After a pause, he added, "I'm not trying to say anything bad. It's just that the three of us rarely get to hang out like this anymore. Today's a school day, so everyone's busy. Once we graduate, it'll be even harder to meet up on campus like this."
"I get it. I was hoping she'd stay in the dorm tonight so we could go out and talk. But since Evie insists on going home, there's nothing we can say. I do think it's harder to make plans with her now than before. I have no idea what she's so busy with besides her internship." Emily responded.
"Didn't you intern with her at Sterling Group? You should know!"
"We're not in the same department. But she really is busier than me in the secretarial office. Several of the secretaries there seem to give her tasks. Think about it—she's new, and things are complicated, so of course she's busy."
"That's true!"
"What about you? How's your internship at that company?"
"Not great. I just want to gain some experience so it's easier to find a job after graduation."
"You don't need to worry. The work experience from Sterling Group will give you an edge!" Stella comforted Emily.
"But I still want to try to sign a contract with Sterling Group. It's just really hard!" Emily sighed.
"No way, you're so good. If you work harder, it's no problem."
"Evie is better than me! She gets a scholarship every year!"
"Evie is good at studying, but that doesn't mean she's good at working. I'm more optimistic about you. You're always flexible and smart in everything you do!"
"Don't praise me. I'm just a little clever. I'm nothing compared to the talented people at Sterling Group. But Evie and I will keep trying to sign a contract there."
"That's right. Back then, we all crossed that single-plank bridge to get into university. Now finding a job is basically the same as the college entrance exam back then!" Stella smiled.
"Yeah!" Emily nodded.
"It's a shame you didn't come to the show with me today. I sat next to a really handsome guy! But he has a girlfriend!" Stella said with a smile.
"If he has a girlfriend, then forget it! But since I started my internship at Sterling Group, those low-level handsome guys don't catch my eye anymore!"
"Does your company have a lot of handsome guys?"
"I don't know how many, but there's one super handsome guy who outshines everyone—that's our boss, Mr. Sterling! By the way, did you see the one sitting next to the principal at the school anniversary performance today?" Emily said excitedly.
"You mean Mr. Sterling. People like us can't get close to him. Better to focus on something more realistic!" Stella waved her hand.
"Have you found your Mr. Right?" Emily asked.
"No, no. I just want to find a good job now. I'll think about the rest later!" Stella hesitated and said.
"Yeah, I think we should focus on finding a job now and not think about other things. Otherwise, if work isn't done and other factors affect us, it'll be even more annoying!"
"Yeah!" Stella nodded.
Emily glanced at Stella and didn't continue the topic.
As Evie said, if Stella didn't want to talk about something, they'd better pretend they didn't know anything to avoid awkwardness.
Evie sat at her desk, copying a set of documents that would be used in the afternoon meeting.
It was a summary of the market research report data provided by the sales department.
Evie looked at it and copied it.
During her internship in the secretarial office, she gradually realized that if she was willing to study the data carefully, she would find a lot of valuable things.
For example, the market research report she was copying now said that 70% of people preferred Product A, with scores mostly between 7 and 8. Product B only got 40% preference, with an average score of about 5. The preference for it was polarized—some people liked it very much, even giving it 9 or 10 points, while others gave it a 1 directly.
Evie didn't know the final outcome of the meeting or which plan would be chosen. But if it were up to her, she might choose Product B.
Maybe it was because she preferred Product B!
After preparing all the meeting materials, Evie went to the conference room to check again. After confirming there were no issues, she went to the tea room to make coffee and herbal tea.
Secretary Amy Harper praised Evie for becoming more and more like a member of the secretarial office.
Now, she didn't need to explain anything in advance. Evie had already done it on her own initiative.
Evie said it was all because Secretary Harper taught her well. She was just following instructions.
"Well done, very promising!" Secretary Harper patted Evie on the shoulder and said.
"Thank you, Secretary Harper!" Evie said with a smile, feeling satisfied.
The meeting didn't end until after seven in the evening.
After the meeting, Evie went to clean up the conference room.
Alexander Sterling was still smoking in the conference room, looking at the data on the multimedia screen, frowning.
When Evie entered, she smelled the smoke and coughed.
Alexander turned his head to see her, put out the cigarette, and said, "Come back later to clean up."
"Do you want to continue driving?" Evie asked.
Just now, when she came out of the bathroom and wanted to go back to the secretarial office, she met the general manager of the sales department, who said the meeting had just ended.
"Wait a moment. Come back when the smoke is almost gone." Alexander said.
Evie realized that Alexander asked her to come back later to clean up to avoid her choking on the smoke.
She couldn't help feeling warm inside.
"I'm okay. The exhaust fan is on. The smoke will be gone in a while."
"Evie, if you had to choose, which product combination would you pick?" Alexander asked at this moment.
"Let me choose?" Evie looked up at Alexander.
Alexander nodded.
Evie looked at the PPT and said, "My view might be a bit naive. Don't laugh. If you let me choose, I would pick the product combination on the right."
"Why?"
"No special reason. I just like it. I'd prefer to pay for the product on the right." Evie asked, a bit embarrassed.
"You don't like the product on the left?"
"I think the product on the left is also very good. If I had to give a score, I might give it a seven or eight. After all, the content is very comprehensive. But personally, I think our products should either be unique with no substitute on the market for now, or have a very strong preference. If not, consumers can choose other products or even not buy them." Evie said seriously.
"Very insightful!" Alexander nodded.
Evie was praised by Alexander, but she felt embarrassed, and her face turned red.