It took several hours just to explain the process clearly, and then several more hours before the local business office intervened to get a group of promoters out of the police station. No one else was really affected, except for that man with feminine features, who made the Director of the business department furious.

The perpetrator was wearing his hat and had the most contact with him, so he was questioned by the police for several hours. These people were all temporary staff hired by the business office, and it was likely that even the temp position wouldn’t keep him. After the Director finished scolding him, the look of hatred in his eyes said it all: don’t even think about your wages—just get lost!

He bowed to everyone one by one, apologized to each of them, and then left in silence.

His name was Paul Grant. In fact, both his colleagues and the Director had a good impression of him—he was diligent, articulate, and played a mean guitar. But still, no one tried to keep him, because this was an environment where no mistakes were tolerated. If you made a mistake, you simply had to leave. Your departure wouldn’t have any impact; tomorrow, there would be countless new applicants breaking down the door.

Unfortunate people always have their own misfortunes. Paul Grant walked silently down the empty street, his shadow stretched long by the streetlights. His vision was as hazy as his heart. The dazzling lights of the city seemed only to highlight his loneliness. The bustling night scene seemed only to make him feel even more desolate.

Like everyone drifting in this city, he never knew where the next stop would be.

Tomorrow, he would have to start job hunting again. And these summer jobs were the hardest to find, with so many graduates and interns willing to work for cheap—there were never enough jobs to go around. He wondered if he’d have to go back to those days when he first arrived in the capital, playing guitar at subway entrances and on pedestrian bridges to earn meal money. Playing the part of a down-and-out artist was actually a decent way to get by—at least he wouldn’t starve. But even in that line, competition was fierce; there were too many people down on their luck.

Just as he was hesitating, his phone rang. He glanced at the message—saw it was a job offer, checked the address for Harman, and, not minding the trouble, called their customer service to confirm. Once he was sure, he excitedly muttered to himself:

“It’s actually real!?”

Two years ago, he’d spent three yuan to register his resume at a job fair, and finally there was a response. It really made Paul Grant want to cry with joy...

Chapter 03: Fate Has Its Time

In the blink of an eye, the interview date arrived. There was only a day or two to prepare, and for Evelyn Carter and the others, who had no recruitment experience at all, it really felt a bit chaotic. In the past, all recruitment was done online, and there was a long screening process from selecting resumes to meeting candidates. But this time, with such a strange recruitment, the interviews were about to start, and Evelyn Carter hadn’t even received the interview forms.

Early in the morning, she instructed the receptionist to bring any applicants directly to the main conference room. Still uneasy about today’s arrangements, she waited for Sister Bennett, who was in charge of HR, to arrive. The two women whispered to each other for a long time, and Evelyn Carter finally understood that even Sister Bennett wasn’t clear about things—she only knew that the company’s finance manager, Emily Thompson, would also be involved today.

“Sister Bennett, but who’s actually in charge of this? At the very least, shouldn’t we have an interview form? What are we supposed to ask? What kind of people are we hiring? We have no clue at all.” Evelyn Carter was at a loss.

Sister Bennett, whose full name was Tina Bennett, was a middle-aged woman whose chubby face did indeed have a certain charm when she smiled. She instead tried to reassure Evelyn Carter: “Look at how anxious you are. Our General Manager Brooks is a slowpoke—unless it’s urgent, he never calls people in a hurry. From what I know of him, whatever he’s planning, no one else will ever figure it out.”

That was true. In a business investigation company shrouded in mystery, confidentiality was the top priority. Not only was information kept from outsiders, but even within the company, anything related to business operations was highly confidential.

At this thought, Evelyn Carter felt she was being overly anxious, so she sat in Sister Bennett’s office to wait. As the time approached, some people had already arrived early. The closer it got to the hour, the more uneasy she felt. Sister Bennett kept smiling at her, and at a quarter to nine, she inexplicably said, “It’s about time. There should be some news soon.”

“What?” Evelyn Carter asked in surprise.

“I mean, there should be some news soon. Usually, General Manager Brooks only reveals things at the very last minute.” Tina Bennett smiled, explaining, “But even when he does, you still might not figure out what he’s up to. For example, all those business investigators we’ve hired over the years—I’ve been with the company for almost six years, and I don’t know a single one of them.”

Even the HR manager didn’t know them, so as for Evelyn Carter, who handled legal affairs, it was even more out of the question. She knew how the business was acquired, but as for those mysterious investigation assignments, she never knew how they were carried out. That was one of the trade secrets of the industry—those omnipresent, all-pervasive business investigators were the company’s real money-makers.

“Are we recruiting those kinds of investigators this time?” Evelyn Carter asked curiously.

“Probably not. There’s no requirement for that industry, no work experience specified, so it shouldn’t be.” Tina Bennett smiled. Just then, the phone rang, confirming her prediction. She smiled and said, “See? There it is.”

Sure enough, it was a call from General Manager Brooks. Sister Bennett jotted down a few notes as she spoke. Although the arrangements had been dragging on, the final decision was made quickly—a few words settled everything. As soon as Sister Bennett hung up, Evelyn Carter asked, “So, do we have a definite answer now?”

“Yes, send them all away,” Tina Bennett said with a wave of her hand.