Velvet Chains of a Tycoon

Qin Ran desperately wanted to blurt out that there were no such things as ghosts in this world! But after glancing at Lu Sheng standing beside her, she swallowed her words. Lu Sheng had come specifically to see a ghost. If he found out there were none, wouldn't he move back tomorrow? A villa that large would definitely feel livelier with an extra person around rather than being occupied by just one.

After taking a leisurely walk by the lake, they returned to Building 4. As Qin Ran stepped into the hall, she sniffed subtly. Her sharp sense of smell hinted that someone might have entered the house recently. She scrutinized the hall carefully—nothing seemed disturbed. Even the floor remained immaculate, giving no indication of any intruder. Outside, the trees swayed in the wind, their leaves whispering eerily. The neighborhood was deathly silent, and the stillness of the night only heightened the spine-chilling atmosphere. Holding her phone, Qin Ran headed upstairs. "Good night, Mr. Lu." Lu Sheng, engrossed in a conversation with his younger brother Lu Yu on his tablet, merely muttered without looking up, "Good night."

[Chat Conversation]

Lu Yu: "Bro, I'm back from G City. I brought pineapple cakes for our sister-in-law. I'll drop them off at Pine Lake Garden later."

Lu Sheng: "Don't bother. I'm not staying at Pine Lake Garden anymore."

Lu Yu: "Bro, you're not staying at Pine Lake Garden? Did you move back to Silver Lake Villa?"

Lu Sheng: "I did move to a villa, but not Silver Lake. It's Xijiang Villa."

Lu Yu: "Where is Xijiang Villa?"

Lu Sheng: "Xijiang Villa location."

Lu Yu: "Bro, it's in the eastern suburbs. Why would you move to such a remote place?"

Lu Sheng: "Who said it was for no reason?"

Lu Yu: "Then what's the reason?"

Lu Sheng: "To see ghosts. There are ghosts at Xijiang Villa."

Lu Yu: "Alright, if you see anything, take a photo for me."

Lu Sheng: "What about the pineapple cakes?"

Lu Yu: "Uh, it's too far. I won't come over."

Lu Sheng chuckled, "Coward."

[Back to the Story]

On the third floor, Qin Ran stood on the terrace for a while before pulling out her phone to order a hanging basket on Taobao. She thought it would be nice to have a swing on the terrace. That way, when the rare meteor shower arrived in mid-September, she could sit on the swing and watch the stars streak across the sky.

Just after placing the order, her roommate Xia Lan called.

"Qin Ran, there's a job fair at our school tomorrow. Do you want to attend?"

Thinking about earning money to repay Lu Sheng, Qin Ran replied, "Sure, what time does it start?"

"10 AM. It's supposed to be the largest job fair at our school. There will be smaller ones later, but none as big as this one with so many companies."

Qin Ran: "Alright, I'll come in the morning."

"Qin Ran, make sure to prepare your resume. Print multiple copies. Seniors say you should cast a wide net and focus on the best opportunities."

Qin Ran: "Got it. I'll prepare my resume right away."

After ending the call, Qin Ran went back to her room and opened her laptop to work on her resume.

It was easy enough to write a resume as a fresh graduate, given the limited work experience and life experiences.

But when it came to listing her greatest advantage compared to other students, she was stumped.

She snapped a picture of the section and sent it to Xia Lan: "Xia Lan, how did you fill this out?"

Xia Lan, who was also working on her resume, replied quickly: "Not planning to marry or have children!"

Qin Ran was taken aback and took a few seconds to respond: "Xia Lan, can that really be considered an advantage in job hunting?"

Xia Lan explained confidently: "Of course! When competing with a male candidate for the same position, most large companies prefer males. Do you know why?"

Qin Ran: "Do tell."

Xia Lan: "Companies worry that women will get married, have children, take maternity leave, and possibly quit to stay home afterward. They'd have to hire someone new. Not planning to marry or have children reassures them."

Xia Lan: "You can put that down too."

Qin Ran hesitated: "I'll think about it."

How could she possibly write that? She was already married. How could she claim she wasn't planning to marry or have children?

Never mind, she decided against writing that part.

The night passed without incident. The supposedly haunted house remained eerily silent, offering no disturbances. Another fruitless night for Lu Sheng.

During breakfast, Lu Sheng muttered under his breath, "When will these ghosts finally show up?"

Qin Ran laughed softly, "Ghosts are elusive. If they announced their arrival, they wouldn't be ghosts anymore."

Lu Sheng smiled wryly, "Fair enough."

They left together, with Lu Sheng heading downtown and Qin Ran hitching a ride with him again.

Once they reached the city center, Qin Ran asked Lu Sheng to pull over near the subway station.

"I'll get off here and take the subway from here."

Lu Sheng nodded, pulling over to the curb. He casually asked, "What time will you be back tonight?"

Qin Ran shook her head, "I'm not sure yet. Why? Is something up?"

Lu Sheng: "No, nothing."

Qin Ran pushed open the car door, stepping out. She turned back and waved, "See you, Mr. Lu!"

Lu Sheng watched her retreating figure disappear into the subway station, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "See you."

When Qin Ran arrived at Bin University via the subway, the campus recruitment fair was already in full swing.

Students milled about, browsing through booths and submitting resumes to companies that caught their interest.

Xia Lan was waiting for her. Seeing that Qin Ran hadn't even printed her resume yet, Xia Lan urged her to hurry up and get it done.

By the time Qin Ran finished printing her resume, Liu Ye had already submitted applications to two companies.

"Qin Ran, Xia Lan, Sunshine Hospital is hiring! It's part of the Lu Corporation group and has quite a few openings. Let's go check if there's anything suitable for us."

Seeing the two approach, Liu Ye immediately pulled them toward the Sunshine Hospital booth.

As one of the top companies in Binhai City, Sunshine Hospital was also a leading private hospital affiliated with Bin University. Their recruitment drive was massive, attracting throngs of medical students eager to submit their applications.

Qin Ran wasn't in a rush. After scanning the available positions, she settled on applying for roles in the anesthesia department and cardiac surgery.

Xia Lan chimed in with a reminder: "Both anesthesia and cardiac surgery require at least a master's degree—they're only hiring postgraduates. We're still undergrads, remember?"

Qin Ran sighed inwardly. Who said there was no discrimination based on educational qualifications? This was proof right here.

It wasn't that she particularly wanted to pursue further studies—it was the harsh reality of society pushing her toward graduate school.

Realizing she didn't qualify for those departments, Qin Ran reluctantly opted for general surgery and traditional Chinese medicine instead.

After wandering around the fair for two hours, Qin Ran managed to submit six resumes.

She doubted Sunshine Hospital would seriously consider her application, so she excluded them entirely while preparing for interviews later that afternoon.