"Thank you for attending Wangyi Group's autumn recruitment. After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that you may not be suitable for the position at this time. Your information will be entered into our talent pool in case..."
"Damn it!" Zhang Menglong slammed the mouse onto the desk. This was the twenty-something interview he had attended this fall.
This year had not been smooth, with various events occurring since the beginning of the year—viruses, fires, earthquakes, floods—as if even the world was telling you to cherish everything.
The impact on the economy made this year's autumn recruitment extremely tough, with even graduates and PhDs struggling to find jobs. Zhang Menglong, a graduate of Materials Science, one of the four least promising majors, had it even worse.
He had sent out over a hundred resumes, and this time, he had managed to pass through five rounds of interviews to the final one, only to be replaced by someone with connections, right when the job was almost within his grasp.
This was something he found out during the interview from an interviewer who took a liking to him; otherwise, Zhang Menglong might have really thought it was due to his own lack of capabilities.
"Brothers, how's the job hunting going?" Zhang Menglong noticed that his roommates also had gloomy expressions.
"Don't even mention it. The interviews are fierce like a tiger, but the salary is just twenty-five hundred," Xu Li sighed from the bunk next to him, "My family is thinking about having me study for a graduate degree."
"Forget it. In our major, unless we change fields, even with a graduate degree we'd only make six or seven thousand a month. Some have to work shifts too. It's better to face society's harsh realities sooner, maybe there's still a way out."
"What about you, boss Sun?"
"What else can I do but continue selling houses? It's tough, but it's still better than being uncertain about the next meal."
"Ah, if only we all came from better families," Xu Li said.
"Hahaha, exactly, the kind where if things don't work out, you just go back and inherit the family fortune," Sun Yulei commented.
"Why don't we call home and check? Maybe our parents are actually billionaires behind our backs?"
"Hahaha, you think big!" Everyone started joking around, and Zhang Menglong felt a bit of the gloom lift from his heart.
Just then, Zhang Menglong's phone suddenly rang. He looked at the number, tagged "Zhang Shixian"—his nickname for his dad Zhang Xiaoyun, because even at fifty, his dad was still all smooth talk like Hong Shixian.
"Dad, what made you think of calling me today?" Zhang Menglong said listlessly.
"Isn't it the autumn recruitment season? I called to ask how the job search is going. From the sound of your voice, it seems you've hit a dead end? Hahaha!"
"Zhang Xiaoyun, are you still my father, making fun of me at a time ?" Zhang Menglong looked helpless, but that was just his father's personality. Ever since he could remember, Zhang Xiaoyun had been different from other fathers.
"Is it such a big deal to not find a job?"
"Old Zhang, if I can't find a job, I won't make money, and I can't buy you a car and a big house. Eventually, I won't be able to marry a beautiful wife to pass on our excellent Zhang family genes. Isn't that worth feeling upset about?"
"That's all nonsense. I only wanted you to experience the life of an average person so you wouldn't become conceited from a young age. Seeing as your values are pretty solid now, it's time for you to inherit the family fortune."
"What? The family fortune?" Zhang Menglong burst out laughing, "Old Zhang, you think I don't know? Our family has just a 89-square-meter house and a car worth two hundred thousand, along with some savings at most. You better keep those for your retirement!"
"You little rascal, you dare to look down on me?" A cold laugh came through the phone, "The National Day is coming soon; come home for a visit. There are some things you need to know!"
"Got it. Just say you miss me, stop with the nonsense, really." Zhang Menglong hung up the phone, not taking seriously the things Zhang Xiaoyun had just mentioned.
"Well, might as well go home to relax a bit. Looking for a job won't be affected by a week or two's break." He thought it had been quite a while since he had last visited home.
"What, Menglong, was that a call from your family?" his roommates asked.
"Yeah, they were asking how my job search was going," Zhang Menglong laughed, "My dad even told me to stop looking for a job and come home to inherit the family fortune. That old man is so tricky, I don't believe a word!"
"Hahaha!" The roommates couldn't help but laugh as well. They had visited Zhang Menglong's hometown two years ago. While his family was not poor, they were just an average wage-earning household.
"Maybe your dad's worried you'll go astray; he kept it secret from you as a child!"
"Hahaha, right, your dad said he was a fisherman—maybe all those hundreds of islands belong to your family?"
"Menglong, don't forget your friends if you come into wealth!"
"You guys are getting wilder with this. We might as well say we ride dolphins!" Zhang Menglong shut down his computer and gave one last scathing look at that email, "When I have money, I'll definitely take over Wangyi Group!"
"Damn, they've been talking about building high-speed rail for five years, and still nothing to show for it!" Zhang Menglong grumbled as he disembarked from the bus, the bumpy several-hour ride having stirred his stomach.
"Weird, didn't my dad say he would pick me up today? Why can't I see him anywhere?" Zhang Menglong looked around the parking lot but couldn't find Zhang Xiaoyun.
Just then, a car pulled up beside him.
"Damn, a Rolls-Royce? We have such rich people in this small broken city?" Zhang Menglong gazed at the luxurious emblem with envy.
The driver, dressed in a suit and wearing gloves, which made him look like a chauffeur, got out of the car, opened the door, and an elderly man, who seemed to be in his sixties or seventies, stepped out from the back seat.
Zhang Menglong gasped slightly—this distinguished-looking elderly man actually bowed deeply to him and then said, "Young Master Menglong, please get in the car, we have been waiting for you!"
"Wait? Young Master Menglong?" Zhang Menglong's head buzzed, "What's going on? Are you here to pick me up?"
Just then, Zhang Menglong's phone buzzed. He opened it up, and there was an image from his dad—a meme of a man with a big sword and a cheeky expression with four words: