Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

"Without you, I could barely support myself with my part-time jobs at the library and cafeteria, let alone make enough money to take care of my brother."

Song Yuncheng sat on the chair, swinging her feet and thanking him sincerely.

"Haven’t you thought about how you’re going to repay me?" Chen Yansen picked up his tea and took a sip.

"A good person wouldn’t demand repayment for a favor," Song Yuncheng said with a smile.

"You said it yourself—that’s a *good* person. And I’m not one of them." Chen Yansen put down his teacup and took Song Yuncheng’s hand.

It felt soft, but her palm was rough with calluses, a clear sign of her past part-time jobs.

Song Yuncheng tried to yank her hand back, but it wouldn’t budge. She could only let Chen Yansen toy with it, her heart pounding like a drum.

"I don’t want to be caught between you and another girl. If you and Meng Jie break up someday, you can always... come find me."

Resigned, Song Yuncheng met Chen Yansen’s piercing gaze. She just couldn’t bring herself to say she disliked him. The confession left her feeling utterly drained.

"And do what?" Chen Yansen asked with a smirk, tracing circles on her palm with his thumb.

Just as Song Yuncheng was about to speak, she heard a sound outside the door. "My aunt’s back," she said urgently. "Let go, quick."

"Kiss me, and I’ll let go." Chen Yansen was being a rogue; he was so thick-skinned he wasn’t afraid of being caught by Song Yuncheng’s aunt.

SMOOCH!

Chen Yansen froze. He never thought Song Yuncheng would actually agree. He hadn’t expected her to really kiss him this time.

It was so fast he didn’t even have time to react.

’This was the first time Song Yuncheng had ever kissed him!’

"I didn’t feel a thing. Do it again." Chen Yansen pouted and leaned forward slightly.

"Chen Yansen, you’re going too far! You broke your promise!" Song Yuncheng struggled, and as the footsteps grew closer, she couldn’t help but curse him under her breath.

"Heh. Is this the first day you’ve known me?" Chen Yansen shot back.

Song Yuncheng gritted her teeth, intending to give him another quick peck.

But Chen Yansen was ready this time; he wasn’t about to let her get away so easily. As Song Yuncheng leaned in to kiss him, he lowered his head and gently bit her lip, as if holding a piece of jelly in his mouth.

For a moment, Song Yuncheng’s mind went blank.

Her limbs went weak, her heart suddenly began to race, and her cheeks flushed red. Chen Yansen’s familiar, faint woody scent drifted into her nose.

"AHEM, AHEM!" Her aunt, having just reached the doorway and seen the spectacle, quickly let out two loud coughs and shielded the two children behind her.

Song Yuncheng snapped back to her senses and scrambled a step back. Face beet-red, she looked at her aunt, lips parted, wanting to explain but not knowing what to say.

"Xiaoyun, Xiaoyu, greet your sister!" Once she saw the two had separated, the aunt pushed the two children from behind her in front of Song Yuncheng.

"Sister Chengzi!" the two chorused.

"This is Sister Chengzi’s boyfriend. Say hi to your big brother," the aunt said with a smile, watching the two little ones stare curiously at Chen Yansen.

"Hello, big brother! You’re so tall!" Wang Yu raised a hand to the top of his head to gesture. He only reached Chen Yansen’s waist, and he spoke with a boyish charm.

"Just wait a few more years and you’ll be as tall as me," Chen Yansen replied with a smile, ruffling the boy’s hair.

"Go do your homework first. When you’re done, have your sister check it. Mommy’s going to cook now," the aunt instructed.

She’d said she was just picking up the kids, but she returned carrying bags of all sizes filled with groceries.

"Go ahead and get busy, Auntie. I’ll watch them," Song Yuncheng said, having composed herself.

Her aunt agreed and carried the bags into the kitchen.

Song Yuncheng looked back at Chen Yansen and shot him a fierce glare, but he just grinned back, completely unfazed.

She snorted, then led the two children and Song Yunuo to the table, where the three of them hunched over their assignments. The workbook in Song Yunuo’s hands, however, was for the first grade.

’The money from the Series A funding round is expected to arrive next week.’

’With Chinese New Year approaching, courier services will soon be shutting down, and user demand for shopping is also falling.’

’Whether it’s scaling up ad placement or optimizing the "price-chop-to-zero" campaign, it’ll all have to wait until after the New Year.’

"Have the team leads arrange the work schedule for the Chinese New Year holiday. Limit the number of new brand campaigns going live to thirty per day, and try to get the schedule finalized before the Little New Year."

After some thought, Chen Yansen sent a message to Xu Dan.

What he meant was that once the schedule was set, everyone could start their vacation instead of having to stick around the office.

At the same time, Chen Yansen had Xu Xingxing add a new item to the employee benefits package: the company would reimburse employees for their round-trip travel home for the holiday, based on the address on their national ID.

Considering the price differences between various modes of transportation, he also set some limits: first-class for train tickets and economy for flights.

Chen Yansen understood human nature all too well. If he didn’t clarify, some people would start booking first-class and business-class seats for all their trips.

It wasn’t that he was being stingy; he just knew that an employee who could get home on a thirty-yuan bus would feel a sense of imbalance when compared to someone getting reimbursed for a first-class ticket costing several thousand yuan.

It’s inequality, not scarcity, that causes discontent. Over time, even the best of benefits could turn sour.

After learning about the project team’s newly announced travel subsidy, everyone started singing his praises in the group chat.

The 560 million raised in the Series A round made them realize that their jobs at FoxTao had become just as important as their schoolwork.

Just as he finished dealing with all that, Song Yuncheng’s aunt began bringing dishes to the table. There was roast duck and Lujiang Rice Dumplings, both clearly special-occasion dishes bought pre-cooked.

There was also a beef stew, stir-fried pork, flash-fried prawns, and steamed sea bass, plus a pot of rich, glistening golden soup made from an old hen.

Chen Yansen glanced at the spread and felt a little awkward. He’d only intended to freeload a simple meal, but from the looks of it, Song Yuncheng’s aunt was treating this like his formal first visit. She had prepared both chicken and fish, a sign that she considered this a very special occasion.

"Xiaochen, do you drink?" the aunt asked.