The two representatives from Harman Company spent a thousand yuan and were led by the market staff to the second floor. Each room was a separate recruitment consultation office, with two people on duty, dedicated to serving recruiting companies. A chubby young woman, clearly someone who had spent too much time with computers, gave everyone a professional one-second smile, then took the form from her colleague, glanced at it, pulled out another, and placed it in front of Jason Brooks and Evelyn Carter, saying, “What kind of person do you need? Just check the boxes, and I’ll give you the search results. Then we can narrow it down together.”

“OK, your information database should be quite comprehensive,” Jason Brooks said with a smile.

Evelyn Carter glanced over the form: age, alma mater, ethnicity, marital status, major, work experience, and so on. As she picked up the pen, she hesitated and looked at Mr. Brooks, asking quietly, “How should we set these requirements?”

“No need to bother, I’ll just say it directly. What I’m looking for is very simple.”

Jason Brooks waved his hand. This was so simple, it was nothing like the picky recruiting companies that usually came here. The two staff members stared blankly at Jason Brooks, watching as he thought for a moment and then rattled off the requirements:

“Graduated more than two years ago, but less than five.”

“Graduates from 985 or 211 universities, excluded; graduates from any Beijing universities, excluded. Graduates from 1A universities, excluded. Preferably those who graduated from ordinary colleges in second- or third-tier cities and came to Beijing.”

“Anyone with experience working at a business investigation company, excluded.”

“Majors in political science, law, or related fields, excluded.”

“Anyone with more than one year of work experience in other industries… oh, forget this one, no need to exclude. If they’ve managed to work for over a year, they definitely wouldn’t still be here…”

Jason Brooks fired off a string of requirements. Evelyn Carter was stunned, and the two staff members were dumbfounded. The chubby girl at the computer looked at Jason Brooks as if he were an alien, and her male colleague’s expression was especially odd—his jaw was about to hit the floor.

“Is there a problem?” Jason Brooks asked curiously.

“Of course there is, you’re… I mean…” The chubby girl couldn’t find the right words for a moment, but her colleague reacted quickly and interjected, “Picking the worst among the short ones?”

“Exactly, that’s what I mean. Others at least try to pick the best among the mediocre, but you’re actually looking for the worst?” the chubby girl asked curiously.

“Is it… that bad?” Jason Brooks was a bit unsure about the younger generation’s slang.

“Well, you said it yourself: not from Beijing universities, not 985 or 211, no work experience, and still haven’t found a job two years after graduation… Oh my, this kind of person, they can’t survive in Beijing anymore. Usually, resumes like this sit here for eight hundred years and no one even glances at them,” the chubby girl said in amazement.

“If they can survive, then they’re not that bad, right?” Jason Brooks said with a smile.

“They can barely get by, but in the end, they’re still pretty bad,” the male colleague said with a laugh, then added, “Boss Brooks, are you sure you want this kind of person? These people are just one diploma above the drifters.”

“There’s still a difference. Drifters definitely wouldn’t come to the talent market and pay three yuan to register,” Jason Brooks said with a laugh, waving his hand with flair. “Those are the requirements. Confirmed.”

The two staff members exchanged a surprised glance, then proceeded as instructed. The information search was very simple; these requirements eliminated candidates very quickly, and the number excluded was huge. Beijing really was full of talent—graduates from top universities, work experience, all kinds of awards were everywhere. Picking those with nothing was actually easy. Out of a huge talent market database, only a few hundred people remained, most of whom had registered for over two years and had never been contacted.

“Thank you! Thank you both,” Jason Brooks said repeatedly as he took his leave.

A thousand yuan bought a list of less than a thousand potential candidates. The two staff members were generous, making an exception by giving Mr. Brooks an electronic file, handing the USB drive to Jason Brooks. Both of them still looked at him with astonished eyes, as if taking his money made their consciences uneasy.

Evelyn Carter mechanically followed behind Jason Brooks out of the consultation room. As soon as the door closed, she heard the woman inside ask, “Isn’t this for hiring thugs? Why only pick people who came to Beijing from elsewhere?”

The man replied, “Yeah, maybe. These days, migrant worker wages are too high, so hiring college graduates saves costs.”

Evelyn Carter was speechless when she heard this. She hurried to catch up with Jason Brooks, who, looking as satisfied as if he’d just closed a business deal, casually handed the USB drive to Evelyn Carter and said, “Draft a text message when we get back and send it to all these people, notifying them to come to the company for an interview the day after tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay. Send it to everyone?” Evelyn Carter asked.

“Of course, send it to everyone. Most of these phone numbers probably aren’t local anymore,” Jason Brooks said.

“I get it. There must be some who stayed, and if they haven’t changed their numbers, it means they’re doing okay?” Evelyn Carter asked with a smile.

“Exactly, that’s what I mean. Those who can hang on, even if they’re not doing great, if they get even a tiny opportunity, they’ll give it their all,” Jason Brooks said as they went downstairs. He looked at the crowd outside the market, as if reminiscing about his own past, just like those college graduates with shoulder bags now, searching for even the smallest chance to fill their stomachs.

Evelyn Carter put away the USB drive and asked weakly, “But… but hiring this kind of person, what exactly are we having them give their all for?”