Just as Li Changye was feeling down about his “financial future,” there was a knock on the office door.
“Come in.”
Zhao Lei pushed the door open, followed by a tall, elegant young woman.
“Chairman Li, this is the receptionist I just found for you, Miss Lin Wanqing. She’s a fresh graduate from Yan Province Art Institute’s Design Department. She has an excellent image and temperament, and she also won multiple scholarships during her time at school, so her abilities are outstanding,” Zhao Lei introduced.
Li Changye looked up, and his eyes lit up.
The woman was around twenty years old, about 1.7 meters tall, dressed in a tasteful light-colored professional suit that accentuated her graceful figure.
Her long, dark, shiny hair casually draped over her shoulders, making her small, oval-shaped face appear even more delicate.
Her features were bright and striking, her eyes clear and luminous, especially the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, which gave her an air of cool elegance.
“Hello, I am Li Changye.”
Li Changye tried to appear calm, but his heart couldn't help but beat a little faster.
“Hello, Chairman Li,” Lin Wanqing nodded slightly, her voice clear and pleasant, with a hint of polite formality.
Her gaze lingered on Li Changye for a moment; she was also curious about this legendary young and promising Chairman.
Li Changye could feel that Lin Wanqing’s eyes didn't hold the fawning or flattering look typically directed at “big bosses.” Instead, there was a sense of scrutiny and a subtle reserve. This made him think even more highly of her.
“Miss Lin, our Huanyu Group is a startup, but our goal is the stars and the sea.”
Li Changye habitually began his “pie-in-the-sky” pitch, subtly observing Lin Wanqing’s reaction: “The front desk is the face of the company. Do you have any plans for your future career development?”
Lin Wanqing replied gracefully, “Chairman Li, although I studied design, I believe that one can learn something from any job. I deeply identify with Huanyu Group’s philosophy and Chairman Li’s original intention of building a ‘conscientious enterprise.’ I hope to utilize my value on a vibrant and promising platform and grow together with the company.”
Her words were impeccable, but Li Changye didn't notice; he was simply staring at Lin Wanqing with shining eyes, marveling inwardly.
What a beauty.
“Very good.”
Li Changye nodded, “Zhao Lei, discuss the specific salary and onboarding procedures with Miss Lin. If Miss Lin has no objections, she can officially start work tomorrow.”
“Yes, Chairman Li,” Zhao Lei responded, then gestured to Lin Wanqing to “please” follow him.
Lin Wanqing smiled politely at Li Changye again, then followed Zhao Lei out.
Li Changye watched her graceful figure disappear through the doorway and couldn't help but rub his chin.
This Lin Wanqing is indeed a campus beauty. If only he could…
He immediately gave a bitter smile, dismissing those unrealistic thoughts from his mind.
Chasing women? His pockets were emptier than his face right now. What could he use to chase her?
Should he tell her: “Beauty, my monthly salary is three thousand, but I have a company with a registered capital of one billion. Be my girlfriend?”
She'd probably think he was crazy.
“Sigh, when a man has no money, he doesn’t even have the confidence to chase women,” Li Changye scoffed at himself.
From then on, Lin Wanqing officially became the receptionist for Huanyu Group.
Every day, she appeared punctually at the 88th-floor front desk, dressed in exquisite and appropriate professional attire, with light, elegant makeup.
Her arrival undoubtedly added a beautiful touch to the entire office, and even the work enthusiasm of other employees significantly increased.
Every time Li Changye came out of the Chairman’s office or returned from an “inspection” outside (which was actually just riding a shared bicycle aimlessly around the city, euphemistically called “market research”), he would pass the front desk.
He always tried to appear calm and unhurried, not looking sideways, projecting the air of a cool and domineering CEO.
Occasionally, when his gaze met Lin Wanqing’s, he would just nod faintly, or give a look that signaled, “Hmm, you worked very hard today, commendable.”
In reality, he was internally panicking.
He was afraid that if he looked at Lin Wanqing for too long, he would expose his little secret desires.
He was even more afraid that Lin Wanqing would ask him a couple of questions, such as “Chairman Li, what car are you driving today?” or “Chairman Li, where do you usually go for entertainment?”
How was he supposed to answer? Say he takes bus route 10, and his biggest entertainment is playing games in the office?
So, he could only pretend. Pretend to be profound, pretend to be calm, pretend that he was immune to beauties and indifferent to all worldly affairs.
And Lin Wanqing also noticed the young Chairman’s deliberate aloofness.
Her attitude towards Li Changye also consistently maintained professional politeness and courtesy, neither an ounce more enthusiasm nor an ounce less respect.
This made Li Changye feel a little relieved, but also vaguely disappointed.
More than once, in the dead of night, lying on the luxurious bed in the Chairman's office lounge, he pondered his life.
“I'm clearly the protagonist! Why is my system so unconventional?”
He looked at the ceiling, as if seeing Lin Wanqing’s cool and elegant face.
“If I had money… even a monthly salary of thirty thousand, no, twenty thousand would be fine! At least I’d dare to invite her to a decent meal, or to see a movie, right?”
Unfortunately, there were no “ifs.”
He could only continue to play the role of Chairman, silently adhering to his three-thousand-yuan monthly salary amidst the company’s growing assets and rising employee benefits, living a “simple and unpretentious” life.
This kind of “wealthy poverty” kept him in a strange state of both pain and secret delight every day.
The pain was for himself; the secret delight was that he was, after all, a boss and could command his employees at will.
“Perhaps, this is the destiny of a ‘conscientious entrepreneur’,” Li Changye could only comfort himself this way.
The renovation project for the bathhouse was in full swing.
Li Changye used almost all of his “Chairman’s privileges” on this project.
He ran to the construction site every few days, euphemistically calling it “inspecting progress and controlling quality,” but in reality, he was going to experience the pleasure of being a “Party A Daddy” and… freeloading on the construction site’s boxed lunches.
Don't even mention it, the renovation company, to curry favor with him, this “big moneybags,” the food at the construction site canteen was really good: two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup, with unlimited rice, much better than his own instant noodles.
To save his meal allowance for salary, Li Changye really went all out.
The design team continuously revised and perfected the plans based on his wild ideas.
Things like holographic projection starry sky baths, AI intelligent private hot springs, VR immersive gaming experience areas, and a buffet restaurant with a Michelin three-star chef in residence… various money-burning ideas kept emerging.
The company’s financial director, Xiao Zhang, who had resigned from one of the Big Four accounting firms, felt his professional ethics were severely tested every time he saw the purchase orders and engineering payment applications approved by Li Changye.
“Chairman Li, this fully automatic massage bathtub imported from Italy costs two hundred thousand per unit. We plan to purchase twenty units in the first phase, which is four million! And this sauna equipment imported from Germany, a set costs several million…”
Xiao Zhang pushed his thick glasses, trying to persuade his boss to be a little more restrained in a professional tone.
Li Changye waved his hand, with the nonchalance of someone who views “money as external to the body”: “Xiao Zhang, you need to have a long-term vision! We are building a brand, a benchmark! It’s okay if the initial investment is a bit large. As long as we can provide customers with the ultimate experience and build up our reputation, won’t we make money later? Besides, does our Huanyu Group lack this bit of money?”
He spoke with full confidence because the monthly twenty million yuan in system support funds arrived on time, and the company was not afraid of lacking money at all.
Thus, under Li Changye’s uncostly extravagance, the luxury and technological content of the bathhouse far exceeded the level of all current leisure establishments in Yan Province.
The employees, seeing their company so wealthy and powerful, grew increasingly admiring of Chairman Li.
They privately discussed that Chairman Li must be the heir of some wealthy family, starting a business just to experience life, and not caring about money at all.
Only Li Changye himself knew that he was using the system’s money to create a perfect “fishing paradise” for himself.
During this period, Zhao Lei’s Human Resources Department was not idle either.
According to Li Changye’s instructions, they recruited many industry elites from all over the country with high salaries.
There were senior managers with many years of experience in five-star hotels, master therapists who had worked in top international spas, a team of star chefs proficient in various cuisines, and even a professional companion team.
Huanyu Group’s workforce rapidly expanded, quickly growing from the initial twenty-odd people to over a hundred.