In 2008, the clarion call for "college student entrepreneurship" echoed across the nation. Xucheng Academy, not wanting to be left behind, had erected a two-story building between the Music Department and the basketball courts—a 600-square-meter per floor "Entrepreneurship Park" carved into 16 single rooms.
The leadership's vision was bold. The reality, two years later, was somewhat less so.
The second floor was a ghost town of empty rooms. The first floor had been quietly colonized by fruit stalls, bubble tea shops, phone accessory kiosks, and trinket sellers, resembling a permanent night market more than an incubator for the next generation of moguls.
The principal knew. He'd tried to evict the snack sellers multiple times. But deep down, he also knew: without them, the place would be a tomb. So, the park became a shelved project, and the teachers sent to "guide" the students became glorified caretakers, occasionally gathering the "night market vendors" to drone through PowerPoints about business models they themselves didn't believe in.
If starting a business was this easy, Cao Dahua, the park's director, thought as he sipped his tea and enjoyed the AC, why would I be sitting here drawing a salary?
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The crisp sound was followed by the appearance of a sharp, handsome face at the glass door. A bright, disarming smile.
"Excuse me, teacher. What's the process for renting office space in the park?"
Cao Dahua swiftly moved his feet from the desk to the floor, adopting a posture of officialdom. "What... what kind of business are you planning?"
"E-commerce," Chen Yansen replied, crisp and clear.
"E-commerce?" Cao Dahua blinked, confused for a second. Then it clicked. "Oh! You mean opening an online store?"
"Something like that," Chen Yansen said, a flicker of disdain crossing his eyes before he masked it. Is this the caliber of 'guidance' here? E-commerce equals 'opening an online store'? He took in Cao Dahua's relaxed, complacent demeanor and mentally stamped him: Nepotism Hire.
"Uh-huh. As long as you're not selling snacks," Cao Dahua muttered, pulling a form from a drawer and sliding it across. "Fill this out. Once the park director approves it, you can pick a room. Rent is 200 a month, minimum three months upfront."
Two hundred yuan wasn't nothing in 2010. For most students whose monthly allowance struggled to break a thousand, finding extra cash for a business venture was a pipe dream.
"How long for approval?" Chen Yansen asked, already scribbling.
"Pretty quick."
Chen Yansen finished the basic form—name, student ID, a laughably simple "business vision" section—in under two minutes and handed it back.
Cao Dahua took it without looking, pulled a stamp from the drawer, huffed on it, and THUMP—slammed it onto the paper.
"See? Quick."
Chen Yansen almost laughed. He schooled his expression into one of polite respect. "I didn't catch your name, teacher. How should I address you?"
He'd pegged the man as a low-level clerk. Turns out, he was the director. This required a recalibration.
"Cao. Cao Dahua. 'Da' as in 'top of the class,' 'Hua' as in 'splendid.' You can call me Director Cao." He puffed out his chest slightly.
"Director Cao." Chen Yansen produced his wallet, counted out twelve hundred-yuan bills, and placed them on the desk.
"Hey, kid, your hearing okay? I said three months minimum, six hundred!" Cao Dahua scowled, feigning displeasure.
Chen Yansen smiled, holding up two fingers. "Two rooms, Director Cao."
"...Oh." Cao Dahua's bluster evaporated. No one had ever rented two rooms at once. He looked at Chen Yansen again—well-tailored clothes, expensive fabric, that new iPhone. A rich kid playing businessman. He won't last three months. The thought was a cold comfort.
After paying, selecting rooms 206 and 208, and getting the keys, Chen Yansen bid a polite farewell. His next stop was the print shop by the park entrance.
"Bro... you serious?" The student worker gaped at the document Chen Yansen handed him.
"Does it look like a joke?" Chen Yansen jingled the two new keys in his hand.
"Damn. Respect." The student gave a thumbs-up, but inside he was rolling his eyes. Another daddy's-money kid about to burn through his allowance.
Three minutes later, Chen Yansen held 100 freshly printed flyers. He paid, bought two rolls of double-sided tape, and walked calmly to the park's main bulletin board.
Then, he proceeded to paper it.
It was an audacious, almost arrogant move. Chen Yansen knew it. He was counting on it.
SENHAI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. - CAMPUS RECRUITMENT
Front-End Developer (2): HTML/CSS/JS, browser compatibility. Salary: 2000-4000 RMB
Back-End Developer (2): PHP/Java, core functionality. Salary: 2500-4000 RMB
Database Engineer (1): MySQL, optimization. Salary: 2000-4000 RMB
UI Designer (1): Salary: 2000-4000 RMB
Test Engineer (1): Salary: 2000-4000 RMB
Project Manager (1): Salary: 2500-4000 RMB
In the China of a decade later, these would be "slave wages." In Xucheng Academy of 2010, they were explosive.
(Power Stones if you'd apply for this job! 💎)
The effect was instantaneous. Before the tape was dry, someone had snapped a photo.
Xucheng Academy BBS / Baidu Tieba - EXPLODING
Post: [URGENT] Is This Real? Crazy High-Paying Part-Time Jobs at the Startup Park!
User: ShockedPikachu.jpg
1L: Senhai Technology? Rooms 206/208, 2nd floor of the park? Anyone nearby check?
2L: Just ran up. Rooms are empty. Probably a prank by some loser with too much time.
3L: Everyone scatter, it's obviously fake.
4L: Wait... that contact number looks familiar... HOLY CRAP. It's SENIOR CHEN'S number! (Attaches contact from campus card biz)
5L: @4L FOR REAL?! Chen Yansen?! The cash-wielding freshman?!
6L: IT'S REAL. The legend is expanding his empire!
The digital wildfire spread faster than anyone anticipated. It reached class chats, dorm groups, and finally, the inboxes of department heads.
The Dean of the Literature and Communication Department heard. Then, the Principal of Xucheng Academy heard.
Entrepreneurship Park Director's Office
The phone rang, shattering Cao Dahua's peaceful tea-sipping. The caller ID made him jump.
"Director Cao! There's major news coming out of your park, and I have to hear it from others?" The principal's voice was calm, which made it worse.
"P-Principal? What news? Everything's quiet here..." Cao Dahua's mind raced. What did I miss?
"Director Cao, it seems your grasp of the park's daily operations is lacking. A freshman named Chen Yansen has posted a recruitment notice at the park entrance, planning to hire ten part-time students..."
Cao Dahua's blood ran cold. That rich kid! "Y-Yes, Principal! I understand! I'm on it, absolutely!" He hung up, mopping his brow.
He had dismissed Chen Yansen as a flash-in-the-pan. But if the principal knew his name... and from the tone, there was a sliver of expectation... This freshman who'd snatched the telecom agency and led upperclassmen was on the radar.
The principal needed success stories. Cao Dahua needed to not be seen as an obstacle.
Support him? With what? I have no budget! He grumbled internally. Then, an idea struck. He called over a few student helpers.
Soon, several sets of dusty, discarded office desks and chairs were hauled out of storage and unceremoniously dumped outside Rooms 206 and 208.
"Heh. Can't say I didn't support him now." Cao Dahua nodded, satisfied with his bureaucratic ingenuity, and retreated to his office.
Meanwhile, Chen Yansen had left the park. At a crossroads, he called Wang Zihao.
"Zihao. The Mercedes. Return it to the rental place."
"On it! Be right down." Wang Zihao arrived in two minutes, picked up Chen Yansen, dropped him off at the designated KTV, and drove off with the car.
Standing before the garish KTV entrance, the bass from inside thumping through the walls, Chen Yansen's phone vibrated.
An unknown number. He answered.
"Hello?" The voice on the other end was soft, sweet, and carried a delicate, almost coquettish lilt he'd never heard from her before. "I'm proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, and CorelDRAW. Do I... meet the requirements for your UI Designer position?"
Chen Yansen's eyebrows shot up. A slow, knowing smirk spread across his face. Money really does make people sing a different tune, doesn't it?
He let the silence hang for a beat, the noise of the KTV a stark contrast to the quiet intensity over the phone.
"Tonight," he said, his voice dropping into a calm, deliberate tone. "Eight o'clock. Faculty Apartment, Room 0418."
He paused, letting the time and location sink in.
"Come prepared. I'll be conducting the interview personally."
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note: The stakes are rising! The recruitment bomb has been dropped, catching even the principal's attention. And a certain someone is about to walk into the lion's den for a very... personal interview. What will happen at 8 PM in Room 0418? Place your bets in the comments!