Shi Pengpeng and Xu Qiannian shared a harmless little joke before ending the video call and returning to their work.
After the live stream in Pinghe Village, Fuxi’s e-commerce sales skyrocketed, and its revenue temporarily surpassed that of the major client department, which Liu Yuguang had firmly controlled.
Without a doubt, it became the company’s most significant growth driver.
Shi Pengpeng’s workload surged, and she was overwhelmed.
She submitted a report to Tan Wei, requesting additional staff.
Tan Wei, who had been thinking about how to reward Shi Pengpeng, immediately approved two new positions and took the opportunity to promote her to head of the e-commerce department.
Her base salary was doubled, and her commission structure was adjusted accordingly.
Upon receiving the promotion notice, Shi Pengpeng immediately took a screenshot and sent it to Yan Jing.
SPP: [[Screenshot]]
SPP: [Bro, sharing my joy with you, confetti.gif]
Yan Jing was listening to Wei Chi’s itinerary report when he noticed a message notification.
He casually opened it, raised an eyebrow, and after a moment of thought, opened a music app.
Yan Jing: [Shared [QQ Music – Good Luck Comes]]
SPP: [Glad you like this song and have your own take on it, thumbs up.jpg]
Yan Jing:”….”
Yan Jing: [If there’s nothing else, I’m heading to a meeting.]
SPP: [Alright, actually, I wanted to invite you to dinner. When are you free?]
Seeing this message, Yan Jing’s lips curled slightly, but he quickly reminded himself that they were purely in a professional relationship and straightened his expression.
Yan Jing: [We… probably shouldn’t, right?]
Shi Pengpeng was puzzled.
Wasn’t it basic social etiquette to treat a friend to dinner after a promotion and raise?
Although she and Yan Jing had their share of disagreements in the past, she felt they had been getting along well recently.
Moreover, since she started working for him, her financial luck had significantly improved, so she wanted to show her gratitude.
But he didn’t seem too receptive?
Shi Pengpeng wrinkled her nose: [Never mind then.]
Yan Jing: [But I happen to be free this Saturday.]
The two messages were sent simultaneously.
Shi Pengpeng, quick on the draw, immediately hit “recall” and calmly re-edited her message.
SPP: [Forgot to mention, I’ll be at the university town for recruitment this Saturday. How about Sunday?]
After Tan Wei approved the staffing quota for the e-commerce department, the company’s HR team began recruiting.
Considering Shi Pengpeng’s relatively young age, HR suggested she not hire entirely from the job market but also include a recent graduate who would be easier to mentor.
Coincidentally, there was a dual-selection fair for fresh graduates at the university town this Saturday, and Fuxi had signed up to participate.
Yan Jing: “….”
Seeing the small text on the screen that read, “Little Witch recalled a message,” his lips unconsciously turned downward.
He had seen the message before it was recalled!
It seemed she wasn’t too concerned.
Yan Jing: [ I have family matters on Sunday.]
SPP: [0.00h, let me know when you’re free then.]
Yan Jing: [Mhm]
Early Saturday morning, Shi Pengpeng met up with HR’s Xiao Pan at the company, gathered the recruitment materials, and headed to the university town together.
The dual-selection fair was essentially a large-scale job fair for students.
Companies of various sizes set up booths at a centralized location, and students approached their preferred companies to submit resumes and conduct on-the-spot interviews.
For this event, Xiao Pan had prepared two two-meter-tall poster stands and a whole box of flyers.
After all, the company was relatively small, and attracting talent was crucial, so promotion was essential.
Today’s dual-selection fair was quite large, jointly organized by five universities, with over two hundred companies registered to participate.
The drop-off point was a bit of a distance from the venue.
Shi Pengpeng and Xiao Pan, carrying their bags and boxes, finally made it to the location, only to be dazzled by the hundreds of booths arranged in rows.
“Wait a second, let me find where our booth is,” Xiao Pan said, pulling out her phone to check the venue map while apologizing, “This box is so heavy, you can put it down for now.”
As soon as they got out of the car, Shi Pengpeng had insisted on carrying the box of flyers, not expecting the walk to be so long.
“It’s fine,” Shi Pengpeng said calmly, “I work out regularly.”
Seeing Xiao Pan’s discomfort, she even shifted the box to one hand, holding it effortlessly, “See? Easy.”
Xiao Pan:”…..”
“Such a strong woman!”
Just as she was at a loss for words, a man suddenly approached them, greeting them politely,
“Hello, are you having trouble? Do you need any help?”
Shi Pengpeng turned to look and saw a man in a suit.
His features were decent, but his face was filled with exhaustion.
He looked to be in his early thirties, with his facial muscles starting to sag and quite a few silver strands mixed into his otherwise thick hair.
“Hello,” Xiao Pan quickly asked, “Could you tell us how to get to Booth BL3?”
“You’re with the company at BL3?” The man’s face lit up, “What a coincidence! I’m at B14 next door. I’ll take you there.”
“Ah, you’re with a company too?” Xiao Pan was a bit surprised, thinking he was a staff member given how helpful he was.
“Yes, I’m the recruitment manager for our company. I handle all the hiring,” the man said, while subtly glancing at Shi Pengpeng, his attitude very enthusiastic, “That box looks heavy, let me help you.”
Shi Pengpeng noticed his gaze and felt a bit uncomfortable, saying, “No need…”
“Don’t be polite,” the man cut in, reaching out to grab both sides of the box while flashing a charming smile,
“This is what a man should do.”
“Uh…” At this point, Shi Pengpeng felt it would be rude to refuse further, so she let go and said,
“Then, thank you.”
“Not at all…” Before he could finish, his arms suddenly dropped, and he was startled, “Damn, why is it so heavy?!”
He had seen the girl holding it with one hand and assumed the box wasn’t that heavy.
“Huh?” Shi Pengpeng looked innocent, “Can’t you carry it? Maybe I should take it back.”
The man: “……”
Backing down now would be too embarrassing.
“Haha, of course I can, it’s just a box,” the man said, his face reddening, but he tried to act casual, though he unconsciously quickened his pace, “Well, it’s getting late, let’s hurry.”
Shi Pengpeng and Xiao Peng fell a step behind.
It was only then that Xiao Pan realized something and whispered to Shi Pengpeng,
“Pengpeng, I think that guy might be interested in you.”
Shi Pengpeng: “=_=”
She had noticed too.
His behavior was pretty obvious.
“Is he really that confident?” Xiao Pan pouted, looking somewhat disapproving.
“He seems quite old, probably already has a wife and kids. How can he shamelessly hit on a young girl who just entered society?”
Shi Pengpeng also found the man a bit too slick, but she didn’t say much, just waved her hand dismissively.
“Let’s just ignore him.”
When they reached booth B13, the man was already out of breath and quickly put down the box.
In the adjacent booth B14, a young girl in a suit dress was setting up a display stand.
Seeing him, she called out, “Yang Ruilin, you’re in the wrong place. We’re over here.”
“No mistake,” Yang Ruilin waved his hand.
“I’m just helping the neighbors move some stuff.”
The girl looked skeptical. “Since when are you so kind-hearted?”
At that moment, Shi Pengpeng and Xiao Pan happened to walk by and came face to face with the girl.
Seeing Shi Pengpeng, the girl suddenly understood.
“Haha, I see now,” the girl said, rolling her eyes at Yang Ruilin.
“When I asked you to help set up the display earlier, you were nowhere to be found.”
“Come on, Lucy, don’t be so petty,” Yang Ruilin said awkwardly.
“I just went to the bathroom, and you didn’t wait for me.”
“How convenient, always going to the bathroom when there’s work to be done,” Yao Lucy said sarcastically.
“By the time you’re done, I could have finished it myself.”
Yang Ruilin, feeling embarrassed in front of others, quickly cut her off.
“Alright, alright, I’m here now, aren’t I?”
Then he turned to Shi Pengpeng and said, “Hey, beautiful, let’s exchange WeChat. We can hang out after work or on holidays.”
Shi Pengpeng blinked and tactfully replied, “Shouldn’t you spend more time with your wife and kids if you have the chance?”
“Haha, what are you talking about?” Yang Ruilin quickly defended himself.
“I just graduated two years ago, I’m still single. Where would I have a wife and kids?”
“What?!” Xiao Pan blurted out.
“You only graduated two years ago?”
Yang Ruilin was puzzled. “What’s she so shocked about?”
He then asked, “How old do you think I am?”
Xiao Pan realized she had overreacted and chuckled awkwardly.
“No, no, just a misunderstanding…”
Yao Lucy, watching from the next booth, couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire.
“You didn’t know? Colleagues from other departments have been asking me what’s wrong with you lately, saying you’ve aged so quickly, almost too old to take the civil service exam…”
The room fell silent.
Being too old to take the civil service exam meant he was over 35.
Yang Ruilin, clearly in disbelief, looked at Shi Pengpeng and Xiao Pan with a stiff face.
“Do I really look that old?”
Xiao Pan couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic and said gently, “Well, you do look quite mature…”
Yang Ruilin was speechless.
That just meant he looked old.
And not just a little old-clearly, in their eyes, he wasn’t even in the same age group as them.
“Ah, well… haha, I guess I’ve been looking a bit haggard since starting work… but, but it can’t be that bad, right?” Yang Ruilin, unable to handle the blow, stumbled over his words.
He even forgot about asking for WeChat and, looking utterly dejected, returned to his booth.
He opened his phone’s front camera and started scrutinizing his face.
Most people don’t notice subtle changes in themselves unless they deliberately observe.
Yang Ruilin was no exception.
At first, he just felt more fatigued than usual and didn’t pay much attention.
But upon closer inspection, he was startled to realize he seemed to have aged several years suddenly.
“How could this be? Just two months ago at the class reunion, everyone said I hadn’t changed much… My hair has turned a bit whiter, but that’s just premature graying…”
Yao Lucy, who had just finished setting up the display stand, saw him still dawdling and said impatiently,
“Cut down on drinking and staying up late, and focus on what needs to be done. That’s what really matters.”
On the other side, Xiao Pan was arranging the booth while musing, “I misjudged this guy. He’s actually around our age, but I can’t be blamed for that…”
Shi Pengpeng was also quite surprised, feeling an indescribable emotion.
She couldn’t help but glance at Yang Ruilin a few more times, thinking to herself, “Is working really that taxing on the body?”
Once the job fair began, Shi Pengpeng got a more direct sense of how tough the job market had become in recent years.
In the past, small companies like Fuxi weren’t very popular among fresh graduates, but this time, there were quite a few resumes submitted, including from students of prestigious universities.
Shi Pengpeng and Xiao Pan spent the entire morning collecting resumes and conducting interviews, barely having a moment to rest.
Finally catching a break, they saw Yang Ruilin peeking over and asking, “Ladies, would you like to order some takeout together?”
Shi Pengpeng checked the time and realized it was almost noon.
“Why order takeout?” Xiao Pan asked, puzzled.
“Didn’t the organizers arrange meals?”
For such large job fairs, the organizers usually arrange meals for participating companies to make management easier.
“The provided meals are just bland boxed lunches. It’s better to order our own,” Yang Ruilin said, glancing at Shi Pengpeng.
After the morning’s activities, he had regained his composure and felt confident again.
He spoke with an air of experience, “Let me tell you, this counts as a business expense and can be reimbursed by the company. No reason not to take advantage of it.”
“Forget it,” Shi Pengpeng wasn’t very interested.
“Most takeout these days is pre-made food, not necessarily better than the provided meals.”
“That’s why I’m suggesting we order together,” Yang Ruilin said eagerly.
“To be honest, our company is nearby, and I know all the good restaurants in this area. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Here, take a look at this place…”
As he spoke, he handed her his phone, showing an open page of a restaurant.
Shi Pengpeng glanced at it and saw it was a small stir-fry place with an auspicious name, “Abundance Every Year.”
“This is a place I’ve been ordering from recently. It just opened, and they use fresh ingredients. The taste is great, and they’re running a promotion right now…” Yang Ruilin paused for effect, emphasizing, “If you mention it’s your birthday, the owner will give you a free cake.”
Shi Pengpeng’s mouth twitched slightly, “But it’s not our birthday…”
“You don’t need it to actually be your birthday. The owner is very generous; just mention it and you’ll get it,” Yang Ruilin said, proudly sharing his experience.
“Really, I always mention it when I order, and I always get a cake.”
Shi Pengpeng: “…”
Xiao Peng couldn’t help but interject, “Isn’t that a bit unethical?”
“What’s the big deal?” Yang Ruilin said dismissively, even turning the tables to lecture them.
“You girls are just too thin-skinned. These businesses are very shrewd. If they dare to give away so much, they’ve definitely calculated the costs and won’t lose money. Besides, even if they do lose, it’s their own fault, not the consumers’.”
“Well, our skin isn’t as thick as yours,” Shi Pengpeng agreed, glancing at his slightly aged face.
“If you have time, you should really exfoliate more.”
Yang Ruilin:”…..”
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