Chapter 960: Secured

Renting a house was truly a simple matter.

Wang Yan had contacted an agent in advance, detailing his requirements, and after work, he toured four or five properties with Xiong Xiong Qingchun before settling on one.

The apartment was not luxurious, yet neither was it ordinary; located in a newly built high-rise residential complex, it was a 160-square-meter flat floor with a northern view of the Yongjiang River and balconies on both the north and south sides, which was quite impressive.

By the next day, they had hired cleaners to scrub the place and purchased some necessities, so that evening, the two of them started cooking in their new home.

Dressed in loose loungewear and eating the meal Wang Yan had cooked, Xiong Xiong Qingchun nodded and said, "You've hidden your skills deep enough; if we hadn't cooked together during the New Year before, I truly wouldn't have known your culinary arts were this good. With such skills, you ought to cook more and not waste them; it's a pity that with such excellent skills, you still made me cook every day before."

"Just lazy, didn't want to do it," Wang Yan said with a chuckle as he poured wine.

"Then why are you willing to do it now?"

"It's for warming the pot when moving into a new home; besides, I've been living with a bunch of guys all this time, and now I've finally gotten to sleep with you, a great beauty, so shouldn't we celebrate?"

At just this one sentence, a rosy flush spread across Xiong Xiong Qingchun's face: "Hey, hey, hey, how did it become 'sleeping together'? Don't talk nonsense."

"Anyway, the meaning is the meaning; just grasp the spirit of it," Wang Yan said, raising his wine glass. "Come, let's celebrate; have a drink."

They were drinking beer, downing it gulp by gulp, very heartily; of course, neither intended to drink heavily, as stated at the moment, it was merely a small celebration for the move.

After finishing that one drink, Xiong Xiong Qingchun focused on eating and said nothing; in truth, she felt somewhat awkward, having suddenly realized that although they had known each other for half a year, the time they had spent alone together like this was actually quite scarce.

In the beginning, Wang Yan went out every day to handle part-time business tasks; later, Zheng Zheng Qiudong arrived, and Huang Huang Zimu was hired, so basically, whenever they weren't out running business, it was the few of them spending time together; although Wang Yan would later return in the afternoons to conduct interview work with her, it was never just the two of them alone.

Like this, at such a time, it was truly the first time for the two of them.

Just as she was worrying about the silence and wondering whether she should say something, Wang Yan spoke up at the right moment: "Are you feeling awkward?"

"How could that be? Being with a rogue like you, what is there to be awkward about?"

"You're just stubborn."

"Just eat your meal; the ancients said, 'Do not speak while eating,' so why do you have so many words?"

Wang Yan chuckled and indeed stopped talking, yet he did not fiddle with his phone, simply eating hearty mouthfuls; Xiong Xiong Qingchun, however, could not do the same, as she was scrolling through her phone, appearing as if she had busy matters to attend to.

Awkwardness was naturally normal, stemming from the unclear definition of their relationship; they were not quite friends, not quite lovers, yet still ambiguous, and now they were even living under the same roof, so it would be strange if they weren't awkward.

Wang Yan, however, felt not the slightest awkwardness; he simply did not know what awkwardness was.

After dinner, Xiong Xiong Qingchun voluntarily washed the dishes and then came to the living room; meeting Wang Yan's smiling gaze, she felt quite flustered.

"Um... I'll go back..."

"Afraid of me? I can't eat you; 'Comrades: Almost a Love Story,' starring Maggie Cheung, you must have seen it, right? It's quite good; let's rewatch it together," Wang Yan interrupted her words and made the choice for her.

Xiong Xiong Qingchun did not refuse, sitting on the comfortable sofa, but she sat very far from Wang Yan; he was in the middle, and she was at this end.

"Why sit so far away? Can you get the atmosphere watching a movie like this? They call it 'Almost a Love Story,' yet you're being so cold?"

"So many demands?"

Xiong Xiong Qingchun rolled her eyes, got up, and moved closer to Wang Yan's side; she intended to sit two seats away from him, but unexpectedly, Wang Yan shifted his buttocks over, grabbed her, and pulled her straight into his embrace.

"I knew you had ulterior motives."

"But you still came; for the current situation, you were prepared."

"I was wha—"

What she was no longer mattered, as Wang Yan had already sealed her lips, while his hands began to wander dishonestly.

Just as Wang Yan had said, Xiong Xiong Qingchun's agreement to move in with him indicated she was prepared for establishing their relationship, so where was the need for much nonsense; they simply engaged in straightforward, passionate, and deep communication...

"Let me tell you, if you ever wrong me in the future, I'll snap you..." Xiong Xiong Qingchun, her face still flushed, lay limp in Wang Yan's arms, gnashing her teeth as she made a scissors gesture.

"One look tells me you still have strength; let's go again."

"Aiya, don't move, don't move; I surrender, I truly surrender..." Xiong Xiong Qingchun quickly waved her hands; the pleasure was real pleasure, but the pain was also real pain, a pain of maladjustment, too fierce, like a violent storm, making her both love and hate it.

Wang Yan chuckled while handling his big treasure: "Not awkward now, are you?"

"Let me tell you, I finally understand now; you never had any good intentions."

"What kind of talk is that? Didn't I say long ago that it was love at first sight?"

"I'm talking about my ex-boyfriend; it was just listening to you mock him every day that made me realize something was wrong, leading to daily arguments, and now the benefit has gone to a rogue and rascal like you."

"Your words make no sense at all; with an ex-boyfriend like yours and a mother like his, you were already fed up, yet you blame me? I won't accept that; besides, do you think it's appropriate to talk about your ex-boyfriend with me given our current situation?"

"What's inappropriate about it? Don't you know?" Xiong Xiong Qingchun asked unhappily, lightly punching him, then, her eyes rolling, she said, "You're strong!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Aren't you men all like this? Always liking to compare."

"Do not easily place labels on an entire group; that is mistaken; I believe most men, toward their own women, would not make such meaningless comparisons; those who like to compare, I suppose, are likely only one type of person: those who cheat, regardless of gender, for otherwise, how would they end up in bed together?"

"What you say does make some sense."

"Right? The two of us are not a pair of adulterers; besides, I am confident, so where would I need you to tell me who is stronger?"

Xiong Xiong Qingchun wanted to retort, but after rubbing against him, she gave up; tilting her head back, she said, "I really can't go on."

"Understood."

At the same time, Wang Yan smiled and pressed her down.

As children of the Jianghu, she finally displayed her generosity; the shyness before was merely the normal expression of a woman in love; having pierced that layer of window paper and confirmed their relationship, Xiong Xiong Qingchun let go, returning to her former self who could play the game.

Wang Yan rested his hands behind his head, his eyes slightly narrowed...

This was life, but not the entirety of life; the two of them had rolled into bed together and showed affection openly at the company, which had no impact on the other employees, as this was a result everyone had anticipated long ago; if it were otherwise, that would be the surprising melon, and they would be the excited badgers; developments and endings that are expected always struggle to surprise people, because without contradiction and lacking conflict, yet this is precisely the core of art and the true essence of life.

However, this had little relation to the company's development; although Yan Chunqiu was a small startup company and not top-tier, the treatment was not poor; to say nothing of other things, just the daily high-consumption lunch was worthy of praise, as the two girls doing part-time business tasks and the accountant who had joined less than a month ago had each gained at least two jin; not to mention that housing and commuting subsidies were all provided, making the comprehensive compensation quite decent.

Moreover, there were few people in the company, relationships were simple, and the boss was an honest man; at the same time, they could all make progress; for the girls doing part-time business tasks, he would let them sit in on interviews and later show them the recordings for review and analysis; for the accountant, it was even simpler, as Wang Yan provided hand-in-hand guidance, purchased a large pile of accounting books, and had the accountant study during work hours.

With a good atmosphere in the company and employees in good spirits, they worked with vigor.

Of course, no matter how much vigor the two part-time business girls in the company, the girl who had worked as an accountant for two years and only just passed the junior accounting exam, possessed, they were powerless to elevate the company to the next level.

Wang Yan finally interviewed and hired newcomers fresh to the workplace who met his satisfaction, as well as experienced hands with some work experience; in total, he recruited two fresh graduates and two experienced hands.

The standard for these experienced hands was a detailed understanding of the industry situation, participation in business processes, the ability to work independently, and some achieved results; obviously, truly awesome experienced hands would not come to Wang Yan's small workshop; the so-called experienced hands who came here were merely players struggling to earn a living.

The salary was certainly not high; hearing "headhunter" sounded exciting, but in the end, it was still sales, primarily earning through Jiangkou Jiangkou Ticheng; the base salary was three thousand yuan, and including social insurance and other benefits, it amounted to a bit over four thousand; fresh entrants would definitely lose money, while experienced hands would fare much better, their issue being merely small order volumes preventing them from earning much, which also indicated that while they had mastered certain Ding De Fang Fa, they had not yet grasped the essence.

With contestants like these, if Wang Yan guides them and gives them a few lessons now and then, they'll be profitable very soon.

As for the other two lacking experience, just like Huang Huang Zimu, they belong to the foundation-building tier; nurture them well, and they will later add bricks and tiles to Wang Mou's passive income.

He wasn't exploiting them; after all, the compensation was appropriate, and he was guiding their progress—a proper life mentor.

With people in place, naturally they must be utilized to continue expanding; meanwhile, Wang Yan hadn't forgotten the new media company commission he had accepted earlier. The fifty-thousand success fee was already the largest single-person, single-transaction deal they had landed so far; this shot still needed to make as big a splash as possible.

"How's that new media job of yours going? I haven't seen you make any contacts," Xiong Xiong Qingchun asked curiously.

"WeChat."

Wang Yan shook his phone. "I found two people locally in Nanning and one in Guizhou. The two from Nanning will come one after the other today and tomorrow to talk with me; the one from Guizhou is scheduled for a video call tonight."

"What about costs?"

"About five thousand per person."

Leaning against Wang Yan's shoulder, Xiong Xiong Qingchun asked in wonder, "How did you find them? The editor-in-chiefs of Nanning's newspapers and other media companies—Director Li must have already approached them, right?"

"Not only did he approach them, he also went after deputy editors-in-chief and some managing editors. But with so many people, how could they possibly cover everyone?"

"Then how did you find them?"

"Of course, the dumb way: reading articles, watching videos. Otherwise, since we lack connections and resources, how else would we find them? I just look for whose articles stand out, whose video scripts, filming, and so on are well done, with sound themes; then I track down the companies behind them, inquire who wrote them, who planned them, which editor was responsible for the content, then ask about that editor's reputation, how the managing editor above them is, and how the deputy managing editor fares."

Realizing what he meant, Xiong Xiong Qingchun, though already aware of Wang Yan's capabilities, still widened her eyes in surprise: "So you not only found candidates for editor-in-chief, but also uncovered a reliable content team?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, affirming Xiong Xiong Qingchun's statement. It wasn't hard to deduce; after all, he had traced from the front stage to the backstage, from the workers to the commanders, so inevitably he would learn these things along the way.

"But you haven't even met them; how can you ensure what they're really like? If you ask others to inquire on your behalf, word might still reach their ears."

"First, their competence was confirmed, and it was established that their current compensation didn't match their abilities; only then did I arrange face-to-face discussions with them. As for a person's true character, whether others speak well or ill, we must judge for ourselves. People speak first from their own perspective, second from the standpoint of common social norms, and third under environmental constraints.

We shouldn't view others with suspicion or prejudice; instead, we must maintain our independence. People are complex, not simply good or bad. Personal likes and dislikes are inevitable, but we must still strive to be as objective and dialectical as possible.

Coming back to the point, given their professional abilities, why do you think those three haven't risen higher? Boss Lady, you still have much to learn."

"You're really good at putting on airs," Xiong Xiong Qingchun said bluntly, puckering her lips.

"Am I right or not?"

"Right."

"Do you like this show-off vibe of mine?"

"Like? I'm absolutely head over heels for it."

"Then why all the chatter? Haven't you seen my thermos is dry? What are you standing there for? Go fetch me some hot water, old master."

Xiong Xiong Qingchun gave Wang Yan's shoulder a light tap, took his thermos, and went to get hot water.

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled. In truth, thinking he was merely putting on airs was the greatest misunderstanding of him. But he didn't mind; he continued fiddling with his phone, busy at work...

In fact, no one could escape Wang Yan's scrutiny; nowadays he could even say, "When it comes to judging people, I've never been wrong." After two days, Wang Yan chatted individually with the three candidates and basically formed his assessment. He organized their resumes, wrote his evaluations, and invited Director Li from downstairs to come up and watch the interview recordings of the three candidates.

"Director Wang, I must say, you're truly remarkable. How did you dig up people with little fame and unimpressive resumes yet such excellent abilities? I previously thought you'd really have to look out of town."

With Director Li saying this, the deal was essentially sealed; after all, he had acknowledged the candidates' strengths as meeting his requirements.

"Isn't there one from Guizhou?"

Wang Yan smiled, took out a pack of Huazi cigarettes, offered one to him, and they each lit up.

Director Li laughed heartily and asked, "Director Wang, may I ask how you found these two? If it's confidential, just pretend I didn't ask."

"The Snowden affair happened less than a year ago; where are there any real secrets? It's nothing more than reading our local articles, watching videos..."

"Oh? So Director Wang knows quite a lot about our new media sector."

"I took your job; how could I not understand it?"

"No, no, Director Wang, I'm talking about your instinct for this industry. Mere understanding isn't enough."

"I get it; Director Li wants me to work for you. Forget that idea. Though my monthly earnings aren't huge and my side gigs are nothing special, adding everything up, I still make five or six hundred thousand. Moreover, we're expanding toward the Yangtze River Delta; we've already sent someone ahead to scout, and the future looks very promising."

"Tsk, what a pity. But no matter; now that we've made a start, we'll keep in touch. If you discover any problems with us, Director Wang, please don't hesitate to point them out."

"Do I look like someone who hesitates?"

Exchanging a smile with Director Li, Wang Yan asked, "Let's get straight to the point, Director Li—which one do you want? I'll continue the negotiations. Talented horses are common; a Xiao Bole who recognizes them is rare; we're just waiting for a Xiao Bole like you."

"The one from Guizhou is definitely out; he's already made it clear that if I add more money, it would be excessive. As for these two locals..." Director Li drew out his words slightly, playing a little coy, then met Wang Yan's calm, unruffled eyes. "I'll take both."

"See, I told you Director Li is a Xiao Bole with keen eyesight. That's another fifty thousand; let's round it to a nice figure."

"Director Wang, don't rush; I was actually hoping you could give me a discount."

"Oh? How so?"

"Earlier, Director Wang mentioned... I was wondering if we could recruit all these capable people? With a strong operational team under me, Director Wang could earn more as well."

"Director Li has ambition; in that case, let's crunch the numbers properly."

Saying this, Wang Yan stood up, left to fetch several sheets of A4 paper, and returned with a calculator.

Actually, recruiting another entire team might be more than Director Li, despite his demonstrated strength, could handle. Bringing a team together doesn't mean they can start working immediately, since these members come from various companies. Wang Yan had indeed found only two editor-in-chief candidates, but initially there was a whole crowd. Therefore, these newcomers would need time to mesh, clash, and be reorganized; for a period, there would be no revenue, only pure losses.

But since the client was willing, Wang Yan didn't care about his survival. Director Li was a straightforward man; either he truly had a solid foundation, or he believed in the saying, "The bold starve the timid."

So after some negotiation, Wang Yan's success fee for this deal changed from fifty thousand to...

While Wang Yan's business was developing, Zheng Zheng Qiudong's side was also progressing quite well. After registering a branch company and taking Huang Huang Zimu along, they expanded from side gigs to regular human resources operations in just three months, hired four additional employees, and achieved profitability.

Blooming on both fronts, Yan Chunqiu was visibly growing stronger day by day, living calmly, working steadily, becoming better with each passing day.

At lunchtime that day, Xiong Xiong Qingchun, looking at her phone, suddenly lifted her head and asked, "Hey, didn't you and Zheng Zheng Qiudong mention Xia Xia Jiguo before?"

"What's up?"

"He's under investigation by the Discipline Inspection Commission. Here, take a look."

Wang Yan took the phone, glanced at the pop-up news, and smiled. "Looks like we need to give Zheng Zheng Qiudong a call..."

"Do you think the two of them will end up together this time?"

"Who knows?"

Even as he spoke, he had already taken out his own phone and placed a video call.

Zheng Zheng Qiudong answered quickly; he was also having lunch on his end.

Looking at Zheng Zheng Qiudong's face on the phone, Wang Yan asked, "Did you see the news?"

"I saw it..."

Zheng Zheng Qiudong's tone was complex; weatheredness, relief, joy, sorrow, and worry—boundless melancholy—all resided within those three words and the long sigh that followed...