OBS Chapter 1528 Persuading People to Reform?
Chapter 1528 Persuading People to Reform?
Chapter 1528 Persuading People to Reform?
The following day, sunlight streamed through the glass curtain wall of the office building, casting bright patches of light on the floor.
Qin Hao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling traffic below. The skyline of Zhujiang New Town unfolded before him, with towering buildings and glass curtain walls reflecting the dazzling sunlight.
"How is it?" Liu Mengyao's voice came from behind. "Is this place alright as the new company's office?"
Qin Hao turned around and looked around.
The open-plan space spans over 300 square meters and features a minimalist, modern design with all the necessary office equipment. It includes a reception area, meeting rooms, open workstations, private offices, and even a tea room and rest area.
"You found an office so quickly? And the renovations are already finished?"
"How could that be? I'm not a god." Liu Mengyao walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked down at the bustling traffic below, and smiled. "I rented this place last month. I just hadn't figured out how to get started until I met you."
Standing beside her, Qin Hao looked out at the bustling cityscape and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
This is the fundamental difference between ordinary people and second-generation rich kids starting their own businesses.
For ordinary people starting a business, every penny must be carefully budgeted. From site selection and renovation to equipment purchase, every step is meticulously calculated because they cannot afford to lose. Once they fail, they may never recover and may even be burdened with huge debts.
But for a rich second-generation like Liu Mengyao, starting a business is more like a game. Failure is no big deal; she can treat it as practice, gain experience and connections, and always start over. This kind of confidence is something ordinary people can never achieve.
"The office is ready, but what about the staff?" Qin Hao pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at Liu Mengyao: "Finance, operations, technology—we can't just do it all by ourselves, can we?"
Liu Mengyao shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact: "Except for the finance person, I've already found someone. They can start tomorrow. You can arrange the rest yourself. But there's one condition—"
She changed the subject abruptly, her eyes showing a hint of wariness: "Don't bring Liang Danning in! That would make me look stupid. I'm not that magnanimous to have my rival living with me day and night."
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Your imagination is really rich. Don't worry, the stupidest thing in the world is to fall in love with your subordinate. When a woman goes crazy, she can destroy the world."
Liu Mengyao glanced at him sideways, a smile playing on her lips: "You just love to annoy me, but what can I do? I like you, after all."
"Could you be any more cheesy?" Qin Hao deliberately made a disgusted expression.
"Hmph, I can't be bothered with you." Liu Mengyao said, picking up her LV bag and tossing her ponytail: "Anyway, this is your responsibility. You can handle the recruitment and team building yourself. Oh, and don't forget to transfer six million into the company's bank account within three months, otherwise, you'll be considered to have automatically given up your 20% stake."
Qin Hao nodded, his tone confident: "Yes, don't worry, there will be plenty. Take care."
"Ugh, can't you be a little more gentlemanly and walk me to the elevator?" Liu Mengyao said coquettishly, but there was no real anger in her eyes.
Qin Hao didn't speak, but simply bowed and made a "please" gesture.
Liu Mengyao was utterly speechless. She rolled her eyes at Qin Hao and angrily turned to walk towards the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, she didn't forget to make a face at Qin Hao.
After Liu Mengyao left, Qin Hao was left alone in the empty office. He went to his private office, sat down, opened his laptop, and began posting job advertisements on various recruitment platforms.
The company is named "Xingyao Media" and its main business is live-streaming e-commerce and independent brand operation. Job openings include Operations Director, Live-streaming Assistant, Technical Support, and Copywriting, with salaries 20% higher than the industry average, plus performance bonuses and stock options.
After all, it's a startup company, and to attract talent, the compensation must be good.
Once the information was posted, a massive number of resumes were quickly received. Qin Hao was extremely busy screening resumes and scheduling interviews. For the next week, the office was packed with people coming for interviews every day.
Qin Hao personally oversaw the selection process, screening candidates based on their professional skills, communication abilities, and career plans. After a week of intensive interviews, the core team of the new company was basically formed—the operations director was a veteran with five years of e-commerce experience, the technical support was a computer science graduate who had just "graduated" from a major company, the copywriter had sharp writing skills, and two quick-witted young women were recruited as live-streaming assistants.
Liu Mengyao would occasionally come to the company to check on the progress. When she learned that Qin Hao had recruited operations, technology, and planning staff, but not live streamers, she couldn't help but wonder: "Aren't we going to do live streaming e-commerce? Live streamers are the core, so why not recruit some? There are so many good-looking live streamers with many fans on the market. We can just poach a couple and quickly increase our volume."
Qin Hao shook his head, rejecting her idea: "The streamers on the market are either game streamers or beauty streamers. They are good at entertainment interaction and attracting fans to give rewards. What we need are sales talents who are approachable, expressive, and eloquent."
"The core of live-streaming e-commerce is selling goods, not entertainment. Instead of searching the internet for streamers who only know how to be cute and silly but don't understand sales, it's better to recruit people offline who truly understand sales."
Liu Mengyao listened with some curiosity: "Offline? Where would you find someone like that? A supermarket promoter? Or a shopping mall sales assistant?"
"A more suitable place than this." Qin Hao smiled mysteriously: "I'll take you somewhere tonight, I guarantee we can find the right people."
……
The night was as dark as ink, and the city lights were just coming on.
The streets of Guangzhou are far more vibrant than during the day. Young men and women, confined to office buildings and factories during the day, don fashionable clothes under the cover of night and flock to bars, KTVs, and night markets, releasing their pent-up hormones. Amidst clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, they leave behind the pressures of work and life.
At 10 PM, Qin Hao brought Liu Mengyao to a luxuriously decorated bar. The security guard at the entrance, seeing Liu Mengyao's Audi A8, immediately and respectfully let them through. The two walked through the noisy dance floor and into a pre-booked private room.
Not long after, the bar manager led in a row of heavily made-up, scantily clad women, each with a hot figure and a charming smile.
Seeing this scene, Liu Mengyao rolled her eyes at Qin Hao and lowered her voice, "Why do I feel like you're using company funds to pick up girls? Mr. Qin, it's not very proper to be so corrupt so early in starting a business, is it?"
Qin Hao raised an eyebrow and asked, "When did you become so insecure about yourself? Do you think these people can compare to you?"
Liu Mengyao was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant, a blush rising to her face. She playfully punched him, saying, "Don't compare them to me. They're not even in the same league."
Qin Hao shrugged, offering no explanation. He picked up an unopened bottle of foreign liquor from the table, then pulled out ten hundred-yuan bills from his wallet, neatly slapped them on the table, and said to the row of girls, "Whoever can introduce this bottle of liquor without stopping for three minutes, this thousand yuan is theirs."
The girls exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly encountering such a strange customer and request for the first time. Normally, at bars, they either drank and chatted with customers or danced to entertain them; they'd never done anything like this "sales pitch."
However, considering the thousand yuan, a girl with dyed yellow hair quickly stepped forward, picked up the bottle of liquor, and said, "This is a bottle of imported liquor, made abroad, and it tastes very good..."
She spoke haltingly, and within a minute she started going off-topic.
Qin Hao glanced at his watch and interrupted her, "Alright, next one."
The blonde girl was somewhat unwilling, but she knew she hadn't met the standard, so she could only retreat to the side dejectedly.
Seeing this, the second girl immediately stepped forward. She was slightly calmer than the first girl. She read a few words about the origin and alcohol content from the label on the bottle, and then began to repeat "rich taste, very delicious". Her explanation was very stiff, and she could only last for a little over two minutes before she could no longer speak.
Soon, the third and fourth girls also tried, but they either went off-topic or ran out of words, and were all eliminated. Seeing this, the remaining girls all became discouraged, and no one dared to step forward again.
Just as Qin Hao was about to ask the manager to replace the staff, a slightly chubby girl stepped forward from the line. Compared to the other girls, she was less attractive, her makeup looked somewhat dated, and she looked a little nervous. Her voice was soft: "Can I give it a try?"
Qin Hao looked her up and down, then gestured for her to proceed: "Of course, let's start the timer."
The slightly plump girl took a deep breath, picked up the bottle of liquor, and spoke slowly but clearly, each word distinct and logically structured: "This is a Gucci brandy from the Cognac region of France, distilled from grapes and aged for at least six years. It has a smooth taste with subtle fruit and oak aromas, and an alcohol content of 40%. It's suitable for drinking neat, or with ice or soda water. It's perfect for business dinners and gatherings with friends, especially for men who appreciate high-quality spirits; it adds a touch of class..."
She spoke fluently and at length, covering everything from the place of origin and processing techniques to the taste and drinking scenarios. What was even more remarkable was her clear and organized manner, without any stage fright.
When the three minutes were up, Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with satisfaction.
Qin Hao clapped his hands: "Very good, excellent. This money is yours."
A slightly chubby girl smiled with delight. Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the other girls, she carefully picked up the thousand yuan and repeatedly thanked them, saying, "Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss lady!"
Liu Mengyao smiled and nodded to Qin Hao: "Not bad, she's the one. She has a talent for sales."
Qin Hao rolled his eyes and corrected her, "She has potential." Then, he said to the slightly chubby girl, "Would it be convenient for us to chat? We have a job opportunity that you might be interested in."
"Mmm." The slightly chubby girl nodded, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Liu Mengyao waved her hand at the remaining girls without any mercy: "You can all go out first, I'll call you if I need anything."
Although the girls were somewhat unwilling, they had no choice but to leave the private room one after another.
Only Qin Hao, Liu Mengyao, and the slightly chubby girl remained in the private room.
"What's your name?" Qin Hao asked first.
The slightly chubby girl smiled shyly and said, "Boss, my name is Wang Rong."
"Wang Rong." Qin Hao nodded. "You used to work in sales?"
"Yes, I worked as a sales promoter in a supermarket for a while, mainly selling drinks and snacks," Wang Rong answered honestly.
Qin Hao continued, "No offense intended, but supermarket sales promoters may not earn much, but their jobs are relatively stable. Why would you be working at a nightclub?"
Wang Rong's smile froze, her eyes dimmed, and she said bitterly, "What else could it be for? For money, of course. Three thousand yuan a month at the supermarket is simply not enough. One month's work here is equivalent to a year's work at the supermarket."
Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao exchanged a glance.
"But this industry is ultimately a young person's game," Qin Hao said seriously. "And if I may be frank, your appearance isn't an advantage in this field, so it's hard to do it for long. Have you thought about switching to a more stable job with better prospects?"
Wang Rong hesitated for a moment, her eyes filled with a mixture of wariness and expectation: "Boss, how much salary can you pay me?"
"The probationary period is one month, with a base salary of 5,000 yuan plus a 5% sales commission; after becoming a full-time employee, the base salary will be 8,000 yuan, the commission will increase to 10%, and there will be an end-of-year bonus if you perform well," Qin Hao announced the benefits.
As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Rong's eyes lit up instantly, and her breathing became a little rapid: "What does your company do? The benefits are so good?"
"Live-streaming e-commerce," Qin Hao answered simply.
"Live broadcast?" Wang Rong's excitement vanished instantly, replaced by hesitation and worry in her eyes.
In her mind, live streamers were all girls dressed provocatively and pushing the boundaries of decency, making money by attracting attention. She worked at a nightclub, where she only interacted with colleagues and customers, and the chances of running into acquaintances were very low; but live streaming was broadcast to the entire internet, and if her relatives and friends back home saw it, she would be ruined, and her parents would be ashamed to face her back home.
Qin Hao could tell from Wang Rong's expression that she had misunderstood. But then he thought about it, and it made sense. The live-streaming industry was still in its early, unregulated phase, and there were indeed many irregularities. Besides, it was unlikely that any legitimate company would come to a nightclub to recruit employees.
"You've misunderstood," Qin Hao quickly explained. "Our company doesn't do borderline live streaming; it's a legitimate live e-commerce company. Simply put, your job is the same as when you were a sales promoter in a supermarket, except the sales venue has been moved from the supermarket to a live streaming platform."
"All you need to do is introduce our products in front of the camera. The only difference is that you need to interact with the live stream comments, which is more challenging than supermarket sales, but also has more potential."
Upon hearing this, Wang Rong's doubts did not completely disappear. She hesitated and said, "Um... can I come to your company first? I'd like to learn about the specific work environment and content."
"Of course." Qin Hao took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her: "This is my business card. It has the company's address and phone number on it. You can come and visit anytime tomorrow or the day after. I'll have my staff show you around."
Wang Rong took the business card and saw the words "Qin Hao, CEO of Xingyao Media" on it, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least it seemed to be a legitimate company, not some fraudulent organization.
"Thank you, Mr. Qin." She carefully put the business card away.
"Since there's nothing else, you can go ahead and get busy," Qin Hao said. "Oh, and have your manager bring in another batch of people."
“Okay, Mr. Qin.” Wang Rong nodded, turned around and walked out of the private room.
This unusual "interview" lasted until the early hours of the morning.
During this period, three more girls passed Qin Hao's test. They either had previous sales experience or had excellent communication skills and clear logic, all of which met Qin Hao's requirements for a "sales-oriented live streamer".
However, two of the girls seemed uninterested and dismissive of the salary and benefits offered by Qin Hao. After all, in nightclubs, as long as you're pretty, eloquent, and good at networking, earning tens of thousands of yuan a month isn't difficult, and you might even meet a generous big boss someday, instantly jumping over social classes. For them, Qin Hao's offer of a base salary of five thousand yuan plus commission didn't hold much appeal.
Only Wang Rong and another girl named Li Na showed great interest, exchanged contact information, and arranged to visit the company the next day.
By the time they left the bar's private room, the night was already deep. Looking out at the still bustling streets, Qin Hao chuckled to himself, "Sigh, you could say we've done a great service by persuading someone to reform, right?"
Liu Mengyao covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes filled with admiration: "Only you could come up with something like recruiting at a nightclub. To be honest, at first I thought you were just messing around, but I didn't expect you to actually find the right people."
"Don't underestimate nightclubs." Qin Hao smiled. "They're a place where all sorts of people hide. Girls who can survive in this mixed environment either have high emotional intelligence, strong resilience, or good speaking skills. These are all essential qualities for sales or live streaming. Moreover, they are well-informed and don't easily get stage fright when facing the camera and the questions from netizens."
Liu Mengyao smiled slyly: "Oh? Like Zhao Mei and Liang Danning?"
Qin Hao paused, then said seriously, "Although Zhao Mei and Liang Danning work at a bar, they are beverage promoters and earn their own money..."
"Okay, okay, I was wrong, alright?" Seeing Qin Hao's serious expression, Liu Mengyao quickly waved her hand and argued, "What I mean is, Zhao Mei's eloquence and emotional intelligence also meet our requirements for anchors. Why don't you let her give it a try? If she comes, she will definitely be better than the people we recruited today."
Qin Hao's heart stirred.
Liu Mengyao is right.
Zhao Mei is outgoing, has excellent speaking skills, and has experience in selling alcohol. She knows how to communicate with customers and understand their needs, which makes her a perfect fit for the role of a "sales-oriented live streamer".
Just as Qin Hao was pondering whether or not to call Zhao Mei, Liu Mengyao had already taken out her phone and directly dialed Zhao Mei's video call.
The first time, no one answered.
Liu Mengyao dialed again, but still no one answered.
The video call wasn't connected until she dialed for the third time.
The noise on the other end of the phone was too loud—music, cheers, and the clinking of glasses were all mixed together, making it impossible to hear what was being said. Zhao Mei said "Wait a minute" and hung up the video call. A few minutes later, she called back, and the background was much quieter; it seemed she had gone to the bar's restroom.
"Mr. Liu, what good thing do you want to do for me? Why are you calling so late?" Zhao Mei's voice was a little tired, but she still remained polite.
Liu Mengyao pointed her phone camera directly at Qin Hao and said with a smile, "It's not me looking for you, it's Qin Hao looking for you."
Qin Hao took the phone, looked at Zhao Mei on the screen, and got straight to the point: "Zhao Mei, Liu Mengyao and I have started a live-streaming e-commerce company together, and we're currently recruiting live streamers. The probationary period salary is 5,000 yuan base salary plus 5% commission, and after becoming a full-time employee, it's 8,000 yuan base salary plus 10% commission, plus a year-end bonus. I think you're quite suitable for this position, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in giving it a try?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mei's face showed surprise, and she immediately fell into a dilemma.
A few days ago, she might have actually agreed. After all, compared to a beverage promoter, a live streamer's salary is not low, and the working environment is better; she doesn't have to stay up all night in a bar every day, nor does she have to deal with drunk customers.
However, just a few days ago, she noticed that Guster's internal auditors had come to the bar for an undercover investigation. She astutely informed Xu Yuntian, the company's sales director, helping him avoid a major problem and earning the appreciation of the head of the sales department. Xu Yuntian had privately told her that after the quarterly performance review, he would promote her to team leader, responsible for managing the sales promoters in a region, with a significant increase in salary and benefits, and also room for further advancement.
On one hand, there's a newly opened startup with an uncertain future; on the other, there's a stable foreign company and a management position that's about to be secured. It's obvious which is more important.
Zhao Mei pondered for a moment, then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Qin Hao, thank you for your kindness. But I still prefer my current job and won't consider changing jobs for the time being."
Qin Hao wasn't surprised by Zhao Mei's rejection.
Ghost is, after all, a foreign company. Although Zhao Mei, as a sales promoter, is just a low-level cog in the machine, her benefits are still quite good.
"It's alright, we can cooperate again in the future." Qin Hao's tone was calm, without the slightest dissatisfaction.
"Sigh," Zhao Mei said with some regret, "How about I ask Liang Danning? Maybe she'll be interested..."
Before Zhao Mei could finish speaking, Liu Mengyao moved the camera back, interrupting her: "Never mind, we've already hired a few suitable people, which should be enough for the initial stage. I won't disturb your work any longer, you go ahead and get busy, we can have dinner together when we have time."
After saying that, she hung up the video call without waiting for Zhao Mei's response.
……
In the bar's restroom, Zhao Mei was looking at the video call screen that had already been disconnected when someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder, startling her.
"Ah! Why do you walk so quietly? You scared me to death!" Zhao Mei clutched her chest, looking at Liang Danning in front of her with lingering fear.
Liang Danning winked playfully and grinned mischievously: "It's not that I'm not making any noise, it's that you're too engrossed in it, okay? Tell me honestly, which handsome guy are you video chatting with, and why are you laughing so happily?"
"What handsome guy? It's Liu Mengyao." Zhao Mei rolled her eyes at her and showed her her phone screen.
Upon seeing the name "Liu Mengyao," Liang Danning's smile vanished instantly, and she said sourly, "When did you become so close to her? You even video chat with her."
Zhao Mei glanced at Liang Danning: "At this moment, you shouldn't be concerned about whether I'm familiar with Liu Mengyao, but rather whether Qin Hao is familiar with Liu Mengyao, right?"
"Tch, who he gets close to is none of my business," Liang Danning retorted stubbornly.
Zhao Mei shook her head and said helplessly, "You're just so stubborn. If you keep holding back like this, you'll really miss your chance."
"Liu Mengyao and Qin Hao have partnered to start a company that does live-streaming e-commerce, and they're currently recruiting live streamers." Zhao Mei briefly recounted what had just happened: "Liu Mengyao and Qin Hao just called me and asked if I was interested in joining, but I declined. I was going to ask if you wanted to give it a try, but Liu Mengyao just hung up on me."
Liang Danning was somewhat surprised, her eyes filled with a complicated expression: "So, Qin Hao resigned before so that he could start a business with Liu Mengyao?"
"Probably." Zhao Mei nodded and reassured him, "But don't overthink it. Liu Mengyao, a rich second-generation, has resources and funds, so she's indeed very suitable to start a business together. Qin Hao's cooperation with her is for development purposes, and he may not have any other intentions."
"Besides, you saw it yourself. With the way Liu Mengyao was pursuing Qin Hao, if he just gave in, what chance would you have?"
Liang Danning remained nonchalant on the surface, pursing her lips and saying, "I don't care at all."
But the string in my heart tightened instantly.
It's said that it's easy for a woman to pursue a man, let alone a rich second-generation like Liu Mengyao who is fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged, and has money and power. Qin Hao has already done a remarkable job of holding on until now; who can guarantee he won't be tempted after a while?
Liang Danning couldn't help but mutter to herself, "I can't possibly be the one to confess my feelings, can I? That would be so embarrassing."
Seeing her insincere expression, Zhao Mei couldn't help but laugh: "Then you just keep waiting. Don't regret it once Liu Mengyao has completely won over Qin Hao."
Liang Danning: ...