CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: THE SLEEPING DRAGON TAKES HIS PLACE!

In the end, Yu Xiaoqiang failed to grasp his meaning.

It was probably because, at his previous company, he had been oppressed for too long by a supervisor who was the boss’s relative. He was eager to show off his talent, and after a burst of inspiration, he even managed to make a video about trimming donkey hooves quite interesting. The younger employees at the company all watched it and sang its praises.

This is a huge problem.

So, he had no choice but to reassign him to manage other online influencers.

"Uncle, the video Manager Yu made is quite good. Why don’t you use it?" Li Sili asked, cocking her head to the side. She was sitting in the boss’s chair, swinging her fair, slender feet.

Three days ago, Uncle had brought them to the company. Only then did they realize he actually owned such a large company; he had been lying to them the whole time, saying he was unemployed.

Hmph! What a big liar!

However, that feeling didn’t last long. When Uncle offered them a salary of a thousand a day, their faces instantly lit up with joy. Si Han and Yu Qing went over to the live-stream e-commerce department, as they were more interested in that.

Uncle’s arrangement for her was to first make videos to attract followers. Although the content of the filming seemed a bit strange, she chose to trust him.

Sun Dasheng stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and put a finger to his lips, gesturing "SHHH" for her to be quiet. He turned and gazed out the window, dialing a number.

The call connected.

"Da Cheng, it’s been a while. What have you been up to?"

"Brother Dasheng, it’s been so long! You’re not calling to borrow money, are you?" the voice on the other end asked, sounding alarmed. "I’m broke! If you don’t believe me, ask my aunt!"

"I’m not asking to borrow money," Sun Dasheng said, annoyed.

The person on the other end of the line breathed a sigh of relief. "I heard from family that you got divorced. I figured that vixen took all your money and left you penniless."

The term "vixen" was a nickname his generation of relatives had given his ex-wife.

The person on the phone was Sun Dasheng’s own cousin, Sun Dacheng. Back in the day, their youngest uncle had given him the name Dacheng, hoping he would achieve great success in his career. The intention was good, but it probably would have been better if he had never started. In the end, while the result wasn’t the polar opposite of the goal, it was completely irrelevant. He had never managed to accomplish a single thing in his life.

During his school years, he skipped classes, scaled walls, and made a name for himself in internet cafes. He fought over girls, got jealous, and was caught with one in the school woods. As a result of this puppy love, he was expelled before graduating high school.

Upon entering society, he mixed concrete and laid bricks, his tears watering many a construction site. He washed and cut hair, becoming a top stylist at the local salon. He worked as an extra and carried cameras, earning praise from everyone in Hengdian. He even got busted by the traffic police for running a red light while still in his costume—a full suit of armor and a yellow robe.

A decade of hardship stripped him of all pretenses, and he finally saw the "truth" in the den of a pyramid scheme. One day he’d be boasting about earning a million a year from direct sales; the next, he’d be on the run to Northern Myanmar, vowing to return rich and famous.

In the end, his family had to pool their money to buy his freedom back. He was then forced to settle down and farm the family’s land, where he had been for a year now.

Isn’t this the exact "Wolong and Fengchu" I’ve been looking for?

"Brother Dasheng, as long as it isn’t about money, just say the word. Your little brother is here for you," Sun Dacheng declared, thumping his chest as if there was nothing he couldn’t do.

"Da Cheng, do you want to come out and build a career?"

There was a moment of silence on the line. Then, Sun Dacheng’s hushed voice came through.

"Brother Dasheng... you didn’t end up in that place, did you?" he whispered. "Listen to me, that place is a demonic pit that swallows people whole! You have to get out of there, quick! If you can’t get out, give me an address. I’ll tell Auntie so they can pool the money to rescue you."

It was clearly a trauma response. That place must have left him with some unpleasant memories.

"Hey, you’ve misunderstood," Sun Dasheng quickly interjected. "Your big brother started a company, and I need a reliable talent like you."

"Really?" Sun Dacheng was clearly skeptical.

Sun Dasheng recorded a short video of his company and sent it over. In the video, employees addressed him one after another as "Director Sun."

That instantly lit a fire in Sun Dacheng.

Isn’t this the very picture of success I’ve been dreaming of day and night?

"Brother... I mean, Director Sun, I’m on my way!"

Clever boy.

「The next day.」

He had already arrived at the company. It was just that fast.

Inside the chairman’s office, the two of them huddled in front of a computer, watching a video. It was the one Yu Xiaoqiang had filmed of Li Sili trimming donkey hooves. He had come up with a novel idea, giving Li Sili delicate makeup to wear for the shoot. He had also trained her, and the girl turned out to be quite talented. She mentioned she used to trim donkey hooves back home, and after a quick refresher, she had the skill down pat.

In the video, a slender, petite girl skillfully wielded a large hoof knife, trimming the hoof with clean, decisive motions. It was surprisingly satisfying to watch, and Li Sili herself had a unique charm that made her instantly memorable.

The young people at the company called this a "sense of contrast." They even showed him a video of the "sheep-slaughtering girl," claiming it had a similar appeal. The sheep-slaughtering girl was known online as the Desert Butcher; perhaps the hoof-trimming girl could earn a nickname from netizens too, something like the Hoof Nemesis. If you can become a meme online, you’ll go viral.

Sun Dasheng heard this and thought, No way. How can I let that happen? If she gets famous, where will my experience points come from?

"Dacheng, what improvements do you think could be made to this video?" Sun Dasheng asked, tapping his finger on the desk. "If I gave you the job of reshooting it, could you do better?"

It looks pretty good to me.

During his years farming back home, he loved to watch these kinds of short videos in his spare time. However, being a self-proclaimed genius, he naturally had to demonstrate his value.

"No problem," Sun Dacheng promised, thumping his chest.

"If you need to buy anything, just make a list. I’ll have it taken care of immediately," Sun Dasheng said.

Sun Dacheng’s eyes lit up. Spending money was his specialty. He pointed at the video on the screen.

"The video resolution is only 720p, so the visual quality is average. We could switch to a better high-definition camera."

"As for camera brands, there are..."

Sun Dasheng cut him off. "Just tell me how much it will cost."

"A decent one costs over a hundred thousand, but a good, complete set could run you over a million." After saying this, he looked at his cousin.

Time to see how rich you really are.

Sun Dasheng did not disappoint, saying casually, "Buy the best."

"Alright! Brother Dasheng, you’re the man!" Sun Dacheng exclaimed, jumping up with excitement. He was reminded of his days learning the trade in Hengdian. He had actually earned quite a bit of money back when he was carrying cameras. But then... the camera broke, and he was kicked out.

"What’s this ’Brother Dasheng’? How many times have I told you? Use my title at work," Sun Dasheng said coolly.

"Yes, Director... my mistake. Director Sun," Sun Dacheng corrected himself immediately.

"So, besides the camera, what else needs to be improved?" Sun Dasheng continued.

What else? Sun Dacheng stared at the video for a long time, not knowing where to start.

"For example, the plot," Sun Dasheng prompted.

"What’s wrong with the plot? It’s pretty good, isn’t it?" Sun Dacheng asked, scratching his head. But seeing the dissatisfied look in his cousin’s eyes, he quickly changed his tune. "It can be changed! Definitely!"

"How about we add some background music to the video?" Sun Dacheng ventured. "That exclusive BGM for Audebiao, the guy who hauls bananas, is pretty good."

"Is this a problem with the background music?" Sun Dasheng countered. "Don’t you think we should get a skilled old master to do the actual hoof trimming? As for our host, just have her do a little intro for a few seconds at the beginning."

"Huh? We’re replacing her? But isn’t her technique really skilled?" Sun Dacheng was completely bewildered.

Of course I know her technique is skilled. That’s the problem! I don’t want her to get popular!