Chapter 49 Candidates

Li Ya sat lazily on the hotel bed, casting a casual glance at her classmates who were having a great time playing around.

Then, she muttered into the video call on her phone to Li Ping'an, "Brother, I can't seem to focus on reading at all. I don't know what's wrong, but neither I nor my classmates feel any sense of tension. How should I put it? It feels less like we're here to take the high school entrance exams, and more like we're all out on a group vacation."

Hearing his younger sister's words, Li Ping'an's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't dare to make a sound in response.

He muttered inwardly: *Of course, back when I took my own high school entrance exams, didn't my classmates have that exact same mindset? If anything, it was even worse.* Puppy love was a common occurrence, and every few days a student would get caught red-handed by the teachers.

"You are forbidden from sneaking out alone, understand?" Li Ping'an put on a stern face and instructed seriously.

"Oh, Big Brother, you're overthinking it. How could I possibly manage to slip out?" Li Ya waved her hand dismissively. "You have no idea. The teachers are taking turns guarding the hotel entrance 24 hours a day, and there are teachers patrolling constantly. It's impossible to run away even if I wanted to."

"Never mind the others, just stay put and behave yourself. Don't make me come and pick you up from the teachers later. That's all for now, I have business to attend to this afternoon." With that, Li Ping'an hung up the video call.

Li Ping'an raised his head and said to the taxi driver, "Driver, please give me a heads-up when we're close, I'm going to take a nap."

"You got it," the driver replied cheerfully.

It was right around lunchtime, a time when people naturally felt drowsy, and coupled with the increasingly warm weather, sleepiness was simply irresistible. No sooner had Li Ping'an closed his eyes than he fell into a deep sleep.

"Hey? ... Wake up, wake up."

"We've arrived at your destination."

Half-asleep, Li Ping'an woke up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling as though he had just dozed off only to be immediately woken up.

After getting out of the car, Li Ping'an casually paid the fare through a mobile app. Standing by the roadside, he looked up and spotted the striking signboard of the headhunting firm.

Checking the time, it was only a little past one o'clock, not yet two. People probably hadn't even returned from lunch yet.

Coincidentally, there was a bubble tea shop right next door. Without a second thought, Li Ping'an walked inside and ordered a cup of iced juice to wake himself up.

Meanwhile, across the street inside the headhunting firm's small reception room, Wu Wenbin, who had arrived first, was quietly observing his three subsequent competitors.

To his utter surprise, counting himself, there was only one female among the candidates. That woman appeared to be in her thirties, exuding an air of mature competence from head to toe—clearly a seasoned veteran of the workplace.

Just as Wu Wenbin was secretly appraising the others, the rest weren't idle either, likewise observing one another with concealed scrutiny.

Time slipped quietly by. A subtle atmosphere hung heavy in the small reception room; nobody took the initiative to introduce themselves or engage in any communication.

At that moment, hearing some commotion at the door, all four of them almost simultaneously raised their heads to look outside.

"Hello, sir, who are you looking for?" the receptionist asked politely.

"I'm looking for Liu Liu, I'm from Zhifang Technology Co., Ltd.," Li Ping'an replied.

"Ah, Mr. Li. I'll notify Liu Liu right away. This way, please. All the candidates have already arrived."

With a backpack slung over his shoulder, Li Ping'an cast a casual glance around and asked indifferently, "How many people are there?"

"Four," the receptionist answered.

"Four? Then have them all come over together," Li Ping'an said calmly.

"Alright."

The receptionist acknowledged and promptly led Li Ping'an into the conference room, pouring him a cup of hot tea. Before she even had a chance to go knock on the door to inform them, the four people in the tiny reception room had already alertly stood up.

Accustomed to the scene, the receptionist merely smiled, nodded, and said, "This way, please, everyone. They requested a joint interview."

Just then, Liu Liu, having received the notification, walked over. After exchanging a slight nod with the receptionist, she led the four interviewees into the conference room.

"Hello, Mr. Li. I'm Liu Liu, the one who spoke with you over the phone earlier," Liu Liu said with a professional smile and a polite tone.

"Hello."

Li Ping'an politely stood up and greeted Liu Liu and the four candidates one by one with courteous demeanor. He knew very well that since he was currently on the headhunting firm's turf rather than his own home ground, a certain degree of humility and etiquette was still necessary.

With everyone present, Li Ping'an, who had always been decisive and disliked dragging things out, didn't want to beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Since everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point. Regarding the work location, it will be in Luzhou, but the specific site..."

Saying this, Li Ping'an shrugged slightly and continued:

"It hasn't been determined yet. And that will also be the very first task for whichever of the four of you successfully gets hired—finding a suitable office location for the company."

He paused, sweeping his gaze across the group.

"The company's current situation is that, aside from me, there are no other employees yet. Furthermore, because the firm is still in its initial establishment phase, the starting annual salary for the first year might not be very high, roughly between 500,000 and 600,000. However, once the company gradually expands and gets on track later on, salaries will naturally increase. Well, as for the other detailed requirements, I believe Liu Liu has already informed you in advance."

With that, Li Ping'an paused briefly once more, letting his eyes sweep across their faces again before continuing:

"Now, if anyone feels the conditions are unsuitable and wishes to leave, please feel free—"

Li Ping'an had expected someone to stand up and leave, especially since, according to the basic profiles provided by the headrunner, these individuals had enjoyed quite substantial annual salaries previously and might find it hard to accept such compensation packages.

However, to his slight surprise, no one made a move.

Seeing that nobody left, the corners of Li Ping'an's mouth curled up slightly into a faint smile as he spoke:

"Since no one is leaving, please introduce yourselves in turn, and by the way, mention your respective strengths."

...

After listening to the self-introductions of the four candidates, Li Ping'an fell into deep thought.

Seeing Li Ping'an deep in thought, all four candidates grew nervous. Every single one of them ... needed a job. Even if the pay was lower.

"Ms. Sun, I'm sorry, but I don't consider your youth and unmarried status to be an advantage."

"The company has a lot of things to handle in the next few years, and overtime will likely be the norm."

Upon hearing this, Sun Li didn't say much. She simply nodded, offered a polite greeting, and withdrew from the conference room. Even though she could have lied and claimed she was already married, doing so would undoubtedly have jeopardized the career prospects of other future female employees in the company.