Chapter 1588: A Change of Perspective

Lin Xiao was deeply conflicted.

She lingered downstairs at the Entrepreneurship Center, unsure whether to go in or how exactly to communicate once inside...

Having joined ME Company for over half a month, she had been waiting on the big boss as if he were a noble master, witnessing all sorts of extravagance.

Recently, the evaluation sections regarding celebrities, writers, magazines, luxury goods, and fashion on the "Select Life" platform had been mired in disputes; ME's magazine received poor ratings, and Zhou Chongguang likewise garnered numerous negative comments. Fans defending Zhou Chongguang and those who disliked him engaged in chaotic battles beneath the relevant evaluation tags on "Select Life," contributing heat and traffic to the platform.

This also caused the relevant sections of "Select Life" to slide toward becoming a toilet...

Within "Select Life," there were also sections for evaluating companies and applications; therein, the ratings for "Select Life" showed a trend of extreme polarization. Among the groups leaving negative evaluations, more than half came from the major fashion and entertainment sectors; they were contestants dissatisfied with the scores their beloved idols received, demanding the administration change the grades...

The negative news displeased the people at ME, and they happened to hear that Lin Xiao attended the same university as the boss of "Select Life"; upon further inquiry, they discovered she actually knew the boss of "Select Life," which was simply perfect.

Thus, regardless of Lin Xiao's attempts to refuse, she was dispatched to handle public relations, hoping Wang Yan would show some face...

Lin Xiao felt like dying.

It was precisely at this moment that she realized the extent of Wang Yan's current influence.

She had originally thought ME was a dream company, and that Gong Ming, whom she regarded as unattainable, wise, calm, and terrifying, would still need to devise ways to manage public relations with Wang Yan...

"Stretching out my neck means a knife, pulling it back means a knife; I might as well make the trip, as long as I can report back successfully..."

Muttering to herself, she finally gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and plunged her head forward into the Entrepreneurship Center...

"Select Life" was a company in the midst of expansion; one could say that every day involved interviews and recruiting new people. It might be one person, or it might be two; in any case, the numbers were always increasing.

The office previously occupied by Gu Yuan had now been transferred to "Select Life"; along with two additional offices, the company's total scale had reached over seventy people. If one included floating part-timers, the number exceeded one hundred and twenty, and if one counted the promotion teams developed in other regions, it had already approached five hundred.

With such a large headcount and having even secured a round of angel investment, the company was naturally quite formalized. There were programmers developing software, accountants handling the books, junior female students working part-time as clerks, and even dedicated part-timers running errands to fetch meals. The atmosphere was already quite impressive.

Lin Xiao stood at the entrance of the "Select Life" office, looking through the glass partitions inside where a group of people in suits and leather shoes were seated, while Wang Yan spoke with passionate fervor about something on the PPT displayed on the screen...

She peered around from outside yet hesitated to enter, eventually attracting the attention of the people within the company.

"Isn't this Lin Xiao? What, don't want to be with Yang Jian Xi anymore, preparing to defect to your good sister and follow Wang Yan instead?" Lin Quan walked over, opening her mouth with nothing but mockery.

Lin Xiao wanted to retort a few words, but remembering she was there to beg for a favor, her attitude softened: "Lin Quan, I'm not here to argue with you; I represent ME Company and have come to discuss cooperation with Wang Yan."

"So you've come begging and now know how to speak properly?" Lin Quan snorted, then jerked her head toward the glass partition. "He's in there discussing financing; just wait."

She waved her hand and paid Lin Xiao no further attention.

Even though she still blamed Lin Xiao and Gu Li for her sister's death, Lin Quan simultaneously felt it was utterly pointless. After all, she didn't need to do anything; the better Wang Yan did, the further he advanced, and the more awesome his achievements became, the more uncomfortable they would feel...

After being mocked, Lin Xiao surprisingly felt much better, her inner discomfort lessened. Seeing an empty seat inside, she shuffled in and sat down in an unobtrusive spot, watching her classmates busily at work.

Yes, they were all classmates.

Up to this point, within the university, Wang Yan had not hired a single full-time employee from outside the school; everyone was a student working part-time. The main force consisted of fourth-year students in the same grade as Wang Yan.

After all, fourth-year students needed internships, and his setup offered advantages. The simplest point was the cost of living; staying in school dormitories and eating on campus already saved a sum of money. Moreover, Wang Yan provided meals, which were considerably better and offered much more variety.

On another front, as a university student entrepreneurship project and as a technology company driven by knowledge-intensive innovation, Wang Yan had established collaborations with several professors at their university, which was also a significant benefit.

Adding to this the strong momentum and bright prospects of "Select Life," combining all these conditions meant that for students seeking internships, it was in no way inferior to other well-known large corporations.

Indeed, a considerable portion of the students had already explicitly expressed to Wang Yan that they would work for him after graduation...

Wang Yan welcomed all such attitudes; after all, they were the early players working for him for free. People who fought to build an empire together, no matter how useless they might be, as long as they kept walking the path, didn't cause trouble, and didn't become obstacles, would inevitably live comfortably...

Lin Xiao glanced around boredly, but her gaze ultimately fell upon the glass partition, landing on Wang Yan, who wore a smile on the corner of his mouth and negotiated with the crowd of suited individuals with an air of absolute certainty...

This was the first time Lin Xiao had carefully observed Wang Yan, and she suddenly realized he was not entirely detestable.

Wang Yan was an orphan with no father or mother, living tenaciously on his own; he had worked hard to get into university, then relied on his own abilities to create "Select Life," carving out a world of his own, and had gained considerable renown throughout the entire internet industry...

Watching and watching, she grew bored, lay down on the table, and fell asleep...

"Wake up; did you come here to sleep?"

The urgent tapping on the table, with its vibrations and sounds, roused Lin Xiao from her daze; opening her eyes, she saw Wang Yan's face filled with disgust.

She subconsciously tried to get up, but let out an "Ouch!" as her face contorted in pain, for her arms and legs had fallen asleep.

Wang Yan held a tissue box in front of her: "Wipe your drool."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I've been too tired from work lately and haven't rested well." Lin Xiao's face turned red; she fumbled with a tissue to wipe her mouth, then opened her phone to check her reflection, making her face turn even redder...

She had slept so hard that marks were left on her face...

Lin Xiao looked normal on the outside, but in reality, she was dead. She had actually made such a huge fool of herself in front of Wang Yan!

"Do you want to die?"

Hearing Wang Yan's teasing words, Lin Xiao lowered her head to avoid his eyes, her hand under the table clutching the tissue she had just used to wipe her drool as if she wanted to strangle Wang Yan, yet on her face she directly changed the subject.

"I have official business with you."

"Of course it's official business; otherwise, what private business could we possibly have? Oh, I just heard from Lin Quan that you broke up with Yang Jian Xi and want to be with me, even saying that you've actually secretly liked me for a long time."

"Nonsense; Yang Jian Xi and I are doing very well, and it's impossible for me to ever be with you in this lifetime."

Lin Xiao raised her head angrily, her voice brimming with fury, but upon meeting Wang Yan's amused gaze, she knew he was deliberately teasing her.

Thus, wisely choosing not to dwell on it, she turned to say: "I represent ME and wish to discuss cooperation with you."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Speak."

"ME will provide your company with a sponsorship; in exchange, we hope you can control the ratings and comments regarding ME and Zhou Chongguang and others on the platform."

"Name a number; how much is 'a sponsorship'?"

"Two million."

"Isn't that an insult?" Wang Yan shook his head, pulling out his phone to search for information on ME. "Gong Ming, right? Looks like a second-generation rich kid, rising to power so young. Just how beautiful does he think his dreams are, trying to buy a backdoor to control comments with two million?"

"Then how much money would work?"

"Lin Xiao, why don't you use your brain and think from another perspective; if you were me, and this company was yours, how much money do you think would work?"

Lin Xiao truly used her brain and thought for a moment, then said uncertainly: "No amount of money would work?"

"Not too stupid after all," Wang Yan said. "The cornerstone of 'Select Life's' existence is fairness. Although my own will does influence the comments in various sections to some extent, we absolutely cannot accept money from other companies to manipulate ratings and affect the user experience. Once we do that, we are simply seeking our own death. Do you think this Gong Ming understands these things?"

"He understands... probably?"

"Therefore, he sent you; he is both mocking you and mocking me. What is ME? Is he even worthy? Haven't you seen that a whole bunch of state-owned enterprises and central enterprises are getting scolded?"

Wang Yan wore an expression of pure disgust. "Just tell me, what good people are in that bunch? They know I won't change, yet they still sent you over just to give it a try. As for us, we mutually find each other repulsive. Oh, wait, that's not right; I think you're quite fine, but you think very poorly of me."

"When I wanted you to come find me, you surely refused, claiming our relationship was bad and that you couldn't speak on my behalf. Yet they still made you come, saying we attended the same school and even knew each other, so you must have some face to save, without giving a single thought to your feelings. Besides, you're only there for an internship, working for free. The salary they're paying you isn't much, is it?"

"It's alright; they're paying me eight thousand."

"Doing what?"

"Working as an assistant for Gong Ming."

Wang Yan nodded. "How about this: I'll pay you eight thousand, and you come work as my assistant instead."

"I'd rather starve to death than work for you; one look at you reveals your malicious intentions!" Lin Xiao rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Then why do you assume Gong Ming's intentions are good? I can say with certainty that after working there for a while and broadening your horizons, serving as his assistant and witnessing his lifestyle, you'd start thinking he's capable, wise, self-disciplined, and full of vitality..."

"... thinking he's a strong man, an excellent male possessing a masculine charm distinct from your beloved Yang Jian Xi and the male students at our school, thus developing some fondness for him. Or if not fondness, you certainly wouldn't dislike him, right?"

Lin Xiao craned her neck defiantly. "So what if I do?"

"So what? Wait a few months until Gong Ming has leisure time, drinks a couple of glasses of wine, beckons you with a finger, and between your half-hearted resistance and half-hearted acceptance, you'll end up rolling into his bed. And he won't even need to take responsibility for you; he'll just keep paying you that eight thousand, not a penny more, while you mistakenly believe it's love."

In fact, there was indeed some ambiguity between Lin Xiao and Gong Ming; if Lin Xiao hadn't met Zhou Chongguang and become ambiguous with him, she would most likely have been unable to escape.

Yet Lin Xiao refused to believe it. "Your mind is just dirty, so you imagine everyone else is just like you!"

At that moment, she suddenly realized something and let out an "Eh?" "Why are you speaking to me so calmly today? I thought you were going to humiliate me severely."

"The conflict between us stems entirely from Gu Li, doesn't it? You're her good sister and stand united with her. But what deep-seated hatred exists between you and me? It's nothing more than me saying a few things about Yang Jian Xi that upset you. Is there anything else? I am a person who distinguishes clearly between gratitude and resentment; I do not take out my anger on innocent parties. Unlike you, who have no stance of your own; whatever Gu Li is, you become."

"Selfish and self-serving; no wonder you have no friends!"

"You're wrong again." Wang Yan shook his head. "Have you ever considered that Gu Li kidnapping your thoughts and forcing you to align with her is also selfish and self-serving? On what grounds does she control you? You are Lin Xiao, not Gu Li's appendage; you have your own thoughts and your own personality, do you understand?"

"You... don't try to sow discord; I won't listen to you." As she spoke, Lin Xiao picked up her small bag, stood up, and prepared to leave.

However, just as she rose, she saw Gu Yuan walk in.

"Gu Yuan? What are you doing here?" Lin Xiao asked strangely.

Yet Gu Yuan did not answer her; he walked straight up to Wang Yan. "Wang Yan, I was wrong. I beg you, spare my family. I know you're angry; hit me! As long as you don't beat me to death, hit me however you like! Please, my lord, show magnanimity and have mercy; spare my family."

Wang Yan glanced around at the classmates working; their eyes were all fixed here. He looked at Gu Yuan with amusement. "You little rascal have a dirty mind, trying to morally blackmail me here, don't you? Do you know that half the classmates working here are from impoverished families? Come, come, let me show you what a righteous judgment looks like."

Immediately, Wang Yan turned around, spreading his hands to suppress the clamor among the classmates.

"You're all curious about what I did to make this rich second generation act this way, right? Let me explain the whole story from beginning to end. Everyone, judge the reason for me, and see just how dirty this rich kid's heart really is."

Thus, amidst Gu Yuan's iron-green complexion, Wang Yan recounted the entire affair from start to finish, additionally explaining to the gossip-loving crowd why he knew Nan Xiang...

After hearing the story once, a shout of "Damn your mother!" rang out.

A classmate slapped the table and stood up. "Are you kidding me? You're the one trying to morally blackmail others? Don't you deserve this? Was it wrong to deal with you? Aren't you just relying on your family's power to act arrogant? Our boss didn't harm you; it was just normal business tactics. If you can't beat our boss, who do you have to blame?"

These words garnered responses from others, who one after another spoke out to condemn and scold, leaving Gu Yuan so ashamed he had nowhere to hide his face.

"You're ruthless!" Gu Yuan said viciously. "Wang Yan, remember this: if my family encounters problems, if I end up living poorly, I will not let you off."

"You're welcome anytime; your good brother Xicheng is waiting for you." Wang Yan spread his hands, smiling cheerfully while raising an eyebrow at Gu Yuan, killing the person and striking the heart simultaneously.

Gu Yuan left in shame and fury...

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