The sky was a heavy, dark gray. The moon was dim, and only a few stars were visible. A cool breeze blew in the night.
Zara Cole lay in bed, tossing and turning. In her half-asleep state, she heard a pained groan.
Her heart tightened, and she quickly jumped out of bed, rushing to the bedroom next door.
Her mother was staying in the adjacent room.
She saw her mother's eyebrows tightly knit together, and her hollow eyes were filled with pain, helplessness, and sorrow. Zara clutched her chest, holding back tears as she rushed to her mother. "Mom, I'm sorry, I'm useless!"
Her mother forced a weak smile and said feebly, "Don't be afraid, my darling. As long as we have life, we're not afraid of getting sick! I'll get better!"
"Mom!" She hugged her mother tightly, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed by an invisible ghost, making it hard to breathe. "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely find a job and earn money to cure your illness!"
"You're a good child, Mom believes in you!" Her mother gently patted her back, and the tightly knit brows slowly relaxed. Her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly fell asleep on Zara's shoulder.
The phone rang. Zara took out her mobile phone and saw that it was her senior, Sophia. She carefully helped her mother lie flat on the bed, pulled up the thin quilt, and answered the phone.
"Hi, Zara, I need a favor!"
"Sophia, you sound exhausted!"
"I have a cold and a fever... I have an interview at 10 a.m. tomorrow. You know, the position of senior programmer at the Voes family's Salmart software company is perfect for me, but unfortunately, I can't make it!"
"What do you need me to do?"
"My dear, for someone with no work experience like you, seizing an opportunity is more important than anything else!"
"You want me to pretend to be you? And a senior programmer?" Zara looked incredulous.
"Think about your mom, think about your future, think about how many people are eagerly eyeing that position!"
Zara looked at her mother beside her. Her mother's withered body seemed to be telling a story of life's fragility and the hardships it had endured. Her mother was being tormented by illness, but for ordinary people, once a person gets sick, the daily medical and nursing costs can make anyone's scalp tingle.
"Sophia, you're my angel. Wish me luck!"
"Alright, let's get you ready? You'd better come to my place. I think my measurements are similar to yours, which will save you a lot of money, if you don't mind!"
"I'll be right there!"
The next morning at 10 a.m., Zara arrived at the interview location on time.
Even though it was a professional suit borrowed from Sophia, it fit Zara perfectly.
When it was "Sophia's" turn, Zara walked confidently into the interview room.
A female interviewer stared at the online resume on her computer for a moment, then looked up and smiled, "Please introduce yourself!"
"My name is..."
"Wait a minute!" The interviewer looked at the photo on the online resume again, then at the person in front of her, and said with a look of confusion, "Are you sure you are Sophia herself?"
"Oh no," Zara's mind buzzed. She lowered her head and eyes, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes. In a low voice, she said, "Sophia is my senior... She has a cold and a fever and can't come for the interview... I didn't want to miss this opportunity..."
The interviewer's face fell, and she said solemnly, "You're impersonating someone else. This shows a lack of honesty, and the company can absolutely not accept dishonest employees!"
Zara's face flushed. She thought, I've already come this far. She suddenly looked up, met the interviewer's gaze, and said seriously, "I'm sorry, dear interviewer, I voluntarily confessed my motive just now, which is enough to prove my honesty! Since I'm already here, I earnestly ask you to give me a chance, to give us both a chance!"
"No, please don't waste my time!"
"Years from now, if an interviewer discovers that a female programmer she personally hired has achieved great success, she will definitely be grateful for her leniency back then! And this female programmer will also be grateful to this interviewer! After all, not all interviewers have such an open mind!"
The interviewer's mouth twitched slightly. She looked at the time and said, "You have only 10 minutes!"
Zara smiled, "My name is Zara Cole, and I just graduated from the computer science department at the University of Chicago..."
"I'm sorry, we only hire senior programmers, and you have no work experience! I think we should not waste each other's time!" The interviewer stood up, and the 'tap-tap' of her high heels on the hardwood floor grew fainter as she walked away.
Feeling dejected after the failed interview, Zara walked aimlessly down the street. Without realizing it, she found herself in front of a luxurious bar. Suddenly feeling the urge to let loose, she tossed her head and stepped inside.
The bar was not crowded and was unusually quiet.
Zara found a seat by the window. While waiting for her food, her eyes drifted outside. She was in the most prosperous part of S City, which was known for its intoxicating, magnificent scenery and multicultural charm, and also for leading world trends with cutting-edge technology and fashionable art.
Fashionably dressed women and elegant gentlemen walked down the street, many of them smiling as they entered the bar. Soon, the bar became extraordinarily noisy.
With the wild dancing and powerful music under the flickering lights, Zara felt a growing sense of loneliness. She looked around, relieved that she didn't know anyone. She hurriedly got up, lowered her head, and fled, but accidentally bumped into a man.
Startled, she looked up and saw a man with a beautiful, finely chiseled face. Out of politeness, she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
The young man's name was Evander Becker. Beside him was a beautiful, arrogant young woman named Lise Cole.
"How unlucky. There are still grown women in the world who haven't learned how to walk!" Lise said sarcastically.
Zara didn't have time to deal with the sudden mockery. Her only thought was to leave as soon as possible, so she didn't respond. She calmly and composedly walked away.
"How ill-mannered! Don't you know that sometimes silence is the greatest insult to a person? Judging by your professional attire, you must be working for a company. That company is really unlucky to have an employee like you!" Lise crossed her arms over her chest, turned around, and shouted at Zara's retreating back.
Zara's footsteps paused. She turned to face Lise and said seriously, "My dear Miss, aren't you afraid that I might be working for a Fortune 500 company? What would my boss think if he found out about this? Are you insulting his employee, or are you insulting the boss for not knowing how to hire people?"
Evander was stunned. He turned to look at Zara, and his eyes lit up. This woman looked familiar. Where had he seen her before? His mind raced, but he shook his head in disappointment!
Lise was speechless.
Zara continued, "I think it's necessary for me to clarify that my silence was not meant to insult you; it was actually to protect you! You wouldn't want everyone to gather around, excitedly watching 'a beautiful woman from high society getting into a quarrel with an ordinary woman,' would you? Who would suffer the greater loss from that? I'm sure you know very well." Zara took a step forward, bringing her head close to Lise's face. "Please learn to be respectful, or don't blame me for being rude!"
Suddenly, Zara's phone rang. She walked to the side and answered the call.
Evander and Lise continued walking forward.
"Senior, I was caught, I didn't get the interview... I'm at a bar right now! Of course, it's noisy! I was caught, and I didn't get the interview!" Zara held the phone tightly to her ear and shouted.
Evander heard Zara's shouting, stopped, turned around, and saw that she had already hung up and was walking out. He quickly called out, "Wait!"
Zara stopped and looked back.
"You could have spoken a little louder. Otherwise, the deaf people in the bar won't be able to hear you!" Evander winked at Zara, a playful expression on his handsome face.
Zara's mouth twitched, and she gave an embarrassed 'heh-heh' laugh. She had just pretended to be employed by a Fortune 500 company, only to be exposed now. She wished there was a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Evander caught her embarrassment. Like a gentleman, he took out a pen and paper, scribbled a few words, and handed her a note, smiling as he said, "Here are my contact details. You can contact me when you feel it won't disturb me! I might be able to help you with your job."
Zara chuckled, took the note, and quickly glanced at it. "Thank you, sir. I will make sure to confirm with you in advance whether I'll be disturbing you." With that, she placed the note on a nearby table, turned, and walked out.
Evander's eyes widened, and he raised his eyebrows, smiling slightly as he watched her retreating figure with great interest.
Lise pouted. "Evander, she didn't even appreciate it! Why are you willing to help a stranger but not me?"
"Let's go. Aren't you hungry?" Evander turned and walked deeper into the bar.