November 19th, Friday…
Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao were going to arrive in Jingzhou the next day. Coincidentally, it would be a Saturday, and they could host a welcome feast for the latter at Ming Yun Private Kitchen.
Pei Qian took a lift to Jingzhou Station in the south and surveyed a few houses. From there, he shortlisted a few. Finally, he picked a beautifully-renovated house that measured 140 square meters. Its price was not far from what Pei Qian had expected. Furthermore, Pei Qian paid the full amount upfront. Thus, he managed to get a small, five percent discount. The final price was 1.63 million yuan.
Since the house was not yet complete, he had to wait until March next year before it could be handed over.
Property prices would balloon in the next two to three years. Most good houses would be paid for in advance and then completed within a certain time frame. If Pei Qian insisted on moving in immediately upon paying the purchase price, he would probably only be able to get second-hand homes.
He did not have much of a choice. Thus, after considering all the factors, he decided that this house was the most suitable. Although he had to pay for it in advance, it was worth buying. In any case, Pei Qian was in no hurry. His parents' house was quite small, but they had already been living there for so many years. A few months more would not make a difference.
Furthermore, even if the house had been handed over immediately, he still had to inspect, design, and furnish it. All of that would take him a few months anyway. He could not rush the process.
Now that the house was bought, a huge burden was taken off of Pei Qian's chest. He felt much more relaxed.
The only thing that made him unhappy was seeing about two hundred thousand yuan left in his Personal Wealth. Pei Qian could not help but feel sorrowful—all of his hard-earned money was gone just like that.
Still, it did not really matter. As long as he could incur more losses before the next settlement, he would be able to earn all the money spent on the house back!
He was busy all of Friday. After signing the sale and purchase agreement for the house, he finally returned home to rest.
On Saturday afternoon, Pei Qian instructed Little Sun—the company's chauffeur—to send him to Ming Yun Private Kitchen. There, he waited for Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao.
Both of them were on afternoon flights. Zhang Zuting had arrived slightly earlier, and so he went to the hotel to get some rest first. Lu Zhiyao arrived slightly later, but Pei Qian also arranged for someone to pick him up, send him to the hotel, and let him settle in before fetching him to Ming Yun Private Kitchen. Of course, as the director of the film, Zhu Xiaoce was joining them as well. He had already arrived ahead of time.
Pei Qian and Zhu Xiaoce sat in the private room, snacking and waiting. Pei Qian noticed that there were two printed scripts in Zhang Zuting's briefcase. Those were probably meant for Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao.
Pei Qian's head was hurting just thinking about the scripts. When Zhang Zuting asked to see it earlier, Pei Qian managed to dodge the bullet. Now that Lu Zhiyao was here, Pei Qian guessed that he would likely make the same request. Pei Qian knew for a fact that both of them were very picky with movie scripts. They were not the kind of actors who would star in any role they were told to as long as they were paid. Thus, Pei Qian would definitely not be able to gloss over the script.
old Zhang would probably be easier to deal with. After all, they had worked together before, and he was willing to cooperate. However, Lu Zhiyao was not acquainted with Pei Qian in any way, and he was quite famous. How could Pei Qian expect him to star in a film that was being produced by an unknown director? Even if they paid him a lot of money, he might not agree to play the role once he saw the script. Thus, Pei Qian was worried. On the other hand, there was not a hint of worry on Zhu Xiaoce's face. Instead, he looked confident and prepared.
Pei Qian thought that it was quite ridiculous. The script was so rubbish, and yet Zhu Xiaoce looked like he was holding onto works that had won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Pei Qian tried asking, "Director Zhu, when Lu Zhiyao arrives, he will likely ask about the movie script. When he does—"
"Don't worry, Boss Pei! There's nothing to worry about!" Before Pei Qian could finish speaking, Zhu Xiaoce patted his chest. "Your script was so well-written. For all we know, the more Lu Zhiyao reads, the more he would like it! He might even request to star in it in exchange for a lower pay!"
Pei Qian was speechless."…"
You're too optimistic, aren't you?
Yet, at that point, Pei Qian saw no point in asking more questions. He could only watch how things went when they all finally met.
A while later, the company's seven-seater car arrived. Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao alighted from the car and were led into Ming Yun Private Kitchen by a waiter. They each had an assistant trailing behind them.
It was common for celebrities to bring their assistants along. After all, most celebrities were extremely busy. They needed someone by their sides to help them or they would risk becoming overwhelmed. The fact that each of these men only had one assistant with them showed how low-profile they were. Other popular celebrities would bring eight to ten assistants with them whenever they left their homes. It almost looked like they were the moon, always behind held up by surrounding stars. This was the first time Pei Qian was meeting Lu Zhiyao in person. Before this, he had only seen his pictures and his scenes in movies online.
The first impression he had of Lu Zhiyao was that he was very handsome!
There were photogenic and non-photogenic celebrities. Some celebrities looked good on camera but practically glowed in real life. Those far surpassed ordinary handsome men and pretty women. Others were not particularly eye-catching in real life but were made to look much more presentable on camera with make-up.
Lu Zhiyao was a special kind of celebrity. He looked extremely handsome in real life… but not that handsome on the screen. Pei Qian had to admit that celebrities depended heavily on their affinity with the audience. No matter how good some celebrities looked, it would not matter as long as the audience did not like them.
"Boss Pei! It's been a long time!" Zhang Zuting walked briskly towards Pei Qian and shook his hand.
"Boss Pei, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Lu Zhiyao followed closely behind Zhang Zuting After exchanging some pleasantries, Pei Qian led them all into the private room. They then took their respective seats.
It was the same private room, the biggest one on the third floor of the villa. Zhang Zuting could see the golden sunset through the window, illuminating the infinity pool. He could not help but recall the first time he had come here.
His surroundings and the view made him… salivate uncontrollably. The mere thought of the delicacies he had enjoyed during his first time here made Zhang Zuting yearn for the experience once again. He could not wait to dig in. However, at that moment, Pei Qian was not paying any attention to Zhang Zuting or Lu Zhiyao. Instead, he was staring at Zhang Zuting's assistant. You're the brat who wrote down Ming Yun Private Kitchen's position the last time and lured all the ballers in Jingzhou City here!
Boss Pei was furious, but there was nothing he could do. On Zha Zhuti's account, he had to bury the hatchet.
Pei Qian introduced Director Zhu Xiaoce to Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao. They had some casual conversation as the dishes were served one by one. Although Lu Zhiyao had eaten a lot of good food in his lifetime, he looked surprised when the food was laid down in front of him.
Before he arrived, he was told that there was a pretty good nameless restaurant in Jingzhou City. However, he had not been too hopeful. After all, he often traveled around the world for filming. What kind of restaurant had he not eaten at before?
Yet, when he ate the food here, he realized that it was not worse than the food he had at the best restaurant he had ever visited. In fact, the environment and service here far surpassed that restaurant!
The moment he tasted these delicacies, Lu Zhiyao's recent troubles and worries faded significantly. Lu Zhiyao had cooped himself at home after his new movie failed. He had also decided not to star in any more films for now. The cast in the previous movie was so good, and yet it still failed. What if the next movie he starred in failed as well?
He could not bear it anymore.
In fact, Lu Zhiyao had not decided whether to take up the role in this movie or not yet. He had only decided to come to Jingzhou to rest his mind and not to work.
Yet, at that moment, as he was being served dish after dish and being well taken care of by the kind waiters; Lu Zhiyao could feel how highly Boss Pei regarded him.
At first, he had only wanted to look around Jingzhou City. That made him embarrassed to continue eating this meal. As the saying went, gifts blinded one's eyes. Although Lu Zhiyao had not decided whether to star in the movie or not, he felt the need to ask more questions about it to understand it better.
At that thought, Lu Zhiyao said, "Boss Pei, Director Zhu, let's talk briefly about this movie.
"To tell you the truth, I've been in low spirits lately. I'm not in my best state. Mr. Zhang should understand this—an actor's ability to display his skills is very closely related to his state. I rejected the offer earlier because I was worried that I would not be able to act well in this movie and end up dragging everyone down.
"Moreover, I'm now known as the 'toxicity in the box office'. I don't want to be a burden to all of you."
Before rejecting the offer altogether, Lu Zhiyao had spoken very lowly of himself. That way, even if he decided to turn it down in the end, both parties' relationships would not be hurt.
As for whether he would end up rejecting the offer or not, that depended on what the script was like and how sincere Boss Pei was.
If the script was horrible, he would reject the role. If the film looked like it had potential, he would give it a shot. Pei Qian smiled. "Don't put it that way. Mr. Lu, I think your talents have been severely buried!
"Others may think you're toxicity in the box office, but in my eyes, you're the best candidate to star as the male protagonist in this movie!
"I have high hopes for you."
Lu Zhiyao knew that Boss Pei was just being polite.
Still, his sincere gaze moved Lu Zhiyao.
Boss Pei looked very genuine!
It was rare to come across someone like that.
"Boss Pei, the fact that you trust me so much makes me feel ashamed. Boss Pei, Director Zhu, I can sense your sincerity, but can I take a look at the script first?"
As expected, he had asked for the script. Pei Qian knew that Lu Zhiyao probably would not agree to star in the movie if they did not show him the script first. He had no choice but to watch Zhu Xiaoce hand the scripts over to Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao respectively. Lu Zhiyao wiped his hands with the hot towel that the waiter handed to him, received the script with a somber expression, and then flipped through it. Pei Qian watched Lu Zhiyao's expression turn from an expectant one, to confusion, to shock, and finally to blankness. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
At that moment, after flipping through the script, Lu Zhiyao was at a loss for words. Scripts like that were extremely rare! Of course, it was not that Lu Zhiyao had never seen such scripts before. Many Western artistic films had very misleading plots as well. However, Lu Zhiyao had really never seen a local film like that.
Lu Zhiyao had never played a male protagonist like that in his entire acting career.
It was a bit too tragic, wasn't it? He was a brown-noser at first, who failed to buy a new house despite working so hard. After more hard work, he finally struck it rich in the middle. He cast his old lover aside and ended up with nothing after being schemed against. Lu Zhiyao had never experienced such wrong being done to him!
Every male protagonist he played in the past was a winner in life. He had always been surrounded by beautiful women, and he had always had a successful career.
In the most tragic movie he had starred in thus far in his career, he had still played an inspiring and magnificent man who died a glorious death. Even when he had been cast as a supporting actor, he played cute, charming antagonists. This movie was different in a good way. He was supposed to play a male protagonist whose life was terrible! He was neither cute nor pitiful. Up until the end of the story, the audience could even wind up feeling disgusted by him. Lu Zhiyao looked up at Pei Qian. "Boss Pei… this script…"
At that moment, he had no words to describe how he felt.
Pei Qian braced himself as he watched Lu Zhiyao's expression. Indeed, the highly toxic script had ended up repelling even the most toxic man in the box office.
After some thought, that seemed about right. Every film that Lu Zhiyao had starred in had failed, one after another. However, he had always played the hero or good guy. At best, he was a domineering CEO; at worst, he was a rich second-generation heir who did not need to worry about clothes or food. He always played someone successful in life.
Could Pei Qian expect him to be happy playing a poor person, a brown-noser, an ingrate, and a fool who ended up with nothing after being taken for a ride by others?
Pei Qian glanced at Zhu Xiaoce, gesturing for him to speak up. No matter what you say, make the script sound much better than it really is! Stop Lu Zhiyao from overthinking!
However, before Zhang Zuting could speak up, Zhang Zuting smacked his thigh. "What a good script! This script is great! "In all my years of acting, I've never read a script this meaningful and deep!
"This is a biting satire. It's a criticism of overly consumeristic people, the fickle and impatient society, and the way money changes a person. This script is very meaningful indeed, and it's worth chewing on to appreciate it further! "Boss Pei, where did you find this scriptwriter? He has such high standards!" Zhu Xiaoce immediately answered, "Boss Pei wrote this script himself."
Zhang Zuting immediately looked at him with newfound respect. "I didn't realize that you were so talented, Boss Pei! Abler people do more work indeed!
"Something's not right… Boss Pei, the script was already done when I spoke to you over the phone the last time. Why did you try to avoid the topic? "Oh… I understand. You're humble and low-profile!
"Boss Pei, humility is good, but it's not good to be too humble. I only agreed to star in this movie because of our good relationship. Other actors might not have agreed to come down if they had been told that the script wasn't ready. What a waste that would be! "Based on this script alone, I would agree to act in the movie for free, much less for a discounted price!" Pei Qian looked at Zhu Xiaoce, and then at Zhang Zuting, confused. Things were developing in a completely opposite direction from what he had expected. What is going on…?
Pei Qian had only expected to get support from Zhu Xiaoce. He wanted the latter to help bluff Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao into accepting the project. Yet, it turned out that even Zhang Zuting had been bought over. He supported Pei Qian of his own accord, and the three of them were working together to lead Lu Zhiyao on board! Lu Zhiyao still looked quite confused. He had only roughly scanned the script and had not understood its main plot points. Zhang Zuting continued flipping through the script, obviously emotional. "Boss Pei, if I'm not wrong, this script was custom-made for Brother Lu, right?"
Pei Qian, "?"
Custom-made? You're overthinking. When I wrote this script, I had no idea who Lu Zhiyao was…
However, Pei Qian could not possibly have told the truth at that moment, right? He smiled subtly, not agreeing or denying Zhang Zuting's guess. When he saw that smile, Zhang Zuting became even more certain. He turned to Lu Zhiyao and said, "Brother Lu, can you tell?"
Lu Zhiyao felt light-headed.
I can't see sh*t! Custom-made for me? Do I look like a brown-noser to you?! Seeing Lu Zhiyao's explanation, Zhang Zuting explained, "Brother Lu, do you know what you're lacking now? You're not just lacking a good script or a good role to play. "The most important thing you're lacking is a good image!" Lu Zhiyao's expression remained one of confusion. Zhang Zuting continued, "When I say 'good image', I'm not referring to powerful or strong roles. You've played the 'successful person' in many movies before, and yet you've only achieved mediocre reactions. Have you thought about why that's so? "A good image is not formed when you play flawless characters. Instead, it is formed when you obviously distinguish yourself from other actors through your own unique points and when you allow the audience to relate to you and remember your character! "When I was younger, I got the title of 'movie king' by playing an insane person as well. "The male protagonist in this script looks like a good-for-nothing, but it is—without a doubt-an excellent character. He's complicated and voluptuous.
"A role like that will allow you to mold every aspect of your acting skills. What's more, it could help you to shake off the stereotype that the audience has placed you in.
"Why haven't your previous roles appealed to the audience? I personally think that you're too handsome!
"Thanks to your looks, the audience cannot take your role seriously. You don't look grounded, and you don't look convincing. It's extremely difficult for them to be immersed in the movie.
"I think your attractiveness has become a burden to you to a certain extent. If you don't let go of this burden and take up roles like that, it would be very difficult for you to break out of this state.
"You're always playing flawless characters. How can you leave a deep impression in the audience's minds? "That's why I think this role was custom-made for you. It suits you very well! "Honestly, if I was more than ten years younger, I would take up this role for sure. Now, I'm too old for that. The chance is yours."
After listening to Zhang Zuting's words, Lu Zhiyao fell silent.
Pei Qian and Zhu Xiaoce fell silent as well. However, all three of them were silent for different reasons.
Lu Zhiyao was silent because he wanted to reap as many benefits as he could from the heartfelt advice of a movie king. No matter how popular Zhang Zuting was now, he was still a senior who had achieved much more in his career than Lu Zhiyao.
The fact that even Zhang Zuting thought this role was a good one to take up showed how good the role really was.
Zhu Xiaoce was silent because he felt emotional. Indeed, Zhang Zuting was a veteran actor with a deep understanding of movies. From both actors' reactions to the script alone, Zhu Xiaoce could tell that Zhang Zuting was of a much higher standard than Lu Zhiyao!
On the other hand, Pei Qian was confused.
zas
He had thought that Zhang Zuting would react in the same way as Lu Zhiyao did. He imagined both actors would have many criticisms, and Zhu Xiaoce and Pei Qian would have had to spend more effort trying to win them over.
Yet, as it turned out, Zhang Zuting liked the script!
Not only did he like it, but he was also helping to buy Lu Zhiyao over. He even went so far as to say ridiculous things like the script being custom-made for the latter.
Pei Qian really wanted to know if old Zhang was speaking from the heart or if he was just trying to bluff Lu Zhiyao.
Is it the former?
That's unlikely. I wrote this script with the intention of including as many toxic points as possible. How could a veteran actor like Old Zhang, who has starred in many movies before, like it?!
Yes, it must be because I'm Zhu Xiaoce's boss and Zhang Zuting's financial backer. Both must be finding it extremely difficult to critique the script objectively. That's probably why they're praising it so highly.
Look, Lu Zhiyao, someone who has no relationship with me whatsoever, had a different reaction to the script!
That means Old Zhang and Zhu Xiaoce must be trying to bluff him on my behalf.
Well done!
Both of them have done a good job today. As long as I can rope the 'toxicity in the box office' into this project, I will increase both of their salaries for sure!
Chapter 336 Donating to Needy Students
Lu Zhiyao looked at the script and then at Zhang Zuting. He looked back at the script and then at Boss Pei.
It was obvious that he was conflicted.
He had never heard of the director, the cast and crew had not achieved any recognition, the script was one-of-a-kind, and he was being asked to play the brown-nosing protagonist.
From many angles, taking this role would be extremely risky.
However, after hearing Zhang Zuting's advice, Lu Zhiyao was visibly shaken.
Maybe this movie would really help me to break out of the box I have put myself in with my previous roles. Perhaps I will no longer be known as the 'toxicity in the box office'…
If the movie turns out successful, it wouldn't matter how much money I make in the process. If I can get rid of my title as the 'toxicity in the box office' and regain my audience's approval, all the effort would be worth it!
Moreover, I could learn a thing or two from working with Zhang Zuting. Perhaps my acting would improve. After much consideration, Lu Zhiyao made up his mind. At last, he nodded. "Aright, I'll take a gamble for this good script and Mr. Zhang! I'll do the same as Mr. Zhang and ask for less remuneration!"
Pei Qian quickly raised his hand to stop them. "I can't allow that!
"Both of you will be paid as much as you deserve. I won't shortchange you. In fact, I'll pay you even more!
"Don't feel embarrassed. You can best pay me back by displaying your excellent acting skills during filming!" Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao smiled, obviously comforted. Indeed, it was a pleasure working with bright people like Boss Pei!
Ule
Pei Qian was elated as well. The 'toxicity in the box office' had been roped in. His job was done!
"Since that's decided, we can hurry up with the preparations and start filming as soon as possible!"
Pei Qian could not wait to spend all thirty million yuan at once.
For now, all the preparation work for the movie was done.
The script had been finalized, and the initial preparations were almost complete. The two main actors had also been found. Both were quite famous and acted quite well. On the surface, the movie looked like it would be a success. It looked nothing like a movie that would fail on the day of its premiere.
Pei Qian had been quite successful at lying to everyone and disguising his intentions!
He would not get involved in finding the lead actress and bit-role actors. Instead, he would leave these matters to Zhu Xiaoce.
After all, the lead actress would only play a small part in the movie. She would not have many lines, and she probably would not be that outstanding Now that the actors playing the male protagonist and judge had been confirmed, Pei Qian was confident that no other actor or actress could turn the situation around, no matter how hard they tried.
November 22nd, Monday…
Pei Qian subconsciously switched off his 10 AM alarm and then slept for another thirty minutes before waking up naturally.
When he sat up, he realized it was almost time for lunch. Habitually, he ordered Fish-Catching Take-Out. After watching shows for some time, his take-out arrived. Pei Qian ate his food as he thought about the work he had to do in the coming weeks.
He had more or less finished distributing the tasks for this cycle. In the next five or six days, he probably would not have anything else to keep him busy.
However, he had not thought about how to spend the five million yuan meant for charity yet.
There were many ways to do charity.
Large, foreign companies did charity in order to avoid taxes. Some even took charity as a form of business. Not only could they avoid incurring losses, but they could also earn some profit.
On the other hand, Pei Qian's motive in doing charity was purer; he only wanted to lose money.
The simplest method was to donate all five million yuan. Yet, who should he donate the money to? That was another problem to think about.
Whether he chose to donate the money to poor children or less-developed areas, he would have to go through some charity organizations in the process. Pei Qian did not have the time or energy to research various organizations and distinguish the reliable ones from the non-reliable ones.
After all, many charity and non-profit organizations that looked reliable on the surface ended up being involved in some form of scandal.
He had to spend the money no matter what, but if blood-suckers benefited in the process, he would be extremely dissatisfied.
Thus, Pei Qian planned to start from his surroundings first. He could make sure that the money landed in the hands of people who really needed it before he expanded his area of influence.
Spending five million yuan did not seem like much. In fact, compared to ballers overseas who would make all-out donations of up to ninety percent of their assets to charitable causes, the figure seemed lacking.
However, many ballers overseas only made all-out donations in order to avoid taxes. It would be good enough if only a fraction of the assets were genuinely used for a charitable cause.
In contrast, all the five million yuan that Pei Qian intended to spend on charity was meant to be put to good use. He would make sure that the amount would not be discounted in any way. As the starting sum in the System Funds increased, Pei Qian would be able to spend more and more money on charity. He could even end up spending eight to ten million yuan, or even more, on charity in the future.
Eventually, Pei Qian was sure that he would build a charity foundation just to manage the funds and ensure that the money landed in the hands of those who really needed it.
However, there was no need for such a foundation now.
Thus, Pei Qian decided to start from his surroundings. At the very least, he could personally ensure that he only distributed money to the needy.
As for who he should give the money to… Pei Qian had not thought about it yet.
Just as he was deep in thought, his cell phone rang. Pei Qian set down his chopsticks and glanced at the screen. It was his instructor, Zhang Wei.
"Eh?" Pei Qian was slightly surprised.
When Zhang Wei called the last time, he had wanted Pei Qian to recommend some classmates to Fei Huang Workspace's head. His intention had been to get Pei Qian's seniors employed.
Pei Qian had thought that he had stumbled upon treasure. Very excitedly, he assigned all of them to Zhongdian Chinese Network.
After that…
There was nothing more.
Why would Zhang Wei call him now?
Pei Qian was already in his second year of university. He still had not taken on any roles in school, and his grades were about the same as the year before at best. He definitely still did not qualify for any scholarships or awards. As for the other things… they were even more unlikely.
Was Zhang Wei calling for help to solve his seniors' employment issues again?
That couldn't be. It was only November. His seniors hadn't graduated.
Puzzled, Pei Qian picked up the call. "Hello? Teacher Zhang?"
Zhang Wei remained silent for two seconds and then spoke in a heavy tone. "Pei Qian… or should I call you 'Boss Pei' now?"
Pei Qian's mind was filled with question marks. He felt that something was amiss.
Had his identity been exposed?!
Zhang Wei remained in the university as an instructor after graduation. He was only five or six years older than Pei Qian, and they were considered to be from the same generation. Thus, although they did not interact much usually, they were as good as friends.
Zhang Wei also often paid out of his own pocket to treat a few male students to meals and drinks from time to time. That was why Pei Qian had quite a good impression of him in general.
However, this call seemed to spell trouble for Pei Qian!
Pei Qian had told Zhang Wei before that he had found a part-time job at Fei Huang Workspace. Zhang Wei had not suspected anything at the time.
Yet, this time, Zhang Wei was referring to Pei Qian as 'Boss Pei'. That was very problematic! Pei Qian laughed nervously. "Teacher Zhang, what are you joking about? Since when did I become Boss Pei?"
Zhang Wei sounded both furious and amused. "Drop the act! If Zhu Xingan had not come back to visit me recently and started talking about you, I would still be kept in the dark!
"All this time, you were the boss of Tengda. That means Fei Huang Workspace and the other companies are all yours?! "You're really something. I haven't heard a peep from you over the past year or so, and yet you have established such a huge business like Tengda. You've even remained so low-profile the entire time. Not many people around you know about your achievements!
"Anyone else would have boasted to the entire school after making just a small profit. You're much better. Even after establishing such a huge company, you continue to conduct your business in secret, just like a thief!"
Pei Qian was speechless. "…"
Oh, no! I've been exposed!
Pei Qian had already tried as hard as he could to not show his face in Zhongdian Chinese Network. Still, there was no way he could have kept this hidden forever.
Pei Qian remained silent for a split second and said, "Teacher Zhang, you know that I've always been low-profile. I just want to lead a normal life in school. I don't want seniors and friends to rush into class to ask for employment while I'm trying to learn. That'll be quite a scene…"
Zhang Wei felt speechless. "Am I looking into the mind of a business genius? You're really different from the rest. Alright, since you've put it that way, I'll keep this secret as your teacher. You won't have to worry about this affecting your normal life.
"However…"
"Will you do your part to help your Teacher Zhang during the next graduation season?
"I heard from Zhu Xingan that you assigned all of them to Zhongdian Chinese Network and that the website is now doing very well! Look, it's a win-win situation. The school provides you with talents, and you provide your seniors with jobs. My employment rate has gone up, and so has your company's efficiency! How great is that?!"
Pei Qian was speechless. "…"
It did look good on the surface, but…
Forget it; it was hard to explain.
Pei Qian really did not want to take in any more seniors. He would not be able to take it! He would consider killing himself if another Zhongdian Chinese Network popped out of nowhere!
Zhongdian Chinese Network was not earning much at the moment, but it was still a burden nonetheless. Boss Pei did not want to add on to his burdens.
Yet, he could not possibly turn Teacher Zhang down as well. After all, he was right. From various angles, this was a win-win situation for the school, himself, and his business. How could Pei Qian turn him down…?
All of a sudden, he recalled the recruitment examinations he had set earlier. An idea surfaced in his head.
"Teacher Zhang, this is the current situation.
"You know that Tengda has been thrown into the spotlight recently due to many unforeseen circumstances. The company has just laid down a new regulated system for recruitment. We now have to put all applicants through several examinations before we shortlist them based on their results.
"I can't possibly make exceptions for myself immediately after setting this system up, don't you think?"
"…I see. That's a pity, then," answered Zhang Wei.
"Alright, since there's a new system in place, I shall not force you. I'll inform my students who are in their final year to prepare for your company's recruitment examinations in advance."
At that moment, Pei Qian thought about something else. "Oh, right! Teacher Zhang, although I can't recruit them directly, I can help the school in other ways. "Firstly, I would appreciate it if a few seniors studying for postgraduate degrees would help me mark the recruitment examinations in time to come. I'll give them an allowance for sure."
Zhang Wei answered, "That'll be easy to arrange. In any case, the school assigns students doing post-graduate studies to mark both college entrance examinations and government officials' recruitment tests as well.
"They can help your company to mark examinations during staggered periods. I'll speak to the head of the university to arrange this. There shouldn't be a problem."
Pei Qian spoke again. "I also want to donate a sum of money to needy students in school." Zhang Wei replied, "Of course, that'll be great! How do you plan to do that though? Do you want to refer to the school's list of needy students?"
Pei Qian shook his head. "I hope to refer to the school's Campus Card System. I will shortlist those who visit the canteen many times in a month but don't spend much each time. Then, the school can conduct a check on these students' financial backgrounds.
"I will provide five hundred yuan each month for the next five months to the needy students among them. This sum can be used to secure their basic needs.
"I'll fund a total of two thousand people."
Zhang Wei remained silent for a moment and then said, "Alright, I thank you on behalf of these students."
Chapter 337 Sharing Experience Seeking Employment?
After hanging up, Zhang Wei felt slightly emotional.
He hadn't been an instructor for long, but he had already heard about and seen many outstanding students.
Some accomplished their entire university syllabus in just two or three years, had the programs they compiled included in the school's teaching material, and went on to fill core roles in large companies and take up huge projects.
Some represented the country in major chess championships and won first place. Some devoted their efforts to science and research, released many academic theses, and obtained many unique patents.
They had those who had helped the needy and the community with a passion, those who had obtained many international design awards and who had been given advanced offers by large-scale companies, and those who had rescued others in the face of danger.
A university was a place filled with talents. Handong University was also one of the country's key universities. It was no surprise that more and more talents were entering the school each year.
In such an environment, many ordinary students could easily develop mental health issues.
Almost everyone had been considered a genius in their classes in high school. Yet, when they had arrived at university, they had discovered that everyone around them was equally talented. Some psychologically weaker students had found this hard to swallow.
Thus, Zhang Wei was not surprised that there were so many outstanding students under his charge.
However, Pei Qian had secretly and silently started his own company while he was in his first year in university. After that, he conducted his business in a low-key manner until it grew into the size it was today.
That alone was ridiculous. It had been beyond Zhang Wei's imagination, and it had undermined everything Zhang Wei knew to be true.
Yet, the rarest and most valuable part of it all was that this student was neither boasting nor showing off his achievements. Instead, the moment his business started doing well, he donated five million yuan to the needy and helped the students in his school who were having a harder time in life.
It was very respectable indeed.
Zhang Wei started to type a report for the faculty head and the university head. Of course, the school would do all it could to support such efforts to help needy students.
Now that the five million yuan had been spent, Pei Qian had nothing left to worry about for this cycle.
Actually, Pei Qian could have waited until the very last minute in the cycle to spend the five million yuan. Perhaps that would have maximized the full effects of his spending.
However, after some thought, Pei Qian realized that the five million yuan could have made a practical difference to the needy students' living standards. The earlier he donated it, perhaps the more the needy students would be able to eat every day.
Thus, he decided to put the money to good use as soon as he could. Donating the money soon after the cycle began was the best option.
After having lunch, Pei Qian made a trip to the office.
The first thing he did was instruct Assistant Xin to cooperate with the school if they needed any more information for the donations. Assistant Xin would probably have to go down to liaise with the relevant departments in school at the most.
Pei Qian just needed to ensure that the money would go into the needy students' campus cards quietly. Since he wanted to minimize any fuss, he decided to skip past the complicated procedures and send Assistant Xin to personally deal with the matter.
After that, Pei Qian went to the HR department to ask about Tengda's recruitment examinations.
At first, they had decided to recruit new employees in May and November every year. However, since this was going to be the first recruitment drive, they were a bit tight on time. It was already November 22nd, and yet the recruitment process was not ready.
Nevertheless, there was still a week to go. They were more or less done. There was hope that they would be able to officially hold the first recruitment next week.
Pei Qian confirmed the final preparations for the recruitment examinations with Hao Yun and then added two more points.
The first point was on the marking of the papers. They would hire postgraduate students from Handong University to help out with that. Although they would form the bulk of the people doing the work, the leader of each marking group would have to be an employee of Tengda. That would prevent people from cheating the system.
The HR department definitely had to coordinate this.
The second point was on power. Although every person who applied for a job at Tengda would now have to sit through examinations, Pei Qian had to have the right to hire anyone without having to put them through the entire process. He had to retain this discretionary power as the boss of the company. After he finished speaking, he made one round around the office to see how the project team was doing.
GOG was still at the initial stages of research and development at the moment. Most of the design was still captured in design drafts, and there was still nothing much to show.
No substantial headway had been made in terms of buying character IPs, coming up with the conceptual design for the characters' animations, and the like. There was really nothing much for Pei Qian to see.
Still, he studied Bao Xu closely.
It looked like Bao Xu was growing more and more hair on his head, but his passion for work seemed to be weakening. Pei Qian stole several glances at him and found him playing games every single time. Not once did Pei Qian see him working on a file or the game editor. This was undoubtedly a good sign.
"Hmm, it looks like Bao Xu has turned over a new leaf. The travel therapy is proving extremely effective."
Pei Qian was satisfied with this result.
The next outstanding employee selection would take place on February 1st. He wondered who would replace Bao Xu and win the chance to travel around the world for free.
Pei Qian was beginning to realize that he had been paying more attention to the second most outstanding employee than the first.
Come to think of it, Pei Qian had to make some changes to the selection the next time.
In the past, the most outstanding employee had only been selected from within Tengda Games. This meant that those who won first place and got eliminated always turned out to be Tengda Games' chief planners.
That was to be expected. After all, the chief planner was often in charge of the most work and held the heaviest responsibilities in the games department. Naturally, in the other employees' eyes, he would be the most hardworking one. That position was therefore the most dangerous one to be in.
After some thought, Pei Qian decided that this wouldn't do.
It was not that he could not bear to let his chief planners go. However, the problem was that he had already gotten rid of so many of them before. Still, there was no sign of things changing!
Until now, Tengda had already ventured into many areas. The company was no longer solely dependent on the games department as it was before. To Pei Qian, this was akin to firing beacons in all directions. Since that was the case, the selection for the most outstanding employee had to be extended to all of Tengda Corporation, including the subsidiaries. The most outstanding employees in all of these companies would be nominated.
After some thought, Pei Qian decided that it would be more straightforward to hold an internal poll in TPDb. On February 1st, all he would have to do was send a message to all the employees, asking them to vote. The System would then automatically generate the results.
Just as he was thinking about this, Pei Qian received a message from Zhu Xiaoce.
"Boss Pei, the cast has taken their promotional photos. Please take a look.
"Lu Zhiyao might look too dashing. Would he stand out from the rest of the cast? Should we make him uglier and more haggard?"
There were a few images attached to the message.
The first was of Zhang Zuting.
He was dressed in a slightly gaudy and futuristic costume. There was a confident grin on his face, which seemed to scream 'successful man'. However, there was a hint of cunning in his expression.
The second image was of Lu Zhiyao.
His costume was much simpler. He was dressed in a single gray tone and a style that looked overly pithy, to the point of being unpresentable.
Both of them were acting as people from the future. However, Zhang Zuting was acting as the judge—an obviously rich man. Naturally, his clothing had to be showier. On the other hand, Lu Zhiyao was acting as the poor, male protagonist. That meant he could only wear the simplest of clothing.
Still, Lu Zhiyao's simple and unpresentable clothing could not hide his good looks. It was obvious that the make-up artist had not dolled Lu Zhiyao up that much. However, Lu Zhiyao was just naturally too handsome. The make-up artist may have cut back on purpose, and the clothes Lu Zhiyao was wearing may not have looked nice, but his good looks still shone through.
W
After some thought, Pei Qian said, "Leave it as it is."
Pei Qian was afraid that making Lu Zhiyao look ugly would end up hurting his toxicity. He continued scrolling down and saw the lead actress' photo.
Pei Qian had never seen her. She had a round face, big eyes, and two shallow dimples when she smiled. Put simply, she had the face of every man's first crush.
Pei Qian looked up her name-Lin Ruyi—and found no results. It looked like she was a new actress whom no one really knew. It was likely that she had not even starred in a movie before.
After looking through the photos, Pei Qian realized that the movie's make-up, costumes, and props were all quite well done. It was obvious that Director Zhu Xiaoce had put in a considerable amount of effort into these things.
At first, Pei Qian felt slightly worried. However, on further thought, he recalled that the movie was meant to 'succeed' on its plot alone. As good as the make-up, costumes, and props were; they only acted as nice packaging to the toxins inside the movie. They would definitely not hinder his plans.
November 25th, Thursday…
It was Thanksgiving Day. It was also the day that Pei Qian had set to distribute money to the needy students.
Pei Qian had shortlisted these students based on the data in the school's Campus Card System. The school's investigations later confirmed that all of these students were needy.
The five hundred yuan was to be transferred into their campus cards directly. There was no need for loud announcements or notifications. Only students, who realized that their card balance looked strange and who went to approach teachers in charge of the top-up stations in school, would get an explanation.
The instructor, Zhang Wei, was in his office. He handed a name list to Pei Qian and said, "These are the postgraduate students who have experience marking examination papers. There are a few from every faculty, and we have already notified them of this program beforehand. "You can shortlist whoever you want and contact them directly.
"As for remuneration… there's really no need to give them three hundred yuan per day. That's too high a standard.
"You've already donated five million yuan to the school. Moreover, these postgraduate students are all your seniors. All of them felt very moved when they heard the news. A few even agreed to help you mark scripts without being paid."
Pei Qian quickly shook his head. "That wouldn't do! I have to pay them however much it costs. How can I pull strings like that? Marking is very tiring and intense work. How can I take advantage of my own seniors?
"Alright, Teacher Zhang. If there's nothing else, I'll make a move."
Zhang Wei lifted his hand and said, "Hold on, don't rush off. Boss Pei, if you don't have anything else to tend to, please take a seat. We can chat.
Pei Qian was momentarily speechless. "Teacher Zhang, don't refer to me as Boss Pei. I can't take it."
Zhang Wei smiled. "Alright, I'll refer to you as Pei Qian from now on. Over the past few days, I've been thinking about organizing a special talk for you."
Beads of cold sweat formed on Pei Qian's forehead at once. "A special talk?
"Teacher Zhang, you must be kidding. What can I talk about? I'll be thankful enough if I can pass every subject this semester."
Zhang Wei sniggered. "Humility! Pei Qian, humility is a virtue, but being excessively humble is a bad thing. You managed to establish such a huge company in just over a year. You're an extremely rare business genius!
"You must understand that many of your seniors in their final year of undergraduate or postgraduate studies are still worrying about finding jobs.
"Of course, you have a special process set up for recruitment into your company. I'm not forcing you to find jobs for these seniors of yours. However, asking you to find time in your busy schedule to give a talk on your experience in seeking employment wouldn't be too much, right?". Pei Qian was speechless. "My experience in seeking employment? Teacher Zhang, I've never sought employment. How can I share my experience…?
Zhang Wei pondered for a moment. "Oh, that's right. You established your own business; you didn't seek employment. Well, you should at least be able to share your experience as an entrepreneur, right?
Once again, Pei Qian was at a loss for words.
Both of them stared at each other in silence. Pei Qian had no idea how to put this.
What experience as an entrepreneur?
When the time came, Boss Pei would go up on stage and say, "Today, I'm going to share with everyone my experience as an entrepreneur. First, you obtain a system…"
How could he do that?!
However, on further thought, Pei Qian had no good reason to turn down this request. He could not possibly say he was working so hard that he could not even afford to spare one or two hours, right?
Thus, he had no choice but to give it some serious thought. "I'll go back and consider it seriously. The main problem is I'm really not good at speaking. If I decide I can't do it, I'll send one of the core members in my company to come and give the speech. It'll achieve the same effect."
Zhang Wei nodded. "That would work, but the audience would be more convinced if you personally deliver the speech."
Pei Qian sniggered inwardly. More convinced my ass…
Chapter 338 How Could You Believe In Such Metaphysics?!
Someone knocked on the door as the two of them were chatting.
"Teacher-Teacher Zhang, Apologies that I was late for two minutes. My sh-shoelace broke on the way."
Pei Qian glanced at his watch subconsciously. It was a little over four in the afternoon.
The college often arranged students to be on duty. Their job was mainly to help the counselors and other teachers run errands and other miscellaneous work within their means.
This student should have been helping out in Zhang Wei's office.
Zhang Wei seemed to have been mentally prepared and did not bother in the least. "It's okay. Don't worry if you were to encounter special circumstances in the future. It doesn't matter if you are a few minutes late. Your safety is most important."
Pei Qian turned his head to look. A tall girl in thick winter school uniform came in. She looked just shy of 1.7 meters tall. She had a pair of washed-out jeans and a pair of sneakers on. One of the laces on the sneakers was broken.
Most universities did not have uniforms. Handong University was no exception.
The school uniform worn by her was obviously from her high school. It was almost December, and winter was here. Many people were wearing thin down jackets. The ability of this school uniform to keep out the cold was rather worrying. The hands and cheeks of this girl were indeed flushed from the cold. However, she seemed to be used to it.
"Oh, just nice. Hey, Yishu, this is the senior who put 500 yuan into your meal card."
The girl bowed hurriedly. "Thank you, Senior!"
"It's alright," Pei Qian said while looking at Zhang Wei blankly.
"This is Tang Yishu, a freshman in our university. She is also in your financial aid program. Eh, no need to water the plants, no need to water the plants…" Zhang Wei introduced her.
Zhang Wei stopped Tang Yishu from picking up the watering can next to him.
Tang Yishu squeezed her fingers helplessly and asked. "In that case, what else can I help with, Teacher Zhang…?"
Zhang Wei handed her a document on the table. "Run an errand for me. Send these for stamping. Be safe on your way."
wa
Tang Yishu nodded and gave the document a glance before leaving with her lowered head. Pei Qian was a little puzzled. "Why did you emphasize on safety?" "Did you not hear what she said? Her shoelace broke on the way here. There could be more situations waiting for her during her errands."
Pei Qian, "?"
Zhang Wei continued. "She watered the green dill on my table on her first day of duty. Its leaves turned yellow for some unknown reason. As a result of that, I spent a lot of effort taking care of it-adding fertilizer and gave it plenty of sun-before it managed to survive.
"Strange happenings always revolve around this kid. She could be walking and trip over a stone. Blown away by the wind while sunning the clothes. These are all run-of-the-mill for?her."
"The most outrageous incident was when she made a reservation at a restaurant for the class gathering. All of us heard the service staff confirm the reservation. Later on, the service staff forgot about it. The restaurant gave us a complimentary fruit platter, but I never dared to let her handle such tasks again."
"However, she is serious about her work and studies very hard."
"I arranged for her to be on duty because her family isn't in good condition. She can earn a little salary this way. However, I don't dare to let her do too much work. I'm worried that she would knock herself while running errands."
Pei Qian was shocked. "There is even such a thing?"
Zhang Wei nodded. "Yes, some of her classmates even teased her about it and nicknamed her 'Loser' because it sounded like her name. It sounds a little overboard, but it is very difficult to explain everything from a scientific perspective…" Pei Qian said sternly, "Teacher Zhang, we are both highly educated. How can you believe in such metaphysics?! "Ahem, ahem, if you don't mind, I can consider giving her a part-time job."
Zhang Wei was a little surprised. "Really? That's great! She doesn't make much money with me here. I tried to give her some money privately, but she refused." "It's great if you have a suitable part-time job for her. Don't worry, she's just a little less lucky. She is one of the best and most reliable freshmen in our college in terms of study and conduct."
Pei Qian was not interested in everything else, only in her luck.
They were just chatting when Tang Yishu came back with the stamped document in her hand. For some reason, there was a little red bump on her forehead.
Zhang Wei took the document. "What happened to your forehead?"
"I-I ran a little too fast and accidentally hit the glass door…" Tang Yishu said with some embarrassment.
"Teacher Zhang, don't worry. There was no damage to the door. I'm fine as well." Zhang Wei was a little dumbfounded. "Why do you care about the door? What matters is that you're alright. What do you have in your hand?"
Tang Yishu had a paper bag in her hand. She handed it over to Pei Qian with both her hands. "Senior, this is f-for you. Thank you."
Pei Qian found a scarf inside after accepting it with confusion. It was monochrome and pretty obviously hand-knitted. It was very different from the scarves sold in the malls.
Pei Qian looked down at the turtleneck sweater he was wearing and the thick down jacket that he left unzipped because the office was too hot. He also remembered the commercial car waiting for him at the west gate outside the school.
He then looked towards Tang Yishu in her old school uniform, face still flushed from the cold.
"I think you need this scarf more than me…" Pei Qian said sincerely.
Tang Yishu waved her hand hurriedly. "No, no, no, please keep it, Senior. I'll knit another one soon."
Zhang Wei smiled. "Keep it, Pei Qian. That's just like her. She dislikes accepting favors.
"Yishu, you don't have to come to run errands for me from now on. Your senior will give you a part-time job. You will be able to get more income."
"Huh?" Tang Yishu's big eyes were blank. "Why are you still in a daze? Go, listen to the work that your senior has arranged for you. You don't need to come here for errands in the future." Zhang Wei waved his hand dismissively and continued with his work on hand.
Tang Yishu could only follow silently behind Pei Qian as he left the office building after she was sold by the counselor inexplicably.
Pei Qian was thinking over the kind of work he should give Tang Yishu as he walked. Theoretically speaking, he was bringing her back to the office as a mascot. However, he couldn't possibly just let her sit in the office every day without any work, right?
What kind of work should he give her?
Pei Qian staggered suddenly as he contemplated and nearly fell. Tang Yishu reacted fast. She grabbed Pei Qian immediately and prevented him from suffering the ill fortune of falling down.
Pei Qian was a little surprised. "Thank you."
Tang Yishu blushed. "No need to thank you. I-I'm used to it. I'm sorry, Senior."
Pei Qian lowered his head and found that his shoelace had come loose without him knowing. He almost fell because his left foot stepped onto his right shoelace just now. Pei Qian could not help but fall into silence. Could there really be such metaphysics in this world? Was there really a naturally unlucky being that could spread her unluckiness to her surroundings? Tang Yishu supported Pei Qian and waited for him to stand firm before she stood silently to the side. She kept more than one meter away from Pei Qian, probably because she was afraid Pei Qian would be affected by her again.
Pei Qian was not angry at all. Instead, he was elated.
"Come, come, come, follow me."
They walked towards the university's west gate. There were many small shops after the west gate. One of them sold lottery scratchcards for twenty yuan per piece. It could be used to scratch for many prizes.
Pei Qian brought Tang Yishu to his small shop. He fished out 200 yuan without a second thought. "Boss, give me 10 pieces."
Nas
Pei Qian looked at Tang Yishu, who was standing outside the shop, after getting the lottery scratchcards. He fell into a brief period of consideration.
Pei Qian decided not to hand these lottery scratchcards to Tang Yishu. He would scratch them himself.
There had to be a control case even in good or bad luck.
Tang Yishu subconsciously stepped back more than two meters away seeing Pei Qian scratch the lottery scratchcards.
Pei Qian did not say anything as he started scratching away.
Five yuan.
Ten yuan.
Fifty yuan.
Pei Qian's face became darker as he continued scratching
As expected, I'm a godd*mn winner in life!
Two hundred yuan worth of lottery scratchcards yielded me more than three hundred yuan. I even made a profit!
Pei Qian had long felt there was a huge problem with his luck. How could it be so difficult to lose some money?
He handed these lottery scratchcards to the owner. "Exchange all of them for more lottery scratchcards."
Scratchcards that won 5,000 yuan and below could be redeemed directly at the sales outlet. However, anything more than 5,000 yuan could only be redeemed at China Welfare Lottery Issuing Center.
Pei Qian redeemed the lottery scratchcards for more lottery scratchcards and beckoned Tang Yishu over.
"You scratch them."
Tang Yishu shook her head vigorously. "No, Senior, I… cannot do it. My luck is really bad."
Pei Qian stuffed the lottery scratchcards into her hands. "No problem, just listen to me and scratch them."
Tang Yishu pursed her lips. "Senior, t-this is 300-odd yuan…"
However, she had no choice but to scratch reluctantly under Pei Qian's watchful gaze.
Pei Qian watched seriously by the side.
First card, second card, third card…
The winning rate plummeted ever since Tang Yishu started scratching. She would get nothing for consecutive cards.
Tang Yishu stopped to look at Pei Qian after every few pieces of cards with tears in her eyes.
Pei Qian gestured 'do your best', signaling her to continue.
Halfway through the lottery scratchcards, only a few pieces won the lottery. The pieces that won were only worth 10 yuan. It was a total loss.
"Alright, stop," Pei Qian said. Tang Yishu stopped immediately as if she was saved.
Pei Qian took the rest of the lottery scratchcards and stopped Tang Yishu from removing herself away from him. "Just stand here."
Pei Qian continued to scratch. This time, he did not win a single card after eight consecutive pieces!
Tang Yishu subconsciously tried to retreat. However, Pei Qian would look at her every time she made any small movement. That made her too scared to move.
The 300-odd-yuan worth of lottery scratchcards was finally done. Pei Qian counted the winning cards. They yielded a total of 120 yuan. Moreover, more than half of them were scratched by Pei Qian.
The change of luck for the worse was visible to the naked eye!
Pei Qian was too tired after scratching so many lottery scratchcards. He handed them to the boss and redeemed them all.
Tang Yishu stood by the side, pinching her fingers nervously and looking very distressed. Pei Qian did not believe in metaphysics originally. That had changed now.
He paid 200 yuan and recovered 120 yuan. Pei Qian was overjoyed even though 80 yuan had gone to the Welfare Lottery.
"Here, for you."
Pei Qian handed Tang Yishu the remaining 120 yuan, but she pursed her lips and shook her hand.
"How stubborn. You really don't accept benefits from others."
Pei Qian had no choice but to keep the money and left the shop with Tang Yishu. Five minutes after they left, the shopkeeper put away the bunch of lottery scratchcards that did not win and was about to throw them away.
A student from Handong University walked past to buy a bottle of water and happened to see the pile of scrap lottery scratchcards on the table.
"Lottery scratchcards? IQ tax. Someone actually bought so many…"
This guy muttered, expressing his disdain for this matter. However, he hesitated for quite some time after he purchased the water before finally fishing out 20 yuan for one scratchcard.
His eyes nearly popped out when he scratched?it.
"F*ck, 100,000 yuan!!!"
Chapter 339 Encourager 'Glabella'
Pei Qian trod carefully as he emerged from the shop near the west gate. He was constantly on the lookout if there were any stones below his feet or if his shoelaces came loose again. Tang Yishu lowered her head and followed behind with small steps. She did not know what type of job she was going to do; neither did she dare to ask too much.
Pei Qian bought a cup of iced milk tea and hot milk tea when they passed by a milk tea shop. He gave Tang Yishu the cup of hot milk tea.
Tang Yishu was slightly embarrassed but accepted it at Pei Qian's insistence. She held the hot milk tea and warmed her hands.
"Do you have any interests or hobbies? For example… piano? Singing? Drawing?" Pei Qian tried asking, but Tang Yishu shook her head, declining all these options. Pei Qian gave it some thought and felt that given Tang Yishu's family conditions, it was good enough to be able to go to school. Where was the money to expend on such hobbies?
The problem was… what kind of job should he give her?
Pei Qian recruited Tang Yishu purely as a mascot. She should be placed directly in the center of the office to change the luck of the office given her special halo effect. There was no need for her to be put in charge of specific tasks.
Tang Yishu was very smart after all. She was hardworking and would probably be able to pick up the work rather fast in the future. Boss Pei did not want to be stabbed by smart students.
However, he had to find something for her to do no matter what.
"How about… you come to my office to help me water my plants.'
Pei Qian pondered. This girl nearly watered the green dill in Zhang Wei's office to death. It shouldn't be too difficult to destroy all the potted plants in Tengda, right? He could buy a new bunch then. That would allow him to spend some money. What a great idea.
Tang Yishu waved her hand hurriedly. "No, Senior, I cannot take care of plants.
"All living things I've taken care of since I was young would become sick inexplicably, be it animals or plants. Except… except for cats."
Cats?
Pei Qian gave it some thought. Cats could do as well! It just so happened that there was a pet hospital nearby.
"Follow me."
Tang Yishu hugged the milk tea, trotted behind Pei Qian again, and entered the nearby pet hospital.
This pet hospital was very small, housing only three treatment rooms and one operating theater. It mainly served the people in surrounding communities with pets.
Stray cats were a frequent occurrence in this area. Students or aunties with nothing better to do in the community would often bring these stray cats over for treatment or sterilization.
Many stray cats would be adopted, but some would be left behind and be kept in the pet hospital.
Pei Qian entered the hospital and asked. "Are there any stray cats sent here recently?"
A young female vet on duty at the front desk replied, "Yes, someone sent a black cat over previously. It was vaccinated and neutered some time ago. Moreover, it had taken a bath a few days ago."
"Do you want to adopt it, sir? This cat is rather cute; it's just grown a little too big."
Pei Qian nodded. "Let me see it."
The female vet led Pei Qian and Tang Yishu in towards a cage in the corner. There was a black cat in it with short black fur. Only its four paws were white.
Its eyes were wide open, but they were perfectly camouflaged. It was very difficult to tell if it was sleeping or awake.
This cat seemed to be at least six months old, not as cute as a newborn kitten. Perhaps that was why no one adopted it.
Pet hospitals had their limitations so they were kept in cages most of the time for fear that they would be lost if they were let out. They were also fed cat food of average quality; therefore, it was not fat at all.
Pei Qian asked. "Is it a he or she?"
The female vet replied, "It's a castrated male."
Pei Qian, "… Very good."
He turned towards Tang Yishu. "Do you like it?"
Tang Yishu nodded. "I like a-all cats."
Pei Qian turned towards the female vet. "Okay, I'll adopt this cat. Please prepare cat bags, cat food, cans, and litter boxes for me."
These things could be purchased online, but it would not be in time. Pei Qian did not want additional trouble so he bought them at the pet hospital even though it was more expensive.
The female vet got two male vets to arrange without asking anything more.
She could see that Pei Qian was not lacking in the finance department so the cat's living environment would not be bad. Tang Yishu seemed like a kind girl so she would not need to worry about the cat being abused. Everything was ready in no time. The female vet placed the cat into the cat bag. It complied obediently with its black glassy eyes staring directly at Tang Yishu.
After paying the bill, Pei Qian hugged the cat bag against his chest. He walked out of the pet hospital with the litter box and a small bag of cat litter in his left hand while his right hand held the cat food.
Tang Yishu helped with the canned food, food, and water bowls.
The cat still stared at Tang Yishu next to it.
Pei Qian was speechless. "I was the one who bought your freedom, okay!"
The company's commercial car was parked at a nearby restaurant. Little Sun was a little confused after seeing Boss Pei with so many things in hand. He hurriedly got out of the car to help.
Everything was stuffed into the trunk, and Pei Qian placed the cat bag into the back seat. He gestured for Tang Yishu to sit at the back while he went to the passenger seat. "Head back to the office."
Tang Yishu was obviously uneasy in the car. She looked at the cat in the cat bag from time to time. The cat looked back at her.
They reached the office in no time.
Little Sun helped carry the cat food, litter box, and other miscellaneous stuff back to the office after he parked the car in the underground garage. Pei Qian led Tang Yishu in front. Tang Yishu walked quickly to keep up with Pei Qian. She whispered, "Senior, w-what kind of job am I to do?" Pei Qian pondered. "Hmmm… encourager…" Tang Yishu was a little surprised. "Eh? En-encourager? But, Senior, I'm not very good at communications; neither am I good at encouraging others. What should I do…?"
Pei Qian looked at her. "Listen to the rest of my sentence. Your job is the… keeper of the encourager."
Pei Qian pointed towards the cat and said. "That is the encourager."
"I'll give you an individual workstation in the company. Come over when you have no classes. You'll be responsible for taking care of it by feeding it, clearing its sh*t, taking it to the vet, etc.
"As for your salary, I'll temporarily offer you 3,000 yuan a month since it is a part-time job."
"If there is nothing else to do after you clean and feed it, you can study here or surf the web. You have the freedom to do anything and go off anytime you want."
Tang Yishu was shocked. "That's t-too much."
Pei Qian shook his head. "This is our company's salary structure. Follow me."
They took the elevator to Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief secretly as he emerged from the elevator. They did not meet with problems like tire punctures, brake failures, or elevator power failures on the way here.
It seemed like the halo effect on Tang Yishu was still relatively limited. It did not possess terrifying destructive power.
Come to think of it, that should be the case. How could Tang Yishu grow up safely if she really met with accidents wherever she went?
She was unlucky and could affect the luck of the people around her at best. However, Pei Qian was more than satisfied with it.
What Pei Qian needed most was such small occurrences of bad luck!
It would be too scary if she brought huge misfortune like brakes failing when in a car and engine catching fire when in a plane. Pei Qian would be very worried about his employees' and his own safety if that was the case.
However, such small occurrences of bad luck could reverse Pei Qian's profitable stance without endangering the safety of the people around him.
Pei Qian knew very well that many of his successes were actually due to coincidences.
For example, The Lonely Desert Road only became popular because it was discovered by Teacher Qiao. What if Teacher Qiao did not discover it because Pei Qian's luck was not as?good?
In that case, there would not be so many matters to deal with!
A stroke of luck could mean a thousand miles of difference. The domino effect may not occur if any tiny link was missing. Boss Pei's grand loss-making plan could have been successfully achieved.
Therefore, this level of bad luck was just right!
Little Sun put down all the stuff in hand after entering the company. Pei Qian opened the cat bag and released the little thing. Li Yada put down the work she had on hand and rushed over when she saw a cat.
"Eh, Boss Pei, where did this little cat come from? So cute!"
That caught the attention of the other members of the company. They immediately surrounded the little black cat.
The little black cat pranced around with its four small white paws, smelling around without any hint of unease.
Pei Qian smiled and said. "Everyone had been working too hard recently so I specially hired an encourager. This little guy will be everyone's encourager from now on. You can play with the cat when you are tired to relieve your fatigue. "Also, we have Tang Yishu here. She is a new member of our company from now on. She is responsible for the care of our little encourager."
Tang Yishu lowered her head. "Nice to meet?you."
Everyone was a little shocked to hear that Boss Pei had specially hired a cat keeper for the cat. There was no need for a specific person to take care of the cat. They could just feed it when they were taking a break from work.
However, everyone immediately felt that Boss Pei might have been joking when he said that. They speculated that this girl who looked really uncomfortable was actually responsible for some other task.
"Boss Pei, what is the name of this little guy?" Li Yada asked.
Only then did Pei Qian remember that he had yet to give it a name.
"Let's call it 'Glabella[1]'," Pei Qian said after thinking for two seconds.
Li Yada, "Huh?"
'Glabella' which happened to be patrolling Bao Xu's workstation then turned scornfully towards Pei Qian. It meowed twice in protest. "See, it loves its name." Pei Qian ignored Glabella's protest. His eyes quickly scanned the entire office area and quickly determined the center of the entire office. Pei Qian wondered if Tang Yishu's halo effect could radiate throughout the entire company if she were to sit there.
[1] Glabella refers to the smooth part of the forehead above and between the eyebrows.