9:10 AM, Year 2025
"Ye Ming, right? I'm sorry, but it appears that you're not someone our company wishes to hire." A man clad in a fancy suit said. He then proceeded to throw the resume into the garbage can.
Meanwhile, seated opposite of him, was the person named Ye Ming.
Ye Ming had his black hair gel and had the face of an average person. He was 23 years old and he had recently graduated from what was commonly known as hell: College.
Yes, College and not University, because Ye Ming wasn't rich enough to afford a fancy university. He relied on government aid to even attend college to get a Bachelor's Degree.
With the Bachelor's Degree, Ye Ming thought he had finally embarked on a new life, only to be repeatedly disappointed.
Today was already his 25th interview, and what made it infuriating was that these interviewers never actually paid much attention to him or his resume.
Unlike the previous times when Ye Ming simply nodded like a coward and accepted his fate. This time, he decided to fight against it.
"But Mister, you didn't even read my resume. You just brood over it and discard it." Ye Ming suppressed his tone and said in the utmost calm voice as much as possible.
"Are you seriously asking me?" In response, the interviewer merely snorted and laughed. His previous "fake" apologetic tone and expression seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"Let me ask you this. Do you have work experience?"
"No, I've just graduated from college."
"No work experience and you want to be hired? You should have started working even before going to college." The interviewer shrugged.
"I did, and none hired me because I didn't have that dumb piece of paper that says I've graduated. And now that I did, I'm just trying to get the job after getting the very degree that you all say." Ye Ming gnashed his teeth, feeling infuriated by the dog-like system.
Want work?
Sure, do you have a degree?
No experience?
Should have worked!
Graduated with a bachelor's degree?
Then where's the work experience!
How was one supposed to get work if the requirement was a scrap of degree paper?
And even when you do have it, you need the work experience to get the job!
Who the hell designed such a system!
SLAM!
Suddenly, the interviewer slammed his palm on the desk.
"You should have blamed yourself for being born in a lowlife! I don't care if you have a bulk-up of words here in the resume. You don't have the connection, little boy, so it's a hard no. Now get out of my office!" The interviewer yelled and called for the next person.
Frustrated and enraged, Ye Ming sat in place, unsure of what to do anymore.
Meanwhile, the interviewer seemed to not care for Ye Ming and called for the next person.
The instant the next person arrived, they started spouting nonsense.
"Oh, Mister Interviewer. I don't have work experience or any degree. Do you think I can get this job?" The person chuckled.
'No degree and experience? Is he joking?' Ye Ming wondered which fool decided to apply with no qualifications.
However, contrary to his expectations, the interviewer's expression changed 180 degrees.
Not only were they not mad, they even started laughing and smiling widely.
"Ah, you really know how to tease this old man. How could you not get the job, Wu Pao? If not you, who else can get it? You should have told me in advance you were coming to be interviewed." The interviewer exclaimed.
The person addressed as Wu Pao also laughed in amusement.
"Ah, I should tell my father once I get back home to ask your superior to promote you. You really know how to make me satisfied." He said before noticing another person was in the room. "Oh, and who's this?"
"A nobody. He wants to get hired but his qualifications are terrible." The interviewer said fawningly before shifting his expression as he glared at Ye Ming. "Get out already, Ye Ming!"
Having heard their conversation and the interviewer's attitude, Ye Ming finally realized why he failed to be hired.
Connection!
Work experience, College degree?
Both of these two were just a joke for the lower-privileged people to dream of succeeding. No matter how hard you worked for them, without connection, you're worthless.
Realizing it was futile to remain here, Ye Ming stood up, only to catch a glimpse of Wu Pao's facial expression. There was a cold grin hanging on his face, followed by disgusted eyes that gazed down at him.
Just when Ye Ming exited through the door, he heard Wu Pao sitting at the interviewer's chair and said, "Ah, those lowborn really know how to ruin the environment. It's good that they will never get to our level."
The interviewer agreed heartily and closed the door, catering to Wu Pao who was supposed to be an applicant.
Ye Ming, who realized his years of studying all ended up in naught, started to leave the building with a deadpan expression.
As if the world wanted to tease him as well, rain started pouring down heavily despite the weather stating it would be a clear day.
Pitter Patter!
Ye Ming was soaked from the heavy rain, his hair and clothes drenched.
In addition to the heavy rain was a strong wind blowing by, and the price tag that was hidden in the suit started flying upward.
"The rental suit got drenched, but what does it matter?" Ye Ming laughed hysterically, startling the people who were running to get some cover from the rain.
"Look at that crazy person. Just what is he doing standing in the cold rain?"
"Who knows? Probably another one of those lunatics who escaped from the mental hospital!"
As the rain poured more and more, Ye Ming removed his suit and began heading down to the rental store to return it. He would definitely have to pay extra for the damages, but life was meaningless anyway.
…
4:51 AM, Year 2030
In a one-person apartment that was provided by the government, Ye Ming lay in his bed, staring at the empty ceiling.
"Right, another pointless day." Ye Ming murmured, got up from the bed, and opened his laptop.
Ever since five years ago, he had given up on trying to climb up the social ladder and began writing novels online to earn income.
What was the plot?
The ones that sell like hotcakes and get dropped in a heartbeat.
Harem, Smut, System, Action, Adventure, R18… every cliche genre that you could name, he would write them.
After every 200 chapters or so, once the readers got enough of the plot, Ye Ming would drop them and start another one.
Despite being infamously known online by now for his antics, readers still foolishly pay to read his garbage novel.
"Hehe, another $4,000 earned for the month from these 4 novels. It's time to drop and create new ones." Ye Ming snickered and wondered which plot he should recycle and publish as a new, unique storyline.
"This is way better than working for some big company and getting judged on." He lamented and closed the laptop. His sleep schedule was ruined and he lost all interest and motivation in life.
Since he earned $4,000 for the month, Ye Ming decided to rest. Either way, the rent only cost him $1,000 thanks to being in a government building.
As he went back to bed and covered himself with a blanket, he clenched his fist.
'Screw this world. Screw those in the top. If I get transmigrated as someone higher-up, then I'll do the same.' Ye Ming vowed silently.
He then closed his eyes… hoping for that glimpse of a miracle.
A few minutes later, he opened them and got up.
"Woo, I transmigrated!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs, only to be disappointed that he was faced with the same old furniture. As if that wasn't enough, he checked on his phone and realized it was still the same date and time, 4:58 AM.
"Ugh, this damn bullcrap world." His head dropped from disappointment. His eyes also began to hurt from not getting enough sleep.
As his eyes wandered around, he paused at the counter table with a pill container labeled sleeping pills.
Due to his depression and near suicidal thoughts to follow the cliche transmigration plot, he had been consuming them to get some sleep. It was to the point where he developed an immunity against them.
He walked toward the table, grabbed the pill container, and counted how many pills were left.
"10 left, but I guess consuming 5 is safe." He mumbled, putting his immunity into the calculation as he chugged 5 pills and swallowed them with some bottled water. Once that was done, Ye Ming hopped back to his comfortable bed and proceeded to sleep.
With his mind relaxed, Ye Ming only felt comfort when he was sleeping, devoid of any nonsense, pressure, and unfairness.
An unknown amount of time passed while Ye Ming slept comfortably.
"Young Master, when will you wake up?"
Amidst his drowsy state, Ye Ming heard someone calling him and was amused. 'Young Master? Damn, did I finally get to dream about what I wanted to do?'
"This can't be it, right? This should be the time when the Young Master returns. Did something go wrong?"
As the same sweet voice echoed, Ye Ming felt even more at peace.
"Hmm, I need to check on Young Master's pulse. Please forgive this maid for being disrespectful."
'Eh, maid? Oho, I sure know how to dream. As expected of me being a trash author who gave my readers the rock-hard syndrome when reading!' Satisfied by the dream, Ye Ming grinned from side to side.
If it followed the usual cliche novel troupe, then by now, he should be undressed where the maid gives him a lovely pleasuring scene.
Yes, it was the so-called wet dream that many wished to happen but never got. And even on the off chance they get, the climate scene would always slip away, leaving them frustrated.
'I will not let this one-in-a-million chance slip away.' Ye Ming's heart burned in a fiery moment upon feeling the soft and slender hand touching his forehead.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the slender hand and caressed it.
"Oh yes, this is the softness. I need this hand to do more naughty things." He grinned silliness, wanting this sensation to never end.
However, the more he caressed it, the more he felt the sensation was real.
"You finally awakened, Young Master!"
While their hand was being caressed, there was no resistance, but Ye Ming felt his hair being dropped by some rain— no tears?
This sensation was almost identical to the time when he left the company building and got poured in heavy rain. The emotion mixed with a pang of anger and frustration quickly overwhelmed him.
Even though five years had passed by, Ye Ming still despised that scene, so he opened his eyes, and forcefully got up, opting to cancel out the wet dream. He was afraid the wet dream would instantly turn into his most down moment.
He panted heavily, sweat dripping down from his forehead, and his breathing became difficult due to the intense emotion.
"Never again…" He mumbled. As his eyes finally gained some clarity, he realized he was no longer in that one-person apartment.
What made it more astonishing was that the hand he was caressing all the time was really a maid— a jade beauty kind of maid who was shedding tears of joy when looking at him.
"Did I win the lottery?" Ye Ming chuckled in a disbelief tone.