Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Bohemian
After smoking a cigarette outside the Yu Lei Building, Yang Chen saw several applicants coming out one after another, all looking dejected and disheartened, including the sleazy fat guy.
When the fat guy saw Yang Chen, he looked slightly annoyed and said, "Hey, buddy, what's with your brain? How did you manage to answer such difficult questions? I could only understand eighty percent of my English paper, and I couldn't even make sense of the French one!"
"Hehe, luck, just luck," Yang Chen couldn't tell him the truth, that his brain's learning ability was extraordinary due to his peculiar training. Learning foreign languages with his photographic memory was as easy as pie with a dictionary.
The fat guy sighed, "Forget it, forget it. Only your weird brain can get into Yu Lei International. The rest of us all failed. You've got to save some face for us men, you know, the last flicker of hope!"
"What? Are there no men left inside?" Yang Chen asked.
"Who else spends their time studying the specialized French and Spanish vocabulary for thongs?" The fat guy shook his chubby head. "I reckon there might not be more than five women left inside, including you!"
Feeling a bit frustrated, Yang Chen rubbed his head. He didn't actually think the exam paper was that difficult, but after the fat guy's remarks, he felt like he had exposed himself too much. He should have deliberately made a few mistakes; otherwise, his score would stand out, which wasn't his intention.
After sighing for a moment, the fat guy patted Yang Chen on the shoulder. "Alright, I'm going to grab a few drinks with the other guys who didn't make it. Otherwise, we'll all end up with twisted minds!"
With that, he walked towards the parking lot with several other men who wore equally displeased and regretful expressions.
As Yang Chen leisurely walked back to the examination hall feeling a bit down, he indeed found only three young women with beautiful faces left inside. Counting himself, there were only four people remaining!
As Yang Chen walked in, Mo Qian Ni and the other Yu Lei International staff members monitoring the exam all cast strange looks at him, staring as if they were seeing a strange creature.
Mo Qian Ni, having experienced ups and downs, paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "Congratulations, Mr. Yang. You are the only male candidate to make it to the final interview, and you also scored the highest in the language proficiency test, achieving a perfect score."
Hearing Mo Qian Ni address him with "Mr. Yang" this time naturally, Yang Chen realized that he might have accidentally revealed too much of his hand. His proficiency in German and Italian had apparently astonished these women.
Embarrassed, Yang Chen chuckled awkwardly and took his seat, waiting for the final interview.
Since there were only four candidates left, Mo Qian Ni didn't use the microphone this time. Instead, she smiled and said, "The fact that all four of you have passed the challenging language test shows that you all have real talent. For the final interview, we will test your understanding and appreciation of the fashion industry.
As you all know, the style of our clothing designs at Yu Lei International undergoes significant changes every year. Therefore, recognizing our company's clothing can be quite challenging for many new employees.
In a moment, we will have ten models from our company showcase this year's newly designed clothing. Your task is to identify, within five minutes, the clothing that is not designed and produced by Yu Lei International. Note what I said, not our company's clothing! You only have one chance, and the one who makes the correct choice will be offered a two-month trial contract."
Yang Chen frowned slightly. To be honest, he wasn't too concerned about fashion and had limited knowledge of clothing. After all, in the past, the clothes he wore were provided by a dedicated team, and he had never come into contact with other clothing brands.
At the same time, a curtain in the examination room was slowly drawn aside, revealing ten tall and slender young female models who gracefully walked forward, radiating beauty as they stood before the four candidates.
The three female candidates couldn't help but show expressions of astonishment in their eyes. Women have a natural inclination towards beauty, and seeing the ten sets of intricately tailored and stylish women's outfits suddenly appearing before them, each had their own thoughts and began to scrutinize them carefully.
Yang Chen first glanced back and forth at the busts of the ten female models before reluctantly turning his attention to the women's clothes.
The clothing styles of these ten models varied greatly, including leopard-print dresses, lace-trimmed evening gowns, chiffon dresses with a delicate texture, spaghetti-strap pink maxi dresses, and elegantly tailored professional suits. Without exception, none of them showed any visible traces of a brand.
When Yang Chen looked at the last of the ten models, he was momentarily stunned. Then, without hesitation, he wrote down his answer on the paper provided.
In the blink of an eye, five minutes passed. Mo Qian Ni clapped her hands, and an assistant immediately collected the cards from the four candidates and handed them to Mo Qian Ni.
However, with just a quick glance, Mo Qian Ni's expression showed a hint of surprise. Then, with a playful and curious look at Yang Chen, she smiled and said, "The results are in. On behalf of all the members of Yu Lei International, I extend a warm welcome to our new colleague, Mr. Yang Chen."
With that, she led the applause, and the other female employees nearby, upon hearing that the curious man who had intrigued them had succeeded, also happily joined in clapping.
The other three female candidates seemed unable to accept it. Their judgment had unexpectedly been bested by a man who spoke crudely. One of them asked displeasedly, "Examiner, can you tell us the correct answer?"
Mo Qian Ni gestured for everyone present to quiet down, then smiled at the female candidate and looked at Yang Chen. "Mr. Yang, please share your thoughts on the correct answer."
Although he didn't care much about how others viewed him, Yang Chen sighed and reluctantly pointed to the last model, Number 10. "I choose her."
The other three candidates seemed momentarily stunned, then they looked again at the last model. She was wearing a European-style classical long dress with a Bohemian flair. Bohemian-style women's clothing tends to be intricate and difficult to grasp, with various fringes and ornaments requiring careful coordination. Moreover, this style, with its associations with the free-spirited, wandering, and mysterious vibe of ancient gypsies, is not something modern women can easily pull off. Therefore, such long dresses are generally not well-regarded.
However, it was precisely because this dress was so conspicuous that the three female candidates had hastily dismissed Number 10. They couldn't believe that an exam, which had given them such a challenging language test, would have such a huge loophole. After all, this Bohemian-style long dress was too eye-catching! They unanimously believed it was a trap!
Yang Chen paid no attention to the surprise and regret of the three women and calmly explained, "If I'm not mistaken, the Bohemian-style long dress worn by model Number 10 is produced by an ancient artisan workshop in Italy. The waistband and crystal pendant fringes on the skirt are meticulously crafted from genuine crystals. The diamond patterns on the chest are also made of genuine South African diamonds."
"I doubt that Yu Lei International, despite being among the top ten fashion brands domestically, could afford to use so many high-quality natural crystals and diamonds for such a dress," Yang Chen mused.
This time, not only the three female candidates but also the Yu Lei International staff present wore expressions of disbelief. They had initially thought Yang Chen could only discern that the vintage dress was expensive, but they hadn't expected him to know the origin of the dress as well!
However, little did anyone know, Yang Chen was feeling overjoyed inside. The designer of this dress was none other than the old man who had personally tailored clothes for him in the past. After wearing his creations for so many years, how could Yang Chen not recognize his style and luxury? No one in the world knew the designer's techniques and style better than him!
As he looked at the elegant and noble Bohemian-style dress before him, Yang Chen's eyes carried a hint of nostalgia. In his heart, he softly wished, "Ron, you old man who refuses to wear glasses, how are you doing now?"