Chapter 35: The Heart of the Cabbage Grew Crooked

The next day, Qin Hao brought Qiu Yingying to the company to complete her onboarding procedures.

No one dared to neglect the boss's younger sister, so the process went very quickly. Although Qiu Yingying lacked both high IQ and EQ, she was simple, enthusiastic, and sweet-talking, allowing her to quickly become acquainted with her colleagues.

"Sister Liu, this is some cured sausage my dad sent over. It's a specialty from my hometown; it's delicious whether you cook it with dishes or steam it with rice. Here, have some," Qiu Yingying began distributing the sausages like she was presenting a treasure.

The colleagues were very polite and offered their thanks one after another.

"Eh, are you also from Yancheng?" Ying Qin bumped into Qiu Yingying while distributing the sausages just as he was clocking into the office. Smelling that specific aroma, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Qiu Yingying said in pleasant surprise, "Yes! Are you from Yancheng too?"

"Yeah, what a coincidence. But you should probably give the sausages to others. I don't know how to cook them, and it would be a shame to waste such good food," Ying Qin said regretfully.

This left Qiu Yingying stumped, momentarily unsure of how to respond. The colleagues watching from the side shook their heads, inwardly cursing Ying Qin for being such a "steel straight man."

On her first day, the supervisor assigned an experienced employee to mentor Qiu Yingying. Facing the boss's sister, the veteran employee was exceptionally patient.

Even so, Qiu Yingying felt immense pressure. After all, private domain traffic operation was completely different from the repetitive task of filling out reimbursement forms she had done before.

She had to face all sorts of people, study their psychology, and analyze their purchasing desires and spending power.

During lunch break, Qin Hao saw Qiu Yingying sitting at her workstation with her head in her hands and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Qiu Yingying looked at Qin Hao pitifully. "Brother, do you think I'm too stupid?"

"You're alright. It's good that you have self-awareness," Qin Hao said, habitually rubbing her head.

Qiu Yingying puffed out her cheeks and swatted his hand away. "Brother, why are you saying that to me too?"

"You said it yourself; I'm just agreeing with your viewpoint."

"Ahhh! Brother, this job is so hard! Sister Liu and the others have already developed over a dozen clients, but I haven't brought in a single one yet!" Qiu Yingying hammered her head in frustration.

Qin Hao teased, "Alright, you're not smart to begin with; if you hammer yourself into being even stupider, what will we do?"

Qiu Yingying glared at him indignantly.

"Alright, stop obsessing over it. Every new job has an adjustment period. Not everyone is a genius. As humans, we have to learn to accept our own mediocrity," Qin Hao consoled her.

"Hmm, that makes sense. Brother, I'm hungry. You're treating me to lunch."

Well, as expected of Qiu Yingying—she truly was a foodie.

He took Qiu Yingying to the cafeteria and got their food. While Qiu Yingying was looking for a seat, Qin Hao led her directly to Ying Qin's table.

"Oh! Fellow townsman, it's you!" Qiu Yingying looked at Ying Qin in surprise.

Ying Qin gave a somewhat shy smile. "Yeah, I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Ahem." Seeing the two of them chatting as if no one else was around, Qin Hao had to assert his presence. After all, this was the company; if he was hitting on the boss's sister, he had to be mindful of the impression he made.

"Boss." Ying Qin finally reacted.

Qin Hao nodded to him. Suddenly, Qiu Yingying slapped her forehead in realization.

"That's right! Ying Qin, you said you can't cook, right? My brother can! Why don't you come to our house this weekend? My brother's stir-fried Chinese broccoli with cured sausage is absolutely legendary."

Qin Hao nearly choked on his food. Good grief—not only was he setting up his sister, but he also had to cook for the guy?

Facing Qin Hao's fierce gaze, Ying Qin shook his head hurriedly. "No, no need. I couldn't possibly trouble the boss."

Qiu Yingying thought her fellow townsman was just being polite. "It's no trouble! I go to my brother's place every weekend to scavenge meals. Having you there is just one more pair of chopsticks. It's rare to meet a fellow townsman in Shanghai; it must be fate! Right, brother?"

What else could Qin Hao say? *Whatever you say.*

Ultimately, unable to withstand Qiu Yingying's persuasion, Ying Qin agreed to come to "Ode to Joy" for a meal this weekend. Watching this, Qin Hao gritted his teeth, unable to finish his meal.

***

On the other side, at Huaxin Securities, Guan Ju'er's group was holding a monthly summary meeting. As the meeting drew to a close, the manager spoke.

"This month, our Business Department Group B has once again achieved the top performance. However, I hope no one gets complacent. You must continue to work hard, especially you interns. Your performance and individual results directly determine whether you can be converted to full-time status at the end of the year."

After the meeting, several interns looked somewhat uneasy; after all, they were now competitors.

In the restroom, Mi Xue'er was speaking sarcastically to two other interns from her cohort.

"Sigh, can you believe it? We are high-achieving graduates from prestigious 985 and 211 universities, yet we're being driven crazy just fighting for a single full-time position. It's truly unjust."

"Exactly. The competition is too intense now. Before graduation, I thought that with my degree, I'd be making tens of thousands a month. Now look at us—the company only pays five thousand during the internship, and even after conversion, it'll barely break ten thousand."

"Conversion? What are you dreaming about? This company only has a few spots a year, and there are dozens of us interns. God only knows who will actually stay."

Seeing this, Mi Xue'er said mysteriously, "Do you know why the competition is so fierce?"

"Why?"

Mi Xue'er analyzed with a cold sneer, "Think about it. If the company only has a few conversion spots, why did they hire so many interns?"

"What else? They're just using us as cheap labor," one intern complained.

Mi Xue'er nodded, then shook her head. "The company saving costs is one thing, but you guys are thinking too simply. In investment banking, besides capital, what is the most important thing?"

"What is it?"

"Resources. You probably don't know, but some interns were actually shoved in through the back door. The managers don't even have the final say."

"Huh? There's such a thing? Then who got in through the back door?"

"For those of us from prestigious universities, there's no need for back doors. Anyone who used one would be obvious."

"Are you talking about Guan Ju'er?"

"Hmph, I shouldn't even bother telling you guys. Even if you know, what's the use? Her performance is currently number one. Maybe she'll be one of the few getting converted at the end of the year," Mi Xue'er continued to stir the pot.

Sure enough, the other interns were infuriated. "On what grounds? She graduated from an ordinary college; how can she push us out?"

"But what can we interns do?"

"Hmph, I don't care. If I can't stay, she won't either!"

Soon, rumors began to circulate that Guan Ju'er had entered the company through the back door. This made Guan Ju'er feel very wronged. It was true that her parents had arranged her entry into Huaxin Securities, but since she started working, she had been the most hardworking, consistently ranking first in performance among all the interns every month.

(End of Chapter)