Was This Going Easy on Him, or Rolling Out the Red Carpet?

Just when Wen Ning thought the interview was about to end like this,

the youngest of the five, a Heavenly Official who looked to be in his early thirties, waited until the three before him had finished their questions.

Only then did he speak, unhurriedly, his voice calm and measured.

"Wen Ning, I have a serious question for you."

Wen Ning perked up. Finally, something serious. This one should be a proper question, right?

"If someone in the mortal realm swears to heaven during a thunderstorm, saying, 'May lightning strike me if I'm lying'..."

The young Heavenly Official adjusted a nonexistent pair of glasses on his nose, presumably because he thought it made him look more distinguished.

"Do we strike them or not?"

Wen Ning froze for a moment.

"Huh?"

"This question is crucial."

The young Heavenly Official looked very serious.

"It concerns the Thunder Department's core operations. Candidate Wen Ning, think carefully before you answer."

Wen Ning looked at the four Heavenly Officials, then at Wen Zhong.

The old Heavenly Official with the white beard gave him an encouraging look. Officer Zhang watched him expectantly, while the third Heavenly Official outright mouthed the answer at him: Strike.

Wen Zhong set his teacup down hard on the table.

The entire interview room fell silent, and all four Heavenly Officials turned their eyes toward the center in unison.

Having set down his cup, Wen Zhong swept an expressionless gaze over the four Heavenly Officials.

"Gentlemen."

Wen Zhong lowered his voice a little.

"I told you not to go easy on him. Do not go easy on him. This question is too simple. Ask something harder."

The old Heavenly Official hastily nodded, his expression utterly sincere.

"Yes, yes, yes. You're absolutely right, Heavenly Venerable. We won't go easy on him. Absolutely not."

Then he turned toward Wen Ning, cleared his throat, and put on a stern face again.

"Candidate Wen Ning, I will now ask you a genuinely difficult question. Are you ready?"

Wen Ning swallowed and nodded nervously.

The old Heavenly Official took a deep breath, summoned every ounce of strength he had to put on his sternest expression, and asked, one word at a time,

"What is three times seven?"

The entire interview room went quiet.

Officer Zhang secretly kicked the old Heavenly Official beneath the table.

The old Heavenly Official's expression never changed. He even shot a glare back: Don't you understand what the Heavenly Venerable means? If he doesn't pass this interview today, we'll all be reassigned elsewhere.

The young Heavenly Official lowered his head and pretended to take notes, though he hadn't written a single word in his booklet.

Wen Ning opened his mouth. He looked at the four Heavenly Officials solemnly awaiting his answer, then at his godfather in the center, holding his teacup as the horizontal crease between his brows twitched.

Suddenly, he wasn't nervous anymore. He even felt like laughing.

"Twenty-one."

When Wen Ning finally answered, all four Heavenly Officials breathed a collective sigh of relief. The old Heavenly Official led the applause, and the other three joined in, filling the interview room with scattered clapping. As he applauded, the old Heavenly Official exclaimed,

"Excellent! Solid fundamentals and quick reactions. This is exactly the kind of talent the Thunder Department needs."

"Indeed, indeed. Clear reasoning and fluent expression."

Heavenly Official Zhang chimed in from beside him.

"I think his overall abilities are outstanding. He is fully qualified to work in the Thunder Department," the third Heavenly Official declared firmly.

The young Heavenly Official closed his booklet, stood up, and respectfully cupped his hands toward Wen Zhong.

"Heavenly Venerable, we unanimously agree that candidate Wen Ning performed exceptionally well in his interview. What do you think?"

Holding his teacup, Wen Zhong turned his gaze to Wen Ning.

Wen Ning looked back at him.

Father and son exchanged a glance across the long table.

"Very well. You've all been perfectly fair."

His voice was as low and deep as ever, but Wen Ning caught a trace of relief in it, as though a weight had been lifted.

Hearing Wen Zhong's words, the four Heavenly Officials also let out a sigh of relief. What a thoroughly satisfying interview this had been.

The old Heavenly Official immediately picked up his brush to write something in his booklet. But Wen Zhong raised a hand to stop him, his gaze returning to Wen Ning.

"Wen Ning."

He called Wen Ning's name, his tone suddenly turning very formal.

"You have one more question. This one is for you alone."

Wen Ning reined in the elation he'd been feeling and sat up straight.

"How does your godfather compare to that God of Wealth?"

At Wen Zhong's question, the four Heavenly Officials hardly dared to breathe. The old Heavenly Official's brush froze in midair, while the young Heavenly Official lowered his head and pretended he didn't exist.

Standing there before Wen Zhong, whom he had called his godfather for over twenty years, Wen Ning suddenly felt his throat tighten.

He hadn't known his godfather actually existed before. If not for this interview, who could have known that the Celestial Court was real? Otherwise, he wouldn't have run his mouth at the office.

Now this man sat across from him in purple official robes, lightning glimmering in his eyes.

Wen Ning raised his head and looked his godfather in the eye.

"My godfather is definitely more powerful than the God of Wealth."

As soon as he said it, he felt it sounded too affected, so he hurriedly added, "I just didn't know any better back then."

All four Heavenly Officials turned their eyes toward Wen Zhong in unison.

Wen Zhong remained silent for a long time—so long that the old Heavenly Official could barely keep hold of his brush, so long that Officer Zhang began pretending to straighten his clothes.

Then Wen Zhong stood up, walked around the long table, and stopped in front of Wen Ning.

He was more than half a head taller than Wen Ning, and stood there like a mountain.

Then he reached out and gave Wen Ning a measured smack on the back of his head, neither too hard nor too soft.

"As long as you know."

Wen Zhong spoke.

He withdrew his hand, turned, and walked back behind the long table. Sitting down again, he picked up his teacup and resumed his mountainlike composure.

"All right, the interview is over. Wait for me outside. You'll be notified of the results."

Wen Ning stood where he was, the warmth of his godfather's palm still lingering on the back of his head.

He froze for two seconds, then broke into a grin.

The four Heavenly Officials breathed a collective sigh of relief. The old Heavenly Official hurriedly scrawled a large line in his booklet: Overall assessment: excellent. Recommendation: immediate hire.

When Wen Ning emerged from the interview room, Lu Ming and Bai Lu both stood up. Seeing him walk out beaming, Lu Ming's eyes widened. "You passed?"

"No idea. They told me to wait for the results," Wen Ning said.

Lu Ming still couldn't quite let it go.

"What did they ask you?"

Wen Ning thought it over and decided not to mention how they had gone easy on him in the interview. It wouldn't look good, after all.

He patted Lu Ming on the shoulder and said earnestly,

"It was really hard for me too. The Thunder Department's interview style is terrifying."

Lu Ming nodded without quite understanding, but looking at how relaxed Wen Ning was, he didn't think that seemed right.

After speaking to Lu Ming, Wen Ning sat back down. His godfather had told him to wait, so he didn't dare leave first. Besides, he didn't know how to get back on his own.

Seeing that Wen Ning hadn't left, Lu Ming asked curiously,

"Why aren't you heading back?"

Wen Ning looked up at Lu Ming.

"You haven't left either. My godfather told me to stay."

When Wen Ning pointed out that he hadn't left either, Lu Ming scratched his head sheepishly.

"Heh, my ancestor told me to wait a bit and not rush off."

Wen Ning glanced at Lu Ming and understood. This was probably another guy looking to get in through connections.