Xu Mengyuan's hand, which had been busy sketching, suddenly paused, "I would be happy to explain it to you now, but just talking about it verbally, you might find it hard to believe, so... my suggestion is that after you join the company and complete your first day of work, if you still have any questions, you are welcome to come to HR at any time to find me."
"What will my job involve?"
"Just as the recruitment information stated, it mainly involves 'information collection and analysis, providing clients with strategic planning and organizational restructuring proposals' and so forth..."
"Is it legal?"
"Of course, Wanwei Technology is a fully law-abiding joint-stock company. We never engage in illegal activities, therefore, we also strongly advise our employees to adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and public morals in their everyday lives,"
After finishing, Xu Mengyuan looked at Li Yu and said warmly, "If you have no other questions, we can continue the interview."
Li Yu was silent for a moment and then nodded.
"Good, back to the previous question, how much do you know about gods?"
"I've read Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Gods', Fang Long's 'Bible Stories', Yuan Ke's 'Chinese Divine Stories', Love Craft's 'Cthulhu Mythos', and, if it counts, part of 'Classic of Mountains and Seas'. I have also watched bits and pieces of Taoism and Buddhism lectures on Bilibili. Besides that, some popular film and literature productions too, like Thor's series from Marvel,"
Li Yu recalled relevant knowledge as he spoke.
"Oh, you mentioned Marvel—what do you think of the multiverse hypothesis that Marvel popularized or similar concepts?" Xu Mengyuan's questions started to become more far-fetched.
"I'm not very familiar with string theory, but a theory that lacks falsifiability always feels... somewhat distant from science," Li Yu paused then added, "but the concept of a multiverse indeed has had quite an impact on artistic creation, if I remember correctly. The term 'plane' refers to the multiverse idea, originating from a DND setting collection called 'Exotic Landscapes'."
"That book divided the planes into the Prime Material, Outer, Inner, Transitive, and Demiplanes, and this classification has been widely borrowed by later online fiction novels,"
Xu Mengyuan didn't express agreement or disagreement, but she seemed quite satisfied with Li Yu's answer, smiling, "Perfect! You are indeed the person we are looking for. I have just one final question left—"
As she twirled a ballpoint pen in her hand, just as Li Yu thought she might throw another wildly imaginative notion his way, Xu Mengyuan instead said.
"Can you cope with frequent business trips? Because the position you are applying for involves a lot of traveling."
Finally encountering a normal question, Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief, and since he had prepared for this, his answer came effortlessly.
"I've heard that the management consulting industry involves a lot of travel, nearly every day, and I am mentally prepared for it. I'm only 25 this year, with no immediate plans to settle down, so traveling won't have much impact on me."
"That's too bad," Xu Mengyuan said, not specifying what she meant.
However, after saying this, she put down the file folder and pen and once again extended her hand to Li Yu, "Congratulations, you are hired."
"Huh?"
"Welcome to the Third Era family, Mr. Li Yu. When can you start at the earliest? We have a new project on hand right now, and we really need manpower."
"Wait, you only asked me a few questions, most of which were unrelated to the job. And besides, you mentioned you are in HR. Isn't it necessary during recruitment to go through department heads and even higher-ups for approval before a final decision can be made?" Li Yu became more and more puzzled.
"I had mentioned before that our process is a bit different from other companies; we only have one written test and one interview, but I believe we have already gathered all the information necessary to make a decision. As for the manager...
"Each employee in your department is directly accountable to the board of directors and does not have a direct boss, and those directors are usually very busy; they are often not in the company."
Xu Mengyuan was as patient as ever in answering the various questions posed by Li Yu.
However, after hearing this, Li Yu's confusion deepened. His gaze unintentionally swept over the folder that the HR lady had just put down and discovered that it only contained a blank sheet of paper.
No, to be more precise, as a result of Xu Mengyuan's earlier effort, that blank sheet of paper now bore a drawing of Peppa Pig holding a hairdryer.
Li Yu, without a change in expression, shook hands with Xu Mengyuan again and said, "I need some time to think it over; can I give your company a response tomorrow?"
"Think about what, other job opportunities? Starfire Media, Ling Yue, and Wanwei Technology, and maybe add in Love Craft... These are the best four offers on your table right now, aren't they? The salary and benefits package they can offer, none can match ours in any aspect."
"At least they don't invade my privacy during the background check." Since Xu Mengyuan had laid her cards out on the table, Li Yu no longer minced his words and spoke firmly.
Although he hadn't been able to find any negative information about this company online, from the somewhat chaotic written test to this even more nonsensical interview, combined with the third era's excessively generous compensation offer...
The deeper he went, the more intense the sense of vigilance became in Li Yu's heart.
Thinking it over was just an excuse; Li Yu actually had no intention of having any further contact with this bizarre company, especially since Xu Mengyuan had found out exactly how many offers he had, which was clearly beyond the scope of a background check.
And Xu Mengyuan was not in a hurry, just watching as Li Yu gathered his things, until one of his feet had already stepped out of the conference room's door, she then spoke leisurely again.
"Do you really want to go back to that previous kind of life?"
Li Yu hesitated.
"It's been a long time... That feeling of being trapped, though physically alive, able to eat and live normally, and keeping up operations under social rules, appearing no different from the people next to you, but the depths of your soul have gradually died, becoming numb and hollow, like a walking corpse. Don't you want to struggle a bit more?"
"What exactly is your company doing? A new type of pyramid scheme, searching everywhere for people in tough situations, then exploiting their desperate desire to change their lives to squeeze the last penny from their wallets? This is your usual method, isn't it?" Li Yu said, "But this trick won't work on me."
"Take one more gamble," Xu Mengyuan said this time without directly addressing Li Yu's question but spoke earnestly.
"It's not only that we need you; you need us as well. Indeed, walking away now is the safest, but no matter which company you choose to work for afterwards, it's just a repeat of your previous life."
"That's what working is, everyone is the same. What, by selling your labor to you, can one possibly obtain the meaning of life?"
"The meaning of life isn't given by others but must be sought by oneself. Fortunately for you, there's an opportunity right now." Xu Mengyuan murmured softly, "If you swallow the Red Pill, you will stay in Miracle Realm, and I will show you just how deep the Rabbit Hole goes."
"The Matrix, Morpheus." Li Yu raised his eyebrows.
"I absolutely love that film. So, are you ready to explore the Rabbit Hole, Mr. Li Yu?" Xu Mengyuan said meaningfully.