“I went backpacking in Inner Mongolia, came back in April, and you were already gone,” David Clark said, turning around to introduce Paul Grant, but unexpectedly Paul Grant was glaring at Sam Parker with eyes blazing, as if he wanted to tear him apart. Sam Parker recognized Paul Grant too, and was so startled he bit his finger, leaving David Clark confused by the scene. Waving his finger, he asked, “Yo? Why do you two look like you’ve had a thing?”

“We actually did,” Sam Parker said nervously.

“What happened?” David Clark asked. Paul Grant, unable to contain his anger, pointed at him and said, “He’s the one who messed with our sales guy yesterday, got me stuck at the police station all afternoon.”

The two had just mentioned this earlier when talking about their misfortunes. David Clark stared at Sam Parker in astonishment and asked, “Wow, San’er, you’ve really leveled up—assaulting a cop now? Being a drifter is one thing if life forces you, but being a thug is on you.”

Paul Grant was amused by this, and a few people in the front row turned to look. Sam Parker’s long face turned red. He explained, “I was a victim too. I just wanted to find some temp work at the Chongwenmen labor market. Some weirdo came up and asked if I dared to fight. I thought it was just someone looking for backup in a brawl, so of course I said yes. He dragged me and Doug along, and who knew he only wanted the two of us? Doug didn’t even dare to get involved… So… it was only after the fight that I found out, damn, we’d hit a cop.”

“He’s just that dumb, don’t take it to heart. Seriously, what normal person would do something like that? And think about it, someone like you would do it for a hundred yuan, but they gave you seven hundred—obviously up to no good,” David Clark scolded, speaking to Paul Grant. Paul Grant snorted with laughter, his anger fading. Looking at Sam Parker again, who was clearly at his wits’ end coming here to apply for a job, he realized Sam Parker was even worse off than he was. He said helplessly, “Forget it, I’ve got nothing against you. Just get out of here, the police station is definitely looking for you.”

Hearing this, Sam Parker nodded solemnly, “Yeah, I know, I was just about to leave. Hey, bro, I’ll split three hundred yuan with you.”

“Enough, enough, what are you talking about,” Paul Grant waved him off.

It was obvious Sam Parker never intended to actually give him the money—he didn’t even reach for his pocket. David Clark knew what kind of person he was and glared at him, asking, “If you’re leaving, why are you still hanging around here?”

“I’m here for the interview,” Sam Parker replied, annoyed.

“You can’t even read all the words on a delivery slip, what job are you applying for?” David Clark scolded in a low voice, even Paul Grant was stunned—could someone really be that unqualified for an interview?

There’s always worse. Sam Parker grinned, holding up his phone, “I didn’t expect to get the job. I just got a text saying I was ‘honored’ to be invited or something… It’s the first time I’ve been ‘honored’ to get a free meal. I figured, hey, eat here and catch the train tonight, no problem. There are girls and air conditioning here, way better than the street.”

That was just the company’s polite phrasing, seen all the time. But coming for the free meal—now that was rare. Paul Grant watched Sam Parker earnestly and excitedly explain his reasoning, and even biting his lip couldn’t hide his smile.

“Talent, absolute first-class talent,” Paul Grant praised.

“Geniuses have always been envied, San’er, you’d better watch out for a bad end. Not many like you—Peking University grad still drifting on the streets,” David Clark reminded him.

“What? He graduated from Peking University?” Paul Grant was shocked. That’s the top university in the country—falling this far was just unbelievable.

David Clark leaned in and whispered something to Paul Grant, making him squint with laughter. Looking at Sam Parker again, he was grinning smugly, showing two little canine teeth—probably the only one in the room not nervous. With that, it was hard to stay mad at him.

At exactly nine o’clock, the door opened. Two women and a man strolled into the meeting room. The recruiters had arrived, prompting all the applicants to sit up straight. The woman in the center put on her glasses, cleared her throat, looked around the room, and introduced herself seriously: “I am the legal counsel Evelyn Carter from Harman Business Investigation Company. This is our supervisor Tina Bennett, and this is our supervisor Emily Thompson. Today, we will be conducting the recruitment interviews.”

Applause broke out among the applicants. Evelyn Carter’s debut was impressive, making the other female candidates look like ugly ducklings by comparison. After a slight bow and sitting down again, she began, “Today’s interviews will be brief—five minutes per person. Open, fair, and just. No need for anyone to leave… Now, let’s officially begin. First up: Sam Parker.”

The name, with all its implications, set off a roar of laughter in the room—even the three interviewers couldn’t help but smile.

Sam Parker responded and stood before the three recruiters. He was clueless, staring straight at Evelyn Carter. Originally composed and serious, Evelyn Carter blushed under his gaze.

Supervisor Bennett cut in, asking directly, “Introduce yourself.”

“My surname is Bao, given name Xiaosan. The name has a double meaning, but when my dad named me, the term ‘Bao Xiaosan’ didn’t exist yet. I swear I didn’t do it on purpose,” Sam Parker explained, afraid of being misunderstood. But the more he explained, the louder the laughter grew. Annoyed, he glared back and said, “What are you laughing at? This name represents every man’s dream.”

Another round of laughter erupted, and the session was already off to a chaotic start. Evelyn Carter said sternly, “Let’s get straight to the point—your alma mater?”

“Peking University, major in Engineering Mechanics,” Sam Parker replied.