Chapter 14: 14 Get Out
Chapter Fourteen
Long Xiaoshan could only helplessly walk out and try his luck with another company, introducing himself once again.
"I'm sorry, our company doesn't hire high school graduates."
"You are not suitable for our company."
"Sir, I think you're at the wrong place, we don't hire farm workers here."
"Heh."
...
Despite Long Xiaoshan's eloquent speech and dry mouth from introducing himself, after running around to dozens of companies in two hours and lowering his expectations to the point of considering tiny firms with just a few employees, the responses he received were still negative.
Often, merely presenting his high school diploma was enough to have him ushered out.
He never had the chance to demonstrate his abilities.
This went on for over two hours.
It was already past three in the afternoon, and the job fair was nearly at its end.
Standing amidst the crowd, Long Xiaoshan felt a sense of loss. He was a stubborn man who never gave up, having even survived the terrible environment of prison.
But at this moment, his heart was filled with disappointment.
Sometimes, entrenched prejudices are difficult to break, and this invisible barrier was even more disheartening. No wonder Lao Xu had said something to him before his release, "Brother Long, in prison you're the boss, tough enough to handle anything, but it's different on the outside. Being tough isn't enough; when you're out, come find me in the provincial city."
Back then, Long Xiaoshan hadn't thought much of it, but now, reflecting carefully, he realized that Lao Xu's words had been meaningful.
Lao Xu and the others were all successful people on the outside, and much older than he was.
They had more societal experience than he did and probably anticipated the challenges Long Xiaoshan would face upon getting out of jail.
Clenching his fingers, Long Xiaoshan let out a silent sigh. He was a proud man, and no matter how well Lao Xu and the others were doing, he wouldn't ask for their help unless he was at his wit's end.
Besides, he had now acquired a rare treasure and possessed a special ability; surely, he, Long Xiaoshan, could manage to earn a living.
Just as he was about to leave the job fair, a charming voice called out from behind, "Excuse me, sir, please wait a moment."
Long Xiaoshan turned around and saw a beautiful woman in her late twenties, clad in a snug-fitting skirt, with dewy, peach blossom eyes that were alluring and inviting daydreams.
"Are you talking to me?" Long Xiaoshan looked around, seeing no one else nearby, and the woman's gaze was indeed fixed on him.
This beautiful woman, noticing that Long Xiaoshan had merely glanced over her body before quickly looking away, felt a hint of admiration. She knew very well how tempting her body was. As the HR Manager of Lily Hotel, she had seen too many longing gazes from men, both blatant and discreet.
Rare were those with a gaze as clear as Long Xiaoshan's.
"Yes, I was over there just now and saw you visiting many companies, and it seems you were turned away just because you didn't attend university. Actually, our hotel doesn't focus much on educational background; perhaps you might like to try out for a position with us."
The seductive woman smiled sweetly, her eyes captivating, making even a man of Long Xiaoshan's resolve feel his heart skip a beat.
However, the reason this seductive woman had stopped Long Xiaoshan wasn't really because the hotel's recruitment didn't focus on educational background. Lily Hotel was one of the biggest hotels in the county, and of course their recruitment required qualifications. In fact, their educational standards were clearly higher than those of other companies.
It was just that she had noticed Long Xiaoshan's presence there for several hours, continuously being rejected by many companies yet still relentlessly pursuing his job search, and she had been moved by the tenacity that radiated from him.
Long Xiaoshan had been running around here all afternoon, and the frequency with which he applied for jobs had almost become a joke.
The beautiful young woman also heard those HR personnel from surrounding companies ridiculing Long Xiaoshan for overestimating himself, a high school graduate daring to apply for a job.
She felt somewhat indignant, for she too was once a high school dropout and had worked hard to become the manager of a hotel.
The way Long Xiaoshan was dressed and his persistent job-seeking reminded her of her past self.
So she decided to give Long Xiaoshan a chance.
"You want to hire me?" Long Xiaoshan was extremely surprised. He had been running around all afternoon, actively seeking employment, but no one wanted him. Now, someone was actually offering to hire him.
"Yes, but we need to conduct a formal interview. By the way, my name is Su Wan, I'm the HR manager of Lily Hotel. What's your name?" the beautiful young woman said with a flirtatious glance.
"Hello, Manager Su, my name is Long Xiaoshan." Long Xiaoshan was a bit excited. He had also seen the Lily Hotel earlier; it was a big enterprise with high requirements, and they were hiring only women at the time, so he hadn't joined the crowd.
Long Xiaoshan followed Su Wan to the front of the Lily Hotel recruitment booth.
Nervously, Long Xiaoshan introduced himself, "Manager, although I only have a high school diploma, I have self-studied university courses and basically understand a bit of everything. I can adapt to any kind of work."
Su Wan couldn't help but laugh at Long Xiaoshan's words. This Long Xiaoshan really knew how to talk big.
A high school student daring to say he knew everything.
Although she felt Long Xiaoshan was a bit impetuous, since he had come, she did not want to say anything that would hurt his self-esteem and said, "It's good that you can self-study. As it happens, our hotel is still short of a few security guards. I think you're quite suitable for the role. Don't look down on the position of a security guard; its functions are very important."
Upon hearing that he was only being hired as a security guard, Long Xiaoshan's face showed disappointment.
That hint of disappointment caught Su Wan's eye.
Her impression of Long Xiaoshan instantly deteriorated, as she had initially thought Long Xiaoshan was simple and tenacious. It turned out it wasn't an issue with his qualifications, but that the young man had lofty aspirations but little talent. No wonder so many companies hadn't been willing to hire him just now.
Was a security job at Lily Hotel even considered inferior? If it were up to another high school graduate, they would be fighting tooth and nail to get in.
The thought of helping Long Xiaoshan quickly faded away.
Su Wan said, "What, you think a security job is beneath you?"
"It's not that, Manager. I'm short on money right now. Do you have any positions with higher pay?" Long Xiaoshan said helplessly, knowing that saying this would certainly worsen his image in the eyes of the beautiful manager.
But he had seen the salary for the security position in the hotel's recruitment pamphlet—it was 1500. If he had to work and live in the county, this amount of money wouldn't cover the more than thirty thousand debt his family owed, even if he were extremely frugal. It would take several years.
"No, there aren't any," Su Wan's voice turned cold: "Apart from the security department and the newly established emergency department, all other departments are fully staffed."
"Actually, I can do emergency services too, my medical skills are pretty good," Long Xiaoshan hurried to say.
Su Wan almost burst out laughing. Although their hotel's emergency department was an ad-hoc division, they hired only professional doctors, and the salary offered was quite high, at least five thousand and above. Was Long Xiaoshan dazzled by money?
For him to casually claim he was up for a position as significant as a doctor—should anything happen to a guest, if he messed up the treatment, it would cause big trouble.
Her impression of Long Xiaoshan had continued to plummet from mediocre to terrible.
This person wasn't just overestimating himself; he showed a greed for money and even a disregard for human life.
Seeing Su Wan with a stern face, not saying a word, Long Xiaoshan looked closely at her expression. A flash of silver glinted in his eyes as he said, "Manager Su, actually, there's already something wrong with your body. You don't feel it now, but as it progresses, you are going to go blind."
Su Wan slammed the desk with force, stood up and said, "Get out!"