Chapter Four: Interview Questions

When there were still over ten minutes left until two o’clock, Chen Qi arrived at Blueprint Advertising as agreed.

After explaining his purpose to the receptionist, he was led to a waiting area.

He waited there for nearly half an hour before the receptionist returned and escorted him to a conference room for the interview.

Before leaving, Chen Qi glanced back and noticed that he seemed to be the only candidate interviewing today. This further convinced him that his academic credentials had expedited his interview.

Upon entering the conference room, he saw two men and a woman already seated on the opposite side of a long table. The men appeared to be in their forties, while the woman looked to be in her thirties.

Having spent two years navigating the working world, Chen Qi was not easily intimidated. Under their scrutiny, he sat confidently across from them and handed over the documents he had prepared.

"Hello, I’m Chen Qi, here to interview for your company’s ‘Creative Planner’ position. Here are my résumé and materials."

He had applied for the 'Creative Planner' position the day before because he felt the job didn’t require much specialized knowledge—imagination was enough.

In other words, he believed that with his academic background, he had a ninety-nine percent chance of securing the job.

The bespectacled man in the middle took his documents, glanced through them, and asked, "Why did you choose a job unrelated to your major?"

"I simply wanted to challenge myself."

"Can you share your understanding of creative advertising?"

"In my view, creative advertising is about coming up with copy that is either eye-catching or leaves a lasting impression."

"Do you think you’re suited for this job?"

"Given my education, I believe I am."

"Here’s a ceramic mug. If you were to devise an advertising concept for it, what would your proposal be?" The woman in red, who had been studying his résumé, pushed a ceramic mug to the center of the table.

Chen Qi frowned slightly, then shook his head.

"What do you mean?" the woman in red asked, puzzled.

"Creativity requires inspiration and a certain mood. In such a short time, I don’t think I can come up with an idea that would truly impress you. Of course, I could give you a random answer, but a perfunctory response would only lower your opinion of me, so I choose to decline this question."

The woman in red was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting such a reply.

She had interviewed many recent graduates over the years, and though she had encountered bold ones before, this was the first time someone had flatly refused to answer an interview question.

Seeing his calm composure, she almost doubted whether he really was a recent graduate.

He didn’t quite seem like one.

Hearing Chen Qi’s response, the bespectacled man in the center nodded thoughtfully, the meaning unclear.

He then proceeded to ask some standard questions, to which Chen Qi responded fluently—not outstanding, but not vague either.

After more than ten minutes, the bespectacled man turned to the potbellied man who had remained silent throughout. "I’m done. Do you have any questions?"

"Huh?" The potbellied man, who seemed out of touch with the proceedings, snapped to attention and, after a moment’s thought, said, "Let me ask a simple one—what’s one plus one?"

Chen Qi was utterly baffled.

What kind of question was this? A riddle? How did it relate to this interview?

The other two interviewers also looked curiously at the potbellied man, but their faces remained expressionless as they turned their gaze back to Chen Qi.

Chen Qi appeared thoughtful.

What’s one plus one?

Even elementary school students know it’s two.

However, since he chose to ask this question in such a setting, it was clearly not that simple.

"Two," Chen Qi answered after pondering for a dozen seconds.

Although he was fairly certain that wasn’t the answer the man was seeking, he wasn’t inclined to waste too much mental energy on such a trivial question.

The potbellied man nodded slightly and did not comment on whether the answer was right or wrong. Instead, he said, "You’re applying for a creative position. Have you considered that you shouldn’t just analyze a question on the surface?"

"Precisely because I’m interviewing for a creative role, my answer is two," Chen Qi replied calmly. "I’ve always believed that the best creative ideas are those that are simple and easily understood. When people can grasp your message at a glance, it resonates with their aesthetic sensibilities. If you deliberately complicate things, it just comes off as pretentious."

The potbellied man digested this for a few seconds before saying, "This is a new question we introduced for this year’s interviews. So far, you’re the first to answer ‘two.’"

"So… is that the correct answer?" Chen Qi asked.

The potbellied man shook his head. "Strictly speaking, there’s no standard answer to this question. As long as your explanation supports your answer, it's correct. However…" He paused, looking at Chen Qi. "I’m quite satisfied with your explanation."

"Thank you," Chen Qi said with a smile.

The potbellied man exchanged a glance with the bespectacled man, signaling that he had no further questions.

The bespectacled man looked at Chen Qi and said, "I’m Xu Bunian, General Manager of Blueprint. Are you truly interested in joining us?"

Chen Qi’s heart skipped a beat. Could he really be seeing through his intentions? Was it that obvious?

Though these thoughts raced through his mind, his expression remained steady. "This job… I’d like to give it a try."

"Good. Then let’s discuss compensation."

Perhaps due to his academic qualifications, Blueprint offered Chen Qi exceptionally generous terms. By his own estimate, the base salary was at least fifty percent higher than that of other new graduates, and his probation period was only one month.

This made Chen Qi feel a bit embarrassed, though only just a bit…

Once all matters were settled, Chen Qi left Blueprint.

After he departed, Xu Bunian watched him go, then stepped into a quiet corner and dialed a number.

"Chairman, Chen Qi’s situation has been handled. He’ll be coming in to complete his onboarding procedures tomorrow."

"How is he doing?" came a deep voice on the other end.

"He seems well—doesn’t appear to have been too affected."

"Did you ask why he suddenly changed jobs?"

Xu Bunian replied, "In his own words, he just wanted to challenge himself."

There was a two-second silence before the voice on the other end sighed softly. "Let him be, then. Keep an eye on him for now and observe his overall capabilities. Later, prepare an evaluation report for me. But be careful not to let him notice—he has a strong sense of pride. If he finds out we’re helping him behind the scenes, he’ll almost certainly resign."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Xu Bunian wore a puzzled expression.

Since the chairman was close with his parents, why not just be upfront with him and offer him a better job?

Would he refuse?

Surely not?

A moment later, Xu Bunian chuckled and shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Young people these days were indeed becoming harder to figure out.

Still, his curiosity about Chen Qi had grown.