Put Your Head on My Shoulder (致我们暖暖的小时光) - Chapter 11

SItu Mo is going for an interview! And this time in quite a decent company. I actually like her answer to the interview. I wish I could answer like that in my own interview. Reading this chapter make me remember those days when I just graduated and looking for a job

Note: If there's any joke in this chapter that make you uncomfortable, just take it with a grain of salt, and remember that this novel is created by chinese authors for chinese people (who might be ignorant at things and might write something that could be offensive to others)

Title: Put Your Head on My Shoulder (致我们暖暖的小时光)
Author: Zhou Gangan
Translation credit: Jia

Chapter 11

It’s a wonderful process to wait for graduation. The long road always seemed to be endless. It's inevitable to feel disappointed and confused. Especially when you heard that one of the classmates had found a job, or been admitted to graduate school, or were going abroad, or had jumped off the stairs... And the students who have been together for four years would soon be scattered on the horizon, as per the lyrics of this one song. Maybe ten years later, we were people of different social strata, even couldn’t recognize each other if occasionally met on the road. Just pass by or occasionally looking at the collate graduation photos. It would take a long time to search in the brain for a classmate's name. Or else, some people would never meet again in this life.

In fact, this kind of idea had been in the minds of graduates a thousand times, but everyone chose not to speak out and spent the last day together happily, hoping that what to be remembered could be a young happy face.

Mo thought almost the same as the average people. When she applied for the college entrance, she didn't know what the hell those majors were. Having listened to the teacher that Accounting was the best major to find a job, she applied Accounting foolishly. After entering university, she became tired of the number one month later, and could not lift her spirits in class every day. Later, she met a sister in the Advertising Department. She became fascinated by advertisements after following her to a class. And then she went to the Advertising Department very often to listen in and even helped the sister do some homework, which got good grades. However, her accounting work had been shifting to the middle level. She hadn’t won a scholarship in four years, and it’s not helpful in finding a job with her accounting certificate. Just then, the advertising company the sister worked at was recruiting and Mo was asked if she wanted to have a try, she rushed to submit her resume.

On the way to the interview, Mo was very hesitant. After all, she didn’t major in advertising.

When she arrived at her destination, the sister took her to an unmanned office and left. Later, a big man with a beard came in. He looked very avant-garde, with black jacket, camouflage shorts and sandals. As soon as he came in, he asked, ‘Situ Mo, right?’

‘Yes, hello.’ Mo stood up quickly and answered with a smile.

‘Sit down.’ The beard uncle made a gesture and sat down.

Mo handed her resume over to him. He took it but didn't have a look. Then he asked directly, ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’

‘Ah?’ Mo was stunned, isn't this question a little bit too private for an interview?

‘Don't want to answer?’ The beard man smiled. 'That's all right. I just ask, what do you think should be highlighted in advertising for single women?'

Mo pondered for a while and answered, ‘Two routes could be taken. One is self-reliance, highlighting that women can also lead a good life even with the lack of men. The other is to take a warm line, highlight that even the strong women would also hope to have a person to eat breakfast together.’

‘Eating breakfast together? Little girl, did you listen to too much songs of Liu Ruoying?' The big beard made a flickering smile.

‘The origin doesn’t matter, right?’

‘Then what’s important?’

‘Let those who see remember and leave a good impression of them.’ Mo answered.

‘For example, if I want you to write an advertising copy for a white-collar women's suit, which route would you write?’

‘It depends.’ Mo answered after thinking for five seconds.

‘What does it depends on?’

‘The commodity status, if the clothes reflect the soft side of professional women, I would take the warm line. If the clothes reflect the professional side of professional women, I would take the self-reliance line.’

‘Then you’re advertising for white-collars instead of a clothes.’ The big beard said with sharp eyes.

Mo swallowed her saliva secretly, ‘I think if the target customers for the clothes are white-collar workers, there's nothing wrong with advertising to white-collar workers. If we make the advertisement and make them feel something from it, they will buy it.’

‘You didn’t major in advertising, right?’

‘No.’ Mo answered and thought in mind, do people who do advertising all change topics so quickly?

‘Why do you want to enter an advertising company?’

‘Interest.’ After hesitating for a moment, Mo honestly answered, ‘Would it be a bit arrogant if I said I really couldn't stand watching those advertisements on TV now?’

‘Ha-ha, no.’ The beard burst into laughter. ‘I can't stand it either. Which one do you hate the most?’

‘Bishengyuan Changrun Tea.’ Mo said, ‘Especially the phrase 'Don't be too thin'.’

‘What's wrong with this phrase?’

‘It's too exaggerated and makes people wonder if the product has any side effects.’ Mo suddenly added, ‘And the models in the advertisement are not good-looking, especially the one with obvious clavicle, like African refugees.’

‘It's not kind to say that, Little Situ.’ Big beard blinked. ‘She's my dream lover.’

‘Ah?’ Mo didn't expect that. So she was stunned.

‘Every time I want to eat spareribs, I will dream about her.’ The big beard burst into laughter.

Mo’s face was frozen, and a little bit confused. No wonder he had so many beards, just to keep out the cold.

‘Well, you'll sit down a little longer. There's a grand ruler coming to talk to you later. I'll go out first.’ The uncle beard stopped laughing and got up to went out.

Less than five minutes later, another man came in. Although he dressed casually, he looked more formal and cleaner than the beard.

He went straight to his desk and sat down. Mo got up and went to stand in front of his desk.

‘Can you stay up late?’ He asked.

‘Yes.’ Mo answered. The first thing she learned during four years of university was to stay up late.

‘Are you afraid of hard work?’

‘Not at all.’ Mo had got ready to fight to the death. She won't tell him even if she’s afraid.

‘What about salary you expect to get?’

‘Over four thousand.’

‘When can you start your internship?’

‘Any time, but sometimes I may have to take time off to go back to school to deal with something.’

‘Well, that's all. Thank you for your application. Please go back and wait for the notice.’ The leisure man said.

When Mo left the interview office, she wanted to say good-bye to the sister, but she bumped into the sister and the big beard in the tea room. Mo had been to the sister's dormitory in university. The sister's bed was full of hairy boys. She didn't expect that the sister had kept the hobby after 2 years of graduation.

When she got downstairs, she received a phone call from the sister: ‘Mo, why did you leave without telling me?’

‘I saw that you're busy in the tea room, so...’ Mo said with an artistic pause.

‘Uh... Ah.’ After five seconds of silence, the sister said, ‘How was your interview?’

‘I don't know. It's a bit confusing.’

‘Well, I’ll let you know first if there's any news.. Okay, I'm going to work. Let’s have dinner together next time.’

‘Well, you do your... work.’ Mo said with a laugh.

‘You're wordy. Bye-bye.’

‘Bye-bye.’

Walking on the road, Mo suddenly wanted to see the house of Gu Weiyi. She was in a hurry last time, and she didn't have time to observe the surrounding environment. It took her quite a long time to find the neighborhood. She moved around the neighborhood and found that the neighborhood was not popular, probably because it was working time. She went around a small rockery and found a little boy hiding behind it. She was so childlike that she squatted down to amuse the children.

‘What are you doing hiding here, little boy?’

‘Shh -’ The boy put his finger in the middle of his mouth.

‘Shh -’ Mo followed him.

‘I found you.’ A man’s voice came from behind. Mo and the boy turned back at the same time.

‘Why it's you again?’ Mo asked distastefully.

‘What are you doing here?’ Gu Weiyi didn’t answer the question.

‘Brother Gu, it doesn't count this time, it’s all her fault.’ The boy gave Mo a glance.

‘Are you playing hide-and-seek?’ Mo felt a little embarrassed and apologized. ‘I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, shall I play with you again?’

‘Humph, nobody’s going to play with you?’ The boy ran to pull Gu Weiyi's trousers. ‘Brother Gu, let's go somewhere else to play.’

‘Why are you here?’ Gu Weiyi touched the child's head soothingly and said to Mo.

‘I'm here for an interview with a company and passed by to take a look.’ Mo said.

‘Oh. Then take your time to visit.' Gu Weiyi took the child to leave.

That's all? Being so cold and uncaring? Tut-tut, really not hospitable.

‘Hey!’ Mo couldn’t help calling him, ‘May I go inside and have a look?’

‘It's a mess in the house. There's nothing to look at.’ Gu Weiyi stopped to say, ‘Don't you have anything else to do?’

‘I'm free today.’ Mo didn’t know why that the more he refuse to let her see, the more she would be desired to take a look. ‘I want to go up and have a look.’

‘Now that you're free, can you help look at Xiaoguang.’ He pointed to the boy.

‘I want to go up and have a look.’ Mo reiterated.

‘I said there's nothing good to look at.’ Mo felt a bit frustrated with his answer. ‘If you're quite free, just help me take care of Xiaoguang. I need to go up to supervise the workers.’

‘Isn't the boy your illegitimate child? Is your wife hiding upstairs?' Her imagination become really divergent just after the interview with the advertising company.

‘Xiaoguang is the child of the neighbor living opposite me.’ Gu Weiyi explained and then squatted down to discuss with the boy, ‘Xiaoguang, you play with this sister for a while, and I'll come to find you later.’

‘Brother Gu, I don't want to do that.’ Xiaoguang was dissatisfied.

‘Xiao Guang, be a good boy, Brother Gu is busy.’ Gu Weiyi looked up and said to Mo, ‘I’ll come down and take you to lunch later.’

After that, the man left. He left just like that!

Mo and Xiaoguang looked at each other on the ground.

‘Hello, aunt.’ Xiaoguang pulled at her skirt.

‘I’m not your aunt!’ Mo got mad, almost throwing him over the shoulder!

‘You are!’ Xiao Guang was proud, ‘I don't want to play with you. I want to go up to look for brother Gu.’

‘Neither am I going to play with you’ Mo grimaced at the child. ‘Just go up.’

Mo went upstairs behind Xiaoguang. Xiao Guang jumped several times at the door, but he couldn’t reach the doorbell.

‘Hey, ring the doorbell for me.’ Xiao Guang panted.

‘Impolite child, I don’t care about you.’ Mo leant against the wall and smiling, with her hands crossed in front of the chest.

‘ Humph.’ The boy imitated her and with his hands on his chest as well.

The big one and the small one froze in the corridor, and the sound of knocking in the room came from time to time.

Twenty minutes later, the door opened and a man came out. He looked at them strangely and went out with a big bag.

Mo and the boy looked at each other and rushed into the room at the same time.

‘Brother Gu--’ The child shouted while running. Mo stopping running after realizing that she looked silly and then stood near the door.

Having heard the shout, Gu Weiyi went out, seeing the boy rush to him. He picked up the child in one hand and went Mo, ‘There’s dust in here. What are you doing here?’ He walked out with Xiaoguang in his arms and said, ‘Don't just stay there, follow me.’

‘Hey, if you really don't want to live with me, just say it, don't beat around the bush.’ Mo said after following them for a while.

‘No.’ Gu Weiyi answered a little quickly.

‘Then why didn’t you show me the house?’

‘The house is still being decorated with dust, which is bad for your feet if you're exposed to it for a long time.’ Gu Weiyi explained lightly.

‘Ah?’ Mo was stuck dumb by, ‘Uh, thank you.’

‘I'm afraid that Fu Pei will make it hard for me if you're hurt.’ He could not help but add some words.

Mo looked sideways at him and smiled without saying a word.

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