Xu Qian noticed Song Xiaomi standing next to Xu Xiuwen.
The other person was holding a resume, making it easy to see that she was also a job seeker, and judging by her appearance, she should have succeeded in getting the job.
Xu Qian was not surprised by the other person's job-seeking status; what surprised her was her appearance. She was very pretty, not inferior to herself.
Xu Qian was quite sensitive in this regard.
She instinctively thought that Xu Xiuwen only hired beautiful women.
Connecting this with the high salary and benefits, she wondered what exactly he valued in them.
After thinking it over, she concluded that aside from her clean and pure body, and her pretty face, there wasn't much else.
Xu Qian would rather give up the job than sell her body.
But she couldn't be sure that Xu Xiuwen was that kind of person. The benefits were so good that she was reluctant to give up immediately.
So, she decided to wait and see.
Xu Xiuwen had no idea what Xu Qian was thinking.
He said to the girls, "Please wait a moment. After the recruitment ends, I'll take you to the company."
Xu Qian replied, "Okay. May I know how to address you?"
"My surname is Xu!"
Xu Qian was stunned; they shared the same surname.
Xu Xiuwen saw her surprised expression, chuckled, and explained, "It's the 'Xu' of 'Xu Xian,' not your 'Xu.'"
[T/N: The two chinese characters are different.]
Xu Qian understood then.
At this moment, Hang Fei returned from buying cigarettes.
Seeing the two women beside Xu Xiuwen, Hang Fei asked in surprise, "I was only gone for a little while, and you've already hired people?"
Xu Xiuwen handed over their resumes, smiling, "Yes, these two are much more reliable than the ones this morning."
Hang Fei also noticed the appearance of the two women and was stunned for a moment before jokingly asking, "Are you hiring clerks or actresses?"
Xu Xiuwen just smiled and shook his head without explaining.
The recruitment continued.
But it seemed their luck had run out, as few people came to apply afterward.
Most people didn't even look their way, as if their booth didn't exist.
It continued like this until 5 PM.
Xu Xiuwen had only recruited two people.
Feeling helpless, he thought, two are better than none.
They would continue recruiting tomorrow.
Xu Xiuwen packed up his things and prepared to leave.
Noticing that Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian were still standing there, he reminded them, "Let's go, follow me back to the company."
The two women then followed him.
Arriving at the car, Xu Xiuwen got in the driver's seat, and Hang Fei sat in the passenger seat.
Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian sat in the back.
Both were very surprised.
One showed her surprise on her face, while the other hid it in her heart.
On the way back to the company, Xu Xiuwen asked, "Do either of you know how to drive?"
Both Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian shook their heads.
Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen didn't ask further.
They quickly arrived at the company. Xu Xiuwen parked the car, led the two women out, and went to the company entrance.
He took out the key and unlocked the door.
Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian observed the building.
Above the door hung a sign with the company's name.
After opening the door, Xu Xiuwen led the two women inside to the first reception room on the left.
Once inside, Xu Xiuwen took out two blank contracts, filled in the salaries, and handed them to the women, "Check if there's any issue with the contract. Let me know if you have questions. If everything's fine, you can sign."
The two women looked at the contracts.
Xu Xiuwen explained, "Our company is just starting, and many positions are vacant. You can wait to sign the contract until I hire a finance officer and a receptionist."
Xu Xiuwen, being somewhat inexperienced, had given them a template contract.
However, many small companies don't even sign contracts when hiring.
The fact that Xu Xiuwen had prepared a template contract already made him a conscientious boss.
The two women checked the contract contents.
Song Xiaomi, being straightforward, didn't think much and started signing the contract immediately.
She filled in her bank card, ID number, and other information in the blank spaces.
Xu Qian, still not entirely at ease, seized the excuse Xu Xiuwen gave and said, "I'll wait until all the positions are filled before signing the contract."
Xu Xiuwen completely understood her approach.
After signing the contract, Song Xiaomi asked, "Mr. Xu, can I see the dormitory?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded and said, "Sure."
Afterward, Hang Fei stayed at the company while Xu Xiuwen took Song Xiaomi to the company dormitory.
Xu Qian also tagged along.
The apartment Xu Xiuwen rented was not far from the office building. The neighborhood was between the office and Jiaotong University, about a ten-minute walk.
Driving there was even faster, taking only three minutes.
The neighborhood was called Tianxing Garden.
Xu Xiuwen drove directly into the complex and parked downstairs.
He led the two women up to the second floor.
Xu Xiuwen had rented three apartments in this building: units 201, 301, and 502.
He unlocked the door to unit 201 and they went inside.
The 201 apartment was 89 square meters, not very spacious, but it had a three-bedroom and one living room layout.
The apartment was fully furnished with all necessary appliances.
The landlord had also cleaned it in advance, so apart from a bit of dust, the place was generally clean and tidy.
Song Xiaomi took one look inside and immediately liked it.
The bedroom in this apartment was much bigger than the one she rented, and it even had a kitchen where she could cook after work.
The only downside was the lack of a private bathroom.
Song Xiaomi asked, "Mr. Xu, I wanted to ask, will I need to share with male colleagues in the future?"
Xu Xiuwen laughed, "No, you don't have to worry about that. If any males join, I'll place them in the upstairs apartments. I won't mix genders, so you can rest easy."
Relieved, Song Xiaomi said, "Mr. Xu, I'd like to move in within the next few days, if that's okay?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Sure, that's up to you. You can choose any room you like since there are only a few employees right now. The keys are in the doors."
Song Xiaomi pointed to the master bedroom near the balcony, "Mr. Xu, I choose this room."
The room she chose was the best of the three, with the largest space and the best lighting, having a large window facing south to west.
Xu Qian had her eye on that room too.
But since she hadn't decided whether to sign the contract yet, she could only watch as Song Xiaomi took it.
After showing them around, Xu Xiuwen drove them back to the company.
On the way back, Song Xiaomi noticed Xu Xiuwen was still wearing sunglasses and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Xu, why are you still wearing sunglasses? Isn't that unsafe for driving?"
Xu Xiuwen, reminded by her, took off his sunglasses immediately and said, "I forgot about them. Thanks for the reminder."
On the way back to the company, Xu Xiuwen said, "That's it for today. I'm going to the company to have dinner with Hang Fei now. You can either go back or join us for dinner."
Song Xiaomi quickly said, "Mr. Xu, I have nothing to do if I go back, so I'll join you for dinner."
"Alright, no problem."
Xu Xiuwen then asked Xu Qian, who hadn't spoken yet, "What about you, Xu Qian?"
Xu Qian had planned to return to school, but seeing Song Xiaomi decide to stay, she felt it would be inappropriate to leave, so she said, "Mr. Xu, I'll join you too."
Xu Xiuwen smiled, "Then tonight's dinner will be an early welcome for you both joining the company."
After picking up Hang Fei at the company, Xu Xiuwen found a nearby restaurant.
He specifically requested a private room.
Once seated in the private room, Song Xiaomi, being quite simple, just sat quietly.
Xu Qian, on the other hand, was more proactive. She asked the server for a pot of tea and poured cups for Xu Xiuwen and Hang Fei.
Xu Xiuwen and Hang Fei thanked her and continued their discussion.
Their conversation revolved mainly around the second TV series.
The company was already established, though they still lacked the ability to directly apply for a filming permit and had to continue under another name.
However, they could start planning the shoot.
Hang Fei's previous small crew, along with a few alumni he called in for help, had already formed a team.
As long as the funding was in place, the script was suitable, and the actors were ready, they could start filming at any time!
Xu Xiuwen wanted the second TV series to be an adaptation of one of his novels.
This idea was in line with Hang Fei's thoughts.
The main discussion point was which novel to adapt.
Hang Fei was interested in "Three Lives Three Worlds" and "Nirvana in Fire."
But Xu Xiuwen thought "Why Sheng Xiao" would be a better choice.
The reason was simple: it was easier to film and required less funding. "Three Lives Three Worlds" and "Nirvana in Fire" were excellent too, but their grand scenes and potential need for special effects would require a large budget.
Xu Xiuwen didn't want to start with something too ambitious. He preferred a steady approach, building a solid foundation before attempting a big production.
After a thorough discussion, Hang Fei agreed with Xu Xiuwen's suggestion to adapt "Why Sheng Xiao."
The two discussed this in great detail, completely ignoring the two women in the room.
Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian listened quietly and didn't say a word.
At this moment, they were both quite shocked. One had just signed the contract, and the other hadn't yet. They knew nothing about the company except that it was a film and television media company.
In their understanding, unlike large companies with abundant financial resources, small film companies should exercise extreme caution before deciding to invest in a drama production.
However, what they saw and heard was that Xu Xiuwen and Hang Fei decided to go ahead with the project after just a few words.
Isn't this a bit reckless?
Song Xiaomi was very worried. If the investment failed, would the company collapse just as it was starting up?
She really wanted to persuade Xu Xiuwen and Hang Fei to reconsider more seriously.
But she knew she had little influence and it wasn't her place to speak, so she just sat quietly, worrying.
After discussing the general direction, Xu Xiuwen and Hang Fei paused their discussion.
Only then did Xu Xiuwen notice that the ordered dishes hadn't been served yet, and he couldn't help but shout out towards the outside of the private room.
After hearing the waiter say, "Coming right up," he retracted his head.
Turning around, he noticed the two women sitting quietly.
Xu Xiuwen thought for a moment, then took off his mask, extended his hand to the two women, and said, "Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Xu Xiuwen, and this is Hang Fei. He is our company's exclusive director and also the company's legal representative."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qian and Song Xiaomi immediately stood up and called out, "Mr. Hang, Mr. Xu."
Hang Fei laughed at this and said, "No need to stand. Sit down. Although I'm the legal representative, the largest shareholder of the company is Xiuwen. You can call him Mr. Xu. As for me, I spend most of my time on set and will rarely come to the company, so you can just call me by my name or director."
Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian then addressed him as "Director Hang."
Soon the waiter began serving the dishes, and everyone started eating.
Since they had to drive later in the evening, Xu Xiuwen didn't order any alcohol, just a bottle of soda.
Xu Qian poured herself a glass of soda, then suddenly stood up to make a toast.
Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen smiled, raised his glass, and took a sip with her.
Song Xiaomi also stood up to make a toast next, and Xu Xiuwen likewise sipped his tea with her.
After the two women sat down, Xu Xiuwen said, "We are not much older than you and don't care for all the formalities at the dining table. In the future, if we eat together, there's no need for toasts. I don't mind such things."
Xu Qian and Song Xiaomi smiled and nodded.
As for what they were thinking, Xu Xiuwen didn't concern himself with it.
While eating, Xu Xiuwen noticed Xu Qian and Song Xiaomi whispering to each other and occasionally glancing at him.
Having encountered this situation many times, Xu Xiuwen already guessed what they were discussing.
So before the girls could ask, he admitted, "Yes, I played Daoming Si."
Xu Qian had watched "Boys Over Flowers," so when Xu Xiuwen took off his mask and she saw his face, she found him very familiar but couldn't immediately confirm it.
She quietly asked Song Xiaomi.
However, Song Xiaomi hadn't seen the show, so she didn't know what Xu Qian was talking about.
As a result, Xu Xiuwen's admission cleared up her confusion.
Xu Qian didn't know the show's ratings, but she knew it was very popular.
Everyone around her had watched it, and she was a loyal fan of the show.
At first sight, she felt Xu Xiuwen looked very familiar but there were some differences, so she wasn't sure. Now hearing Xu Xiuwen's admission, she realized she hadn't been mistaken.
Thinking that the male lead of her favorite show was sitting in front of her and was also the boss of the company she was interviewing with, Xu Qian was stunned!
Xu Xiuwen continued, "I acted in the show, and Hang Fei here directed it."
Xu Qian was even more surprised!
Knowing Xu Xiuwen was her favorite Daoming Si, Xu Qian regretted not signing the contract earlier.
She now started to worry that if Xu Xiuwen changed his mind, she might not get the job.
As for her earlier concerns that Xu Xiuwen hired beautiful female employees with bad intentions, those worries completely vanished.
Song Xiaomi was completely confused.
She had no idea what drama they were talking about.
Xu Qian, being overly surprised, didn't say another word until the dinner ended.
But after dinner, Xu Qian suddenly stood up and said, "Mr. Xu, I want to sign the contract with the company immediately."
Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "No rush, I'll wait until I've hired enough people."
Xu Qian was somewhat disappointed and replied with an "Oh."
Xu Xiuwen got up, walked out of the private room, and went to pay the bill.
The meal cost a little over 200 yuan, which was nothing to Xu Xiuwen.
After paying, he returned to the private room and suggested, "I've paid the bill, it's getting late, let's go."