Chapter 3: The Interrupted Interview: A Gendered Dilemma

An interview?!

Upon seeing the message, Zhou Ruoyu’s mind abruptly went blank. Moments later, the young woman finally realized: ‘Oh… right! I have an interview today!’

Moreover, it was the second round for a major local company, a position she had prepared for diligently, having only just managed to pass the first round.

Hiss—

This was dreadful!

Still reeling from her breakup, Zhou Ruoyu had completely forgotten about today’s interview. Now, so flustered her phone trembled in her hand, she gasped sharply as she read that the boss had already been waiting for several minutes. A single thought echoed in her mind.

What should I do, what should I do, what should I do?!

Innumerable excuses flashed through the black-haired young woman’s mind. Perhaps she had woken up late? Got stuck in traffic? Been run over by a truck?

Oh dear, oh dear, none of those seemed like good reasons. This was a proper, formal interview, and an online one at that. Excuses about uncontrollable circumstances wouldn’t hold up, and saying she overslept would only make her seem unprofessional.

After much deliberation, Zhou Ruoyu forced a helpless, bitter smile. She slowly lowered her phone, forced to concede to a grim reality: her interview was, in all likelihood…

Doomed!

And what she *really* needed to explain to the boss was how she had suddenly transformed into a girl!

After all, the gender and photo on her resume no longer matched her current appearance at all!

At this thought, a twitch played at the corner of Zhou Ruoyu’s lips. The petite, black-haired girl slumped dejectedly into the chair before her computer desk, letting out an involuntary sigh.

Yet, what else could she do? The only reason she’d been job hunting recently was to avoid that university, to completely cut ties with Gu Xue. The position she was interviewing for now was quite good, with excellent conditions in every aspect. It would be a terrible waste to miss it.

After weighing her options, Zhou Ruoyu ultimately steeled her resolve. She opened her computer, preparing for the interview. At worst, she wouldn’t pass, but it was better to try than to give up outright!

Well… there was no time to ponder her transformation for now. Zhou Ruoyu shook her head, deciding to get through this hurdle first. She then pulled on a black hoodie, tucked her hair away, and donned the hood, attempting to appear as gender-neutral as possible. Gritting her teeth, the petite, black-haired girl clicked into the online meeting.

****

“I… I’m so sorry. My internet had some issues, and I was late.”

As soon as she entered the meeting, Zhou Ruoyu stammered awkwardly into the camera. The female HR on the screen froze for a moment, then tilted her head and asked:

“Is that… Mr. Zhou Ruoyu?”

“Uh… yes, yes it is…”

The petite, black-haired girl looked up, blinking her innocent, wide eyes, and spoke in a nervous, slightly shy loli-like voice.

****

Both parties in the online meeting were plunged into a peculiar, hard-to-describe awkwardness. A moment later, Zhou Ruoyu’s phone lit up. The petite, black-haired girl picked it up, only to see the female HR, who was supposedly on the other side of the screen, had sent her a message.

[Female HR: Mr. Zhou Ruoyu, have you entered the online meeting? I trust your information hasn’t been leaked, has it? I feel like the person who just joined, and the voice corresponding to the gender on your resume… don’t quite match…]

After reading the message, Zhou Ruoyu gasped sharply and finally understood. Frantically, she clapped a hand over her mouth, then hastily lowered her voice, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

“Ahem, ahem… It’s, it’s me. My throat is a little uncomfortable.”

“Ah, alright… alright.” The female HR, seeing that Zhou Ruoyu had read the message, continued with the process, half-believing, half-doubting.

“Allow me to introduce myself. First, congratulations on passing the first round of interviews for our Longyu Company. Today’s second round will be conducted by myself and our company’s boss. The position you’re interviewing for today is Boss’s Assistant. Could you please begin with a self-introduction?”

“Yes, alright. Hello, both interviewers. My name is Zhou Ruoyu…”

Zhou Ruoyu took a deep breath and fluently began reciting the self-introduction she had rehearsed countless times. However, before she could even finish her name, a man’s voice suddenly cut in from the other end of the online meeting.

“Wait, don’t speak yet.”

Zhou Ruoyu was abruptly cut off. She stared blankly at the screen, and the female HR opposite her was visibly startled, turning her head to look in the direction beside her.

Strangely, only the female HR’s face was visible on their camera, while the boss she spoke of seemed to be sitting off-screen, though he could clearly see Zhou Ruoyu’s camera feed.

Zhou Ruoyu’s heart pounded with anxiety after being interrupted by the company boss. ‘It’s over, it’s over,’ she thought. ‘Is this because I was a few minutes late?’ A moment later, the voice from the other end of the meeting indeed spoke again with an annoyed tone, though the reason wasn’t what the young woman had imagined.

She heard the boss on the other end sigh, then say helplessly to the female HR:

“How exactly does your HR department do its job? Didn’t I say this assistant position requires a capable male to help me with issues? A female assistant would be inconvenient for many matters. How could you let such an obviously young woman pass the first round? Do you think I’m not busy enough as it is?”

“Oh, uh… I apologize, Boss. I wasn’t responsible for this Mr. Zhou Ruoyu’s first round. The person who handed over the work to me said this interviewee was very capable, and… her, their resume *did* state male as the gender, didn’t it? This…”

The female HR also wore a look of innocence. As for Zhou Ruoyu, her gender instantly seen through, she bit her lip in frustration. She pulled at her hoodie again, but, ‘Damn it… had her disguise really been that ineffective? She should have worn a fake mustache if she’d known.’

However, recalling her adorable appearance when she’d looked in the mirror earlier, Zhou Ruoyu couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh in her mind. Indeed, no one would believe she was a boy! They probably wouldn’t even believe she was an effeminate boy.

So, after hearing the female HR’s explanation, the boss silently turned his head. Although Zhou Ruoyu couldn’t see his face at all, she could sense through the HR’s gaze that he was staring and appraising her from head to toe.

Zhou Ruoyu nervously swallowed, just about to try and argue back – after all, she had been male until last night, and what if she changed back in a few days?

However, the boss on the other end was clearly busy. He merely shook his head, then stated:

“Miss Zhou Ruoyu, I don’t know how you passed the first round of interviews, but you are a girl, aren’t you? I apologize, but resume fraud is unacceptable to our company. This interview will end here. I wish you good luck with your job search.”

“Wait, wait a moment—!”