15 Internal Referral

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She skipped the question about her previous job and asked with concern instead, “Where are you going for an interview this late at night? Is it safe?”

Zhou Zhuofei’s words warmed Cen Huan’s heart. She explained, “It’s fine. A friend recommended me. She used to work there, and apparently they’re short-staffed, so she suggested I give it a try.”

“Oh, so it’s an internal referral. Then there shouldn’t be a problem. Is it another hotel?”

“Well…” Cen Huan hesitated, unsure how to begin. She had still been debating whether to attend the interview at all. In the end, her friend had persuaded her by saying that the pay was good and she could work there for a while before finding something else. Only then had Cen Huan reluctantly agreed.

After all, the problem she needed to face now was money. As for everything else… she truly could not afford to worry about it.

Since she had run into Zhou Zhuofei, she suddenly thought that she might as well ask her friend for advice. Zhou Zhuofei worked for a major company and might have a different perspective.

Cen Huan asked earnestly, “Could you take a look at it for me? I really don’t know what to choose anymore.”

“Of course. Tell me about the job first, and I’ll help you think it through.”

Zhou Zhuofei thought this would be a good opportunity to make up for the delayed progress of the plot. She had not expected Cen Huan to mention the name of the new world the moment she opened her mouth.

Was this world really that small?

That was not quite fair, Zhou Zhuofei reconsidered. If Cen Huan had not gone to New World, she probably would not have encountered Ling Yu anywhere else either.

“From what you’ve told me, the salary and benefits are actually quite good. But working in a bar can be pretty exhausting…”

Although Zhou Zhuofei knew that Cen Huan was destined to end up working at a bar, she still honestly shared her thoughts. The choice was in Cen Huan’s hands; Zhou Zhuofei was not forcing her to sign a contract.

“Leaving career prospects aside, working there means relying on your youth. If you want to work hard for a couple of years and save some money, that’s fine. But if you plan to stay long-term, I really can’t see much benefit.”

“And we’ve known each other for several years, so I’ll be frank. Places like that are full of all kinds of people…” Zhou Zhuofei recalled what she had witnessed not long ago. Something like that might not happen every day, but the chances of encountering it in a bar were certainly much higher than in an ordinary workplace.

Even if Cen Huan was the heroine, that did not mean she would be able to emerge unscathed from such a situation.

The more Zhou Zhuofei thought about it, the more worried she became. But she also knew that her concern would not change anything. There was a popular saying online in recent years that put it rather well: Let go of the urge to help others, and respect their fate.

Gathering her thoughts, she said to Cen Huan, “That’s only my opinion. The decision is still yours.”

“Mm, I understand.” Cen Huan knew that Zhou Zhuofei was saying all this because she genuinely cared about her, and she thanked her sincerely.

She understood Zhou Zhuofei’s concerns, but her own circumstances did not allow her to be so selective. Earning money as quickly as possible was what mattered most.

“I’ll think it over carefully. Thank you for helping me analyze it.”

“It’s nothing.” Zhou Zhuofei waved her hands. “In any case, good luck with the interview. The more options you have, the more paths you can take.”

She said goodbye to Cen Huan, turned around, and entered the residential compound.

Quite a lot had happened over the past week. None of it had much to do with her, but she had still witnessed plenty of excitement.

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This led Zhou Zhuofei to consider a question: If she had never received an offer from Huanyu back then, what would she be doing now?

For one thing, she certainly would not have had the courage to become a freelancer like Jiang Shen, pursuing a career that was not accepted by the mainstream. For another, she probably would not have entered the ACG industry like Du Yu. Interests and careers were two different things, and she did not believe her parents would have been so open-minded.

She came from an extremely ordinary dual-income household. Her family was of modest means—not wealthy by any stretch, though she had never lacked food or clothing. When she was in school, her parents had hoped only that she would get into a good university. Later, when they realized her grades were merely average, their expectations shifted to her choosing a good major with promising employment prospects.

When she had managed to join Huanyu, her parents had been immensely proud of her and had always supported her work.

Later, when she happened to mention Du Yu’s current situation to them, some of their remarks made Zhou Zhuofei realize that her parents supported her because they approved of her job—not necessarily because they approved of her choices.

But if someone kept dwelling on hypothetical questions, they were only making trouble for themselves.

Zhou Zhuofei knew very well that she could not be as carefree as Du Yu, nor was she likely to follow the same path in life. Most likely, she would still choose a company and become another office worker trapped in a cubicle.

On Saturday, Zhou Zhuofei was awakened by the director’s cries.

There was no need to guess. The cat was hungry again. Without even opening her eyes, Zhou Zhuofei got up and refilled the director’s food bowl.

The moment the cat food landed in the bowl, the director obediently quieted down. Zhou Zhuofei then stumbled back to bed and went to sleep again.

She slept until late morning. After eating a little, she got up and began preparing for her date with Du Yu.

Du Yu had specifically reminded her to dress up properly that day. Zhou Zhuofei usually wore only light makeup, but for the sake of giving her friend face, she had decided to be as lavish as possible. Not only had she applied a full face of makeup, she had also put on earrings, a bracelet, and every other accessory she could think of.

They had arranged to meet at a private restaurant. When Zhou Zhuofei arrived, Du Yu was the only one sitting at the table.

“Why are you here by yourself?”

Du Yu explained, “He went to buy milk tea. There’s a newly opened shop next door, and it looks pretty good.”

“It’s nice to have a boyfriend.” Zhou Zhuofei put on an envious, jealous expression. “You don’t even have to buy your own milk tea.”

Du Yu rolled her eyes. “What are you being jealous of? Could I possibly leave you out?”

Zhou Zhuofei’s face immediately lit up. “Darling, I love you!”

“You really are easy to please. One cup of milk tea and your whole attitude changes.” Du Yu looked disgusted as she tried to push Zhou Zhuofei away.

“How can you call it just a cup of milk tea? It’s clearly a manifestation of your love for me!”

Du Yu shuddered all over at the saccharine words and immediately called a halt. “Zhou Zhuofei, are you going to let me eat or not?”

“Nooo…”

“Can you speak properly for once?”

The two were still fooling around when a tall, handsome man pushed open the restaurant door and walked in. He was wearing motorcycle gear, had unusually long hair, and was carrying several cups of milk tea.

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Zhou Zhuofei immediately noticed him and cast Du Yu an inquiring look. “Is that him?”

“Mm. Well? Is he handsome?”

“Quite handsome.” Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been the most handsome man Zhou Zhuofei had ever seen. But she had recently encountered several handsome men in rapid succession, and her standards had naturally risen a little.

Especially the man she had met at the bar the previous day. His clothing style bore some resemblance to Du Yu’s boyfriend’s, making it difficult not to compare the two in her mind.

“Speaking of that, there’s something I have to tell you…”

Zhou Zhuofei was eager to share what she had seen the previous day, but Du Yu’s boyfriend had already reached the table, so she had to pause.

“Wait a moment. Let me introduce you two first.” Du Yu pointed to the young man and said to Zhou Zhuofei, “This is my boyfriend, Han Chubin. I usually call him Dongye, though—that’s his circle name.”

She then introduced Zhou Zhuofei to him. “This is Mumu, the friend I’m always telling you about—Zhou Zhuofei.”

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Zhuofei suddenly felt as though she were meeting a fellow enthusiast back in college. She sighed wistfully. “To be honest, I haven’t used a circle name for anyone in years.”

“I know. Am I the only one who still calls you Mumu?”

Back when they were in the club, everyone had chosen a name to use within the community—a so-called circle name. Zhou Zhuofei had chosen Mumu for herself. But after joining Huanyu, she had become Little Zhou, or sometimes Sister Zhou.

“Of course you are. I don’t really keep in touch with anyone else from the club anymore.”

The two reminisced briefly about their college days before quickly changing the subject.

Du Yu’s boyfriends had almost always been the same type. First, they had to be handsome. Second, they could not be too quiet; they had to be humorous and entertaining.

Han Chubin met both requirements. Although he had only just met Zhou Zhuofei, his tone and manner were already remarkably relaxed.

Du Yu reminded Zhou Zhuofei, “By the way, you still haven’t finished the story you were about to tell.”

“Oh, right. I’d have forgotten if you hadn’t reminded me.” Zhou Zhuofei recounted the whole incident again, but this time she emphasized different aspects from when she had told Xiao Wang.

When describing it to Xiao Wang, she had focused on presenting the overall sequence of events. But while sharing it with Du Yu, Zhou Zhuofei could not help embellishing the story and adding more of her own impressions.

Even without those embellishments, however, the experience was strange enough to be called bizarre.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is this what rich people’s lives are like? They just casually offer to open a bar for you.” After expressing her amazement, Du Yu jokingly tossed a question to her boyfriend. “What would you choose if you were in that situation?”

Han Chubin raised an eyebrow. “A single bar is supposed to buy me off? I’d be awfully cheap if that were enough.”