Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Xiaoying is Shocked: She Just Took an Exam and Became the City Lord?
Unlike the excited viewers from Coconut Country, the viewers from Dragon Country found the situation increasingly bizarre.
From the written exam at the start to the end of the interview, a strange atmosphere permeated everything.
It was as if...
all the ghosts were working together to help Yun Zhenyue cheat.
This was the thought that subconsciously surfaced in everyone’s mind.
But why?
Because she was pretty?
Or did Gu Yuan really know someone in the upper echelons of the ghost city?
Cecil was probably out of luck this time.
This group of ghost interviewers was completely biased, judging the person, not their performance.
If it were anyone else, they’d probably have a fit over a single incorrect digit on an ID number.
[You guys are a bunch of idiots. Can’t you see they’re completely biased toward Boss Yun Zhenyue?]
[Holy nepotism, you call this an interview?]
[I know it’s not right to pull strings, but seeing Yun Zhenyue do it is actually pretty satisfying.]
[I was wrong. I can’t believe I ever doubted she’d make it to the interview stage.]
[I bet Gu Yuan pulled some strings behind the scenes.]
...
At that moment, Cecil took a deep breath, steeling her emotions and rehearsing her story.
It would be her turn to interview soon.
But just then, she saw a male ghost leaving the interview room.
The ghost was dressed in an exquisite suit and was impeccably groomed, yet his eyes were red-rimmed as if he had suffered a terrible blow. He clenched his fists, on the very edge of a breakdown.
"Huh?"
Cecil was confused. ’Didn’t they say the interview was supposed to be easy? How did it reduce this ghost to tears?’
A sliver of anxiety crept into her heart.
But she was at the point of no return and had to go through with it.
Pushing aside her distracting thoughts, she knocked lightly on the door and walked in.
"Hello, esteemed interviewers~"
Cecil entered the interview room and spoke politely to the group of ghost interviewers.
But what greeted her...
...was their complete indifference!
The group of high-ranking, powerful ghosts seemed to be in the middle of a discussion.
When they got to an exciting point, they even slapped the table and sighed emotionally.
They paid no attention to her, the interviewee, whatsoever.
Cecil waited for quite a while.
No one told her the interview was starting.
She then recalled Yun Zhenyue’s words and immediately began her self-introduction.
"My name is Cecil. I’m from Coconut Country, I’m twenty-seven years old, I live in Wansheng District, and I’m married. My husband is..."
But she couldn’t even finish her sentence!
A male ghost cut her off impatiently, "Shut up!"
"Who told you to introduce yourself?"
"All of this information is on your form. Our time is limited. What’s the point of wasting it with this nonsense?"
"If you waste one minute, that’s seven minutes wasted for the seven of us. You don’t even have a basic concept of time. What are you even doing here interviewing?!"
Cecil’s heart dropped when she heard this!
The rebuke was so sudden and unexpected!
Her face turned deathly pale, and the color drained from her lips.
’No... that’s not right! Didn’t that Yun Zhenyue girl start with an introduction? I was clearly following the exact same procedure! Why am I getting yelled at?!’
Cecil clutched the hem of her skirt, her lips trembling with a sense of grievance.
She figured the ghosts were probably about to end their workday and had run out of patience. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy toward Yun Zhenyue.
She forced herself to suppress her frustration.
It was time to start her sob story.
The story she had concocted was infinitely more tragic than Yun Zhenyue’s!
She was confident this group of ghost interviewers would be moved!
"I’m sorry, esteemed interviewers. This is my first interview, so I’m a bit inexperienced."
"I was born in the slums. My father is a gambling addict, my mother is bedridden with a serious illness, my younger brother is still in school, and my husband is frequently abusive."
"To save my broken family, I had no choice but to pour everything I have into this exam, desperate for a chance to change our lives..."
Cecil recounted her fabricated story, the corners of her eyes turning red.
She threw herself into the role completely.
As she reached the emotional peak of her story, two lines of hot tears streamed down her face.
She was practically bringing herself to tears with her own performance!
Even the viewers from Coconut Country were moved by her tale.
[Is she telling the truth? Is her life really that tragic?]
[You moron, of course it’s fake. The Corpse-Eating Ghost never laid a hand on her.]
[The interviewers have to be moved by this, right?]
[Totally. That woman from Dragon Country made them cry with just a few words. A story this tragic has to make them bawl their eyes out.]
[It’s in the bag! There’s hope for this interview!]
...
However, when the ghost interviewers heard her story, the expressions on their faces were quite a sight to behold.
Far from being moved by Cecil’s words, they all furrowed their brows, looking as if they were about to be sick.
Many of the ghosts being interviewed had tried to take shortcuts.
They had heard more than their fair share of sob stories!
Plenty of ghosts were already tragic figures, their appearances still bearing the marks of their deaths—knives sticking out of their heads, limbs burned to a crisp, rotting facial features... you name it. One glance and you’d think, ’Now that’s a miserable ghost!’
In comparison, Cecil’s story had zero impact.
That was it?
It was so pathetic it made them want to laugh.
She wasn’t even as pitiful as the dog outside the examination hall!
That dog had been abandoned as a pup, grew up eating garbage, and had two of its legs broken by a car. When it was finally adopted, its owner killed it simply because a neighbor said it was bad luck.
"Are you nuts?"
"Are you even here for an interview?" the same male ghost from before mocked ruthlessly. "This is an interview room, not a charity. You’ve come to the wrong place."
The other ghost interviewers clicked their tongues in sarcastic wonder.
"This one might actually be an idiot."
"Does she really think a sob story will get her through the interview?"
"A complete waste of time."
Cecil’s mind went blank.
"How... how could this be?" she murmured.
This was completely different from what she had imagined!
’I played the victim card that hard... and all the ghost interviewers did was mock me? Don’t they have hearts? Even the most heartless person would feel *something*, right?’
Cecil’s breathing grew ragged. She bit her lip so hard that deep teeth marks were imprinted on the delicate skin.
Just then, an older female ghost stood up.
Just as Cecil thought this might be her last hope, the ghost shook her head. "That’s enough!"
"Stop making things up. Your time is over."
"As for a deceitful candidate like you, I can give you the result right now: you’re eliminated."
Elim... Eliminated?
Cecil’s composure shattered!
All the blood, sweat, and tears she put into the written exam—all for nothing?
The very words she’d spoken had backfired and doomed her.
Didn’t that make her look like a total clown?
She had made a complete fool of herself in front of a global audience!
It felt as if she’d been slapped resoundingly across the face!
Cecil suspected she had been tricked.
The self-introduction, the sob story—it was all just over-the-top, counterproductive nonsense!
She was completely shattered!
Her resentment toward Yun Zhenyue deepened.
...
Seeing this, the viewers from Dragon Country couldn’t hold back anymore.
[I can only say she brought this on herself.]
[What a genius move. Who can she blame for completely bombing her own interview?]
[I get it now. Even if Yun Zhenyue didn’t say a single word during her interview, this panel would have passed her, right?]
[It must be true. Boss Gu Yuan definitely knows someone high up in the ghost city!]
[Damn~ So Yun Zhenyue can complete the mission just like that. I wonder what kind of position she’ll get.]
...
Night fell, the sky as dark as ink.
Yun Zhenyue was strolling around the examination grounds.
Xiaoying followed silently behind her.
Both were waiting for the final results of the exam.
But just then!
BOOM!
A streak of golden light shot through the darkness, soaring into the sky. It exploded at its apex, transforming into a shower of fiery sparks!
Countless ghosts raised their heads, staring in shock at the fireworks!
The entire ghost city was shaken!
"Huh?" Yun Zhenyue looked at the sky in bewilderment. "Is it some kind of special holiday today? Why are they setting off fireworks?"
"..."
Xiaoying stared blankly, the brilliant fireworks reflected in her eyes.
The thing was, Fengdu Ghost City typically only set off their spectral fireworks to commemorate special occasions.
Today was just an ordinary day.
So why would they—
Before she could figure it out, soon, a group of ghost city officials in matching black uniforms rushed toward them.
Upon seeing Yun Zhenyue, the lead official clasped his hands together respectfully. "City Lord, it is time to return to your residence."
City Lord? ’Is the City Lord nearby?’
Yun Zhenyue looked around in shock, but she didn’t see anyone else.
It wasn’t until the group of officials stared directly at her...
...that Yun Zhenyue, completely dumbfounded, asked, "Are you talking to me?"
’I just took an exam. How did I become the City Lord?’
