Starlight Descends - 14
Blank Space
As the final words dissolved into the air, the screen gradually faded to black.
For a full two minutes after the video ended, the conference room remained silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Objectively speaking, it was an exceptional piece of work. Whether judged by the strength of its creative theme or simply as a standalone short film.
A unified perspective. A complete emotional arc. Just the right amount of blank space.
The muted color grading softened the entire piece in a way crisp, high-definition visuals never could. It felt like dreaming by the window on a rainy day. It drew the mind in.
But...
The conference room lights flicked back on, pulling everyone back into harsh reality.
The short-haired woman at the center, the lead HR representative, gathered her thoughts and was the first to speak.
“First, we'd like to ask why you chose this particular approach for your presentation.”
She paused. "You should know this is only a standard first-round interview. Most candidates simply sit here and deliver a prepared pitch, explaining the connection between the theme and the product."
Qi Yao answered without hesitation. "I just really liked the theme. I felt that if I didn't give it everything I had, I'd be disappointing myself.”
Her voice was warm and soft, yet certain. Neither rushed nor overly deliberate, brushing past the ear like spring wind.
But ultimately, this was still an audition. The client was here to select a spokesperson.
The man on the left was notably sharper. He immediately followed up: "So you're saying your motivation was purely personal affinity for the word itself? That you didn't place the core focus on exploring the relationship between the theme and Fengxing's new series?"
Qi Yao turned her gaze to him.
There were moments when everyone simply has to admit that beauty confers an undeniable advantage.
Meeting her eyes, the man's clasped hands on the table shifted subtly. His tone softened a touch.
"I acknowledge that this piece of work you produced in a single week is outstanding in its scripting, cinematography, and post-production. However, across the entire five-minute video, I saw virtually nothing related to the product itself. How would you explain that?”
Qi Yao listened quietly, tilting her head ever so slightly. She fielded the question with perfect composure.
“That is exactly the point I wished to express."
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
She swept her gaze over the panel before her and continued, unhurried and composed, neither deferential nor defiant.
"Must a promotional film rigidly center the product as its sole focus, line after line, indistinguishable in approach from a standard commercial or a launch event video?"
While studying Fengxing's previous campaigns, she'd noticed a recurring pattern. No matter whether it was a short film, poster campaign, or written copy, the angle of approach was always corporate culture.
Rather than introducing a product, it often felt like an attempt to instill corporate ideology into the audience by force.
"..."
The three interviewers exchanged quick glances, momentarily caught off guard.
Their faces clouded with confusion, waiting for her to continue.
“Looking at Fengxing’s publicity over the years, the approach almost always begins from a broad, grand perspective. At a moment's notice, it escalates into social value, national value. This certainly has its merits. But the drawbacks are equally apparent."
Qi Yao pressed her lips together. Her gaze fell on a magazine lying on the table.
The bold headline, A National Enterprise, stood out sharply.
“Everyone already knows Fengxing is an outstanding domestic brand. A trusted, established telecommunications company. There will always be a segment of the population willing to pay a premium out of national pride alone. But not everyone is."
“The fundamental purpose of promotional content is to expand influence. When the Fengxing name itself has already become a household symbol, the challenge changes. The real question becomes whether the product can resonate with actual consumer demand.”
"Your official Weibo has nearly four hundred thousand followers. Yet none of your product promo videos have ever surpassed a hundred shares. None of your campaign themes have truly crossed into broader public consciousness. Has your company truly never stopped to ask itself why?"
The HR lead instinctively frowned.
These were pointed questions. Coming from someone sitting in the interviewee's chair, they should have sound offensive.
But Qi Yao was simply too calm.
Her diction remained clear, her tone soft, her expression sincere. The light scattered through her peach blossom eyes conveyed earnestness rather than aggression.
“The Fengxing X-11 series is the first product to adopt a chip designed and manufactured entirely through domestic innovation. That, in itself, is courage. The courage to step onto a road no one else has walked.”
“Your partner, Jingfan Tech, achieved its first major technological breakthrough. They independently designed and developed their own operating system and baseband chip, then successfully moved them into production cycle. That, too, is a form of courage: the courage to refuse to fall behind, the courage to chase and catch up at full sprint."
“Answers like these, the sort that sound like model high school politics essays, are actually very easy to give and barely require preparation.”
Qi Yao tilted her head slightly, pausing to for two seconds before speaking again. The light in her peach-blossom eyes shimmered like stars on a summer night.
“But has your company ever considered that focusing only on grand ideals and values is, fundamentally, a failure of perspective?”
Her voice possessed a strangely charming quality. Soft, yet edged with clarity. Calm and measured. It left no opening for immediate rebuttal, compelling her listeners to simply... keep listening.
"The nation. Society. The spirit of the people... These are, of course, deeply important. But when used as the foundation for promotional storytelling, they struggle to resonate with the vast majority of consumers."
"Fengxing needs a catalyst. A guide wire. Something that ignites from one small point, then gradually spreads outward into the advertisements, the posters, even the launch event itself.”
"Whether the keyword is 'Diversity,' or 'Courage'..."
Her expression remained composed as she looked at the people across from her. Her gentle gaze swept past the white wall behind them, as if she were peering straight through the one-way glass, addressing the people beyond it.
"No matter the keyword, no matter the theme, if you want people to truly resonate, if you want to move them from the inside out, you have to begin from the perspective of the individual. Not from nebulous, abstract corporate culture."
Autumn wind brushed against the treetops outside, whistling softly past the high-rise windows.
Qi Yao sat quietly in her chair, her gaze steady and unwavering.
In the thick silence, Yu Jiashu heard her say:
"Within every grand narrative, it is the ordinary people who deserve the greatest focus.”
The words fell, and the room was silent.
Behind the one-way glass, the two people watching also fell silent. Only the wind outside continued to howl. Warm golden sunset light spilled gently on her.
Ordinary people.
The ones carrying firewood through a snowstorm are ordinary people. The ones cutting a path to freedom through the thorns are ordinary people, too.
Sanitation workers. Chefs. Teachers. Doctors. Researchers. Artists and freelancers. Thousands of different professions, countless tiny silhouettes converging into a flood, forming the entire fabric of human society.
Even the most grandiose narrative is built by people.
Even Fengxing's current achievements were the result of countless individuals working ceaselessly, day after day, night after night.
You can't suspend some abstract corporate spirit high above individuals itself. Nor can you discard the perspective of ordinary individuals entirely and spin a story out of a castle in the air.
"...That was so well said," Zhou Qi murmured quietly.
Yu Jiashu tapped two fingers lightly against the side of his thigh and lifted his eyes toward Qi Yao.
She was dressed simply. Neither overly formal nor carelessly casual.
A cream-colored, long-sleeved knit top, the shallow V-neck revealing the delicate line of her pale collarbones. Her long hair fell softly, loosely. She was nothing like the bare-faced girl in loungewear who had knocked on his door that day.
At home, she was soft and gentle, fretting over a dog and a faulty data cable. Outside, she could calmly dissect problems at their core, measured and analytical, holding her ground with complete composure.
By thoroughly studying Fengxing’s history, she hadn’t trapped herself within its existing framework. Instead, she had identified the flaws in their approach and laid them out openly.
Whether it was using an almost flawless short film to establish her argument, or expressing her opinions without the slightest evasion, she had handled everything beautifully.
Exceptionally beautifully.
Inside the conference room, the three HR representatives exchanged another glance, momentarily speechless.
The woman on the far right, who had remained silent throughout most of the interview, finally spoke after a thoughtful pause. Tenderness touched her eyes as she looked at Qi Yao.
"Forgive me if this sounds presumptuous, but we do need to confirm something. Was this entire creative concept your own?”
"Yes."
Qi Yao sat very still. Then, after a brief pause, she clarified, "To be precise, I completed the entire project independently."
The woman in the blue suit looked visibly surprised. "Including the editing?"
"Including the filming and the editing."
Even the HR lead looked caught between surprise and delight now. She hesitated before asking. "This is only a simple twenty-minute preliminary interview. Wasn’t that an excessively high investment of effort?”
"If things don’t work out, won’t you feel your time was wasted?”
Qi Yao shook her head. "I'm not afraid of wasted effort."
"Time spent doing something you truly wanted to do is never wasted, regardless of the outcome.”
On the other side of the glass, Yu Jiashu stood completely still, his gaze still fixed on her.
His brows lifted slightly. His pupils were dark and deep, and within his long, narrow eyes glimmered tiny, sharp points of light. He seemed lost in thought.
I'm not afraid of wasted effort.
Her voice was soft and calm. A simple subject-verb-object sentence. Nothing extraordinary about it. And yet, for some reason, the words continued circling endlessly in his ears.
She was like a hard candy core wrapped inside a cloud of cotton candy. From a distance, she seemed soft and delicate. Only after reaching her center would you realize what she was truly made of.
"Oh my god..."
Zhou Qi looked so moved he seemed moments away from kneeling on the floor. Tears welled in his eyes. "My goddess is so incredible. Look at that presence! That insight! She's perfect."
Still lost in thought, Yu Jiashu didn't respond.
Zhou Qi, tears of admiration still on his face, extolled her virtues with all his might. "She's not just a pretty face. She’s solid all the way through.”
Yu Jiashu snapped back to attention at this. He raised an eyebrow, glanced down at the time, then turned with slow, unhurried ease, casually grabbing his jacket as he headed for the door.
"Solid? What is she, a bowling ball?"
"..."
Zhou Qi was left speechless. Still wearing that look of admiration, he stole one last reluctant glance at the woman inside the conference room before quickly hurrying after him.
"Hey, bro. Didn't you say the exact same thing before?" He frowned, trying to recall.
"What thing." Yu Jiashu answered casually.
“That Fengxing focuses too much on corporate values instead of individual perspectives. Too abstract. Too empty.”
The hallways were crowded with employees getting off work. People greeted him as they passed, and Yu Jiashu gave slight nods in acknowledgment.
He replied in a lazy drawl. "Did I?"
"Can't remember."
Zhou Qi: "..."
You literally said it a few days ago! There's absolutely no way you don't remember!
Zhou Qi swallowed back the indignation he didn't dare voice aloud and followed him into the elevator.
As his gaze swept past the reflective elevator wall, he caught a glimpse of Yu Jiashu's face. The corner of the man’s mouth was tilted upward ever so slightly. The ends of his eyes curved faintly. He looked, unmistakably, pleased.
...Subtle, but definitely smiling.
Zhou Qi: "..."
He was now thoroughly confused.
***
Lizi carried Qi Yao’s baseball cap and mask as they walked, carefully observing her expression.
Afraid Qi Yao might be stressing over the results, she rambled, throwing out whatever words came to mind, trying to fill the silence.
"Yao-mei, Qingman-jie sent you a ton of messages while you were in the interview.”
Qi Yao trailed two steps behind, still replaying the interview in her mind.
The HR panel had told her the results would be released within three days. She thanked them, walked out the door, and immediately ran into Zhao Min. The woman greeted her with a beaming smile before breezing into the conference room, apparently the next candidate in line.
If grouped by prompt, Zhao Min must have received the same keyword as her.
Out of hundreds of candidates, she just had to draw the same group as a Golden Eagle Goddess. Her luck was truly something else.
"Oh?" Qi Yao answered absently. “What did she say?”
Lizi hesitated. Her expression turned deeply conflicted. She pressed the elevator button, leaned close, and whispered. “Qingman-jie said... if you pass the interview...”
Lizi glanced left and right. The corridor was nearly empty now, with only a few people standing far out of earshot. She lowered her voice to the faintest whisper.
"She's taking you to the finest White Horse Club in C City."
"..."
Qi Yao was completely caught off guard and nearly choked, coughing twice.
...The what?!
Just then, the elevator beside them emitted a mechanical hum. The doors, which had almost fully closed, leaving only the thinnest sliver of light, slowly slid open once more.
Golden sunset light spilled into the elevator, illuminating the two figures inside
One stood there with eyes wide and mouth hanging open, his buzz cut practically bristling in shock.
The other stood tall and relaxed, jacket hanging loosely from one hand, looking at her with complicated expression, an ambiguous smile plastered on his face.
...Yu Jiashu.
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