke apologetically.

"Mom, look! This is the Kitty Cat big brother gave me. Isn't it pretty?" When Liu Feifei saw her mother come over, she hurriedly pressed close to her and carefully held up the jade Kitty Cat pendant against her chest, showing it off to Liu Xizhen.

Although Liu Xizhen had already assumed that the Kitty Cat was a handmade imitation jade ornament, its exquisite craftsmanship, rich emerald-green color, and warm, smooth texture still made her eyes light up. She blurted out, "It's so beautiful! Such exquisite workmanship, and such a perfect imitation!"

In truth, it was not strange that someone from Liu Xizhen's upper-class circle had failed to recognize the jade before her as genuine top-grade jade. Who would have thought that a stranger she had never met before, who had come looking for a job as a bar waitress, would casually take out a piece of top-quality jade to give someone? That seemed even more ridiculous than a pie falling from the sky, and more miraculous than meeting an immortal on the road. Yet, as it happened, Liu Xizhen and the others really had encountered an immortal from legend—they simply had failed to recognize him.

Hearing her mother's praise, Liu Feifei pressed the jade pendant to her chest as if it were a priceless treasure, then said very obediently, "Mom, you and big brother talk about your serious business first. I'll go play over there for a while. But after you're done talking, big brother has to keep playing with me!" After saying that, she stared at Zhang Hupan with her innocent eyes full of hope.

Zhang Hupan could not bear to refuse such a cute little girl. Besides, playing with her gave him a warm feeling he had never experienced before, so he nodded without hesitation.

"Thank you for playing with my daughter for so long, and thank you for giving her such a lovely gift. She hasn't been this happy in a very long time." Liu Xizhen's voice was exceptionally gentle and pleasant, and Zhang Hupan heard the heartfelt gratitude and faint sadness in it.

Sensing the sadness in this tremendously charming and alluring woman, Zhang Hupan felt a trace of pity for her for some reason. Although the jade was genuine, he could not be bothered to expose that fact. He said, "It's just a little trinket. Fortunately, Feifei likes it! Playing with her made me happy too, so you don't need to thank me."

For some reason, Liu Xizhen felt extremely well-disposed toward this young man before her, whose appearance was very ordinary and whose manner was refined and scholarly. Perhaps it was because he had brought her daughter long-lost laughter. Or perhaps it was because his eyes were crystal clear whenever he looked at her, without the slightest trace of impure thoughts. Liu Xizhen was still very confident in the allure of her body and appearance. Moreover, since it was morning and the room was fairly warm, Liu Zhenxi had only thrown on a loose jacket over her silk pajamas. The neckline was rather low, and the material fairly sheer. If it had been another young man, Liu Xizhen would certainly have gone upstairs to change before interviewing him. But for some reason, she vaguely felt that there was nothing inappropriate about chatting with the young man before her like this. In fact, that was exactly the case. Apart from the slight difference in his expression when he first saw her, his eyes remained clear and free of impure thoughts. Although Liu Xizhen was delighted that the person her daughter liked was an upright gentleman, when she realized that the figure and appearance she had always been proud of could not arouse the interest of this ordinary-looking young man, she unexpectedly felt somewhat disappointed and even wondered whether she had truly grown old.

In truth, Liu Xizhen had overestimated Zhang Hupan. His Dao Heart had been teetering on the verge of collapse after being teased by the deep, bottomless cleavage exposed before him and the snow-white skin faintly visible beneath it. But he had come looking for a job—to be interviewed. What was more, Song Feng's frantic training over the past several months had taught Zhang Hupan a few things that women disliked when spending time with them. Thus, he concealed the turmoil in his heart perfectly. If a master of the cultivation world who had reached the mid-Nascent Soul Stage deliberately concealed his inner reactions, how many people could see through even a trace of them? Much less Liu Xizhen, who was merely an ordinary person.

Although Liu Xizhen had already decided to hire the young man who had left such a good impression on her and her daughter, she still seriously asked Zhang Hupan about some basic information. When she heard that Zhang Hupan was still a university student and had never worked in food service before, Liu Xizhen actually felt somewhat relieved. She was happy to see this young man supporting himself, rather than thinking as a boss that training such an employee would waste a great deal of her time.

"How is your English? We get quite a few foreigners here, so it would be best if you could use some simple English to communicate." Liu Xizhen asked gently. Knowing that Zhang Hupan was a rural student who had only just started university a little over a month ago, she was afraid the question would be difficult for him to answer, and for some inexplicable reason she added, "It's fine if you can't. You can practice your spoken English here!"

The moment Liu Xizhen said this, even she felt baffled. As a highly educated woman who had returned from living in America, Liu Xizhen had long absorbed the American style of doing things—ignoring personal relationships and focusing only on practical results. Why had she lowered her standards for this young man again and again? She had even gone so far as to break her usual principles!

Zhang Hupan could clearly sense the care this sexy, alluring woman felt for him. Although someone as powerful as Zhang Hupan had long since had no need for anyone's help, that genuine feeling still stirred ripples in his heart. He truly understood then the painstaking intentions behind his master sending him into the mortal world to cultivate. Without entering the mortal world, how could he experience such a rich range of life and emotion?

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

"Really?" Liu Xizhen instinctively knew that the young man before her was not the type to boast. Since he said he could communicate in English, his English should be quite good. She knew that English education in more remote places was mainly focused on examinations, while speaking and listening had always been a major gap between rural students and urban students. Hearing such confidence in Zhang Hupan's voice, she still could not help asking again.

Zhang Hupan's authentic New York accent afterward made Liu Xizhen feel as if she had returned to New York. An incredulous look appeared in her beautiful eyes. If she had not heard Zhang Hupan's earlier introduction, she would certainly have assumed that he was a scholar who had just returned from studying abroad.

"Mr. Zhang, your English is truly excellent. Even I, who spent nearly four years in New York, have to admit that I'm not as good as you!" Liu Xizhen praised him sincerely.

"Not at all, not at all!" No matter how good Zhang Hupan's self-control was, he still flushed slightly under the praise of a beautiful woman. But as a master of the cultivation world, he quickly returned to normal and said, "If you don't mind, Ms. Liu, just call me Hupan."

"In that case, Hupan, you can call me Sister Xizhen!" Liu Xizhen was not affected or pretentious, and spoke naturally and casually.

"All right. Then, do you think you can hire me?" After their conversation, Zhang Hupan felt that there should be no problem with being hired, but he still asked somewhat anxiously. He hoped he would have the chance to work here. On one hand, he could continue spending time with the adorable Liu Feifei. On the other, having such a beautiful, feminine boss was enough to make anyone look forward to it.

"Of course I'll hire you. You're not only highly educated, but your foreign language skills are excellent too. You're exactly the kind of person we urgently need! However, since you have no previous experience in the food-service industry, you'll start as an ordinary server. We can adjust your position once you're familiar with things. As for your pay, it'll be fifteen yuan an hour. Your hours will be from six in the evening until one in the morning. Do you have any problems with that?"

"The pay is fine. It's just that I'm still studying, so I'd like to take Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays off. I'd also like to adjust my evening hours to six to eleven. Would that be all right?" Since the school dormitory gates closed at eleven thirty, although it was impossible for a Nascent Soul Stage master to be locked out by a gate, he was still a student and had to follow the rules. As for the number of workdays, Zhang Hupan felt that four days a week was enough. An income of around 1,200 yuan a month would basically cover his expenses, so he made the request above.

As a boss, one normally approached everything from the standpoint of personal benefit. Zhang Hupan's requests did disrupt Liu Xizhen's staffing arrangements somewhat. Yet Liu Xizhen did not find it inappropriate at all. She even felt relieved that Zhang Hupan was balancing his studies, and agreed without hesitation. After agreeing, even Liu Xizhen found it somewhat strange. Why was she accommodating and treating this young man so generously? Perhaps it was because he had brought laughter to her daughter, so Liu Xizhen could only find herself that explanation.

Originally, Zhang Hupan had planned to return to school after the interview ended. But Liu Feifei insisted on clinging to him, and he truly could not bear to refuse such an adorable little girl. Thus, he stayed and played with Liu Feifei until noon. Then Liu Xizhen changed into a very casual outfit, and the three of them went to KFC on Yan'an Road for a meal.

Since it was the weekend and there were many people, Zhang Hupan, as the only man, had no choice but to shoulder the burden of waiting in line and buying the food. Meanwhile, Liu Xizhen and her daughter sat comfortably in a corner, waiting for Zhang Hupan to return in triumph. Watching the long lines, Zhang Hupan's smiling face, and the way he occasionally turned around to make funny faces at Liu Feifei, Liu Xizhen felt a faint sense of happiness for some reason. She even stared somewhat dazedly at her daughter and the young man in front of them, whom she had met less than half a day ago and who had been a complete stranger just moments earlier.

They enjoyed their lunch immensely. The few sleight-of-hand tricks Zhang Hupan performed from time to time not only won peal after peal of laughter from Liu Feifei, but also gave Liu Xizhen the happiest mood she had experienced for the first time in many years. After the meal, Zhang Hupan solemnly swore in the name of the Kitty Cat that whenever he had time, he would come and play with Liu Feifei often. Only then did Liu Feifei reluctantly let him leave. (To be continued)