Chapter 96 - Not In The Mood

The models are busy with the designers and Shi Lian is getting ready to meet the interviewers. It is almost time to meet them. She is nervous and her fingers are shaking since the morning. "Shall we?" Ruxi smiles. Shi Lian tries to smile at her but the butterflies in her stomach are making her nervous. 

"I think so" she exhales out a breath. Ruxi nods and calls one of the staff working downstairs to send the interviewers to the upper floor meeting room. Shi Lian rises from the chair and both the woman heads towards the meeting room as well. She is relieved that Ruxi is there by her side and she is also experienced in this. she recalls the time when Ruxi interviewed her as well. those days now seem so old. 

Reaching the meeting room, Ruxi opens the door and Shi Lian enters followed by Ruxi. The room is empty and Ruxi notifies her that the interviewers are on their way. 

Shi Lian did some research last night about the questions to be asked. Ruxi helped her by giving her some questions which are frequently asked and which she asked most of the people whom she interviewed in the past. Shi Lian is thankful for her generosity. 

Shi Lian scrolls the questions on the tabloid screen, watching them again. 

The sound of knocking on the door appears and both of them assume the interviewer has come. "Come in," Ruxi says over her shoulder as she stands beside Shi Lian. Shi Lian is sitting on the cream-colored couch and a glass table is set in front of her. another pair of couches are set in her opposite direction with the additional cushions. A pretty young woman appears and smiles when she spots both of them. she walks, a little clumsy, and Shi Lian can understand she is nervous. She is dressed well, her maroon color blouse and black pencil skirt give her a mature look and some softness with her curtain bangs. 

"Have a seat" Shi Lian orders gently, gesturing her to the couch in the opposite. The woman takes her seat on the couch, her legs joined and her fingers knotted together in her lap. 

"Please introduce yourself" Ruxi asserts, guiding her. 

The woman nods and starts speaking, "Good morning Miss Chairperson. I am Fang Xiao. I have completed my graduation recently and have some experience in being a secretary." She passes her resume and Ruxi gives it to Shi Lian. 

Shi Lian reads it intently. Starting from her name, her age, her working experience, educational qualifications. She is surprised to know that she is just a year younger than she is. "You worked in More before as a secretary?" she asks, looking up from the resume. 

She nods, "Yes I did that for two years."

"Nice." Shi Lian nods in between as she gets to know more about the woman in front of her. "What makes you come here?"

The woman smiles, "The Mo Corp is one of the biggest companies and people are dying to work here. Even the company is at its lowest yet, I believe it will rise at the top once again. And also the dresses are unique and that too attracts me to work here."

"What is the thing according to you that makes you think our designs are unique?" Shi Lian asks. The nervousness was forgotten. She is getting into her element. She thinks of her as good, as for now but there tons of people out and they are as professional as she is. 

Xiao thinks for a moment, her eyeballs moving left and right. Clearing her throat, she puts up her professional smile and says, "You justify the theme very well and also the complexity of the design is one thing to talk about. I cannot just put one thing, they are all great!" 

She likes her answer and she continues asking the further question until she is satisfied. After twenty minutes, she stops as the time is running out. "Alright. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Fang" she reaches to shake her hand with her. 

Fang Xiao leaves the room thanking her multiple times as she goes. Shi Lian finds that pretty. "She is good. She has potential." She tells this Ruxi who agrees with her as well. 

She calls the next one. The interview goes on for almost an hour and Shi Lian is worn out. Interviewing over twenty people is not an easy job. There are fifteen more now but she has no spirit to sit here anymore. She cannot delay the meeting or push it to tomorrow because her schedule is already fixed. She groans, her head down and her eyes closed. "This is tiring."

"We have to do all of them, so cheer up" Ruxi encourages, she is not at all tired and Shi Lian wonders how does she manage to do this? Maybe because she is more experienced than she is and has handled situations like this before. 

"Alright, call the next one" she sighs and gets ready again. She has chosen only four so far out of twenty and she is glad she chose them carefully. Picking out from the best of the best is another tiring work and by thinking only, she is having headaches. Sometimes she doesn't want to work at all but the image of her father comes to he reminded she made herself clear to cheer up and do the work without faltering because if she falters, her uncle and others are there to snatch the position from her.

**

Zichen is living in a world of his own. He is not talking to anyone and he is engrossed in work. He has not talked with anyone after his fight with his brother at the Pearl mansion two days ago. He is not even receiving any calls. He is not interested in anything right now. The only thing he is interested in right now is his work. He wants to escape from reality.

After the fight between him and his brother, he had gone to his house and then in the morning to his office. He has not called anyone and has not received any calls in the meantime. 

Zichen is sitting at his desk and thinking. His head was down and he was looking at the work in front of him. At that moment, his phone ring. 

He looked up to see who was calling him. It was his mother. He did not even take the call. He simply switched off his phone. He did not feel like talking to anyone.

A knock on the door interrupts Zichen's thoughts. It is his manager, Rong. He doesn't even look up when he says, "What is it?" 

Rong gulps before saying, "Sir, your next meeting is in ten minutes. It is with the president of the company." Zichen slowly raises his eyes and says, "I'll be there."

Zichen's gaze is scary and Rong shivers. He quickly goes away and closes the door. 

Shi Lian called him thrice yesterday, but he did not pick up her calls. He had not even sent her a single message. He knows he should at least send her a message but he is emotionally not available right now. He knows she must be worried about him, but he did not want to talk to her right now. 

His mother too tries calling him but he refused to talk to her. he will talk to them when her mind is calm enough.

Every time he closes his eyes, the memory of his childhood flashed before him. after that, he stopped talking to people. He used to be a happy kid but after the incident, he becomes aloof and keeps his distance from other people. 

The door opens and Junjie walks in without bothering to knock. Well, he never knocks and after quite a few times Zichen too stopped barking at him. "Man, you look scary" he laughs, surprised by the aura radiating in him. "What's up with you?"

Zichen says nothing, almost as if he didn't hear him. Junjie knows his boundaries and what limit he can push him. he doesn't press him further if Zichen says no. "Alright, since you won't talk, I will chatter then" saying this he plants his ass on the chair placed opposite Zichen's. Zichen gives him a look but says nothing. 

"I have been in some problems since the past weeks…Bro….I had such a hard life" he narrates his sorrowful life experiences with almost fake visuals. "Won't you ask what is it?"

"A girl stole your money?" Zichen mocks without the tiniest amount of humor in it.