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“How many candidates applied?” Amanda asked.
“CEO Ning, a total of fifty candidates but only ten could pass stage one. Two of them are graduates of law schools abroad, “The other interviewer answered and pointed at one resume, he added. “This one caught my eye.”
Amanda took the form from him and read it. She responded, “Impressive.”
The interview started, and candidates started coming one by one and began answering the question, showing great confidence. Only after six candidates, did the interviewer look exhausted.
“Next!”
The door to the interview room opened, and a slim and tall girl entered the room. She was wearing a satin full-sleeve blouse and a pencil skirt. Her heel clicked on the ground and Amanda raised her brow at the new face. A pretty face in a law firm. Interesting. She had found her impressive already but she had to see for herself if the girl could pass the interview round.
“Please, take a seat, “The other interviewer said.
Lu Zhaolin was reading a sheet of paper when he heard a familiar voice and immediately raised his head.
“Hello, I’m An Xiulan, “The girl introduced herself. “This is my resume.”
“Why does your name sound familiar, Miss An?” Amanda asked. She had not seen the girl’s name, just her qualifications.
An Xiulan smiled politely at her. “Maybe, you heard of a celebrity having the same name as me.”
Amanda nodded. People with the surname An weren’t less in the city. And Xiulan was a very common name. She reacted, “Maybe. Moving to your resume, it showed you worked in a law firm for three years. You have an additional masters in criminal studies but the majority of the cases you dealt with were not criminal cases.”
An Xiulan answered, “It’s very difficult to describe the nature of the cases. If you see these from another point of view, you will see that these cases could easily fall into the criminal category. In the first divorce case, my client was a victim of domestic abuse. Initially, it was a divorce case but then mysteries began unfolding and the case turned into much more than this. Those cases were just like music that doesn’t fit into one particular genre. “
“Why are you choosing criminal law when you have a good portfolio for family law?” Another interviewer asked. “We have positions open for civil law too.”
“I fit better in criminal law than family law, “An Xiulan replied without any hesitation.
“Your resume states that you were offered a higher position in your previous law firm than the one you are interviewing for. Why are you choosing a smaller position than the one you are capable of?” This question was asked by Lu Zhaolin. Any sane person wouldn’t leave such a high-paying job just for a smaller one. He just wanted to know what was going on in her head.
“I practised law in Boston for three years and according to that standard, I was very deserving of that position, ” answered An Xiulan. “But I just passed the Chinese bar exam a few weeks ago. I think this position is good for me to start here. I have so much to learn here.”
She was an excellent lawyer in Boston but she had to start from scratch here because she had no experience of Chinese courts and law. She needed all kinds of experience to jump up the ranks.
“Miss An, I have an offer for you, “Amanda suddenly said. “If you agree to join our family law department, we are ready to offer you the same position you were offered at your previous firm.”
The interview panel fell silent. Amanda Ning was too brave to offer a direct position to An Xiulan. Lu Zhaolin’s eyes were on An Xiulan. She didn’t squirm. Her years-long pageant training came in handy at this time.
It was a great offer for anyone but for An Xiulan it wasn’t what she wanted. If she was doing the job for money, maybe she had taken it. She didn’t mind starting from scratch for what she wanted to achieve.
An Xiulan let out a very graceful smile. “Thank you, Miss Ning. But I will have to decline the offer.”
“This is a good offer, Miss An. I think you should take it, “Another interviewer replied. Even he agreed with Amanda Ning.
“Once again, Thank you but I will decline, “An Xiulan said.
“Then, please wait for the result outside, ” Another said in reply.
An Xiulan stood up and gave them a small bow before leaving the interview room. The interview continued while she was sitting on the couch outside in the reception area. She had never come here with her father. Hell, she never thought she would be a lawyer one day but here she was.
“Hi, ” An intern approached her and said. “You look familiar.”
“Oh, I do?” An Xiulan smiled at her.
The intern nodded her head. “All the best for the interview.”
“Thank you, “An Xiulan said. “By the way, can you get me a glass of warm water?”
“Sure. I will bring it for you, “The intern said. She really felt like she had seen the pretty girl somewhere but she couldn’t understand where.
An Xiulan smiled to herself. She had been staying in Boston for so long she forgot that once upon a time she was considered a celebrity in China. Her office weibo account still existed and once in a while, she would post on it about her life and fashion. Fashion was something she adored with her heart and maybe it was the reason why she still had fans following her.
She was wrong when she thought that people might have forgotten about her. In her time, she was one of the most famous Miss China. It felt nice that people still remembered her.
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A/N: Xiulan has become a lot more humble, hasn’t she? Did you see any character development? If you did, tell me what do you like about her the most.