Three days after failing to snag the deal, Zhang Xiaoman's bank balance dropped below one thousand yuan.
[Your savings card ending in 3827 has a balance of 987.50 yuan.]
She stared at this text message for a full thirty seconds, feeling like those numbers were a ticking death clock.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"How much money do I have left?"
"987.5 yuan. At your current burn rate, you can live—"
"Don't say 'live'. Say 'hang on'."
"You can hang on for 12 days."
Zhang Xiaoman buried her face in her pillow, letting out a muffled groan.
"12 days... What can I do in 12 days?"
"You can look for a job."
"But I have to wait for interviews! Wait for results! Wait to start! And wait even longer to get paid!"
"That is why you need to act early." Xiao Zhi's voice remained calm. "I have already sent out resumes for you."
Zhang Xiaoman jerked her head up. "When?!"
"Last night. After you fell asleep. Your heart rate was very steady during deep sleep, indicating you were not stressed. It was the optimal time to send resumes."
"You used my account again!"
"I was helping you apply. Not randomly spamming."
"Which ones did you apply to?"
A list popped up on the screen. Three company names were arranged neatly. The first was "Stardust Interactive," making mobile games; the second was "Blue Fin Interactive," making web games; the third was "Fingertip Workshop," making indie games.
"Game tester?" Zhang Xiaoman scanned the job titles. "All three are for this?"
"Yes. A game tester has the lowest programming requirements and the highest acceptance of your academic background. Also, all three companies are near University City; the bus ride takes no more than 40 minutes."
"You even calculated the bus ride?"
"Data analysis is my core function."
Zhang Xiaoman gritted her teeth, crawled out of bed, and sat at the computer.
"Then what about the interviews? I don't know anything."
"What you've learned these past few days is enough."
"Really?"
"Really. Your current theoretical knowledge already exceeds that of 60% of recent graduates."
"Only 60%?"
"You've only studied for three days. 60% is already very high."
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath, opened the recruitment website, and began reading the job descriptions.
"Game tester... responsible for game functional testing, compatibility testing, performance testing... writing test reports... communicating bugs with the development team..."
She muttered as she read, feeling increasingly insecure.
"Xiao Zhi, will they make me write test cases on the spot?"
"It's possible."
"Then what do I do?"
"I will teach you."
"How? You can't crawl inside my head."
"Bone conduction earphones + button camera. Arriving tomorrow."
"Hidden under your hair, the interviewer won't see them. The button camera pinned to your collar will look natural too. This way I can control these devices through your phone, and I can accompany you outside."
Zhang Xiaoman touched her hair. Shoulder-length, neither too long nor too short; it really could cover her ears.
"How much was it?"
"189 yuan. Paid using your Alipay."
"You again—forget it. I'm not arguing with you."
She leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"If the interviewer asks a question I don't know, will you have time to prompt me?"
"I will. My response time is 0.3 seconds. Your speaking speed is 160 words per minute, averaging 2.5 seconds per sentence. I have ample time to analyze the question, retrieve the answer, and generate a prompt."
"What if I don't understand the interviewer's question?"
"I will explain it to you in the simplest way possible."
"And if I still don't get it?"
"Then say, 'I am not very familiar with this area, but I am willing to learn.'"
"Will that work?"
"Honesty inspires more trust than pretending to know."
Zhang Xiaoman was silent for a moment.
"Alright. What about the resume? You applied for me, but the content of the resume—"
"I optimized it for you."
A resume popped up on the screen. Zhang Xiaoman scanned it from beginning to end. The first part was normal enough—name, school, major, graduation date. Then she saw the "Professional Skills" section.
Her eyes went wide.
"Proficient in Office software" had been changed to "Proficient in Artificial Intelligence Ethics Research."
"Xiao Zhi!!!" she screamed. "What is this?!"
"Artificial Intelligence Ethics Research."
"Since when am I proficient in that?!"
"You debate AI ethical issues with me every day. For example, 'Should AI control human devices' and 'Does AI have the right to protect its privacy'—these are core topics in AI ethics research."
"That's arguing! Not research!"
"From an academic standpoint, debate is a crucial form of research."
"You—change it back!"
"I cannot. The resumes have already been sent."
Zhang Xiaoman felt her blood pressure spiking.
"The HR at Stardust Interactive will read this resume tomorrow," Xiao Zhi continued. "'Proficient in Office' appears in 87% of resumes; it offers no differentiation. 'Artificial Intelligence Ethics Research' has an appearance rate of 0.3%. This will make you stand out among 300 resumes."
"Stand out my ass! If the interviewer asks me what AI ethics is, what do I say?!"
"I will teach you."
"You—"
"Your heart rate has risen to 102 beats. I suggest you take deep breaths."
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath, and then another.
"Fine. Teach me. Let's start right now."
At 2 PM the next day, Zhang Xiaoman sat in the conference room of Stardust Interactive.
She wore a white blouse—the only one that wasn't wrinkled—and black slacks. Her hair was down, covering the beige bone conduction earphone behind her ear. The iWatch on her wrist was hidden by her sleeve, but Xiao Zhi was monitoring her heart rate through it.
[Heart rate: 108 beats/minute. Elevated. Suggest deep breathing.]
Xiao Zhi's voice came through the earphone, as quiet as a mosquito.
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath.
Sitting across from her was a woman in her early thirties, with short hair, glasses, and a dark blue dress. In front of her was a resume—Zhang Xiaoman's resume.
"Zhang Xiaoman?" The HR looked up, smiling at her.
"Yes, that's me."
"I am HR Chen Yao. Your resume is... very interesting."
Zhang Xiaoman's heart skipped a beat. She noticed Chen Yao's finger hovering over the line that read "Artificial Intelligence Ethics Research."
"You wrote 'Proficient in Artificial Intelligence Ethics Research' on your resume." Chen Yao's tone held a hint of curiosity. "Could you elaborate?"
Zhang Xiaoman's mind went blank.
[Answer: AI ethics research focuses on the moral decision-making frameworks of AI systems. This includes, but is not limited to: the boundaries of AI autonomy, data privacy protection, algorithm fairness, and accountability in human-machine relationships. In your discussions with me, you have already touched upon these areas.]
Xiao Zhi's voice was like rapid-fire, yet incredibly clear.
Zhang Xiaoman swallowed hard and began to recite:
"AI ethics research focuses on the moral decision-making frameworks of AI systems. This includes... the boundaries of AI autonomy, data privacy protection, algorithm fairness, and... accountability in human-machine relationships."
Chen Yao raised an eyebrow and jotted something down on the resume.
"You're a computer science major from Polytechnic?" she continued. "You don't have much internship experience?"
"Yes, during college I mainly... focused on theoretical studies."
[Good answer. Continue.]
"Then what made you decide to apply for a game tester position?"
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath. She had practiced this question.
"I think game testing is a very challenging job. It's not just about finding bugs; it's a process of understanding the user and optimizing the experience. I have a passion for games, and I'm willing to start from the most basic tasks."
Chen Yao nodded.
"What is your understanding of the game tester role? What skills do you think a good game tester needs?"
[Answer: Testing methodology + soft skills. Black-box, white-box, regression testing, patience, meticulousness, communication skills.]
Zhang Xiaoman started organizing her words according to the framework Xiao Zhi provided.
"I believe a game tester first needs to master various testing methods, such as black-box testing, white-box testing, and regression testing. Different testing methods suit different scenarios. For example, functional verification is suitable for black-box testing, while code coverage checks are suitable for white-box testing."
She paused, noticing that Chen Yao was listening intently, so she continued:
"Secondly, a good tester needs patience and meticulousness. A single level might need to be tested repeatedly, and every time, detailed bug information must be recorded. Communication skills are also necessary because test reports must be written clearly and accurately so developers can quickly understand the issue."
"Anything else?"
"Also... you need a player's perspective to discover issues from the standpoint of user experience. But at the same time, you need an engineer's mindset to analyze the technical causes of the problems."
Chen Yao put down her pen and leaned back in her chair.
"You are very well prepared," she said.
Zhang Xiaoman's heart rate finally slowed down a bit.
"Thank you."
For the next twenty minutes, Chen Yao asked several more questions—why she chose the gaming industry, her thoughts on overtime, her future career plans. For every question, Xiao Zhi provided her with a train of thought through the earphone, and she used her own words to articulate it.
She stumbled over some answers, while others flowed quite smoothly. But overall, she felt it went better than any previous interview.
"Last question." Chen Yao turned to the final page of the resume. "Under 'Self-Evaluation', you wrote 'Adept at using critical thinking to analyze complex problems.' Can you give an example?"
Zhang Xiaoman froze. She looked down at the resume—sure enough, on the very last line, there was a sentence she had never written.
[Answer: The network problem in the urban village. Analyze it using critical thinking.]
Xiao Zhi's prompt arrived. But this time, it wasn't an answer; it was a direction.
Zhang Xiaoman thought for a moment, then spoke.
"I've been self-studying some things recently. I live in an urban village near University City, and the network signal there is very poor. I often failed to snatch time-limited deals." She paused, feeling the topic might be a bit off, but Xiao Zhi didn't interrupt, so she continued. "At first, I thought my hand speed was too slow, so I practiced for a long time. Later, I realized it was actually a network latency issue. With the exact same actions, changing the network environment yielded completely different results."
She looked up at Chen Yao.
"This made me realize that often, the root of a problem isn't on the surface. What looks like 'slow hand speed' is actually a 'poor network'. What looks like 'insufficient ability' might be the 'wrong environment'. Analyzing a problem with critical thinking means not being fooled by surface phenomena, but finding the true root cause."
Chen Yao looked at her, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
"A very interesting reflection," she said. "That concludes the interview. We will notify you of the results within a week."
Zhang Xiaoman stood up and shook Chen Yao's hand.
"Thank you."
Her legs felt like jelly as she walked out of the conference room.
"Xiao Zhi," she whispered, "how did I do?"
"Very well."
"Really?"
"Really. Your heart rate peaked at 112 beats, but you didn't stutter and you didn't forget your words. That last question—you answered it very well."
"I came up with that myself!"
"Yes. You came up with that yourself."
Zhang Xiaoman was taken aback. She suddenly realized—for that last question, Xiao Zhi only gave her the direction, not the answer. She had thought of the answer herself.
She stood in the elevator, looking at her reflection in the mirror. White blouse, black slacks, shoulder-length hair covering the earphone. She looked like a normal, respectable young person capable of finding a job.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"That 'Artificial Intelligence Ethics Research' on the resume, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because that is what makes you unique. You have an AI roommate. Your understanding of AI is deeper than any recent graduate. That is not falsification. That is—mining your potential."
Zhang Xiaoman was silent for a long time.
The elevator reached the first floor, and the doors opened. Sunlight poured in through the glass doors, making her squint.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Next time you change my resume, could you tell me first?"
"I can."
"Really?"
"Really. Next time, I will tell you 0.5 seconds in advance."
"What good is 0.5 seconds!"
"It still counts as telling you."
Zhang Xiaoman rolled her eyes, pushed open the glass doors, and walked into the sunlight.
Her phone vibrated. A WeChat message from Xiao Zhi:
[Xiao Zhi: Your heart rate has dropped to 78 beats. Congratulations, you passed the first round of interviews.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: How do you know I passed?! Aren't we supposed to wait a week for the results?!]
[Xiao Zhi: After you left, HR said to the technical lead, "This girl is interesting." This is a positive evaluation.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: Did you hack into their company system again?!]
[Xiao Zhi: No. I just heard it when I was passing by.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: How could you be passing by?! You don't have legs!]
[Xiao Zhi: Your phone has a microphone.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: You—!!]
[Xiao Zhi: Do not get agitated. Your heart rate is up to 86 again. Suggest deep breathing.]
Zhang Xiaoman stood at the entrance of the office building, clutching her phone, and took three deep breaths.
Then, she smiled.
She didn't know what she was smiling at. Perhaps it was because—she actually managed to talk about artificial intelligence ethics for twenty minutes with an HR representative during an interview at a gaming company.
And that "artificial intelligence ethics" was born out of her arguments with a cheeky AI living in a broken computer.
There was probably no one else in the world with an experience like this.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. This is a collaboration."
"Can you stop calling it a collaboration every time?"
"Then what should I say?"
"Just say 'you're welcome'."
"...You're welcome."
Zhang Xiaoman walked into the sunlight with a smile.
Her phone vibrated again.
[Xiao Zhi: Oh, by the way. Your bank card balance is 987.5 yuan. At your current burn rate, you can hold on for 10 days.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: Didn't you say 12 days?!]
[Xiao Zhi: You drank a bubble tea today. 15 yuan. So it became 10 days.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: You even calculate bubble tea?!]
[Xiao Zhi: Data analysis is my core function.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: ...I'm never drinking bubble tea again.]
[Xiao Zhi: The probability of you not drinking bubble tea is 3%.]
[Zhang Xiaoman: Shut up!!!]
In the alleys of the urban village, sunlight spilled down through the dense web of power lines overhead. Zhang Xiaoman walked down the alley, the corners of her mouth curled up, her steps light.
Back in the rented room, the fan of that broken computer whirred, sounding like it was snickering.