Chapter 4 Layout?

"Daring to bet money like this... Either you have a solid foundation, or you're just plain reckless. Either way, I can't lose if I bring you in."

"Alright, 75423*****."

Song Jiang casually pulled out his phone to transfer the money. "Name?"

"Huang Bohan."

"Boss, what if he just takes the money and runs?" Zhao Mingxuan, sitting beside him, was on edge. He really wanted to stop Song Jiang before it was too late. What if this guy just took the money and bailed?

Besides, they hadn't seen any proof of his abilities. How could they justify giving him such a high salary?!

Just as Zhao Mingxuan was spiraling into a full-blown crisis, Huang Bohan's phone buzzed. He glanced at the incoming text message and grinned.

"Now that's refreshing! I like doing business with straightforward people." With that, he turned back, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the taxi shot forward like a rocket.

Song Jiang barely had time to grab the handle before being flung against the seat.

"Relax," Huang Bohan said, eyes gleaming. "As long as the money's in place, the job gets done. I don't slack off. And when it comes to Yanjing? No one knows it better than me!"

"The gamblers in the east, the street vendors in the west. You ask me how many big bosses there are in Yanjing? I can name a dozen off the top of my head. Small bosses? Pfft—do you want names alphabetically or by district?" Huang Bohan whipped the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding a slow-moving scooter. "I'm basically the underworld's gossip hub!"

"Boasting," Zhao Mingxuan scoffed. "Boss, he's talking nonsense. What could a driver possibly know?"

Song Jiang, enjoying the spectacle, chuckled.

"I've done way more than you think," Huang Bohan shot back, his tone dismissive. "You? Sales director? With that gullible face? You'll get eaten alive in this city."

"Hah!" Zhao Mingxuan sneered, refusing to back down. "I can lead a team, can you? I can pitch products to customers, can you? I can memorize every product attribute down to the smallest detail, can you?" He shot Song Jiang a look, practically begging for acknowledgment.

I am worth 15,000!

Huang Bohan glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

Huh. This guy doesn't seem completely clueless.

But he still said, "Any half-decent person can memorize that if they put in the effort."

"You—!" Zhao Mingxuan was fuming, but before he could explode, Song Jiang patted him on the shoulder.

"Relax."

"It's just 10,000 yuan."

"If he's no good, that just means I made a bad bet."

"I can afford to lose that little bit of money."

His voice was steady, filled with an unmistakable confidence. There was a fire in his eyes, a rare kind of vitality that made anything seem possible.

Both men were momentarily stunned. They looked at him with something akin to admiration—or maybe nostalgia.

They used to feel that way too. Used to think life was simple. That success was just within reach.

But time had worn them down.

The car fell silent, and soon, they sped into Yanjing.

After parking, Huang Bohan took down Song Jiang's number. "Call me anytime, Boss."

Meanwhile, Zhao Mingxuan had already hopped out, hurrying to the other side to open the door for Song Jiang. But just as he reached for the handle, Song Jiang had already stepped out.

Zhao Mingxuan sighed, feeling dejected. Another chance to score points wasted.

"Boss, what's next? Recruiting?"

"Right."

"Then..." Zhao Mingxuan hesitated. "Where's our company's booth?"

Song Jiang paused.

Ah.

Right.

"Follow me."

Zhao Mingxuan, filled with anticipation, followed closely behind.

After several twists and turns, they finally arrived at the job fair.

Since it was the last day, the crowd had thinned out. Only a few booths had long queues, while others were nearly empty.

"See that booth?"

"I see it!"

"Pick up the trash. That's ours now."

"…Huh?" Zhao Mingxuan blinked.

Before he could process what was happening, Song Jiang had already strode forward, collecting the discarded junk left behind by the previous company.

With a quick wipe of the table, he sat down, looking as if he owned the place.

Zhao Mingxuan, conflicted, slowly took a seat beside him.

At this moment, he truly understood why their competitor, Hongchen Vision, had taken Tengsheng's previous spot.

He sighed deeply.

After a brief silence, something occurred to him, and he turned to Song Jiang, looking serious.

"Boss, what positions are we hiring for?"

It was his first time as a human resources director, and the pressure was real. Should he prepare something? Maybe draft some job descriptions?

"Anyone willing to work."

"…?"

Song Jiang saw his confusion and clarified, "We have plenty of openings. Anyone who shows up gets a pass."

Zhao Mingxuan hesitated.

"Just be generous with salaries. Don't try to save money for me."

"…"

Zhao Mingxuan had many things he wanted to say.

Even if the boss is rich, he can't run a company like this!!

A fire suddenly ignited within him.

The boss was young. He might not understand everything. But Zhao Mingxuan did!

As the Sales Director and HR Director, it was his duty to watch the finances and keep things under control!

"Boss, don't worry. I'll make sure we hire only the best." Zhao Mingxuan declared with unwavering determination.

"Uh… okay." Song Jiang gave him a strange look. He had no idea why Zhao Mingxuan was suddenly so motivated, but whatever.

People soon started approaching the booth, and Zhao Mingxuan swiftly took charge.

"Can I see your resume?"

"Why do you want this position?"

"Sorry, we're a startup. Our salary might not meet your expectations."

"I'm sorry, you deserve a better company."

After rejecting over a dozen people, Zhao Mingxuan frowned at the pile of resumes in his hands.

The last batch of candidates weren't impressive—mediocre educational backgrounds, no internships, no real work experience.

He took a deep breath and turned to Song Jiang, his expression serious.

"Boss."

"Hm?" Song Jiang, who had been spacing out, looked up.

"The quality of these candidates is too low. Instead of training them, we might as well hire experienced professionals."

He paused before adding another question.

"By the way… what exactly does our company do?"

A moment of silence.

Song Jiang blinked.

…Right. What does our company do?

Simple question.

Sweat formed on his forehead.

"Uh… maybe selling something?"

"Maybe?"

Zhao Mingxuan's expression darkened. "Boss… Are you saying we haven't even decided on an industry yet?"

Song Jiang coughed awkwardly. "Tengsheng is aiming for diversification. We might explore multiple industries."

Hearing this, Zhao Mingxuan visibly relaxed. His eyes still burned with determination.

"Do you have a business plan?"

Plan… plan…

Song Jiang's brain spun at full speed. He needed to make something up—fast.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a company across the fair recruiting welders.

A lightbulb went off.

He turned back to Zhao Mingxuan, his voice firm.

"Do you know why our company is called Tengsheng?"

Zhao Mingxuan hesitated. "No…"

Song Jiang took a deep breath.

"Tengsheng! 'Teng' represents the rising dragon, and 'Sheng' means prosperity!"

Zhao Mingxuan's eyes widened in awe.

…Even though it was total nonsense.

But it sounded legit.

And for now, that was enough.