Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

He’d driven dozens of Senlian employees back and forth, and this was the first time he’d ever met someone as odd as Zhang Peng.

Everyone else looked like they were on top of the world, but this guy was just sighing.

”I... Never mind. You wouldn’t get it,” Zhang Peng said, trailing off.

”Heartbroken? Want me to recommend some foot massage places? The girls there are top-notch, I’m telling you. A young guy’s gotta get his feet washed often, that’s how you grasp the true meaning of life. Love is bullshit. Go a few times, and you’ll see right through it.”

The driver frowned, shooting Zhang Peng a disdainful look before launching into his enthusiastic pitch.

”If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” Zhang Peng asked in return.

”Twenty-one. Why?” The driver was confused.

”Why not save the money you spend on foot massages to buy a car, a house, and find a wife?” Zhang Peng retorted, projecting his own values onto the driver.

’Seeing that the driver was three years his junior, he felt he couldn’t just stand by and watch the kid go astray.’

’No, wait. From the way this guy talks, he probably started hanging out at those places when he was eighteen. He needs to get back on the straight and narrow as soon as possible.’

The driver opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and swallowed his words.

He couldn’t be bothered to argue. Zhang Peng was clearly an educated type. Their values didn’t align; they weren’t on the same wavelength. There was nothing more to say.

Since the driver fell silent, Zhang Peng didn’t bother starting a conversation either.

Before long, the silhouette of the Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park came into view.

It was surrounded by fields of yellow and green rapeseed. There was nothing else to see but desolation.

”Orange Pay’s headquarters is actually in a place like this,” Zhang Peng muttered under his breath.

”Hey! What’s that supposed to mean, ’a place like this’? Xucheng is great! Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and everything’s cheap,” the driver retorted, annoyed.

Zhang Peng looked out the window and chuckled, too drained to even argue.

Three minutes later, he was pushing his suitcase. After bidding farewell to the foot-massage-loving taxi driver, he registered at the security gate and walked straight into the Orange Pay office building.

”Hello, sir. May I have your name? Are you a new hire starting today?” the receptionist asked, picking up a list and looking up at Zhang Peng.

”Zhang Peng,” he replied. ”I’m a member of the NFC payment R&D team, transferred from the Hu City branch.”

”Welcome! The company has already arranged apartments for you all. We have studios and two-bedroom units available. Of course, you’re free to find your own housing if you’d prefer.”

The receptionist handed him a form, gesturing for him to make his choice.

Zhang Peng glanced down at the form. Depending on the furnishings and location, studios ranged from 600 to 800 yuan, while two-bedroom apartments were between 1,000 and 1,600 yuan.

His base salary was 18,000 a month, and his housing stipend was 3,600. Even if he rented a two-bedroom, he would still have more than 2,000 of the stipend left over.

’Looks like that driver was right. The cost of living in Xucheng really is low.’

Zhang Peng wasn’t one to make things unnecessarily hard on himself, so he went ahead and chose an 800-yuan studio.

”One moment.” The receptionist took the form and muttered, ”Chenguang Apartments... Building 16... 201.”

”Here you go. Three keys in total.” She quickly found the keys to 201 in a drawer.

”Thanks,” Zhang Peng said.

”Your team’s office area is on the third floor. I’ve already notified the HR department. You can rest here for a moment, and a colleague will be down shortly to take you up to check in,” the receptionist explained.

Zhang Peng nodded, then pulled his suitcase over to the lounge area and sat down.

He glanced around. While the surrounding area of the Orange Pay headquarters couldn’t compare to the Hu City Branch, the quality of the interior itself was in no way inferior.

The first-floor reception hall, interview rooms, and breakroom all looked extremely upscale. From the design aesthetic and construction materials to the tables and chairs, it was obvious that no expense had been spared.

「Meanwhile.」

The first 100,000 Yaocheng X1 phones were gradually delivered to customers. For many, their first instinct upon receiving the phone was to shake the box, trying to see if there was a gold bar inside.