"Sit down." He pointed to the chair opposite him.
This man seemed to dislike small talk; every word he used was so concise.
Su Xingyu snapped back to reality and sat down at the spot he designated. The dining table was long and rectangular, with its ends far apart, covered with an exquisite tablecloth and sparkling white bone china tableware. The maid served dish after dish, stir-fried pine nuts, crystal shrimp, braised sea bass with scallions... all were very home-style dishes, with an enticing color, aroma, and taste.
Su Xingyu picked up her chopsticks and ate quietly. She rarely had meals with this man, and she was nervous.
Lu Shifeng elegantly picked fish bones out with his chopsticks while asking her, "What did you do this afternoon?"
Her hand paused in mid-motion as she thought and then honestly replied, "I didn't want to always idle at home, so I went for an interview to find a job." It must have been the housekeeper or Mrs. Gui who told him the news; she was not surprised.
Lu Shifeng looked at her, "Looking for a job?"
Under the soft lighting, his eyes were dark, showing no signs of emotion.
Su Xingyu braced herself to deal with him, "Just an ordinary job, an office worker."
Lu Shifeng: "If you're idle, you can do other things, enroll in a flower arrangement class, tea art class, whatever else, office worker? Do you think I can't support you?" His tone carried a hidden oppression.
Su Xingyu keenly sensed his displeasure and became more cautious, "No, of course, you can support me. What I can earn is less than a hundredth of what you give. But Lu Shifeng, I need a job. I'm not like those spoiled princesses you know; I'm not used to living a life of nothingness. I want to do something myself."
Lu Shifeng said, "Not used to it? Then get used to it."
This man was accustomed to giving orders; every sentence felt like a command.
He didn't find anything wrong with it and continued looking at her, "A young lady of the house should act like one." Which young lady goes to an office to work as a mere office worker? It would be a laughingstock if word got out.
Su Xingyu was silent for a moment. Deep down, she was stubborn; although she feared him, she wouldn't back down when it came to matters of principle. She said, "Must a young lady be like that? I just want to live in my own way."
Once the words left her mouth, she anxiously watched him, bracing herself for a battle.
Unexpectedly, he just glanced at her and then shifted his gaze, continuing to eat quietly.
Su Xingyu felt as if she had punched cotton, empty and without force. Did he agree? Or was he holding back his opinion? She didn't know. This man's thoughts were too unpredictable for her to fathom. All she could do was grit her teeth and quietly eat as he did, resolving never to give up her stance no matter what.
This conversation seemed to have never happened.
After that day, he remained busy, often disappearing day and night, and the topic of her job search was never brought up again.
Su Xingyu waited at home for a few days but didn't hear back from the company she had interviewed with. It puzzled her; didn't the HR person say it would be her unless there was an accident? Was there some change?
She called them.
On the other end, HR apologized, "Sorry, Miss Su, we found someone even more suitable, so..."
She understood, disappointedly hanging up the phone.
She started the job search again, submitting resumes, attending interviews...
She worked hard every day, searching everywhere she could, but somehow, all the companies rejected her. She couldn't help but doubt herself; was she really so incompetent that she couldn't even find an ordinary job? Finally, she couldn't help but ask HR, "What's wrong with me? I meet all your criteria."
HR looked embarrassed and stammered as they saw her out.
Exhausted both mentally and physically.
Su Xingyu had a personality that thrived on setbacks; the more challenging things got, the more determined she became not to give up. She continued to submit resumes among the vast sea of job listings online until she discovered that the company which initially rejected her had posted job listings again.
For the same position.
She thought about it, changed her name, modified her resume, and submitted it again.
The company called her for an interview. When she showed up with the same makeup and outfit in front of HR, they were surprised, "Miss... Su, how come it's you?"
Good, they even remembered her name.
Su Xingyu's smile was a bit cold, "Miss Zou, don't you owe me an explanation?"
Miss Zou's face stiffened; after a moment, she said, "Really just a coincidence, our company did find someone more suitable last time, so we rejected you. But the person didn't pass the probation and got dismissed, which is why we're hiring again."
Su Xingyu continued to sneer, "Lying."
Having practiced photography from a young age, her observation skills were subtle and acute; she might not be able to spot Oscar-worthy performances, but when an ordinary person conjured up a small lie in panic, she could clearly discern it. She slowly exhaled, softened her demeanor, and sincerely looked at HR, "I apologize for my earlier attitude. Miss Zou, I still want to ask, what exactly was the reason for you rejecting me? A job is very important to me. To be honest, several companies have recently rejected me, and I truly don't know what's wrong, so I'd sincerely ask you to tell me the real reason, and thank you very much."
As she spoke, she stood up and bowed deeply toward Miss Zou.
Miss Zou quickly held her up, "I beg you, please don't do this! I couldn't bear it!"
Couldn't bear it?
Facing Su Xingyu's puzzled gaze, Miss Zou gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, I'll tell you. Miss Su, although I don't know who you are, I guess you must be someone of considerable background. Our boss personally instructed us never to hire you and to explain politely. I really don't know the reason behind it. Please don't tell anyone it was me who said this!"
"Thank you, I won't." Su Xingyu said softly.
Gradually, her heart sank; she now understood, Lu Shifeng.
The conversation in the restaurant wasn't without effect; he clearly had noted it and instructed his people, which was why her job search faced obstacles everywhere. Lu Shifeng disdained arguing with her; he'd rather use the brutal reality to show her what was feasible and what was not.
She slightly clenched her fist.
That night, she waited for Lu Shifeng until very late.
The man returned home when stars were scattered across the sky; he wore a meticulously crafted black suit, tall and straight, his long legs gracefully stepping inside, and he glanced at the sofa in the living room where she was sitting.