The next morning.
Xu Xiuwen woke up at seven o'clock.
After a quick wash, he had breakfast at the neighborhood breakfast shop and then immediately drove to the company.
Not long after he arrived, Xu Qian and Song Xiaomi also arrived at the office.
Both made it to the company before eight o'clock.
Though they had only been apart for a night, both looked very refreshed.
The two women were dressed in black work uniforms.
Despite their young age, the black uniforms gave them a mature and professional appearance.
Seeing two beautiful female employees in uniform working around him first thing in the morning, Xu Xiuwen felt one thing: pleasing to the eye.
Of course, he had no inappropriate thoughts about them.
He simply enjoyed looking at beautiful women.
The three of them prepared for the interviews.
Soon, it was eight o'clock.
Xu Xiuwen had set up an office for himself on the second floor.
He now sat in his office, waiting for the interviews to begin.
Xu Qian and Song Xiaomi each had their tasks for the day.
Xu Qian was to act as Xu Xiuwen's temporary secretary.
Song Xiaomi was to act as the temporary receptionist, responsible for registering the interviewees and then directing them to the waiting area.
The interviews began promptly.
According to the order of the resumes, Xu Qian, the temporary secretary, went to the waiting area to call the first interviewee.
The first person Xu Xiuwen interviewed was a twenty-five-year-old woman.
She was applying for a position in finance.
After some discussion, Xu Xiuwen felt she was not suitable and mentally decided to pass on her, but he did not immediately inform her of the decision, instead telling her to wait for a response.
In his previous life, Xu Xiuwen had hated it when HR didn't tell him the result immediately, but now that the roles were reversed and he was the one doing the hiring, he realized the reasonableness of this approach.
For instance, with the first candidate, even though he found her unqualified, there was a chance that the subsequent candidates might be worse. In such a case, he might still choose her.
So, not rejecting candidates on the spot but telling them to wait for a result was indeed reasonable.
Xu Xiuwen conducted interviews quickly.
Some took eight to nine minutes, while others took only five to six minutes, averaging about seven minutes each.
During these seven minutes, the candidates' self-introductions took up very little time; most of it was Xu Xiuwen asking various questions.
In no time, two hours had passed.
Only half of the candidates remained in the waiting area.
At this moment, Xu Xiuwen was reviewing the resume of the next candidate.
A playful smile appeared on his face.
The next candidate was from the same school as Xu Xiuwen.
She was a graduate of Jiangling College, also a young woman.
She was applying for a position in finance.
Xu Qian had already gone out to call the young woman in for the interview.
Soon, the door opened, and a tall woman walked in.
This graduate from Jiangling College, Xu Xiuwen's schoolmate, was named Zhao Yatong.
Zhao Yatong had a slightly oval face, with delicate eyebrows and bright, expressive eyes. Her nose was slim, and she wore a vivid red lipstick.
She smiled, revealing a set of straight, white teeth like jade porcelain.
Today, her hair was styled in long, wavy curls, giving her a very feminine look.
She wore a light-colored blazer on top and a matching pencil skirt on the bottom, with a pair of thin black stockings on her legs and high heels on her feet.
Zhao Yatong's tall stature and long, slender legs were accentuated by the stockings.
Xu Xiuwen admired her; she was brave to wear stockings and high heels in such cold weather!
He did not stare at his schoolmate's stockings.
He merely glanced at them briefly before looking away.
He looked down at the resume in his hand.
Once she was seated, he directly asked, "Zhao Yatong, you graduated from Jiangling College. Your resume shows you've been out of school for two years and worked at your previous company for that time. Can you tell me why you left your last job?"
Zhao Yatong replied, "There was too much office politics at my last job. I didn't like that environment, so I chose to resign."
"Oh, can you elaborate?"
"At my last company, one day the boss's wife would ask me to transfer money, the next day the boss's brother would ask me to transfer money. There were also many people with connections in the company. Working there was really dull."
...
Xu Xiuwen and Zhao Yatong chatted for a while. This senior from Jiangling was calm and composed throughout the conversation, speaking confidently and at ease.
She had already worked in finance for two years at her previous company, so Xu Xiuwen was quite satisfied with her experience.
Just the fact that she was a senior from Jiangling College was enough to give her this opportunity, never mind the black stockings on her legs...
Xu Xiuwen stopped asking questions and went straight to the point, "What salary do you expect?"
Upon hearing the topic of salary, Zhao Yatong's expression finally became serious.
She knew this was a crucial moment. If she asked for too much, she might come across as greedy, but if she asked for too little, she would not be satisfied.
After a few seconds of consideration, she answered, "2500."
This was a very conservative and safe answer.
Xu Xiuwen smiled at this.
He immediately said, "I'll offer you 3000, with five social insurances and one housing fund, accommodation included but not meals, and a 50-yuan monthly phone allowance."
Three thousand yuan with full social insurance and housing fund, plus accommodation. This deal was simply too good to be true.
At her previous company, Zhao Yatong's monthly salary was only 1800 yuan. This was almost double that.
She had no reason to refuse.
She immediately smiled and said, "I accept."
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Let me make it clear upfront. We are a film and television company, and everything in the company is coordinated with the production team. Usually, you won't have to work overtime, but in special circumstances, you might need to work on weekends. Of course, for weekend work, you will get compensatory time off."
Zhao Yatong quickly nodded, "I can accept that."
"Alright, please wait for me in the meeting room upstairs."
Following Xu Qian, Zhao Yatong went to the small meeting room on the third floor.
After Zhao Yatong left, Xu Xiuwen continued with the interviews.
The interviews lasted until 1:30 PM.
After finishing all the interviews, Xu Xiuwen gathered all the successful candidates in the small meeting room on the third floor for a meeting.
When Xu Xiuwen arrived at the meeting room, several candidates were already seated.
Today, he had hired four people in total: a finance officer, two clerks, and a receptionist.
The finance officer and the receptionist were female employees, while the two clerks were male.
Including Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian, Xu Xiuwen had hired a total of six people.
These hires were for general company positions, not including specialized technical positions such as editing and camerawork.
Those positions were being handled by Hang Fei, and Xu Xiuwen didn't intend to interfere.
Xu Xiuwen had his temporary secretary, Xu Qian, take the meeting minutes.
Xu Xiuwen started with a few formalities.
For example, welcoming everyone to the company, hoping everyone would work together to develop the company, and assuring them that their efforts would not be forgotten.
The new employees were very receptive, giving him a round of applause after his speech.
Of course, Xu Xiuwen wasn't fooled by the applause; he knew many of them were skeptical of his young age.
Xu Xiuwen briefly introduced himself, focusing on the fact that he had recently filmed a hit TV series.
During the interviews, some candidates recognized him, while others did not. At this moment, apart from Song Xiaomi and Xu Qian, the others in the meeting room likely didn't watch much TV and thus didn't recognize him.
After his self-introduction, the meeting room fell silent.
The new employees all looked at him with wide-eyed surprise.
Seeing their reactions, Song Xiaomi discreetly smiled to herself.
She had been just as surprised when she first learned about this.
After the initial shock, the new employees' concerns eased somewhat.
After all, having a celebrity boss made it seem less likely that the company would go bankrupt anytime soon, which boosted their confidence.
Xu Xiuwen took note of their expressions.
He smiled slightly and got straight to the point.
"I've published a novel on Jinjiang titled 'Why Sheng Xiao,' and our next goal is to adapt it into a TV series."
After Xu Xiuwen finished speaking, Zhao Yatong asked, "Mr. Xu, isn't it a bit challenging to produce a TV series with just the few of us here?"
Xu Xiuwen explained, "You don't need to worry. There are professionals handling the production. Your task is to fully support Director Hang Fei and take care of logistical work."
Zhao Yatong nodded.
"You've never been in the film and television industry before. It's good timing since the company doesn't have much going on right now. Take this opportunity to learn as much as you can about the industry."
The new employees nodded in agreement.
Xu Xiuwen continued, "The company is just starting, and we have a small team. Some of you may need to take on multiple roles. I hope you won't be resistant to this. I'll be observing your performance closely, and if you do well, promotions and bonuses won't be an issue. I'm not a stingy person."
"Understood, Mr. Xu!"
Xu Xiuwen nodded and looked at Zhao Yatong, saying, "Zhao Yatong, you will be responsible for the company's finances and personnel from now on."
"Okay, Mr. Xu!" Zhao Yatong immediately agreed.
"Also, make a list of items the company needs to purchase. For now, let Xu Qian handle the procurement..."
The meeting lasted less than half an hour.
Xu Xiuwen assigned a few simple tasks.
After the meeting, Xu Xiuwen said to the new receptionist, "Lu Xinyao, stay for a moment."
Lu Xinyao was the fourth female employee Xu Xiuwen had hired. She was beautiful with a sweet smile, making her a perfect fit for the reception desk.
Once everyone else had left the conference room, Xu Xiuwen looked at Lu Xinyao and said, "The receptionist is the face of the company. I hope you do a good job and don't disappoint me."
Lu Xinyao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Xu. I won't disappoint you."
Xu Xiuwen had been impressed by Lu Xinyao's lively personality during her interview.
After the meeting, Xu Xiuwen went to the second floor to sign contracts with the new employees.
After signing the contracts, he went back to the first floor.
The first floor had six rooms in total, four on the left and two on the right.
The two rooms on the right side of the reception area were designated as a reception room and a lounge. The room furthest to the right was the restroom.
The four rooms on the left side were designated as office spaces.
Room 101 was the office for four clerks, and Room 102 was the finance office.
Since the company didn't have many employees yet, the remaining two rooms were left empty for the time being.
When the previous advertising company moved out, they left behind office furniture. However, the furniture was old and used, so Xu Xiuwen decided to replace all the desks and chairs with new ones.
Xu Xiuwen entered Room 101 and looked around. Although the desks were empty, at least the staff was complete, giving it the appearance of an office.
Xu Xiuwen turned to Zhao Yatong and said, "Purchase a few computers as soon as possible; we will need them for work."
"Okay, Mr. Xu."
Xu Xiuwen glanced at the time; it was already past two o'clock.
He clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention and said, "Everyone must be hungry since we haven't had lunch yet. I'll treat you all to lunch to welcome you."
The new employees were indeed hungry, having not had time to eat lunch and not wanting to leave on their own.
They went to a nearby restaurant where Xu Xiuwen treated the new employees to lunch.
After lunch, Xu Xiuwen took them to see the company dormitories.
Xu Xiuwen had rented apartments in a nice neighborhood with convenient access to shopping malls and supermarkets.
Apart from Qian Long, who decided not to move in yet as he was living with his girlfriend, the other five employees planned to terminate their current leases and move into the company dormitories.
Wu Yong, the other male employee, would live in Apartment 502.
Since the apartments were 3-bedroom units, Lu Xinyao, Song Xiaomi, and Xu Qian would share Apartment 201.
Zhao Yatong would live alone in Apartment 301.
After showing the new employees the dormitories, Xu Xiuwen looked at his phone and then said to them, "Alright, that's it for today. You can go home now. Official work starts on March 13th. You've been given the keys, so if you're moving in, do it within the next few days without needing to call me."
The employees waved goodbye.
Xu Xiuwen called Zhao Yatong and Xu Qian to stay behind.
After the others left, Xu Xiuwen took out the company keys from his pocket and handed them to Xu Qian. He then instructed Zhao Yatong, "Zhao Yatong, prepare the list of items we need. Xu Qian, you'll need to sacrifice some time to purchase these items according to the list. I want this done by March 13th. If you encounter any difficulties, you can call me anytime."
In the earlier meeting, Xu Xiuwen had already shared his phone number with the new employees and saved their numbers as well.
"Okay, Mr. Xu!" the two women replied in unison.
Xu Xiuwen suddenly remembered and said, "Right, you can't access the company account yet, can you? Here, let me give you a card."
He took out a bank card from his pocket.
"This card has 100,000 yuan in it. Use this for the purchases. The password is 654321. I need to see receipts and invoices for every expense, clearly documented."
"Don't worry, Mr. Xu." x2.
Xu Xiuwen nodded and said, "Alright, you can go home now."
After the two women left, Xu Xiuwen quickly headed to his car and drove out of the neighborhood.
The car sped down the road.
Xu Xiuwen was all smiles.
He was on his way to the train station to pick someone up!