Chapter 33: It's All 3000 Anyway

"Really? I haven't read much, big brother, don't try to fool me."

"Why would I fool you? If I lie, I'm a puppy."

Li Ping'an rubbed his nose and thought to himself, I'm not fooling you. Every university is like this. Back in high school, the head teacher's favorite thing to instill in us was the idea that "it'll be comfortable once you get to college." At the time, all the students naively believed the teacher. In reality, once you reach university, you realize it’s not easy at all. Endless classes, never-ending lab reports, and all sorts of projects. Of course, some people believed it and chose to slack off. The result? Most ended up failing courses, or even leaving with only a certificate of completion instead of a diploma or degree.

"Be safe on the way home, and don't go running around with classmates."

"I know, I know. Why have you become such a nag, brother?"

"Don't complain about my nagging. If I find out you're running around, I'll cut your allowance."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Li Ya, who had just stepped out of the school gate, widened her eyes. "Wow! You're so cruel, brother! You actually want to dock your little sister's allowance."

"Alright, that's enough for now. I'm still working; I have to interview employees tonight. Oh, and by the way, leave the equipment in my room alone. I'm using it to back up data."

"Got it, brother."

Hanging up the phone, Li Ya saw her classmates swarming toward the bus. She wasn't about to lose out, so she tucked her head and rushed in. If she missed this bus, she’d have to wait another half hour for the next one!

When she got home, she saw the door was unlocked. Li Ya wasn't surprised; her brother had told her to come home every week. He had hired their aunt to cook and clean. Thinking of her aunt, Li Ya suddenly remembered she needed to tell her not to turn off the power in the house.

Night fell like a vast, black silk curtain. Outside Room 201 of the Shumu University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubation Base, over twenty expectant students had already gathered, even though the scheduled interview time hadn't arrived yet.

There were men and women. They sized each other up, their gazes meeting with no warm greetings, but rather a hint of unspoken wariness. The very air seemed to thicken with this silence. Zhang Ting, who had just arrived, was busy psyching herself up when she unexpectedly caught sight of a familiar face from her class.

"Zhang Ting?" her classmate spoke first, a note of surprise in their tone. "You saw the post on the forum too?" This question broke the brief silence.

"Yes," Zhang Ting replied softly, giving a short nod. For a moment, neither spoke, and the air between them grew even more stifling. Each extra person meant more competition. They were both calculating, quietly weighing their own advantages against the other, both wanting to come out on top in this interview.

Just as things were getting awkward, the door to Room 201 creaked open without warning. Li Ping'an, who was planning to head out to grab a bite to eat, was stunned to see a sea of people standing at the door. He stood frozen in place, his face full of astonishment. Wait, it wasn't even 6:00 yet, was it? Why was everyone already here?

"Are you all here for the interview?" Li Ping'an blurted out.

"Yes," the group replied in unison, their voices perfectly synchronized.

"Uh... you guys are really early," Li Ping'an scratched his head, stepping aside to make room. "Well, since you're here, come on in and have a seat."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the twenty or so people flooded into Room 201 like a tide. Li Ping'an, who had just felt the space was quite spacious and more than sufficient, suddenly felt the room become cramped. Indeed, people have a strange obsession with "bigger."

"Everyone, which of you are here to interview for the finance intern position?" Li Ping'an cleared his throat and raised his voice. Three hands slowly went up. Li Ping'an scanned them, nodded slightly, and said softly, "Who wants to go first?"

With that, he turned and walked into a small cubicle, sitting down quietly to wait for the first candidate. Outside, Zhang Ting glanced at her classmate. She knew that being the first to interview was usually the most stressful and disadvantageous. But thinking of this hard-won opportunity, she gritted her teeth and steeled herself. She resolutely stepped past her classmate, strode toward the cubicle, and gently pulled the door shut, locking her nerves and hesitation outside to face this challenge alone.

"No need to be so nervous; we're all classmates here."

Li Ping'an shouldn't have said that; it only made Zhang Ting more nervous.

...

By eight o'clock that evening, after interviewing the last student interested in the internship, Li Ping'an's desk was covered in resumes. He set a few of them aside separately. Closing the door to Room 201, he picked up the pile he had set aside, feeling hesitant. To be honest, every one of these resumes was outstanding. Once these students entered the workforce, it would be almost impossible to hire talent with the same capabilities for the same price. Not to mention, these students were only choosing an on-campus internship to help with their postgraduate entrance exam studies. This meant he couldn't keep them long-term.

Especially for the finance role, after much deliberation, Li Ping'an decided to hire two people! They could supervise each other! And these two couldn't be from the same class. As for the graphic design and front-end development roles, Li Ping'an chose to hire three people for each! It was only 3,000 a month anyway. If it weren't for the limited space, he would have hired even more. After all, more people meant faster iteration for his pet game. As a boss, he would never lose out.

This hiring spree, which far exceeded his original plan, meant that having eight people working in this small space would inevitably be crowded. But he figured they wouldn't mind.

Having finalized his selections, Li Ping'an began calling the contact numbers on the resumes one by one.

Back at the women's dormitory, Zhang Ting's roommates, who had just returned from shopping, saw her sitting on her bed, dejected and lost in thought. "Didn't get it again?" they asked with a laugh.

Just as Zhang Ting was about to speak, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Is this student Zhang Ting? I'm from Wisdom Cube Technology. You can come in and report for duty on Monday."

Zhang Ting, who didn't even know when the call had ended, felt her face flush with excitement. During the interview, she had been so nervous that she stuttered. She thought she had no chance, but to her complete surprise, she had been hired. In the dormitory, everyone had been listening in silence. Although the voice on the phone was quiet, everyone had heard it. For a moment, the expressions on the other girls' faces shifted.

On the other side, after finishing all his calls, Li Ping'an stood up and stretched, deciding to head off campus to have a good meal and treat himself.