Han Lie had slept exceptionally well, waking up at 8:00 AM feeling refreshed and energetic.
By the ti he had showered and erged from the bedroom, Liang Wu was directing a waiter in setting up breakfast. Lü Shuli, anwhile, sat on the sofa with enormous dark circles under her eyes, sipping hot coffee in small mouthfuls.
The scoundrel pretended not to notice the dark circles and asked with feigned concern, "How did it go? Did you manage everything smoothly?"
"Very smoothly, thank you for asking."
Lü Shuli glanced down at her docunts and quietly rolled her eyes.
This young lady has been swamped since 8 PM on Saturday—it's now 8 AM on Monday—and I've had less than four hours of sleep in total. You tell if it went smoothly! What's most infuriating is that for the entire thirty-six hours, that scoundrel didn't send a single text! Now he decides to show concern? Too late!
Lü Shuli was fuming internally but didn't let it show, only betraying a hint of her resentnt through subtle actions.
Liu Minghao sat to one side, watching the scene with an amused smile, finding it quite entertaining.
Han Lie certainly sensed her displeasure, but he didn't try to console Lü Shuli. Instead, he turned to Liu Minghao and asked, "After this project, will Little Lü be ready to take charge on her own?"
Liu Minghao, naturally, wouldn't undermine her. He nodded. "The Firm is already preparing her offer, and the Navigator program has also reserved a spot for her."
Lü Shuli imdiately looked up, pursing her lips as she glanced at Han Lie. There was a touch of charming petulance in her eyes.
Working at a Red Circle Firm was a starting point that almost all new law graduates couldn't even dream of.
Red Circle Firms were notoriously difficult to get into, generally requiring a graduate degree.
For undergraduates, acceptance was typically limited to national award winners from the "Five Institutes and Four Departnts" of China's legal education system, or from the prestigious trio of Tsinghua, Fudan, and Jiaotong Universities.
The eight major Red Circle Firms issued fewer than sixty offers to undergraduates annually. Considering there were nearly 8,000 top law graduates each year, plus hundreds more with LLMs and JDs from the UK and US, the level of competition was imnse.
King & Wood Mallesons' "Golden Touch" program had an acceptance rate of roughly one in a hundred for Master of Laws candidates; it was rare for an undergraduate to be selected even once a year.
Fangda's "Navigator" program wasn't quite as stringent, but under normal circumstances, Lü Shuli wouldn't have stood a chance.
The fact that she had even secured an internship at Fangda was a testant to how much good fortune her family must have prayed for.
Han Lie didn't know much about the internal planning of their firm, but he had his ways of warming the young won's hearts.
The scoundrel chuckled and pressed Liu Minghao, "Cut the vague talk. Just tell straight: what's Little Lü's starting salary? If I find it too shabby, I'll just poach her to be my company's Legal Director."
Liu Minghao gave a wry smile and shook his head, pretending to wipe non-existent sweat from his brow.
"Starting salary is 25K per month, with a 15-month salary structure, twenty days of annual leave, and additional performance bonuses at year-end... President Han, are you satisfied?"
"What kind of talk is that?" Han Lie frowned with feigned old man's frustration. "My satisfaction doesn't matter; what's important is whether Little Lü is satisfied! Sis Li, what do you think? Speak your mind! If you're willing to co work for , I'll increase the pay by 50% on the spot."
"Ah?"
Lü Shuli's head spun at being called "Sis Li," and she froze for a mont.
Anyone could see her internal struggle.
Truthfully, a starting salary of 25K from Fangda was quite high, especially since it was just the beginning of 2014.
The Big Four accounting firms generally started around 20K. Major international investnt banks offered slightly more, around 27-32K, but they exclusively hired master's graduates from top-tier universities.
In comparison, state-owned banks offered starting salaries of about 3-5K.
Comrcial banks like SPD Bank, in Magic Capital, started employees at around 6-9K with a 13-month salary system.
Civil servants in Magic Capital began with 3.2K-4.8K, averaging 5K after three years. Including all benefits, their annual inco might reach a maximum of 110,000 to 120,000 yuan.
What Lü Shuli could earn in one year would take her classmates aiming for civil service positions three years of hard work to achieve.
The older generation might still believe that civil service positions offer more stability. However, a careful look at inco growth curves reveals a different picture. In ten years, an associate director in civil service might reach a monthly salary of 7K. In contrast, a senior lawyer at a Red Circle Firm could easily earn 80K a month.
The gap hadn't shrunk; it had widened further.
A civil servant might have forty years of stability, but without reaching a position of power, earning a cumulative total of 4 million yuan would be difficult.
Senior lawyers at Red Circle Firms could achieve financial independence in five years, and they also had various entrepreneurial opportunities.
So, which job is truly more valuable? Shut up! If you had a hundred chances to choose, it would always be civil service!
Alright, Su Zi once said: "If you're not top-tier talent, it's best to try your hardest to get into a good university and, starting from your freshman year, aim to pass the civil service exams and secure a position. The beatings from society are truly hard to endure..."
This represented a pragmatic approach—acknowledging one's own ordinariness while still being ambitious, daring to dream, and striving for the best possible outco in life.
Previously, Lü Shuli herself had envied classmates who worked for the district governnt, mainly because she felt uncertain about her own future.
She had never been among the absolute top students. Her internship at Fangda was partly due to her good looks, and whether she could secure a permanent position had been up in the air.
Now, the issue of employnt was resolved, but she found herself having to reconsider her entire future.
A job at a Red Circle Firm is already considered top-tier in Magic Capital. Could there be an even better path? Clearly, following Han Lie is a superior option. Opportunities like the one presented today? You'd be lucky to find ten such chances in all of Magic Capital in an entire year. This is practically a shortcut to soaring success.
However, after an internal struggle that lasted nearly ten seconds, Lü Shuli spoke with difficulty, "President Han, I am incredibly grateful for your high regard and trust. But I still have much to learn and improve in many areas. Fangda is an excellent 'societal university,' and I believe I should spend a few more years solidly grounding myself..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers