The entire venue fell silent.

What was he saying?

It sounded so impressive.

Some people who knew what he was talking about paused for a few seconds and then burst into laughter.

Online jokes suggested that if you had nothing to put on your resume after graduation, you could consider adding these awards. But no one expected someone to boldly mention them in front of so many people during a lecture.

Awesome!

Ruan Qin, who was usually busy with work, naturally hadn’t heard of these things. At first, he thought they were awards from some competition Xie Shu had participated in. But when he heard students laughing, he realized something was off.

This kid’s personality hadn’t changed much.

Even the student who had spoken before Xie Shu couldn’t help but glance at him. What kind of awards were those? He had never heard of them.

Ruan Qin continued the previous topic, discussing what companies value when new graduates enter the workforce. He talked about various related positions before turning to the two on stage:

“Suppose both of you have graduated and are interviewing for the same company as fresh graduates. The company only needs one person. As competitors, how would you answer if the HR asked about your advantages?”

The new question brought silence to the room once again.

This time, the student who had been quick to answer before didn’t rush to respond. He began to seriously think about the question, as he had no real work experience and needed to consider it carefully.

Xie Shu also started organizing his thoughts. In his previous life, he had work experience, but the condition here was that they were fresh graduates, which implied no experience. His competitor had won a national award, indicating excellent academic performance. So, assuming their professional skills were on par, he needed to highlight something else.

Before Xie Shu could finish organizing his thoughts, the boy next to him hesitantly spoke first: “I have excellent grades in school and am proficient in relevant professional knowledge. Um… I have served as a class committee member and held a position in a department of the student council, and also…”

He went on to list some other advantages, all quite standard and unremarkable.

Holding positions in school doesn’t count for much in the real world, and some interviewers don’t even like hearing about them.

But since this wasn’t a real interview, it didn’t matter. Even if it were real, it wouldn’t concern him; everyone has to go through their own experiences.

After the boy finished speaking, Ruan Qin didn’t comment and turned to Xie Shu, waiting for his answer.

Xie Shu thought for a moment before saying, “A fortune teller once told me I bring good luck to my leaders and the company.”

Ruan Qin: “…”

Everyone: “…”

After a few seconds of silence in the gymnasium, the crowd erupted in laughter.

“That cracked me up!”

“Don’t laugh! Seriously, don’t laugh! How is this even an advantage? Everyone talks about believing in science, but most shops still have money trees and lucky cats at their entrances, hahaha.”

“This is killing me, but thank goodness I have a second chance!”

Ruan Qin hadn’t expected Xie Shu’s answer to be like that. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he laughed along with everyone else and then commented on the two answers.

Although Ruan Qin was of a certain age, he wasn’t old-fashioned. He gave different evaluations for their different styles of responses, keeping the atmosphere light.

Time ticked by, and Ruan Qin asked the two more questions. Finally, he asked the one he was most curious about: “What are your plans for the future?”

Unlike before, his tone was more serious this time.

Xie Shu didn’t pay much attention to Ruan Qin’s tone. After hearing the question, he started looking for Ruan Nianxi in the audience.

He had been trying to find Ruan Nianxi during the breaks when he didn’t have to answer questions. He only knew the general area where her class was seated but not her exact seat. The crowd was dense, and he couldn’t see clearly. He had been interrupted while answering questions, so he hadn’t found her yet.

He didn’t rush to answer the question or organize his thoughts. His eyes scanned the rows of seats in front of him, looking for her.

The boy next to him answered first again, talking about his future plans, which were mostly about proving his worth and achieving something significant.

After he finished, it was Xie Shu’s turn. But this time, Xie Shu remained silent for a long time.

Everyone thought he was thinking, so they didn’t rush him. But after more than ten seconds, he still hadn’t spoken.

Ten seconds isn’t long, but in the quiet gymnasium with everyone watching him, it felt like an eternity. Even Ruan Qin turned to look at him curiously.

When he looked over, he saw Xie Shu staring ahead. He had been looking down at the ground while thinking before, but now…?

Just as Ruan Qin was considering calling Xie Shu to remind him, he saw Xie Shu suddenly smile. Then he picked up the microphone and said, “My future plan is to make money, marry the girl I love most, and build a happy family with her.”

“Eww—!”

The crowd suddenly erupted in a chorus of disdain.

Xie Shu didn’t mind at all. His eyes were still fixed on Ruan Nianxi, who was seated at the back of her class, smiling brightly.

Why was his girl sitting at the back? It took him so long to find her. If he had known, he would have started looking from the back.

Others didn’t know who he was looking at, but Ruan Nianxi knew he was looking at her.

From the moment Xie Shu stepped on stage, her eyes had been glued to him. When their eyes met, he smiled at her and then said those words…

Ruan Nianxi’s ears turned red, and joy spread through her entire body. She couldn’t help but smile, her eyes filled with affection as she looked back at Xie Shu on stage…

Their silent exchange went unnoticed by everyone else.

After that, Ruan Qin didn’t ask any more questions. He said a few casual words and then let them return to their seats.

Xie Shu wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that when he left, Ruan Qin’s gaze seemed… a bit…

Not unfriendly, but different from when he had first come down.

Ah, he hadn’t reacted like this to the first two jokes, but now…

Was he dissatisfied with his last answer?

Xie Shu: (shrugs)