Chapter 129: What a Mess!

Chapter 129: What a Mess!

Zhang Lin was initially just watching the commotion online when Lin Muxue and Zhao Lili’s dance video went viral again. Someone had even re-uploaded the original uncensored version. Zhang Lin had saved the original video himself, so he knew exactly what it was.

He assumed many of the Lishan Farm’s fans had the same uncensored version. The comment section of the farm’s video was bustling with people sharing screenshots of Lin Muxue’s previous dance.

However, things took a turn when a new video appeared, causing trouble for Zhang Lin.

"Lishan Farm’s Beautiful Director is Gorgeous, but She’s Already Taken!"

Many people who had seen Lin Muxue’s videos couldn’t resist clicking on this title. The video showed a man riding a scooter with Lin Muxue sitting behind him. The blogger had even added a sweet love song and a romantic filter, making it seem like they were on a romantic date.

Zhang Lin immediately recognized this as the day he took Lin Muxue to the Bamboo Forest Maze. He couldn’t understand why the blogger used such music and filters. The video attracted a lot of attention, and the comments started to shift in a negative direction.

"Damn, what do I lack compared to this guy?"

"He rides a scooter, and so do I. Why him?"

"What a loser, riding a scooter. It’s not fair!"

"Suddenly, I envy this loser!"

"??? Zhang Lin couldn’t help but feel annoyed reading these comments.

Who was the "loser"?

Even if people were envious, they shouldn’t slander others. People always love to join in on the fun. Soon after Zhang Lin’s scooter ride with Lin Muxue went viral, another video appeared:

"Stop envying the scooter rider, he’s not the beautiful director’s boyfriend, just a farm employee, proof in the video!"

Zhang Lin saw this video as well. It showed him riding the scooter with Fu Yao.

This was also from the Bamboo Forest Maze trip. How did this get online?

In the video, the blogger confidently stated, "The man riding the scooter is just an employee of Lishan Farm, or more specifically, a driver. The scooters are all farm property. The farm doesn’t allow cars, so it’s normal to have a driver for transportation."

"Both Yao Yao and the beautiful director are famous, so it’s normal for the farm to provide them with a driver. Don’t let jealousy blind you; it’s unfair to the driver."

"Otherwise, do you think this guy has a chance with two such beautiful women?"

This video changed the narrative, and the comments were now supportive of the blogger:

"The blogger is right, it must be like this. I shouldn’t have called the driver a loser out of jealousy!"

"Haha, this makes me less jealous. I agree, it’s impossible!"

"Exactly, if it’s just a driver, I’d want this job too. Driving two beautiful women around sounds great."

"This guy’s last name is Zhang, and he’s indeed a driver for Lishan Farm. The commenter is my college classmate, so I know his situation."

Zhang Lin was taken aback when he saw this comment. It had many likes and was pinned to the top due to its popularity.

Was this really a college classmate? He checked the commenter’s profile, and the nickname was "Righteous and Majestic."

When he saw the self-obsessed selfies, he recognized the guy: it was Chen Hao from Chapter 89.

Chen Hao, "Righteous and Majestic"?

He had organized a class reunion but played around with a female classmate, which his wife found out. He even brought that girl, Wu Ling, to the farm privately.

Zhang Lin had ignored him the last time they met, finding him disgusting. He couldn’t understand why Chen Hao would post such a comment, but it probably wasn’t with good intentions.

Because of this video, Zhang Lin gained some unwanted attention and a new nickname: "Driver Bro."

Zhang Lin found this nickname ridiculous and wondered who came up with it.

As he was pondering, Chen Xin, his senior, walked into his office with a smile, looking quite happy.

Zhang Lin welcomed him with a smile and asked curiously, "Senior Chen, you look so happy. Did something good happen?"

"I feel like I’m really falling in love!" Chen Xin said without hesitation.

"???" Zhang Lin was bewildered.

Hadn’t Chen Xin seen a different side of Lin Muxue at the bar and been heartbroken, drinking himself into a stupor?

Could it be that he confessed to Lin Muxue the next day, promising to accept everything about her, and she was so moved that they fell in love?

If so, that would be too cliche.

But if it were true, he would have to congratulate Chen Xin, no matter how cliche.

Chen Xin, seeing Zhang Lin’s confused expression, explained with a smile, "Muxue gave me her sister’s WeChat. You don’t know, Muxue’s sister is just as beautiful and has a great figure and a lovely voice. We’ve added each other on WeChat and even video chatted. She admires my legal career, and I really feel like I’m falling in love!"

"Damn..." Zhang Lin was shocked by Lin Muxue’s actions.

Zhang Lin had just given Chen Brother no chance at all, and now she was pushing her younger sister towards him?

  Wasn’t that a sly move?

  Chen Xin chuckled foolishly, "Junior Brother, I suddenly realized something about myself. It turns out I don't need Mu Xue specifically; I just like women with good figures and pretty faces. So, Mu Xue’s sister will do just fine!"

  "Brother, you see things clearly!" Zhang Lin couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.

  Men, after all, either look for good-looking women with great figures or young, beautiful ones. Who would go for someone older, nearing menopause, and demanding a car, a house, and a million-dollar dowry?

  "Junior Brother, I’ve already made plans with Mu Wan to pick her up and bring her to the farm for a few days. I’ll need your help with the arrangements," Chen Xin stated his intentions directly, and from his expression, it was clear he was eager.

  Zhang Lin was a bit surprised by his senior brother’s rapid infatuation.

  However, arranging for the two to spend time at the farm was a minor matter, and he immediately agreed to help.

  In the afternoon, Chen Brother left.

  Zhang Lin also received a call from the HR department, informing him that the candidates for the accounting positions had arrived for their interviews.

  After hanging up, he headed straight to the recruitment hall.

  This was a dedicated space set up by the HR department specifically for interviews.

  As a growing enterprise, having a specialized interview area was necessary.

  Lin Mengyao had been working tirelessly to improve these aspects, and in this regard, she had done an excellent job, despite being a connection hire.

  Upon arriving at the recruitment hall, Lin Mengyao handed him a few files. "Mr. Zhang, here are the resumes of the candidates."

  Zhang Lin took the files and skimmed through them.

  All the candidates had accounting experience and were currently in career transitions. Their reasons for leaving their previous jobs were plausible: one had resigned due to an unresolved work injury compensation, another had been replaced, and a few had taken time off to care for their children and were now looking to re-enter the workforce.

  The one commonality among them was that they all held advanced accounting certifications.

  The candidates had been waiting in the recruitment hall for some time.

  For an accountant, being unemployed often makes finding a new job difficult.

  This isn’t about their capabilities; every boss has a preferred team, and the larger the company, the more ingrained this preference becomes.

  Even if they lower their salary expectations, the accounting industry is oversaturated, making the competition fierce. Many bosses prefer hiring new talent, especially those who are attractive.

  In such circumstances, the competition for an accounting job is intense, and landing a position at a good company is even more challenging.

  Take Liyuan Farm, for example.

  Despite being in a small county, it was undoubtedly a top-tier company, offering a high salary of 200,000 yuan plus bonuses for senior accountants.

  This compensation package rivaled those offered by large corporations in major cities, so they were all eager to seize this opportunity.

  After being in the workforce for so long, they were all a bit nervous as they waited for the Liyuan Farm owner to interview them.

  When Manager Lin of HR led a young man into the hall, the candidates immediately straightened up.

  However, they were momentarily stunned when they saw the young man.

  In the age of the internet, most of them had seen the video about the farm’s driver from earlier.

  Everyone had assumed that the man on the scooter was a farm employee, but now things didn’t seem to add up.

  Especially when the driver sat at the head of the table and Manager Lin took a seat beside him, they all realized that this young man was the owner of Liyuan Farm.

  The key was that the owner of Liyuan Farm was incredibly young!

  They instantly understood that while a regular person riding a scooter might be seen as unimpressive, a wealthy boss riding a scooter was seen as romantic!

  However, they quickly refocused their attention on the interview, as the most important thing was to get hired at Liyuan Farm.

  Zhang Lin handed a stack of documents to Lin Mengyao. "We won’t follow the usual interview process today. Since the farm didn’t have an accountant before, these documents are a random selection of past expenses and some special costs. I want you to prepare a financial report to give me a clear idea of your capabilities!"

  Lin Mengyao immediately distributed the documents to the candidates and had someone bring blank forms and pens.

  The candidates quickly began reviewing the documents.

  The documents were quite varied, covering topics like fruit wholesale, where the purchase order was lost and the initial purchase price was unknown, construction expenses where the farm needed to pay upfront, and the owner’s purchase of expensive items requiring a prepayment, which might be processed through the farm’s funds.

  ...

  The HR staff soon brought the blank forms and pens, and the candidates started working on their reports.

  After about an hour, they completed their reports and handed them to Lin Mengyao.

  "Mr. Zhang!" Lin Mengyao passed the reports to Zhang Lin.

  "I’ll review these reports and let you know the results tomorrow," Zhang Lin said, handing the remaining tasks to Lin Mengyao and taking the reports back to his office to review them carefully.

  All the candidates held advanced accounting certifications, so their basic skills weren’t in question. What he was looking for was something more.

In the end, he selected two reports. One was overly principle-driven, and the other was too flexible. The rest were rather balanced.

He then carefully reviewed the two reports.

Both reports were well-prepared, but they had different approaches. The principle-driven report was from the candidate who had returned to the workforce after having a child. If he hired this person, he would need to follow many procedures for expenses and financial matters, which could be cumbersome.

The other report was very flexible and adaptable, from the candidate who had been replaced in their previous position. Zhang Lin preferred this candidate because, with the system, he often needed someone who could be flexible and adaptable.

After some thought, Zhang Lin decided to hire both candidates.

Adhering to principles is important in finance; it ensures accountability and integrity. However, flexibility and adaptability are also crucial, especially when dealing with situations not covered by official guidelines or when fulfilling the boss's specific needs.

However, being too flexible can lead to risks and problems, so a balance is necessary. He decided to have the two financial officers handle different aspects of the accounts and cross-check each other, ensuring mutual oversight.

Of course, he could also hire a third, trustworthy accountant later, which would solve the farm's financial issues.

While he was thinking, his WeChat notifications started buzzing. He opened it to find that the messages were from his university classmates' group, which made him frown.

He really had no good feelings toward some of his classmates in the group, especially people like Chen Hao. He thought it was time to leave the group, as the camaraderie from university days had long faded, replaced by a sense of superiority.

These were people who acted overly proud of their minor achievements, thinking they were better than everyone else.

Seeing he had been @-mentioned multiple times, he opened the group chat to check.

The first person to @ him was Chen Hao, who had posted a video of Zhang Lin’s driver. Below the video, Chen Hao wrote, "Zhang Lin, I really envy you. I can earn 40,000 a month now, but I don’t get to ride a scooter with two beautiful women every day like you."

Then, other classmates started chiming in.

"Riding with beautiful women is enviable, but being a driver is still a job. How much can you earn doing that?"

"Yeah, Zhang Lin, you graduated from a top 985 university. You shouldn’t be working as a driver on a farm!"

"Zhang Lin, I recently got promoted to deputy manager. Send me your resume, and I can help you find a decent job."

"..."

Zhang Lin read these comments and realized they were the same people who always acted superior in the group. They claimed to be concerned for him, but they were just using him to show off their own achievements and put him down.

He saw another @ from Chen Hao.

"Zhang Lin, I visited Liyuan Farm last time. It’s really nice. I told everyone we’d visit the farm again, and as an old classmate, you should treat us!"

This comment was met with many replies.

"Yeah, you must be familiar with the farm. We’ll speak to your boss and make sure you’re there."

"You didn’t come to the last class reunion. You have to join us this time!"

"We’ll mention your name when we visit the farm. You have to come!"

"..."

"Damn!" Zhang Lin cursed and decided to leave the group. He knew what these people were up to. If he were just a driver, they would have looked down on him even more.

Why do many people avoid their classmates after graduation? They might attend one reunion, but never again. It’s because of the constant posturing and one-upmanship.

Zhang Lin’s decision to leave the group was noticed by Chen Hao, who had organized it. Seeing the message, Chen Hao said to Wu Ling, who was in his arms, "See, this guy is so thin-skinned, he left the group."

Wu Ling sneered, "He’s probably embarrassed about being a driver. But leaving the group won’t help him. When we visit the farm, we’ll tell the management his name, and they’ll have to call him over. The farm can’t afford to offend visitors."

"Last time at Liyuan Farm, they looked at me like I was a slut. He’s just a farm driver, what’s he got to be proud of?"

Chen Hao laughed, "Don’t be upset. I’ll count how many people are going and make sure he’s there to entertain us."

Wu Ling nodded, "Count them, and I’ll call my husband. My friend’s birthday is tonight, so I won’t be coming home. You can pick me up at the hotel."

"Sure!" Chen Hao agreed, also laughing, "I’ll tell my wife I’m on a business trip."

He then counted the number of people who would go to Liyuan Farm, and most of the classmates who attended the last reunion signed up.

There were quite a few, and the farm management would likely cater to their demands, ensuring Zhang Lin was present to avoid offending so many visitors.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end