Chapter 29

Li Dongling first met Hu Zi in the conference room; Hu Zi’s resume was exceptionally impressive, far surpassing those of the applicants who had come to Dongling High-Tech in recent days.

But the resume only covered Hu Zi’s career up until his arrival in Pengcheng; his two years in Yazhou were mentioned in passing, clearly indicating some upheaval—otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned to Pingyang.

Hu Zi sat there, studying Li Dongling before him, speculating about his identity and background, for Li Dongling looked remarkably young.

Over the years, countless college graduates had plunged into business, creating a loud spectacle, but how many had truly made a name for themselves? Barely a handful: Si Tong’s Old Wang, Giant’s Old Shi, Jin Shan’s Qiu Bojun, and a few others.

In Pengcheng, Hu Zi had seen many young college graduates start businesses; most ended up bloodied and battered, while those who could afford offices and hire staff from the start almost always had connections.

Added to that, the decor of Dongling High-Tech when he entered had led Hu Zi to assume Li Dongling belonged to the latter category—most young entrepreneurs settled for rented apartments, huddled with three or five others brainstorming projects or developing something, never leasing such a large office or hiring so many people.

Hu Zi’s resume revealed no red flags; even without asking, Li Dongling could guess what had happened to him in Yazhou.

Li Dongling looked at him. “You’re Mr. Hu, correct? I don’t care what happened to you in Yazhou—I only hope that if you join Dongling High-Tech, you can handle payroll, finance, taxes, and related matters properly.”

“Rest assured,” Hu Zi said confidently, speaking of his expertise. “I can design a compensation system and bonus structure for Dongling High-Tech, and assist with tax matters as well…”

Li Dongling raised his hand to cut him off. Hu Zi had once helped companies in Pengcheng with shady schemes; Li Dongling had no intention of using such methods—sometimes, one mistake could destroy everything; chasing small gains might lead to a catastrophic fall.

“I want no tax issues whatsoever at Dongling High-Tech!”

Seeing Li Dongling’s serious expression, Hu Zi paused, then nodded. “I understand.”

“Mr. Hu, if you accept the position of Finance Manager, your expected salary will be…”

“The annual salary cannot be less than fifty thousand!” Hu Zi interrupted before Li Dongling could finish.

When he entered, Hu Zi had noticed half the office was still empty; he assumed Dongling High-Tech had little business and earned barely anything, just paying a few salaries—he feared asking for too much might make Li Dongling refuse.

“An annual salary of fifty thousand,” Hu Zi said—a figure astronomical by Pingyang standards, translating to over four thousand yuan per month—“but I demand a two-year contract only.”

After speaking, Hu Zi saw Li Dongling visibly pause, then wear an expression he couldn’t decipher. Hu Zi’s demand was half what he earned as CFO at a foreign firm; these two years in Pingyang were merely a sabbatical—he planned to return to Shanghai or go back to Pengcheng afterward.

“You might want to reconsider—Dongling High-Tech will have plenty of business in the future…” Li Dongling tried to persuade him further.

But before he could finish, Hu Zi interrupted again, thinking Li Dongling was trying to lowball him; his stance was firm. “No need to reconsider—this is my bottom line!”

“Welcome to Dongling High-Tech, Manager Hu!”

Seeing Hu Zi’s firm resolve, Li Dongling had originally planned to raise his salary, but since Hu Zi refused outright, he could only sigh and let it go.

After standing and shaking Hu Zi’s hand, Li Dongling said directly, “Dongling High-Tech has accumulated numerous financial issues and unfiled tax declarations—Manager Hu, you’ll need to handle them.”

After Hu Zi left, Li Dongling sat down and drank some water when the conference room door was knocked on again.

A red figure entered the room, placing her resume before Li Dongling. “I’m Yao Luoying. Here’s my resume—I’d like to apply for Executive Assistant to the Chairman.”

Li Dongling looked up and, at the first glimpse of Yao Luoying, felt a flash of astonishment.

Yao Luoying had a round face, phoenix eyes, dark eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and a mischievous glint in her gaze; her bone structure evoked the saying: beauty lies in the bones, not the skin.

After that fleeting glance, Li Dongling turned his attention to her resume. After a few moments, he looked up. “Why did you decide to return to Pingyang?”

Like Hu Zi, Yao Luoying graduated from a prestigious university—after finishing at Beijing University, she spent a year studying commerce in Hong Kong; such credentials would earn her serious consideration at foreign firms or major companies in Beijing or Shanghai.

“Aren’t you the same, Director Li? You returned to Pingyang too.”

Sitting there, Yao Luoying’s gaze fixed on Li Dongling as she suddenly countered, making him laugh.

“My father admired Wang Yangming—he told me enlightenment doesn’t require sacred mountains; even Longchang can lead to awakening. I believe I’m qualified for this position.”

Her slightly curled hair fell loosely; her face radiated confidence—this statement implied she could achieve greatness even without joining those big companies.

Li Dongling assessed Yao Luoying—her expertise matched Dongling High-Tech’s needs perfectly. Once onboard, she could handle daily operations, temporarily oversee HR, and assist when Dongling High-Tech’s products go overseas next year.

Thus, Hu Zi managed finance, Yao Luoying temporarily handled HR and daily affairs, Li Dongling built the tech team—and Dongling High-Tech could finally launch new operations.

Moments later, Li Dongling rose and extended his hand. “Welcome aboard.”

Hu Zi entered his finance manager’s office, opened the door, and found the space sizable and elegantly furnished, with all necessary office equipment—though his finance department currently consisted mostly of fresh graduates from Pingyang University’s finance program, Hu Zi still felt it was decent.

“Bring me the financial statements of all Dongling High-Tech’s main projects since its founding.”

Hu Zi called out to the staff outside. Moments later, when a thick stack of documents piled before him, he already sensed something was wrong.

Flipping through the financial reports, he saw the second transaction with Yuqi Town’s Yuanqi Factory—the satellite dish profit-sharing—amounted to nearly 3.8 million. His blood surged to his head; recalling Li Dongling’s offer earlier, he felt his heart ache. He suddenly realized: Li Dongling hadn’t been trying to lowball him…

But the contract was signed. Now, any regret could only be swallowed whole—he had refused it himself; who could he blame?

Calming himself, Hu Zi examined Dongling High-Tech’s projects with Yuanqi Factory. As a finance professional, seeing the satellite dish’s explosive sales, he couldn’t help but be stunned—the profits and popularity far exceeded his expectations.

He had assumed this was just a small startup, tinkering around—but now he realized Dongling High-Tech was far beyond his initial assumptions.

In tax matters, Li Dongling was far more compliant than Hu Zi had imagined; even in minor areas where tax avoidance or loopholes were obvious, Li Dongling chose to pay.

From the funds Li Dongling had raised, Hu Zi deduced he was preparing a new project—precisely as the saying goes: before moving troops, secure provisions. After years in finance, as a seasoned veteran, Hu Zi could discern patterns from subtle financial movements.

At this point, Hu Zi no longer cared about his meager salary—if Dongling High-Tech’s new project succeeded and Li Dongling followed the rules, Hu Zi, as a key contributor, could earn far more than his annual pay—perhaps several times over in bonuses.

Even if Li Dongling didn’t reward him generously, if Dongling High-Tech succeeded in just one or two projects, Hu Zi could leverage this experience to jump to another company, directly securing a position as Finance Manager or CFO, possibly even joining the board.

All of this depended on Dongling High-Tech’s growth. Hu Zi dared not dream of becoming another Si Tong or Giant—but even half, or a fraction of their success, would make him rich. Until then, he would give his all for Li Dongling—for his own sake.

As Gao Peng walked up and down the stairs, he brushed past Yao Luoying and involuntarily turned to look back—she was undeniably striking at first glance, yet Gao Peng felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he’d seen her somewhere before.

But once inside Li Dongling’s office, Gao Peng pushed the thought aside. “Brother Li, I’ve found an auto trading company—they have plenty of imported cars. We can go take a look anytime.”