Awakening Elementary School System in University

Looking at the "King of Competition" duo before him, Chen Lin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’Good grief,’ he thought. ’My company has barely even gotten off the ground—we don’t even have computers yet—and these two are already competing with each other?’

"Stop! Hold it!"

Chen Lin quickly stepped forward, placing his hand between the two of them. "What’s the big rush?" he said with a resigned sigh. "Shen Yan just flew in from out of town today. Shouldn’t we let her rest?"

He took the handle of her suitcase from Shen Yan and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "That’s enough for today. Sun, you continue with your research. Assistant Huang, you get back to your procurement. I’m going to walk Shen Yan back to her dorm."

The boss had spoken, so naturally, Sun Yu and Shen Yan didn’t insist.

Sun Yu sheepishly scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

Shen Yan, however, looked up, her clear eyes quietly watching Chen Lin. The corners of her mouth curved up into a subtle, beautiful arc.

...

...

After leaving the Innovation Space Building, they walked along the tree-lined path back to the dormitory area.

The afternoon sun filtered through the lush leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The incessant drone of summer cicadas buzzed in their ears, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and earth.

Chen Lin pulled Shen Yan’s silver suitcase with one hand, its wheels whirring softly on the concrete path. They walked side by side, neither speaking, yet the atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful and harmonious.

"Oh, right," Shen Yan said as if suddenly remembering something. She stopped and turned to Chen Lin. "The prize money for the modeling competition came in from the university. It’s twelve thousand in total."

As she spoke, she casually took her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, opened WeChat, and her fingers began to tap quickly on the screen.

Before Chen Lin could react, his phone vibrated in his pocket with a DING.

He instinctively pulled it out and looked. On the screen was a WeChat transfer notification.

[Shen Yan has transferred ¥6000.00 to you]

Staring at the number "6000" on his phone screen, Chen Lin was filled with a mix of emotions.

’If this were before this week, seeing this "huge sum" of six thousand yuan would have probably gotten me a little excited.’

’But now...’

Six thousand yuan.

For him, with a current net worth of twenty-three million and a passive income of 4.6 million a month from "Little Financial Planner" alone, this amount of money didn’t even count as "money" anymore.

Chen Lin felt not even a ripple of emotion in his heart.

At that moment, Chen Lin suddenly understood with profound clarity the state of mind that famous English teacher from Lin’an City was in when he uttered the words, "I have no interest in money."

’Right, I have no interest in money either.’

Still, he looked up and gave Shen Yan a smile.

"Thanks, boss!"

Seeing his playful expression, a hint of a smile also surfaced in Shen Yan’s clear eyes, and she gave a soft "mhm."

"By the way," she said, seeming to remember something else, "I don’t have anything else planned for summer break. Why don’t I officially report to the company tomorrow?"

"So soon?" Chen Lin raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise. "You don’t want to rest for another couple of days? I don’t do that whole 996 thing. Our company is all about a healthy work-life balance."

Shen Yan shook her head, her tone serious as a matter of course. "I’d just be studying in the library otherwise. It’s better to come in early and get familiar with the work."

"Alright, of course, no problem!" Chen Lin immediately agreed with a nod. He couldn’t be happier to have an academic superstar like Shen Yan helping him find more business.

He thought for a moment, then added, "In that case, when you come in tomorrow, bring the books and materials you use to study in the library."

"Hm?" Shen Yan looked at him, a little confused.

Chen Lin chuckled and gave her a "benevolent" smile. "Our company is just starting out, so we might not have much business at first. If there’s no work to do, you can just study in the office. Don’t worry, you’ll still get paid. As the boss, I strongly encourage employees to legally slack off during work hours."

Amused by his twisted logic, the corners of Shen Yan’s mouth lifted slightly, and a faint smile, like the first thaw of winter ice, bloomed on her beautiful face.

"Okay," she replied softly.

...

After walking Shen Yan to the entrance of the women’s dormitory, they said a simple goodbye.

Chen Lin watched her back as she pulled the suitcase through the dormitory entrance until her white figure disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn and head back toward the Innovation Space with a spring in his step.

As he walked, he mentally reviewed the company’s current staffing.

’Shen Yan’s addition means the company’s business team is starting to take shape.’

’Right now, Sun Yu and Shen Yan are responsible for client liaison.’

’Sun Yu’s strength is his real-world experience. He knows how to deal with clients and can translate their varied and often fantastical requests into relatively standard technical language.’

’Shen Yan, on the other hand, can use her specialized knowledge and learning ability to quickly grasp the technical barriers in highly advanced fields. She can handle the clients whose needs are beyond Sun Yu’s understanding.’

’However...’

’Chen Lin knew very well that, in the end, both of them were currently just his "proxies."’

’Their job is to "present" the problems to him, but the core technical work of actually solving them still relies on his cheat-enabled "Little Mathematician."’

’So, for now, two people on the business team is more than enough.’

’On the other hand, there’s Huang Yiyi...’

Chen Lin’s brow furrowed slightly.

’Procurement, legal, administration, HR, finance... all the tedious tasks required to keep the company running are currently falling on Huang Yiyi alone.’

’Although she’s exceptionally capable and handles these matters with ease, this can’t be a long-term solution.’

’Once the company is properly up and running and the business volume increases, she’ll be absolutely swamped.’

’I have to find her some help.’

Having made up his mind, Chen Lin quickened his pace.

Back on the second floor of the Innovation Space, Huang Yiyi and Sun Yu were, as expected, still busy at work.

Sun Yu was wearing headphones, scribbling furiously while staring at a screen full of dense information. He was muttering to himself, clearly completely absorbed in his research on potential clients.

Huang Yiyi, meanwhile, was on the phone, apparently discussing delivery times with an office furniture supplier. Her speech was steady and methodical, and she finalized all the details in just a few sentences.

Seeing Chen Lin return, Huang Yiyi quickly ended her call, stood up, and reported, "President Chen, the desks, chairs, and computers have all been ordered. The supplier has promised to have everything delivered, installed, and set up by the afternoon of the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"Thank you for your hard work." Chen Lin nodded, then got straight to the point. "Assistant Huang, I was thinking on my way back. You’re handling all the administration and legal affairs by yourself right now, which is too much. I’d like to hire an assistant for you to share the workload."

Hearing this, Huang Yiyi’s delicate eyebrows arched slightly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, but she quickly reverted to her professional expression.

She mulled it over for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That’s very thoughtful of you, President Chen. Once the company is officially operational, my workload will indeed multiply. Having an assistant in advance would be of great benefit to both work efficiency and the company’s standardized management."

"So, what do you think? Should we hire someone full-time, or start with an intern, like with Shen Yan?" Chen Lin left the decision to her.

Huang Yiyi answered almost without hesitation, "An intern. Our company is still in its startup phase. While the administrative and legal work is complex, it’s not yet at a point where it requires two full-time employees. Hiring an intern can help with my basic tasks, and the labor costs are lower, making it the most cost-effective option."

She paused, then added, "And it would be best if, like student Shen Yan, they’re also a student at our Yannan University. That would not only make them easier to manage but also allow us to make better use of the university’s resources."

"Great minds think alike!" Chen Lin clapped his hands, showing his approval of Huang Yiyi’s professional judgment. "Alright, it’s settled then!"