Chapter 43: Assemble the Development Team (35k Request for Follows)

“Quit your cafeteria part-time job. For the next few days, you’ll handle HR duties. After hiring is done, return to your original position.”

Over dinner, Chen Yansen slowly said to Song Yuncheng.

“If I do extra work, can I get a little more pay?”

Song Yuncheng cautiously probed; she’d been satisfied with her two-thousand-yuan salary last night, but after comparing it to Zhang Wenbo’s four thousand, the gap suddenly stung.

“Stop whining! Think I won’t dock your pay? Peel me a shrimp!”

Chen Yansen grinned, subtly threatening.

“I really do have a boyfriend—he’ll ruin you if he sees! He’s an athlete, has eight-pack abs, and could beat up ten guys like you without breaking a sweat.”

Song Yuncheng refused to peel shrimp, her face stern and serious.

“Like my eight-pack abs?”

Chen Yansen lifted his shirt, revealing sharply defined muscles.

“You’re a pervert!”

Song Yuncheng glanced quickly, her ears turning red, then yanked his shirt down.

“Call your boyfriend. Tell him I’m waiting here for him.”

Chen Yansen tossed his phone over, gesturing for her to dial, his attitude brazen.

“Boss, I was just joking! Peeling shrimp? I love doing it for you!”

Song Yuncheng’s face froze, then she forced a smile and reluctantly began peeling shrimp.

“Go to the startup park early this afternoon. Buy disposable cups. If any students come for interviews, make them line up and wait.”

Chen Yansen took the shrimp, tossed it in his mouth, and chewed as he spoke.

“Boss, I have class this afternoon.”

Song Yuncheng frowned slightly, looking reluctant.

“Of course skip class—do I have to teach you that? Work hard with me, and I’ll promote you and raise your salary!”

Chen Yansen spun his lies effortlessly, regardless of whether she’d swallow them.

“Oh, okay.”

Song Yuncheng wrestled with it for a long time, then finally replied weakly, then asked: “What about you?”

“I’m going back to nap, of course.”

Chen Yansen rolled his eyes, annoyed.

“...”

Song Yuncheng pouted; if she weren’t afraid he’d dock her pay, she’d have already lunged at him.

Seeing her too afraid to retaliate, Chen Yansen smiled. Bullying the quiet ones felt surprisingly satisfying.

After lunch, they parted at the cafeteria entrance.

Chen Yansen returned to his dorm to nap; Song Yuncheng walked into the cafeteria, apparently preparing to quit her job as Chen Yansen had ordered.

When he woke up, it was already 1:30 p.m.

Chen Yansen dressed and strolled calmly toward the startup park. To his surprise, the number of afternoon interviewees had doubled compared to the morning; the second floor of the park was packed solid.

“Go get Director Cao.”

Chen Yansen ordered Song Yuncheng; with so many people, he feared chaos and wanted her to bring Cao Dahua to help.

Though confused, Song Yuncheng obeyed. She somehow managed it—Cao Dahua, eyes half-lidded, tea cup in hand, strode over with a wide smile.

“Ahem! What are you all doing here? If you’re here for interviews, line up properly! This is chaos—no order at all! You four blocking the entrance—what college, what class? Who’s your counselor?”

Cao Dahua cleared his throat and demanded sharply.

Everyone immediately fell into line; the students who’d been blocking the path lowered their heads, too scared to breathe.

“Director Cao, thanks for your help,” Chen Yansen greeted with a smile.

“Call me if you need anything!” Cao Dahua gave him a look that said “I’ve got your back,” then turned and slipped into his office—clearly planning to slack off again.

Chen Yansen sat down, picked up a resume, and called out: “Xiang Pengfei!”

The afternoon candidates were clearly stronger than the morning ones; everyone knew only one person had been hired from the dozens interviewed in the morning. Without real skill, no one would dare show up.

From blazing noon sun to deepening dusk, Chen Yansen was utterly exhausted. There was no one else to conduct interviews, but the afternoon results were promising.

Besides backend developer Xiang Pengfei, he hired a data warehouse manager, a product manager, and a QA engineer—but he still lacked enough developers. He’d planned to hire two or three per position, aiming to launch the website by October and begin marketing.

“I hope tomorrow’s candidates surprise me,” Chen Yansen thought silently.

“Brother Sen, we’ll send you the list of needed items later. For the first week, we’ll use our own computers—won’t delay progress.”

Xiang Pengfei said as he left; Chen Yansen had offered him four thousand yuan monthly, and his enthusiasm instantly surged.

“I’ll get the domain, server, and broadband delivered within three days.” Chen Yansen turned to the slim boy beside him. “Zhuang Rui, draft the product requirements in advance. We’ll review them together—aim to start work orderly next week according to the development plan.”

Zhuang Rui was a third-year software engineering student with solid skills in product architecture and system design. His three-thousand-yuan salary didn’t match Zhang Wenbo’s or Xiang Pengfei’s, but he was already very satisfied.

“Got it, Brother Sen!” Zhuang Rui nodded.

After everyone left, Chen Yansen looked at Song Yuncheng, still lingering, and joked: “Want to treat me to dinner again?”

“N-no, I don’t have my own computer. Can I borrow yours?” Song Yuncheng lowered her head, stammering.

“What about the laptop from yesterday?” Chen Yansen frowned, asking softly.

“It was my roommate’s. But she needs it too—I can’t borrow it for three days.” Song Yuncheng stared at her shoes, embarrassed.

Chen Yansen was curious: “You don’t have a computer—how do you draw and design normally?”

“Library computer lab.” Song Yuncheng replied briefly.

“Those electronic junk heaps? Even Spider Solitaire lags! You’re amazing.” Chen Yansen shook his head, half-laughing, half-sighing. “Password’s 920204. Remember?”

“Easy to remember. I got it.”

Song Yuncheng smiled faintly, filled with gratitude.

“Good. That’s my birthday. Don’t forget to give me a gift then.”

Chen Yansen reached the door, lazily reminding her.

“But I’m broke.”

Song Yuncheng muttered under her breath as he walked away, her watery eyes flickering with some unnamed emotion.

Leaving the startup park, Chen Yansen strolled along Xuehai Road.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out—it was Xu Xingxing: “Hey, I bought beer. Come out for a drink?”

“Another time.”

Chen Yansen replied casually. Xu Xingxing was indeed beautiful and had a great figure, but he wasn’t in the mood today. He hadn’t seen Meng Jie in two or three days—he’d already made plans to meet her at 0418.

Soon after, Xu Xingxing sent another message: “When you chat with girls, are you always this blunt? You seem so experienced—how many girlfriends have you had?”

Chen Yansen paused, reread his earlier message, and realized it was ambiguous. But Xu Xingxing’s tone was intriguing—she wasn’t angry; she was chasing the conversation.

So he thought for a moment and replied: “Do you want the exact number, or do you want to know about my past?”

“Is there a difference?” Xu Xingxing asked again.

“The number? Like stars in the sky—too many to count. But my past? Next time we have time, I’ll tell you in depth.” Since he had nothing else to do, Chen Yansen typed deliberately, teasing her.

“Hotel? With ID? That kind of deep chat?” Xu Xingxing asked.

“Sure. Never seen a girl’s ID in my life.” Chen Yansen lied boldly.

Xu Xingxing lay in her dorm, stifling a laugh. Chen Yansen was a bit of a rogue, but at least he was fun. Those wooden guys? Talking to them even once made her tired.

After a few more casual replies, Chen Yansen stopped responding to Xu Xingxing.

He climbed to the fourth floor, glanced around, and saw Meng Jie holding fruit, leaning on the balcony railing, peering down.

“Well, if it isn’t Class President Meng! Brought fruit? Too kind.” Chen Yansen walked over, teasing.

“Didn’t know what you liked, so I bought a bit of everything.” Meng Jie smiled faintly, cheeks flushed, lips glossy under the dim light—inviting a kiss.

“You put on makeup?”

Chen Yansen noticed instantly, smiling as he opened the door.

“Do I look good?” Meng Jie stood on tiptoe, trying to give him a better view.

Most girls might blush or whisper, “I did this just for you.” But not Meng Jie.

She’d only act: Chen Yansen, I’m wearing makeup for the first time. Look at me carefully.

“Mmm. Beautiful. Makes me want to rush straight to the police station to register our marriage—and then have a baby right away.”

Chen Yansen bent down, meeting her gaze. Their faces were mere centimeters apart; each breath was audible.

A faint fragrance drifted through the air.

“Get lost!” Meng Jie’s lips curled up involuntarily—his flattery hit exactly right.

“Come in. No need to take off your shoes.” Chen Yansen stepped inside, plopping onto the sofa.

“Am I the first girl to ever come in?” Meng Jie set down the fruit, suddenly asking.

“Uh, no.” Chen Yansen shook his head, bluntly denying.

“Oh? Who came before?”

Meng Jie’s smile vanished instantly, her tone sour.

“Professor Liu, plus her female relatives, friends, students, and so on.” Chen Yansen held back a laugh, answering seriously.

Song Yuncheng was automatically ignored.

With girls, you say one truth and nine lies. Tell all the truth? You become a lapdog.

“You’re messing with me, aren’t you!” Meng Jie threw the fruit down and lunged into Chen Yansen’s arms, grabbing his collar.

“Ugh, interviewed over a hundred people today. My eyes are blurry. Can I hug you?”

Chen Yansen changed the subject, opening his arms, looking utterly drained.

“You’re always trying to take advantage of girls!” Meng Jie complained, but her body was honest—she hugged Chen Yansen around the waist like he was a little kid.

Chen Yansen leaned down and kissed her; minutes later, just as he was about to go further, Meng Jie gripped his hand tightly, breathing hard: “If you do that again, I won’t come next time.”

“I’m just curious, don’t take it personally.”

Chen Yansen pulled his hand back and grinned, then opened the coffee table drawer and placed a small box on the table: “For you. I have one too—it’s our couple phone!”

It was a brand-new iPhone 4.

“It’s too expensive—return it,” Meng Jie’s heart fluttered at the word “couple phone,” but after hearing the price, she quickly shook her head and refused.

“The telecom company gave it to me for free. Wang Zihao got one too. Can I be the only one without a girlfriend’s phone?”

Chen Yansen spoke with mock seriousness.

Upon hearing the words “girlfriend,” Meng Jie couldn’t help but smile, paused a moment, then said: “Fine, I’ll reluctantly accept it.”

…

…

Meanwhile, in the Dean’s Office of the School of Literature and Media.

“Professor Guo, I heard one of your students is running a startup project. Could he hire a few underprivileged students?”

The dean spoke cautiously.

“Dean, that’s true—but he’s hired mostly computer science students. Our School of Literature doesn’t match.”

Guo Dongchen spread his hands, looking helpless.

“That’s true. What position does he hold in your class?”

The dean asked again.

“He has no position at all,” Guo Dongchen answered honestly.

“That won’t do. For such an outstanding student, as his counselor, you should take the initiative and give him more responsibility,” the dean said sternly.

Guo Dongchen opened his mouth but held back, then finally nodded.

So when Chen Yansen brought Meng Jie back to her dorm, he learned as they passed Room 8302 that he’d been made vice-class-president.

But what’s a vice-class-president in college?

The Youth League Branch Secretary is basically the vice-class-president!

A new month, Masters, please keep reading~ The book’s data is decent, just low exposure—everything ahead is 3k-word chapters. Please support~

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(End of Chapter)