First Person (Wu An)
Li Chenrui — the intern with an almost perfect résumé.
The one who'd applied for New Hope, even though the project was clearly meant for those without privilege.
I had called him into my office once. He stood tall, polite, his posture almost unnervingly composed.
When I asked where he'd gone to university, he answered as if this were an executive-level job interview.
His tone was confident, respectful, and yet... perfectly rehearsed.
Despite how flawless his answers were, something inside me said he doesn't belong here.
Not because he didn't deserve to — but because New Hope was never built for people who already had a map. It was for those who were lost.
---
Later that evening, I called Dai Fei over. She was my secretary, my friend, and sometimes, my unwilling conscience.
"I'll start with the interns' evaluations," she said, tablet in hand, her glasses slipping slightly down her nose.
I nodded, rocking my office chair lightly — like a child who'd just gotten caught sneaking candy.
"New Hope is the project I'm working on. What about the main company? Any mischievous interns in the mix?"
Dai Fei sighed dramatically.
"Wu An, you're already ranked third among the country's richest women. I understand why you're doing this — you like saving strays — but don't you ever get tired?"
I smiled faintly, flipping through one of the files. "No. Helping others isn't stressful. But you're right, I'm already rich." I gave her a sideways glance. "Now, tell me about their performances."
She looked half-exasperated, half-amused. "The interns in the main branch are doing well. Understandably so — they studied this line of work. But there's still a lag in some of their tasks."
I nodded. "Set up dates for the interviews. Let them know ahead of time. I want to see how far they'll go even after being notified."
"Both?" she asked.
"Both," I confirmed.
Dai Fei paused, tapping her stylus against the tablet screen. "About the intern in New Hope — he's bold, don't you think?"
I glanced up. "I've thought it through. What if he isn't as privileged as we think? I saw that he was under scholarship."
Her brow furrowed.
"Now that you mention it… he's been on scholarship through most of his education."
I leaned back, thoughtful. "I didn't notice that before."
"Yeah, right…" She scrolled through her tablet again. "Here are the daily reports. This guy is really amazing. If he keeps this up, he could be promoted to the main branch."
"Li Chenrui?" I asked, though I already knew.
Dai Fei nodded.
"Alright," I said quietly, "set the date. Interviews are important."
She nodded, gathered her files, and left the room with the crisp efficiency of someone who always knew what to do before being told.
---
The next few weeks blurred into meetings, collaborations, and contract signings.
Every day was full — sometimes too full. New Hope had become a success beyond my expectations. Reporters, investors, even politicians had their eyes on it.
Then, one morning, Dai Fei waltzed into my office with her usual knowing smirk.
"Two days from now," she said, handing me a printed schedule, "the interviews will begin. They'll last two weeks."
I blinked. "Two days from now? For two weeks straight? Isn't that unfair?"
She smiled slyly. "You're a woman of meticulous precision — fast yet thorough. Besides, it'd be chaos if someone else conducted the interviews. I made sure your calendar is cleared. Don't worry — all the events I cancelled were the ones you didn't want to attend anyway."
I raised an eyebrow. "You did what?"
"Don't look at me like that. I only did you a favor. I know how you hate pretending to enjoy charity banquets and board dinners."
I gasped softly, my jaw parting. "You're a stalker."
"Mhm," she hummed, eyes glinting. "Be careful what you wish for."
I stared at her in disbelief — then laughed. "Well… that works for me too."
---
Third Person POV
The notice went up on the company bulletin board the following morning.
Just as Wu An had expected, the entire intern population — from the main branch to New Hope — erupted into chaos.
For some, it felt like a death sentence. For others, a divine trial.
The air in the building shifted — tense, electric — like the eve of an examination that could decide the rest of their lives.
The senior workers, of course, didn't make it any easier.
"That woman is just like a strict professor," one muttered in the break room. "One mistake, and you're done."
Another chuckled, shaking his head. "I still remember my first day. She smiled at me, and I almost peed myself. That's when I learned that grading can come with cheerful comments."
Their laughter didn't help the terrified interns clustered by the vending machine.
---
During lunch at the canteen, Li Chenrui sat quietly among a small group of interns who looked moments away from collective meltdown.
"This is going to be my death," one groaned dramatically. "I should probably call my parents to prepare an obituary."
Another sighed, pushing his tray away. "I heard she's doing the interviews personally. No connections. No family ties. Just pure evaluation."
A third added nervously, "I heard that getting an internship here through connections is easy — but getting the job is like taking a bar exam."
The first speaker groaned again. "This is literally a bar exam! You know, they say when she smiles and tells you, 'I don't bite,' that's when she bites."
The others perked up immediately, staring at him like he'd just revealed a secret code.
He leaned closer. "My sister works at the main branch. She told me that Ms Wu doesn't care about who you know. There were two interns who both came through connections — one was accepted, the other rejected."
"Why?" someone whispered.
"The one accepted was humble, good at her work, and serious. The other depended too much on her family's influence — both she and her sponsor were blacklisted."
A stunned silence followed. Then, Li Chenrui finally spoke. His voice was calm but steady, slicing through the noise.
"Instead of gossiping, why don't we prepare?" he said.
They turned to him — some with admiration, some with disbelief.
"That doesn't apply to you," one of them muttered. "You're already good. I bet Ms Wu will just shake your hand and offer you a job."
Li Chenrui smiled faintly. "You're exaggerating. I might not know what she'll think of me, but I do know this — Ms Wu doesn't judge by rumors. Still, her assistant, Dai Fei, hears everything. So, it's better we do our best. If we get selected, we get selected. Gossip won't change that."
The table fell quiet for a moment — and then, one by one, they nodded.
His words weren't dramatic, but they steadied something inside them.
---
The Day of the Interview
The company's central hall had been transformed.
The floor gleamed with polished marble, and the air was filled with the subtle fragrance of peonies and amberwood. The company's logo shimmered proudly behind the reception desk, while a long stretch of glass panels framed the skyline.
Rows of chairs lined the hall, each marked with a number tag. Interns sat with nervous posture — some practicing smiles, some reviewing notes, others just staring blankly at the clock.
At exactly 9:00 a.m., the heavy mahogany doors opened.
And in walked Wu An.
She wore a perfectly tailored cream-white blazer dress, cinched at the waist with a slender gold belt that matched the faint shimmer of her earrings. Her stiletto heels clicked rhythmically against the marble floor — sharp, deliberate. A light beige handbag hung from her arm, the kind of minimalist luxury that didn't need a logo to announce itself.
Her makeup was composed — soft neutral tones, a subtle glow on her cheekbones, and a shade of red that was confident without being loud. Her hair, styled into a low twisted chignon, was adorned with a thin gold hairpin in the shape of a phoenix feather — a quiet symbol of rebirth and grace.
Beside her walked Dai Fei, efficient as always.
She wore a fitted navy pantsuit with a pale blue blouse underneath, heels a shade darker than her suit, and her sleek hair pulled into a neat ponytail. A pair of frameless glasses perched on her nose, and she carried a slim tablet, fingers gliding over it with precision.
While Wu An's presence filled the room with calm authority, Dai Fei's sharp eyes swept over the interns like a laser. Together, they looked like calm and storm side by side — one graceful, one calculating.
The murmurs died instantly. Every intern straightened, heartbeats pounding like drums.
Wu An smiled — that gentle, mysterious smile that carried both warmth and danger.
"Good morning," she said.
And somehow, the temperature of the room dropped ten degrees.