The trainees' bus drove off, its wheels casting shadows from the streetlights, and Jiang Juyou finally dragged her exhausted body back to her room.
Still wearing her outdoor clothes, she couldn't get into bed, but she was too tired to do anything else. So Jiang Juyou just lay down on the floor, sprawled out like a starfish, and let out a long sigh.
"I'm dead tired..."
Today, she had been called out by Cheng Yuan as soon as she woke up. She'd met quite a few people in the industry, spending the whole afternoon drinking tea and listening to them chat, with frequent trips to the bathroom. They were supposed to have another round in the evening, but Jiang Juyou had to leave early because of something important the next day. Cheng Yuan stayed behind.
Jiang Juyou was never one for socializing. Work was already demanding enough, and every time she was called out to expand her social circle, it took her a week to recover.
But today wasn't all bad. Payday was on the second of each month, and after midnight, her salary would be deposited. Jiang Juyou was waiting for that moment.
"...No, I need to shower and change first." She struggled to her feet, fighting through her fatigue to grab her pajamas.
Meanwhile, Jiang Liuxing and her sister were huddled together, studying Jiang Tang's script.
The bed wasn't very big, so the two of them were squeezed together. Jiang Liuxing hugged her sister and, after reading the script for a while, asked, "So how are you going there? By yourself? I heard actors usually hire assistants for their crew. How about me?"
Jiang Tang, holding the script, turned to look at her, her face clearly showing exasperation.
"I'm just playing a maid. I won't even be staying at the same hotel as the lead actors. We'll be resting in group dormitories. What do I need an assistant for?" Jiang Tang said, then realized Jiang Liuxing's main goal wasn't to accompany her, but to get the assistant position.
She quickly added, "Forget it. If you came along and photos or news got out, I'd be blacklisted."
Jiang Liuxing clicked her tongue and let go of her sister's arm. "...I was just saying."
"So how are you going now? Should I take you?"
"Get your driver's license first before you talk."
"What about second sister? Could she take you?"
"Obviously, the staff will take me. Jiang Juyou has been so busy lately she can't even sleep well. Didn't she go to a social event today?"
"...She should have taken me along."
"You really want to stick your nose into everything."
"Curiosity is human nature."
Jiang Juyou, who hadn't been sleeping well, almost dozed off in the shower. She managed to dry her hair and then rolled into bed, ready to sleep.
But--
"Ding--"
"Ding ding ding--"
It was the system's notification sound.
"Aish..." Jiang Juyou almost cursed out loud.
She rolled over, covering her head with the blanket, but after a few seconds, she resigned herself to her fate and reached for her phone.
"Task: Pay off the company loan within three months."
"Reward: Direct promotion to Level 10 [Can be claimed if paid off within three months]"
"Reward: Company building unlock permission [Can be claimed if paid off within two months]"
"Reward: Company building unlocked [Can be unlocked if paid off within one month]"
Usually, she only knew the rewards after completing a task, but this time they were laid out in advance. However, she didn't quite understand them.
Jiang Juyou squinted her eyes and pointed at the second one. "I know what the first one means, but what's the difference between the second and third? It's just two extra characters."
It was almost imperceptible, but Jiang Juyou thought she heard the system sigh.
It not only explained but started from the first one: "If you don't meet the requirements for the first reward, the timing and difficulty of the next task are unknown, and it may take a while to reach Level 10. If you don't meet the requirements for the second reward, according to the original rules, the company building requires Level 20 to unlock. Unlock permission means you can start unlocking, but whether you can come up with the corresponding amount is unknown. If you complete the requirements for the third reward, you can directly upgrade to Level 10, unlock the company building, and you won't need to pay the 500 million unlock fee."
"...How much?" Jiang Juyou had been quite sleepy, but hearing the amount scared her wide awake.
"500 million -- The building construction cost is 400 million yuan, and decoration is 100 million yuan. This building is a non-upgradable location," the system explained.
Jiang Juyou didn't even have any questions left. She just opened her phone to check the company's current financial situation.
Currently, the company's main profit came from the neighboring building. The fifth-floor cafe and fourth-floor restaurant were quite profitable. The third and first floors were photo spots to attract customers, with no income. The second-floor album and merchandise sales point was breaking even.
But the top two floors could support the whole operation, with a stable daily profit of 30,000 yuan, occasionally fluctuating up or down. Basically, it could bring in a million yuan of pure profit for the company each month.
The other sources of income were concerts and the trainees' newly started regular performances. The concerts and birthday parties had earned over 3 million, and the trainees' ticketed performances had only happened once, bringing in about 650,000.
In other words, since the company's establishment, it had earned less than 5 million. After deducting taxes, employee salaries, necessary operating expenses, funds for various performances and venues, and the previous rent for the trainees, the company's actual balance was just over 1.4 million.
And the company owed the system 10 million.
"..."
Jiang Juyou put down her phone and closed her eyes peacefully.
No matter how she thought about it, she had no way to earn 9 million back in a month.
Three months wouldn't be enough either.
"No, you have to make it work!" Jiang Juyou sat up again, picking up her phone once more.
If she couldn't earn back 9 million, she would lose 500 million in the future.
Jiang Juyou started to regret, "If only I had started the voting last month! Damn! I lost a huge sum of money!"
Just then, her phone rang again, but it wasn't the system notification this time. It was a text message alert.
Jiang Juyou looked down and saw that last month's salary had been deposited. The only time of the month that made her happy was when her salary was deposited.
"Great, my 8,500 has arrived."
-
Perhaps because of the salary deposit, the employees all looked cheerful when they came to work the next day.
Jiang Juyou could see every employee's salary in the accounting backend. Among the more than 50 people in the company, most started at 12,000, and that was after taxes and social insurance deductions.
Yet she, the highest-ranking person in the company, only had a salary of 8,500, without social insurance, just accident insurance.
"..."
She didn't want to say anything.
She sat on the sofa, listening to Li Yao and the others discuss which trendy spots were suitable for taking photos, and planning to go out next week.
Although Jiang Juyou didn't like going out, who wouldn't want some rest time? Since joining this company, she had to work on weekdays and read documents on weekends. Her life had been tied up by these two places.
Perhaps noticing Jiang Juyou's sighing and dejected appearance, a few of them came over to ask her, "Boss, we're going to Kunming for a trip next week. Want to come?"
Since Jiang Juyou's face had been exposed online, her information had been thoroughly dug up, even which school she attended. She had been recognized when going to class before, so after that, she stopped pretending in front of the employees.
Jiang Juyou shook her head, "I have to read documents... attend social events... and figure out how to make money."
Zhao Xu leaned over and patted her shoulder, "We can't help with the first two, but we can brainstorm together for the last one."
Li Yao, who was sitting a bit farther away, immediately raised her hand to stop them, "Wait, let me grab some snacks from next door, then we can start the brainstorming session."
There were only four of them in this break room. Jiang Juyou looked at the time - it was still early. So she hugged a nearby cushion and asked, "What do you think? How can we earn 10 million in a month?"
The other two exchanged glances, and Yang Siyu asked quietly, "Does the company owe money?"
Jiang Juyou didn't know how to explain, "Yes... and no."
She changed her approach, "You know the two buildings at the entrance of the venue, right? The one next door surrounded by green netting is our office building, but we still owe a final payment. We can only use it after clearing that debt."
The meaning is roughly like that.
Hearing this, the two of them felt a bit more at ease.
"I thought it was some office building under construction," Zhao Xu laughed.
They usually enter and exit through the back door of the venue, and every time they reach the back door, they have to pass by that large building surrounded by green netting. They had always thought it was an office building being constructed by some corporation, but they never expected it to be their company's building.
"Do we really have to pay the final installment within a month?" Yang Siyu furrowed her brows, not understanding why it had to be within a month.
But since none of those present studied law, they could only let Jiang Juyou bluff, "Yes, before the second of next month."
At this moment, Li Yao, who had gone to get snacks, returned. She brought in two baskets full of potato chips, cookies, and drinks. "Come on, come on, let's eat something to help us think better."
"Our company's food is too good. If I keep eating like this, my weight will reach a new high," Zhao Xu said, but her hand still reached for the basket.
Yang Siyu pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "The fan circle has just formed. It's too early to sell merchandise to make money."
"Our company's main income is from offline events, but the offline range is limited to Beijing. This range is too narrow," Zhao Xu joined the conversation.
Li Yao spoke while eating, "There's another problem. Our company's products are all priced low. This image has already been established, so it's unlikely we can raise prices in the future."
The three of them exchanged glances, and Yang Siyu commented, "The road has been blocked."
Jiang Juyou, who had been quiet all along, lowered her eyes. Those people had helped her eliminate the already blocked paths, leaving only one option - fan voting campaigns.
Jiang Juyou looked up at the three, "How can we make the voting campaigns more intense?"
Jiang Juyou thought to herself: Watch me stir up the waters!
-
