Chapter 40

In the instant the other person froze, the small crane inside the warehouse groaned with a shrill, grating sound, but Lin Jingyi paid no mind, stepped forward again to help steady the cargo, returned to her computer, opened her thermos, and took a sip of water: “To you, it’s just a part-time job.”

“But not to me.”

Sunlight suddenly pierced through the clouds, and dust motes danced in the beams between the shelves.

Lin Jingyi pulled out her phone and sent a message to the WeChat contact labeled “Jiang the Skinflint”: “Salary calculations are done. Check the added rates for the part-time work. If everything’s fine, I’ll send them out shortly.”

Jiang Ming: “Just sign and send them first. I’ll take the financial report later.”

“Oh by the way, did you think about what my Lin Manager suggested last night?”

Lin Jingyi’s beautiful eyes curved into a smile as she typed back: “You’re already this overwhelmed just giving me a little accounting work—how do you expect me to survive as an esports club manager?”

“Hehe, no choice—we’ve got only one person we can trust.”

“It’s a ragtag startup with too many things to handle. Those who can, should carry more.”

“Just talk?”

“Not just talk, not just talk—starting today, every task gets paid separately for our beautiful Lin.”

“Now that’s more like it.”

“I found the video editors you asked for—two poor, unemployed seniors, excellent skills. Suggest signing them long-term.”

“I’ve also lined up the standalone house for the team base—it’s not far from Taicang, go take a look when you have time.”

“Renovation will take time anyway, otherwise it’ll be too rushed.”

“As for support staff, I asked a junior to find the labor market—no objections? You can hire two there. With meals and lodging included, their salary demands are very reasonable.”

Lin Jingyi instantly switched into mode and listed every task Jiang Ming needed to handle in recent days.

“Oh, and get a car!”

Jiang Ming: “Hands clasped in thanks (JPG)!”

“For hiring, Sister Lin, as our NXG manager, you have full authority. I’m just a heartless money machine.”

Seeing the playful emoji Jiang Ming sent, Lin Jingyi smiled.

Her gaze swept again over the junior who had just given her advice.

Lin Jingyi sighed inwardly: sometimes, the greatest mistake is mistaking the platform’s strength for one’s own.

Could Jiang Ming’s online store have grown this far because of her, his multi-tasking assistant?

No!

Was it because of the college’s meager Weibo funding and venue support?

No!

It certainly wasn’t the part-time juniors now earning 30 yuan an hour after the raise, nor the junior sitting here as a customer service rep who couldn’t even fulfill her primary duties.

Was it her?

Lin Jingyi recalled the dean's casual recommendation in his office.

She knew clearly—if anyone else had been in that office that day, Jiang Ming would have agreed just the same.

And as long as that person was competent and sharp enough, they could have handled the job while learning countless things never taught in university.

So she wasn’t the reason either.

…

Jiang Ming had one guiding principle.

“No one can do everything alone. Only those who know how to use people can accomplish great things!”

He was always moved by the line from “Chu Shi Biao”: “I give my all, until death.” But he also remembered the statue of the exhausted civil minister before the Wuhou Temple in Chengdu—the stone folds of his robe held cold sweat that had never dried in two thousand years.

So Jiang Ming never dreamed of doing everything himself. Finding talent, cultivating talent, and using them well—that was the true way.

Though trained in accounting, Lin Senior had a meticulous mind, handled every detail with care, and possessed solid managerial ability.

As a fellow alumna, she also held insightful views on the connection between esports and e-commerce.

He certainly couldn’t bear to keep such a talented person only as a part-time assistant handling logistics and payroll. With a little time invested in her growth, she was the perfect club manager.

During this phase of his first fortune, while still in the early accumulation stage, Jiang Ming couldn’t yet offer her a lavish salary.

But luckily, Lin Senior was a woman of both outer grace and inner wisdom, broad-minded, never petty about pay.

Now, with the S3 King update bringing in a flood of traffic, the online store reaped massive profits, and the YY platform’s bonus and club sponsorship funds had arrived, Jiang Ming immediately launched all preparations for the club.

The first order of business: promoting and raising the salary of Lin Senior, who had been instrumental to the online store.

“There are still two qualifying matches left. Even if they lose both, it won’t affect their LPL qualification—but for maximum traffic, a perfect record is best.”

After finishing Lin Jingyi’s tasks, Jiang Ming began planning his next steps.

“There’s still time before the LPL regular season starts. See if the team can find someone with solid game understanding to supervise daily training in my place.”

“Professional coaches aren’t worth thinking about yet—there aren’t even a handful of decent esports coaches in the entire league. We’ll cultivate our own later.”

“We can’t drop the tutorial videos, but I won’t have much time for them later. Set up a video studio—I’ll provide ideas, start with game-related content, and see how far it goes.”

“Let’s test the two editors Lin recruited first. Get those two video categories—LOL patrol humor and Top King highlights—under control as soon as possible.”

“Good news: vacation’s coming. No need to worry about YY livestream traffic being disrupted by classes.”

“The YY bonus and sponsorship won’t amount to much. The bulk of early investment still falls on me.”

“The base doesn’t need to be huge, but if we aim for professionalism, money will be needed everywhere. Increase livestream frequency during vacation. If needed, push the ‘Chasing Dual-Server King’ topic.”

“We can add more product types to the online store. It’s all about sourcing—just shifting goods from hand to hand. Once we scale up, go straight to factory direct sales!”

“We’ve got pork floss cakes—how can we leave out fish tofu?”

“Oh, right—Youchen sent someone to discuss wholesale pricing. Ask if they’d be interested in becoming NXG’s second sponsor.”

A sudden flash of inspiration eased Jiang Ming’s furrowed brow.

In his view, Youchen wouldn’t refuse—this past period’s livestream popularity had been visible to them, and with sales data in hand, any sane person would leap at this unprecedented traffic.

“Team base, contract updates after LPL promotion, hardware/software upgrades, essential club staffing…”