Waking up early Friday morning, Lin Yuhui went downstairs and bought four steamed buns for breakfast. Though the area was remote, small businesses still operated here to make ends meet. He ate the buns while opening his computer to listen to the news—never wasting a moment. Even as an ordinary citizen, he kept abreast of domestic and international events, especially during this period when he paid close attention to pandemic-related updates.
Only after finishing his breakfast while listening to the news did he realize he'd bought too many buns—two would have sufficed for breakfast. He was no longer young; his metabolism had slowed considerably, and breakfast no longer required a full meal's worth of food.
Before heading out, he took nattokinase to reduce blood viscosity and alleviate cardiac insufficiency, hydroxychloroquine sulfate for COVID-19 prevention, azithromycin for upper respiratory infections, and intestinal probiotics to counter antibiotic-induced diarrhea. As long as he was alive, his body required maintenance to keep running smoothly—and he had to figure out how to maintain it himself.
As he stepped out, a light drizzle was falling, the air heavy with humidity. Fortunately, the temperature wasn't too high. Lin Yuhui felt his body's strain on his heart—it was manageable, aside from feeling a bit stuffed from eating.
With the delight of morning rain and anticipation for a new chapter in life, Lin Yuhui walked along the rain-dampened road.
Yet when time and distance seemed sufficient, the factory gate he’d seen yesterday remained unseen. Realizing he’d taken a wrong turn, he had to retrace his steps—but where had he gone astray?
He looked around, trying to pinpoint his location. This was an industrial development zone, where roads should intersect in straight lines. Scanning his surroundings, he realized he was on a road behind the factory buildings he'd seen yesterday. Facing that structure, the factory gate should be to his right front. It dawned on him: he'd turned left immediately after leaving the gate. He should have turned left at the main road intersection outside.
On his way back, HR Safir had already sent a WeChat message asking where he was. Lin Yuhui could only answer truthfully and assure him he'd arrive shortly. Thankfully, the boss hadn't arrived yet—otherwise, what would he do about that first impression? Haha.
By the time he reached the factory gate again, the temperature had risen. The air was stiflingly humid. Lin Yuhui had initially considered wearing his N95 mask, unsure if others might mind, but soon pulled it down. The dampness had made it completely non-breathable.
After waiting briefly at the gate, Safir came to meet him. Though it wasn't raining, she held a large black umbrella—perhaps for sun protection.
While Safir signed the visitor log, Lin Yuhui took the umbrella. He held it for her on the way back; he couldn't very well let a lady hold it for him. Yet she seemed unusually distant, saying nothing as she stared down at her phone’s WeChat the entire way. At least the umbrella was large enough that Lin Yuhui, walking slightly behind her, couldn’t peek at her private chats.
The new office featured two rows of desks facing each other, with twelve seats in total, though not all were occupied. Lin Yuhui was led to his seat. As he passed by a colleague, he didn't look directly but knew from the corner of his eye that she was a stunning beauty. To his left front sat Laila, a somewhat inexperienced-looking young woman in the market procurement role. To his right front was Stephanie, a middle-aged lady who seemed quiet and cool—she belonged to the project department.
To his left sat Dylan, a man with a sturdy build but an unattractive face. He handled procurement and was the supervisor of the woman across from him. To his right was indeed a beauty—Seris, with fair skin, a round face, and large eyes. She wore makeup and also belonged to the project department, reporting to the woman across from her.
Lin Yuhui merely nodded to her, refraining from the customary handshake like the others. She wore false eyelashes, her long straight hair pulled back, with lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, and manicured nails—her appearance meticulously polished.
Seated behind them at another row of desks were two colleagues responsible for quality control: Jin Yan and Mu Shangzhi. Neither had adopted English names, preferring to stick with their Chinese ones.
When Lin Yuhui was brought to Safir and given meal tickets and a temporary ID badge, she suddenly thought to ask,
“Could you write down the new colleagues' names with their roles on a piece of paper? I'm not great at remembering people and names.”
“Sure,” she replied, tearing off a page from her notebook. She wrote down the seat numbers and names of the colleagues next to her, adding her own name and that of the boss's wife, Gina.
After finishing everything, when Lin Yuhui returned to his desk with the employment contract needing his signature, a voice suddenly came from behind him,
“Lin Yuhui, Lin Engineer, you're already here?”
Lin Yuhui stood up and turned to see a woman smiling, who continued,
“Did you have a smooth commute? I'm Gina.” She seemed very talkative—no doubt the boss's wife.
“Hello, hello, it's me,” he said, hastily extending his hand to shake hers.
“Oh, do you have an English name?”
“Not yet.”
“Think of one. The boss is foreign, and an English name would be easier for him to remember.”
“Alright, then call me David.”
“Christian hasn't arrived yet, but he'll be here soon. Take a seat and relax. I'm right next door—come find me if you need anything.”
“Sure, sure,” Lin Yuhui replied, escorting her out.
Before he could write much on the safety education form, he heard someone call his name again.
“Lin, you're here already.”
“Yes, nice to meet you,” Lin Yuhui replied. It was the boss, Christian—a middle-aged Western man, slightly thin, with short hair and a sharp face that looked quite energetic.
“Yes, pleasure to meet you. Finally, we meet. Come to my office to sit down and talk.”
After a brief, formal conversation with the boss in his office, Lin Yuhui returned to his own office just as lunchtime arrived.
“Who can show me to the cafeteria? I don't know my way around yet,” Lin Yuhui asked his new colleagues.
“You take him,” Safir whispered to Stephanie. “I'm getting married soon.”
Lin Yuhui said nothing, thinking to himself: I'm just a down-on-his-luck old man. Anyone can see I'm not worthy of such a beautiful young lady. Is it really necessary to be so...
“Follow me,” Stephanie said, rising to lead the way before Lin Yuhui could dwell on his thoughts.
“Alright, thanks.”
Most of the afternoon, Christian focused on introducing the company and its various series of graphite heat exchanger products to Lin Yuhui. By the time they returned to their office, it was nearly quitting time.
“David, how did you land this job?” Dylan, sitting beside him, seemed quite talkative. Before Lin Yuhui had even settled into his seat, Dylan eagerly fired off the question.
“Oh, I submitted my resume online.” As he turned to respond, Lin Yuhui noticed the girl across from them looking over too.
“Great, joining so quickly. Welcome aboard.”
What did he mean by “so fast”? Lin Yuhui was puzzled, but it wasn't appropriate to pry further.
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and then Add to home screen.