Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

Chen Yansen was helpless. He braced himself and took a photo with the person outside the paper offering shop.

Ye Qiuping stood to the side, trying to stifle a laugh. She wanted to let it out but held back, afraid of annoying Chen Yansen and suffering for it later that night.

Ten minutes later, Xiaoli had loaded all the offerings into the trunk. He then drove off, with a Mercedes MPV following close behind.

The paper offering shop owner lay back down, opened WeChat, and smugly posted the photo in his ”Happy Family (37)” group chat with the caption: ”Look who this is!”

”Holy shit! Chen Yansen!”

”He’s back in Chunshen to sweep graves?”

”No shit! It’s the Qingming Festival today. Isn’t it normal to sweep graves?”

”Uncle, can you get an autograph for me?”

Meanwhile.

Chen Yansen knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times respectfully, muttering, ”Mom, I was afraid Dad was too stingy and the money he burned for you before wasn’t enough. Your son is adding a little more. If it’s still not enough, send me a dream.”

Ye Qiuping studied the photo on the tombstone. ’No wonder Chen Yansen isn’t bad-looking,’ she thought. ’He must have gotten his mother’s good genes.’

”You take over for a bit. There’s too much money, I’m tired of burning it.”

Half an hour later, Chen Yansen stood up and said to Ye Qiuping.

”Me? Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?” Ye Qiuping shook her head, but the corners of her mouth kept trying to curl into a smile.

”Less talk.” Chen Yansen shot her a look and stuffed a stack of Netherworld Coins, each with a denomination of 1,000 trillion, into her hands.

Ye Qiuping obediently knelt down. Gazing at Liang Hui Zhen’s picture on the tombstone, she prayed silently in her heart, ’Auntie... Liang, I’m Chen Yansen’s... subordinate. My name is Ye Qiuping. Your son is amazing. To be honest, I like him, but my background isn’t good enough...’

It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that Ye Qiuping finished burning all the yellow paper and Netherworld Coins. After kneeling for the entire afternoon, her knees were bruised and her legs were trembling.

”Thanks for your hard work,” Chen Yansen said.

”It was nothing,” Ye Qiuping said with a fawning smile.

”In that case, wait ten minutes. I’ll have Xiaoli go buy a few more boxes of Netherworld Coins,” Chen Yansen said.

”...” Ye Qiuping froze.

Chen Yansen was just joking. He got into the car and told Xiaoli to drive to North Street.

They finally stopped in front of a wonton shop. He rubbed his stomach and said, ”I’m actually getting a little hungry.”

Having knelt for over two hours straight, Ye Qiuping grumbled to herself, ’I’m the one who’s hungry. Tired and hungry.’

”Boss, three bowls of wontons, three bowls of small knife-cut noodles, and a pound of potstickers.”

The moment he walked in, Chen Yansen skillfully placed their order.

He and Ye Qiuping sat at one table, while Xiaoli sat at another empty one.

There were only a few other customers in the shop; it looked rather empty.

”Xiaoli, there’s a braised meat stall out front. Go buy half a salted goose,” Chen Yansen said.

Hearing this, Xiaoli immediately ran out.

”I didn’t expect President Chen’s hometown to really be a small county town,” Ye Qiuping said softly.

”What else? Did you think I made it up?” Chen Yansen retorted.

’Given your character and personality, it’s not entirely impossible.’

Ye Qiuping smiled without saying a word, only daring to complain in her head.

”Boss, small knife-cut noodles, and a side of potstickers.”

Just then, a middle-aged man in his forties walked in, carrying a flask of tea, calling out his order as he went.

Chen Yansen turned his head and, sure enough, saw a familiar face.

”Coach Huang, long time no see.”

”President... President Chen, you... long time no see.” Huang Boxiang was stunned for a moment, then walked over with a smile.

”Changed careers?” Chen Yansen looked Huang Boxiang up and down. He wasn’t wearing his Da Xiang Driving School uniform, his face was much tanner than it had been three years ago, and more than thirty percent of his hair had turned white.

”Ah, I’ve fallen on hard times.” Huang Boxiang pulled up a small stool, sat down across from Chen Yansen, and scratched his head, speaking self-deprecatingly.

’It’s not like you ever really made it big anyway!’

Chen Yansen thought about it but decided against saying it out loud—the truth was too harsh. Instead, he asked casually, ”Did your brother’s driving school go under?”

Even though Huang Boxiang had a foul temper, he was, after all, the driving school owner’s younger brother. As long as Da Xiang Driving School was still in business, he wouldn’t lose his job.

”He got set up in a business deal. He bought a kindergarten, and the other party scammed him three ways from Sunday, leaving my brother holding the bag. Then last year, he followed some people into a real estate project. The houses wouldn’t sell, the big boss took the money and ran, and the ten million my brother invested went down the drain. With nowhere left to turn, he jumped off a building.”

Huang Boxiang said with red-rimmed eyes and a bitter smile.

Now, he had to shoulder the burden of two families. Besides working as a driving instructor, he also had to drive for Fast Taxi to supplement his income.

Chen Yansen’s brow furrowed slightly.

In his memory, Huang Daxiang had entered the real estate market in 2014, securing a plot of land right before Chunshen’s housing prices skyrocketed. In less than three years, he went from a millionaire with tens of millions to a billionaire.

But in this lifetime, the man had entered the industry a year or two earlier, and the trajectory of his fate had been completely reversed. In the end, he had jumped to his death because his capital chain broke.

If you ride the wave of the era, you can achieve financial freedom in just two or three years.

But if you take one wrong step, a family’s fortune can collapse in an instant.

If Huang Daxiang had just gritted his teeth and held on for two more years, he might have been able to make a comeback. But the creditors on his tail didn’t give him the chance.

”Do you need any help?” Chen Yansen asked seriously.

He knew what kind of person Huang Boxiang was: simple and honest. Although he had a bit of a temper, as a driving instructor, he never took bribes or solicited gifts. He praised students who learned well and yelled at those who were slow.

The man had his bad habits, but his heart was in the right place.

You could tell he was a loyal person just by seeing how he worked himself to the bone to pay for his older brother’s young daughter’s education.

”President Chen, I couldn’t trouble you. I’m sort of your employee now, anyway. When I have free time, I spend half the day driving for Fast Taxi.”

Huang Boxiang shook his head, refusing the offer.

There were some favors he could never repay.

Besides, he was a self-aware man. He and Chen Yansen were merely nodding acquaintances. Three years ago, the man had hired him for a job and had paid him every last cent he was owed.