The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal Assistant
Translator: Jury
Editor: NomNom
First Published on Chaleuria
—l
Chapter Three
The notice of acceptance arrived quickly. Ling Miao finished reading Mu Yu’s message, then punched the bed and began to laugh. “Ji Linxi, do you know? The interview is at the East Hot Springs Hotel in the south of the city!”
Ji Linxi had just experienced the concept of ‘deafening noise’ firsthand. He really wanted to retrieve a high-pressure water gun from the washroom and spray Ling Miao nice and good to dampen his excessive passion.
“Ah.” Ji Linxi heaved a long sigh. “What’s the big deal about the interview being at the East Hot Springs Hotel in the south of the city?”
“That means Shu Yang lives not far from me!”
Ji Linxi, seeing that Ling Miao was about to lift the roof off the house in his excitement, reminded Ling Miao, “When you see the Great Author, don’t get too excited. Or he will see that you’re crazy and think you escaped from an asylum and immediately fail you.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” Ling Miao flopped his hand over the edge of his bed and gently flicked the cup in his palm out. However, Ling Miao never heard the anticipated scream.
“I’m going to write.” Ling Miao spoke before Ji Linxi could mock him. Ji Linxi heaved a very long humph to express his disdain.
Ling Miao’s interview venue was the buffet hall in the East Hot Springs Hotel. As for why it was the buffet hall, not just Ling Miao but most of the interviewees did not know. Mu Yu’s answer to this question: Shu Yang picked the interview venue. Why his choice is the buffet hall, I don’t know, either!
“The Great Shu is really a strange person,” Ling Miao said as he read the reply.
On the day of the interview, Ling Miao woke up bright and early, and washed and dressed before stepping out the door. Ji Linxi looked at Ling Miao, who looked almost unrecognizable, and was stunned for a few seconds before saying: “If you hadn’t told me you were going to an interview, I’d have thought you were going on a blind date.”
Ling Miao stepped on Ji Linxi’s foot and angrily said, “Hmph, I am going on a blind date. A blind date with a job!”
“Stupid cat.” Ji Linxi met Ling Miao’s eyes and spoke coldly before heading out.
Ling Miao said to Ji Linxi’s shrinking silhouette, “Linxi, wait for me, I’m getting my laptop!”
When Ling Miao left the apartment, aside from his keys and wallet, there were two things he absolutely needed—one was his phone, and the other was his laptop.
Ji Linxi once asked Ling Miao why he always needed his laptop with him. Ling Miao’s response: “When I’m bored, I can write, so I don’t waste time.” So, when Ling Miao was waiting for interviews, he spent most of his time writing. Maybe this was one of the reasons why Ling Miao had not found a job, yet.
Ling Miao stuck the queue tag he received on his waist. He took a deep breath, and walked with firm steps into the hall.
Only a few seconds after Ling Miao stepped into the dining hall, he felt assessing looks from all directions. All eyes were directed at the queue tag at his waist.
Ling Miao was not in the mood to care about the curious or ill-intentioned gazes. He walked directly to an unoccupied table, sat down, and prepared to write.
Not many other people entered the dining hall after Ling Miao. People talked in groups of two or three, slumped on the tables to play on their phones, slept using their phones as pillows, or looked around while eating.
Only Ling Miao was still concerned about his side job.
Soft music flowed through the air and sunlight filtered through the day curtains onto Ling Miao’s shoulder, warm and lazy.
“Aah—” Ling Miao stretched. He felt somewhat melancholy: This sunlight and this music are so sleep-inducing. Who the hell can write like this?
“May I sit here?” A man’s voice sounded.
Ling Miao raised his head and a smiling face entered his field of vision.
The man’s smile was warm, and the golden sunlight that softly fell across his features and glinted at the corner of his mouth lent a gentleness to his face.
Admittedly, this man’s face left a good first impression on Ling Miao. So Ling Miao nodded and said, “Sure.”
“My name is Yu Yang. And yours?”
“Ling Miao.”
Yu Yang’s tone was friendly but, for some reason, Ling Miao felt that Yu Yang had a dangerous presence. Yu Yang cast a searching look towards Ling Miao, and Ling Miao’s heart clenched until he felt like he was about to suffocate.
Ling Miao was unaware that the man named Yu Yang had been watching him since the moment he had begun writing.
Yu Yang was the last to enter the dining hall and nobody knew when exactly he had arrived. The moment he had arrived, he had walked to and fro through the hall. He would occasionally chat with someone and, at other times, he would listen in on conversations. Most of the time, however, he just walked around—he did not grab any food, and he did not find a seat.
Yu Yang wore a mysterious smile and a thoughtful look occasionally flashed in his eyes. He was clearly different from the other applicants and was as relaxed as if he was simply a guest.
Ling Miao could not muster up the motivation to write, so he chatted with Yu Yang on and off. Yu Yang noticed that Ling Miao’s heart wasn’t in the conversation, so he rolled his eyes and changed the subject.
“I’ve been watching you since I got here. You’re different from the others.” Yu Yang watched Ling Miao with some admiration. Ling Miao was conflicted and thought to himself: Is this person like Ji Linxi’s superior… not straight?
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