"Yeah, as soon as they arrived, they were sent away without ceremony. The ones left are just here for a free meal—honestly, a boxed lunch would have been enough, no need for such a high standard, right?" Jill King said, sounding a bit uneasy.

"This time, we might have lucked out—we made the cut," said David Clark.

As soon as he said that, everyone paused with their chopsticks mid-air, staring at David Clark, a hundred thousand questions about to burst out.

"Heh, don't look at me like that. I've learned my lesson the hard way. Ever since I came to the capital, I've been scammed in job hunts at least five times. The worst was working three months for free—never even got paid before the company went under... As for being cheated on rent, getting kicked out of shared apartments—I can't even count how many times. So, my takeaway is: follow the money. Good or bad, you can always tell by looking at the money."

"What do you mean?" Paul Grant was a bit confused.

"I mean, no matter how fancy or high-end a company looks, no matter how amazing the recruiters make it sound, if they don't offer anything substantial to the workers, you absolutely shouldn't go," said David Clark. He shifted from theory to reality, pointing at today's dining table as he explained, "But today is different. Look at Harman Business Company—they can rent half a floor in the Baolong Building, so they must have some strength. Did you notice the elevator threshold on the eighth floor? It's a bit old. Elevator maintenance is only once a year, so if it's not spotless, that means they get a lot of visitors... And those recruiters—so smug, so cocky. Sure, they're annoying, but it also shows, in a way, that they really do have something to be proud of."

"You can check this on Baidu. Harman Business ranks pretty high in searches, and there's a company profile," Paul Grant chimed in, confirming that it's a legitimate and capable company.

"But an online search won't tell you why there's such a lavish lunch today," David Clark said with a smile.

"Then why is that?" Jill King asked curiously.

"Businessmen always want a return on their investment. They won't get up early if there's no profit, so how could they treat us to a free meal for nothing? So, I think: we've made the shortlist," said David Clark, unable to hide his excitement about the unknown possibilities.

But the others weren't so excited. Paul Grant looked around at everyone, even forgetting to drink his soup, and pointed at each person, including himself, questioning, "No way. You're a delivery guy, I sell phones, one of us is a small-time thug, and then there's Jill, a student. What could we possibly do?"

"That's exactly what I can't figure out," David Clark chuckled, starting to drink his soup. After a couple of sips, he looked at the group, who were still staring wide-eyed, and said, "But we'll find out soon. One thing's for sure: we don't have to pay for this lunch. But there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and that's also true! The only explanation for this contradiction is that there's some kind of value in us that someone has noticed."

"That actually makes some sense," Paul Grant was convinced.

When he looked at Jill King, she seemed a bit dazed, still in shock, as if she couldn't accept it. Sam Parker pursed his lips, loosened his belt a notch, and muttered, "Don't even think about any good luck. As soon as we're done eating, let's get out of here. Don't let them feed us and then sell us off to some illegal mine."

"Absolutely impossible. Everyone knows college students are lazy and useless these days—not worth much. Even if a shady agency sold someone, it'd only be a few hundred yuan, not even enough to cover today's meal," Paul Grant said.

That made Jill King laugh out loud, her shoulders shaking as she looked down. Maybe before, she couldn't believe she dared hang out with three guys as a single girl, but in reality, she found it surprisingly easy.

Discussion never solves anything, but soon the issue resolved itself. There was a knock at the door, and in came a middle-aged man, followed by Evelyn Carter, whom they'd seen at the interview. The difference was, the previously frosty-faced Evelyn Carter now wore a bright smile. The two of them entered, beaming.

All three looked at David Clark. The result of these two showing up wasn't surprising, but what was surprising was that someone had actually guessed the outcome...

Chapter 06: Forced by Circumstance

"Oh? It seems our sudden appearance doesn't surprise you at all?" Jason Brooks was puzzled.

Even stranger, all three were looking at the upright, dignified young man in the center, as if they weren't the least bit shocked by his and Evelyn Carter's arrival.

"What's there to be surprised about? But let me be clear—it's just a meal, don't expect us to do anything," Sam Parker stated his principles seriously.

"What if we do want you to do something?" Jason Brooks asked with a smile.

"Then you have to pay," Sam Parker emphasized, making his stance clear.

Everyone chuckled. Evelyn Carter gave a slight bow to the group and said gently, "Then let's talk about money next. First, let me introduce our company's general manager, the founder of Harman Business Investigations, Jason Brooks. Boss Xie, please meet everyone."

David Clark, Paul Grant, Sam Parker, Jill King... Jason Brooks seemed to have met them all before. He went through the names one by one, shook hands, and then Evelyn Carter pulled out a chair and the two of them sat down. At this point, all four were watching Boss Xie, already calculating in their minds. This bizarre recruitment had everyone more on guard than excited.

"I'll just take five minutes of your time to explain what's going on."