Chapter 73
Jiang Chen woke up early the next day.
It seemed Ayesha stayed in the training chamber for the entire night but still managed to wake up before he did to make breakfast.
Although he was eager to ask about her opinions on the virtual reality training system, as he opened his mouth, Ayesha’s face became a dusk-red.
Hmm? Jiang Chen figured it was better not to ask, so he gave up.
After breakfast, he pestered Ayesha to avoid focusing so much that she forgot her meals before heading down to the garage and driving his luxury Maybach to the company.
When he arrived, Jiang Chen saw that Xia Shiyu was already waiting for him while constantly checking the time. He smiled grimly when saw the thick briefcase.
The girl was too much of a workaholic—the day had just begun.
“You’re late by two minutes.”
Opening the car door, Xia Shiyu settled into the front passenger seat.
“Ahem, isn’t the first sentence supposed to be good morning?” Jiang Chen tried to crack a joke before he started the car.
She put on the seatbelt and after a brief pause, murmured, “Because it is work time.”
“Do you take the subway every day? That’s too inconvenient. Why don’t I give you a car? You have your license, right?” Jiang Chen casually said.
“That wouldn’t be good for the company. It has yet to develop a method of stable revenue, and you are already providing benefits to the executives.” Xia Shiyu’s eyebrows furrowed, her hands clenched on the briefcase as she focused on its button.
“It’s okay. It would be too embarrassing for the CEO of a trillion dollar company to have no ride. You don’t have to worry about revenue generation; the Future 1.0 functions have yet to be fully unlocked. For example, antivirus, social media platforms, and even replacing the original operating system. Are you still worried about revenue generation?” He smirked confidently.
Drawn by the confident smile, she was immediately shocked by the new information. She abruptly said, “Future 1.0 already has other functions? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her eyes looked accusingly at him, as if he had neglected her.
He did not purposely hide it, just that he had forgotten it in the back of his mind.
“Ahem, of course, it’s based on strategic considerations. Future 1.0 can grow right now because we are not in a direct competition with apps under other tech giants. That means we can still work with them given the opportunity.”
It was no wonder Xia Shiyu was made to be a CEO; she immediately understood his intention.
Since she didn’t need to focus on monetary concerns anymore, the initial stage was focused on reinforcing their place in the market. Once a large enough user base was established, it would take guts to try and shake Future 1.0’s position.
Wanghai University.
On the grassy fields stood a stone on which the mighty strokes of ink showed the mark of time on its surface—Wanghai University.
It was rumored that the stone had witnessed the fall of a dynasty and the rise of a republic. It was present during the merciless gunfires and passionate speeches. Not once did it alter itself to fit an era; the only thing that changed were the people passing by.
He watched the countless lively figures, reminiscing about the past.
Truth be told, he never expected to return to his school. He did not leave much of an impact, so at reunions, he would not have much to do.
He could not help but exclaim at the miracle that is life. In just one and a half year’s time, he managed to return as the president of Future Technology to hire at his own school, to hire new talents from the place that had taught him.
“Now that I think about it, we are both alumni, so how come you became the manager right away and I became your employee? ” Jiang Chen joked around lightheartedly.
Along the way, countless envious looks were directed at Jiang Chen. Of course, he knew it was towards the car, not himself.
A Maybach S600—a decent number of people recognized the price of the car. But the tinted windows blocked the curiosity of the young men and women, leaving them with their imaginations.
To be honest, he enjoyed receiving this sort of envy.
Because when he rode his bicycle down the same road, no one gave him a second look.
“Now the situation has turned around, hasn’t it?” Xia Shiyu said mockingly.
She knew Jiang Chen was not the type to hold on to the past, so she was not sensitive about the topic either.
Jiang Chen didn’t disagree, only smiling and enjoying the fulfilment.
It was not long before they entered the parking lot of the library. Under the guidance of the two student union leaders responsible for greeting, they arrived at the event hall.
The hiring fair would start promptly at 9 o’clock, and there was still half an hour left.
“Senior Jiang Chen, I hope you don’t make it too difficult for our juniors.”
“Of course, but Miss Xia Shiyu will be the one mostly responsible for the hiring,” he answered. Jiang Chen had a positive impression of this ponytailed student union leader.
“Many seniors who are applying today are your fans,” student union leader Zhang Bingli said as she blinked.
“Oh? My fans?” Jiang Chen sat up, interested.
“Mhmm, especially the seniors in mechanical engineering; they are your juniors.”
Jiang Chen forced a smile when he heard it was the mechanical engineering major. Although it was considered a technical degree, the employment was higher in nearly all other majors. It was not that the major itself was useless, but too many people studied under it, depreciating the major’s value.
“Don’t be surprised, senior Jiang Chen, but there are a lot of people applying together,” the student union leader joked around.
Jiang Chen shrugged as he smiled, indicating that he was more than prepared for it.
Half an hour passed quickly, and the hiring fair officially commenced. Software-related positions were the focus of the morning.
Despite preparing himself, the number of applicants still far exceeded his expectations.
It could only be described as hectic! It was fortunate that the student unions managed to control the situation by using a number system to direct traffic. They also suggested that applicants with later numbers look at other companies first before returning. A temporary fence was then set up around the table’s entrance.
Despite these efforts, Jiang Chen continuously received resume after resume.
The new generation of future leaders made up the largest portion of Future 1.0’s user demographics. Therefore, the company had a significant influence on these young individuals who were at the forefront of new ideas.
Everyone saw the potential of the artificial intelligence software. It would not take long for the relatively unknown Future Technology to become the current Tencent or Ali, stunning the domestic industry and eventually the global technology sector.
Even their professor professed that he could not understand the theory behind the artificial intelligence called Little White.
“Hello, Mr. Jiang. I have always looked up to you. I am a computer engineering major.”
[You’re not even trying when you suck up to me. I was unemployed half a year ago, and you say you’ve always looked up to me?]
“I am a graduate, with experience as a recognized student governor and performed well within the organization.”
[Then why don’t you go apply to become a politician? Why are you here?]
“I am a graduate from the software engineering international partnership class. I wish to apply for the program development position. Also, I have a question for you, if you don’t mind answering for me. How did Future Technology develop artificial intelligence? From my understanding, internationally, the best in the field is IBM Watson.”
[Am I interviewing you or are you interviewing me? Also, why do you sound like those critics on the internet who always compare Little White to the half-finished Watson?]
However, this was not what gave Jiang Chen the biggest headache.
[If you are a software major and you apply, that’s fine, but why are you here if you are a singing major?]
“Assistant? I don’t need an assistant right now,” Jiang Chen asked in confusion.
The tall, gorgeous beauty smiled mischievously with her vibrant, red lipstick. Ignoring Xia Shiyu and the other interviewing students, she leaned on the table and came closer to Jiang Chen.
“As the president, you will need an assistant. My work will make you truly satisfied.”
Afterwards, she shook her cleavage under her V-neck dress at an angle that only he could see. The confident beauty then gently waved her hair and winked at him, a meaning that all men would understand.
Jiang Chen didn’t know how she had managed to get in. This was one of the few times he wanted to focus on work, and he didn’t come here to do those things.
Before Xia Shiyu could shoot a despising glance over, Jiang Chen, with a stern face, rejected the girl who obviously wanted to experience the implicit rule. He promptly kicked her out, shock still showing on her face.
[You are funny; am I this easy to get? Do I look like I would want to bang every beauty I see? If you want to seduce me, pick a time without other people around. Ahem.]
These people only made up a small percentage. The majority handed in their resume and explained their technical skills, desired position, understanding of the position, as well as an outlook for the company under three minutes.
As for the awards and certificates, Jiang Chen didn’t bother looking those over. One reason was that he had always hated to take tests, and the other was that he didn’t believe these papers would bring any quantifiable revenue. A groundbreaking product already existed; the company lacked creativity and insight, not software developers.
Creativity and insight could be discerned in a few sentences.
The students with heavy backpacks all became sorrowful as Jiang Chen shoved their certificates to the side without a glance.
Due to the high number of applicants, he became pickier and more critical.
By noon, the morning interviews had finally ended.
Jiang Chen stretched, glancing at Xia Shiyu who was organizing the resumes. She didn’t seem the slightest bit tired.
“How are you not exhausted at all?”
“I am used to it. Only two hours are left in the afternoon, which will focus on legal and marketing positions. There should be fewer applicants.” Xia Shiyu organized the papers as she pushed up her glasses.
Lunch was provided by the school cafeteria free of charge. The school generously donated their services for the corporations participating in the hiring fair. The student union members from before worked tirelessly to put the steaming meals in front of the hiring managers.
Jiang Chen, who was already hungry, began to devour the meal that tasted familiar. Xia Shiyu, on the other hand, ate with grace and elegance, yet still managed to finish the lunch quickly to continue scanning through the resumes.
“Coffee.” Jiang Chen brought two cups of coffee over, casually placing one at the corner of her table.
Xia Shiyu paused before burying her head to resume staring at the resume.
“Tha… thank you.”
Jiang Chen laughed to acknowledge it was not a big deal. He then leaned against the chair and closed his eyes.
What he didn’t notice was that because of his casual act, someone stared blankly at a word for ten minutes straight without realizing.