dkrc Chapter 86 White Expert, You're So White
Chapter 86 White Expert, You're So White
Chapter 85 White Expert, You're So White
It was a bad meal, but I managed to eat for over an hour.
The table was filled with risqué jokes when Liu Jianjun put down his chopsticks and suggested, "We're all full and have nothing to do, how about we go upstairs and get a game? There's no mahjong room, but we can always play a couple of rounds of cards. Anyone want to join?"
He specifically asked the front desk when he checked in, and he'd been holding back for a while; he's a real card addict.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Minghui and the others' eyes lit up. Even Tan Yong, who had just complained about how unpalatable the pre-cooked food was, rubbed his hands together and came over: "I've been waiting for you to say that. Staying in the room watching stupid TV is going to kill us. Count me in."
Tan Yong from the Linhai City company glanced around, a hint of gambling in his eyes: "There has to be a stake, right? It's no fun without a stake. Let's play something real."
Liu Jianjun waved his hand dismissively, saying, "There will definitely be a prize, just a token amount, a hundred or two per round, just for fun."
One or two hundred? Lin Chen clicked his tongue inwardly. In Suicheng, the most people would play cards was one or two hundred per hand. These people were talking about ten times the stake. They were indeed "experts" from the provincial company. Their moves were different.
Wang Haitao glanced at Bai Xiuzhu: "I'm not very good at playing, but I can join in for some fun. I just don't know if the two young people will be interested?" He had actually been looking at Bai Xiuzhu the whole time, saying that Lin Chen was just an afterthought.
Lin Chen was somewhat interested in playing live poker, and besides, the examiner's rules were clearly written, prohibiting gambling during the assessment period. Otherwise, they wouldn't have even refused to provide a mahjong room. These people, on the other hand, treated the rules like dirt.
Lin Chen stood up, tugged at the hem of his casual suit, and said in a flat tone, "You guys have fun, I'm a little tired, I'm going back to my room first." After saying that, he turned and left, leaving no room for anyone to stop him.
Bai Xiuzhu sat to the side, holding a teacup in her hand, her fingertips turning white. Her eyes followed Lin Chen's back for a few seconds, then swept over a group of middle-aged men who were rubbing their hands together and looking excited. Her lips moved, but she didn't say whether she would participate or not. She just sat quietly, her face showing a bit of unease.
Back in room 508, Lin Chen took off his suit jacket and threw it on the sofa. He poured himself a glass of cold water and gulped it down. The icy water slid down his throat, finally calming his awkwardness.
The so-called fully enclosed assessment is nothing but a self-deceiving farce from beginning to end. The rules are set for honest people, while those with power and qualifications have long since exploited loopholes to their advantage. They can get away with using their phones and even gamble openly. It's both absurd and realistic.
He didn't have many objections, but he felt ridiculously foolish for actually believing those rules.
Suddenly, he remembered Director Song's instructions before he left, telling him to keep an eye on his phone. But now his phone had been completely confiscated, and he couldn't find it anywhere. How could he keep an eye on it?
On second thought, Lin Chen felt relieved. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but the circumstances didn't allow it. He could explain things properly when he got back.
I'm just used to having my phone with me all the time, and suddenly not having it makes me feel bored no matter how many times I look at it. I even thought about going out to buy a new phone to play with, but when I thought about having to report to the company and get approval from Director Liu of the provincial company, which would be too much trouble, I had to give up.
Lin Chen felt a pang of regret, thinking, "I should have brought a computer. Damn it, now that my phone is gone, I can't even make money by writing." He estimated he would lose tens of thousands of yuan in the next few days.
Lin Chen had no choice but to turn on the TV. A palace drama was playing. He used to think that the characters were complicated and that people were intricate, but now that he had entered the workforce, he realized that interpersonal relationships in the workplace were even more complicated than palace intrigues.
After waiting for what felt like forever, Lin Chen was actually thinking about going downstairs to experience the bathing area. However, he felt that going on the first day might be too blatant. What if someone saw them?
Just then, a soft knock came from outside the door, neither too loud nor too soft, with a hint of hesitant caution, breaking the silence of the room.
Lin Chen got up and opened the door. Standing outside was Bai Xiuzhu. She was still wearing the beige dress from the dining table. Her long hair was a little loose, with a few strands sticking to her slender neck. Under the light, her skin was delicate and porcelain white. There was a hint of nervousness in her eyes. She was holding the hem of her dress with both hands, and her fingertips were pink.
"Expert Lin, did I disturb your rest?" Her voice was soft, even softer than during the day, like a feather brushing against one's ear. When she looked up at him, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, like a startled fawn.
Lin Chen was more than a head taller than her, looking down at her. His gaze inadvertently swept over her slightly open neckline, almost revealing a glimpse of her chest. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he quickly looked away, his tone steady: "What's wrong?"
Bai Xiuzhu raised her eyes, which were brimming with tears, and said in a voice still barely audible, "When Team Leader Liu and the others were leaving, they asked me to tell you that we need to meet in the lobby on the first floor at 7:30 tomorrow morning to proctor the candidates' written theory exam. They've arranged for the two of us. You don't have any objections, do you?"
Her voice is really beautiful.
Tomorrow is the first day of the senior engineer theory written exam. The workload is not heavy, as only two examiners are needed to proctor the exam. These guys will be playing cards until late at night, and they might even go to a bathhouse after they finish playing cards.
So they pushed this thankless task onto the two youngest and least qualified people.
"Okay, I understand." Lin Chen nodded in agreement. Although the arrangement seemed unfair, it was also reasonable. He didn't need to take this small matter seriously and had no objections.
Seeing that she was still standing at the door, her limbs somewhat stiff, Lin Chen asked again, "Is there anything else?"
"You probably won't be asleep this soon, right? Can I come in and chat with you for a bit?" It was still early, and Bai Xiuzhu didn't want to go back to her room so soon. She figured she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Besides, it was a bit scary and lonely for a girl to be alone in a strange place without her phone or company.
Lin Chen hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to let her in. He turned around, poured a glass of freshly boiled warm water, and handed it to her, saying in a calm tone, "Have some water, but be careful it's hot."
Bai Xiuzhu took the water glass, her fingertips accidentally brushing against Lin Chen's hand. As if burned, her ear tips turned bright red, even her earlobes flushed pink. She looked up at him, her eyes holding an indescribable emotion, her voice soft as water: "Just now—thank you for helping me out at the dinner table." As she spoke, she took a small sip from the glass, her movements restrained and delicate.
Lin Chen stood with his hands in his casual pants pockets, his posture upright, and said in a nonchalant tone, "It was just a small favor, no need to thank me."
Bai Xiuzhu walked in, leaned against the table next to her, and spoke to Lin Chen in a more relaxed tone: "By the way, when did you become an expert? You look quite young."
Lin Chen: "This is an article that was just published this year."
Bai Xiuzhu's eyes flashed with surprise, then she smiled: "No wonder, I posted that article last year. But did you take the exam or apply directly?"
Lin Chen: "You took the exam? Are there other ways?"
Bai Xiuzhu pursed her lips, her tone carrying a hint of a smile: "I won a prize in the skills competition, and the company hired me directly."
Lin Chen knew that the top ten in this skills competition could be directly hired experts by the company, but this spot was never awarded to the county company. The city company would never send anyone from the county company to participate; it was all reserved for their own relatives and friends.
"You're really amazing. There are so many skilled people in the skills competition, it's not easy to get a ranking." Lin Chen praised him, following up on the conversation.
Bai Xiuzhu chuckled twice, her tone ambiguous: "Actually, there was a certain element of luck involved. It just so happened that the examiner was my senior, so—you know what I mean." The implication was all too clear: it was all about taking shortcuts through connections.
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and casually replied, "Actually, I was able to pass the expert evaluation thanks to the help of a benefactor."
Having said all that, both of them understood the underlying meaning of each other's words and had figured out each other's "background." The atmosphere actually eased a bit, and the previous restraint disappeared.
Bai Xiuzhu then asked, "By the way, which department are you in now, and what are your responsibilities?"
Lin Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly: "In the office, I do everything, like a handyman, moving things wherever I'm needed."
Bai Xiuzhu blinked: "That's still better than a rural town. At least you're closer to the leaders and have more opportunities."
Lin Chen: "I'd rather go to a rural town; it's quieter there, and I don't have to deal with a bunch of annoying things every day."
Bai Xiuzhu was somewhat surprised, a look of astonishment flashing in her eyes: "It's rare to find someone with such a thought."
Lin Chen: "Whether you believe it or not, I was really forced to take this position by my superiors. I didn't even take the specialist exam."
Bai Xiuzhu's eyes widened slightly, a hint of doubt in her mind. Just then, a hotel employee knocked on the door and asked, "Mr. Lin, is the BMW X5 downstairs with license plate XX6688 yours?"
Lin Chen thought to himself that he had parked in a parking space and wasn't obstructing anyone: "It's mine, what's wrong?"
The hotel staff were very friendly: "The light in the driver's cab is still on. Please remember to go down and turn it off when you have time, otherwise the power will be out."
Lin Chen immediately replied, "Okay, thank you."
Turning his head, Lin Chen noticed that Bai Xiuzhu's gaze had softened, as if she was completely convinced, and she smiled like an aunt: "You said earlier that you were forcibly pulled up by the leader, and I didn't believe you at first, but now I do."
We also have a leader's son here who has no desire for advancement. He doesn't compete or take exams; he just wants to coast along. But his father arranges everything, paving the way for him. He's actually quite helpless. Your situation is probably similar to his.
Lin Chen knew she had misunderstood, categorizing him as someone who relied on connections, but he was too lazy to explain.
Let misunderstandings be misunderstandings; this world is made up of all sorts of misunderstandings.
"Ah." Suddenly, the table Bai Xiuzhu was leaning against lost its grip and lurched forward. Her body leaned forward as well, and the water glass in her hand wobbled, spilling most of the warm water onto Lin Chen's chest, soaking a large area.
Bai Xiuzhu staggered to her feet, hurriedly grabbed a few tissues, and rushed over to wipe the water stains on Lin Chen's chest. Her voice trembled with panic, barely audible, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."
Lin Chen didn't really care about the water stains, but when he saw her lean over and nervously wipe her chest, the warmth of her fingertips through the fabric stimulated him. He simply straightened his chest and let her do as she pleased.
Moreover, from this angle, her hair falls loosely over her shoulders, and the snow-white halo around her exudes an alluring glow.
After Bai Xiuzhu hurriedly finished wiping away the water stains, she looked up and met Lin Chen's burning gaze. His eyes were deep and he was staring straight at her chest, making her heart skip a beat.
"White expert, you're so white." Lin Chen blurted out out of the blue.
Her ears turned bright red, almost bleeding, and she avoided his gaze. After a long while, she managed to stammer out, "...I'm going back to my room now. If you get up early tomorrow, remember to call me. I'm afraid I'll oversleep."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and tried to slip back to room 507 across the street. She was walking too fast and almost tripped again. Lin Chen reached out and steadied her waist. The warm and delicate touch made them both pause for a moment.
Bai Xiuzhu quickly got up and opened the door. As she closed it, she secretly glanced over and met Lin Chen's gaze. She hurriedly looked away, the door clicked shut, and she fled.
Lin Chen sat there still savoring the memory, wondering if she would have resisted if he had just kissed her directly.
They won't call the police, will they?
On the other side, Bai Xiuzhu leaned against the door of her room, one hand pressed tightly against her chest, but she couldn't suppress her heaving breasts. Her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat, and her cheeks were burning hot.
She didn't know what she was nervous about. The sound of his steady heartbeat and the warmth of his hand on her waist were still lingering in her mind, and even her breathing became rapid.
Bai Xiuzhu was a rather timid person, and she had been hurt by her ex-husband before. In the unfamiliar environment, coupled with the image of Lin Chen, she tossed and turned in bed at night and couldn't sleep well at all.
The next day, Bai Xiuzhu got up early and fussed over herself. She didn't know why she did it, but seeing how beautiful she looked in the mirror, she went out to wait for Lin Chen.
However, Lin Chen didn't even glance at her as he left, which made her a little disappointed.
Today I'm proctoring the senior engineer theory exam.
Before entering the examination room, Lin Chen encountered a dark-skinned boy who was two years his junior. He remembered that the boy's name was Huang Haiquan. Back in school, they had worked on a project together. Lin Chen knew that this junior was quite reliable.
The meeting went smoothly. He was a candidate, and Lin Chen was an examiner, both with special statuses. Moreover, they were both men. They simply exchanged glances and then went their separate ways.
If it were a girl, Lin Chen might have taken a second look. Lin Chen admitted that he had a bit of a preference for girls over boys.
When the exam began and Lin Chen received the theory test paper, he specifically glanced at the seal. It appeared intact on the surface, but a closer look revealed that the seal had clearly been opened and then resealed. Obviously, the exam questions had already been leaked. Lin Chen didn't pay much attention; he had benefited from a similar situation during his own evaluations years ago. There is no absolute fairness in this world; he had been beaten down by reality, and others naturally couldn't escape it either.
After the hair was curled, Bai Xiuzhu sat in front without moving, while Lin Chen would occasionally go down to take a walk and check on the situation. Every time he went down to walk around, he could hear a flurry of activity.
In fact, Lin Chen turned a blind eye to people who hurriedly put away their cheat sheets. Their fear at least showed that they still had some respect for the examiner and reverence for the rules.
What I fear most are those idiots who think they can be above the rules.
When Bai Xiuzhu saw Lin Chen return from his patrol with a worried look on his face, she gave him an understanding smile and leaned closer to whisper, "Out of sight, out of mind, there's no need to patrol."
"No need," Lin Chen thought, "but it's very necessary."
It's also fun to pretend to be an examiner and act all high and mighty.
After the two-hour exam, the two of them were responsible for collecting all the exam papers and binding them together.
The so-called binding is simply folding up the name information section of the exam paper and stapled it shut. In this way, all the valid information on the exam paper is sealed, and the person grading the paper will not know whose exam paper it is.
The binding process was actually quite boring, but because it was a man and a woman working together.
Bai Xiuzhu was in charge of folding and unfolding, while Lin Chen was in charge of driving the pile. They worked comfortably and the atmosphere was harmonious. Of course, if Lin Chen drove it off course, Bai Xiuzhu would roll her eyes and rearrange it again.
In the afternoon, the other examiners finally woke up and came over to grade the theory exam papers together. They all looked listless and exhausted, but they still remembered how intense the battle had been the night before.
Actually, this arrangement is quite reasonable, because tomorrow and the day after are all practical exams, and there won't be time to grade the exam papers.
The theory exam consists of eight questions. The first four questions are worth 10 points each, and the last four questions are worth 15 points each, for a total of 100 points.
Since you are one of the eight examiners, each person is responsible for grading one question. This is not only efficient, but also ensures that each paper passes through the hands of each examiner, thus guaranteeing fairness and impartiality.
Before the grading of the papers began, group leader Liu Jianjun said, "Brothers and sisters, when you are grading the theory papers, try to relax a bit. Just do what's acceptable. After all, these questions are so difficult, we can't be too demanding. Just give some points for anything written."
Zhou Minghui, who has several years of experience as an examiner, also said: "Yes, because it is very troublesome to change the theoretical scores. After all, everyone's scores are written directly on the test paper, in black and white. It is not good to make corrections. So, everyone should use a pencil to score first, and we will write it down with a ballpoint pen after we have confirmed that it is correct."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen understood. It required precise control, but now the entire theoretical exam paper was completely sealed off by Lin Chen and Bai Xiuzhu. How could he achieve precise control?
Lin Chen was quite curious.
After the division of labor, Bai Xiuzhu was responsible for grading the first question, and Lin Chen was responsible for grading the second question. The second question was a drawing question about the pipeline route that looked very simple but was actually not complicated at all. Those who knew how to do it would definitely do it, and those who didn't would definitely not do it.
However, in Lin Chen's opinion, this was definitely the simplest question in the entire exam paper. Lin Chen remembered that there was this question on the third page of the Senior Engineer Assessment Handbook, so students who studied hard could definitely solve it.
At first, everyone would take a portion of the test papers to grade before exchanging them for the next one, so Lin Chen didn't think there was anything wrong with it. But when he was almost finished grading, Lin Chen realized something was amiss.
At this moment, Lin Chen had drawn a messy symbol on the second question of the test paper in his hand, which would only earn him a zero. However, Lin Chen noticed that he had gotten high scores on the other questions.
Are there really such "talented people" who can't do anything easy and can only solve difficult problems?
Curiosity led Lin Chen to peek at the candidate's answers to the other questions. To his surprise, all of them were filled with writing, and the handwriting was very neat. You could tell that this candidate had definitely put in a lot of effort.
The problem is that his answer wasn't an answer at all; it was absurd. He just copied the question randomly to fill in the blanks.
Despite this "answer", the other examiners all gave it high marks?
Damn it, are you crazy?
Lin Chen was so curious that he asked Wang Haitao next to him, "Expert Wang, how did you assign points for this question? The answer is completely wrong."
Wang Haitao rolled his eyes at Lin Chen: "It wasn't easy for him to write so many words. Didn't the team leader say to be lenient? We're all in the same industry, and his handwriting is neat, so giving him more points is fine."
That explanation makes sense.
But just now, there were several papers, some with dense and neat handwriting, but everyone gave them low scores. There must be something fishy going on. What is it?
The exam papers were bound by Lin Chen and Bai Xiuzhu, so there's absolutely no problem with them. The problem must lie with the exam papers themselves.
Upon closer inspection, Lin Chen noticed a small five-pointed star drawn in the upper right corner of the exam paper. It was drawn in pencil, and it was impossible to tell whether it was drawn by the examinee or the examiner.
And as you can see, all of this candidate's answers were written as "Solution (Answer)". A normal person would write either "Solution" or "Answer". Who would be so stupid as to do that?
It was clearly a pre-arranged code.
Later, Lin Chen discovered several test papers with special markings. Some had a triangle drawn on the edge of the paper, some had a circle drawn on the question of each question, and one had three small dots secretly placed at the end of the answer to each question, which could not be noticed without careful observation.
The marked test papers, no matter how outrageous the answers were, were all given high marks by the other examiners. Even a blank paper was given a few marks by the examiners, who said it was out of sympathy.
Even if the answers are perfectly formatted, those without a mark will still receive very low scores.
Lin Chen held the exam paper with the five-pointed star drawn on it, his fingertips tracing the rough pages. He finally understood why this group of people used pencils to grade the papers first, using secret codes to select target candidates, uniformly raising their scores, and then using ballpoint pens to finalize the paper after verifying that there were no corrections left, thus ensuring perfect control.
It can only be said that the devil is always one step ahead of the saint.
Lin Chen was too lazy to care about all the intricacies and just followed his own principles. He would give a zero if it was due, and he wouldn't budge an inch. But his score alone couldn't cause any ripples.
After grading the papers and returning, Lin Chen asked Bai Xiuzhu directly, "Did you see the marks on those test papers?"
Bai Xiuzhu nodded readily in agreement: "I saw it, they're all from the team leader's side, and I gave them all high scores."
Lin Chen was genuinely taken aback: "They're all the team leader's people? How many are there?"
"The team leader hinted at it from the beginning, saying that as long as there are words, it's fine. Didn't you hear that?" Bai Xiuzhu raised an eyebrow.
Lin Chen cursed inwardly. So that's what it meant? He hadn't thought about it deeply at the time. It seemed Liu Jianjun had already colluded with these candidates. It didn't matter if they didn't understand; as long as they wrote neatly and completely, they would get points. This operation was truly ingenious. He originally thought that the examiners each had their own tasks, but it turned out it was all arranged by the group leader. The "ability" of the group leader was indeed hidden in these shady dealings. Thinking about it that way, it made sense.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with binding. It would have been so much easier to just open the book and make corrections. All these markings are just pointless," Lin Chen complained.
Bai Xiuzhu swayed slightly and lowered her voice: "Not binding it won't do. The provincial company has surveillance cameras. Openly violating the rules will cause trouble."
Lin Chen scoffed: "But this operation isn't against the rules now? I don't believe the higher-ups aren't aware of the shady dealings involved; it's been going on for years."
"This is called operating behind closed doors now, it's not considered an overt violation," Bai Xiuzhu explained.
"Is there a difference?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Of course there are. It's done behind closed doors, everyone tacitly agrees, it can't be brought into the open, but it just happens to be in line with the rules of this industry, it's a way of playing that everyone knows but doesn't say."
"Who admitted it? If they really admitted it, they wouldn't need to hide it," Lin Chen retorted.
Bai Xiuzhu's voice lowered further: "There's nothing we can do. We were both carried up by others, and now it's their turn to ask us to lend a hand. How can we not help them? They all went through the same thing."
These words hit Lin Chen like a stone, leaving him instantly breathless. The logic was so simple, yet it was so nauseatingly absurd, and he was powerless to refute it.
Seeing Lin Chen remain silent, Bai Xiuzhu asked again, "You don't have a mission? That can't be right."
"No," Lin Chen replied readily, though inwardly annoyed.
Song Jiehui had clearly given him a task, but now he couldn't even remember who the task was. Right now, all he could think about was getting his phone back and finding out who the task was.
Why is it that everyone else gets a mission and then goes back to reap the rewards, while he goes empty-handed? Isn't that a huge loss?
Bai Xiuzhu didn't think much of it and continued, "Before I left, my boss assigned me two tasks, the 11th and the 12th. I'm not very experienced, and I'm afraid I won't be able to keep both. How about you cover for me with the 12th?"
Clearly, in this industry, it's an unspoken rule that each examiner has a task to complete.
Lin Chen pondered for a few seconds and nodded: "Okay, as long as number 12 isn't too outrageous, and isn't some hopeless idiot, I'll vouch for you."
Since I couldn't sell my favor to the boss, I had to sell it to her.