"Hello," the twin-tailed girl greeted politely before introducing herself. "I'm Ellie."

I nearly tumbled off the sofa. "You… what was your name again?"

"Ellie. The 'Ai' is from *mugwort*," she said calmly, "not… ahem, not the 'Ai' in *love*."

You were totally about to say "hit" something, right? Exactly! I silently wiped a bead of cold sweat from my temple. Never thought this cute girl was such a seasoned veteran…

Truly… kinda thrilling.

For the first time with others present, Qin Ning spoke up: "I told you to check their profiles earlier. You skipped it and lost your cool over just a name."

I lowered my head without arguing. Not my fault—her name matched a certain famous figure’s *and* she had the same golden twin tails…

"You don’t happen to have a… well-connected dad too?" I blurted out.

"Ah, joking about family or loved ones is off-limits," she smiled kindly. "That’s a principle."

"Ah—sorry."

Qin Ning watched silently as the interviewer got completely outmaneuvered by the interviewee and gave a light cough. I snapped back to focus, shifting into professional mode:

"Miss Ellie, are you applying for full-time or part-time?"

"Full-time." She sat up straight.

"Flexible schedule?"

"Mm, I've graduated."

"I see…"

The interview went smoothly. Ellie met every requirement from the ad—and was undeniably a lovely girl. I noted her name. "Head home for now. I'll notify you before opening day."

"Okay~"

Hearing that, she beamed, clearly feeling confident, and skipped off. Qin Ning shot me a glance, voice icy:

"Oh? No vague wording this time? Such an obvious pass hint… already decided internally, huh?"

Why did I catch a faint trace of jealousy? Must be my imagination.

"There's reason," I explained. "She fits all criteria. Plus, she's job-hunting now—probably anxious even if she hid it. Without reassurance, she might take another offer."

Qin Ning huffed. "You always have a reason."

…Well, it *is* true. I quietly wiped sweat.

Truly, the ancients weren't wrong: serving someone in power is like walking on eggshells.

The rest of the afternoon brought few standouts—just a couple decent part-timers. I murmured, "Sister Qin Ning, why only five full-timers but so many part-timers? Even if summer's busier, double the staff seems excessive. Or… wait, even during term time, five people wouldn't cover it, right?"

Part-timers act as "firefighters" for holiday rushes—but I'd never seen them outnumber full-timers two-to-one.

"We'll scout more slowly," Qin Ning waved dismissively. "Full-timers need careful picks. Getting five in days is already tight. We'll assess others over summer."

"Got it."

I swallowed the words "*You're so demanding*" silently.

Dusk settled. Qin Ning checked her tablet and stood. "Interviews are done."

"Oh…" I replied dazedly.

First time interviewing—overthinking drained my petite frame.

"What're you still sitting for?" Her cool voice cut in. "Waiting for me to treat you to dinner?"

"N-no, right away!"

I scrambled up, thinking: Boss Qin's so fickle. All sweet at noon, now shooing me off by evening.

"Wait!"

I froze mid-step, nearly stumbling.

Qin Ning pulled something from the cabinet and tossed it to me. "Take it."

Heavy. I blinked. Holy crap—this year's latest Apple phone?!

"W-why give *me* this?" It felt scalding in my palms.

A near-five-figure device in the hands of someone with fifty bucks to their name? Yeah, *burning*.

"Didn't you lose your phone?" she said matter-of-factly. "Expecting carrier pigeons to reach you?"

Fair point… but a $299 plan phone would've sufficed.

Reading my mind, she added coolly, "Sorry. My cabinet stocks no cheap items."

"…Alright." I tucked the iPhone X into my pocket. "Thanks, Sister Qin Ning."

"No SIM inside. Replace yours, then text me," she instructed. "My number's in contacts."

"Got it."