CHAPTER 86

"Okay, got it." Ye Lianyin smiled and nodded, suddenly feeling excited. Today was the first day she and Qin Zhaoci officially confirmed their romantic relationship.

The two of them took the car together and arrived at the school. As they were about to get off, Qin Zhaoci grabbed Ye Lianyin's hand and pointed to her own lips, gesturing for a kiss.

Ye Lianyin playfully leaned down and pecked Qin Zhaoci's chin, then tapped her head gently. She said cheerfully, "I'm going to class now. Message me if you need anything."

"Okay, my treasure." Qin Zhaoci replied. They got off the car together, and after watching Ye Lianyin walked away, Qin Zhaoci proceeded to complete the enrollment procedures as requested.

While looking for the address, Qin Zhaoci noticed that the students of Imperial Academy today were constantly tapping their optical brains and whispering and discussing about the information displayed on them.

Particularly, some people seemed to recognize Qin Zhaoci and revealed expressions of disdain and contempt upon seeing her.

Qin Zhaoci had never encountered such open and blatant contempt towards herself before. She quickly tapped open her optical brain. As soon as she opened the web page, she saw a hot search topic in the trending section: "Imperial Academy's Stunning School Flower."

Qin Zhaoci clicked on it to take a look. The hot search contained photos of Ye Lianyin's performance from yesterday's show. She didn't know who took them, but each photo captured Ye Lianyin's captivating aura.

Especially the photo of Ye Lianyin smiling with her head lowered. Qin Zhaoci could only describe her beauty as enchanting and alluring.

After looking at the photos, Qin Zhaoci scrolled down to the comment section. She found that all the comments were praising Ye Lianyin for her beauty and talent. Of course, there were also quite a few people lamenting how such a beautiful flower like Ye Lianyin ended up with someone like Qin Zhaoci.

Not only was the Empire's online community talking about this, but the student forum of Imperial Academy was also flooded with Ye Lianyin's photos. Ye Lianyin usually kept a low profile, but with this sudden burst of attention, many people who secretly liked her began to show up, expressing their desire to confess their feelings to her. Qin Zhaoci couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy.

As soon as Ye Lianyin entered the classroom and casually found a seat, she felt the gaze of everyone around her. Before she could react, a male student walked up to her with a flushed face and said, "Classmate Ye, I like you."

Without even lifting her head, Ye Lianyin ruthlessly replied, "I'm already married."

The male student's face turned pale with embarrassment, but he didn't give up. "But, but how can someone like Qin Zhaoci, who is nothing but trash, be worthy of you?"

After hearing his words, Ye Lianyin finally raised her head and stared at him with a displeased expression. "What nonsense are you talking about? Whether she is worthy of me or not is for me to decide. If I like her, then she is worthy of me! Besides, do you think you are worthy of me?"

The male student, faced with such a cold rejection, couldn't bring himself to say anything further. He gritted his teeth and turned away.

Ye Lianyin's attitude also deterred some others who were contemplating to confess their feelings. They were momentarily blinded by her beauty and forgot about her cold and indifferent temperament. Ye Lianyin wouldn't give any face to someone she didn't like.

After completing the enrollment procedures, Qin Zhaoci opened her optical brain and made a voice call to Sun Sui.

"Hello, Ms. Xiao Qin." Sun Sui happened to have something to report to Qin Zhaoci as well. "The research institute has been fully renovated. It consists of five floors, all built according to industry standards. As for the shop you mentioned at the Imperial Academy, I have already purchased it."

"Well done." Qin Zhaoci nodded in satisfaction. "Today, I want you to post a recruitment announcement, preferably directly recruit people from the Imperial Academy. The position will be for the manager of the milk tea shop."    

"Set the salary according to the Empire's salary level, and make sure to emphasize in the recruitment announcement that Omega individuals are welcome to apply. The position will be based on abilities, not gender."

"As for the requirements, we need someone with experience in managing a store, marketing skills, preferably with a business background. Priority will be given to those with outstanding abilities. Ideally, we're looking for students in their third or fourth year who are about to graduate and have time to manage the shop."

"Follow the usual interview process for the initial interviews, and I will personally conduct the final interviews."

"Understood." Sun Sui nodded. "I'll release the announcement immediately."

"Good. Have you made any progress regarding the investigation on Celia?" Qin Zhaoci continued to inquire.

Sun Sui nodded, "Yes, I have. I'll send the information to your optical brain inbox shortly."

"Great, thank you." Qin Zhaoci nodded. After ending the voice call, she headed to the laboratory.

Sun Sui acted quickly, and one week after the announcement was posted, Qin Zhaoci received a message from her, informing her that three individuals had passed the first two rounds of interviews.

By this time, the interior of the milk tea shop was mostly renovated, and Sun Sui had coordinated with relevant companies to produce the necessary equipment based on the designs provided by Qin Zhaoci.  

In the afternoon of the same day, Qin Zhaoci arrived at the company to conduct interviews with the three candidates.

Interestingly enough, when Qin Zhaoci received the resumes of the three individuals, their genders were Alpha, Beta, and Omega respectively.

The Alpha candidate was named Jiang Yeyang, a 24-year-old male majoring in finance at Imperial Academy.

Qin Zhaoci looked through his internship experiences, and they were quite extensive. He had interned at several reputable companies in the Empire.

The Beta candidate was named Han Huiyu, a 24-year-old female majoring in journalism at Imperial Academy.

She had interned at several media companies, indicating that she possessed considerable publicity skills.

The final candidate, an Omega named Yang Xizi, was a 24-year-old female majoring in food safety at Imperial Academy.

Compared to the rich internship experiences of the previous two candidates, Yang Xizi's internship record was relatively blank, with only some projects conducted within the school.

However, as Qin Zhaoci continued reading her resume, she discovered that Yang Xizi had participated in the promotion activities of the school's television station during her university years. She had skills in photography, video editing, and even drawing.

Upon seeing this, Qin Zhaoci also understood why Sun Sui had sought her out.

After reading the resumes, Qin Zhaoci took out a pen and a blank sheet of paper and began to formulate questions.

She then handed the questions to Sun Sui and asked her to print them out and give the candidates half an hour to come up with their solutions.

Thirty minutes later, Qin Zhaoci took the answers from the three candidates and began discussing the admission results with Sun Sui.

"The three of you can come in now." After finalizing the discussion, Sun Sui walked out of the office and called the three candidates inside.

Once the three candidates were seated in the center of the office, Qin Zhaoci glanced briefly at their photos on their resumes.

Nodding, she stood up and said, "Congratulations, Yang Xizi. You have passed the final interview and have been selected for the position."

"Me?" Yang Xizi widened her eyes in shock, looking unbelieving.

Since entering the room and seeing the extensive internship experiences of the other two candidates, Yang Xizi had already assumed that she was only here by luck and had prepared herself to be eliminated.

But never did she expect that Qin Zhaoci's final choice would be her.

The other two candidates were equally surprised, especially Jiang Yeyang, who displayed a clear expression of dissatisfaction on his face.

Han Huiyu was also surprised but did not show as much discontent.

Qin Zhaoci nodded affirmatively, "Yes, it's you."

At this moment, Jiang Yeyang couldn't accept it and spoke up, "Ms. Qin, how am I inferior to her? In terms of internship experience, she is nowhere near me. I have worked on numerous projects at the university. When you emphasized that Omega candidates were allowed to interview during the recruitment process, was there some other motive?"

After speaking, Jiang Yeyang looked at Qin Zhaoci disdainfully and then blatantly scanned Yang Xizi from head to toe, implying his thoughts without words.

Qin Zhaoci listened quietly and smiled slightly, "Why do you have more internship experience than her? I think everyone should already know that. It's because other companies in the Empire simply do not provide Omega individuals with such opportunities, right?"

"When you enjoy the benefits, you don't mention equality, but when you don't receive them, you use such a dirty perspective to disdain those who are more capable than you."

Jiang Yeyang's face darkened, still unwilling to accept it. "Then what exactly makes me inferior to her?"

Qin Zhaoci took out the answer sheets of the three candidates. "During the final interview, I wrote only one question on the paper."

"The shop is located near Imperial Academy and primarily sells beverages. The operational cost of the store is low, and the taste of the beverages is excellent. The owner's goal is to turn it into a branded beverage. However, such a product has never appeared in the Empire before. How would you attract people to come and taste it?"

"Your answer was to hire a celebrity for endorsement and shoot advertisements to attract the public to make purchases. Han Huiyu's answer, on the other hand, was to distribute flyers to attract people to come and buy."

"Yes, what's the problem then?" Jiang Yeyang felt that his answer was great.

Qin Zhaoci sneered, "The question clearly stated that the operational cost of the shop is low. So, let me ask you, how much does it cost to hire a celebrity for endorsement?"

Jiang Yeyang choked. At that time, he had only been thinking that the Qin Group had money and hadn't considered this aspect at all.

Han Huiyu remained composed, and Qin Zhaoci's tone naturally softened. "As for Han Huiyu's approach, I also disagree because distributing flyers is not conducive to the future development of the brand."

Han Huiyu humbly nodded, indicating that she understood Qin Zhaoci's point.

"What about Yang Xizi? How did she answer?" Jiang Yeyang pointed towards Yang Xizi sitting beside them.

Qin Zhaoci picked up Yang Xizi's answer and showed the paper in front of the two candidates.

Jiang Yeyang and Han Huiyu could clearly see that Yang Xizi's answer was different from the few lines they had written. Her answer filled the entire page.

After showcasing it, Qin Zhaoci began reading Yang Xizi's answer. "Firstly, it should be explicitly stated that the beverages in the store comply with Empire's food safety standards, production process meets hygiene requirements, and the ingredients are healthy and free from pollutants. The first thing that should be presented to the customers is this assurance to gain their trust."

"To achieve this, the shop should obtain relevant permits from the Empire, install surveillance within the premises, and conduct daily sampling tests of the beverages to avoid future issues."

"Next, create distinctive branding features such as a recognizable logo, eye-catching store signage, and unique beverage packaging. As the store is located near Imperial Academy and currently targets the student population, it should ideally align with the aesthetic preferences of contemporary young people—simple, fresh, and memorable. Purchasing the beverages should also provide an opportunity for customers to take photos and share their experiences, which is the best form of promotion."

"After all the preparations are in place, we can organize a small event on the opening day, promote it on the student forum, introduce sample tastings of small-sized beverages, and provide small gifts to the purchasers. Of course, we should also recommend the flagship beverages of the store to facilitate customer selection. Each beverage should come with a consumption guide."

"To enhance publicity, we can invite the school's beauty, Ye Lianyin, to taste the beverages. There's nothing more effective in driving student purchasing power than having a prominent figure from the school endorsing it."

After finishing reading, Qin Zhaoci curved her lips and smiled. She looked at Yang Xizi with admiration in her eyes and nodded. "You do have something in you. You actually know how to make proper use of resources."

Yang Xizi felt a little embarrassed by the praise. "If possible, as for Classmate Ye, you should invite her yourself."

Qin Zhaoci nodded and turned to look at Jiang Yeyang and Han Huiyu. "Now you understand where you fell short. I gave you half an hour, but all you turned in were these few lines. Honestly, I'm quite disappointed, both in terms of attitude and capability."

Jiang Yeyang's face turned pale, realizing that he was indeed inferior to Yang Xizi. He looked extremely unhappy.

Han Huiyu, on the other hand, accepted it humbly, nodding. "I've learned my lesson. Yang Xizi is indeed impressive and thought of many things that I overlooked. My thinking was too one-sided. I still have a lot to learn."   

Seeing Han Huiyu humbly accepting the situation, Qin Zhaoci still had a good impression of her. However, it was clear that she wasn't suitable for the position. Qin Zhaoci asked Sun Sui to keep her resume and see if there were any other positions that matched her qualifications in the future.

After seeing off the two eliminated candidates, Qin Zhaoci glanced at Yang Xizi and asked, "How soon can you officially start your job? And when do you expect to finish your academic studies?

Yang Xizi replied, "I can start immediately. I'm already in my final year, so I don't have many courses left. I just need to complete my graduation thesis, so I have plenty of free time."

"Well, discuss the remaining details with Secretary Sun. Have her sign the employment contract and confidentiality agreement. Make sure you carefully review the terms and understand them before signing." Qin Zhaoci reminded Yang Xizi before leaving.

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Qin." Yang Xizi obediently nodded. After Qin Zhaoci left, she jumped up excitedly, completely forgetting that Sun Sui was still standing there.

Sun Sui couldn't help but curl her lips at her carefree and happy demeanor. She found her somewhat cute.

After watching her excitement, Sun Sui cleared her throat lightly and reminded her, "Come and take a look at the contract."

"Oh, okay."  prompted by the reminder, Yang Xizi realized that Sun Sui hadn't left. Her face instantly turned red, but she still needed to sign the contract. She quickly lowered her head and followed behind Sun Sui to sign the contract.

............

"No, I'm not signing with any company." Ye Lianyin hung up the phone and rubbed her temples in frustration. This was already the thirtieth call she received this week from entertainment companies asking if she had any interest in becoming a celebrity.

"What's wrong? You don't look too happy." Qin Zhaoci came home from work and saw Ye Lianyin looking frustrated. Suddenly, a head popped out from her left side.

Ye Lianyin was startled by Qin Zhaoci's sudden appearance, but seeing her eyes shining brightly at her, she couldn't muster any anger. She sighed and said, "It's those entertainment companies again. I don't know where they got my contact information from."

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