novelnext Chapter 33: Another scam.
Chapter 33: Another scam.
As Director Song's car taillights disappeared around the street corner, only a group of "our own people" remained at the Baru Police Station, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Lin Kaidong breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as if he had just escaped a disaster.
With mixed feelings, he walked up to Lin Chen and tried to pat him on the shoulder, but Lin Chen subtly avoided it.
"Lin Chen, you were right about what happened today."
Lin Kaidong forced a smile as he approached Lin Chen to speak, but he had many things on his mind.
He was somewhat grateful to Lin Chen for resolving Hu Chou's matter, but also jealous of Lin Chen's prominence among the leaders. He was even more afraid that Lin Chen would leave the Baru Institute. If Lin Chen really left, who would take over those dirty and tiring jobs for him? Which of those slackers in the institute could fill the gap?
Lin Chen's tone remained cold: "Director, please don't blame me. We'll still be working together in the future."
Lin Kaidong's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pressed his advantage, tentatively asking, "Lin Chen, about the bureau office... are you really not going to reconsider? Logically speaking, this is an opportunity that many people would fight tooth and nail for."
In fact, Director Tang Xin had privately approached him several times before, asking him to inquire about Lin Chen's wishes, as she wanted to recruit him to the bureau office.
But Lin Kaidong couldn't bear to let go of this high-level "laborer," so he kept the matter tightly under wraps and didn't reveal a single word to Lin Chen. No wonder Tang Xin wanted to ask for the person directly in front of Director Song today.
Lin Chen didn't bother to look at his hypocritical face and said indifferently, "Director, I made myself very clear to the leaders just now. If you don't have anything else to do, I'm going to check the water loss report. The data for today hasn't been checked yet."
After I finish this, I'll go home and write my novel.
"Alright, alright, you go ahead and get busy." Lin Kaidong watched his retreating figure, the smile on his lips vanishing instantly, a cold sneer running through his mind: What a fool. I'm just flattering you because you're capable. The day you're no longer useful, I'll kick you aside and leave you stuck in this lowly position for life, with no chance of ever getting ahead.
The director left.
Tang Yuwei hopped to Lin Chen's workstation like a little sparrow, her big eyes filled with disbelief: "Class monitor, my dear class monitor! The bureau office, Director Tang himself came to ask for him, Director Song even spoke up, and you actually... refused! Class monitor, tell me quickly, what were you thinking?"
"Because of you." Lin Chen didn't even look up, his fingers flying across the keyboard, a purely perfunctory response. His mind was full of report data and novel plots; he had no time to deal with the girl's curiosity.
Writing novels can really make money; the royalties are going to break ten. Everyone should start writing novels!
"Huh?! Really?!" Tang Yuwei's heart pounded wildly, her cheeks instantly burning red, and a surge of heat uncontrollably rushed down her face. Was the class monitor reluctant to leave because of her?
"It's fake. Actually, I didn't really think about it. I just didn't want to go." Lin Chen skillfully brought up the report interface, his fingers flying across the screen. If this silly girl took it seriously, it would be troublesome.
"Why?" Tang Yuwei stamped her foot anxiously. "So many people dream of working in the bureau office! More contact with leaders, faster promotions, and a bright future..."
"Didn't I tell you I don't want to improve?" Lin Chen interrupted her, his fingers tapping the keyboard even faster.
Go to the bureau office? Endless reports to write, endless meetings to attend, and you always have to figure out what the leaders are thinking. How can it compare to the freedom of working at the grassroots level? Fixing water pipes, reading water meters, chatting with the villagers, and the rest of the time is all your own.
After turning thirty, one's energy is not what it used to be. After masturbating, one needs to rest for a long time. One also understands how precious "one's own time" is. Only in this way can one run that little-known but much more lucrative side business of writing novels.
"At least the environment is better than this. Are you willing to serve the director here for the rest of your life?" Tang Yuwei really couldn't understand what was going on in the class monitor's head.
"I don't want to, but I don't like changes. I'm used to the pace of life here, and I would feel very uncomfortable in a new environment."
"But..." Tang Yuwei wanted to persuade him again, but Lin Chen stopped her with a fierce look.
"Get to work."
Tang Yuwei stuck out her tongue and obediently slipped back to her seat, but in her heart, she admired this "unambitious" class monitor even more—this was truly a saintly figure who was indifferent to fame and fortune and rooted in the grassroots!
In the water supply center, many people claim they "don't want to improve," but secretly they're scheming and plotting for advancement.
Just like that safety officer Liang Wenchao, he was always slacking off, saying he wanted to lie down, but secretly he was pulling strings and giving gifts, hoping to get rid of the "sea of suffering" that was the water supply center as soon as possible.
Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. The news of Lin Chen's "refusal to enter the office" spread like wildfire within the small circle of the Balu Water Supply Company, causing an uproar even within the office itself.
At lunchtime in the cafeteria, the "three golden flowers" of the office, Song Qiuyu, Chen Ya, and Cao Bingyan, gathered together for a chat.
Song Qiuyu lowered her voice and peeked out mysteriously, "Ya Ya, have you heard?"
Chen Ya was eating, too busy lately explaining salaries and payroll to payroll, and too tired to care about gossip: "What?"
"What's the name of that class monitor from Baluso, the one who's kind of handsome?" Song Qiuyu rubbed her hands together, her eyes sparkling with gossip. In this world, no matter how handsome someone is, if they don't have other special talents to back them up, then they can only be handsome without any real skills.
"Lin Chen?" Chen Ya blurted out, her chopsticks pausing for a moment.
"Yes, yes, yes! It's him!" Song Qiuyu slapped her snow-white thigh: "I heard that he rejected Director Tang in front of Director Song, saying he didn't want to come to our office! He's really something else."
"What? He doesn't want to?" Chen Ya's spoon clattered against the rim of the bowl, her round face filled with shock.
Cao Bingyan chuckled and added, "More than that, I heard Director Song personally invited him. He even said he just wants to serve the people at the grassroots level. Hahaha, that's hilarious!"
Zhang Junmin, who was standing next to him, snorted and put down his chopsticks: "Hmph, just showing off. What 'serving the people'? What a load of bull. I bet he knows he's not capable enough and doesn't dare to come to our bureau. The work here isn't something just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can do."
Song Qiuyu rolled her eyes and said in a fangirl tone, "You guys are so shallow. He looks a bit dull, but he's really handsome. If he came, at least all the male colleagues in our office would be a whole level more attractive."
"Am I not handsome?" Zhang Junmin immediately puffed out his chest in protest.
Song Qiuyu ignored him and turned to Chen Ya: "Ya Ya, he's in the same year as you, right? Are you close with him?"
Chen Ya's eyes flickered. She picked at the rice in her bowl and mumbled, "We're not really that close. We haven't been in touch for a long time."
In the dead of night, in the dormitory, Chen Ya hesitated for a long time before finally dialing that familiar number.
On the other end of the phone, Lin Chen had just finished showering and was getting ready to start his writing battle for the day: "What's up?"
Chen Ya: "Shall we meet up and talk?"
Lin Chen replied without hesitation, "I'm busy. Just say what you need to say."
Time is money, and it's something you can't afford to waste. Anyone who's written a novel knows this. Women, all of you, stay away.
Chen Ya held her breath, but still managed to say, pressing her breast, "I heard... why did you refuse?"
Lin Chen paused for a moment, then realized what he meant, and said casually, "There's no particular reason, I just don't like the atmosphere in the bureau office."
"But that's an opportunity that so many people would kill for." Chen Ya became anxious: "When you first came here, weren't you determined to get into the office and make some achievements?" Back when the two of them were dating, it was all the same kind of nonsense.
Lin Chen: "People change. Now I feel that freedom is more important than anything else."
What he didn't say was that during those "free" times, he had another passionate world hidden away—the world of novels where his royalties were about to break 100,000 yuan, which fascinated him far more than the intrigue and power struggles within the organization.
"You..." Chen Ya bit her lower lip, her voice softening, "Is it because of me that you don't want to come to the office?" Chen Ya had a slight feeling that Lin Chen didn't want to come to the office to avoid her.
Lin Chen was speechless: Woman, really, don't be so dramatic, okay? You're really not that important anymore.
"You're overthinking it," he said calmly.
"Oh... then it's alright."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Ya slumped into a chair, feeling a sudden, inexplicable sense of exhaustion.
On the other end of the phone, Lin Chen turned on his computer, made a cup of coffee, adjusted his seat, and was determined to write a whopping 10,000 words tonight.
Another week has passed in the blink of an eye.
There was no word from the bureau about Lin Chen being transferred; not even a whisper of it came out.
It seems that Lin Chen has safely weathered this crisis of "staying behind," and he is much more relaxed now.
Although the work at the water supply center was messy and heavy, Lin Chen was used to it, and he could do it quickly and well. This was his ability. Lin Kaidong had learned his lesson from the past and was afraid that Lin Chen would leave, so now he goes back to the office every day and handles some documents when he has nothing to do, in order to lighten Lin Chen's burden.
On Monday morning, a job competition notice popped up on the company's internal bulletin board. As usual, it used the familiar wording: "In order to promote talent exchange, optimize departmental allocation, implement strategic plans, and accelerate the pace of development... we will be conducting a competition for the following positions."
Finally, there is a strong promise: "This competition is solemnly committed to fairness, impartiality, and transparency. Anyone who violates the company's competition rules will be disqualified. Interested candidates should submit their resumes to Liu Hongmei in the Human Resources Department within seven days."
Lin Chen stared at the screen, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.
Here we go again.
Thinking about what happened to me, I felt a bit angry. They're scamming me again.
Fair, just, and transparent? That's easier said than done.
Having worked for ten years, Lin Chen had participated in several job competitions within the company, each time preparing with great hope and enthusiasm.
Twice, Lin Chen felt absolutely certain of his success: first place in the written test, excellent interview results, he had even prepared his acceptance speech, and everyone around him, including his superiors, was certain it would be him. But when the final results were announced, everything changed.
They opened the champagne halfway through, but someone intercepted it in the middle of the night.
That hatred!
As always, the company released three positions, no more and no less, as if following some kind of pattern. In fact, every department in the company is severely understaffed, but they just don't release any.
Lin Chen didn't understand it before, but after seeing the scarcity marketing strategy of a certain real estate project, he understood the principle: always keep the positions at the top vacant so that the people below can see hope, thereby maximizing their exploitation.
The first position is in the Marketing Department [Marketing Management and Marketing Specialist]. Requirements: 5 years of service, under 30 years old, vocational school diploma or above, intermediate qualification certificate, party member, 3 years of grassroots work experience and more than 1 year of government work experience, English CET-4, computer level 2, and at least one A performance rating in the past three years.
Lin Chen was shocked to see these requirements; there were so many, and they weren't low at all.
There probably aren't many suitable people, right?
After thinking about it again, Lin Chen suddenly burst out laughing.
Damn it, Cao Quan is already doing this market management and marketing position, and he's doing a good job. He was even praised by his boss in the middle of the year. So why is he being asked to compete for this position?
Undoubtedly, these conditions are just Cao Quan's resume; even his performance rating of A matches up.
Lin Chen shook his head; whether it was fraud or just going through the motions, he couldn't comment.
There's a saying, "Every radish has its own hole." You should just take these kinds of job postings from Xinhai Group Water Company with a grain of salt. Often, positions only exist because people already have them. Lin Chen, for example, didn't understand this the first time and foolishly applied for the wrong position, ending up as a mere accomplice.
The second position is "Water Supply Quality Management Specialist" in the Biotechnology Department. Requirements: current full-time employee of the company, under 35 years old, junior high school education or above, and holding a junior qualification certificate.
That's it. These are the only requirements. The requirements are so low that almost anyone can do it. This kind of job seems simple and easy for everyone, but it is actually the most dangerous.
Because these positions have no requirements, they become the first choice for those with connections, and the competition is fierce. For those without connections, even if you have an advanced qualification certificate and unparalleled skills, it will be useless.
In the end, it all comes down to who has the stronger backing.
The cruelty behind this is something those who haven't experienced it simply cannot understand.
The last one is the position of "Safety and Dispute Management Specialist" in the Bureau Office. The requirements are not many: 5 years of service, vocational school diploma or above, intermediate qualification certificate, good health, and strong writing skills.
After seeing the job posting, Lin Chen exclaimed "Huh!" and then a strange sense of surprise welled up inside him.
Isn't this the job Tang Xin asked him to do in the office?
Does bringing it up for public competition now mean that the deal is off and Director Tang Xin shouldn't worry?
Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, picked up the hot tea on the table, and took a big gulp. The aroma of the tea mixed with a smile emanated from the corner of his mouth.
Yes, yes, this operation was very smooth.
You no longer have to worry about being suddenly pushed up.
But before he could be happy for long, the next day at work, Liu Hongmei called: "Lin Chen, could you send me your resume?"
Liu Hongmei and Lin Chen had a decent relationship. A few years ago, when Liu Hongmei was a shift leader at the Shitou Water Supply Station, she would often call Lin Chen for help when she couldn't handle something. Several times, she broke down and cried on the phone.
Lin Chen was taken aback, and asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly asking for my resume?"
"What else could it be? It's a job competition, you know. They need to keep your resume on file, so it can't be too fake." Liu Hongmei's voice also revealed her helplessness, given the many requirements from her superiors.
"I didn't sign up." Lin Chen was completely confused.
"I know you didn't sign up, but the management said that all eligible employees have to sign up, and those who don't will be called in for a talk." Liu Hongmei's tone turned serious.
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat: "Which leader said that? What kind of ridiculous rule is this?"
"That's what Director Tan said. Don't have so many opinions, or the leaders might find fault with you." Liu Hongmei's words carried a hint of warning.
Upon hearing that it was Director Tan, Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
He had argued with Director Tan at a meeting, and had even scared him with a snake last time, so the two had a bit of a grudge.
If Director Tan wanted to get back at him, he wouldn't need to resort to this method. He's probably just bored and wants his employees to "actively participate" so he can appear to be a good manager.
"Can't I just not report it?" Lin Chen still wanted to struggle a bit more.
"Lin Chen, don't put me in a difficult position."
"No, I really don't want to go up there. I just want to stay at the water supply station."
Liu Hongmei sighed, "If we register you, you can just skip the written test and interview. Who's going to force you to come?"
Lin Chen was still worried: "I really won't participate. Don't say I signed up but didn't show up."
"I know, I know," Liu Hongmei said impatiently. "The leaders are afraid that no one will apply for the positions, and the bidding will fail, so we'll have to wait until next year."
The company does have an unwritten rule: a position must have three or more applicants before the competition process can begin; otherwise, the bidding will fail. In the past, for some positions that were already decided, they would even recruit people to "make up the numbers" to ensure the process could proceed.
Since things had come to this point, Lin Chen was too lazy to be coy anymore and simply agreed.
"Okay, I'll send it to you later."
A week later, Lin Chen received a notification: Please come to Room 405 of the Bureau Building next Monday to participate in the written test for the company's job competition.
Lin Chen ignored it completely and, of course, didn't go.
Another week later, Lin Chen received another notification: "Congratulations, Comrade Lin Chen, you have passed the written test for the company's job competition. Please arrive at Room 408 of the Bureau Building on Monday for the interview."
!!!
? ? ? ?
Lin Chen was stunned!
Immortal jump?