Chapter 9: Job Interview

Lin Xiao's words infuriated Xu Chengfei so much that his eyes bulged, and his pointing finger trembled.

"You, you, what kind of talk is that?!"

"What do you mean, 'who am I'?"

"Lin Xiao, we haven't seen each other for two days, has your brain been knocked stupid?"

Xu Chengfei's angry voice came out like a rapid-fire burst of cannon shots.

"What? Haven't the lessons of the past two days been enough for you?"

"Let me tell you, you'd better bow your head and admit your mistake quickly, otherwise... there are plenty of people who want the resources you don't!"

Xu Chengfei's words were a mix of intimidation and threats, his purpose all too obvious.

Listening to this string of words, Lin Xiao laughed out of sheer anger.

"And after I soften my stance and admit my mistake?"

"Sleep with you? Or accompany you for drinks?"

She looked at the man before her with a mocking expression, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Since so many people want this opportunity, then I'll just give it to someone else."

"Xu Chengfei, what do you say?"

Having said that, she couldn't be bothered to deal with Xu Chengfei's pig-like face. She simply strode forward with her long legs and walked into the elevator without looking back.

Even before the doors closed, Xu Chengfei's crazed voice could be heard.

"Lin Xiao, don't you regret it!"

Regret?

She wouldn't regret it at all.

Lin Xiao expressionlessly looked at the Weibo interface she had just opened.

As she scrolled casually, she saw a Weibo post related to herself.

*Brother Quan Says:* Today, during a certain variety show's live broadcast, a certain celebrity surnamed Lin not only brazenly slacked off but actually walked away from the camera alone.

The attached image below was an exposure by a fan claiming to be a member of the production crew.

Exiting the details interface, Lin Xiao expressionlessly clicked on the Weibo Hot Search.

To her surprise, she actually saw her own related hot search on the list.

#LinXiaoPoliceStation

Lin Xiao was very confused.

Is current popularity... this easy to maintain?

The things that happened yesterday—twenty-four hours have passed, and it's still on the hot search list?

With a puzzled expression, she clicked into it.

Then, her face instantly darkened.

Someone had captured footage of her entering the police station this morning and sent it to a public account.

Therefore, when she clicked the hot search term, the most popular Weibo post was the public account that had posted the photo.

*Entertainment Reporter Xiao Zhou:* Everyone was very concerned about the disappearance of a certain female star surnamed Lin yesterday. However, I unexpectedly captured this picture today; it seems yesterday's disappearance had another cause!

The attached image below was a shot of her clutching a bundle of scarves, walking with large strides toward the police station.

Seeing this photo, Lin Xiao silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, they didn't capture Little Snow Leopard.

Otherwise...

Being rumored about and mocked by netizens was one thing, but if she accidentally disturbed the people behind the poaching syndicate being investigated, she would truly be a heinous criminal.

Before she could finish her sigh of relief, the interface in her hand suddenly jumped, instantly returning to the Weibo main page.

Lin Xiao's eyes widened in disbelief as she quickly refreshed.

But she still couldn't find a single trace.

It was as if the hot search she had just seen was nothing but a dream.

Not a single trace remained.

Lin Xiao fell into thought.

Just then, her phone vibrated with a *buzz-buzz-buzz*, instantly pulling her thoughts back.

An unfamiliar Kyoto number appeared on the screen.

The call connected, and Lu Chengshen's calm, measured voice came through the receiver.

"Miss Lin, we have already handled the hot searches online. You may have to endure some hardship for a few days. We can only release relevant information once the interrogation of the poachers is complete."

"Okay!"

Lin Xiao nodded very readily.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiao quickly went through her current assets.

Seeing the amount in her bank card, Lin Xiao's calm expression rarely showed a hint of shock.

Two thousand?

Lin Xiao's lips twitched, and she slumped onto the sofa in a state of slight despair.

After working in the entertainment industry for three years, her total earnings were only the two thousand yuan in her card?

Setting aside how much the breach of contract fee Xu Chengfei mentioned would cost, she didn't even know where the money to live on next month would come from!

Lin Xiao closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing all her emotions.

Fortunately, at least for now, she still had Director Xie's variety show.

But in the next second, Xie Feng interrupted her final hope with great embarrassment.

"Lin Xiao, I'm really sorry. We just received news from above, and it's likely that this program..."

Xie Feng looked somewhat troubled, his face written with helplessness.

"Especially after what happened yesterday, our program is too sensitive right now."

"The leadership has decided to postpone the recording, so... my apologies!"

After seeing Director Xie off, Lin Xiao returned to her room and flopped back onto the sofa with a look of disappointment.

Heaven wants me dead!

She had to find a way to make money as soon as possible.

And that contract... perhaps she could think of other ways.

...

Xihai Zoo, Personnel Department.

An old man with half-white hair was hunched over the computer, his face almost pressed against the screen.

He didn't forget to mutter and grumble under his breath.

"Xiao Wang, didn't I tell you to hurry up and post the recruitment news? Have you posted it?"

"I've posted it!"

"You posted it, so how is it possible that not a single person has applied?"

The old director's words left Wang Xuan speechless for a good while.

Why was no one applying?

That was indeed a good question.

This zoo of theirs had never participated in animal exhibitions; they only provided temporary housing for injured wildlife, so they didn't have much money to begin with.

A monthly salary of 3,000 yuan, including food and lodging, was already their limit.

But...

Just then, a red dot suddenly appeared on the empty webpage.

The two people in front of the computer instantly became excited.

Upon clicking open the candidate's resume, half of Wang Xuan's expression instantly vanished.

He muttered in a somewhat disdainful voice.

"So it's her!"

His voice was full of dislike.

The old director, Chu Lian, put on his reading glasses and carefully studied the resume on the screen.

He heard Wang Xuan's complaining voice.

"Director Chu, you don't need to pay any attention to this person. She was originally a celebrity in the entertainment industry; she's probably just applying for this kind of job to build a persona."

Seeing Chu Lian's confused expression, Wang Xuan enthusiastically recounted the incident from a few days ago when Lin Xiao failed to cling to someone and instead slacked off during work, resulting in her being caught and taken to the police station.

He spoke with such clear logic that it sounded as if it were true.

Chu Lian looked at the person on the screen thoughtfully, repeating the name in his heart once more.

Lin Xiao...

So, she was the one those old fellows were talking about?

Wang Xuan looked at Lin Xiao's resume with great indignation.

To actually use the love of animals to package her persona, even without caring whether she had relevant skills, just shamelessly trying to squeeze into this industry.

Does she really think everyone in our industry is just eating for free?

Besides, if she actually hurt an animal, could she, Lin Xiao, afford to pay for it?

He was puffing out his cheeks in anger when he heard the old man's hearty laughter from above his head.

"Good, good, good, it's her!"

Wang Xuan was dumbfounded, turning his head in shock with a look of disbelief.

"Director Chu, you, what are you...?"

Chu Lian ignored the shock on Wang Xuan's face and smiled very kindly.

"I find this Lin Xiao quite to my liking. It's her."

Wang Xuan:???

So all his righteous indignation and complaining had been in vain?

Seeing Wang Xuan's depressed face, Chu Lian chuckled and patted Wang Xuan on the shoulder.

"Young man, you can't judge people based on hearsay!"

Having said that, he hummed a little tune and strolled out happily.

No, he had to suppress his excitement.

Once the girl Lin's job was settled, he would go find those old men and show off!

(End of Chapter)