Chapter 30: Screening Resumes

Professor Chen was quite earnest about the matters Jiang Mian had discussed with her, and she also saw this as a way to help resolve some of the employment issues for her students.

Why not, after all?

Jiang Mian smiled at Professor Chen, sat down in the chair, and began to flip through the documents.

Jingjiang University’s design program was ranked among the top three in the country, so the students’ standards were naturally high. Moreover, they held various design competitions every year to hone the students’ innovative capabilities.

"Professor Chen, I don’t really need this many people."

A quick glance revealed that the stack contained at least sixty resumes.

"Oh, having more gives you more room to choose from, and they are all seniors graduating this year. Getting a chance to work at XG is a rare opportunity, and I truly hope they can all have a bright future."

Jiang Mian pursed her lips and began to review each profile carefully. She set aside the ones she found promising. Professor Chen did not disturb her, sitting nearby and occasionally leaning over to take a look. After much deliberation, only about fifteen remained out of the sixty.

"Only these few?" Professor Chen sounded somewhat regretful.

These sixty had already been pre-screened by her, so she hadn't expected Jiang Mian to select even fewer. Jiang Mian felt a bit helpless but took the time to explain it to the professor properly.

"The domestic headquarters have only just been established. The work involved isn't just design; it may require multitasking across several areas. While the candidates you gave me are certainly excellent, I don't believe all of them could handle that level of pressure. Of course, their abilities are strong, and perhaps they could try applying directly to XG."

Professor Chen understood that since the decision to build the domestic headquarters was so recent, it couldn't become systematic overnight; it required time to build the team. She gathered the remaining resumes and patted Jiang Mian on the shoulder. "I understand, dear."

As for the fifteen resumes she had kept, Jiang Mian planned to find a time to have them interview at the central office building. Even though she had selected these individuals, it didn't mean they would all stay once they heard the conditions at XG. Therefore, there would be another round of screening.

Recruitment for the domestic headquarters was not limited to Jingjiang students; it also included professionals already working in the industry. Additionally, she had already asked Cheng Qi to post job advertisements for other roles. If possible, Jiang Mian hoped the headquarters would have a small, functional foundation within a month.

Then, it could slowly grow and spread its wings.

It was already quite late by the time she left Professor Chen’s office. The professor had wanted to keep her for dinner, but Jiang Mian politely declined; she needed to return to her studio to handle some issues.

It was the peak of rush hour, and the roads were slightly congested. When Jiang Mian arrived at the studio, there were only a few people left, and Xiao Li was still busy.

She glanced at the people on the first floor and frowned slightly. "Why haven't you all gone home yet?"

They looked at each other, not knowing how to answer, until Xiao Li finally spoke up. "Sister Mianmian, we just wanted to put in a little more effort. What if a client changes their mind?"

By the end of the sentence, she lacked confidence herself. Jiang Mian felt a pang of sympathy but was helpless to change the situation. She glanced at the time on her phone and sighed. "You must eat first. Take care of your health."

Shaking her head, she walked upstairs. There were a few drafts she wanted to refine that evening; if funds were to run low again, she might need to... She fell silent at the thought.

Ever since Jiang Zhixuan's engagement party, things had been quiet for a few days, and she hadn't tried to seek attention. However, perhaps finding the peaceful life boring, she had started sending messages again.

"Sister, if you have time, you should come home for dinner often!"

"I heard from A-Yan that you’ve been very busy lately. I wonder what you've been busy with?"

"Sister, my studio has so many orders now. Why don't you come and work for me?"

The further she read, the more her irritation flared. She gritted her teeth, typing on the keyboard, but after a long moment, she deleted everything she had written. Finally, she tapped on Jiang Zhixuan’s profile picture, navigated to the top right corner, and clicked the red text to confirm the deletion.

Only when the person disappeared from her list did the corners of Jiang Mian’s lips curve slightly upward. If she had so much to say, she could talk to the TV wall at home; Jiang Mian had no time to play such boring games with her. To prevent calls from Jiang Zhixuan or Jiang Zhouyi, she set her phone to silent and placed it face-down on the table.

The rest of the time was spent focused on her drawings.

***

Jiang Zhixuan stared at the glaring red exclamation mark on her screen and the small prompt below it. She was angry at first, then started to laugh. She hugged her phone and lay back on the sofa, her eyes crinkling into slits.

"No way, Jiang Mian. Did you break down after just a few words?"

"Heh, what pathetic combat power. Just like your parents, completely useless. It’s no wonder my father tramples you under his feet for fun."

"Hmph! How boring!"

She rolled over and opened Wen Yan’s messages at the top of her list, cleared her throat, and sent him a voice message.

"A-Yan, I was just concerned about when Sister would be home for dinner, but she deleted me."

"Did I say something wrong? I must have disturbed her; otherwise, she wouldn't be so angry, right?"

She followed it up with a crying emoji. Seeing the comforting words that quickly popped up, Jiang Zhixuan felt her heart bloom with joy. The thought that Wen Yan would question Jiang Mian for her sake made her feel inexplicably satisfied.

So what if they had known each other since childhood? In the end, wasn't Wen Yan the one who liked her?

When they were young, Jiang Mian’s parents wouldn't let Jiang Zhixuan attend the same school as Jiang Mian, and she had been jealous ever since. She had always wondered why she had to live such an ordinary life while Jiang Mian lived in the spotlight and remained on such good terms with the young master of the Wen family. Every time she saw them chatting happily, she thought that sooner or later, the person standing next to Wen Yan would be her.

Someone as pretentiously noble as Jiang Mian simply didn't deserve him.

Listening to Wen Yan’s gentle voice coaxing her, Jiang Zhixuan rolled on the sofa in excitement. She suddenly sat up and smoothed her hair.

"A-Yan, are you free tonight? I want to have dinner with you."

They were engaged now; surely Wen Yan wouldn't refuse a request to have dinner together. Sure enough, a second later, she received a voice message from him.

"Alright. I'll come pick you up when I finish work."

"Mm-hmm, thank you, A-Yan!"