Li Xiang said seriously, "Because the apocalypse is coming."

"PFFT—" Yao Yao burst out laughing.

Zhao Xueqing, with her bright eyes and pearly teeth, couldn’t help but chuckle either.

The two of them were now wrapped in down jackets. Their performance outfits from before were too cold to wear offstage. But even with the jackets, the lower halves of their bodies were still freezing.

Li Xiang had wanted to invite them over to his place to warm up by the fire and chat, but it was getting late. The mountain village roads had few cars or people at night, and it wouldn’t be safe for the young women to travel back, even though their families had come along with them. So, to make a long story short, he gave them a brief overview of the future business of "Apocalypse Media" and "Apocalypse Saint Realm," basically selling them on the dream.

In fact, Li Xiang had mentioned the tourism company to Jiang Cai’Er before. Jiang Cai’Er had some reservations about the name "Apocalypse Saint Realm," suggesting something like "Shengshi Huali" instead. But Li Xiang insisted on keeping the word "Apocalypse" in the name.

’When the Apocalypse truly arrives, they’ll understand just how amazing I am!’

Jiang Cai’Er didn’t understand why, but since her big brother liked it, she let him have his way.

Yao Yao and Zhao Xueqing were captivated by the "vast prospects" Li Xiang described, and they finally understood why the company was called Apocalypse Media. It was meant to serve the "Apocalypse Saint Realm," acting as its promotional arm.

They were also quite interested in Li Xiang’s plan to build an apocalypse-themed underground Shelter attraction. After all, they were young women, and Yao Yao in particular loved watching zombie movies. She had already binge-watched the classic six-film Resident Evil series six times.

"But our media company won’t just be promoting the tourist attraction. We’ll have other business ventures too, like live streams to help farmers, and we’ll take on advertisements and product endorsements. You can also register your own social media accounts and work with me. We’ll have a win-win partnership and grow our fanbases together!"

This, in fact, was what Yao Yao and Zhao Xueqing valued the most. Following a "big shot" like Li Xiang with over two million fans, wasn’t this their ticket to stardom?

Although Li Xiang’s current follower count wasn’t that high compared to the biggest names online, he had a large number of active and paying users. During this latest live stream, his concurrent viewership had peaked at over three hundred thousand. These numbers were already astounding. Many influencers with tens of millions of fans couldn’t even pull off numbers like that; some were even worse off than Li Xiang.

Yao Yao’s account only had twenty thousand fans. She had tried live streaming too, but her peak viewership was only forty or fifty people. Zhao Xueqing was just starting out, with a pitiful three thousand-plus followers.

Of course, the salary Li Xiang was offering was also extremely high—a full 200,000 a year. As for the revenue from their own accounts, it would be entirely theirs to keep.

Li Xiang was very straightforward. He transferred their appearance fee for the night on the spot—five thousand each!

Zhao Xueqing was slightly surprised. "Why so much?"

Yao Yao blinked. Seeing that Zhao Xueqing got five thousand and she did too, she couldn’t help but feel delighted. She grinned, her eyes crinkling, and said to Li Xiang, "You’re the best, big bro!"

Li Xiang laughed. "Your performances were god-tier, way beyond my expectations. So you deserve a bonus!"

Zhao Xueqing pressed her red lips together, feeling a wave of emotion. She recalled the bitter days of working odd jobs. ’A bonus? How is that even possible?’

Even if an employee asked for a raise, it would usually be rejected. On the rare occasion one was approved, it would be for a paltry two or three hundred, and they’d act like they were granting you the biggest favor in the world.

Sometimes they’d even say, "Take it or leave it. If you don’t want to work, go home and rest."

But look at Li Xiang. They had agreed on a fee of 2,000 yuan, and he had just given them an extra 3,000. What more was there to say? Zhao Xueqing made her decision in an instant.

Yao Yao was pleasantly surprised. She touched her own face and asked, a little self-consciously, "Bro, was I really that good tonight?"

"Of course!" Li Xiang gave her a big thumbs-up.

Sister Yao had really given it her all tonight. She had spontaneously started dancing during the "Chuanjiang Work Chant," and afterward, she was constantly screaming, shouting, shaking her hips, and jumping around. She was the best hype woman in the entire audience. Her contribution was undeniable.

Especially that wild energy of hers—it was something most people couldn’t replicate. If you asked Jiang Cai’Er, Zhao Xueqing, or Lei Xiaohui to shout and dance, their styles would be completely different. When it came to hyping up a crowd, you had to rely on "Yao Yiyao."

Li Xiang said, "So, what do you think? Have you decided? After the New Year, don’t leave town again. Just come work under me. It’s close to home, and you’ll earn more than you would anywhere else!"

Yao Yao burst out laughing again. The way he said "work under me" was just too ambiguous.

Li Xiang: "..."

At first, Zhao Xueqing didn’t think anything of it, but Yao Yao’s laugh made her get the hidden meaning, and a faint blush crept onto her pale cheeks.

A grin spread across Yao Yao’s face. She said, "Bro, I’ll follow you and ’work under you’ from now on. I’m willing!"

Of course she was willing. She actually hated working in nightclubs. If she could earn good money close to home, who would want to work in a place full of dirty old men?

Compared to pleasing those old lechers, Yao Yao much preferred being around a handsome guy like Li Xiang.

Besides, she would earn more with Li Xiang than she did working elsewhere.

Zhao Xueqing rolled her eyes, but she also nodded.

"Then it’s settled. After the New Year, I’ll get the company paperwork sorted out, and we’ll sign the official contracts. Don’t you dare bail on me."

"Don’t worry, we won’t."

"It’s getting late, you two should head back. I have to see off some other people too."

Yao Yao: "Bye, bro!"

Zhao Xueqing just gave a gentle wave. Compared to Yao Yao’s enthusiasm, she was much more reserved.

The two of them rejoined their respective families, who inevitably started asking questions. "What did Li Xiang call you over for?"

They told them the truth, and their families were quite happy. They hadn’t expected that a failed matchmaking attempt would lead to such a high-paying job. The only question was whether it was reliable and how long it would last.