Sitting in his office, Lin Chu continued to look at the second resume.

A quick glance made him wonder—’Has the job market really gotten this competitive?’

These were the two resumes Zhang Peng had carefully selected from over a hundred applications.

The second interviewee, He Meng, was a graduate of Peking University.

Peking University!

She was a philosophy major. Her GPA and other stats were good, and she looked quite pretty in her photo.

Although, philosophy wasn’t exactly a major known for great job prospects.

But even so, it still made Lin Chu think... ’This is intense.’

To be honest, a small, newly-established company like his would have a hard time attracting students from Qingbei.

But the news had been saying that this was the toughest year for job seekers.

’It’s absurd.’

Lin Chu didn’t really worship academic credentials, but anyone who could get into Qingbei was basically a god-like figure everyone looked up to in high school.

Lin Chu had to acknowledge their fundamental aptitude.

’Might as well see what she’s like.’

Tsk.

’Even though I never went to Peking University, I might...’

A slight smile touched Lin Chu’s lips.

...

KNOCK KNOCK.

Someone knocked gently on the office door.

"Come in!"

Zhang Peng walked in with a smile on his face. "President Lin, Gu Jiayan just signed her contract. I told her to get her pre-employment physical done and start next Monday."

Lin Chu glanced at him and nodded with a smile.

"She’s an interesting girl. Let’s bring her on and see how she does during the probation period."

’His impression of her was good, but her future would naturally depend on her performance.’

"Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. Recent graduates are quite malleable."

"Brother Chu, I’ve noticed that the concept you proposed—combining intangible cultural heritage with high-end Chinese luxury—is really appealing. A lot of highly qualified candidates are coming here specifically for that," Zhang Peng said with a smile.

This wasn’t just flattery; he was stating an objective fact.

Kids these days are very particular about finding a job that’s interesting.

If a job was in an interesting field, paid well, and had good benefits, then it was the total package.

Lin Chu nodded with a smile and offered him a cigarette. "Of course. As for how we’re going to execute this business, have you figured out a point of entry?"

Zhang Peng chose his words carefully.

"I think we should start with incense. That’s a relatively simple place to begin."

"I’ve been looking at similar accounts recently. Their traffic isn’t huge, but it’s consistent, and they have a dedicated audience."

"I’ve also posted the job listing. We’ll start by hiring a Fragrance Tester to review various commercial perfumes, and then we’ll begin to showcase the ancient methods. That’s all content. Building the channel might be a bit slow, but we have to start somewhere."

"As for Xiaojun, I’ve had him start looking for streamers who have the skills but lack the audience. See if we can rope a few in, either by signing them or collaborating."

"Liang Mo is doing the same thing. For now... you could call it a massive open audition."

Zhang Peng said, sounding a bit uncertain.

The thing was, while he was very familiar with livestreaming and e-commerce, he was new to the intangible cultural heritage sector. But since it was Lin Chu’s idea—and an idea that he agreed offered a unique, differentiated approach that could forge a new path—he was doing his best to get up to speed quickly.

Still, he felt insecure.

’This is no way to run a company.’

’It felt like they were starting a business on a whim, with no core competency. The pressure was immense.’

’Even though it was Lin Chu’s money they were burning, money was still money, no matter whose it was.’

The current plan could only be described as conventional, with no particularly brilliant aspects.

At that moment, Lin Chu could vaguely sense his insecurity.

But this was the information gap between a boss and his subordinate.

Zhang Peng was thinking about how to build the company’s foundational business.

’That was completely different from what he himself was thinking.’

"Here’s what you’ll do. Have your people find suitable streamers on the platform. When you find them, send them to me. I’ll start by showering them with Carnivals to get a few signed, then I’ll spend more money to promote them. That’ll get us off to a smooth start. Oh, and prioritize male streamers."

Lin Chu’s plan, naturally, was to just throw money at the problem.

Zhang Peng’s eyes lit up.

’The support and resources Brother Chu provides are unreal!’

’This is easy mode, let’s go!’

"Got it."

...

The two of them talked for a little while longer.

Then, the second interviewee arrived.

Xue Xiaojun was at the front desk. When he saw He Meng walk in, his eyes lit up again. "Hello, are you here for an interview?"

’President Zhang’s taste is really... on point.’

’Of course, he was also picking a secretary for President Lin.’

’It’s good to be rich.’

’The richer, the better.’

’President Lin could only choose like this for now. Once the company took off and he was even richer, who knows? Maybe they could even hire a whole song and dance troupe.’

"Yes."

"I have an appointment with Zhang Peng, President Zhang."

He Meng wore a long, white linen dress with a traditional, ancient charm. She was barefaced, revealing flawless, cool-toned fair skin that seemed to glow. She had the air of someone with a cool and aloof personality.

On her left wrist, she wore a long string of beads that looked like red sandalwood.

A string of lapis lazuli hung around her slender, fair neck.

"Please fill out this form first."

Xue Xiaojun stood up, took out an application form, and handed it to her with both hands. He glanced at her again. ’It’s pretty rare to see a girl who’s into prayer beads.’

’She has character.’

...

「Soon.」

Zhang Peng walked out of the office.

Lin Chu, on his way to the restroom, followed him out to take a look.

Seeing who she presumed was the boss emerge, He Meng put down her pen and stood up. "Hello, I’m He Meng. I have an interview scheduled for three o’clock."

Zhang Peng sized her up and nodded with a smile. "Welcome... Your jewelry is quite beautiful. It fits our company’s aesthetic perfectly."

She pursed her lips slightly.

"Mm."

"President Zhang, here’s the thing. I’m looking for a company where I can fully utilize my talents—preferably a newly-established startup in the livestreaming and traditional culture space. After looking around, your company seemed like a good fit."

"I also cast an astrological chart. The timing, place, and people are all auspicious, and it indicates a direct path to wealth, so I came."

"My intentions are sincere. I’m even willing to forgo a salary, or just take a basic wage, but I want to be in charge of a project."

"I can livestream myself, though I’ll naturally need the company’s resources and support."

She said all this in a rapid-fire burst, her objective perfectly clear.

It was also her way of quickly filtering them.

’If it wasn’t a match, she’d be gone in a flash.’

Zhang Peng was utterly surprised, his eyes wide.

’Casting a chart?’

’Wait, is theology really the final form of philosophy?’

Lin Chu, standing not far away, was also amused when he heard this.

’Casting a chart? Seriously?’

’She’s a real character.’

Adopting a joking tone, Zhang Peng laughed. "The position you’re interviewing for is an assistant, not the general manager."

She didn’t smile. "An administrative role can still get things done. A company’s first priority is profit. Our relationship would be mutually beneficial. I just need three months and one opportunity. I’m confident that after three months, when the results speak for themselves, I won’t be an assistant anymore."

"That’s also why I chose a startup. There’s less red tape and fewer office politics, so you can just focus on the work."

Zhang Peng was speechless.

"Young lady, aren’t you a little overconfident?"

He said patiently, thinking to himself that these recent graduates were really something else, willing to make any kind of outrageous boast.

He Meng glanced at him, then took a report out of her handbag and handed it to him with both hands.

"This is a diagnostic report from a Tier-3A hospital. I’m completely sound of mind. My IQ is just too high, so my thought process might seem erratic, but I always get straight to the heart of the matter. For instance, I anticipated that this kind of job request might make you think I’m mentally ill."

"But I’m actually very normal."

"Please, have a look."

Zhang Peng: ???

’What kind of normal person brings a psychiatric evaluation to a job interview?’

Lin Chu, who had stopped to watch from the side, now... truly broke into a laugh.

’It takes all sorts to make a world.’

’Philosophy majors really are wired differently from ordinary people.’

He suddenly quipped nonchalantly, "Peng, my boy, she’s trying to usurp you." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Zhang Peng was speechless.

’What the hell? What kind of people did I pick for this?’

’I was trying to cast Purify for my big bro.’

’I didn’t expect it to turn into a backstab against me.’

’But... Brother Chu saying that... Did it mean he wanted to give her a chance?’

...

...