Vera Nikolayevna Ivanova hadn't expected to see such a sight when she pushed open the door—who had ever seen an examiner so informal and uncultured?

She furrowed her brow, wrinkling her nose.

Vera thought she had entered the wrong room and even went back out to double-check the room number on the door frame against the address on her paper. Only after confirming it was correct did she step inside again.

Upon re-entering, she found the man who had impolitely propped his feet up on the desk now sitting properly in his chair.

Vera, having done her homework, recognized this man as her employer—Chen Yingxiong, the Zenit's number 99 player, a Chinese football star who was currently making waves in St. Petersburg and gaining fame throughout Russia.

She now understood why one of the requirements in the job posting was that applicants must be able to speak and understand Chinese.

To serve a Chinese celebrity, especially as his spokesperson, one had to be able to communicate well with him in Chinese to accurately understand his intentions. Otherwise, if she misspoke at a press conference, conveying a message completely contrary to her boss's wishes, it would be a disaster...

Chen Yingxiong didn't realize that the "ability to speak Chinese" requirement had immediately eliminated many people, so it wasn't that he was truly unknown, but rather that there were too few people who met his requirements.

So, what were his requirements?

Requirements:

Female, healthy, with regular features, a height of 1.75 meters or taller, and under thirty-five years old, with excellent communication skills. Education and nationality were not limited. Preference would be given to those with experience dealing with the media, those who could communicate in Chinese, and those with attractive appearances.

By the way, the last preference was added by Chen Yingxiong...

He had no choice but to put up with Dekula as his agent. After all, Yesenin hadn't initially appeared before him as a blonde bombshell with large breasts but as a balding, lecherous man.

He hadn't had a choice back then. Now that he did, of course, he would choose someone he was satisfied with!

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Vera Nikolayevna Ivanova sat primly in front of the two interviewers, her legs pressed tightly together and her upper body held ramrod straight, which had the added effect of emphasizing her ample chest.

Chen Yingxiong couldn't help but let his eyes wander over that area before shifting his gaze to her face.

He had been too busy looking at her figure earlier and only now realized that her appearance wasn't bad either, at least above his average standard for beauty.

It was just that the expression on her face was cold as ice, without a smile, like a mannequin in a shop.

Dekula was pretending to look over her resume, but in reality, he knew everything about this woman.

"You studied at Minsk State Linguistic University?" Dekula asked, looking down at the resume.

This interview was mainly conducted by Dekula, while Chen Yingxiong was purely there to see if the applicant who met his "demanding" criteria was indeed a beauty.

"Yes," Vera replied concisely, without any unnecessary words. This pleased Dekula. A spokesperson had to deal with all sorts of troublesome media, and if they were always verbose and lacked a central idea, they wouldn't be able to do the job well. He needed a spokesperson who didn't talk much but spoke to the point, not the kind who could chat idly with reporters.

However, Chen Yingxiong frowned beside him—not even a single smile, did this girl not know how to smile or didn't want to? Too cold, wasn't she?

"You minored in Chinese at university?"

"Yes, starting from my first year."

"Then the rest of the interview will be conducted in Chinese. Is that okay?"

"No problem." Vera's answer was still simple and direct, without any hesitation, appearing confident.

Dekula's impression of her improved again.

Chen Yingxiong continued to curl his lip—this woman was so boring!

With their different thoughts, the two men continued the interview.

"Please introduce yourself in Chinese," Dekula asked in Chinese.

Vera thought for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Vera Nikolayevna Ivanova. I am from Minsk, the capital of Belarus..."

Her pronunciation wasn't particularly standard, with a very strong "foreigner accent"—the kind that made it obvious you were a foreigner.

However, it was already quite difficult for a foreigner to speak to this extent. One couldn't expect everyone to be like Yesenin, who was "inhuman." He could speak any language fluently, without any foreign accent. When Chen Yingxiong took him back to China, he had once heard Yesenin haggling with vendors in Jinli, Wuhou Shrine, in fluent and authentic Chengdu dialect, shocking the locals who had initially planned to rip him off, and they ultimately gave in.

※※※

In reality, this interview was quite boring. Dekula kept asking very professional questions, which Chen Yingxiong wasn't interested in at all. If he could ask the questions, he would rather ask: "Height? Weight? Measurements? Do you have a boyfriend?" Things like that...

Bored, he could only stare at the applicant, looking her up and down, scrutinizing her appearance and figure, almost seeing everything.

The more Dekula interviewed her, the more satisfied he became with Vera. He believed she was the image of the capable, calm, tactful, and measured spokesperson he had in mind.

Anyway, she was the only applicant, so there wasn't much to choose from. However, he still had to consult Chen Yingxiong's opinion before finalizing the decision. After all, he was the real boss, and Dekula was just running errands...

When Dekula sought his opinion, Chen Yingxiong was staring at her high and perky breasts. In that instant, he really wanted to blurt out: "What's your bust size?"

Luckily, he restrained himself.

"Ah..." He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

Her appearance and figure were both acceptable, but her expression was as cold as ice, and she had hardly smiled throughout the entire process, which made him a little depressed.

Thinking of this, he felt unwilling—you want me to nod in agreement? Fine! Give me a smile, then!

"Well, Miss Vera Nikolayevna, maintaining good relations with the media requires affability..." He started to find some plausible excuses for his lewd thoughts. "But I've noticed that since you came in, you've hardly smiled. Are you in a bad mood today?"

Vera was indeed in a bad mood today, and it started after seeing the sloppy Chen Yingxiong—she had learned about Chen Yingxiong before coming here, so she naturally knew his "reputation." In her opinion, Chen Yingxiong was just a stinky man who went around playing because he had money. Gossip reporters had given him the nickname "Nightclub Prince," and he was shameless about it.

However, this was, after all, her potential boss, the God of Wealth who would be paying her salary. Vera had one advantage—she could distinguish between her personal feelings and work relationships very clearly. She would never bring her personal emotions into her work, no matter how much she disliked someone privately.

So, although she didn't think highly of Chen Yingxiong, the "playboy," it didn't prevent her from applying for this position. After all, this was work. And her major was a bit niche, and there weren't many opportunities for it these days. This was a good internship opportunity, and it would greatly benefit her thesis.

"No, Mr. Chen," Vera's reply was as brief and... boring as ever.

That was Chen Yingxiong's assessment.

"Then, would you please smile for me? Since you came in, I feel like the indoor temperature has dropped... at least five degrees! I'm afraid of the cold, so please give me some sunshine..."

Vera frowned inwardly. This man's mouth was so glib, every word was tinged with frivolity, making her uncomfortable.

No wonder he was called the "Nightclub Prince"...

But if the employer asked her to smile, then that was a job requirement.

She forced a smile.

But Chen Yingxiong had seen countless women, how could he not know which smiles were professional and fake, and which were sincere? The women in nightclubs wore such fake smiles when they approached him to curry favor, but when he tipped them, their smiles became genuine...

"Too fake," Chen Yingxiong waved his hand. "You can't even fool me, let alone those cunning reporters! It has to be from the heart, a heartfelt smile, Miss Vera Nikolayevna."

Dekula glanced at Chen Yingxiong. He admitted that Chen Yingxiong was right about the need for affability when dealing with the media, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with work anymore...

Vera's heart was almost twisted into a knot, but she still put on a smile again.

Yes, put on.

Only this word could describe the situation when a smile appeared on this woman's face.

Like an exceptionally beautiful flower, slowly blooming, revealing the delicate pistil protected by the heavy petals...

When she gradually revealed a smile in front of him, Chen Yingxiong even felt a gentle and warm breeze caressing his face! His previously gloomy face, due to his dissatisfaction, instantly warmed up and brightened, as if illuminated by a warm light. The cold-toned room also turned into a warm tone.

This girl's smile is really beautiful!

That was Chen Yingxiong's only feeling after seeing Vera's smile...

He was stunned.

※※※

"Yingxiong?" Dekula, seeing that Chen Yingxiong hadn't reacted at all after Vera smiled, turned to look at him in confusion.

He saw Chen Yingxiong snap back to reality as if waking from a dream.

"Ah, ah... this, that... I have no problem anymore!"

The Vera in front of him had returned to her previous cold and icy demeanor, and the temperature and tone of the room had also changed back. The smile she had shown just now seemed like a dream, or perhaps an illusion.

"Can we sign the contract?" Dekula asked.

Chen Yingxiong nodded: "Yes, we can!"

Dekula stood up and extended his hand to Vera with a smile: "Congratulations, Miss Vera Nikolayevna. We can discuss your personal benefits now..."

Chen Yingxiong wasn't interested in such tedious matters. He yawned, stood up, and said to the two of them: "You guys talk slowly, I'm going to rest for a while." After saying that, he stretched and walked into his bedroom.

After closing the door, Chen Yingxiong lay down on the large bed.

He was still savoring the smile that woman had shown.

To be honest, when he saw that smile, he was very surprised, because he hadn't expected that the cold and icy woman could smile so beautifully and warmly...

It was simply a strong contrast.

She was such a lovely woman when she smiled, but alas, why wouldn't she smile?

Chen Yingxiong sat up, stroked his chin, smacked his lips, and shook his head with a sigh.

He sat on the bed and laughed for a long time, but he couldn't figure out the reason, so Chen Yingxiong decided not to think about it anymore.

He stood up and began to mentally construct the Zenit Yudenny Park training base. Special training couldn't be relaxed. Dekula could handle the outside affairs completely. Chen Yingxiong planned to take the opportunity to train.

Although he had many things to do, such as learning to drive, acting as an interviewer, dealing with the media, and going out with his teammates... leveling up was the most important thing.

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