Chapter 30: So Cheap?

"This Xin Hailu, originally an assistant to the vice president of a well-known foreign company, why did she resign? It doesn't seem to be written on her resume."

The headhunter laughed: "President Pei, you must not watch the news often, do you? This vice president had some inappropriate thoughts after drinking, and unexpectedly met a tough opponent. In the end, the vice president was fired, and Assistant Xin voluntarily resigned."

"This incident had a significant impact on the reputation of the foreign company, and it even sparked heated discussions on the internet a while ago."

Pei Qian was a little shocked: "A heroine, huh?"

The headhunter nodded: "You could say that. Perhaps her experience in large companies has made her tired, so she doesn't mind working in a small... oh, a startup company. Objectively speaking, from a business perspective, she is definitely the best candidate for an assistant."

The headhunter also specifically added "from a business perspective," probably meaning that if considered from other aspects, she might not be as suitable...

Pei Qian immediately decided: "Okay, let's go with her!"

"However, I have a request."

The headhunter nodded: "Please say, as long as it's not too excessive, we can communicate."

"Only when I consult her can she provide me with advice. In other situations, no matter what happens, she must remain silent and not ask questions." Pei Qian said.

The headhunter smiled: "Of course, even if you don't emphasize it, this is the basic professional quality of an executive assistant."

...

...

Three days later, Monday.

A Cayenne parked at the bottom of Shenhua Haojing, the most high-end office building in Jingzhou City.

"President Pei, we have arrived."

Xin Hailu opened the car door for Pei Qian and guided him into the luxurious office building ahead.

With the headhunter's help, Xin Hailu had become the third employee and executive assistant of Tenda Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Xin Hailu is a standard successful career woman, with a dignified appearance and proper manners. Even her figure wrapped in a shirt and business skirt is impeccable.

The first time he saw her, Pei Qian's gaze couldn't help but linger on her bulging shirt buttons for an extra two seconds.

In every aspect, she was the perfect assistant candidate that Pei Qian needed.

Highly educated and skilled, fluent in three foreign languages, beautiful and elegant, articulate and generous, tactful with others, handling emergencies calmly, highly praised for her professional expertise, and not asking questions she shouldn't.

After a brief interaction for a few days, Pei Qian had one feeling.

Efficient and reliable!

Pei Qian didn't hesitate and directly hired her with a 30% salary premium, with a monthly salary of over 30,000.

In 2009, recent graduates from Handong University were generally still striving for a monthly salary of 3,000.

The main reason for offering such a high salary was twofold. First, Pei Qian's "Tenda Network Technology Co., Ltd." was a startup company. Compared to the foreign company where Xin Hailu originally worked, there wasn't much career development prospects, so a premium was needed to attract her.

Xin Hailu's capabilities were strong, and she already had a high salary in the foreign company. With a 30% premium, the salary naturally seemed quite exaggerated.

Secondly, Pei Qian's goal is to spend money like crazy, so naturally he should choose more expensive candidates when hiring. Offering a high premium for capable professionals like Xin Hailu wouldn't be considered a violation in the system's eyes!

After all, even people like Ma Yang were offered a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan by Pei Qian...

The Porsche Cayenne they were driving was just rented under the company's name.

Pei Qian wanted to buy a car under the company's name, but the system denied his request.

Buying a car was allowed, but the limit depended on the current balance of the company's funds and couldn't be too expensive.

Pei Qian thought about it and decided that buying a cheap car wouldn't be fun.

So he simply rented a Porsche Cayenne, which could also enhance the company's image.

Although the cost of renting and maintaining the car was not much, every little bit counts.

Pei Qian wouldn't miss out on any opportunity to spend money.

Today, Pei Qian came to Shenhua Haoyuan to rent an office space.

This is the most luxurious office building in the entire Jingzhou City. Pei Qian roughly estimated that the rent here should be around 5 yuan per square meter.

In this parallel world, it is now 2009, and the capital city of Handong Province, Jingzhou, is a second-tier city.

If it were the imperial capital in 2019, it would have to be at least three times more expensive.

The average price for other office buildings in Jingzhou is around two to three yuan.

Shenhua Haojing, on the other hand, is an ultra-high-end, fully furnished building, which is why it's much more expensive.

For other companies, this is a disadvantage.

But for Pei Qian, this is a huge advantage!

Pei Qian chose it precisely because of its high price!

Xin Hailu entered the lobby and went straight to the staff working in the lobby. With an assistant like her, Pei Qian didn't need to handle everything by himself.

The office building employees were all dressed in suits and leather shoes.

Pei Qian was wearing an ordinary coat and pants.

However, he didn't feel uncomfortable in this setting, but just thought the weather had turned colder.

It's not that Pei Qian was naturally confident; it was mainly because he was accompanied by Assistant Xin.

No matter how short, fat, or ugly a man may be, as long as he has a young, beautiful, and sophisticated woman by his side, he will always seem to be wealthy.

Furthermore, Pei Qian wasn't short, fat, or ugly; he was even a bit handsome.

In this day and age, ugly people could never travel through time.

It would affect the readers' immersion.

...

A moment later, the manager approached Pei Qian with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Mr. Pei, my last name is Zhang. If you need anything, please feel free to ask."

Manager Zhang didn't know who Pei Qian was, but seeing that Xin Hailu was his assistant, he instinctively felt that Pei Qian was no ordinary person.

Pei Qian was wearing casual clothes and looked very young, appearing like a jobless, poor man at first glance.

However, he had an assistant like Xin Hailu, which instantly made people think he was a wealthy and unconventional second-generation rich.

Maybe, that's how rich second generations liked to dress?

So Manager Zhang certainly didn't dare to slack off.

"I'm planning to rent a whole floor here for office space," Pei Qian got straight to the point.

"Sure, if you want to rent an entire floor, not sharing it with other companies, our 17th floor is still vacant. The view is fantastic from up here. Would you like me to show you around?" Manager Zhang asked tentatively.

Pei Qian nodded, "Sure, let's have a look."

Under Manager Zhang's guidance, the three of them arrived at the 17th floor of Shenhua Haojing.

It was clean and tidy, spotless.

But it was empty, with nothing in it.

"Nice view."

Pei Qian stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, taking in the cityscape, the nearby park, and scenic spots.

Working in a place like this, with a great view while losing money, should be both mentally and physically enjoyable.

Pei Qian glanced at the area.

An entire floor, with enough space for seven or eight basketball courts, was conservatively estimated to be around 3,000 square meters.

"If your company is a start-up, there are national preferential policies available. We, Shenhua Haojing, can allow you to pay one month's deposit and rent, which is quite rare in other office buildings," Manager Zhang proudly introduced.

Office buildings generally require one to two months' rent as a deposit, and the payment method for rent is mostly quarterly or semi-annual. Office buildings that allow a one-to-one deposit and rent payment are indeed worth boasting about, as this is a quite competitive advantage.

Of course, with advantages in this aspect, there must be disadvantages in other aspects.

For example, the price.

Moreover, this kind of preferential policy is related to the government and is specifically provided for start-up companies, which happens to be suitable for Pei Qian here.

"What is the price?" Pei Qian asked casually.

Manager Zhang smiled from ear to ear, "Four yuan. I know this price may be slightly more expensive in Jingzhou City, but you have seen all the various conditions we offer here. You get what you pay for. Renting an office space here will definitely help improve the first impression of your company to others..."

"four yuan, so cheap?" Pei Qian couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"Ch-cheap?" Manager Zhang was stunned.