Li Zhuxuan had a busy day. She interviewed in the morning and spent the afternoon buying supplies.

  After they finished shopping, Xu Nuo and Yang Haonan were busy organizing everything, while they tasked her with drafting a simple set of company rules.

  She didn’t finish until evening, just before clocking out.

  Xu Nuo gnced over it and tweaked some details like work hours.

  Start at 10 a.m., end at 6 p.m., no clocking in, flexible schedule—results mattered more than hours.

  If something came up, just let them know. Leave under three days wouldn’t dock pay; anything longer would depend on the situation.

  Li Zhuxuan’s eyes sparkled as she listened, nodding eagerly. She felt like she’d found her tribe.

  As a fellow worker, she knew how rare these policies were.

  That night, the trio grabbed dinner to celebrate the company’s official unch.

  Xu Nuo raised his drink for a toast. “I start work tomorrow, so the company’s in your hands.”

  “Wait, Boss Xu, you’ve got another job?” Li Zhuxuan’s eyes widened, confused.

  “Yeah, but keep it under wraps,” Xu Nuo instructed.

  “Don’t worry, Boss Xu!” Li Zhuxuan patted her chest confidently.

  “Brother Haonan, get the company rolling quick.”

  “No problem getting it going,” Yang Haonan said, sipping his drink before adding with a hint of doubt, “but I’ve still got one question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “What’s our first project?” Yang Haonan’s soul-searching question hung in the air.

  Li Zhuxuan froze, suddenly feeling like she’d been too hasty.

  Even the boss didn’t know how to kick off the business—how reliable could this be?

  Xu Nuo caught their expressions, leaned back in his chair, and stretched zily. “Rex, I’ve already got the first project figured out.”

  “Spill it already!” Yang Haonan pressed eagerly.

  “Ahem, I’m a bit thirsty.”

  Yang Haonan shot him a gre and poured him a drink.

  “My shoulders are kinda sore.”

  Yang Haonan jumped up, cracking his knuckles. “Alright, let me make you feel real good.”

  Li Zhuxuan giggled from the sidelines.

  “No, no, I’ll talk!” Xu Nuo yelped.

  “Gotta force it out of you, huh?”

  “The company’s just starting, no equipment or anything, so we’ll begin with something simple. I’m pnning to submit a promotional copy. If it gets picked up, it’s a 300,000 yuan payout.”

  Yang Haonan blinked. “You can write promo copy?”

  “Of course. There’s nothing I can’t do.”

  “Let me read you a bit,” Xu Nuo said, clearing his throat.

  “I hope there’s someone like you,

  Like the refreshing breeze in the mountains, like the warm light of an ancient city,

  From morning to night, from the wilderness to the study,

  Waiting, unafraid of time’s passage, unafraid of distant roads,

  As long as it’s you in the end, that’s enough.”

  “Badass, badass!” Yang Haonan gave a thumbs-up. “It’s got that vibe.”

  “Boss Xu, you’re amazing! Did you study broadcasting?” Li Zhuxuan’s eyes gleamed with admiration.

  Xu Nuo smiled faintly. “This is nothing.”

  “Tch, always showing off,” Yang Haonan muttered, rolling his eyes. The guy loved to flex.

  “Alright, I’ll polish the copy over the next couple days and record it. You two find some video clips, match them to the content, put together a proposal, and send it to Daocheng’s official team.”

  Xu Nuo id out the next steps and then drove Li Zhuxuan home.

  “Brother Saonan, it’s up to you guys now. Tomorrow’s Lin Wanqing’s song release, so I’m heading to the company.”

  “Go on, big shot,” Yang Haonan teased.

  ---

  At 9 a.m., Xu Nuo finished breakfast downstairs and arrived at the company.

  Stepping onto the 12th floor, he was baffled—only one person was in the office.

  “Morning, Brother Liu. What’s going on? No work today?”

  “Oh, there’s work. You just got here too early.”

  Xu Nuo gnced around. It did seem pretty early. “Brother Liu, you always come this early?”

  “Nah,” Liu shook his head. “Couldn’t sleep today, so I came in with nothing better to do.”

  Xu Nuo didn’t know what to say. He recalled a cssic quote from Yu Hua:

  “That time I showed up two hours te on my first day, only to find I was still the first one there. That’s when I knew I’d picked the right pce.”

  Yu Hua nailed it. A company like this had some character.

  By 9:30, people started trickling into the office.

  Qin Bangyan strolled in with his bowlegged gait, spotting Xu Nuo in the corner right away. “Xiao Xu, you’re here early.”

  “Morning, Mr. Qin. Isn’t 9 a.m. the usual start time?”

  “We don’t fuss over that here. Results are what count,” Qin Bangyan said with a warm smile. “Come to my office for a sec.”

  His words drew subtle gnces from others in the office toward Xu Nuo.

  Xu Nuo scanned the room, noting their expressions. If you don’t stir envy, you’re mediocre.

  Only after he stepped into the office did the whispers start.

  “Mr. Qin’s so nice to him?”

  “Probably a nepotism hire.”

  “Heh, Mr. Qin gave him the grand tour when he interviewed.”

  “So what if he’s connected? No skills, and he’s out.”

  Inside, Qin Bangyan was flipping through files. Xu Nuo knocked and entered.

  “Mr. Qin, what’s up?”

  “Sit. Nothing big. Just checking in—how’s it feel so far? Settling in okay?”

  Xu Nuo was speechless. “Uh, Mr. Qin, I’ve been here half an hour…”

  Half an hour on the clock, barely a word spoken, nothing done—what was there to feel?

  Qin Bangyan waved it off casually. “Eh, it’s about the vibe. Experienced folks can walk into a company, sit for ten minutes, and know if it’s a fit.”

  “Uh, Mr. Qin, I just graduated. Never worked before…”

  “…” Qin Bangyan smacked his lips. “Tea?”

  Talk about a changing subject.

  Still, Xu Nuo had a hunch about Qin Bangyan’s approach—he was trying to build rapport.

  “Sure, I’ll have some.”

  “Pour it yourself.”

  They each grabbed a cup and sipped tea in the office.

  After a while, Qin Bangyan seemed to remember a new topic. “The Wind Rises goes live today. How you feeling—confident?”

  “Should be decent, I guess,” Xu Nuo said offhandedly. Usually, once a song’s out, it’s more about the singer than the composer. Few people care who wrote it.

  “Sounds like you’re pretty sure of yourself,” Qin Bangyan said, crossing his arms. “Wanna bet on its performance?”

  “Ten million?” Xu Nuo mused after a moment. Back on Earth, the song’s free version had racked up over 100 million pys in 25 days. In a paid model, sales would drop a lot, but 10 million seemed doable.

  Qin Bangyan paused, rubbing his chin. “Young man’s got guts. No new song’s hit ten million sales this year.”

  “I think it’s fine.”

  Qin Bangyan faltered. “How about a wager?”

  “How’s it work?”

  “Here’s the deal: if it hits 5 million sales in a week, I’ll treat the whole department to coffee and say you earned it for them,” Qin Bangyan said with a sly grin.

  “If it doesn’t hit 5 million, you treat everyone.”

  Xu Nuo rubbed his nose. Old Qin was a decent guy—win or lose, it was a chance to bond with the team. Either way, he wouldn’t lose out.

  “Sounds good, Mr. Qin.”

  (End of chapter)