“I'm not lying to you, we really are alumni. Please don't misunderstand, I'm sincerely here to apologize, and since it's your first time here, I wanted to help you... I really am from Zhongda. You just attended the on-campus job fair, right? ...Did that bald-headed director from the Career Guidance Center try to hype you up at the meeting... Ah, 'Students, stepping out of the school gates will be the beginning of a whole new world. The future is yours, you will be the pride of Zhongzhou University...' Don't believe him, seriously, if you do, you'll definitely end up in trouble. For most majors at our school, you basically have to find a job on your own after graduation, and the basic outcome is that you can't find one.”

　　Shawn Lawrence gestured dramatically with both hands, imitating the way that bald director used to sound back in the day. This was a person who had talked countless naive kids from graduation straight into unemployment. Anyone who graduated from Zhongda would know him.

　　Sure enough, as soon as he mentioned this person, the girl couldn't help but laugh, clearly amused. She seemed to know about this, so maybe she really was from Zhongzhou University. Still, she kept a bit of reserve, walking along and somewhat skeptically asking Shawn Lawrence, who had caught up beside her, “Are you really a Zhongda graduate?”

　　“Would I need to fake that? These days, the most in-demand are vocational and technical school grads. I honestly don't know anything about circuits—if I did, I'd pretend to be a tech school graduate. For us Zhongda undergrads, grad school or civil service is just so-so, but here, nobody wants us...” Shawn Lawrence said bluntly. Seeing that the girl was half-convinced and seemed a bit put off by the “nobody wants us” part, he quickly changed the subject: “Don't doubt me! The author of our school anthem poem was from my department, really. Have you heard of it? The one that goes, 'I want to step out of the school gates...'”

　　Shawn Lawrence started performing. This poem was well-known among Zhongda students. It was originally a quirky poem written by a female student, but after being recognized by the school, it was posted on the campus BBS. As he brought this up, the girl shot him a sideways glance, as if she was interested. Shawn Lawrence recited softly: “...I want to step out of the school gates / I want to wait for the right moment / To bury everything of mine / Including vanity, self-esteem, pride, laziness, bad habits... Hey, Emily, you really haven't heard of it? It really captures how you all feel right after graduation... and then...”

　　And it worked. Although Shawn Lawrence wasn't a literary youth, he could tell this junior had a literary temperament—her face was full of melancholy, let alone her heart. Sure enough, this trick worked instantly. The junior stopped in her tracks, stared at Shawn Lawrence in surprise for a few moments, as if she was moved, and then casually continued:

　　“And then, become a lotus seed / Buried in the mud / Waiting for message after message of spring / One day / To bloom magnificently / Just to hold my head high with confidence...”

　　She spoke softly, but with passionate enthusiasm, the literary youth's sentimental vibe coming through strong.

　　Legend had it the author was a talented woman from Zhongda. These days, sentimental poems by pretty girls spread easily, especially with the reputation of a talented woman. It soon became a must-read inspirational poem for countless juniors and underclassmen looking for jobs. Sometimes, even if literary types are a bit melodramatic, it still works. Shawn Lawrence could clearly feel the girl's attitude toward him warming up, less resistant and guarded. He was secretly pleased to have found common ground, and tried to act moved and literary as he finished the ending: “...Or perhaps, sighing, hesitating, feeling lost, until finally sinking into oblivion... I think the last line isn't very good—too defeatist, not positive at all.”

　　“...Being defeatist is sometimes unavoidable, but overall it's good. Now I finally feel it—I have nothing, only vanity, self-esteem, pride, laziness, bad habits...” Emily Thompson said thoughtfully after listening, shaking her head, as if denying something. She looked very downcast.

　　Of course she was downcast. First, in the job market, as soon as they see you're a college or university grad, it's like potatoes and cabbages—totally oversupplied. As just another unnoticed radish or cabbage, how could you not feel down?

　　Shawn Lawrence had obviously experienced this feeling before, so he quickly changed the subject: “It's not that bad. Even after ten more years, people still have the same flaws... By the way, the Five Overlords of Job Hunting—which level have you reached? This is directly related to your future employment, you know.”

　　The two of them had already walked a few steps and stopped in front of a job posting. Hearing about the Five Overlords, Emily Thompson, who was reading the job listings, turned around and asked curiously, “I think I've heard someone mention it before. What are the Five Overlords?”

　　“You don't know? Clearly a newbie who hasn't mixed in the job market. The Five Overlords are: anyone who attends every on-campus info session and job fair is a Listening Overlord; anyone who submits a resume to every company is a Submitting Overlord; anyone who gets a written test for every resume submitted is a Test Overlord; anyone who gets an interview for every written test is an Interview Overlord; and anyone who passes every interview and gets an office job is an Office Overlord...” Shawn Lawrence counted on his fingers, listing them out. Emily Thompson listened in silence, her big eyes showing either surprise or admiration. She'd heard of the Five Overlords as a joke among the guys at school, but if you really counted, she barely qualified as even the lowest Listening Overlord. She felt a bit embarrassed, and a bit unwilling to lose face in front of a fellow alum, so she frowned and asked Shawn Lawrence, “So... which Overlord have you reached?”