Chapter 67: The First Employee of the Group

The journey to the twenty-sixth floor didn’t take long, but for Guo Lei, closed within the elevator, it felt like a century had passed. When the doors slid open again, she hesitated.

This was definitely a scam—either a high-level pyramid scheme, a fraud, or perhaps something even more sinister where people simply vanished. So many television dramas played out such plots: luring naïve young graduates with promises of high salaries and excellent benefits, only to have them sign contracts that sold their very lives away.

But she was short of money and needed a job. Since graduating half a year ago, she had found herself unable to secure anything substantial, stuck in this awkward limbo. Of course, Tang Tian’s relentless pursuit, competing for every interview, didn’t help matters either. Positions that were easily within reach for a wealthy heiress seemed like insurmountable mountains before her.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, she instinctively thrust out her hand to stop them—almost trapping her fingers in the process, a dangerously impulsive act.

Taking a deep breath, her delicate collarbones sinking in, she had to admit that, based on looks alone, she was indeed a rare beauty.

With her long legs, she followed the signs to the office of a company named Qixi Media Consulting.

There was nothing fancy—just the company’s name on the door, no division into departments. Guo Lei’s spirits fell. She raised her hand and knocked weakly at the heavy wooden door.

In the low, muffled rhythm of her knocking, a faint voice replied from within, “Come in.”

Her arms limp, Guo Lei leaned her weight against the door to push it open. The room inside was spacious, scattered with yet-to-be-assembled desks, boxes, and packing foam littering the floor. Amidst the chaos, a man moved busily among the debris.

“You are…?” He turned at the sound, his eyes slanting slightly as he fixed them on her—a look that startled Guo Lei. Behind her, the door closed with a soft ‘click.’

“I… Hello… I’m Guo Lei,” she managed, swallowing hard as her mouth went dry. “I’m here for an interview.”

“An interview? Sorry about the mess.” The young man rolled up his sleeves and nudged a box aside with his foot. “I’m Lin Xiang, the general manager here. But to be honest, I just handle odd jobs—you’ll find out soon enough.” He moved behind a desk and gestured for her to sit. “The real boss isn’t around most of the time.”

“My apologies.” Guo Lei waited for Lin Xiang to sit before bowing her head slightly and smoothing the fabric of her pencil skirt as she sat down.

“Here’s my résumé.” She steadied herself with a quiet breath, took the document from her bag, and handed it over with both hands.

“Thank you,” Lin Xiang said, but instead of reading it immediately, he gave her a sidelong glance, as if in explanation. “I have a bit of a problem—my eyes are slightly cross-eyed, so I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Guo Lei shook her head rapidly, like a rattle-drum.

“You’re applying for…?” he prompted.

“Deputy… Deputy General Manager…” Guo Lei replied, her voice tinged with embarrassment. She was a recent graduate with only a little experience as an assistant, but deputy general manager was another matter entirely. This company was truly strange.

Lin Xiang didn’t seem to care. He looked her over again, sending a chill down her spine, then nodded with satisfaction and opened her résumé. “No problem with your appearance—a lovely young lady. Brother Xiao will be pleased…”

Brother Xiao? That must be the mysterious boss. They wanted someone pretty—were they simply looking for a secretary to dote on? Guo Lei’s mind spun with speculation.

But Lin Xiang said nothing more as he studied her résumé. Truth be told, he was only just able to make sense of the content. Soon, he looked up again. “Excellent, you fit our requirements perfectly. When can you start?”

“What?” That was it? It all seemed so unreliable. Guo Lei was a little flustered. “I just need a couple of days to get things in order, nothing special.”

“You mentioned accommodation,” Lin Xiang glanced down at her résumé. “To be frank, housing isn’t a problem. This office will be partitioned into several rest areas—you can use one as your dormitory. Once the company is up and running, we’ll consider renting proper apartments. As for meals, for now you can cook for yourself or order takeout. The company provides a two-thousand-yuan monthly subsidy. How does that sound?”

Guo Lei was stunned. For her current situation, the offer was extremely generous. She had no reason to refuse.

“If possible, start as soon as you can. Brother Xiao has asked me several times already.” Lin Xiang smiled wryly. “To be honest, I only have a junior high school education. The title of general manager is just for show—I’m here to relay messages between Brother Xiao and you. Besides that, I handle manual tasks.”

“I see…” Hearing Lin Xiang openly discuss his own situation, Guo Lei felt herself relaxing a little. But what did he mean by all this?

“In reality, you’ll be the true operator of this company,” Lin Xiang continued. “Brother Xiao said, once the personnel are set, all matters are yours to arrange—including hiring staff. Pay them according to the city average. As long as you complete the tasks Brother Xiao assigns, everything else is up to you.”

Guo Lei’s heart pounded wildly. She had never met such a willful boss—handing the entire company over to her, with no fear she might abscond with the funds!

“Any other questions?” Lin Xiang asked.

She had many, but she bit her lip and chose the one she cared most about. “Could you tell me, specifically, what the company does?”

“It’s actually quite simple—we hold meetings to discuss various topics,” Lin Xiang replied. He didn’t fully understand Brother Xiao’s intentions either. “The discussion themes are decided by Brother Xiao. Your job is to organize the meetings according to his requirements. The entire proceedings must be recorded and kept confidential—that’s important. Then, you’ll organize and submit the results to the company for consolidation. That’s it.”

Meetings? Just endless meetings? Guo Lei was dumbfounded. “How does the company make money?”

“We don’t consider profit. This company, as a consulting office, exists to serve Brother Xiao. We only need to focus on execution. Funding and expenses aren’t your concern.”

“What if the discussions yield no results?”

“There’s no need for results—the process is all that matters. Even dozens of differing opinions are fine. The rest isn’t our business.”

Guo Lei was astonished. How wealthy must one be to indulge in such whims? This wasn’t business, nor did it resemble academic research. It was simply spending money for amusement.

“I just don’t understand. If the boss only wants discussion results, wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to solicit essays online?”

Still, the work seemed reasonable. Guo Lei’s resistance faded, and she began to see things from an employee’s perspective.

“Brother Xiao doesn’t want anything too specialized or rigid. You can ask him about the details later. Any other questions?”

“No,” Guo Lei shook her head.

“Great!” Lin Xiang stood and extended his right hand. “Congratulations on becoming the first employee of our group!”