Chapter 304: Surprises in the Hiring Hall

“Jingshi? What are you hiding here for?”

Jiang Jingshi spotted Lin Zheng Ran approaching like he was her savior but quickly pressed a finger to her lips and whispered, “Shh!”

Lin Zheng Ran walked up to her and instantly figured out what was going on because his mom was nearby chatting with someone.

He glanced at his flustered mom and asked with a smile, “You know about this?”

Jiang Jingshi said with a mix of shock and panic, “Zheng Ran, you kept me on edge with this secret! Why is your aunt here interviewing at our company? You should’ve told me earlier!”

Lin Zheng Ran watched as his mom chatted briefly with the male employee and then returned to the line.

He quickly pieced together what had happened.

Seeing that Jiang Jingshi was genuinely shaken, he took her hand and explained,

“My mom’s old job fell through, so she’s been studying makeup seriously. She saw that Zheng Shi Music is hiring makeup artists and even got certified for it, so she decided to give it a shot.”

Jiang Jingshi peeked again at Lin Xiao Li in the line from behind the door and swallowed hard:

“Does she even need to interview? Your mom has such a prestigious background. She could just say the word. Or I could give her the head makeup artist’s job right away. Or…”

Lin Zheng Ran cut in:

“Stop! I knew you’d say that. You’re always so good to me, Jingshi. If my mom came on board, you’d probably give her a cushy job even if she knew nothing.

But I know my mom better than anyone. She’s serious about everything and has been studying makeup nonstop. If she got the job through connections, she’d be the first to call me out on it.”

Lin Zheng Ran saw Jiang Jingshi’s confusion and smiled:

“When my mom goes in for the interview, we’ll just join as interviewers and see what she’s got. I’m confident in her—she’s dedicated and has been working hard day and night for this.”

Jiang Jingshi looked at Lin Zheng Ran curiously, “Zheng Ran, you… haven’t told your uncle and aunt that you’re running this company with me, have you? Or that it’s yours?”

“Yeah, but my parents will find out today for sure.”

Lin Zheng Ran took Jiang Jingshi’s hand, “Come on, it’s almost her turn. Let’s go be the interviewers.”

The two slipped into the office through another door.

Back in the line, Lin Xiao Li returned, and the other interviewees asked curiously, “What happened? Why did they pull you out? What did they say?”

Lin Xiao Li faced their questions with her own confusion:

“They asked all sorts of random stuff, like what I drank for breakfast or ate for a meal. It seemed like some kind of interview survey. They said a bunch of odd things and then sent me back.”

With that, everyone lost interest—random surveys of interviewees were common in many companies.

The girl named Xiao Shu asked with concern, “Lin Jie, are you okay?”

Lin Xiao Li chuckled, relieved, “I’m fine, fine. I thought they were going to kick me out and nearly had a heart attack.”

Xiao Shu gripped her files tightly, “The next group is us. I’m so nervous, Lin Jie. Let’s both do our best!”

“Yeah!” Lin Xiao Li gave herself one last pep talk.

She had to nail this interview!

As the first batch of interviewees came out, a voice called from the office, “Next batch!”

So Lin Xiao Li, Xiao Shu, and four other interviewees pushed open the door and entered one by one.

Everyone looked tense, stepping in unison with resumes in hand, standing in a line and greeting together, “Hello, interviewers.”

But as soon as she finished, Lin Xiao Li looked up at the four interviewers in front of her.

She froze completely.

Her pupils shrank, lips parted slightly, and her heart skipped a beat.

All eyes focused on the youngest interviewer.

This big company’s interviewer, this handsome young man…

He looked just like her son Ran Ran…

The nose, ears, eyes, build, mouth—all so similar.

This… this has to be Ran Ran!

“Ran Ran?!” She blurted out, “What are you doing here?!”

After she spoke, everyone turned to look at Lin Xiao Li.

Jiang Jingshi bit her lip nervously.

Lin Zheng Ran cleared his throat on purpose and said seriously from his seat, “This interviewee, who’s Ran Ran? Please don’t try to get familiar!”

Lin Xiao Li confirmed it then—this was definitely her son Ran Ran!

That expression, that voice—she was his mom and couldn’t be wrong!

And the girl next to Ran Ran—wasn’t she that rich girl who visited their home recently?

Something like Jiang Jingshi, right?

What on earth was going on?!

Lin Zheng Ran said solemnly, “Alright, you six interviewees, I’m your interviewer. I’ll ask you a few questions about makeup, one by one.”

Lin Zheng Ran’s All-Encompassing Mastery made him proficient in any field.

“Number one, answer first.”

Number one was Lin Xiao Li.

Lin Zheng Ran: “How do you adjust makeup products and techniques based on a client’s skin type?”

Lin Xiao Li faced her son’s serious question, paused for a second, saw everyone watching her, and though clueless about the situation, answered quickly:

“Oh! When designing makeup for a client, I first observe and talk to understand their skin type, then adjust the products and techniques to ensure it’s suitable and healthy. For example…”

Lin Xiao Li shared some examples based on various cases, and the others listened intently, impressed by her expertise.

Lin Zheng Ran nodded, “Not bad.”

His mom shot a quick, knowing glance at her son, who was sitting there so formally, thinking to herself that she had real skills.

Lin Zheng Ran asked Jiang Jingshi, “Do you want to ask something?”

“Me?” Jiang Jingshi whispered in Lin Zheng Ran’s ear, “Can’t we just pass her? I think your mom is amazing.”

“Just one question and she’s in? That seems too casual,” he replied.

“Casual? She’s really impressive.”

Jiang Jingshi looked at Lin Zheng Ran pleadingly and nudged his leg under the table.

Lin Zheng Ran nodded, “Alright then. Do you two have any questions?” he asked the other interviewers.

The other two interviewers shook their heads vigorously like bobble toys.

Truth be told, those two interviewers were more nervous than the six interviewees because the people beside them were the head office’s vice president and president!

Who would dare speak up? They were sweating buckets.

Lin Zheng Ran sighed, “Fine, next is number two.”

Xiao Shu nodded.

Lin Zheng Ran asked another question, and Xiao Shu stared at his face, suddenly overwhelmed with nerves, her face turning red: “My answer to this is, I…”

Lin Zheng Ran: “Take your time, no rush…”

Xiao Shu stumbled through her response; it was correct but delivered haltingly due to her anxiety.

Lin Zheng Ran went on to question the others in turn and realized none of them matched up to his mom.

In fact, they were quite a bit behind.

After the round, all who passed moved to a new waiting area.

Lin Xiao Li was still in a daze, but Xiao Shu was thrilled about making it through and said excitedly to Lin Xiao Li,

“Lin Jie, Lin Jie! Did you see that young man and woman? I think they’re our head office’s vice president and president!”

Already puzzled, Lin Xiao Li was even more shocked: “What?”

“Haven’t you seen the news? That president is the Angel herself, Jiang Jingshi, our head office’s vice president. As for the president, I dug up a lot of info—it’s a young guy around her age, super handsome. From their chat just now, that young guy must be our company’s president! I finally got to see him!”

Lin Xiao Li stood there stunned for half a minute, then frowned, “Wait, you’re saying Zheng Shi Company’s president is Ran Ran?!”

“Exactly!”