Interview Duel

The grand undertaking of borrowing money had, in the end, failed.

Li Jinshui felt a bit regretful, but fortunately, he wouldn't have to go hungry tonight.

Zhang Yaya said that her husband managed all the money in their household, so she couldn't lend him any, but she offered to feed Li Jinshui instead.

Li Jinshui was displeased the moment he heard that.

Needing someone to feed him just to eat a meal—wasn't that looking down on him?

He was so annoyed that he slapped her backside and walked away.

"Hmph, if you didn't like it, why did you slap me? So unromantic, what a waste of that handsome face." Zhang Yaya rubbed her stinging rear, watching Li Jinshui leave with eyes full of resentment.

Li Jinshui took his ID card and rode the elevator straight up to the 53rd floor.

By virtue of his status as a Grade A student, he could eat for free in the cafeteria, though it was limited to standard food.

After eating a simple dinner by himself, he headed straight back to his room.

In the days that followed, life suddenly entered an unexpectedly peaceful state.

The death of the apartment building security guard didn't seem to have caused any ripples at all.

There were no reports in the Rong City Branch Camp news, there was no movement from Liu Daqiang's side, and there wasn't the slightest sign of the security company coming to seek revenge.

Yao Xiaona's side was even quieter; she didn't reply to messages, wouldn't lend money, and there was no telling if her family had done anything behind the scenes to stir up trouble.

During these few peaceful days, Li Jinshui basically lived a life of going between two points.

He spent his days lying in his room watching TV, went to the cafeteria when it was time to eat, and since no one came looking for him, he couldn't be bothered to strike up conversations with others.

In reality, he was somewhat worried.

After all, three full days had passed, and there had been no word from Ye Mei.

It was originally agreed that the formal interview would be within two days. Now it's the fourth day and there's still no news. Could it be that they found out about what I did outside and don't want to invite trouble, so they're planning to let me go?

Lying on the bed, the more Li Jinshui thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Suddenly, he sat up abruptly: "This is bad. What if they decide to hand me over?"

Better safe than sorry; if it comes to a dead end, I'm leaving tonight!

He scrambled off the bed and began packing his things in a frantic rush.

Although he had arrived with nothing, he had developed an attachment to the valuable items in the room after staying for a few days, so he had to take them with him.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

He hadn't even finished packing half his things when the door was suddenly knocked.

"Mr. Li, the upper levels have notified you to come for your interview. Please head over as soon as possible." A strange woman's voice sounded from outside the door.

Li Jinshui was stunned for a moment, then cleared his throat and replied, "Okay." He heard the person's footsteps slowly fade away.

Was I overthinking it?

He pondered for a moment, then put down his luggage, straightened his clothes, and pushed the door open to leave.

A moment later, Li Jinshui arrived at the 51st floor.

This time, Ye Mei was not waiting at the elevator entrance, and the nearby office area was filled with staff. He could faintly hear muffled thuds and explosions coming from some of the rooms, as if someone were practicing high-power martial arts techniques.

"Mr. Li, right? The supervisor instructed you to go straight to the interview room. It's the first door on the left here. Remember to knock before entering." A young man in a suit and leather shoes walked out of the office area and pointed out the direction for Li Jinshui.

"Okay, thank you."

Li Jinshui nodded and arrived outside the room the man had indicated; the words "Interview Room" were hanging on the door.

He raised his hand and knocked twice. With a soft "hiss," the door automatically slid open to both sides.

The space inside the interview room was not large, about eight or nine square meters. The decor was very minimalist, with only a table placed in the center.

There was an empty chair on the outer side of the table, while a man and a woman sat side-by-side on the other.

The man was middle-aged, of average build and plain appearance, but he carried a scholarly, refined air.

The woman was the pinnacle of pure allure, wearing a professional skirt suit and black stockings. Her figure and temperament were top-tier; it was none other than the personnel supervisor, Ye Mei.

Seeing Li Jinshui arrive, their gazes immediately held a hint of peculiarity, mixed with a touch of inexplicable scrutiny.

"Li Jinshui, come in."

Ye Mei spoke first, taking the opportunity to introduce the middle-aged man beside her: "This is Huang Lichen, the Deputy Camp Commander of our Rong City Branch Camp. He also serves as the chief instructor for your batch of Grade A and Grade B students. You may call him Instructor Huang."

"Greetings, Commander Huang!" Li Jinshui immediately clicked his heels together, saluted, and shouted.

Ye Mei: "..."

The corners of Huang Lichen's mouth curled up with a playful, half-smiling expression as he looked Li Jinshui over and nodded: "Hello, come in and take a seat."

"Yes, Commander!"

Li Jinshui marched with stiff, precise steps to the chair. With great solemnity, he sat on only half of the seat, placed his hands on his knees, and kept his back perfectly straight.

"Li Jinshui, there's no need for that here. Your Grade A status has already been finalized; I only called you in for a brief chat." Ye Mei frowned slightly.

"So that's how it is!"

Li Jinshui's tense body instantly relaxed, sinking comfortably into the back of his chair as he fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tapped them against his palm.

"Don't get too comfortable. Smoking isn't allowed here." Ye Mei's composure nearly shattered, the corner of her eye twitching.

"I'm just playing with them. As a martial artist, I never smoke." Li Jinshui complied, sliding the pack back into his pocket.

Ye Mei remained silent for several seconds before taking a deep breath and turning to look at Huang Lichen.

"You ask the questions. I'll just listen." Huang Lichen smiled faintly.

Ye Mei nodded slightly, flipped open the file on the table, and began, "Li Jinshui, your records show you are currently on a leave of absence from high school. Can you explain why?"

"Is that what you wanted to ask?"

Li Jinshui slapped his thigh, his face full of righteous indignation. "Supervisor Ye, Battalion Commander Huang, I've suffered so much! Two years ago, some animal poisoned me, leaving me bedridden in the hospital for two whole years. It bankrupted me completely. Damn it, just thinking about it makes me furious. Let me tell you..."

"Stop. No need for all that; we just want a simple overview." Ye Mei cut him off, her face cold as she continued, "Then why didn't you return to school after being discharged?"

"No money to repeat a year, so I went to work."

"And what was your previous job?"

"Sigh!"

Li Jinshui sighed, his gaze turning profound and his tone tinged with weariness. "I was a Night Watchman!"

"A what?" Ye Mei and Huang Lichen were both stunned. Was this some new underground organization?

"A night-shift security guard."

"..."

Riiip!

A soft sound of tearing paper echoed through the quiet room.

The thick file Ye Mei had been gripping tightly had been torn at the corner by her own hand!

She took another deep breath, her face icy as she asked, "And the reason for your resignation was..."

"The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be broken by the wind! My classmates were jealous of me, my colleagues persecuted me, and my boss dumped all the blame on me." Li Jinshui summarized concisely.

"..." Ye Mei fell into a dead silence, feeling her stress levels reaching a breaking point.

Huang Lichen, sitting to the side, finally couldn't help but laugh. He turned to Ye Mei and said, "See? I told you we should have been direct. Going in circles is just a waste of time."

He then looked at Li Jinshui with a smile. "Li Jinshui, I like things simple and direct. We've investigated your past thoroughly, and the timeline is quite clear. The reason we didn't call you in sooner was to verify if you were a mole sent by the security company."

"As it turns out, you're just a common con artist and murderer. Personally, I think quite highly of you, which is why I made the executive decision to keep you in the Youth Training Camp."

"Battalion Commander Huang, you can't just say things like that! How could I be a con artist or a murderer?" Li Jinshui immediately moved to defend his innocence.

"That's irrelevant!"

Huang Lichen cut him off, his smile slowly fading. "I only want to know one thing. In your investigation report, the agent reviewed the dashcam footage from the ride-share you took and strongly suspects you have a severe case of histrionic personality disorder."

As he spoke, Huang Lichen leaned forward, his eyes filled with scrutiny. "Patients with this condition are often emotionally volatile, self-centered, attention-seeking, and prone to dramatic displays."

"You constantly and subconsciously affect an elegant, noble demeanor in your daily life—a classic, stereotypical imitation of the aristocracy by someone from the lower class. The investigator concluded that this stereotype likely stems from soap operas. I want to know what you think about that."

"BANG!"

Li Jinshui flew into a rage, springing to his feet and slamming a palm onto the metal desk. "Battalion Commander Huang, I must respectfully disagree! This is a blatant, malicious slander against my character and a case of jealousy toward my talent. You must provide me with the name of that investigator. I'm going to the Inspection Bureau to file a report tomorrow, and I will be sending them a lawyer's letter!"

"..."

Huang Lichen and Ye Mei exchanged glances.

He really was quite ill.

But such a person was perfect for delivering food. The Youth Training Camp for food delivery loved those who prioritized the order over their own lives.

Orders others dared not take, he would take.

People others dared not kill, he would kill.

Since he loved pretending to be a member of the upper class, he would have the ambition and drive to compete for the title of 'Order King.'

After becoming the District Order King, there would be the Community Order King, the City Order King, and eventually the Municipal Order King.

If he could eventually make it to the provincial level, the Rong City Branch Camp would make a fortune!