Chapter 0820: A Strange Person

"Are you here for the interview too?"

The young man glanced at Zhao Fusheng, seemingly trying to make conversation after having just misunderstood him.

"Huh? No, I'm here on business." Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then broke into a smile: "May I ask, how long does a group interview like this usually take?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the gradually shortening line in front of him, indicating the young man.

The young man was somewhat surprised, casting a curious glance at this peer who seemed different from most, completely unflustered. To be honest, Zhao Fusheng's attire today was quite distinctive—a shirt paired with a suit and leather shoes, giving off a bit of a corporate elite vibe.

"Five people per group, average about ten minutes per group. But the last group went in about fifteen minutes ago, so someone probably passed the interview." A hint of envy crept into the young man's voice; clearly, he too yearned to be valued.

"Don't worry, only you can decide the outcome of the opportunities that come your way." Zhao Fusheng smiled at the young man and patted him on the shoulder.

The natural confidence and ease he exuded somehow calmed the young man's previously restless mood.

"Next group, get ready." A staff member's voice came from the doorway, instructing: "Wait by the door. After I open it, hand me your resumes, then enter in order. The company's leaders will ask some questions, and you just answer."

He paused, then said sternly: "Please keep quiet and do not disturb other candidates."

"Well, it'll be our turn soon." The young man turned to Zhao Fusheng and said, "Good luck!"

"Huh? Oh, okay, okay." Zhao Fusheng was momentarily startled, then laughed.

Originally, he had intended to go straight in, but now he thought staying might be fine too. Besides, he found the young man quite interesting.

Just moments ago, he had been too nervous to speak, but now he had calmed down and even took the initiative to cheer Zhao Fusheng on.

"By the way, what's your name?"

After Zhao Fusheng sat down, the young man asked him.

"My name is Zhou Jing." Before Zhao Fusheng could answer, the man extended his hand: "Nice to meet you."

"My surname is Zhao." Zhao Fusheng smiled, not disliking the guy's presumptuous familiarity.

For some reason, Zhou Jing felt that this peer surnamed Zhao had a reassuring aura, as if everything was under control.

"Are you also interviewing for the planning department?" Zhou Jing asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then shook his head: "No, I'm not too fond of planning."

He meant it; after all, if anyone did the same job year after year, they'd probably go from liking it to being sick of it.

"Oh, then it's the admin department." Zhou Jing muttered to himself.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged noncommittally and didn't pick up on that.

More and more people went in for interviews. Some came out looking dejected, others excited—clearly, some succeeded and some failed.

Zhou Jing, however, grew increasingly nervous, clutching his clothes and muttering to himself.

"Are you nervous?"

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Zhou Jing and suddenly asked.

Zhou Jing was startled, then nodded with a wry smile: "Yeah, I'm from out of town. I just graduated this year. I've failed several interviews before. If I fail this one too, I'll probably have to go back to my hometown."

Zhao Fusheng nodded. Another passionate young man eager to make it big in the capital.

There were many like him; Zhao Fusheng himself had been one back in the day.

Mostly, they were the type who wouldn't turn back until they hit a wall or shed tears until they saw the coffin.

"What do you think is the most important thing in advertising planning?" Zhao Fusheng suddenly asked Zhou Jing.

This question would become a memorable highlight in Zhou Jing's life, but for Zhao Fusheng, it was just a trivial interlude in his own brilliant life. Perhaps seeing Zhou Jing reminded him of his younger self, who had faced setbacks but gritted his teeth and persisted, so he casually asked.

"Making money, of course."

Faced with Zhao Fusheng's question, Zhou Jing answered seriously without hesitation.

Zhao Fusheng raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Shouldn't it be creativity?"

"The purpose of creativity is to make ads acceptable to consumers, which then generates sales, and the ultimate result of sales is profit. If the goal of an ad campaign isn't to make money for the client, why would they hire us?" Zhou Jing spoke eloquently in response to Zhao Fusheng's question.

Zhao Fusheng blinked. To be honest, this was the first time he had heard such a novel theory.

But thinking about it, Zhou Jing's words made some sense, even hitting the nail on the head.

"By that logic, what about public service ads?" Zhao Fusheng asked with interest.

"Public service ads are the same. People accept the ideas we灌输 to them and eventually act on those principles. For us ad planners, that's a win." Zhou Jing shrugged.

Zhao Fusheng knew his question was a bit off. Public service ads and commercial ads were quite different; the former aimed to promote positive values, while the latter promoted products.

As Zhou Jing said, the ultimate goal was to boost the client's product sales and thus generate profit.

"Your ideas are quite interesting." Zhao Fusheng smiled at Zhou Jing.

Compared to those ad people who always touted creativity as king, this guy's thoughts were more down-to-earth and realistic.

With that, Zhao Fusheng stood up and said to Zhou Jing, "Good luck."

Zhou Jing was startled, looking at Zhao Fusheng strangely: "What's wrong? It's almost our turn. Aren't you going to the interview?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "No, I'm not. Haha."

After laughing, he walked straight to the door.

"Who is that guy?"

"Hey, hey, hey, why aren't you queuing?"

Zhao Fusheng's actions caused a stir among the waiting crowd, and soon some people voiced their displeasure.

But what happened next left them dumbfounded. They saw Zhao Fusheng walk to the conference room door. The Future Advertising staff member, who had been standing guard with a stern, intimidating face, was stunned at the sight of the arrogant queue-jumper.

No one knew what they said, but the staff member opened the door and let the guy in.

"What, what's going on?"

Zhou Jing stood there, utterly bewildered, completely confused.