Chapter 12: Bring It All to the Bowl

After Fan Shengmei signed the contract, she officially began the training phase. Originally, Qiu Yingying also wanted to join in on the fun, but after listening to the lecture for a while, she started to get sleepy, and that was the end of that.

Back at Ode to Joy, in the elevator, Andy suddenly said to Qin Hao, "Qiu Yan, could you give me a copy of your company's live-streaming sales data for 3C products? Shengxuan also has a 3C product division; perhaps there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future."

"Of course, no problem. Being able to cooperate with Shengxuan would also be a major boost for our live-streaming business," Qin Hao said.

In the world of *Ode to Joy*, Shengxuan is a massive conglomerate. The Hongxing company it later acquired was a pillar industry in Nantong, yet its production capacity was only half that of Shengxuan's, which gives you an idea of its strength.

"Sigh." Qiu Yingying suddenly let out a sigh, prompting Guan Ju'er to ask curiously, "What's wrong, Yingying?"

Qiu Yingying pouted. "Guan Guan, you work at an investment bank. Fan Jie already has a high salary at a foreign firm, and now she's even doing live-streaming on the side. Andy is a corporate elite, and Qu Xiaoxiao is a wealthy socialite. I'm the only one who can't do anything right; I can't even pass the CPA exam."

Andy didn't know how to comfort Qiu Yingying for a moment.

Guan Ju'er hugged Qiu Yingying and said, "Yingying, don't say that. I'm only in the internship phase myself; I don't even know if I'll be able to get a permanent position."

Qin Hao rubbed Qiu Yingying's head and teased, "Didn't you say yesterday that you were a 'rich second generation'?"

Qiu Yingying's face turned red instantly, and she stomped her feet coquettishly. "Aiya, Brother, you're so annoying."

At that moment, the elevator arrived. Qin Hao watched Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er enter their room before leaving. Andy watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.

"Hello, Old Tan, is there any news about my brother?"

A surprised voice came from the other end of the phone. "What's wrong? You don't sound quite like yourself."

Andy was silent for a moment. "It's nothing. I just suddenly felt that having a relative is really nice."

"Did something happen that I don't know about?"

"Actually, it's nothing. It's just that the young girl next door has a brother who takes great care of her. I suddenly felt that being cared for must be a very happy thing. I miss my brother."

"Hearing you say that, I really want to meet this brother of yours. Alright, I'll have Old Yan investigate as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

The next day, the girls on the 22nd floor all went to work. Qin Hao exercised in the gym for two hours, went home to take a shower, changed his clothes, and then headed out.

Driving to a bustling area of Shanghai, Qin Hao found a seat by the window in a cafe located in the mall beneath a high-end office building. He checked the time; he had ten minutes left.

Five minutes later, an average-looking young man walked into the cafe. He scanned the room and was about to take out his phone to make a call when he saw Qin Hao waving at him, so he walked over.

"Are you Mr. Qiu?"

"That's me. Sit down, Mr. Ying. Come to think of it, we're from the same hometown, so there's no need to be so formal. Just call me Qiu Yan."

When Ying Qin heard Qin Hao speaking in their hometown dialect, a flash of pleasant surprise appeared in his eyes, and he wasn't as nervous as when he first walked in.

"Then you can just call me Ying Qin as well."

"Alright, I'll get straight to the point. The headhunter should have already told you the terms. How have you considered it, Ying Qin?" Qin Hao went straight to the point.

In the show, Ying Qin is a software engineer at Sogou. He managed to buy a house in Shanghai through project work—although it was mortgaged, it was still no small feat, which shows that his programming skills are quite good.

Qin Hao is currently working on self-media, which also requires such an excellent software engineer. Plus, he could complete a task in the process; it was killing two birds with one stone.

"Uh, the terms you offered are good, but I just took out a mortgage for a house. The risk of changing jobs now is too high." Ying Qin deliberately avoided eye contact with Qin Hao while speaking. He wasn't someone who knew how to refuse, and if it weren't for the mortgage, he might have already agreed.

Qin Hao calmly ordered a coffee for Ying Qin. "Ying Qin, you're about twenty-five this year, right?"

Ying Qin nodded. "Twenty-five by traditional age."

"Twenty-five. If the mortgage is for thirty years, you'll be fifty-five by the time you pay it off. Retiring at sixty-five—that's a decent career plan," Qin Hao said, then changed the subject.

"But have you thought about it? In ten years, you'll be thirty-five. Your personality isn't really suited for management, and thirty-five is a hurdle for programmers. That's right, your current income is indeed decent, but it's only enough to cover your mortgage and car loan with a little left over. Once you're laid off, or if the industry hits a winter and you face a pay cut, will your salary still be able to support these expenses?"

"Besides, you're single right now. In the future, you'll want to date, get married, and have children. Have you considered those costs?"

Ying Qin was rattled by Qin Hao's words and looked at him subconsciously.

Qin Hao continued to incite him. "You work in the internet industry; you should know that the next big trend is likely self-media. When you stand in the path of a gale, even a pig can fly. Instead of being laid off in ten years, defaulting on your mortgage, and carrying a huge debt, why not take advantage of being young now? Use these ten years to earn enough money to pay off the mortgage directly, or even achieve financial freedom, and retire at thirty-five."

Ying Qin's hands, hidden under the table, were trembling. He was tempted. Just as Qin Hao said, being laid off at thirty-five had become a curse in the internet industry. Since joining his company, he had seen more than one veteran colleague get laid off. The reason was simple and cruel.

Older employees lacked the energy and physical stamina to keep up with the young, so they were ruthlessly let go.

Moreover, as Qin Hao said, he was single now and seemed to have money to spare, but once he started dating, got married, and had children, this little bit of money wouldn't be enough at all. Even if not for himself, he had to plan for his future wife and children.

Furthermore, the terms Qin Hao offered were truly tempting: a 50% increase in base salary plus performance bonuses.

"Can I go to your company to take a look first?"

Qin Hao smiled and reached out his hand. "Of course. Welcome aboard."

Ying Qin wanted to say he hadn't agreed yet, but the words wouldn't come out. He could only smile awkwardly.

After touring the company, Ying Qin was glad he hadn't refused; it was even better than he had imagined.

The next day, Ying Qin went back to submit his resignation letter. Although his boss tried repeatedly to keep him, he insisted on resigning. His boss had no choice but to let him hand over his current work and sign the resignation application. In this day and age, you shouldn't offend anyone, especially a programmer; otherwise, if they leave you with a few bugs or mess with the database on their way out, you'll be in trouble.

Soon, Ying Qin officially joined Qin Hao's company. His technical skills were indeed top-notch; after arriving, he developed a data analysis program that completely liberated Qin Hao.