Allow the World to Have Ordinary People

Gu Fen was actually a 40-year-old woman whose previous job had been as the head of the HR department.

The position she was interviewing for was also HR manager.

The moment she saw Zhou Yi, she quickly lowered her gaze to hide her surprise.

When she looked up again, her expression was calm and composed.

This CEO Zhou looked like a celebrity—she had nearly frozen in shock.

Fortunately, she was already a 40-year-old woman with a loving husband and a harmonious family. She couldn’t afford to develop a crush on someone so young—that would be utterly inappropriate.

After sitting down, she gave a brief self-introduction, detailing her previous role and work experience.

Jiang Ruolan could tell at a glance that this woman was more than capable of handling the job.

There was just one concern—whether CEO Zhou would take issue with her age.

Abroad, being 40 was no big deal, but in China, many faced the risk of layoffs as early as 36. When she first read about it, she found it unbelievable.

Most domestic companies preferred hiring younger employees. For those around 40, regardless of gender, job hunting was tough unless they possessed irreplaceable skills or experience.

But HR work? Even someone in their twenties could manage it after a few years in the field. There was nothing about her that couldn’t be replaced.

"So, may I ask why you left your previous company?"

As expected, Gu Fen revealed that her former employer had deemed her "too old" and that having a child had disrupted her work. By the time her maternity leave ended, her position had already been filled.

She was well aware that she was an older mother.

She’d had health issues in her twenties and struggled to conceive. It wasn’t until she underwent IVF that she finally had her child.

She had desperately wanted a baby, so she insisted on having one even at 40—even if it meant losing her job.

"After that, I couldn’t find suitable work because of my age."

Both Gu Fen and Jiang Ruolan turned their gaze to Zhou Yi, waiting to see his reaction.

Zhou Yi merely frowned. "Ms. Gu, our company values ability over age. If you were 60, I might hesitate, but 40? You’re not even halfway through life. You still have endless possibilities."

"I’ve reviewed your resume, and I believe you’re an exceptional woman."

"And a wonderful mother."

Gu Fen’s eyes trembled slightly as she fought back the urge to cry.

She smiled sincerely, warmth and beauty radiating from her expression. "Thank you, CEO Zhou."

[Jiang Ruolan’s affection points +20]

Beside them, Jiang Ruolan watched the scene unfold, her gaze softening further.

Without hesitation, Zhou Yi signed Gu Fen’s employment contract.

After Gu Fen left, Jiang Ruolan teased him, "CEO Zhou, what if Ms. Gu’s performance doesn’t meet your expectations?"

Zhou Yi took a sip of coffee and smiled faintly. "I don’t have any expectations for them."

Jiang Ruolan blinked in surprise.

"Don’t burden them with unnecessary expectations. Sometimes, those expectations hurt others—and yourself."

"We have to allow for ordinary people in this world. As long as she does what she’s capable of, that’s enough. Even if she makes a few mistakes here and there, so what? Everyone makes mistakes. There’s no need to be too harsh."

[Jiang Ruolan’s affection points +5]

Meanwhile, Gu Fen returned to the meeting room to retrieve her bag. The others couldn’t help but ask how it went.

She gave them a relaxed smile and said, "CEO Zhou is a very kind person. Don’t worry."

Wu Ying excitedly grabbed Wen Xin’s hand. "See? I told you my idol is the cold-outside, warm-inside type!"

Wen Xin also grew hopeful. "If we could really work at Huanyu, that’d be amazing. The atmosphere here is so good—plus, there’s such a handsome CEO and such a beautiful executive assistant..."

When it was Wu Ying’s turn to interview, her nerves returned, but so did her excitement.

After all, she was a top fan in Zhou Yi’s fan community—she never missed a daily check-in!

Pumping herself up, she took a deep breath outside the CEO’s office and knocked.

A cool male voice responded.

"Come in."

Wu Ying’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The sight of Zhou Yi behind the desk left her frozen for several seconds. Zhou Yi didn’t rush her, letting her stand there in stunned silence.

Jiang Ruolan chuckled to herself. Look at her, completely dazzled by CEO Zhou. Adorable.

When Wu Ying finally snapped out of it, she wanted to dig a hole and disappear.

"Idol—I mean, CEO Zhou! My name is Wu Ying."

She barely managed to swallow the word "idol" before it escaped.

Oh my god, I’m so embarrassing today!!!

Zhou Yi offered her a faint smile. "Hello, please have a seat."

At that moment, System 077 suddenly spoke up.

"Host, would you like to hear this lady’s thoughts?"

The system was feeling mischievous. Zhou Yi was puzzled—did this girl have some secret?

He didn’t refuse. With his abundant attribute points, spending a few was no big deal.

Less than a second later, a scream nearly shattered his eardrums.

"AHHHHH—SO HANDSOME~~~"

"Turn it off!"

Zhou Yi’s expression turned stern, and Wu Ying’s inner voice ceased, replaced only by the sound of her frantic heartbeat.

Having successfully teased Zhou Yi, the system shut off the mind-reading function.

"You always complain that I’m boring. Did you have fun today, Host? Am I entertaining enough for you now?"

"Shut up."

"Okay."

The system reverted to its usual aloofness, and Zhou Yi returned to normal.

He proceeded with the standard interview questions.

Wu Ying started off nervous but gradually became more professional. After all, she was a working adult—aside from temporarily losing her brain to Zhou Yi’s "good looks," she behaved normally the rest of the time.

Zhou Yi nodded. This girl was also a good fit, so he extended an offer on the spot.

Wen Xin’s interview went more smoothly. She wasn’t as starstruck as Wu Ying and made a conscious effort not to stare at Zhou Yi’s face, avoiding many awkward moments.

Soon, it was noon.

The morning interviews had come to an end.

In a room in another building, someone’s face was dark with fury.

"This is the great job you did? Huh?"

Gao Wenhao glared at his phone, seething.

"I told you to plant surveillance in Huanyu secretly—to catch them doing something shady! Who told you to film this and send it to me?"

"And you livestreamed it? Who gave you the right to go rogue and start broadcasting? Were you worried Huanyu’s PR team wasn’t hiring fast enough, so you decided to apply early?"

He hurled his phone across the room in frustration.

His underling whimpered, "But Brother Hao, you said to livestream if we caught him flirting or acting suspicious with women! I was just following orders!"

Gao Wenhao still hadn’t forgotten the humiliation Zhou Yi had dealt him. Revenge was all he could think about.

As soon as he heard that Zhou Yi had returned to the company, he was itching to stir up trouble.

A couple of days ago, he had sent people to scout out Huanyu and discovered that the company still used the simplest type of door locks—they hadn’t even upgraded to keypad entries yet.

Seizing the opportunity, he secretly had duplicate keys made and planted surveillance cameras in several spots around Huanyu, all to expose Zhou Yi’s true colors.

There was no way Zhou Yi could actually be that decent of a guy!

Since he had plans to go clubbing with his buddies on Friday night, he didn’t have time to monitor the feeds himself. Instead, he assigned one of his lackeys to keep watch, instructing him to snap photos at the first sign of anything suspicious.

Especially if any women showed up—if things looked even slightly off, the lackey was to go live immediately. The goal was to ruin Zhou Yi, no matter what, and let the public see him for who he really was!

Last night, Gao Wenhao partied until the early hours.

Drunk out of his mind, he didn’t wake up until noon.

The moment he opened his eyes, his feed was flooded with trending hashtags about Huanyu and Zhou Yi.