Chapter One: The Application

A young man was riding his motorcycle when the phone fixed to his dashboard suddenly rang.

“Hello? Dummy, what’s up?” The young man reached out, pressed the call button, and answered through his headphones.

This young man’s name was Yang Meng, twenty-three years old, with a rugged, masculine look but a distinctly feminine name. He had his eccentric parents to “thank” for that.

His parents were typical farmers, not much educated, so when it came time to name their child, they asked Zhang Ironmouth, the village fortune-teller, for help. Zhang Ironmouth thumbed through a battered copy of “Explaining Simple and Analyzing Compound Characters” for a long while before waving his hand decisively, “Meng—it means the sprouting of grass and trees. That’s the name for this child!”

And so, he ended up with this name, and it became a source of endless amusement for his peers throughout his life.

Like the other young people in his village, Yang Meng left home early to find work in the city. People always said there were more opportunities in the city, but from his years of hard experience, that only meant there were more opportunities for menial labor.

With little education, Yang Meng could only rely on his strength to make a living—carrying bricks on construction sites, standing guard at residential gates, fixing cars in repair shops… Now, he was delivering food to earn some pocket money.

As soon as he spoke, a roar came from the other end of the line. “Mengmeng, how many times do I have to tell you! Call me by my proper name! Hu Guohui! Not Dummy!”

The caller was a fellow villager, Hu Dummy. Back in school, he’d grown tired of his rustic nickname and secretly changed it to Hu Guohui, but all the childhood friends who’d grown up together still called him Dummy.

“Alright, Dummy,” Yang Meng replied.

There was a pause. “Mengmeng, you’re lucky I can’t take you in a fight, or I’d have beaten you up by now just to vent my frustration.”

Yang Meng scratched his head. “Come on then, let’s hurt each other! Dummy, I’ve heard you say that more than ten times. Can we talk about something useful? Why did you call?”

“What else? I’m bored. Why not get ‘Madman,’ ‘Lobster,’ and the others together for some barbecue? It’s been ages since the guys from Zhuoshanzi Village gathered.”

Yang Meng shook his head. “Better not. I have an interview for a new job.”

“You’re quitting food delivery?” Hu Dummy asked curiously.

Yang Meng nodded. “Yeah, the pay’s too low. I want to earn more. Time to try something new.”

Hu Dummy was stunned. “What? You think you’re not making enough? Isn’t food delivery good? Don’t you make over ten thousand a month? The guys always say you’re a real hustler. What are you planning? Don’t work yourself to death for money!”

Yang Meng sighed. “Ten thousand a month? Where? If I managed that even one month a year, I’d be content! Usually, it’s just four or five thousand. Back when I was single and had no ties, I could still send money home every month. Whether I was poor or not only changed dinner from steamed buns and pickles to pork ribs and rice. It didn’t matter much, I could play games and hang out with friends and life was pretty happy. But after falling in love, I realized how tight money is. Now I wish I could split every penny in two.”

Hu Dummy was silent for a while. “She asked you for something again?”

He knew Yang Meng had a girlfriend recently, but to be honest, he wasn’t thrilled about it.

Thanks to his parents’ “genetic refinement,” Yang Meng was a good-looking man—six feet tall, with both the looks and the build. So despite being a food delivery guy, he had a girlfriend from the city—and a college student, no less.

The girl often ordered takeout, and Yang Meng frequently got her orders. Bit by bit, they got together. But for someone who’d grown up poor in the mountains, dating a city college student didn’t always seem like the best fit.

Hearing Dummy’s question, Yang Meng hurried to explain, “You’ve got it wrong. She didn’t ask for anything. She told me her classmate just bought a Prada bag that looked great. Seeing the envy on her face, I decided to save up and buy one for her too.”

Hu Dummy cursed, “Damn, why doesn’t she just ask for the moon? Are you out of your mind buying her that? That’s a Prada bag! Even the cheap ones are over ten thousand! And I bet the one she liked isn’t cheap. Are you trying to ruin yourself over this?”

Yang Meng smiled sheepishly. “She’s a city college student. The fact that she doesn’t mind being with me already means she’s making a big sacrifice. I just want to do my best to make her life better.”

Hu Dummy asked, “How did the ‘Little Tyrant of Zhuoshanzi’ turn into a lovesick puppy? Fine, it’s a proper relationship, I won’t say anything. But have you ever met her family?”

Yang Meng mumbled, “Not yet. She told me her family looks down on me for being a delivery guy and insists we break up. That’s why I’m looking for a new job.”

“Damn! What’s wrong with delivering food? Earning money with your own hands—no one can look down on that! Those white-collar types might look respectable, but they might not even earn as much as you! I’m tempted to quit and deliver food myself!” Hu Dummy grumbled.

Among their group, Hu Dummy actually had one of the better jobs—he worked as a car salesman at a dealership, dressed smartly every day. But in truth, he didn’t make as much as Yang Meng did from deliveries!

“You’re a purebred, 24-karat lovesick puppy! Certified!” Hu Dummy concluded. “So, where’s this interview? What job?”

Yang Meng answered, “Warehouse manager at a place on Siping Road.”

“Siping Road? That’s out in the suburbs!” Hu Dummy thought for a moment. “Wait, warehouse manager? That doesn’t pay well, does it? I thought you wanted to earn more—wouldn’t that pay less?”

Yang Meng replied excitedly, “The ad says twenty thousand a month!”

“How much?” Hu Dummy was shocked. “You’ve been scammed, buddy! Even the National Museum wouldn’t pay a warehouse manager that much. That’s a scam, plain and simple!”

Yang Meng shrugged. “Scam or not, I’ll check it out first. What could they scam me for? My money or my looks? I don’t have money, and if they want my looks… well, I wish a pretty girl would try! Honestly, I’m so desperate to make money that I’ve even thought about calling those ‘big reward for sperm donation’ ads on telephone poles.”

“Pfft.” Hu Dummy burst out laughing. “Only you would fall for those scam ads. But tell me, what if it’s some burly guy trying to seduce you?”

Yang Meng laughed. “I’d beat him senseless, let him know just how hard the ‘Little Tyrant of Zhuoshanzi’s’ fist of justice really is. Alright, I’ve arrived at Siping Road. I’ll look for the place and call you after the interview.”

“Alright, brother, keep your wits about you and don’t get scammed!” After a few more words of caution, Hu Dummy hung up.

Yang Meng ended the call, parked his bike, and took out the job listing he’d seen in the newspaper to check the address.

It was a very strange ad: no phone number, no company name—just a job opening for a warehouse manager, twenty thousand a month, and an address. The oddest part was the note: “Come for an interview before noon.” What was that supposed to mean? Execution at noon?

Anyone else would have skipped such an ad, but not Yang Meng.

Even so, Yang Meng was bewildered. Noon? Before the Tang Dynasty, noon meant 12 to 2 p.m.; after Tang, it meant 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. When exactly was he supposed to show up? After thinking it over, he decided noon should be right.

But when he followed the address and found the place, he was dumbfounded. Was this really a scam?

It was just a small bungalow—two rooms at most, maybe thirty square meters. The house was so dilapidated it looked older than his parents. A company here? What was this, burning paper money at a grave—scamming ghosts?

Still, having come this far, Yang Meng’s curiosity got the better of him. Even if it was a scam, he wanted to see what kind of scam it was.

With that in mind, Yang Meng locked his bike and went to knock on the door. There was no response. Yang Meng shook his head with a wry smile. So it was just a prank. He couldn’t figure out who would pay for a newspaper ad just to mess with people.

Just as he was turning to leave, a voice suddenly came from the door. “Who are you looking for?”

Yang Meng quickly turned back. The door hadn’t opened—was there an intercom or a camera? High-tech in a shabby bungalow?

He replied, “I’m here for the job interview. I saw your ad.”

“Oh?” The person suddenly grew excited. “You can see the ad? Excellent, come in, come in!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the battered door opened.

Yang Meng was completely confused—was this a secret base for Men in Black or something?

Should he go in or not? He hesitated. What if he got kidnapped? The place looked dodgy.

In the end, he gritted his teeth. Go in! Why not? In a harmonious society, there can’t be that many criminals, right? With that thought, Yang Meng stepped inside.

The moment he entered, a white light engulfed him.

Yang Meng shut his eyes tight—it was so bright, even more dazzling than a BMW’s laser headlights, stabbing his eyes with pain. What the hell? He’d come for an interview, not to be blinded!

He was about to curse when he realized the light had vanished. He cautiously opened his eyes—and what he saw left him utterly speechless.

“Damn, where on earth am I?”

P.S.: After my previous book was censored, it took three months to get this new one out. It’s not that I was slacking off—just that my new drafts kept getting rejected for the same reasons as “God-Level Fisherman,” too many inappropriate comments. Now that the new book is published, I hope all you readers will support it. I promise I won’t self-sabotage this time… well, I’ll try my best not to. Also, I do have some chapters in reserve, but for promotional reasons, I’ll be updating twice a day, six thousand words, which might seem a bit little. Please subscribe and support, and when there’s enough, you can binge. Many thanks!