Inside a chain coffee shop in Donghai City.
Chen Fei sat in a booth, his hands resting properly on his knees and his eyes glued to his phone screen. His entire demeanor exuded the awkward stiffness of a tech geek who had been forcibly dragged out of his dorm.
In this unfamiliar environment, he only dared to order the cheapest coffee on the menu.
Sitting opposite him, Su Qing was much more relaxed.
She scanned the coffee shop, then glanced toward the entrance.
“Kaiwen wouldn't be playing us, would he?”
Su Qing leaned closer to Chen Fei and nudged him with her elbow.
“He's being so mysterious, saying his relative is starting a company. We haven't seen the company, nor have we seen the boss, but he's certainly mastered building up the suspense.”
“If it really turns out to be sketchy, we'll turn right around and leave. Don't sign anything recklessly, and don't hand over your original ID documents.”
Chen Fei adjusted his glasses and whispered, “He's my roommate, he wouldn't go that far. But... I don't have much confidence either.”
The two of them had prepared for the worst before coming.
They could do without a job, but they had to keep their kidneys safe.
The coffee shop door was pushed open, and the wind chime chimed.
Jiang Kaiwen walked in first, followed by a tall man wearing a black baseball cap and a mask.
The man was dressed in casual clothes and walked with an easy, composed stride straight toward their booth.
“Fei-zi, Qing-jie, sorry to keep you waiting!”
Jiang Kaiwen strode over, pulled out a chair, and introduced the person beside him.
“This is my cousin, and also our future boss.”
Jiang Yue pulled out a chair, sat down, and took off his cap and mask.
He looked at the two of them and nodded.
“Hello, I'm Jiang Yue.”
The booth fell silent for two seconds.
Su Qing's eyes widened. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, barely swallowing her gasp of surprise.
Her mind was instantly filled with the trending topics that had flooded social media recently.
The academic genius heartthrob.
The hacker wearing cat ears and coding in the police anti-fraud short video.
Shen Xu in 《Manhunt》, who could make viewers double-check their door locks with just a single smile.
Now, the real person was sitting right in front of her.
Chen Fei's reaction was even more dramatic.
He stood up directly from his chair, his knee bumping against the table leg, causing the coffee in the cups to slosh out.
As Jiang Kaiwen's roommate, he knew Jiang Kaiwen well, but at this moment, he was so excited he could barely speak coherently.
“Yue... Yue-ge?”
“Shen Xu from 《Manhunt》?”
“Chu Yan from Xu Pingqiu's 《The Grand Game》?”
Jiang Yue gestured downward with his hand.
“Sit down and talk. Keep your voice down.”
Chen Fei sat back down, his breathing still uneven.
As a film post-production major, he usually paid close attention to entertainment industry trends and behind-the-scenes clips of various productions.
While ordinary viewers focused on Jiang Yue's face and his contrasting public persona, Chen Fei focused on the professional opportunities behind him.
A newcomer whose first web drama role as a villain catapulted him to fame, and whose second role put him straight into Xu Pingqiu's production, playing Chu Yan, a character with immense popularity in the original work.
Such a person hadn't signed with a major agency, but instead planned to build his own team.
Before coming, Chen Fei had assumed the best-case scenario would be editing short videos for a small company.
Who could have imagined that the "relative starting a business" Jiang Kaiwen mentioned would turn out to be a hot trending figure?
“Yue-ge, you really haven't signed with an agency?”
Su Qing was the first to snap out of it and asked the crucial question.
Jiang Yue did not beat around the bush.
“Currently, it's just me. The studio hasn't been registered yet, and our subsequent talent management operations are held up by the licensing requirements.”
He looked at Su Qing first.
“Su Qing, accounting major.”
“Once your materials pass verification, you'll be in charge of the studio's internal accounts, receipt archiving, and filing material preparation during the early stages.”
“Professional accounting will continue to be outsourced. You'll be responsible for verifying the materials with them.”
Jiang Yue clearly defined the boundaries.
“Since we aren't registered yet, any expenses incurred during these few days will be advanced by me personally, and the bank transfers will be clearly labeled as such. Once the studio is registered, we'll proceed with formal employment contracts and salaries.”
Su Qing immediately sat up straight, her grip tightening on the straps of her canvas bag.
“I can do that.”
“I'm familiar with basic bookkeeping and invoice procedures. If we need to keep records, I'll start building the spreadsheet today.”
Jiang Yue asked as if in passing, “How do you separate personal advances from company accounts?”
Su Qing's newly relaxed nerves tensed up again.
“Create separate spreadsheets and keep receipts and payment records for every single transaction.”
She answered crisply and cleanly.
“Once the studio is registered, we'll verify which expenses can be accounted for.”
“The parts that can't be accounted for will remain in the personal advance spreadsheet and won't be forced into the company's operating costs.”
Jiang Yue nodded, then turned to Chen Fei.
“Chen Fei, film post-production.”
“Once your materials pass verification, you'll be in charge of the short video materials and behind-the-scenes footage released by the studio.”
“When the production crews or commercial partners need materials, you'll coordinate with Kaiwen.”
Chen Fei nodded solemnly.
“Yue-ge, don't worry.”
“I can handle behind-the-scenes footage, short videos, and trailer cuts. If we need to build a material library, I can also categorize them by project and authorization scope.”
Jiang Yue continued to probe, “What if unauthorized behind-the-scenes footage gets mixed into the library? How would you handle it?”
Chen Fei adjusted his glasses. Speaking about his area of expertise, he finally found his footing.
“First, halt any external distribution and verify the file source and operation logs.”
“Store the raw materials in an independent hard drive, partitioned by access permissions. Content without written authorization will not enter the editing project, nor will it be uploaded to the cloud drive.”
This time, Jiang Yue gave an appreciative nod.
“We'll discuss the specific work tasks later.”
“Your first priority right now is to get your materials ready.”
He looked at Jiang Kaiwen.
Jiang Kaiwen immediately chimed in, “Send me your ID, educational documents, criminal record clearance, and the electronic registration numbers of your performance broker qualification certificates as soon as possible.”
“I will verify them one by one.”
Su Qing glanced at him.
The company hadn't even been registered yet, but the background check process was already fully underway.
This boss had clearly received advice from a professional and wasn't about to let this ragtag team wing it.
Jiang Yue continued, “The certificate is just the baseline.”
“Only when the numbers can be verified and the materials match will you be able to stay.”
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out two sets of keys, placed them on the table, and slid them toward the two.
“Donghang Apartments, Changning District.”
“Two single-room apartments on the same floor. It's an old apartment building, but fully furnished, and not far from here.”
“I've paid a quarter's worth of rent, and I'll advance the utilities first.”
Jiang Yue laid out the terms in advance, also giving both sides a chance to back out.
“These two apartments are for you to settle in first. It doesn't mean you're formally hired.”
“I'll give each of you three thousand yuan first as a temporary relocation allowance.”
“Once the studio is registered, we'll proceed according to formal contracts and probation salaries.”
He gave them some time to digest the information before adding, “Tomorrow, we'll sign a temporary cooperation agreement and a non-disclosure agreement.”
“Before the studio is registered, you will only have access to public materials and the tasks I assign you.”
“No one is allowed to touch the original contracts, the official seal, or my private itinerary.”
Jiang Kaiwen grinned from the side and winked at them.
“How about that?”
“Didn't I tell you my cousin is reliable?”
Looking at the keys on the table, Su Qing's fingers slowly tightened.
For graduates from ordinary private universities looking for jobs in Donghai, the first major hurdle was the rent—usually requiring one month's deposit and three months' rent upfront.
She had originally thought this would be a trial opportunity at a small company at best.
She hadn't expected Jiang Yue to lay out the accommodation, allowances, material requirements, and non-disclosure boundaries so clearly on the table.
He didn't offer empty, high-sounding titles, nor did he paint pie-in-the-sky dreams of going public in three years.
He solved their housing problem first.
These terms were far more practical than those companies that practically expected interns to bring their own laptops and clients, and still thank the boss for providing a desk.
Chen Fei picked up the key with a serious expression.
“Boss, don't worry.”
“I'll hand in my materials today. If my certificate number can't be verified, I'll pack my bags and leave on my own. I won't overstay my welcome in Donghai.”
Su Qing took a breath and picked up her key as well.
“Me too.”
“I'll follow your rules for the certificates, the accounts, and the non-disclosure agreement.”
Jiang Yue stood up and picked up his hat.
“Let's go. I'll show you the place.”
Rate on N.U.
