At this moment, He Xiaoyuan had no idea he had been rejected.
Exiting the Twin Star Tower, he looked up at the towering building, feeling both awed and uncertain about whether he would ever work there.
On the subway back to campus, he exchanged WeChat messages with Xu Ruomeng.
Xu Ruomeng: “Xiaoyuan, how did the interview go?”
Finding a seat in the relatively empty car, he replied, “So-so.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Not feeling confident?”
He Xiaoyuan: “Really, just so-so.”
He explained to her that two of the interviewers seemed uninterested in him, giving him an uneasy feeling.
Xu Ruomeng: “? No way. I thought our company’s interviews were fair.”
He Xiaoyuan didn’t imply it was unfair—just that he had an instinctive sense.
Xu Ruomeng: “I have a couple of HR contacts; I’ll try to find out for you.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Don’t worry, you’ll get the offer.”
He Xiaoyuan: “Kitty nod.jpg”
Holding his phone, he thought back to the interview and laughed nervously at how unsure he felt. Forget it, it’s done now.
That evening, the management trainee interview materials were placed on Lu Chen’s desk. Busy as always, he left them aside for the time being.
Around 11 p.m., Qiao Sihang knocked, informing him the car was downstairs. Lu Chen stood with one hand in his pocket, flipping through the stack of interview materials with the other hand. He moved quickly, scanning the photo section. When he heard Qiao Sihang, he hummed in acknowledgment and continued.
Among the sheets, one small photo caught his attention—a young man with delicate, handsome features. Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly; he removed the sheet from the stack, held it, and put on his jacket, stepping out of the office.
Qiao Sihang tilted his head. Whose material is he taking? What’s special about this candidate?
He didn’t ask, glancing at the remaining stack on the desk. Tomorrow, when the materials returned, it would be clear who was missing. For now, he was simply curious about Lu Chen’s unusual behavior.
In the back of a black Maybach, the reading light illuminated Lu Chen as he silently studied the interview sheet.
He Xiaoyuan
C University, Management graduate
21 years old, O blood type, 183 cm tall
On paper, his credentials were unimpressive to a Yale graduate like Lu Chen, though his perfect GPA highlighted his academic excellence.
The lower half of the sheet showed the preliminary and second-round results—pass. For the final round, two of four interviewers voted pass, two voted reject. The final result: not selected.
Lu Chen’s dark eyes scanned the “not selected” note, then lingered on the small ID photo at the top left.
The photo was standard, the young man looking straight ahead with alert eyes. Though slightly different from what Lu Chen had seen in the elevator earlier, the live person was naturally more vibrant. Every detail—features, expression, appearance—mesmerized him, especially the eyes. The eyelid crease was natural and curved beautifully, the irises light brown in natural light, perfectly matching Lu Chen’s aesthetic. He couldn’t look away.
His lips twitched slightly at the memory of that boy.
For He Xiaoyuan, the wait was tense. No emails, no messages from SupraSys, and Xu Ruomeng had no updates either.
Day two: still nothing.
Xu Ruomeng: “It’ll be soon, wait a little longer.”
Day three: silence again.
Xu Ruomeng: “I’m still asking… looks like the results are out; some people have already received notifications.”
By the fourth, fifth, and sixth days, still nothing.
On the seventh day, He Xiaoyuan sighed: “Alright, I get it… I didn’t get it.”
Xu Ruomeng, however, hadn’t given up. She sent him a voice message: “There’s still another round of notifications today!”
He Xiaoyuan: “It’s okay.”
He figured it was fine—after all, he still had other offers in hand.
Sitting at his desk in the dorm, flipping between his offers, he pondered which one to choose. Suddenly, his phone rang—a number he didn’t recognize.
He picked up. “Hello, may I ask who this is?”
The voice on the other end: “Hello, this is SupraSys.”
He Xiaoyuan straightened his slouch, unconsciously gripping the phone tighter, and said again, “Hello.”
The caller continued: “During your third interview, our leaders felt your assessment wasn’t fully enough. We’d like to schedule a fourth interview with you. Would that be possible?”
He Xiaoyuan froze. A fourth interview? Another round?
He felt a little puzzled but replied, “Sure, that’s fine.”
Caller: “When would you be available?”
He Xiaoyuan: “I’m free anytime.”
Caller: “How about this afternoon?”
He quickly glanced at the computer—already 1 PM.
He Xiaoyuan: “I can… though I’d have to take the subway over…”
The caller politely interrupted: “We’ll send a car for you. Just give us your address.”
He Xiaoyuan blinked. A car?
Within a minute, fully dressed, he stood outside his dorm, still processing: Fourth interview… another round… and a car comes to pick me up?
He couldn’t help but think: SupraSys really takes campus recruitment seriously.
Soon, a sleek black business car arrived. The driver got out, circled the front, and asked, “He Xiaoyuan?”
He Xiaoyuan: “Yes, that’s me.”
The driver opened the door for him. “Please, get in.”
This time, he was taken directly to the 36th floor of SupraSys, bypassing the 16th. Upon arrival, someone was waiting at the elevator to confirm his name and personally escort him to the interview.
Walking down the unfamiliar hallway, He Xiaoyuan’s heart raced. He didn’t know if he’d be the only candidate or if there were others.
At a door, he entered a room with gray glass on three sides. A young man sat behind the desk, looking at him.
He Xiaoyuan guessed this was his interviewer. Across from the desk was only one empty chair—so it seemed he was the only one being interviewed this afternoon.
“Hello,” He Xiaoyuan greeted himself inwardly, nodding politely and confidently.
The interviewer gestured for him to sit and smiled: “Hi, please have a seat.”
Looking down at the materials briefly, he looked up again and asked, calmly, “He Xiaoyuan?”
He Xiaoyuan responded, meeting his gaze: “Yes, that’s me.”
Behind the gray glass, Lu Chen stood silently, hands in his pockets. He was close enough to see He Xiaoyuan clearly, though the candidate couldn’t see him.
From that brief glance in the elevator and the photo on the interview sheet, Lu Chen now had a full view of the young man—
Eyes like stars, straight nose, red lips, flawless features.
When speaking, he maintained eye contact, long, thick lashes framing eyes that seemed naturally lined, making them bright and alert. His irises were light, soft, almost like a small animal’s, giving a gentle, obedient impression. His posture was upright, reflecting his upbringing.
Although the glass blocked sound, Lu Chen could read the clarity and coherence of He Xiaoyuan’s speech through his expressions, posture, and rhythm.
The boy’s aura reflected simplicity, cleanliness, and… obedience.
Lu Chen watched quietly, lips twitching with a faint smile.
Was this boy simply fitting his aesthetic perfectly—or was it… love at first sight for him?
He didn’t consider himself someone easily swayed by beauty, but at this moment, and even at that brief elevator glance days ago, he had to admit: he could feel his heart stir unexpectedly, in an unpredictable place, at an unpredictable time.
Qiao Sihang, Lu Chen’s assistant, was conducting the interview. After the discussion, he glanced at his phone, then looked at He Xiaoyuan with a smile:
“It went well talking with you. Congratulations—you’re hired.”
Stepping out of the elevator and exiting the building, He Xiaoyuan immediately messaged Xu Ruomeng:
He Xiaoyuan: “MoeMoe, I got it! I got the offer!”
Xu Ruomeng: “!!!”
Xu Ruomeng: “Ahhhhhh!”
Xu Ruomeng: “I knew it! I knew you’d make it!”
Xu Ruomeng: “Hug.jpg”“Spin.jpg”“CrazyKiss.jpg”
Xu Ruomeng: “We have to celebrate! We’re going to be colleagues!”
Xu Ruomeng: “Wow, I’m so happy! So happy!”
Xu Ruomeng: “Throwing confetti.jpg”“Whistle.jpg”“Screaming.jpg”
He Xiaoyuan was thrilled too. Out in the bright sunlight with people passing by, he couldn’t exactly make an overly conspicuous display, so he quietly celebrated in his heart with several mental “yes!”s.
Once the excitement settled, he headed toward the subway, gradually calming down.
As he calmed, a thought struck him—after being notified of his acceptance, the interviewer hadn’t let him leave immediately. Instead, he was handed a blank sheet of paper to fill out.
It was unusual, like a school dictation exercise: the interviewer asked a question, and he wrote an answer. All the prompts were about likes and dislikes—favorite foods, least favorite foods; favorite animals or plants, least favorite ones; what kinds of people he liked or disliked, and so on.
At the time, caught up in the quiet joy of receiving the offer, he had answered everything honestly without much thought. Now, thinking back…
Company surveys its employees this broadly?
Wow, such a thoughtful and humane environment. No wonder it’s SupraSys.