Chapter 048

The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal Assistant

Translator: Jury

Editor: NomNom

First Published on Chaleuria

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Chapter Forty-eight

Ling Miao and Ji Linxi went to the company together, but at the door they met the person they least wanted to meet—Hu Lin!

“Why’d he come back?” Ling Miao murmured frustratedly.

Ji Linxi was also surprised. According to the schedule, Hu Lin should have returned after the Dragon Boat Festival, but he had returned three days early. The most important part was that if Hu Lin was at Ling Miao’s interview today, Ling Miao would fail with a hundred percent certainty.

Hu Lin caught sight of Ji Linxi and Ling Miao. He walked over wearing a warm smile.

“Good morning, Manager.” Ji Linxi tamped down on the disgust in his heart and greeted Hu Lin, who replied with a bland ‘Mm’ before his gaze fell on Ling Miao.

“He came to interview?” Hu Lin asked.

“Yes,” Ji Linxi replied guardedly.

Hu Lin looked at Ling Miao and said pityingly: “A lot of capable people are interviewing today, and the company’s only hiring one person. Linxi, Ling Miao’s in a pretty precarious position.”

With these meaningful words, Hu Lin went ahead into the company building. Ji Linxi watched his departing back with a cold smile then pulled the conflicted Ling Miao aside: “Don’t stand there like you’re guarding the company door—let’s go, dumb cat!”

“You’re the dumb cat.”

Ji Linxi showed Ling Miao to the meeting room where the interview would be held, gave him some encouragement, and went to his own office.

Hu Lin came back. As one of the department leads he was also one of the interviewers. With what Hu Lin had said outside the company, Ling Miao could be sure that his chances of getting this job were zero.

Even if he had no chance he still wanted to try. Maybe the other interviewers would let him in?

Ling Miao had underestimated Hu Lin’s position in the company—or perhaps he had underestimated Hu Lin’s hatred toward Ji Linxi. Seeing Ling Miao walk out of the meeting room dejected and frustrated, Ji Linxi could already tell that Ling Miao hadn’t passed the interview.

“Why did Hu Lin come back early?” Ling Miao asked in dissatisfaction.

Thinking back to what he had heard earlier, Ji Linxi said apologetically to Ling Miao: “I think he saw your resume and came back specially to stop you from getting hired.”

“Fuck, I…” Ling Miao’s curse was cut off by his phone ringing. He glanced at the display: an unknown number, and a foreign number at that. Ling Miao very decisively rejected the call.

“Fuck. I didn’t do anything to provoke him!”

Ling Miao and Ji Linxi both understood why Hu Lin was picking on Ling Miao. Ling Miao hadn’t been blaming Ji Linxi for anything, earlier; he was purely just venting his frustration. Ji Linxi awkwardly cleared his throat. “If you can’t get this job, then get another one, and if you really can’t, then write full-time.”

Ling Miao rolled his eyes at Ji Linxi and said coldly: “You think I earn four thousand yuana month by writing? If I could, I’d definitely write full time!”

Ji Linxi didn’t say anything more. He knew Ling Miao’s subscription count.

“Let’s go for lunch. My treat.” Ji Linxi changed the subject, but Ling Miao’s cellphone rang again.

“Fuck, why’s it him?” Ling Miao looked at the name on the display and didn’t know whether to swipe left or right. Ji Linxi saw Ling Miao’s frustration and glanced down at the screen. The words ‘Su Yuyang’ looked pretty funny from here.

“You’ve quit and he’s still looking for you. Looks like he liked your services!” Ji Linxi said teasingly with a shit-eating expression.

Ling Miao raised his leg and brought it down on Ji Linxi’s butt and Ji Linxi stumbled and fell forward. Coincidentally, Hu Lin was walking out of the office just then. The scene before Hu Lin’s eyes made his smile turn into a frown.

The phone had stopped ringing and Ling Miao had no intention of calling back. He put the cellphone back in his pocket and prepared to go get lunch with Ji Linxi. Then the cellphone frustratingly rang again!

“You’d better take it.” Ji Linxi shrugged.

“Su Yuyang, if you’ve got something to say spit it out. I’m about to go for lunch.” When the call connected, Ling Miao got the first word in before the other person could say anything. His impatience was fully transmitted across the call into the recipient’s ears.

The person on the other end of the call laughed—a snicker. “Does a call from Su Yuyang’s phone automatically make the caller Su Yuyang?”

Ling Miao frowned. He couldn’t find this woman’s voice in his memory bank.

It was a woman and she was using Su Yuyang’s phone.

Instantly, a face appeared before Ling Miao’s eyes!

“Oh, it’s you. Did Su Yuyang ask you to call me?” Ling Miao really couldn’t decipher why Yan Li was calling him, so he pushed the blame for Yan Li calling him onto Su Yuyang. Maybe Su Yuyang wanted Ling Miao back but he couldn’t bring himself to say it, so he had to get Yan Li to help.

Yan Li laughed again. “Does someone calling you using Su Yuyang’s phone automatically mean Su Yuyang’s looking for you?”

“We don’t know each other. What business would you have with me?”

“We don’t know each other but we’ve chatted a little. Don’t we know each other now?” Yan Li lowered her voice invitingly. Ling Miao felt a chill across the back of his neck as if a knife had just swiped across it.

“I don’t think we have anything in common.” Ling Miao repressed the impulse to hang up the phone and kept talking out of politeness.

Yan Li wanted to laugh at Ling Miao’s words. She said slowly, “Isn’t Su Yuyang something we have in common?”

Fine. Ling Miao was sure that Su Yuyang had sent this clown so he decisively hung up the phone.

Ling Miao was someone who couldn’t hide his emotions. Whether he was happy or sad, it was always written on his face. Ji Linxi glanced at Ling Miao’s face and knew that Ling Miao was fretting again. He patted Ling Miao’s shoulders and said gently: “Let’s go eat.”

Ji Linxi and Ling Miao reached the company cafeteria with arms over each other’s shoulders, and in an unfortunate coincidence Hu Lin was also eating there. Ji Linxi and Ling Miao didn’t see Hu Lin, but Hu Lin saw their actions and expressions.

“Ji Linxi, you show me sour expressions again and again but you’re so intimate with this guy. In that case, don’t blame me for being cruel.”

Pah–-The wooden chopsticks in Hu Lin’s hand snapped in half.

Yan Li looked at the words ‘Call disconnected’ on the screen and started cursing: “Fuck me, you hung up before I even finished talking. Do you think I can’t get your home address?” But thinking of her profession, Yan Li had to suppress her desire to go straight to Ling Miao’s house—except as a last resort, she would prefer not to do things that would bring her trouble.

Yan Li tossed the phone aside and lay down on the bed. She crossed her arms underneath her head and looked at the ceiling, eyes slowly moving, her forehead creased in a frown.

“That’s the only way he’ll agree to meet me, right?” Yan Li was perplexed. She really didn’t understand Ling Miao.

“Right. I’ve never interacted with Ling Miao, but someone must have!”

Upon receiving Yan Li’s call, Feng Ji’s face scrunched up.

He didn’t even know Ling Miao’s number so how was he to help her arrange a meeting with him? He and Ling Miao didn’t know each other well so what reason would he have to ask to meet? Surely he couldn’t say, “Hey, Ling Miao, you quit the job at Su Yuyang’s place. I don’t know if you’ve found something else, but I’m short-staffed here, do you want to give it a shot?”

Feng Ji told Yan Li his thoughts. Yan Li slapped the bed and laughed out loud: “Why wouldn’t that work?”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Play matchmaker!” Yan Li needed Feng Ji’s help so she told Feng Ji everything she had considered. After hearing her out, Feng Ji thought that she made sense, but was it really a good idea to force them together?

“Xiao Li, let nature take its course. Ling Miao clearly doesn’t have those intentions towards Su Yuyang, so even if you force them together, it won’t proceed as we want it to.”

“You’re not still carrying a torch for Old Su, are you?” Yan Li asked teasingly. Feng Ji felt not her teasing, but her care for him. Before, he had spent a tremendous amount of energy chasing Su Yuyang and Yan Li had wished them both a long-lived relationship. They had broken up amicably not even a semester later and Yan Li had punched Feng Ji over it.

“Not long after breaking up, I understood. Su Yuyang and I can never be together because there isn’t room in his heart for me,” Feng Ji said regretfully.

Yan Li smiled slyly. She held back her joy and said: “But there’s room in Old Su’s heart for Ling Miao.”

Feng Ji didn’t reply. He was quiet for a while, then sighed: “You’re the one who can’t let go of Su Yuyang, right?”

Yan Li replied at once: “Get out! You know my chances with him are nil. Why would I still be carrying a torch for him?”

Yan Li said it dismissively, and Feng Ji could tell Su Yuyang’s position in her heart wasn’t that of a lover.

In silent agreement neither of them spoke. Feng Ji struggled with whether to create a chance for Ling Miao and Su Yuyang, and Yan Li was considering how to create a chance for them without leaving any signs.

“Actually, I told Su Yuyang before that he should look for someone to live with. He said he’s wanted to settle down for a while but hasn’t found anyone who’d make him want to have a normal domestic life.” Feng Ji spoke very slowly, pausing for what seemed like a century between each word. “Love without an emotional foundation doesn’t last.”

“How do you know there isn’t?” Yan Li interrogated. “Old Su’s shown many feelings toward Ling Miao. Doesn’t that prove it? This morning, Old Su started looking for Ling Miao the moment he got up. This proves that Ling Miao is already in Old Su’s heart. And did you see Old Su today? He looks like a knight who’s lost his fighting spirit. I really wanted to kick him twice and hopefully wake him up.”

“Ling Miao really has that much power?” Feng Ji had long noticed that Su Yuyang’s feelings toward Ling Miao were something different, but he hadn’t thought that Ling Miao would affect Su Yuyang this much.

“So, help me arrange a meeting for Ling Miao. Consider it saving Old Su.” Yan Li’s tone gradually grew severe. Feng Ji’s hesitation was shaken by Yan Li, and shattered on the spot.

“Give me Ling Miao’s phone number.”

“Hello, who are you?” Ling Miao asked anxiously.

“Feng Ji.” Feng Ji forthrightly made himself known, then explained his reasons for calling Ling Miao. Upon hearing that Feng Ji wanted to give him a job, Ling Miao didn’t even think twice before agreeing to go over.

Feng Ji looked at the screen and said, stunned: “He’s really still looking for a job?”

In the time it had taken Feng Ji to call Ling Miao, Yan Li had already left the house to go to W&S. If Yan Li had left just a couple minutes later, she’d have run into Ling Miao on the way.

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