My name is Hui-juan, 38 years old. I work as an HR supervisor in a traditional industry. I've been working for fifteen years, climbing from the ground up to a supervisory position, all thanks to my philosophy of "avoid trouble and cooperate as much as possible."
In recent years, the company's upper management has had an unspoken agreement—
Everything must be fast and harmonious. Even if there are issues with the process, just turn a blind eye.
I kept telling myself this was being "tactful," the wisdom of surviving in the workplace.
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Until this September, when the company needed to recruit a batch of new employees. The general manager's nephew wanted to bypass the normal interview process and get in through the back door.
"Hui-juan, just be flexible. We're all family; it's just a formality." That's what the general manager's special assistant said to me.
I hesitated for a long time.
Over the past fifteen years, I had long grown accustomed to this culture of "flexibility."
If I followed the usual pattern, I would have nodded and cooperated right away, continuing to be that "easygoing" HR supervisor.
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That night, sitting in the office working overtime alone until very late, I suddenly remembered a conversation I had with an old tea master while drinking tea not long ago.
He was an old acquaintance of my husband, a tea enthusiast in his seventies who had been drinking Dongding Oolong all his life.
"Hui-juan, do you know why real Dongding Oolong needs to be slowly roasted for 72 hours?" he asked me while brewing tea that day.
"Because that's how it gets its rice aroma, right?"
"Yes, but more importantly, if the tea maker rushes for speed and uses high heat for quick roasting, the tea leaves may look the same on the surface, but when you drink it, the base notes are empty. It can fool amateurs, but not those who truly understand tea."
After taking a sip, he continued:
"It's the same with people. If you rush for speed and harmony, skipping the principles you should uphold, on the surface it looks harmonious. But over time, everyone sees through you, and anyone can manipulate you."
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Those words kept spinning in my mind that night.
The next day, I gathered my courage and walked into the general manager's office.
"General Manager, regarding your nephew's interview, I can't make an exception and skip the process."
The general manager's face darkened: "Hui-juan, you've been in HR for so many years, and you still have to be so stubborn about this?"
"Precisely because I've been in HR for fifteen years, I know that if we make an exception for one person today, the company's recruitment system will gradually collapse. This isn't good for the company's long-term future."
The office fell silent. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up and my palms sweating.
"Besides," I continued, "if your nephew truly has the ability, he can still get hired by going through the normal process. This actually protects him too, so other colleagues won't think he got in through connections."
The general manager stared at me for a long time in silence.
Though it wasn't long, to me it felt like years...
Finally, he lowered his head to look at the documents on the desk and said, "You're right. Let's follow the normal process."
The moment I walked out of the office, my whole body was shaking.
But in my heart, there was a long-lost sense of solidity.
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That night when I got home, my husband saw my exhausted yet oddly relaxed face and curiously asked what happened.
I told him the whole story.
After listening, he brewed a pot of Dongding Oolong for me—the 茗太祖凍頂烏龍 we usually drink at home, made from the Yingxiang variety and slow-roasted for 72 hours.
"You've finally learned how to brew a cup of tea that can truly stand the test," he said with a smile.
I took a sip. The tea aroma mixed with a faint rice fragrance spread in my mouth, with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste.
After this incident, the general manager's nephew did pass the normal interview on his own merits. His performance after being hired was also quite good.
He even privately thanked me: "Sister Hui-juan, thank you for not letting me skip the interview back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to hold my head up in the company now."
I finally understood that what I used to think of as "tactfulness" was actually just a disguise for fearing conflict.
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True maturity is like that cup of Dongding Oolong slow-roasted for 72 hours—even if the process is arduous and time-consuming, you persist in doing what needs to be done properly. Only then can the base notes withstand the test of time.
Now, every day after work, I brew a pot of Dongding Oolong and drink it slowly.
It also reminds me that in everything I do, I must live up to this dedication.
(End of story)
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