“No one hires male secretaries, and I can’t sit in an office, so I can only do something else. The marketing positions have low entry requirements.” Shawn Lawrence replied quickly. The three recruiters at the desk exchanged glances and smiled, finding him rather articulate. Normally, this kind of resume would be politely declined, but in that instant, they decided to keep him around, casually flipping through his resume and asking, “You have similar work experience, that’s an advantage. What kind of marketing have you done before?”

“Oh, plenty. Drinks—both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, I’ve sold them all; newspapers—academic supplements and entertainment, I’ve promoted both; health products—for seniors’ longevity, women’s beauty, men’s vitality, children’s intelligence, I’ve pretty much dealt with them all… Clothing—men’s, women’s, sportswear, maternity, children’s, I’ve promoted them all… Also, edible oil, deep-sea fish, even automotive lubricants—I’ve done individual product marketing planning and promotion. If I were to promote your company’s health equipment, I’m very confident…”

Shawn Lawrence kept talking, making both the recruiters and the other applicants nearby chuckle. Judging by what he said, it seemed like he’d sold just about everything except himself. Before Shawn Lawrence could finish his pitch, the middle-aged man behind the recruitment desk smiled and waved for him to stop: “Alright, alright, leave your resume and wait for the interview notice. Next…”

“Thank you… thank you…” Shawn Lawrence bowed repeatedly to the recruiters, his face full of flattery, trying to leave a good impression. The recruiters nodded and smiled, and only then did he squeeze his way out of the booth. The first thing he did after leaving was to use his resume folder as a fan, fanning his face. Even though he was a veteran here, every time he came, he’d end up drenched in sweat. He used to be a bit nervous, but now it was just because of the crowd.

Fan a bit, squeeze through people, find a gap…

Fan again to cool off, keep squeezing through, find a gap, hand out resumes…

That’s just how the job market is. This place is like that—no distinction between men and women, no one is polite to anyone. He walked along, looking left and right, passed through a few booths, and saw a recruitment sign for a not-so-well-known beverage distribution company. Without hesitation, Shawn Lawrence spotted a gap in the crowd and squeezed in like a mountain rat… Shawn Lawrence had mastered this routine—he didn’t just move his body, but also his feet, his hips, and especially his hands. He’d nudge someone with his butt, kick someone’s foot, or push someone’s back—whatever it took to squeeze ahead in the chaos and get to the front. This skill was honed from squeezing onto public buses as a kid, fighting for food in the school cafeteria, and years of pushing through job fairs. Ordinary people were no match for him. In the blink of an eye, he was at the recruitment desk again.

He found another opening, chatted a bit with the company recruiter, and Shawn Lawrence felt the other party had a good impression of him. Maybe he’d really find a place to land this time. After dropping off his resume and squeezing out of the crowd, whether it was because he was a bit too pleased with himself or just not paying attention, as soon as he got out, a girl’s sharp “ah!” rang out, and a stack of resumes scattered all over the floor. It was a young girl—Shawn Lawrence had accidentally stepped on her foot and bumped into her, making her bend over in pain.

If you’re always squeezing through crowds, how can you not step on someone? The job market is basically a stepping-on-people market.

He’d stepped on and bumped into someone, and it was a woman. So what if it was a woman? Shawn Lawrence didn’t care at all—he glanced back. You can’t expect to have a romantic encounter in a place like this. Anyone tough enough to hustle here was either a “dinosaur” or a shrew. And even if there were beauties, so what? A bunch of guys didn’t even have jobs—who had time to be chivalrous? If they didn’t curse you for not watching where you were going, that was already polite.

Shawn Lawrence was just that kind of un-gentlemanly guy, so of course he wouldn’t apologize. When he saw it was a girl, and a braided, obviously country-looking newbie, he was about to scold her for not watching where she was going. But the words stuck in his throat, because the girl, squatting on the ground rubbing her foot, only let out a startled cry and, though in pain, just frowned—she didn’t complain at all, looking timid and shy.

That’s right, she was a petite girl, squatting on the ground, very short, rubbing her foot while hurriedly picking up the scattered resumes.

Short people always get bullied in crowds. Shawn Lawrence, who wasn’t tall himself, had suffered plenty in this place over the years. Seeing this girl, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy. Besides, she hadn’t said anything harsh, so Shawn Lawrence felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly squatted down to help, but the girl, very reserved, instinctively shrank away… Huh? Shawn Lawrence’s sharp eyes noticed the big braid at the back of her head, and her pitiful look suddenly became even more delicate and touching. He hurried to help pick up the resumes, gathering them together haphazardly. When he handed them back and looked up, the girl was already half-standing. As Shawn Lawrence handed over the resumes, his eyes paused for a moment, his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes seemed to light up with a tingling sensation.

He’d been zapped by the girl’s gaze—no doubt about it, he’d just been zapped by that look.