Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

Chapter 51: Chapter 50: It’s Just White Stockings, I’ll Buy Them

”Of course I’m interested. I just don’t know if you’re willing to take me, Brother Sen?”

Zhu Xiaopeng rubbed his hands together, asking with a humble smile.

Chen Yansen looked at him and thought it over. Right now, FoxTao was most in need of people for product selection and operations, ad placement, and customer service.

Take the customer service position, for example. The main tasks were explaining the cashback model to users, answering questions about when rebates would be credited, and handling order tracking, lost orders, and order compensation. Anyone could do this job.

”You want the customer service gig? Ten yuan an hour. No special requirements, you just need a normal typing speed.”

Chen Yansen didn’t give it much thought and agreed on the spot.

”Brother Sen, I’d actually like to find a part-time job, too,” Meng Xibo, who had seen this from behind, quickly added.

”You can come with Xiaopeng tomorrow.”

Chen Yansen nodded, agreeing readily.

Tang Zhenzhe was tempted, but he didn’t say anything. His family was well-off. While he didn’t have huge sums of money to spend recklessly, he wasn’t short on cash either. In a couple of years, when his family’s old house was demolished for redevelopment, he would become the biggest property owner in dorm room 8302.

Wang Zhengqiang’s situation was similar. Both of his parents worked, and he felt there was no need to waste his study time on a part-time job.

Then again, on a typical day in the dorm, the thing he did most was play Pro Evolution Soccer on his computer. As for his professional textbooks, they were just like Chen Yansen’s—the covers had never even been opened.

”Thanks, Brother Sen.”

Meng Xibo quickly thanked him. He had checked the information board at the school gate; there were basically no decent part-time jobs around campus.

Internet cafe attendant: 800 yuan a month, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The upside was free internet access, but pulling all-nighters was a huge pain.

Water delivery: paid per piece at thirty cents per barrel. You had to haul them from the front of the dorm building to the residential life warehouse. It was exhausting work, a real chore.

Laundry delivery was also piece-rate: fifty cents for a bag of clothes. Each bag weighed over ten pounds, and you couldn’t deliver many in a single morning.

Honestly, the pittance you earned wasn’t even enough to buy steamed buns.

In comparison, working for Chen Yansen’s FoxTao—sitting in front of a computer and typing for ten yuan an hour—couldn’t be more comfortable.

”Wanna grab a bite at the cafeteria and go for a walk? I heard there’s a music concert tonight on the lawn across from the Music Academy.”

Tang Zhenzhe chimed in with a smile when he saw they were done talking.

”What’s so interesting about a music concert?” Wang Zhengqiang said with a dismissive pout.

”Senior Brother Cao from the Chinese program said the concert is full of upperclassmen and underclassmen in camisoles and shorts. It’d be nice to go get an eyeful,” Tang Zhenzhe added.

The moment Meng Xibo heard that, he immediately put on his shoes, responding to Tang Zhenzhe’s call to action with his feet.

’Camisoles and shorts?’

’Upperclassmen and underclassmen?’

’For real?’

”Bo Bo, wait for me!” Wang Zhengqiang yelled, chasing after him in his slippers once it registered.

The group left Building 8, laughing and joking. They didn’t even eat dinner, just walked straight down Xuehai Road to the front of the Music Academy building.

Across from them, a small stage of about twenty square meters had been set up on the lawn, where two male students from the music department were adjusting the equipment.

On the stage stood a girl with short, chestnut-colored hair. She wore a lace camisole paired with a gray pleated skirt. Her figure was tall and slender, and her long, fair legs were especially eye-catching.

She had a sweet face, a seven or eight out of ten, and had attracted a large crowd of underclassmen who were staring at her legs.

”The girls from the Music Academy are so pretty! The girls from our School of Arts and Humanities can’t compare at all!”

Zhu Xiaopeng commented as he watched.

”Anyone who can study the arts must come from a well-off family. They’re pretty, sure, but probably hard to pursue,” Meng Xibo said, looking like he knew all about it.

”Zhu Xiaopeng, what did you mean by that? How can’t the girls from the School of Arts and Humanities compare?”

Suddenly, a defiant female voice came from behind them.

The group turned to look and saw it was Su Meiling and her two roommates.

The one who had spoken was a slightly chubby girl with a few freckles on her face, who was glaring angrily at Zhu Xiaopeng.

Chen Yansen offered a small smile, which served as a greeting to Su Meiling.

”Forget it, Xiaojie. Zhu Tongxue was just joking. Don’t take it seriously,” Su Meiling said, trying to placate her, her voice still soft and sweet.

Tang Zhenzhe’s eyes lit up, and he scurried over. ”You guys came to see the music concert, too?”

”Yes, Squad Leader Tang,” Su Meiling replied politely, but she maintained a certain distance.

Chen Yansen shook his head at the sight. ’Ah Zhe is probably going to be single for another four years,’ he thought. ’Hitting on a girl like that, with such pointless small talk... how could the relationship possibly go anywhere?’

”Squad Leader Chen, did you come to see the music concert, too?” Su Meiling took the initiative to speak since Chen Yansen was being quiet.

”...”

Chen Yansen was struck speechless for a moment, then laughed. He glanced between her and Tang Zhenzhe. ’Did you two learn how to talk at the same training class? Chatting like this... are you trying to kill the conversation?’

”Yeah. You here to look at legs, too?”

Chen Yansen rolled his eyes and asked frankly. It didn’t matter whether Su Meiling was there to look at legs or not—he certainly was.

”Brother Sen, you...” Meng Xibo was dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open, at a loss for words.

’Look at legs?’

Su Meiling froze for a second. It wasn’t until she glanced at the upperclasswoman’s long, fair legs on stage that she realized what Chen Yansen meant.

”Are you all here to stare at the upperclasswoman’s legs?” Su Meiling frowned slightly, scanning the group with a look of disgust.

”Su Tongxue, I’m here to appreciate the music,” Tang Zhenzhe said, immediately puffing out his chest and speaking with a straight face.

”Youth League Secretary, I happen to be a music enthusiast. My focus is different from Brother Sen’s,” Meng Xibo quickly added, trying to weasel his way out.

”Me too, I love music!” Wang Zhengqiang wasn’t as thick-skinned as the other two. Unable to think of another excuse, he held it in for a long time before squeezing out a ”me too.”

”Chen Tongxue, your hobby is quite... peculiar.”

Su Meiling paused before stammering out a reply.

”It’s no different from girls liking to look at guys’ abs. This upperclasswoman’s legs are long and fair. If she were wearing white stockings, she’d be even more perfect.”

Chen Yansen spoke as if he were an expert, his expression completely serious.

Tang Zhenzhe and the others felt their brains short-circuiting. Now they believed it: Chen Yansen really wasn’t interested in Su Meiling.

’He likes white stockings?’

Su Meiling silently filed that away in her mind. A blush spread across her pretty face. If any other guy had said those things, she definitely would have been annoyed, but hearing it from Chen Yansen gave her the sudden urge to secretly go buy a pair of white stockings.

”Oh, right. Do me a favor.”

Chen Yansen suddenly turned to the side and said to Su Meiling.

”Go on, I’m listening,” Su Meiling said, inwardly delighted. After all, this was the first time Chen Yansen had initiated a conversation with her today.

”The list of female students on financial aid should be finalized by now, right? Can you help me ask them if they’d be willing to take a part-time job at FoxTao? The minimum is 10 yuan an hour.”

Chen Yansen continued.

Guo Dongchen had spoken to him privately last time. The Dean was interested in having FoxTao hire a few students from low-income families for part-time work.

It might be hard for many to believe, but in Huian in 2010, there weren’t enough financial aid spots to go around at many universities. This was a completely different situation from a decade or so later.

Aside from a small number of students from well-off families, the parents of most students were migrant workers in coastal regions, and some were even full-time farmers.

The on-campus library and cafeterias couldn’t offer many part-time positions, not nearly enough for the dozen or so schools and departments.

Chen Yansen hadn’t thought much of it at the time and agreed with Guo Dongchen directly. This stunned the man for a moment; Guo Dongchen had thought it would be a troublesome and difficult matter, not expecting Chen Yansen to be so accommodating.

As he was leaving, Guo Dongchen left him with a parting shot: ”As long as I’m still at the School of Arts and Humanities, you won’t have to worry about failing a class, kid.”

Chen Yansen was a little disdainful but didn’t contradict him to his face. ’You’re taking your PhD entrance exams and leaving next year,’ he thought. ’If I’m counting on you for protection, I’ll be waiting forever. The Dean and the University President are the real patrons I need to cling to.’

”Chen Yansen, thank you on their behalf.”

Su Meiling gave a slight bow and said with a sincere expression. She couldn’t help but think: ’Chen Yansen likes to stare at girls’ legs and has a thing for bad girls, but compared to his kindness, those things don’t seem like such a big deal.’

”What’s there to thank me for? I’m paying them to do work for me. There’s no need for thanks.”

Chen Yansen’s tone was very serious, and his voice grew louder.

Su Meiling didn’t understand what he meant at first, but seeing his strange reaction, her mind turned, and she figured it out.

She smiled and said, ”Squad Leader Chen, you’re a really good person.”

’Huh? Why is she insulting me now!’

Chen Yansen was annoyed. He turned his head away, looking like he didn’t want to talk to Su Meiling anymore.

Su Meiling was stunned, not understanding what she had said wrong this time.

A moment later, Xu Xingxing came over, pulling a roommate with her. But she didn’t say a single word to Su Meiling, not even a hello. It seemed one dorm room was split into two factions.

Chen Yansen sighed to himself. ’Well, damn. In my past life, I heard people say that a single female dorm room can have 42 different group chats. I didn’t believe it then, but I’m starting to now.’

”Want to take another look at my ID card?”

Xu Xingxing stood on her tiptoes and whispered ambiguously in Chen Yansen’s ear.

”But I didn’t bring mine.”

Chen Yansen was tempted at first, but after a moment’s thought, he politely declined.

”So Squad Leader Chen is all talk. You look like a scumbag, but you’re actually a good guy,” Xu Xingxing pouted, mocking him softly.

”Fine. Forget the hotel. I’ve rented a room in the faculty apartments. Come with me.”

Chen Yansen couldn’t take being challenged like that. He grabbed Xu Xingxing and started dragging her off toward Room 0418 and its big bed.

Xu Xingxing wasn’t flustered at all. She followed along with a grin, even waving at Su Meiling as she left.

”Brother Sen, where are you guys going? Are we still getting dinner?” Meng Xibo craned his neck and shouted.

”This is adult business. Kids should stay out of it!” Chen Yansen turned his head and put a finger to his lips in a ’shushing’ gesture.

Seeing this, Su Meiling stomped her foot in frustration. ’It’s just white stockings, right? Fine, I’ll buy them!’ she thought.