Chen Xiao rubbed his eyes, making sure the scene before him wasn't a hallucination.
It was like some kind of aerial imaging technology. A clear interface hovered before his eyes, displaying the following content:
[Work-to-Riches System:
1. Daily Basic Stipend: The system provides a daily basic stipend. Stipend Amount = Host's base salary x Stipend Level
2. Diligence Reward: For any bonuses the Host receives, an extra reward will be granted equal to the Bonus Amount x Diligence Points.
Friendly Reminder: The Host will acquire 2 Diligence Points for every month spent in their current position. If the Host changes employers, all Diligence Points will be reset, and the system will require 1 year to reboot.]
It was like a user manual, explained very clearly. When Chen Xiao mentally turned the page, the second page displayed his current status, confirming his understanding.
[Host: Chen Xiao (Diligence Points: 2)]
[Profession: Dr. Feng's Robot - Business Specialist]
[Height: 178 CM, Weight: 75 KG]
[Constitution: 75, Endurance: 60, Health: 70, Charm: 80]
Daily Basic Stipend LV1: 8,000 yuan/day
Diligence Reward: Multiplier x2
[Asset Status:
Balance: 3,200 yuan
Real Estate: None
Vehicle: None]
'So the daily basic stipend really is based on my current base salary. The system is basically paying me my base salary every single day. Mama mia, that's so much money! Just from the stipend, that's 240,000 a month! I'll easily make 3 million a year! I can achieve financial freedom on a basic stipend!' Chen Xiao was so excited he nearly jumped out of his skin.
'Looks like I need to grind hard, get a promotion and a raise, and break the ten-million-a-year mark as soon as possible.' 'Huh? No, wait.' He glanced at the explanation for Diligence Points again. It said they would only increase while he was in his *current* position.
'My panel shows I have 2 Diligence Points. That must be because I joined the company last month, so it's just been a full month. I wonder if my Diligence Points will keep accumulating or reset to zero if I get promoted.'
"Changing positions without leaving the company will reset Diligence Points. The system will not need to reboot!"
The system provided a timely explanation. 'Does this mean I'm supposed to cultivate my inner gardener and stay rooted in this sales position forever? Is the world's richest salesman about to be born?'
"Chen Xiao, meeting time!"
Just as he was pondering how to maximize the system's benefits, a colleague called him to a meeting. Today's meeting was being led by President Feng!
Feng Feifei was a 25-year-old post-doctoral AI genius. After returning from her studies in Germany, she had inherited Dr. Feng's Robot Technology Co., Ltd. from her father.
The company had been founded by Mr. Feng ten years ago. He had named it "Dr. Feng" in the hopes that his daughter would become a great success and earn a doctorate. Feng Feifei did not disappoint him, achieving great success in the field of AI before returning home from her studies.
When Feng Feifei returned, Mr. Feng tossed the "barely breathing" company into her lap. After taking over, Feng Feifei was determined to make the company bigger and stronger, but academic research and industrial application were two completely different things.
Her skills leaned more toward the technical side, and she lacked experience in product definition and market research. This led to the company's R&D heading in the wrong direction, creating products with no market demand. As a result, R&D funds were wasted, no new orders came in, and the company's cash flow became tight.
Chen Xiao walked into the conference room and saw that almost the entire company was present. He sat down next to his colleagues from the Marketing Department. Including him, the department had only three people: the department head, Yuan Kai, and a salesman named Wang Jing, who had joined a few months before him.
After he sat down, he noticed many people in the room were whispering to each other. Wang Jing leaned over and whispered, "Chen Xiao, what are your plans?"
"What plans?" Chen Xiao asked, looking at him in confusion.
"You haven't heard?" Wang Jing looked astonished.
Before Chen Xiao could ask more, the room suddenly fell silent. Feng Feifei walked in, her expression stern.
Feng Feifei was a general manager of extraordinary beauty and charisma. Her eyes were dark and bright, like the most brilliant stars in the night sky. She wore a crisp business suit that was simple yet elegant.
After she sat down, she first scanned the room, then said, "I've called everyone here today for a meeting mainly to report on the company's operational status."
Chen Xiao sat up straighter. He could sense a deep exhaustion hidden beneath Feng Feifei's radiant appearance.
"The company's newly developed drone project for bridge inspection, due to a poor decision in its R&D direction, has consumed enormous manpower and financial resources, resulting in a product that cannot be commercialized. This means that halfway through the year, the company has received almost no orders!"
Below, the attendees began exchanging glances again. What Feng Feifei was saying was already a topic of discussion within the company. There had been no orders for six months. Although the company wasn't large, with over a dozen employees, the monthly payroll alone amounted to several hundred thousand yuan.
"So... the company's financial accounts are empty!" Feng Feifei said dejectedly.
WHOOSH... The murmuring from the crowd grew louder.
"Is the company going bankrupt?"
"They still haven't paid last month's salary. They're not just going to stiff us, are they?"
"Sigh, women should just stay home, support their husbands, and raise children. They can't run a business at all. Look, she took over a year ago, and the company's already about to collapse!"
"What are we going to do? I haven't even started looking for a new job. If we leave, we'll be unemployed immediately."
"Looks like I'll be collecting unemployment for a few months."
Chen Xiao instantly tensed up. 'What the hell is this? I just got my system! The company can't shut down, no matter what! If you close, I'll have to wait a whole year for the system to reboot!'
He hadn't thought much of it before he had the system, but now that he'd tasted its benefits, he couldn't live without it. The thought of going back to a life without the system was worse than death.
Feng Feifei knocked on the conference table, and the crowd quieted down a bit. She said, "I bear the primary responsibility for the company's current situation. But please rest assured, you will all be paid every single cent you are owed!"
She had already sold her house at a low price. It was a house she had bought with her savings from all those years after returning to the country, and it was newly renovated. She'd had no choice but to sell it cheap.
She planned to use the money to pay her employees' salaries and to fund a comeback.
"I called you all here today to inform you of the company's current situation. You have stood by the company through thick and thin, and you have the right to know its true financial state. But don't misunderstand—I am not announcing the dissolution of the company!"
"There's no money left. If you're not dissolving, what are you waiting for?"
"Exactly! The R&D direction was wrong, and that's a fatal mistake. You'll have to invest in new R&D for the second half of the year, but where will the money come from? We have no product now, and it'll be a long time before we get any orders. How are you going to pay everyone's salaries?"
The crowd started murmuring again. Chen Xiao, however, let out a sigh of relief. 'President Feng, as long as you don't dissolve the company, it's fine! I'll work my butt off for you and help build this company brick by brick. You have to strive to become a century-old enterprise! I am willing to grind for you until the day I die!'
Chen Xiao did a quick mental calculation. In one hundred years, his Diligence Points would reach 2,400. If he could earn a 100,000 yuan bonus in a year, he would get an additional reward of 240 million.
240 million? Chen Xiao was shocked by his own thoughts. His gaze toward Feng Feifei now looked upon her as if she were a mountain of gold. He couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.