r18novel Chapter 11 The Zhang Family
Chapter 11 The Zhang Family
"I don't have evidence, but logically I would," Chen Mo said frankly. "If it were me, I would definitely compare multiple options. And don't you guys think that his 'crazy calmness' today made it seem like he didn't care about the outcome at all? People like that are either extremely confident or simply don't lack choices."
Li Wei frowned as she pondered.
Zhou Botao finally spoke, his voice steady: "What you all say makes sense. Lin Shen's 'maturity' is indeed questionable, and his style may not suit everyone. But his demonstrated abilities are undeniable." He paused, "Let me ask you this from another angle: If we only gave him an internship offer today because of 'doubt' or 'unconventional style,' and he went to a competitor, producing impressive results three months later...would we regret it?"
The meeting room fell silent again.
Chen Mo and Li Wei were both thinking about this problem.
"Yes," Chen Mo spoke first, though reluctantly, "If he really has the ability, we'll regret it. Especially if behind his 'unconventional metaphors' lies a more flexible way of thinking..."
"Me too," Zhou Botao nodded. "So the question becomes—are we willing to take the risk for this 'potential capability' and 'uncertain style'?"
Li Wei remained cautious: "Teacher Zhou, teamwork is also very important. What if he speaks too casually and upsets his colleagues?"
"That depends on how Chen Mo manages him." Zhou Botao looked at Chen Mo. "Do you dare to take him on?"
Chen Mo paused for a moment, then laughed: "To be honest, I'm a little curious. I want to see if he's real gold, or just a talking goldsmith. Is he genuinely insane, or just pretending to be naive?"
"Okay." Zhou Botao opened his laptop and pulled up a document. "I checked the process this afternoon. There's a 'special approval channel'—a joint recommendation from the department head and HRBP, with the signature of the technical director. This can offer a full-time position to a recent graduate, but with special terms."
"What terms?"
"It's a six-month probationary period, not the usual three months. If he doesn't meet the evaluation standards during this period, the company has the right to unilaterally terminate the contract without incurring additional compensation." Zhou Botao looked at the two men. "This is essentially an extended 'internship,' but we're giving him the salary and authority of a full-time employee. If he's truly capable, six months will be enough to prove it; if he's just a paper tiger, or if there are genuine problems with teamwork, we'll have time to cut our losses."
Chen Mo's eyes lit up: "That works. It puts enough pressure on us, and it shows sincerity."
Li Wei was still hesitant: "What about the salary and benefits? The starting salary for a full-time position, plus the possible year-end bonus and stock options, is much more expensive than for an intern."
"If he's worth it, then it's not too high." Zhou Botao shut down his computer. "Chen Mo, you'll be mentoring him for the next six months. You'll need to observe not only his technical output but also his collaborative style. If necessary, give him a nudge. Zhang's team doesn't need unstable elements."
Chen Mo nodded: "Sure. I'm quite excited; this interview was definitely worthwhile."
"Li Wei, you're in charge of communicating with HR about the special approval process. The salary will be based on the median for a junior engineer in a full-time position, with a small amount of stock options as a token, depending mainly on subsequent performance," Zhou Botao assigned the task. "Also, add a supplementary agreement—if he performs exceptionally well in the six-month evaluation, he'll be promoted early, and the stock options will be added. However, if his communication style causes conflict within the team, and he doesn't change after being reminded, the contract can be terminated early."
The plan is basically finalized.
Li Wei finally nodded: "Okay, I'll coordinate it. But Professor Zhou, we need a sufficient 'reason for exception,' otherwise it will be difficult for HR to approve it."
Zhou Botao picked up Lin Shen's system design answer sheet and pointed to the three innovative points: "The reason is that he can think of what we are thinking about. What does the team need most right now? Not hands that can only follow the steps, but brains that dare to think and try."
He may not be mature enough yet, and his style may need some work-in, but the direction of his thinking is highly consistent with our technical roadmap for the next two years.” He paused, “Moreover, his ‘unconventional’ metaphors sometimes show that solving difficult problems requires unconventional thinking.”
He looked out the window; the traffic on Shennan Avenue was still flowing endlessly. "Xiaomi is already poaching talent; Lei Jun is personally recruiting. We need to take advantage of this graduation season to enrich our talent pool. I don't know if Lin Shen is the talent we're looking for. But I'm willing to take a gamble, to spend six months betting on a possibility, betting that his 'madness' is creativity, not destruction."
Chen Mo and Li Wei exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.
Zhou Botao has made his decision.
They knew in their hearts that behind this decision lay the anxiety and aspirations of the WeChat team at that delicate juncture in 2010. They needed fresh blood, people who could understand the unique characteristics of "mobile communication," and they needed to find a path for the mobile internet beyond the massive presence of QQ. This path required technology, but also imagination.
Just then, Lin Shen barged in, carrying an almost "standard answer" and displaying a "not-so-standard" demeanor.
Is it a coincidence, or destiny?
they do not know.
But since they've delivered themselves to our doorstep, nobody wants to miss out.
Three days later, Lin Shen received a new email.
From: Tencent Recruitment System
Subject: Notification of Offer of Employment to Tencent Wireless Business Systems Department (Special Approval Channel)
Contents:
"Hello, Lin Shen."
"Congratulations on passing all interview stages for Tencent Wireless Business Systems Department. After comprehensive evaluation by the department, we believe that your abilities and potential meet the standards of our 'Special Talent Introduction Program,' and we are now applying for your 'Special Approval Channel' recruitment qualification."
Job Opening: Junior Software Development Engineer (Mobile Communications Specialization)
"Recruitment Type: Full-time Employee (Special Approval Channel)"
"Probation period: 6 months (standard procedure is 3 months)"
Salary and benefits: See attached offer letter for details.
"Special Note: This offer is accompanied by a supplementary agreement, which includes clauses on early conversion to permanent employment and teamwork requirements. Please read it carefully."
Please reply within three business days to confirm. If you have any questions, please contact HRBP Li Wei.
At the end of the email, there was a small note:
"P.S. Chen Mo will be your onboarding mentor. He asked me to tell him: 'Welcome to the company. Be prepared to write code, and be prepared to explain your analogies.'"
Lin Shen looked at the screen and blinked.
Then he laughed so hard his shoulders trembled slightly, as if he had seen something particularly funny.
"Six-month probationary period... special approval channel..." he murmured, "and he even specifically mentioned the metaphor."
Rebirth, a system, the farce at Feixun, the interview at Tencent, and now this offer with "additional terms".
It seems like everyone is testing him, trying to find out who he really is, how crazy he really is, and whether it's worth taking this gamble.
"Alright," he said to the air, "then let's gamble."
He clicked reply and his fingers tapped on the keyboard:
"Acceptance confirmed. Supplementary agreement read and no objections raised."
"P.S. Please tell Professor Chen Mo that my analogies are all supported by logic, just like code has comments—although comments are sometimes longer than the code."
send.
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Weifang City, Water Conservancy Community
Lin Shen stared at the computer screen, his shoulders began to tremble slightly, and then he let out a "giggle" laugh.
"Shen Shen, what are you laughing at?"
The mother, Wang Xiuying, pushed open the door with a plate of cut fruit and saw her son shaking his shoulders and laughing in front of the computer screen. She subconsciously asked him a question.
"Mom," Lin Shen wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and turned the computer screen towards her, "I'm going to join an interesting company."
On the screen, the offer letter from Tencent remained quietly lit.
"Tencent, Wireless Business Systems Department, special approval channel." The mother leaned closer to look, reading slowly, "What does this mean? Is it the same as the company you interviewed with before?"
"Same one, that's it." Lin Shen's eyes sparkled. "But this email is interesting. Look here: 'Professor Chen Mo will be your onboarding mentor. He asked me to tell him: Welcome to the company. Be prepared to write code, and also be prepared to explain your analogies.'"
The mother didn't quite understand: "A metaphor?"
"It's because I always use analogies during interviews," Lin Shen said, sitting up straight and gesturing wildly. "For example, I compared the caching mechanism to 'a mother always wanting to stuff food in her child' and troubleshooting to 'solving a case and finding the culprit.' The interviewer remembered it and even wrote it in an email!"
He laughed again as he spoke: "Don't you think they're funny? Sending out a formal offer letter with this kind of 'friendly reminder'."
His mother, infected by his emotions, laughed too: "Well, they value you. But you've always loved making up analogies since you were little. Back in school, your essays always made your teachers so angry..."
"What are you angry about?"
The voice of the father, Lin Guodong, came from the doorway. He was standing there at some point, holding today's evening paper in his hand, his glasses slipped down to the middle of his nose.
The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.
The mother quickly smoothed things over: "It's nothing. Shen Shen said he passed the interview and will be working at Tencent."
"Tencent?" The father walked in, placed the evening newspaper on the table, and leaned close to Lin Shen's computer screen. He read slowly, his brows furrowing as he read. Over the past three days, he and Lin Shen had discussed work, but their son had always steered the conversation in other directions. Now it seemed that this was the "culprit."
"Special approval process, six-month probation period, supplementary agreement." The father looked up, his eyes sharp. "What does this mean? Why isn't a legitimate company following the proper procedures?"
"Dad, this is a special talent channel," Lin Shen explained. "Because my written test and interview performance were outstanding, they offered me a permanent position, but the probationary period has been extended to six months, which is a two-way test."
"A test?" The father took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What if they say you're unqualified after six months? Your resume will have a 'laid off by Tencent' record. Then, when you go back to Weifang to take the civil service exam, will any company still want you?"
"Old Lin..." the mother tried to persuade him.
"Let him speak," the father said, staring at Lin Shen. "I want to hear what he has to say today."
Lin took a deep breath.
He knew he couldn't avoid the real family defense today, but he was indeed prepared to lay his cards on the table.
"Dad, have you ever played Minesweeper?" he suddenly asked.
The father was taken aback: "What?"
"That game that comes with Windows, you tap on squares, and the numbers represent the number of mines around you," Lin Shen gestured. "When I first learned programming, my teacher asked us to write our own Minesweeper. I wrote it, but the program was incredibly slow; it would take forever to calculate just one square."
The father frowned, not understanding why he suddenly brought this up.
"Later I realized the problem was with my algorithm," Lin Shen continued. "Every time I clicked a cell, I recalculated the entire map. But actually, that wasn't necessary; I only needed to calculate the surrounding area."
He paused, looking at his father: "Finding a job is like minesweeping. You think I should carefully check every square to find an absolutely safe place. But I think sometimes you have to take a risk and check the square with the highest number, because there might be a whole lot of empty space behind it."
"This is gambling," the father said, his voice turning serious.
"It was a calculated risk," Lin Shen corrected. "Tencent's platform, the capabilities I demonstrated, their emphasis on communications... these are all 'numbers.' I've calculated it, and it's worth it."
"What makes you think you can prove it?" the father raised his voice. "You're only twenty-two. How much of society have you seen? Back in my day in the bureau, I saw countless talented young people ruin their lives because they chose the wrong side or followed the wrong people!"
"Dad, times have changed." Lin Shen's voice was soft but steady. "In your time, a person's fate was tied to their workplace, their job title, and their boss. But now, in the internet industry, a person's value can be proven by their code, their products, and their user base."
He then operated the computer and pulled up another email—it was from Li Feng, the senior from Meituan, who had sent it a couple of days ago, asking if he had considered changing his offer.
"Look, this is Meituan, another company with great potential, and they also want me." Lin Shen brought the screen closer to his father. "I don't only have Tencent as an option. I chose the one I wanted most from several good choices."
The father looked at the email and fell silent.
Taking the opportunity, the mother said, "Old Lin, the child has his own ideas, we..."
"Do you know what I'm most worried about?" her father suddenly interrupted, looking at Lin Shen. "I'm not worried that you won't make money, or that you won't be able to afford a house in Shenzhen. I'm worried that you'll ruin yourself in that industry."
Lin Shen was stunned. To be honest, he had never discussed this matter in detail with his father in his previous life.
"Your Uncle Wang's son, Wang Li." The father's voice was a little hoarse. "He was such a bright kid when he was young, loved to draw and play soccer. Later he went to Alibaba, and now? The last time he came back, he was thirty years old, half of his hair was white, and when you talked to him, he couldn't stop talking about 'KPIs,' 'OKRs,' and 'promotion paths.' He seemed to have been hollowed out, just an empty shell."
Lin Shen suddenly thought of himself at 37, and his eyes immediately reddened. However, he suddenly turned his head away so that his parents would not see.