The Interviews Were Already Over

The young man froze for a moment, and the people around them all turned to look.

Qinggang didn't care if they watched. Plenty of people knew he and Rice Cake had fallen out, so there was no need to stay polite.

The young man's expression soured at the interrogation, but he remembered he was here for an interview and didn't want any trouble.

"Hello. Is there something you need?"

Qinggang was displeased. Of course he had his reasons for asking. "Just answer the question. You're Rice Cake, aren't you?"

The young man wasn't part of this gaming community and knew nothing about Qinggang's feud with Rice Cake. He looked at him in bewilderment. "What are you even talking about?"

The female streamer beside him spoke up to help. "You've got the wrong person, haven't you? He's not Rice Cake."

Qinggang eyed them suspiciously. "Really?"

The young man clenched his fists, looking at him as though he were a rabid dog. "Are you out of your mind? What's your problem? What does my name have to do with you?"

Qinggang had been rebuffed. Since the young man didn't seem to be lying, he gave a couple of dismissive snorts. "Fine, then you're not."

The young man was about to say more when he saw the recruitment assistant walk in through the glass doors. "Applicant number four, please come with me to the interview room."

Having witnessed the entire exchange, Yu Nian watched Qinggang walk over, looking utterly confident, without any of the nervousness or solemnity the other applicants showed.

That made sense. Qinggang had plenty of followers. Even after ending his contract with Huajia, there would still be plenty of platforms willing to take him.

Yu Nian checked the number card in his hand: ten.

It looked as though he wouldn't get through his interview before noon.

Still, Little Huang had said lunch was provided here. Anyone who hadn't been interviewed by eleven would receive a meal voucher. In that respect, at least, the company wasn't stingy.

Yu Nian sat without talking to anyone, only occasionally looking down at his phone or up at the corridor outside.

Qinggang's interview was quick. He came out in less than twenty minutes.

As he passed the waiting room, his eyes happened to meet Yu Nian's. The instant Qinggang saw him, resentment crossed his face, but he quickly resumed his contemptuous air.

Yu Nian paused. He didn't want a direct confrontation with Qinggang. The man looked like the sort who would be as irritating as a fly, and Yu Nian certainly didn't want him ruining his interview.

That was why he had only watched earlier, rather than stepping forward to identify himself.

But judging by that look, had Qinggang already figured out who he was?

Yu Nian grew wary, afraid Qinggang would charge in and confront him just for a moment's satisfaction.

To his surprise, Qinggang didn't come in. Instead, he sauntered off.

Quiet murmurs rose behind him. "What's he so smug about? He's acting like he's already been hired."

"Qinggang? I know him. He's disgusting. I got matched with him in a game before..."

The wait was so long that some of the applicants had gotten acquainted and begun chatting quietly.

The next applicant had already been called over before Qinggang came out, but he wasn't number five. He was number twelve.

Back when Yu Nian was still unknown, signing with Huajia had been a casual affair. The pay wasn't high, but the process was simple. All he had to do was arrange it online and sign the contract sent by mail.

This was his first interview at a big company, and he didn't really understand why they weren't going in numerical order.

To be safe, he messaged Little Huang to ask.

Little Huang might have been busy, because it took quite a while for him to reply.

Little Huang: They're not going in order? That's pretty normal, though.

Little Huang: Management might have shuffled the order to test how well you adapt, or there might be some other reason.

Little Huang: Prepare well. Good luck!

Only then did Yu Nian feel reassured, and he sent a sticker to thank him.

Once the order was shuffled, quite a few applicants became visibly nervous, afraid they might be next. They all took out their résumés to look them over again.

Yu Nian couldn't help feeling tense, either. He tried to calm himself down, mentally rehearsing how best to phrase his answers.

More applicants even trickled in during the wait, while others left after finishing their interviews.

At noon, everyone was taken to the cafeteria for lunch together. After returning, they waited through the afternoon.

No more applicants entered the waiting room. The people inside simply dwindled one by one.

Seeing that he wouldn't have time to get back for class, Yu Nian asked his student advisor for leave.

By the time the last person beside him was called out, even his considerable patience had nearly worn thin.

Although the numbers were random, coming so early only to end up last was still awfully unlucky.

The previous applicant had been gone for far too long, leaving him uneasy. After sitting in the waiting room for several hours, he was already getting angry.

Another half hour passed. It was almost five thirty, and still no one had called him.

Unable to stand it any longer, Yu Nian got up and went out.

Even with his limited knowledge of interviews, he knew this was far too unreasonable.

They hadn't specified exact times. They had handed number cards to applicants arriving in the same time slot, then called those numbers at random, leaving people waiting pointlessly all day.

He looked both ways down the corridor but saw no one.

Yu Nian had gone out to use the restroom earlier, so he had a rough idea of where the interview office was.

He headed that way and spotted a staff member outside an office.

Despite his frustration, he remained courteous as he addressed her. "Hello, could you tell me which office the interviews are in?"

The employee was a woman in her twenties who was hurrying downstairs. At his question, she said in surprise, "You're here for an interview?"

Yu Nian nodded.

She looked even more surprised and glanced down at her watch. "Didn't the interviews end at five? Almost everyone's gone home."

Yu Nian stood frozen in disbelief. "How could that be? Nobody notified me."

The employee was puzzled, too. "Come on. I'll take you over to check."

Yu Nian hurried after her, an inexplicable mix of distress and indignation rising inside him.

They reached the interview room, but the door was already locked. A glass window in it gave them a view inside.

The employee beckoned him over. "See? There's no one left."

Through the window, Yu Nian saw several tables and chairs in the dim room, but not a single person.

He pressed his lips together, his face paling. "How could this happen..."

Seeing how hurt he looked, the employee couldn't help asking, "Wasn't anyone in contact with you earlier? Didn't anyone notify you?"

Yu Nian had worked plenty of part-time jobs and endured plenty of unfair treatment, but he still found this moment hard to accept.

It was as though he'd been made a fool of.

He wasn't desperate to work at Sea Star. But he was an applicant, after all, and they had been so irresponsible as to simply leave him sitting there.

Not only had they wasted his time, they hadn't even bothered to give him any final notice. If he hadn't come out to ask, he might have waited until dark.

This company was far too unreliable.

The more Yu Nian thought about it, the angrier he became. He found Little Huang on WeChat and explained what had happened.

Little Huang called him immediately.

"What? You didn't get interviewed?"