**"Boys Over Flowers"** was first sold to Jiangsu TV Station for its premiere broadcast rights. The second-round broadcasting rights were sold to three local TV stations, with total earnings amounting to 4.5 million.
An audio-visual production company also contacted Hang Fei, proposing to buy the production and distribution rights for the audio-visual products of "Boys Over Flowers" for 1.2 million.
Although they jointly started the company, the copyright of "Boys Over Flowers" belongs to Xu Xiuwen personally, so Hang Fei had no authority to make a decision.
Xu Xiuwen raised the price to 2 million.
After considering it for a long time, the representative from the audio-visual company eventually agreed.
Without accounting for third-round or overseas distributions, "Boys Over Flowers" has already brought Xu Xiuwen over 18 million in revenue.
This is just the book revenue; there are also numerous intangible benefits.
The most direct intangible benefit is the increase in fame.
As the male lead, Xu Xiuwen's popularity soared, and he became recognizable everywhere he went.
Now, whenever he goes out, he has to wear a hat and sunglasses.
A while ago, he went out a few times without sunglasses, and after being recognized, many people crowded around him asking for autographs, creating a very chaotic scene.
Xu Xiuwen also learned from Ning Wanqiu that she has recently been harassed by relatives and friends.
Various distant acquaintances tried to get his autograph through her, and the most outrageous even asked to borrow money.
Xu Xiuwen was also bombarded with phone calls, even from primary school classmates, who somehow found out his number.
...
On March 3rd, at the Jinling Talent Market job fair.
Hang Fei and Xu Xiuwen went to the job fair together for recruitment.
To avoid being recognized, Xu Xiuwen wore a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, covering his entire face.
The talent market was bustling with young people holding resumes, looking for jobs.
The market provided tables and chairs for each recruiting company, but the location of the booths varied according to the company's reputation.
The best and most prominent spots were naturally occupied by well-known companies.
Long queues formed in front of these companies' booths, and their recruitment requirements were often high, with most job seekers being rejected on the spot.
Many left with disappointed expressions, moving to the next company's booth.
Companies like Xu Xiuwen's, which had just started, were given very remote locations.
Although the talent market was packed, few job seekers came to their booth.
So, throughout the morning, Xu Xiuwen and Hang Fei received only a few resumes.
By noon, Hang Fei and Xu Xiuwen bought two boxed lunches and ate them at their booth.
Hang Fei couldn't help but complain, "What a lousy spot they gave us, no one came all morning."
Xu Xiuwen chuckled, "Brother Fei, our company isn't well-known. It's normal to have a slow start in recruitment. Don't worry, it'll get better gradually."
Hang Fei knew he was right, but seeing other booths crowded with job seekers made him very anxious.
After lunch, Hang Fei couldn't sit still. With no one coming to their booth, he decided to take a walk and buy a pack of cigarettes.
As soon as Hang Fei left, a young girl carrying a resume wandered around the plaza and soon approached Xu Xiuwen's booth.
Xu Xiuwen noticed a shadow in front of him and looked up to see a young girl standing there.
He gave her a once-over: she had an oval face, long hair, wore a black suit, and short high-heeled shoes, looking very poised.
The girl was intently reading the job postings on the flyer.
After a few seconds, she hesitated and asked, "Are you hiring an office assistant?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Yes, if you're interested, you can submit a resume."
The girl then asked, "Is the minimum salary really 2500?"
Xu Xiuwen replied with a smile, "Yes, 2500 is guaranteed, plus social insurance and housing fund."
Hearing this, the girl hesitated for a few seconds and finally handed in her resume.
Xu Xiuwen took the resume and started reading it.
The girl's name was Song Xiaomi.
Seeing the name, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Fortunately, his mask hid his reaction.
Song Xiaomi was just 20 years old, with an associate degree from Jinling Tourism Management Institute, a junior college.
He didn't bother looking at the certificates and self-evaluation sections.
As for work experience, she had none, being a fresh graduate.
Putting down the resume, Xu Xiuwen asked, "You've been graduated for more than half a year. Why haven't you found a job yet?"
Song Xiaomi nervously explained in a low voice, "My grandfather was ill. I stayed in the hospital to take care of him, so I delayed job hunting."
Xu Xiuwen continued, "I see you graduated from a tourism management school. Why are you looking for an office assistant job?"
Song Xiaomi was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Other companies with high salaries don't want me, and the ones that do don't pay well. Your company's offer is the best."
Xu Xiuwen laughed suddenly.
Even if it's true, you shouldn't just say it.
There are very few girls this honest.
Hearing his laughter, Song Xiaomi became a bit nervous.
Xu Xiuwen stopped laughing and asked, "Our company is newly established, and the position is a clerical one, but it involves doing many tasks that are not part of a clerical job. Can you accept that?"
Hearing this, Song Xiaomi showed a hesitant expression.
Seeing the girl hesitate, Xu Xiuwen didn't rush her but gave her enough time to think it over.
He wasn't trying to scare Song Xiaomi; the company was just starting, and many tasks, including his own, had to be learned from scratch, involving a lot of miscellaneous work.
If she only wanted to do clerical work and nothing else, it would only lead to unhappiness later on.
After seriously thinking for two minutes, Song Xiaomi finally nodded and said, "I'm willing; I can do anything."
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Then let's discuss the salary. What is your expected wage?"
Song Xiaomi immediately said, "2500 is enough."
Xu Xiuwen wasn't sure about other companies' salaries.
But he knew that the average wage in Jinling City was 2000 yuan, so he marked the minimum wage on the recruitment flyers as 2500.
Since Song Xiaomi's request matched the minimum, Xu Xiuwen had no objection.
"2500 is acceptable."
Hearing this, Song Xiaomi's face broke into a smile.
Xu Xiuwen continued, "Where are you living now? Do you need company-provided accommodation?"
Song Xiaomi was surprised, "The company provides accommodation?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Yes."
Song Xiaomi was temporarily living near the school, which was in the Huayan Gang area.
The rent plus utilities there cost about 400 yuan a month, nearly one-fifth of a 2500 yuan salary, which wasn't insignificant.
Of course, she wanted to save money wherever possible, so she immediately said, "I'm temporarily living in the Huayan Gang area. If the company provides accommodation, I'd like to move in right away."
"That's fine. Once you sign the contract, you can move in anytime."
Xu Xiuwen had rented three apartments in a neighborhood between the university town and the office building. Each apartment's rent was about a thousand yuan, and each had three bedrooms.
The cost of renting these places was nothing to him.
Providing housing for employees could reduce their burden and improve their work motivation.
So, after setting up the company, Xu Xiuwen contacted the agent he had used when buying his house and rented three apartments.
For now, three apartments were enough, and he could rent more if they needed to hire more people later.
Knowing that accommodation was included, Song Xiaomi beamed with joy.
Xu Xiuwen was quite satisfied with Song Xiaomi.
The reason was simple.
He had a thing for good looks.
Song Xiaomi was not only good-looking but also had a nice temperament and seemed quite innocent.
Xu Xiuwen had already decided to hire more girls before the recruitment started.
Not for any other reason but to have a pleasant view.
After all, clerical work didn't require high educational qualifications.
Having decided to hire Song Xiaomi, Xu Xiuwen asked her to wait until the recruitment ended so he could take her to the company.
Song Xiaomi obediently stood aside.
Since no one else was submitting resumes, Xu Xiuwen started chatting with Song Xiaomi.
Song Xiaomi was a straightforward girl, answering honestly whatever was asked, unlike other candidates who tended to embellish their qualifications.
Soon, another girl approached.
Xu Qian, twenty years old, tall and slim, with short hair, wearing professional attire, exuding energy.
Although Xu Qian appeared calm, she was quite anxious inside.
Her alma mater is Jinling Institute of Technology, majoring in Mechanical Manufacturing and Automation.
The companies that came to their school for recruitment were mostly related to her major.
Xu Qian didn't want to dedicate her youth to working in a factory, so she chose to forgo campus recruitment.
She had visited the job market many times recently, but each time the companies would pass on her after seeing that she neither had a good educational background nor work experience.
Some companies were willing to offer sales positions, but the pay was low.
Xu Qian wasn't the type to be overly picky.
Sales jobs could also make good money if done well.
However, the leering glances from the HR personnel and their suggestive remarks made her turn down those offers.
She knew she was attractive, but she would never consider using her looks to secure a job.
After several failed attempts in the job market that morning, she was in a bad mood.
At that moment, she noticed a company in the corner of the job market that she hadn't seen before.
She took the initiative to walk over and glanced at the company's recruitment flyer.
They were hiring for receptionist, clerk, and accounting positions.
Xu Qian thought none of these positions had much future, though accounting was slightly better.
But the salaries for these positions were not low.
She couldn't believe this inconspicuous company, tucked away in a corner, was offering a salary of 2,500 yuan?
She wondered if she had misread it.
Xu Qian had been job hunting recently, so she was quite familiar with the situation.
Other companies' recruitment posters listed salaries around 2,000 yuan, but when she inquired, most offered just over 1,000, which was disappointingly low.
Xu Qian was very satisfied with the salary offered by this company, so despite it being a small company, she chose to submit her resume.
Xu Xiuwen took the resume and asked the girl to introduce herself.
As he listened to her self-introduction, he looked down at the resume's content.
Twenty years old, a third-year student at Jinling Institute of Technical, with no work experience.
After the girl finished her self-introduction, Xu Xiuwen asked, "You're a graduate this year. Why not go through campus recruitment?"
Xu Qian replied, "I attended campus recruitment events, but I found the jobs offered were not suitable for me. I wanted to find a job that suits me on my own."
Xu Xiuwen asked, "We are a film production company, which doesn't match your major. Why do you think this job suits you?"
If it were the straightforward Song Xiaomi, she would have said it was because of the high salary.
But Xu Qian was more tactful and said, "Because I like clerical work, and I think my personality is very suitable for this job."
Xu Xiuwen asked Xu Qian many questions.
Although a person's abilities can't be fully understood through a brief conversation,
he could get a rough idea of the girl's personality through their chat.
First, the girl was very talkative, speaking calmly and composedly, without appearing nervous or arrogant.
Most importantly, Xu Qian was very pretty.
Her short hair was very distinctive.
Her face, like Song Xiaomi's, was an oval shape with a pointed chin, very small and delicate.
Her thin eyebrows were neatly shaped and curved, and her long eyelashes were thick and neat like small brushes. She had a high nose bridge with a slightly rounded tip, and her full lips were red and plump.
Though she couldn't compare to Xiao Youran or Cheng Lu, among ordinary girls, she was definitely a standout.
Some people might never encounter such a beautiful girl in their lifetime.
Yet, in less than a day of recruitment, Xu Xiuwen had met two.
So, Xu Xiuwen was quite surprised.
As a looks-oriented person, Xu Xiuwen couldn't find a reason to reject the girl.
Xu Qian, seeing Xu Xiuwen remain silent, thought he was dissatisfied with her.
She sighed inwardly, thinking she probably wouldn't get the job.
But then, Xu Xiuwen suddenly asked, "What is your expected salary?"
Hearing him mention salary, Xu Qian was instantly delighted.
Could there be a chance?
She immediately said, "2,500!"
Then quickly corrected herself, "2,000 is also acceptable."
She was about to graduate and could still live at the school for now, but if she wanted to stay in Jinling after graduation, she would need to rent a place, which would be a considerable expense.
She wanted to find a job as soon as possible.
She didn't want to keep asking her family for money after graduation.
Moreover, 2,000 was not low; it was more than what other companies were offering.
This way, after deducting rent and living expenses, she could save some money each month and maybe even send some back home.
Xu Xiuwen chuckled. The two girls who interviewed today were both quite interesting—one only wanted the minimum salary, and the other proactively lowered her expected salary.
"Alright, no need for 2,000. This girl, Song Xiaomi, also applied for the clerk position, and her salary is 2,500. For you, I will also offer 2,500, with social insurance and housing fund, not covering meals, but providing accommodation. How does that sound?"
"I'm willing!"
Xu Qian didn't hesitate for a second and immediately agreed.
2,500 yuan per month, with social insurance and housing fund, and accommodation provided?
This was like a pie falling from the sky!
The offer was too good to be true!
Xu Qian couldn't find a single reason to hesitate.
But after agreeing, she quickly regretted it.