Helen Wheeler felt a wave of relief wash over her after hearing the boy's comforting words, and she managed to flash a cheerful smile. "Thank you for your kindness, I feel much better now. I'm not nervous anymore."
The boy smiled slightly, nodded at her, and then turned to leave.
As Helen watched him walk away, curiosity sparked within her. She found the boy to be mysterious, exuding maturity and confidence, with a unique charm emanating from him. It was hard to define this charisma, but everything he said carried a weight that compelled attention. (Could it be a commanding presence?)
Little did Helen realize that the boy she had encountered was none other than the chairman of Nicholas Group. As the saying goes, "occupy the position and cultivate the aura." With Henry's high status, a majestic aura naturally surrounded him. Helen, still a naive girl without formal employment experience, inevitably felt overwhelmed by the force of his presence.
The afternoon job fair began, and Helen submitted her resume, then stood outside waiting. Alongside her were more than ten well-dressed, beautiful white-collar elites, all preparing for their interviews. Each of them wore stylish clothing and high heels, and when Helen compared herself to them, she couldn't shake the feeling of being a modern-day Cinderella.
A wave of inferiority crept over her, making Helen withdraw, seeking the security of a quiet corner.
As she stood there, she could feel the white-collar beauties casting sideways glances in her direction and whispering under their breaths.
"Hey, look at that girl over there. Can you believe she actually showed up for an interview?"
"Yeah, she looks like she just rolled out of bed. Who would want her?"
"Maybe the chairman of the Nicholas Group is into that look!"
"Hehe, for real!"
"..."
Helen buried her head lower, tears pooling in her eyes—a mix of shame and frustration building inside her. But deep down, she reminded herself, *You can't cry, you must be strong. You were not born to be defeated. They may laugh at you, but they can't break you!*
She continued to encourage herself silently, mantra-like.
As time passed, more female candidates emerged from the interviews, many with their heads down. With each exit, Helen's nerves heightened. She felt increasingly insecure; even the highly educated candidates were failing to impress the interviewers. What chance did she, a high school dropout with no work experience, have?
Just then, the interview room door swung open, and a staff member called out: "Please come in, Helen Wheeler!"
"Okay!" Helen jumped, startled to find it was her turn.
Trembling slightly, she followed the staff member inside, her heart pounding with unease. Upon entering the room, Helen glanced up cautiously at the interviewing panel, and her heart sank. She was surprised to see the boy from before positioned at the center of the table, gazing at her with a friendly smile.
She was caught off guard, but in that moment, she didn't dare ask any questions.
"Hello, Helen Wheeler. It's nice to see you again," Henry said with a slight smile.
"Yes, sir," Helen replied, feeling a bit stiff as she spoke.
"I've read through your resume. Let's move directly to the interview questions," Henry stated.
"Okay," Helen nodded.
"Then I'll start with a question..." Henry paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you know anything about computers?"
"I... I took a semester of computer courses in high school," Helen stammered, feeling inadequate and already fearing she was going to fail the interview.
As she anticipated, Henry replied, "Alright, you can go outside and wait for a while. We'll announce the results of the interview shortly."
"Oh... okay." Disappointed, Helen replied before rising and making her way out of the room.
As soon as Helen exited, her peers stared at her in surprise. One asked, "Why did you come out so quickly?"
Her face flushed with embarrassment, adding to her discomfort.
"Wait, how many questions did they ask you?" another inquired.
Helen paused, then finally answered, "One…"
"Only one?" They looked stunned.
"What did they ask?" The questions kept coming, and Helen became irritated with their relentless curiosity. She thought there was no point in hiding anything and said, "They asked me if I knew about computers. I said I took a semester of computer courses in high school, and then they told me to wait outside."
"That's ridiculous! This is an internet company—how can you not know about computers? What were you thinking?"
"Oh, no wonder you got called out after just one question," said another. "I was asked five!"
"Five? Ha! I had eight questions!"
"Please, I was hit with ten!!!"
As Helen listened to their chatter, she felt increasingly ashamed, wishing desperately for a hole to swallow her. Just then, the door to the interview room opened again, and the HR manager of Nicholas Group emerged to address the waiting candidates.
"Hello everyone, thank you for participating in today's interviews! I will announce the results shortly…"
The HR manager scanned the room, settling his gaze on Helen Wheeler: "Congratulations, Miss Helen Wheeler! You have successfully passed the interview!"
"Ah?! I actually passed the interview...?!" Helen exclaimed in shock and disbelief, covering her mouth.
"Yes, congratulations!" the HR manager affirmed.
Almost immediately, the others began to grumble, expressing their dissatisfaction. "Why her? She doesn't even know much about computers! And she's so young without any work experience! It's unfair!"
The HR manager replied nonchalantly, "Character is far more important than work experience. Miss Wheeler has received an acceptance letter from Harvard University. Instead of attending, she chose to care for her sick mother. Our chairman believes that speaks volumes about her capabilities as a secretary!"
Upon hearing this, the group fell silent, their skepticism fading. While some still felt resentful, they realized there was little they could do in light of Henry's admiration for Helen. After all, what could they accomplish if the chairman favored her?
The HR manager guided Helen to his office to complete the hiring formalities.
Still in disbelief, Helen moved through the processes in a daze. She couldn't shake the thought that her being hired had something to do with the boy from earlier. But when she finally reached the chairman's office, she was floored to discover that the boy from the interview was actually the chairman of the Nicholas Group.