In the blink of an eye, the day of the job fair had arrived.
Early that morning, Xiao Chen dressed up carefully for once, hoping to look a little sharper and more energetic.
"Damn, I look good today!" he said to his reflection with a grin. "If I were a woman, I'd fall for me too!"
After breakfast, he headed straight to the company and quickly got busy.
Even though he preferred to take a hands-off approach, as the head of the security department, he couldn't just sit back and relax.
"Minister Xiao, the applicants have started arriving. The official start time is ten o'clock," Tong Yan reported. She was dressed formally today—standard office attire that somehow made her look even more professional.
"Got it. How many have shown up so far?" Xiao Chen asked with a teasing smile, his eyes flicking briefly toward her crisp white blouse.
"Over sixty have already signed in, and more are still coming."
"So many?" Xiao Chen was genuinely surprised. "We're only hiring security guards, right?"
In his mind, being a security guard wasn't exactly a glamorous job—usually something people took as a last resort. On top of that, the quality in the domestic security industry varied wildly. Except for those trained by professional companies, most guards were basically amateurs—some even elderly or frail.
He thought about the kind of guards you usually saw in residential areas—mostly old men. If an emergency happened, relying on them for protection was about as useful as praying for Ultraman to fall from the sky.
Tong Yan nodded. "Yes, but… not all the applicants are genuine."
"What do you mean?" Xiao Chen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," she hesitated, "some are just here for fun. Or rather—for our female employees."
"Female employees?" Xiao Chen looked even more puzzled.
"Everyone knows Qingcheng Company is full of beautiful women," she explained, a little helplessly.
Xiao Chen chuckled as it dawned on him. "Ah, I see. So they're not here for the job—they're here to flirt."
Still, he couldn't help but smirk. "Well, I can't blame them. You're charming ladies, after all. But coming here to cause trouble for me? That's a mistake."
His grin turned mischievous. "Leave it to me. Since they've come, it'd be rude not to give them a little… 'lesson.'"
He called over a few of his security men and whispered a few instructions.
"Yes, Minister Xiao!" They nodded eagerly and rushed off.
"Come on, Tong Yan. Let's go take a look," he said.
"Alright, Minister Xiao."
They headed downstairs to the lobby, where clusters of applicants were chatting in groups.
Xiao Chen scanned the crowd and immediately spotted several pampered young men—soft hands, polished hair, designer clothes—laughing loudly and making bold comments about the passing office ladies.
He sneered inwardly. Laugh while you can. You'll be crying soon enough.
Just then, one particularly flashy young man, hair slicked back and face shining with oil, strutted up to Tong Yan.
"Hi there, beautiful! I'm Qiu Dasi. What's your name?"
"Hello," Tong Yan replied politely, even though she didn't want to talk to him.
"Which department are you in? I'm joining the security team soon, so we'll be colleagues! How about lunch together? Come on, shake hands!"
He extended his hand eagerly, clearly mistaking her polite smile for interest.
Before Tong Yan could respond, Xiao Chen stepped forward.
"Hehe, nice to meet you too," Xiao Chen said, shaking the man's hand firmly. "As for lunch—let's skip that."
A second later, Qiu Dasi's face twisted in pain. "Ah! Let go!"
But Xiao Chen's grip was like steel. He only released it after a moment, smiling coldly. Flirting with a woman right in front of me? You've got guts.
The commotion drew everyone's attention, and a few of Qiu Dasi's friends stepped up, glaring at Xiao Chen.
"Heh," Xiao Chen said lightly, "so you're all here for the security job? Let me introduce myself. I'm Xiao Chen, head of the Security Department—and your interviewer."
That shut them up immediately. Even Qiu Dasi bit back the curse that was about to leave his mouth.
They might not normally care about a department head, but today was different—he was the gatekeeper to their "dream workplace."
"Ah, Minister Xiao! My apologies!" Qiu Dasi said quickly, forcing a smile. "We're all here for the job. Hope you can take care of us later. We'll treat you tonight!"
"Yeah, Minister Xiao, we're counting on you!" another chimed in, sneaking a glance at Tong Yan.
Xiao Chen grinned. "No problem. I believe in your abilities."
They relaxed immediately, thinking the job was in the bag.
After they walked away, Tong Yan frowned. "Minister Xiao, why would you do that?"
"Do what?" he asked, feigning innocence.
"President Su trusted you to handle recruitment seriously. How could you give special treatment to those guys? They're not here to work!"
Xiao Chen laughed. "Relax. I'm just having a little fun. You think I'd really let them in? They'll have to prove themselves first."
"Really?"
"Of course. I never lie to women—especially beautiful ones like you."
Tong Yan rolled her eyes.
"Come on, it's almost time. Let's start."
By ten o'clock, the interviews began.
"Ding Li, let everyone in," Xiao Chen ordered.
Soon, over eighty applicants filled the hall.
"Minister Xiao, there are a total of eighty-three people," Ding Li reported.
Xiao Chen nodded, scanning the crowd. "We're hiring twenty guards. Only a quarter of you will make it. The requirements were clearly listed—do you all think you qualify?"
"Yes!" the applicants shouted, though most of their eyes were still fixed on Tong Yan.
"Good," Xiao Chen said. "Now, what's the main job of a security guard?"
"Protecting company property and employee safety!" one man answered confidently.
"Correct," Xiao Chen said. "Which means—you need a strong body. So, we'll start with a fitness test."
At his signal, several security guards brought in dumbbells and barbells.
"Fifty dumbbell squats and fifty barbell presses. Pass, and you'll move on to the next round. Let's start… with you."
He pointed straight at Qiu Dasi.
The man froze, staring at the equipment in horror.
"Minister Xiao, I—"
"What? You want to be a guard but don't even have basic strength?"
Qiu Dasi gritted his teeth. "Who says I can't do it?"
He picked up the dumbbells, but before reaching ten squats, his legs gave out, and the dumbbell crashed onto his foot.
"Aaah!" he howled in pain, hopping on one foot.
"Disqualified," Xiao Chen said coolly.
One by one, the unfit applicants dropped out, while the real candidates continued with determination.
By the end, about half passed the physical test and moved to the next round.
Meanwhile, Qiu Dasi sat in the corner, clutching his foot and glaring at Xiao Chen.
"That bastard played us! We can't let this go," he hissed to his friends.
"Yeah, let's wait until after work," another muttered darkly.
But before they could plot further, the conference room door slammed open—
Ren Kun strode in arrogantly, followed by Liu Dakui and two other strong-looking men.