Friday, May 5, 2023. Overcast, 15~19°C.

6:00 AM.

The soft morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, filling the air with a fresh and invigorating scent. After a restful night, Tang Song pushed himself up from the bed, feeling the soft and comfortable mattress beneath him. He looked around at the elegantly decorated room, instantly energized and full of life.

The curtains were drawn open with a swift pull. Standing barefoot on the hardwood floor in front of the balcony's floor-to-ceiling window, Tang Song gazed at the gradually awakening city, a blissful smile on his lips. It was his first night sleeping in his spacious new apartment, and the experience was wonderful.

His phone vibrated on the bedside table. Stretching lazily, Tang Song returned to the bed and picked up his phone to check the bank notification. Although ¥400 wasn't much to him now, it had become a daily ritual. Seeing the deposit notification made the interaction between the game system and reality feel real.

Next, he noticed a WeChat message:

[Zhao Yaqian: Upper body outfit.jpg]

He opened it to find a photo of her wearing a tight, U-shaped top. Her full, round chest, slender waist, and large expanse of fair, smooth skin below her collarbone made his blood boil. The photo had been sent around 10 p.m. the previous night, but he was already asleep by then. Tang Song had never realized that his beauty therapist friend had such a great figure!

Taking a deep breath, he quickly replied, "Yaqian, what about the lower half!?"

After sending the message, Tang Song stared at the photo longer. On this lively morning, the 25-year-old virgin found it hard to calm down. He resolved that he had to see just how well-proportioned she was.

After tidying himself up, Tang Song drove to Qingxin Homestead. He emptied the fridge and gathered all the items he would need shortly, loading everything into his car. As a single man, he didn't have much to pack. Moving was a small matter—he could finish it in a few trips.

After shutting off the water, electricity, and gas and locking the door, Tang Song walked along the community's concrete path to the breakfast shop at the south gate. He ordered some fresh meat buns, pumpkin millet porridge, a tea egg, and a plate of spicy pickles. As he ate, he took out his phone and opened the Douyin app.

As expected, there were 99+ unread messages.

It had been more than a day since he posted the fingerstyle guitar video, so it had likely reached its peak in popularity. Entering his profile, Tang Song's heart skipped a beat, and he almost forgot about his food.

Current Followers: 10,444.

He was a hit!

This was achieved without any marketing or promotion, purely through organic reach, proving how excellent that video was. He checked the video's stats: over 60,000 likes, 9,214 comments, and high numbers for saves and shares—a definite viral hit!

Opening the comments, Tang Song couldn't help but laugh out loud.

[Qingmeng: "Oh my god, those hands… Forget about being a content creator. Focus on something you're good at, like me."]**

[Autumn Lord: "Looks impressive to outsiders, but we insiders know—that's seriously amazing."]**

[Bothered: "Fingerstyle master, terrifying!"]*

[Shiwei Yueting: "Help! A boy with such beautiful hands playing guitar like this—so charming!"]*

…

Tang Song then checked his Little Red Book followers—1,809. It couldn't compare to Douyin.

He opened the system interface and checked the details of his title [Popular Me].

[Current Cash Reward: ¥864,100 (Total: ¥1,225,300)]

He had earned ¥860,000 from a single video! Amazing!

He immediately withdrew the amount.

"Dingdong—" The bank notification came right on time.

[Balance: ¥1,075,000]

He had over a million!

Staring at his bank app's long string of digits, Tang Song felt deeply moved. This was real, liquid cash unlike corporate shares, luxury apartments, or expensive cars.

…

At 9:00 AM, Yunxi Tower.

Tang Song parked his car in the underground garage and headed straight to Luckin Coffee in the corner of the first-floor lobby. He ordered four Coconut Milk Lattes, thinking showing some appreciation for his hardworking employees would be nice.

As he waited for the coffee, a familiar scent of perfume wafted by—fresh and dewy, like a breeze by the sea or the scent of rain-soaked air.

Tang Song turned slightly and saw Xiao Xue approaching gracefully. She wore a white shirt and black pants, and her slightly brown hair looked natural and fluffy. Two men in suits were with her.

The three of them arrived at the cashier. One of the men, sporting a short buzz cut, looked at Xiao Xue and spoke up, "Mu Xue, what would you like to drink?"

The other man, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, smiled and said directly to the cashier, "Two Geisha Americanos, please."

He then displayed his payment code.

"Beep—" The transaction was completed.

The buzz-cut man froze, his expression turning sour.

The man with gold-rimmed glasses pointed to the seats by the floor-to-ceiling windows and smiled, "Mu Xue, you can wait over there. I'll bring the drinks over."

"Thank you, Brother Gu. I'll treat you next time," Xiao Xue nodded, paying no mind to the tension between the two men. She strode over to a seat, her long legs tapping the floor in high heels. Her gaze drifted to the window as she leaned back slightly and crossed her legs.

Her high, straight nose, full, rosy lips, and sharply defined chin made her profile strikingly beautiful and sculpted. The two male colleagues' attention was instantly drawn to her, and Tang Song couldn't help but watch her for a while, too.

Although she was dressed elegantly and conservatively, there was an undeniable allure—pure yet tempting. That was a talent in itself. The source of this content ɪs novel·fiɾe·net

After picking up the four cups of coffee, Tang Song took one last look at Xiao Xue before leisurely heading to the elevator.

…

"Thank you, Mr. Tang!"

The young HR receptionist beamed as she accepted the coffee, her eyes sparkling at the handsome boss. Getting such a treat early in the morning was fantastic!

"Keep up the good work!" Tang Song casually encouraged her.

He then headed to the office area to hand out the coffee.

Sun Youguang quickly stood up, "Thank you, Mr. Tang!"

"Thanks!" Gao Mengting smiled as she accepted her coffee. I've hidden our online job postings, as you asked, so now we're just waiting for you to work your magic and bring in some outstanding candidates."

Tang Song checked the time, smiling mysteriously, "Twenty minutes to go."

Curious, Gao Mengting asked, "What do you mean?"

Tang Song winked at her, "You'll see soon enough."

Gao Mengting rolled her eyes playfully and didn't press further, focusing instead on preparing for the upcoming live broadcast. Trusting Tang Song completely, she had put the recruitment process entirely in his hands, concentrating on preparing for the first broadcast.

Around 9:30 AM, footsteps and voices came from the reception area. Soon after, the HR receptionist hurried over, "Mr. Tang, there's a lawyer named Zhao here to see you. He said you had an appointment."

Tang Song patted Gao Mengting's shoulder and smiled, "Come on, our reinforcements are here!"

Gao Mengting blinked in surprise, then quickly stood up and followed him to the reception area.

Turning the corner, they saw two unfamiliar men dressed impeccably standing there.

Tang Song stepped forward, "Good morning, gentlemen. I'm Tang Song."

"Good morning, Mr. Tang. I'm Zhao Xingzhi from Quanjing Law Firm," greeted the taller man, a middle-aged professional in a black suit with a perfectly styled haircut, holding a briefcase.

"Good morning, Mr. Tang. I'm Huo Wanjun, head of the Yan City branch of Bocai Yingrui," said the other man, his posture noticeably deferential as he shook hands with Tang Song, bowing slightly. After all, Tang Song was the second-largest shareholder, holding 34% of the company's equity, making him, in a way, one of Huo Wanjun's bosses.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tang Song gently tugged on Gao Mengting's arm and introduced her, "This is Gao Mengting, Vice President of Songmei Fashion. Mr. Huo, you'll be coordinating with her on the talent recruitment matters I mentioned."

Huo Wanjun immediately responded, "Understood, Mr. Tang. I'll make sure it's done."

"Come with me, Mr. Zhao. Let's talk in my office."

As they walked away, Gao Mengting still hadn't fully processed what was happening. Glancing at the smiling Huo Wanjun, she said softly, "Mr. Huo, let's go to the conference room to discuss the recruitment."

Head of Bocai Yingrui's Yan City branch? Although she wasn't entirely sure about the reinforcements, she trusted her partner.

…

Nearly an hour later, after Huo Wanjun had left, Gao Mengting's eyes gleamed with excitement and surprise. Hiring a headhunting firm was indeed the simplest and most efficient solution, but it was also expensive and typically reserved for management roles or top-tier talent. That's why she had never considered it.

But she hadn't expected her partner to be so resourceful! He had brought in a human resources service company manager to provide them with free background checks, recommendations, and recruitment services.

Even more crucially, Bocai Yingrui was a subsidiary of Deju Renhe Holdings. She was familiar with this top domestic headhunting company—several of her outstanding alumni were their clients. She knew exactly what this meant!