Su Mianmian wasn't nervous at first. But after being bombarded with questions by the beautiful woman earlier, her palms started sweating. Just then, Tang Yunzheng called.
Su Mianmian wasn't in the mood to answer, but he kept calling relentlessly. She finally pressed the answer button. "Su Mianmian, what's wrong? Why didn't you answer my call for so long?" Su Mianmian glanced at the people in front of her; it shouldn't be her turn so soon.
She sighed. "Waiting for an interview. Just say what's up." "An interview? You're planning an internship?" Su Mianmian hummed in agreement. "What's up?" Tang Yunzheng clicked his tongue. "Can't I contact you if there's nothing wrong? Even if you're married, you should still have a normal social circle." Su Mianmian didn't want to listen to his rambling. "If it's nothing important, I'm hanging up." "Hey, wait!" Tang Yunzheng called out urgently. "I'd like to invite you to dinner. When are you free?"
Su Mianmian refused directly. "I don't want to eat with you."
Tang Yunzheng was taken aback, taking a few seconds to recover. "Su Mianmian, I know I shouldn't have called you heartless last time. The fact that you didn't pursue Lin Jiaojiao shows that you're still the kind and lovely person I remember."
After Tang Yunzheng's outburst in the hospital room, Gu Yizhou said he would give him control over how to deal with Lin Jiaojiao's group. Su Mianmian hadn't asked about it since. Now that Tang Yunzheng brought it up, Su Mianmian suddenly became curious about Gu Yizhou's approach.
"What happened to them?" Tang Yunzheng asked. "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but the manager and Lin Can seem to have been sentenced. Lin Can's family has been pulling strings to plead with your husband these past few days." Lin Can was also sentenced?
Su Mianmian had only heard Gu Yizhou on the phone say he was going to send Manager Cen and the security guard who assaulted her to jail, not Lin Can. Could it be because Lin Can hit her with a beer bottle? Thinking of this, Su Mianmian's heart softened.
"What about Lin Jiaojiao?" Tang Yunzheng sighed. "Thankfully, your husband showed leniency. She was only detained for three days, wrote an apology letter, and just gave it to me yesterday to pass on to you. That's why I invited you to dinner."
Three days of detention and an apology letter. That's a small punishment, isn't it? Su Mianmian remembered what Gu Yizhou had said—"As long as you protect yourself, you can always be kind. Remember, I'll always have your back."
Recalling those words again, Su Mianmian still couldn't hide her inner turmoil. "Don't give me the apology letter, I don't want to see it. That's it." Su Mianmian hung up the phone after saying that. Just then, a female employee wearing a name tag from Huarui Company called her name.
She stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked into the interview room. There were three interviewers inside, two men and one woman. When Su Mianmian placed her resume in front of the interviewers, she deliberately observed the one in the middle.
He was a very young man, his hair neatly combed, and his white shirt buttoned up perfectly.
His features were striking, yet sharp. He was unsmiling, and his piercing gaze casually glanced at Su Mianmian's resume before gently lifting and settling on her. Su Mianmian glanced at the gold-embossed name tag in front of him—He Suyan, Manager of the Language Department.
"Good morning, interviewers. I'm Su Mianmian, currently a third-year French major at University A. I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to interview for a translation job at your company." After Su Mianmian finished speaking, the male interviewer on her left spoke first.
"Your application shows that you major in French, and you are also fluent in English and Korean. Could you please introduce yourself in each of the three languages?" Su Mianmian nodded and gave a clear and fluent self-introduction in each of the three languages.
Her voice was gentle, and her pronunciation was very standard. The words she uttered sounded like beautiful musical notes. Su Mianmian saw the interviewer who had asked her the question give her a satisfied smile after she finished speaking.
Before Su Mianmian could even breathe a sigh of relief, the female interviewer on her right followed up with her question. "May I ask, Ms. Su, what were your thoughts when you first chose French as your major? And what was your mindset when you applied for the translator position at our company?"
Su Mianmian hesitated for two seconds, a shy smile appearing on her face. "I initially chose French as my major because I like its pronunciation; it sounds beautiful."
"As for applying for the translator position…" Su Mianmian had prepared thoroughly for this question at home, so her answer was easy. The last question was finally asked by He Suyan, the language department manager.
Su Mianmian felt inexplicably nervous and quietly swallowed. "Ms. Su seems quite shy. The translation profession often requires excellent communication skills. I wonder if you can handle the job?"
He Suyan's eyes were indeed sharp; Su Mianmian usually gave the impression of being well-behaved and shy.
She thought for a moment, "Because I don't have much interview experience, I might be a little nervous. Shyness is only a small part of my personality, not the whole thing. I also believe that this minor flaw won't hinder my effective communication at work."
…When Su Mianmian left Huarui Company, she realized her palms were slightly sweaty. The interviewer said that if she was successful, they would call her at the latest the day after tomorrow. She took out her phone and saw several messages from Tang Yunzheng.
"Mianmian, don't take my words about you being heartless to heart last time. I was just anxious."
"Regarding Lin Jiaojiao, I only did it out of pity for her. After all, I was close to her for a few days. But don't misunderstand, there's nothing else. I won't contact her again."
"Also, this time, that guy surnamed Gu did a pretty good job. It's clear he cares about you. But I'll say it again: if he treats you badly later, remember, I'll always be there for you."
After reading them, Su Mianmian thought Tang Yunzheng's brain was really a bit off. She deleted the message expressionlessly. She bought Song Zhi's favorite snacks and milk tea outside the school and returned just in time for lunch.
Song Zhi immediately gave Su Mianmian a big hug and then carefully checked the recovery of Su Mianmian's forehead. "Luckily, luckily, the scar isn't very noticeable; it should disappear after a while."
Noticing her new hairstyle, she feigned surprise, "Mianmian, your new bangs are great! You look even cuter!" Cuter?
Su Mianmian used to quite like being described that way, but remembering being mistaken for a high school student at Gu's yesterday, and then being immediately recognized as a college student by that beautiful woman at Huarui today, she felt a little disheartened.
"Zhizhi, do you think if I get the job at Huarui, I should dress more maturely?" Song Zhi's almond-shaped eyes widened. "Why?" Su Mianmian sighed and recounted the events of the past two days to Song Zhi.
"At work, wouldn't looking too young give off an unprofessional impression? In private, if I walk next to Gu Yizhou, wouldn't I make him look too old?" She hadn't thought too much about it when Manager Qin mentioned yesterday that she was Gu Yizhou's niece.
But she hadn't expected the whole company to find out, and even discuss it privately in group chats. Gu Yizhou must have felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing those comments calling her his niece.
So, that's why she half-heartedly agreed to be with him yesterday… Song Zhi, who had just taken a sip of milk tea, almost spat it out upon hearing this. "Old? Your Mr. Z is in his prime, he doesn't look old at all!" "But you said everyone at the Gu Group says you're Mr. Z's niece?"
Song Zhi couldn't stop laughing. "From your description of your outfits yesterday, it really does have a vivid picture." Su Mianmian nodded vigorously. "Right? You also think I should dress more maturely, right?"
After laughing, Song Zhi pinched Su Mianmian's soft, delicate cheeks. "No need. You're naturally cute, and your personality is adorable too. It has little to do with what you wear. So many people try to look younger but can't quite pull it off."
Song Zhi leaned close to Su Mianmian's ear as she spoke. "Besides, maybe your Mr. Z likes you just the way you are. He blow-dries your hair and feeds you breakfast. I think he enjoys it. He treats his wife like a daughter, isn't that great?"
The phrase "treats his wife like a daughter" instantly made Su Mianmian blush. Su Mianmian remembered the expression on Gu Yizhou's face whenever he called her "darling" and praised her for being so cute; it really did resemble a doting elder.
She didn't say anything more and took out Xue Jing's autographed photo from her bag and gave it to Song Zhi. Song Zhi stared at the photo again and again. "Wow, Mianmian, Xue Jing is so beautiful! Those big eyes are like they're electrifying!"
Su Mianmian nodded in agreement. "She's even prettier in person than in the photos, and she has such a great personality. I was telling Gu Yizhou yesterday that someone like her is a true winner in life." "Huh?
Su Mianmian, are you out of your mind? Praising another woman in front of your husband!" Su Mianmian blinked. "So what? I'm just telling the truth."
Seeing Song Zhi's disdainful expression, Su Mianmian added, "But Gu Yizhou said back then that I dance better than her, have a cuter personality, and most importantly, I have such an amazing husband like him, so I'm a winner in life too."
Although she was quite drunk at the time, she still remembered what Gu Yizhou had said. Upon hearing this, Song Zhi's mouth immediately formed an "O" shape. "I didn't realize Mr. Z, who seems so serious on the surface, could be so charming!"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she teasingly nudged Su Mianmian's shoulder. "Wait a minute, how did Mr. Z know you can dance? Did you dance for him at home?"
Su Mianmian's face flushed instantly. "How could that be? He said he saw our school's anniversary celebration last year." "He remembered you from the anniversary celebration?"
Song Zhi suddenly covered her mouth, a shocked expression on her face as if she had just discovered a secret. "Su Mianmian, Mr. Z wouldn't have fallen for you back then, would he?!"