Section 5: With Great Background

Jin Xin led the way arrogantly towards the Giant Building. Arriving at the entrance, he deliberately checked the time. The two security guards didn't dare to question the three of them.

Once inside, Jin Xin said, "These guards are just for show, meant to ward off anyone who seems lowly or insignificant. If you act timid or overly polite, they will cause trouble for you. It's the so-called 'a dog's eye view of people.' We, acting like high-profile individuals, even as strangers, they won't dare to cause trouble. They fear we might complain, hindering their performance."

Hai Mingzhu looked at Jin Xin with a certain amount of admiration, "President Jin, you're really insightful."

"Follow me and you won't fear about not gaining insights," Jin Xin proudly declared.

Hai Mingzhu questioned, "Isn't it just one day? How comes there's a future ahead?"

Acting like he was preparing for a public offering, Jin Xin said, "If we take this order, the company will be short of hands. If you're interested in joining our promising company, just reach out to me."

Hai Mingzhu hesitated, "I've heard that if a man is ugly, convincing people would describe him as charismatic. And, well, for a company that still lacks power..."

"It's called having potential, right?"

Jin Xin caught on to Hai Mingzhu's insinuations. He realized that, despite looking like a college student, Hai Mingzhu wasn't as naive as some other young women he'd met.

They had barely stepped into the building when Hai Mingzhu stopped.

The ground floor lobby of the building was bright and clean, the floor tiles gleaming in a way that instilled a feeling of awe.

Shen Yue looked at the ceiling overhead and muttered to himself, "The central air conditioning is certainly cranked up."

With the coming of Qixi, the heat in Deep City remained relentless, even spicy hot. However, stepping into the Giant Building, one felt as if autumn had arrived.

"Ahead...." Hai Mingzhu couldn't help but point out.

Not far within the lobby was a barrier similar to the dividers in subway stations, blocking the way to the elevators. Before you could take the elevator up, you had to pass through a few electronic gates, which obviously required an employee access card.

Jin Xin smiled and took out three employee cards from his briefcase, placing one on himself. Shen Yue accepted his badge without a trace of emotion.

Hai Mingzhu received her badge with surprise, "Is our company a subsidiary of Giant Industries?"

She was not foolish. It did not seem that Jin Xin could be part of Giant Industries — who from their own company would scout for bids from their own company while employing a secretary on the fly?

"Can this really work?" Hai Mingzhu felt unsure about the whole matter.

Jin Xin and Shen Yue, however, entered smoothly as if returning to their own home. Hai Mingzhu tried swiping her card and, upon hearing the "beep," was granted unobstructed passage.

Astonished and trailing behind Shen Yue and Jin Xin, Hai Mingzhu nervously asked, "President Jin, Advisor Shen, are you two robbers? I've seen bank robbers do this kind of thing in TV dramas."

"Oh, look at this girl, acting like she doesn't get out much."

Jin Xin shook his head, "We are a security company! This little thing is nothing. By the way, you as a secretary must remember our company's name, 'Gold Soup Security!'"

"Isn't Gold Soup Pots and Bottoms Of The Sea both restaurants? When did they start doing security?" Hai Mingzhu asked, puzzled.

Jin Xin could only sigh. He felt that if it weren't for the sudden turn of events and the urgent need for manpower, he would've already fired this secretary who only knows how to eat.

Jin Xin could only sigh, feeling that if not for the urgency of the situation, he would have fired this food-obsessed secretary.

The trio headed towards the elevators and after a ride, they stepped in front of another elevator. Hai Mingzhu couldn't help but exclaim, "This building is really tall. I have never been to a building where you have to change elevators."

She turned to Shen Yue and tried to strike up a conversation, "Advisor Shen, have you been in an elevator like this many times?"

Although the three of them were together, Shen Yue had maintained such a low presence that it was almost as if he were invisible. Hai Mingzhu was clearly starting to adapt to her role as secretary and was trying to get closer to the advisor.

"The places he goes usually have broken elevators." After Jin Xin answered for Shen Yue, he pressed the elevator's up button.

A "ding" sound signaled the arrival of the elevator. A charming elevator attendant made a welcoming gesture, then politely asked after the three of them entered, "Which floor, please?"

"66," replied Jin Xin without hesitation.

The elevator attendant casually brushed her hair off her face, subtly touching the earpiece in her ear. After a moment, she smiled charmingly and said, "I'm sorry, but there are currently no scheduled arrivals for the 66th floor."

Shen Yue knew that the Giant Building had 88 floors, and that from the 60th floor and up was reserved for the senior management of Giant Industries. To go to a specific floor—like the 66th or 88th—you would need to be confirmed by the elevator attendant.

Jin Xin liked to brag, but Shen Yue knew that, in this case, Jin Xin wasn't completely full of it. There were indeed traces of Feng Shui alloyed throughout the Giant Building—like the fact that the offices of important managers were on floors with lucky numbers, the positioning of objects in corridors, and that the light for the 13th floor in the elevator was never on.

He recalled the information Jin Xin had given him—Goring, the most famous Feng Shui master from The Sun Never Sets Island.

When Giant Li was building the tower years ago, he had paid a hefty sum to invite Goring to design the Giant Building and oversee the arrangement of the building's Feng Shui layout.

Ever since entering this building, while most people may only feel slightly cold, Shen Yue had been continuously sensing an invisible pressure emanating from the building as a whole.

"Not there? Old Wang does have a poor memory."

Noticing the attendant's skepticism, Jin Xin didn't appear to be embarrassed at all. Instead, he looked doubtfully at the elevator attendant, "You're new here, right? You know Old Wang, don't you?"

The elevator attendant maintained her smile, "Sir, I've been here for ten years."

The implication was: there's no chance you're going to fool me.

Not batting an eye, Jin Xin continued, "Ten years and you still don't know Old Wang's character? I grew up sharing trousers with that guy. He likes two things—drinking is one of them. He got drunk with me last night and asked me to come over this morning."

The elevator attendant retained her professional smile, "But I received no instructions. I'm sorry, sir, without instructions, I won't escort you to any floor."

She had doubts about Jin Xin's words. She didn't think Jin Xin, who didn't look a day over thirty, could have grown up with Old Wang, who was well past fifty. It seemed hardly plausible that they would have even worn the same size pants.

But due to her professional training, she would never badmouth a visitor. Also, she had no interest in taking the blame for bringing the wrong visitor.

"Don't apologize, this isn't about you. Old Wang knew he might forget after drinking. He asked me to come today and gave me an access card."

Jin Xin took out a black card with a mysterious half-concealed design on it that was difficult to discern. The card's aura combined with its unusual external appearance conveyed that it was both rare and that the holder was someone unique.

Though the elevator attendant was polite, she wasn't easily fooled. From Jin Xin's chatter, she was initially convinced he was more like a sly sales conman trying to sneak in. But when she saw the black card, her eyes finally showed a hint of surprise.

She recognized the card. There couldn't be more than ten people in Giant Industries authorized to hold such an access card.

"Let's see if this card works." Jin Xin held the card up to the sensor as he spoke.

After a "beep," an indicator light on the sensor turned green. Jin Xin immediately hit the button for the "66th" floor before saying casually, "Looks like it works!"