"Only this way can I retreat unscathed and complete the assessment!"
"Assessment? Hahaha! Let me tell you, if this weren't an assessment, you'd be finished!"
The man spoke in a deliberately low voice.
"It's not me who says this, but you knew my purpose for coming from the start, so you put the things I wanted onto the table. Isn't this still an assessment?"
Yu Xiaoman spoke articulately and logically.
To make a judgment so quickly, this good girl was truly extraordinary.
The man pondered for a moment, then smiled, "Good, impressive!"
He extended his thumb and added,
"But I still want to know, how did you know that choosing the photo would allow you to retreat unscathed?"
"This is probably the only thing I can take with me. For me, it's a bit useful, a memento. But for you, it's just a broken photograph, useless to keep!"
"Hehehe!"
The man chuckled.
Indeed, the photo was of little use. Its only value was identifying the interviewee.
There were hundreds, even thousands, of girls on the island; they wouldn't miss her.
But the house and the bank card belonged to the company. Taking them would require a corresponding price.
When working on Red Island, it was crucial to distinguish between what one could take and what one shouldn't.
"You've passed. You can leave!" the man said, gesturing for her to exit.
Yu Xiaoman nodded, still confident, and turned to walk towards the door.
"Do you think the assessment is hard?"
"I don't know. It should be hard, otherwise, how could it be called one in ten thousand?"
"Do you think Yu Xiaoman will fail?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? If she fails, you! Hmph! Don't even dream about it!"
Outside the door, several girls chattered and debated.
Fang Xiaoxia, feeling nervous, involuntarily clutched Bai Suxiang's hand.
It would be a lie if Bai Suxiang said she wasn't nervous.
She lacked Yu Xiaoman's overwhelming confidence, but she remained calm.
"Hey, she's out, she's out! Hurry and see, she's out!"
"Really? So quickly?"
As someone exclaimed this, Yu Xiaoman emerged from the house.
As soon as Yu Xiaoman stepped out, she raised her hand as a signal. It was evident that she was holding a piece of paper between her fingers.
Many people saw it. Fang Xiaoxia stared intently at her hand, confirming it was just a photograph.
From her entering to her exiting, it had only been fifteen minutes.
Undeniably, everything happened too fast.
Aunt Hong, without even looking, said, "Next..."
Seeing Yu Xiaoman get something so quickly after entering, everyone's burden lightened.
According to the rules, obtaining an item meant success.
"This round isn't difficult, is it?"
Fang Xiaoxia asked with a relieved smile.
Bai Suxiang nodded.
At this moment, she didn't know what to say either.
Whether it was difficult or not could only be known by trying it oneself. Aunt Hong had said it was the final round.
With only three out of ten chosen, seven were destined to be eliminated.
As the words fell, the girl who had just entered ran out crying.
"Ah? What's going on?"
Someone muttered, and the atmosphere instantly became oppressive again.
"Next!"
Aunt Hong continued, directing the next girl to enter.
Those waiting to enter grew anxious again.
They hoped she would succeed, yet also hoped she wouldn't.
She was inside for quite some time and emerged holding a house key.
"This should count as success, right?"
Someone whispered.
Yu Xiaoman had entered, taken just a photo, and succeeded.
She held a house key, so she should also be considered successful.
This was merely the girls' speculation; no one knew for sure.
Aunt Hong remained silent, only saying with a cold expression, "Next!"
The next girl had already entered. The girl who had come out earlier walked over and sat beside Yu Xiaoman.
In her opinion, what she had obtained was more valuable and meaningful than Yu Xiaoman's.
Since Yu Xiaoman had succeeded, she should have succeeded too.
With this template, those who followed felt more assured.
That is, once inside, no matter what, one had to take something out, perhaps even more, to signify success.
After all, a job with a million-dollar annual salary required creating million-dollar annual value!
Indeed, the people who went in subsequently all came out with items, some even taking more than three.
However, there was one exception: a girl in red, her clothes torn, fled the house crying.
No one knew what had truly happened inside.
But it was probably something unpleasant.
"Next: Bai Suxiang!"
Aunt Hong announced, glancing at Bai Suxiang.
Bai Suxiang removed Fang Xiaoxia's hand and slowly rose, walking towards the house.
"Good luck!"
Fang Xiaoxia cheered her on. Bai Suxiang nodded.
Upon entering, there was a dark corridor.
Bai Suxiang walked forward, following the light ahead, step by step.
The light was at the entrance.
As Bai Suxiang stepped inside, she realized it was actually a meticulously crafted wooden door.
From the faint light, she could see many carvings on it. Bai Suxiang guessed it might be an antique wooden door.
The large ring on the door seemed to beckon, "Pull it, pull it!"
Bai Suxiang did not pull, but instead, grasped the ring firmly and lightly knocked on the door.
No one had instructed her on how to act upon entering, but this was simply out of politeness.
Though Bai Suxiang was not one to dawdle or hesitate, she had no intention of barging in.
This was an assessment, and not a single mistake was permissible.
"Come in!"
Indeed, knocking was the right approach.
A voice from inside responded, undoubtedly the assessor.
Bai Suxiang pushed the door open, and it creaked "creak" as it swung inward.
The light inside was also dim.
Bai Suxiang could barely make out the appearance of the person in front of her.
The assessment was filled with the unknown and a sense of tension.
"Hello!"
Bai Suxiang greeted.
She had intended to state that she was there for an interview but decided against it.
"Pour me a glass of wine!"
The voice was a man's, filled with disdain and laziness.
Bai Suxiang followed the sound and saw a man lying languidly on a sofa.
She looked around, searching for a wine bottle and glass in the dim light.
Since she had been told it was an assessment upon entering, following the assessor's lead was probably the right course of action.
However, after searching for a long time, she found neither a wine bottle nor a glass.
And she couldn't conjure them out of thin air like Liu Sandao.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Bai Suxiang frowned and, holding her breath, continued her search.
The light in the room was too dim. The color of a wine bottle would be difficult to spot in the darkness.
There was no other option; Bai Suxiang had to lean closer.
"Clang!" she seemed to have kicked something.