The Battle to Defend the Bonus
Chang Zhiqing's swimsuit was already very "close-fitting," and now it was completely soaked, with a somewhat teasing tone in her voice.
"Then don't blame me..."
Yang Ruoqian took a deep breath and said calmly, "Alright, I'll 'teach' you properly."
"You..." The strong-willed queen Chang Zhiqing's mind short-circuited for a moment. She had only said one word when she felt her toes being gripped and lifted by a large hand, and her slender waist was supported from her lower abdomen.
With a lift and support, Chang Zhiqing was instantly placed horizontally in the water. She struggled to arch her waist to prevent her whole face from submerging in the water.
"You, put me down!" Chang Zhiqing turned her head in embarrassment and futilely struggled for a moment. However, she found that from her toes to her cheeks, there was a complete blush covering her.
"Ah... don't pinch my stomach!"
Yang Ruoqian, who had finally satisfied his urge to have some fun, paid no attention to Chang Zhiqing's pleas. He even pinched her soft little foot and said coldly, "Keep your legs straight."
"You're so fierce..."
"This posture is incorrect; lower your waist a bit. Yes." Yang Ruoqian patted Chang Zhiqing's slender waist.
"Ah..."
"Your breathing technique is not standard; your head should be like this." Yang Ruoqian adjusted Chang Zhiqing's neck again.
"Mmm..."
"Keep your legs straight, just like when you wear high heels. If you swim with bent legs, you'll be slower." With that, Yang Ruoqian pinched Chang Zhiqing's small foot again.
"Ugh..."
"Why is your body suddenly so stiff? How did you suddenly become so soft again? Don't go to extremes!"
"Wah..."
...
After "training" for more than twenty minutes, Yang Ruoqian finally let the nearly breathless Chang Zhiqing down. He clapped his hands and said satisfactorily, "Congratulations, you've now learned the basic freestyle swimming techniques. Let's try it in a real battle."
To avoid her entire body sinking into the water, Chang Zhiqing tightly held onto Yang Ruoqian's shoulders, shivering so much that she couldn't even curse.
Learned freestyle swimming techniques? What a joke! She didn't even have the strength to continue swimming now!
"Didn't you ask me to come and exercise? How come you seem more exhausted?" Yang Ruoqian helped Chang Zhiqing back to the shore and teased, "Weren't you strong just now? Are you tired after twenty minutes?"
Yang Ruoqian was in a very good mood. He could clearly feel that Chang Zhiqing's reaction was more shy than angry. In other words, this girl didn't seem to mind this relatively intimate contact between them. He had a chance!
However, having a chance didn't mean he could directly make a move. That might scare her off and backfire. It was better to take things step by step and follow the plan. In his previous life, Yang Ruoqian had spent ten years slowly saving his company, which showed that he was an extremely patient person. He wouldn't ruin his whole strategy due to impatience.
Chang Zhiqing, whose face was now red, shivered as she spoke. She no longer resembled the female driver and gave Yang Ruoqian an angry look. "I'm a woman; it's normal for me to have weaker physical strength than you!"
And besides, she wasn't even tired! It was... Oh, forget it.
One hour later, after changing clothes and showering, the two of them took the elevator back to their room. Chang Zhiqing leaned on the elevator handrail and asked irritably, "For the upcoming free time, have you thought about where you want to go and learn about the local culture and customs of Pengcheng?"
"Pengcheng has local culture and customs?" Yang Ruoqian almost laughed. "In the middle of a desert, what's there to learn? It's better to sleep in the hotel, have a spa, and indulge in food and drinks."
"So, you're just using an excuse to go on vacation..."
...
The employees of Xplendi Group were supposed to "exchange and learn" in Pengcheng for five days. Apart from the first day of actual exchange and learning, the following four days were all about eating, drinking, and having fun.
After confirming that the boss didn't care about anything, the employees let loose and had fun. Some went to the movies, some went shopping, and some even took the city rail to the neighboring Yangcheng to enjoy the local cuisine.
Some even took the opportunity to get their travel permits and visited the nearby Hongcheng.
After five days of wild fun, everyone was thoroughly satisfied and boarded the return flight.
At the same time, they were all more motivated than ever. Even the benefits and perks of a publicly traded company couldn't match what Mr. Yang had given them. So why wouldn't they work hard and take their jobs seriously?
After enjoying nearly half a month of continuous holiday and a full week of wild fun, the employees were now surprisingly feeling a bit empty and started to miss the feeling of striving at work... Is this what Mr. Yang meant by "increasing work efficiency"?
It's truly effective!
...
A few hours later, Yang Ruoqian and Chang Zhiqing returned home in Jinhai City after leaving the airport.
"Get some rest," Chang Zhiqing reminded.
"Goodbye!"
The two bid farewell at the doorstep and entered their respective houses.
However, Yang Ruoqian didn't go to sleep. As soon as he entered the house, he opened the system panel and checked the data statistics for Gao Naiyun and Huang Rushi, the two people he was most concerned about.
Had the two-week vacation temporarily halted the increase in their fanbase?
[Gao Naiyun (streamer), real fan count: 498,761. Category: Newcomer (Bonus 50,000)]
[Huang Rushi (streamer), real fan count: 989,003. Category: Rising Star (Bonus 5,000)]
It had worked!
With only five minutes left before the system bonus calculation, Yang Ruoqian prayed, "Hold on! Gao Naiyun, hold on! You must lock in the last 1,300 fans for me!"
During these critical five minutes, Yang Ruoqian refreshed the system statistics almost every ten seconds, feeling as nervous as waiting for the results of a college entrance exam!
Four minutes, still short of 1,100 fans!
Three minutes, still short of 800 fans!
Two minutes, still short of 400 fans!
One minute, still short of 100 fans!
The final thirty seconds, the last twenty seconds, the last ten seconds...
Five, four, three, two, one...
In the end, at the moment of calculation, Gao Naiyun's real fan count was locked at 499,984, still in the Newcomer category! There was still a bonus of 50,000!
"Victory! This is a great victory!" Yang Ruoqian exclaimed with relief, bouncing on the sofa.
His learning and exchange program had been a resounding success, securing his remaining income of 55,000!
[Eighteenth-Line Artist Development System]
[Host: Yang Ruoqian]
[Company's Artists: 2 (Gao Naiyun, Huang Rushi). One Newcomer, one Rising Star.]
[The company's expansion mission has been completed, and the company's monthly funding has been upgraded to 500,000.]
[Rewards have been distributed.]
[Company funding: 785,562.23 (500,000 monthly limit, 55,000 category bonuses, company profit 230,562.23). Note: Monthly limits cannot be used to repay loans, and all company funds cannot be transferred to the host's personal account in any form.]
At the same time the company received the bonus, Yang Ruoqian received a text message on his phone, indicating that someone had transferred 55,000 to him.
"That's great... although the monthly limit can't be used to repay loans, the profit and bonus portions can be. This means I don't have to dip into my own pocket to repay the bank loan!"
This 55,000 was Yang Ruoqian's personal disposable income! It was a powerful consolation for all the troubles he had faced for a long time.
Although it wasn't a huge sum, it was a good start and a good sign. However, if the current trend continued, by next month, Gao Naiyun and Huang Rushi's fan counts would rise by one category. In other words, they could only provide him with a 5,500 bonus this month, and it would drop further next month.
With the bonus in his hand, Yang Ruoqian was full of determination: "It's alright. A good start is half the battle. I believe Wan Min-er can bring me higher-level bonuses!"