Chapter 15 - 2.3 The Meticulously Woven Lie

Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Qinsheng began to get to the point. His expression turned serious, as if he was about to share some important business secret with Chen Yu.However, he didn't rush to talk about the job. Instead, he casually revealed the exquisite imported watch on his wrist, the hands glinting with a steady light under the lamp. From a high-end-looking leather briefcase, he took out a beautifully printed, all-English "company brochure," casually opened a page showing a group of young Asians smiling in a luxurious office. "Our company values young people the most," he pushed the brochure in front of Chen Yu, pointing at a person in the photo. "Look, he's about your age, also from the countryside, and now he's a department head.""Xiao Chen, to be honest, the domestic employment situation is indeed not very good right now," Zhang Qinsheng sighed, his tone full of sympathy and understanding. "For a junior college student like you, it's hard to find a really good job in the country. The competition is too fierce, and many companies look at connections. The job requirements are high, and most importantly, there's a 'resource mismatch'—opportunities don't always fall to the most hardworking people."He paused, observing the look of agreement and disappointment on Chen Yu's face, then continued: "Even if your resume says you have some English speaking skills, to be honest, those recruiting companies have no demand for basic daily communication. They can easily hire an English major or a business English graduate, and one of them can do the work of two of you!"These words were like a sharp knife, precisely piercing the most sensitive and inferior part of Chen Yu's heart. His job-hunting experience during this period had made him deeply understand this—without connections, it was indeed difficult to get anywhere. And his pitiful English foundation was worthless in the fierce competition.Chen Yu felt a heavy weight on his chest, a mixture of regret, self-blame, and unwillingness surging in his heart. If only he had thought of learning business English back then, even if it meant self-studying in the library and brazenly asking teachers for help, would things be different now? But it was too late to say anything now.He was unwilling to accept his fate like this, unwilling to become an assembly line worker in a factory, repeating mechanical actions every day for a meager salary, living a life he could see the end of. He was even more unwilling to let Yang Yuling see him as a failure, to disappoint his parents, and to let his family continue to struggle in the mire of poverty.Zhang Qinsheng keenly caught the fleeting despair and unwillingness in Chen Yu's eyes. He knew the time was ripe."But," he changed the subject, his voice carrying a mysterious allure, "if you're willing to develop your career abroad, it's a completely different story.""Abroad?" Chen Yu's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again. "But I don't have money or connections."Zhang Qinsheng smiled, as if he had anticipated this question. "Xiao Chen, this is where you haven't thought it through yet. You think you're begging for a job, but in fact, the job is looking for you. My friend runs a company in Thailand, specializing in trade with China. With the Chinese economy doing so well now, what they lack most are young people like you who understand Chinese, know the domestic situation, and have a certain level of education. It's not you begging them, it's them begging for talent like you to go over. Of course, the compensation is also very generous!""Thailand?" Chen Yu was a bit puzzled. "I don't know much about Thailand.""Thailand is a very good country, its economy is developing rapidly, and they are particularly friendly to us Chinese," Zhang Qinsheng began to talk endlessly, every sentence carefully crafted, half-truth and half-lie. "Their company mainly deals in electronic products and needs someone to be responsible for contacting domestic suppliers. The job is simple, just communicating orders with domestic manufacturers via phone and fax. Your education and background are very suitable."Zhang Qinsheng paused, seeing the growing interest in the other's eyes, he continued to raise the stakes, throwing out a more deceptive "professional analysis": "You should have heard that Thailand has recently experienced some financial turmoil, and the Thai baht has depreciated. But think about it, what does this mean for us Chinese?"He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, creating a mysterious atmosphere of sharing inside information: "It means their labor costs have been greatly reduced! Their company used to spend a lot of money to hire a local Thai translator, but they found that now, with the same amount of money, or even less, they can hire educated, Chinese-speaking university students like you! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you! And the cost of living in Thailand is lower than in China. Think about it, you work there, earn US dollars, and spend Thai baht. After a few years of accumulation like this, won't you be a rich man when you come back!"Chen Yu's heart began to race. Working abroad, in 1997 China, was still a remarkable thing that would make the entire village envious."So... what exactly is the compensation?" Chen Yu asked cautiously, his voice filled with an unconcealable expectation.