Mi Cai was still waiting for my answer. After a brief silence, I said to her, “The job situation is almost settled.”

“Oh, is it still the department store?”

“No, it’s a planning position at an advertising company, a friend recommended it.”

“Oh.” Mi Cai responded, her mood seemed a bit low, as if she was still upset about me losing my job because of her.

I comforted her again, “Actually, it’s really nice for me to stay in Xuzhou. Let me tell you something quite fresh.”

“Go ahead.”

I smiled and said, “I recently went on a blind date for the first time in my life, but… I hit it off right away. Isn’t my charm still okay?”

Mi Cai was unexpectedly silent for a long time before she asked, “Really? Do you love her?”

“I like her, I guess. It’s only been a short time, saying love is too far-fetched. But isn’t that how blind dates work? Both sides like each other and then get to know each other better. Most importantly, our parents are very optimistic about us being together.” I explained with a smile.

“Oh, then I wish you two can be together.”

“Thank you, so you don’t have to feel guilty about that anymore, right? I really feel more and more that returning to Xuzhou was the right choice.”

“Your right choice is your business, my guilt is my business. I don’t think the two necessarily have to be linked… It’s getting late, I’m going to rest.”

I didn’t understand what Mi Cai meant for a moment, but she had already hung up the phone very efficiently.

……

I lay down again, feeling inexplicably melancholic. I lit a cigarette for myself in the middle of the night, and suddenly my mind was filled with the image of Mi Cai working late into the night and returning home alone. I knew she didn’t have many friends in Suzhou, and her own family was always trying to put her in a deadly situation in the mall.

My mood became more and more depressed, and Mi Cai’s beautiful and fragile face was deeply etched in my mind.

On this night that should have been easy to enjoy sleep, I suffered from insomnia. In my tossing and turning, my mind was uncontrollably filled with wild thoughts. I thought of Circle and Yan Yan, and then I thought of my life in Suzhou. The scene of Xiang Chen and Jian Wei confessing their love also flashed in my mind in a lively manner. Even the night I slept with Le Yao in Hengdian suddenly came to mind. As a result, my mood became more and more chaotic, and it wasn’t until dawn that I finally fell asleep under the heavy burden.

……

I slept until almost noon. When I got up, my brain was still groggy due to lack of sleep. After a simple wash, I received a call from Li Xiaoyun before I had a chance to eat.

I answered the phone and yawned unconsciously.

“Zhao Yang, did you just get up?”

“Yeah, just a while ago. I had insomnia last night.” I said to Li Xiaoyun.

“Then you need to adjust your mental state quickly. I’ve shown your resume to Director Zhou of our planning department, and he hopes you can come over for an interview this afternoon.” Li Xiaoyun said to me very seriously.

“Did he say what time specifically?”

“He’ll be in the office all afternoon. You can set the time yourself. Just call me when you get there, and I’ll take you to him.”

“Okay.”

Li Xiaoyun reminded me again, “You need to adjust your state well, you know. People in the planning industry are very rigorous and don’t like slackers!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you!”

Under my solemn promise, Li Xiaoyun finally hung up the phone.

……

I didn’t wait for my mom to come back and cook. After eating a bowl of noodles I cooked for myself, I turned on the computer and started looking up information about the advertising company where Li Xiaoyun worked. Familiarizing myself with this information would definitely benefit my upcoming interview.

After memorizing all the information I could find online about Orson Advertising (the advertising company where Li Xiaoyun worked), I took a taxi to Orson.

When I arrived at Orson, Li Xiaoyun was already waiting for me at the bottom of the office building. I walked towards her.

As I approached, Li Xiaoyun looked at me and exclaimed with a smile, “Zhao Yang, when you’re dressed up, you really have the air of a social elite!”

“I can’t help it, I’m just that kind of man destined for success!” I also laughed and echoed.

I thought Li Xiaoyun would tease me, but she nodded in agreement, then helped me straighten out my slightly wrinkled clothes and said, “Let’s go, Director Zhou is waiting.”

“He really respects you!”

“Of course, after all, I have a status in the industry.”

On the way, Li Xiaoyun and I chatted and laughed, the atmosphere was relaxed, without any pre-interview tension.

Following Li Xiaoyun to Orson Advertising, we walked through the general work area, where more than 50 people were working hard. The scale of the staff was enough to show that Orson Advertising was a top advertising company in Xuzhou. The information I could find online did not deliberately exaggerate the scale of Orson Advertising.

When we arrived at the director’s office, Li Xiaoyun knocked lightly on the door, and a deep “come in” came from inside.

Li Xiaoyun gave me a look, indicating that I should follow her in. I nodded, pushed the door open first, and walked into the director’s office with Li Xiaoyun.

A middle-aged man in his mid-thirties, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, was sitting in the office chair, exuding the aura of a director of a large advertising company.

Li Xiaoyun introduced me to him, “Director Zhou, this is Zhao Yang I mentioned to you.”

With a professional smile on my face, I nodded and said to him, “Hello, Director Zhou, I’m Zhao Yang, here to apply for the position of business planner in your company.”

Director Zhou nodded and smiled, “You were introduced by Director Li (Li Xiaoyun), I’ve seen your resume, and I trust Director Li’s judgment. Let’s have a chat first.” He then gestured for me and Li Xiaoyun to sit.

However, Li Xiaoyun said, “Director Zhou, you chat with Zhao Yang. We have some things to deal with in the client department.”Director Zhou greeted with a smile, nodding politely, which proved that Li Xiaoyun indeed held a significant position in this company. Considering her age, it was quite impressive that she could serve as the customer department manager of a large advertising company. She had a very easy-going temperament, which made her well-suited for customer management work.

Before leaving, Li Xiaoyun made a cheering gesture to me. After I responded with a confident look, she left with ease.

Director Zhou took out my resume again and quickly skimmed through it before asking me, “You worked in the planning department of Baoli Department Store in Suzhou and participated in the investment and planning work of three luxury brands.”

“Yes, Director Zhou.”

“What roles did you play in these jobs?”

“I was involved in planning coordination for investment, brand maintenance after setting up counters, and providing sales support for these luxury brands in the mall. Of course, these tasks were extensive and carried out by a team, but I was a key member of the team. I also organized or participated in several commercial planning activities in the mall,” I tried to save time and focus on the key points.

Director Zhou nodded and asked with interest, “Could you talk in detail about these commercial planning cases you’ve worked on?”

I nodded and briefly explained some of the cases I had worked on at Baoli Department Store over the years.

After discussing the cases I had worked on at Baoli Department Store and exchanging some views on commercial planning, we had a very pleasant conversation.

During the conversation, Director Zhou highly praised the “Love is not Luxury” promotional event I planned for Baoli Department Store before leaving Suzhou. He said he would pay attention to the effect of this event. This made me somewhat melancholic. In less than a week, the “Love is not Luxury” promotional event at Baoli Department Store would be launched. Although I wrote the plan, I couldn’t execute it, which made me feel a bit regretful! I hope that the “Love is not Luxury” promotional event will be a great success, which would be a small payback to Chen Jingming.

In a moment of distraction, Director Zhou said to me, “Zhao Yang, let me tell you about the current situation of our company. This year is a crucial year for our Aosen Advertising. The quality of our clients has greatly improved compared to previous years. We are preparing to concentrate resources to take over the advertising business of several large department stores in Xuzhou. You have rich experience in department store planning work and have an advantage in commercial planning for department stores, which is very in line with our current strategic needs. I have high expectations for you.”

“I also look forward to joining Aosen Advertising and doing my best to create value for the company and the planning department,” I responded sincerely.

Director Zhou gave a sincere smile and said, “I have no problem here. If you have any requirements for salary and benefits, you can communicate with the HR department. We will try our best to meet your needs.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Director Zhou!”

“Capable people deserve my attention. I hope you can become my right-hand man!” Director Zhou stood up and extended his hand to me.

I quickly stood up and shook his hand. The feeling of being respected was really good. I thought, I would definitely cherish this opportunity, do my best to make a difference in Xuzhou, and never think of Suzhou, the city that made me sentimental.

As we were talking, Li Xiaoyun came to the director’s office again. She was holding some documents in one hand and a handbag in the other, seemingly ready to leave.

“Director Zhou, do you think Zhao Yang can handle the planning work of our company?” Li Xiaoyun asked with concern.

“I personally have high expectations and am very welcome for him to join Aosen Advertising.”

Li Xiaoyun gave me a smile, gave me a thumbs up, and then said to Director Zhou, “I just got an appointment with Manager Lin of the planning department of Times Department Store. The main topic is about cooperation in advertising business. I hope your planning department can assign someone to accompany me to complete this meeting, which may involve some exchanges about our company’s planning capabilities.”

Director Zhou nodded, his face showing a thoughtful expression, as if considering who to choose. Suddenly, his gaze fell on me, and he gave me an inquiring look.

I pointed at myself in confusion and asked, “Director Zhou, do you mean that I should go to Times Department Store with Manager Li?”