Chapter Text
Caelus was not expecting to get hired when he first submitted the application.
Hell, he wasn’t even expecting to get an email back from one of the biggest corporations in the city. He was a college drop-out, practically working paycheck to paycheck with the money he earned from odd jobs, trying to support his twin Stelle in her journey through college. At first, Stelle had stubbornly refused, but she had given into Caelus’ whims when his own stubbornness had already paid for her first semester.
It was not to say that he wanted to go to college but wasn’t able to, but Caelus had felt that college life wasn’t for him–-he liked the free environment of doing odd jobs and errands. Helping the community satisfied his own heart, and he felt that he was lucky to be earning enough money through these methods to live somewhat comfortably and let Stelle focus on her school work.
However, attending college wasn’t cheap, nor was living. The money from random jobs was not enough with the rising price of living. And so, Caelus decided to try and get a stable job. It didn’t go as well as he hoped–-his easygoing attitude having trouble adjusting to the rigidity of a company. It didn't help that most of his superiors had a superiority complex when they saw that he was young and had little education and experience.
The opportunity for a stable job presented itself in an unexpected way–-playing Celestial Jade with Qingque.
The sounds of the tiles clacking against the board was the only noise between Qingque and Caelus–-silence the only thing filling the air as the two here heavily concentrated on the game. As Caelus discarded a tile from his wall, Qingque’s eyes lit up, snatched the tile from the middle of the table, and excitedly yelled, “Pong! I win!”
Groaning, Caelus looked at Qingque’s wall and saw that she had indeed won. It was the 5th time he lost against her in a row.
“Aw, cheer up, Caelus,” the girl tried to console, “You’re getting better with each match.”
“Sure, I might be getting better,” Caelus quipped back, pouting, “but I want to win at least one match today.”
Qingque let out a puff of amusement, saying triumphantly, “And to win, you’re gonna have to play more against me in the future! I’ll hold you to your promise.”
“But I didn’t-”
“Anyways,” she cut him off, “one more game before I have to go back to work?”
Caelus frowned, not wanting to lose for the 6th time in a row. “I don’t know. I also have to go to work in a little bit.”
“Come on, Caelus! Please!” The smaller girl pleaded. “Just one more match!”
“I mean, I have to go to work in…” Caelus glanced at his watch, “about half an hour. But it takes a bit to commute from here.”
“Please, Caelus! It’s just one match, and it’ll be really quick!” Qingque begged, clasping her hands together as she looked at Caelus with her wide, pleading, jade-green eyes.
Caelus looked away from her-–if he continued looking, he would have given into the cuteness of those puppy eyes.
“Didn’t you say that you needed to go to work?” Caelus attempted to redirect the subject, “You’re always complaining about work and getting too much work assigned to you.”
Looking back at her, Qingque slouched in disappointment, as her face scrunched up at the mention of her workload.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a professional slacker,” Qingque replied. “Besides, I only have a lot of work right now because one of the other secretaries is going on her maternity leave. It won’t be that way for long until they hire someone else.”
Caelus made a “hmm” sound in response, gathering the tiles littered around the table to help Qingque pack.
“Well, I can’t afford to slack off. I’ve gotta make bank for Stelle,” Caelus said, reaching for the box that Qingque stores the tiles in, but it was quickly snatched by said girl.
“Wait!” the other exclaimed, backing away with the box. Her eyes gleamed with some type of emotion Caelus couldn’t identify, but it didn’t seem malicious. “What if… I put in your name at my work?”
Caelus blinked at the proposition. “..What?”
“What if I recommended you to my boss or whoever to see if you get hired?” Qingque repeated, leaning closer to him. “I get lots of benefits, and the pay’s great, and you can get to play Celestial Jade all the time with me!”
Caelus deadpanned at her, “Is that all you want me to join you for? Just to play Celestial Jade while on the job?”
“Well, not just for the Celestial Jade,” Qingque admitted, setting the box down on the floor when she saw Caelus seriously considering her proposal. “I genuinely want to help you and Stelle. And I wouldn’t have even mentioned it if I wasn’t going to keep my promise. I’d feel too guilty.”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion. After all, like she said, the pay was great (greater than any other job or errand he had in the past) and would immensely help paying for him and Stelle’s living expenses; not to mention that the position came with benefits that Caelus was not familiar with.
“I-I don’t…” Caelus stammered, shuffling his hands in uncertainty. “I mean- It’s a great offer, but… Am I even qualified enough for that?”
“Don’t worry about it, Caelus!” Qingque reassured, “As long as you prove that you’re a hard worker and that you’re sincere, you’ll be fine. And you already are!”
“Oh my god,” Caelus whispered to himself, covering his face with his hands. He may not have had the worst self-esteem, but that didn't mean that the words from rude customers and mean management didn't affect him.
Huffing in a deep breath, Caelus smoothened out his face and uncovered his hands, seeing Qingque’s worried face.
“If you’re not sure about the offer, you can always say no. Now that I think about it, it’s probably a big deal for you,” the girl said softly–-seeing Caelus’ reaction made her feel a bit guilty.
“No, it’s ok,” the silver-haired boy assured, “It’s just- Yeah, this is a really big deal for me. But this kind of opportunity doesn’t come often.”
“So you’re taking the offer?” Qingque questioned, her face still frowned in worry. “Don’t feel pressured to say yes. I know I offered this so suddenly, but if you need time to think about it, it’s no big deal.”
Caelus’ face softened at the care and worry in the girl’s voice. “I’m sure. Thank you for the opportunity, Qingque. I really appreciate it, even if it came from you being desperate to play Celestial Jade.”
“Hey!” Qingque exclaimed sheepishly, “I didn’t think of how serious the offer was until I saw your reaction.”
She scratched her head, lowering it as she continued, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot about something like that, even if I was desperate.”
Caelus chuckled lightly, “It’s alright. I know it wasn’t in mean spirits.”
“I’m glad you’re such a kind and forgiving person, Caelus,” Qingque let out a sigh of relief. “If you get the job there, I know you’ll do great.”
He cleared his throat as his cheeks totally did not heat up at the complement, wanting to change the topic to something less serious. “Anyways, do you still want to play that last round of Celestial Jade before it’s too late?”
Qingque gasped at Caelus’ suggestion, setting up the board in record speed while exclaiming, “I’d thought you’d never ask!”
In the end, he had lost that round. Qingque’s skill in Celestial Jade was too powerful for his noob self, but the bitter taste of the 6th defeat in a row was overshadowed by the nervousness of applying for the job. After they had parted, Qingque could only promise that she’d ask for them to give him the benefit of the doubt, but that he had to prove to the company that he had what it takes to work there. That was more than enough for him.
After sending an application, it took a few days for an email about an interview to pop up in his inbox. With the help of March and the generous donation of clothes from Dan Heng (they totally did not raid his closet for a button up and slacks without permission), Caelus had nervously arrived at the company building, stammered through his interview with this kind, old lady, and waited about two weeks for another email.
Sighing, Caelus decided to read the email again.
“Hello Caelus,
Congratulations! We are pleased to confirm our offer of employment with Xianzhou. We believe your qualifications and expertise will be a valuable asset to the team.
In accordance with this email, please read the contents of the following offer attached carefully.
[See Attached Document]
Your first day will be August 2, XXXXXX.
We are excited to have you join Xianzhou! Please contact me immediately at (XXX) XXX-XXXX if you have any questions or concerns.
Best,
Jingzhai
Xianzhou Accountant at Luofu”
It was a little intimidating receiving such a formal email. But at the same time, it felt fulfilling being hired at Xianzhou, and in such a high position. However, when Caelus reviewed the file attached with the email, the position was only temporary.
He grimaced at the word “temporary.” The knowledge that he wouldn’t have the job for long dismayed him, but at least the experience at such a big firm would hopefully leave a positive impression on whoever took a look at his resume. It was bad luck starting a job with such a negative mindset, at least, that was what Stelle always had told him.
With a newfound motivation, Caelus started typing up a response to the acceptance letter. After confirming the position and including any information the document asked for, he hit send. The rush of adrenaline and nervousness immediately left his body after his finger tapped the little, blue “send” button, and he slumped back onto his bed. His phone slipped out of his hand and onto the carpet floor as he laid unmoving, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if this was really happening–-if he really was officially hired at one of the biggest corporations in the city.