Chapter 201
The Crescent Group’s job fair was scheduled for three days later.
Zhuang Feixue resigned from all her current work to help Chu Feng handle the recruitment matters.
Chu Feng stared wide-eyed at the thick stack of résumés piled up in front of him.
“All of these are from people applying for the job?”
Zhuang Cheng nodded. “Yes, this pile is from ability-users.”
Chu Feng looked at the hefty stack again. “All of these?”
Zhuang Cheng nodded again. “Yep!”
Chu Feng rubbed his temples in mild distress. “I heard it’s hard to recruit ability-users.”
Zhuang Cheng nodded. “Normally, yes. But you’re different, Second Brother. You’re the idol of many ability-users! Joining your company is more attractive to them than joining the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities.”
Chu Feng smiled smugly. “Really? Our company’s that awesome?”
Zhuang Cheng nodded seriously.
Chu Feng frowned and thought: I’ve heard that in some big companies, when they receive too many résumés, recruiters will just pick out a portion and toss them straight in the trash, calling it bad luck—because luck, they say, is also part of a person’s capability.
He used to think that was inhumane, but now he was starting to understand.
With this many résumés, even someone without decision paralysis might get it.
He skimmed a few résumés and let out a small “hmm.”
Zhuang Feixue looked at him. “What is it?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Nothing. Just… quite a lot of female ability-users applying, and these two in a row are both strength-types.”
Zhuang Cheng couldn’t help but say, “You’ve got a lot of female admirers. Maybe that’s why so many female ability-users are applying.”
Many women used to look down on Chu Feng, but now plenty online were calling him “hubby, hubby.”
When Illya heard this, her gaze turned cold and landed on Zhuang Cheng.
His heart skipped a beat.
He quickly scooted closer to Illya with a sycophantic smile. “Second Brother-in-law, even though Second Brother has a lot of female fans, you’ve got way more—probably eight to ten times more! If it came down to a battle, you’d definitely win.”
Illya blinked. “Really? I have that many fans?”
Zhuang Cheng nodded. “Yes!”
Inwardly he thought: Ten days ago, Illya’s fans could have crushed Second Brother’s in an instant. But after his identity was revealed, his fans skyrocketed and might soon surpass his. In a battle, he might actually win—his ability looks cooler, and it’s said that many of Illya’s fans have “climbed the wall” to follow him.
Illya tilted his head. “Why would fans battle?”
Zhuang Cheng: “Fans don’t need a reason to battle! Online, the tiniest things can turn into full-blown wars.”
Illya tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, “Are they all just bored?”
Zhuang Cheng: …Sharp as ever. Second Brother-in-law really lives up to his title.
Flipping through more résumés, Chu Feng frowned slightly. “I didn’t expect there to be so many female strength-type awakeners.”
“Is that strange?” Zhuang Feixue asked.
“A little,” Chu Feng replied. “Awakenings are random, but there seems to be some connection to a person’s personality or experiences. Many ability-users awaken after a shock or trigger. Strength ability might suggest a desire for power.”
Zhuang Feixue shrugged. “Times have changed. Modern women should be able to hold their own in the workplace and beat up thugs if needed.”
Chu Feng: “With women this strong, they don’t even need men.”
Zhuang Feixue nodded. “True.”
Chu Feng: “…”
Zhuang Feixue picked up a few résumés. “I’ve heard of this Jin Jie—she was among the early batch of ability awakeners.”
Ability awakening seemed to be linked to a certain D molecule.
Some said the earlier you awakened, the more talented you were. While not always true, early awakeners did tend to be outstanding.
“Her mother died young, her father remarried, and her stepmother brought twin younger brothers into the family. The stepmother apparently treated her poorly. Right after Jin Jie awakened, she beat both of her stepbrothers into the hospital,” Zhuang Feixue said.
Chu Feng tilted his head. “Impressive.”
Zhuang Feixue nodded. “Definitely a tough one. But from what I’ve heard, that stepmother abused her a lot when she was little. You could say she’s simply paying back old debts.”
“This Zheng Xue used to be a taekwondo coach. Even before awakening, she often helped the police catch thugs. Plenty of them ended up injured in her hands,” Zhuang Feixue added.
Chu Feng chuckled. “One heroine after another.”
“Mu Linlang,” Chu Feng read aloud, a little surprised. “Even the ‘Flower Fairy’ sent in a résumé.”
Mu Linlang had been so popular lately that even someone like Chu Feng, who didn’t follow current events, had heard of her.
Zhuang Feixue laughed. “You really have face.”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Better not hire this one.”
Zhuang Cheng glanced at Chu Feng. “Why not? She’s a real beauty, and her ability is quite unique—she can make all kinds of flowers bloom.”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Most ability-users belong to the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities. Although we’ve communicated with them and their people can come over, if we start recruiting their rare and valuable ability-users, the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities probably won’t be too happy about it.”
Zhuang Cheng nodded. “That’s true.”
Was that really the reason? Or was he just afraid that hiring such a beauty would make Illya jealous?
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes and thought: If it weren’t for Qiu Luo the Shaman and Jocelyn, Mu Linlang’s ability would actually be interesting. But since he already had two strong plant-type abilities in hand, hers would be a bit redundant…
Su Miaomiao came in. “President Zhuang, Sister Zhuang, Miss Feilei is here.”
Su Miaomiao had originally been Zhuang Feixue’s assistant. Chu Feng had just acquired a new building and hadn’t started recruiting yet, so manpower was tight. Su Miaomiao and several of Zhuang Feixue’s former bodyguards had been pulled over to help.
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes in surprise. “Zhuang Feilei, huh?”
Zhuang Feixue was puzzled. “Why is Feilei here?”
Chu Feng propped his chin. “Let her in.”
Zhuang Feilei walked in. Chu Feng turned his head and asked Manning a couple of questions in an otherworld language. Manning immediately replied. Chu Feng tilted his head slightly at the answer, his expression a bit strange.
“Feixu, what brings you here?” Zhuang Feixue asked suspiciously.
Zhuang Feilei looked at Zhuang Feixue and Zhuang Cheng, feeling a sour pang in her heart. She thought to herself: Chu Feng seems to get along so well with them—must be because they’re blood relatives.
After hesitating for a moment, she took a deep breath. “Chu Feng, can we talk in private?”
Chu Feng stood up. “Sure.”
He followed Zhuang Feixu out, and the two of them walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor.
Zhuang Cheng watched their backs with a serious look.
Zhuang Feixue frowned at him. “Xiao Cheng, why are you shaking so much? What’s with you?”
Zhuang Cheng blinked. “Crematorium! The crematorium’s about to open.”
Zhuang Feixue glared. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Zhuang Cheng stood up. “Sis, I’m nervous. I’m going to the restroom.”
Zhuang Feixue: …
Before she could respond, Zhuang Cheng had slipped away. She shook her head at his retreating back.
Chu Feng followed Zhuang Feilei up to the rooftop terrace. He smirked, thinking: Last time he stood here, it was to lay his cards on the table with his father. Now it was Feixu’s turn.
Zhuang Feixu looked at him, hesitated, and said, “I didn’t expect you to be an ability-user.”
Chu Feng folded his arms. “Just lucky—accidentally awakened. If I hadn’t, I’d probably still be delivering packages for life. You didn’t come here to tell me nonsense like that, did you?”
Zhuang Feixu took a deep breath. “You told Dad you wouldn’t care whether he lived or died?”
Leaning casually against the window, Chu Feng smiled. “I did say that. Did President Zhuang tell you himself?”
Her expression changed. “It wasn’t Father. I overheard him and Mother talking.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Oh? And?”
She kept a stiff face. “How could you say something like that to your father?”
“Miss Feilei, are you here to lecture me?”
She froze. “Of course not.”
“Good. Because I don’t think you have the right to. What I told President Zhuang was just the truth, to give him a clear idea of things. If something happens to him, I may not step in to save him. Likewise, if something happens to me, I wouldn’t expect him to save me. Is there a problem with that?”
“You saying that really hurt him,” she said through gritted teeth.
“So what?” Chu Feng replied.
“He’s your father! How can you…”
“Doesn’t he also not take me seriously?” Chu Feng cut in.
“That’s not true, Father—”
“Last time I saw you,” Chu Feng interrupted again, “Manning told me she saw five love lines on you. But they were all shallow. Miss Zhuang, is that called being affectionate… or just fickle?”
Zhuang Feixu kept her face taut. “You must have misunderstood. I just have good relationships with a few men.”
“Brotherly feelings, huh? And here I thought pure platonic friendship between men and women was a myth.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.
She pursed her lips. “Some of them I only know through business dealings. There’s nothing else.”
“Whether it’s a close relationship or romantic feelings doesn’t matter—they’re all over now. Manning just told me your love lines are still plentiful, but it looks like the people have changed.”
“I… don’t know…”
“Whatever your friendships or romances are, they have nothing to do with me. And unlike those men, I like men, so I’m not interested in you, Miss Feilei.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t develop any interest in me either. I’m cold-blooded by nature, and I’ll say the unpleasant truth to your face. I can’t change, and advice won’t work on me.”
Zhuang Feilei’s face flushed, leaving her speechless. She had never been in such a situation before and didn’t know how to respond.
“If you’re here on President Zhuang’s behalf, you’re wasting your time. Better to talk to him yourself—after all, in his eyes, you, his adopted daughter, are more important than me, his biological son, aren’t you?”
She frowned. “That’s not true—you’re not that kind of person. When Zhuang Cheng was in trouble, you…”
Chu Feng waved his hand. The bench in the hall split cleanly into two pieces. “Miss Zhuang, you should know that an ability-user’s awakened power reflects their personality. My interest is in cutting people down—hence the ability I awakened.”
She bit her lip. “Why say things like that? I know you’re a good person.”
Chu Feng had clearly been good to Zhuang Feixue, had rescued Zhuang Cheng, and even helped find Yuanyuan.
Chu Feng gave a bitter smile. “We’ve barely met a few times. Are you sure you know me? You talk as if we’re close.”
Zhuang Feixu twisted her fingers, unable to come up with a reply.
Chu Feng glanced at Zhuang Feilei. “Sorry, as you can see, I just started a company and have to prepare for recruitment right away. I’m really busy. From now on, Miss Feilei, it’s better if you don’t come looking for me.”
Turning away, Chu Feng headed downstairs.
Zhuang Feilei stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, her expression shifting several times before she finally composed herself and left.
Hiding nearby, Zhuang Cheng only revealed himself after both Chu Feng and Zhuang Feilei were gone.
Scratching his head, he thought: I’ve always felt Chu Feng was a bit harsh with me, but now I suddenly feel he’s actually been very kind.
