Xia You wasn’t humming a pop song, nor an old classic. Instead, it was a pure piano piece, the Turkish March. This is a world-famous composition, but why would a candidate for a KTV hostess hum this?
"Okay, that’s enough. You just wait for the notification," the manager waved his hand, his brows furrowed the entire time, giving no indication from his expression whether he was satisfied with Xia You’s performance or not.
Mo Xixi’s interview went much smoother than Xia You’s. All that is required for an alcohol promoter is the ability to drink. Especially someone like Mo Xixi, who drinks as if it’s water, she was hired on the spot and could start work the following evening.
"You had it easy. I probably screwed up," Xia You said with a grin after listening to Mo Xixi recount her interview experience, before she went on to describe what happened during her own.
"No way. You humming Mozart in front of a KTV manager is like asking Jin Yong to write romance novels; what sort of idea is that?" Mo Xixi thought that once Xia You entered the manager’s office and showed off her vocal skills, she would be surely hired. Little did she know Xia You would drop the ball at the crucial moment.
"It’s fine, now that I’m in; if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just switch to logistics this time," Xia You climbed into Mo Xixi’s mini car. Bazhou and Qinyang were not too close yet not too far away, and without the convenience of military buses, it was possible that they would have to work night shifts, so they decided to stay at Mo Xixi’s place.
It wasn’t until she arrived at Mo Xixi’s old-style small apartment, which was about sixty or seventy square meters, that Xia You learned Mo Xixi was an orphan. Mo Xixi, whether in her interpersonal relationships or in her appearance, was a modern woman of her times. Thus, Xia You felt a bit surprised when she first saw the old apartment.
The old apartment, probably over thirty years old, was surrounded by elderly neighbors, and there were very few residents of Mo Xixi’s age. When Mo Xixi parked her car and went upstairs earlier, she greeted several elders along the way who all cheerfully said hello.
In this old apartment, Xia You could trace the trajectory of Mo Xixi’s growth.
"When I was seven, my dad died of illness. My mom, whose face I can’t even remember, ran off later with a man who came to fix the computer at home. Then I became a half-orphan. To put it professionally, what I am is called ’a child bereft of family care.’ Having a mother is like having none; raised by fate," said Mo Xixi about her past, with no sadness left, just some reflection.
Without adult supervision starting from the age of eight, Mo Xixi knew to rent out her apartment, using the rent to solve her meal problems. Later on, she relied on government relief to study and learned about computers, and it was only after she started working that she reclaimed the apartment and remodeled it for her personal use.
In her memory, it was the computer that lured her mother away, so during her studies, she focused on computer science and eventually became a computer expert. Also out of gratitude for the tuition provided by the government, she finally agreed to become a network administrator for the Rand Military District.
Child bereft of family care. Xia You didn’t hear this term for the first time, but when she did hear these four words, her heart suddenly tightened.
"Xiao Ling, I heard the government posted a notice in the square. Soon, we will have a house to live in and food to eat. You stand here, don’t move. I’ll go take a look, and remember, don’t wander off." Those sentences flashed through her mind repeatedly, and Xia You couldn’t help but pinch her temples.
"What’s wrong, Xiao You." Xiao You... Xiao Ling, the words magnified in her brain. Her phone vibrated; it was an unknown number.
"Hello, Miss Xia. I wanted to inform you to come to Golden Splendor tonight for a second interview." The female receptionist’s voice came along with the soft music, slightly alleviating Xia You’s headache.
A second interview. Xia You agreed to it. According to previous information from the National Security Department, Golden Splendor never had any second interviews. This was both good news and bad news for Xia You.
"Should I come with you tonight?" Mo Xixi also felt something was off. The songs had been heard, the interview done; where did this second interview come from? It’s as if they were making it as formal as matching for marriage.
"No need, we interviewed on the same day, and if we go together again, we would inevitably raise suspicion. It’s better for me to go there by taxi alone," Xia You decided to be more cautious. If Golden Splendor had nothing to do with the Qinyang arms case, then it was fine. But if there was a connection, then any exposure of either of them could be life-threatening.