7 NOT QUALIFIED

"So…How is it? How do you find my office?" With a nervous smile plastered on his face, he rubbed his palms together in anticipation of her verdict.

The office chair that originally had been facing the window swiveled and revealed its occupant – a chic lady with balayage hair. Before responding, she blew a balloon out of the strawberry-flavored gum she had been industriously chewing, then popped it out afterward.

Xue Guangxi nearly thought that she's not going to answer him. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Sola, come back to earth."

"...Well, your office is nice." Was her curt answer.

"Nice? What kind of adjective is that? Be more descriptive than that!"

"I don't know. You pulled me out of my daily life just to brag about your nest. It looks cool and all." She chewed on her gum some more, then swiveled Xue Guangxi's boss chair back and forth playfully. She wore her neutral poker face again like a mask.

Xue Guangxi and Kang Sola had been touring the young man's new office the whole morning. He blabbered about this and that and dragged Kang Sola to every nook and cranny. "I just want you to check out my new workplace."

Actually, Xue Guangxi yearned for more than just the bragging rights over his new workplace which he had established using his savings and all that he learned from France. Maybe a little pat in the back and a little, "You did well" would do. But Kang Sola seemed emotionally distant.

"I like it." Standing up, Kang Sola went towards the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Which one? Can you elaborate more?"

"I like the vibe like it's some sort of a playground." She added after constant nudging.

The new office's layout was nothing like the usually stoic, four-cornered solid colored building where office workers in business clothes report to work and accomplish their jobs behind a desk. Xue Guangxi's office – his haven – as he referred to it, was a building with free-flowing booze and food in an in-house restaurant-slash-cafeteria, and lots of expansive space, glass walls, and decorations that would induce creativity in a person. It even had hammocks and colorful bean bags in one corner, two tables for table tennis in another corner, and a projector for a film showing in another, with a matching setup of mats and pillows scattered on the floor.

If anyone would not know any better, it looked more an accommodation place for tourists or a hostel or a rented shared space than an office.

He envisioned the place to be just as how he referred to it – a haven for the 'creatives'. And Kang Sola IS a 'creative' so her opinion matters to him.

She's an influencer and vlogger with a pretty much established subscribers base. She's gained lots of followers since she's touched a variety of topics about life in general and about more specific ones in line with creating new cools stuff such as book-binding, woodworks and crafts, unconventional paintings and sketches, sewing costumes and a lot more, packaged and presented in a diverse form such as, but not limited to, daily vlogs, features, interviews, heart-to-heart talks, sponsored videos, and even mukbang. She had at least three channels and all were doing well.

That aside, he simply wanted the acknowledgment of people important to him. Kang Sola was first on that list.

"I like it, but it looks to me like it's overly decorated. Lavishly, almost. It's a minor concern, perhaps, on your side. I'm just being practical." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I mean, your business is in line with digital marketing, right? You don't need too much of actual infrastructure, to begin with."

"That's just my opinion." She added as she saw his face fall.

"I see." Her honest feedback was like a punch on his face, pride, and ego, but he accepted it like a man simply because he asked for it.

"Is there anything else?" She asked hesitantly when he did not utter more than two words in response to her feedback. "Do you want me to feature your office in one of my vlogs? I'll do it for free." She offered in exchange for her 'harsh' reality-based feedback earlier. Xue Guangxi seemed greatly affected by it and she felt sorry, even though that's the truth in her eyes.

"You'll do that?" The man pulled himself from sulking and met her eyes directly.

"Sure, why not?" She chuckled good-naturedly.

He hooked one arm around her neck, then ruffled her hair. "Thanks!"

"Hey, I'm not your dog! Stop!" She pushed him away. "If there's nothing else, I'll get going. I already wasted too much of my precious time here."

"Your words hurt my feelings. Wasted too much of your time, huh?" He rolled his eyes, but the lady ignored him and went for the door. She knew he's just bluffing and wanted to banter more.

When the door opened, it revealed the expectant faces of Xue Guangxi's employees waiting for her reappearance. The crowd consisted of sixty to seventy percent male species with eager, drooling faces.

Xue Guangxi did not look pleased. He clapped his hands, bursting everyone's bubbles, and calling their attention. "Get back to work, everyone. Our guest is leaving."

Gasps filled the air. Buzzed discussion followed.

One brazen man hesitantly grabbed the opportunity of a lifetime. He approached Kang Sola with a pen and paper. "Miss Kang, I'm a loyal subscriber in your channel for maybe around decade… wait… maybe even more… I didn't expect that I would meet you in person one day. I don't think it will happen again so… Please, can I have your autograph?"

Kang Sola's lips bend upward in a delighted smile. "Sure, why not."

'Sure, why not.' Xue Guangxi repeated in his mind, immensely annoyed. Those were the same words she used earlier. It perplexed him that she's using the same phrase with this man, and perhaps with all of the people she talked to.

'Is she this agreeable to everyone's whim?' He rolled his eyes, remembering her complaint just a few minutes ago of 'wasting too much of her precious time'. She didn't seem to mind accommodating his employees.

After that one brazen man, a beeline automatically formed for her autograph. She indulged them all good-naturedly.