Chapter 10: Preparing on Both Fronts

“Do you remember what you, the queen of humblebrags, said during the preliminaries?” Jiang Xiaohan hinted, and Lin Luoyu finally understood what she meant.

Back then, her spoken English was her weak point, and she had no idea how she ended up letting Jiang Xiaohan talk her into signing up for the competition. During the preliminaries, standing on the stage, Lin Luoyu felt like her voice was trembling, unable to utter a single sentence smoothly. The entire experience was a disaster.

Yet when she came down and saw the recording Jiang Xiaohan had made for her, she realized her spoken English was nothing to boast about, but she hadn’t stumbled nearly as badly as she’d thought.

“Have you figured it out?” Jiang Xiaohan noticed the change in her friend’s expression, crossing her arms as she watched her. “Besides, I don’t think you need to be so opposed to finance.”

Lin Luoyu assumed her friend was about to start persuading her, and her lips immediately drooped.

“What’s with that face! Let me finish!”

Catching that look, Jiang Xiaohan knew exactly what she was thinking and promptly smacked her on the forehead.

Jiang Xiaohan knew all too well why Lin Luoyu had chosen finance as her major, and even better why she resisted it. But precisely because she knew Lin Luoyu hadn’t chosen this path willingly, she was all the more convinced of her friend’s talent in finance.

If it weren’t for her talent, how else could she have won scholarships three years in a row and collected every finance-related professional certificate possible, all without a shred of passion—in fact, while actively resenting it? Even someone like herself, who had been sure of her future as a securities analyst before the college entrance exam, had only barely managed to pass the first level of the CFA in her third year, and she’d tried her hardest. Lin Luoyu had done it all much faster.

Besides, how many people in the world really find their true passion before graduation? Few, like the two of them, ever set a clear goal early on or manage to find their way back after being lost.

If you never find work you truly love, does that mean you’ll never graduate, never get a job?

So Jiang Xiaohan couldn’t help but remind her not to act out of stubborn pride.

“If you ask me, Zhen Hao told you the interview’s on October ninth. That’s still a week away! Just send in your resume for now—if you get an offer from Max in the meantime, we simply won’t go!

“If Max doesn’t get back to you, we’ll just apply for a regular internship somewhere. Maybe you can’t get in as a full-time employee, but you’re definitely qualified as an intern. Once you’re in, with your skills, you’ll have a real shot at a permanent position.

“If worst comes to worst—this is the absolute worst case—we’ll just go to XM! After all, it’s not our money on the line; we’re the ones getting paid. Or you could come work with me—your big sister will show you the ropes!”

Listening to Jiang Xiaohan’s comforting words, Lin Luoyu turned her head, wide-eyed and unblinking, as if trying to see whether her friend was telling the truth.

Seeing Lin Luoyu still unconvinced, the normally gentle Jiang Xiaohan gave her a sharp flick on the forehead.

“Can you at least have a little confidence in yourself? You’ve received interview invitations from almost every company you applied to. We’ve seen Max’s interview questions—they’re not even the hardest ones out there. Are you really going to let a setback like this knock you down? Think it through!”

After her friend’s pep talk, Lin Luoyu finally seemed to regain her ability to think clearly.

So, without further delay, she opened her laptop, revised her resume, and sent it to the address Zhen Hao had given her.

Watching her finish, Jiang Xiaohan snapped the laptop shut with a click.

“All right, now let’s think about how we’re going to spend the upcoming National Day holiday!”