"Come in!"
'That voice sounds young—there's none of that slouching, frivolous rich-kid vibe.'
Hearing the man's voice from inside, Gu Qingyu finally pushed the door open, thinking silently to herself.
"Hello, Young Master Mu!"
"My name is Gu Qingyu. I'm one of the outstanding talents from Tianmu Group's Qingyun Support Program."
Gu Qingyu gave a slight bow, offering a brief self-introduction.
Then she subtly observed the man in front of her, her gaze sweeping the private room without leaving traces.
Before she entered, she seemed to have heard conversation inside.
But once she came in, she only saw him sitting alone at the round table draped in a tablecloth, propping his chin with both hands, looking at her with interest.
'Was he just on the phone?'
She didn't think too much of it.
Smart people must always recognize their place; they wouldn't take the initiative to learn too much beyond work.
[From Gu Qingyu: curious emotional fluctuation +15. Congratulations, you have obtained [Proficiency +2500]!]
'Another heroine?'
'In a wish-fulfillment novel world, the odds of bumping into a heroine are way higher than winning the lottery.'
"Oh? You know me?"
Mu An chuckled.
She was sizing him up—how could he not be sizing her up as well?
——————
[Appraisal Eye], activate!
Name: Gu Qingyu
Identity: Heroine
Luck: 15000
Basic Info: A senior at Xinghai International Aristocratic Women's University.
One of the outstanding talents produced by Tianmu Group's Qingyun Support Program.
Proficient in multiple languages, business knowledge, law, finance, and stocks, and more.
Cao Han's older sister. Due to being a blended family, the two have no blood relation, but she still values her younger brother quite a lot.
Her dream is to earn lots and lots of money after her contract ends and fully achieve financial freedom!
——————
'Values her younger brother quite a lot?'
Mu An's lips curved slightly upward.
He wasn't afraid of heroines who were aloof, untouchable ice queens—he was afraid of heroines who had nothing they truly cherished.
Because that cherished thing was both a weakness and a soft spot, making them far easier to grasp.
By the way.
Earlier, Mu Wanrou had also mentioned Tianmu Group's Qingyun Support Program to him.
Simply put, the Mu family paid to sponsor children from poor families, doing their best to help them become successful.
If they could make it to university, master's, PhD, even postdoc, all they had to do was focus on studying and improving their abilities.
Money was a non-issue; Tianmu Group covered all normal living expenses.
Of course, it wasn't free.
After graduation or "becoming successful," they had to work for Tianmu Group for over twenty years.
For exceptional top talents like Gu Qingyu, Tianmu's investment was even bigger.
So, she would likely have to work thirty-plus years before she regained her 'freedom.'
Don't think they were getting the short end of the stick—if anything, they were the ones benefiting.
Without Tianmu's support, they might never become successful in their lifetime, never climb out of the mountains weighing on both their lives and their minds.
And Tianmu's internal benefits were top-tier even for ordinary employees, far beyond other companies.
Every year countless people try to squeeze their way in and still might not make it, while they graduate into perfect employment and start far ahead of everyone else!
"Every outstanding talent gives periodic reports to President Mu on their recent situation."
"And under her guidance, we preliminarily study some work content within the group and sort out interpersonal relationships."
"And since you are Tianmu Group's young master, you're naturally one of the people we pay attention to."
Gu Qingyu was neither servile nor arrogant, her answer flawless and watertight.
Who was 'President Mu'?
No need to guess—it was Tianmu Group's current true decision maker, Mu Wanrou.
Mu An narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze freely sweeping over Gu Qingyu's figure.
He didn't speak—he just watched her quietly.
And she remained calm, eyes bright, neither dodging nor avoiding, meeting his scrutinizing gaze head-on.
After a long while, Mu An finally looked away and smiled.
"I heard you're doing part-time work here. As a member of the Qingyun Program, you shouldn't be short on money in daily life, right?"
Gu Qingyu's heart tightened.
She couldn't help wondering how he knew the whereabouts of a 'unknown nobody' like her.
Although she believed her looks weren't inferior to others, as the crown prince of Tianmu Group, he wouldn't lack beautiful girls around him.
There was no reason for him to fixate on an 'ordinary person' like her.
And besides—she was good at reading people.
She could tell his earlier gaze held only a bit of appreciation, without the slightest trace of filthy lust.
As if seeing through her doubts, the man added at just the right time,
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you—I'm also considered one of this restaurant's owners."
Gu Qingyu gave a small nod, and her evaluation of him rose a notch.
Anyan Pavilion's booming business was famous far and wide.
For him to build or invest in this meant he clearly had some business sense.
"My own living expenses aren't a problem."
"But my younger brother recently got admitted to Xinghai International Aristocratic Women's University, and that requires a lot of money…"
Gu Qingyu didn't hide it, speaking frankly.
There was no need to conceal such things.
Anyone with even a little means could investigate an ordinary person's life clearly with minimal effort.
Mu An nodded.
He naturally understood what Xinghai International Aristocratic Women's University was.
After all, Mu Wanrou had come from that very school.
To put it bluntly, it was a top-tier international academy located in Qingchuan City, Dragon Country.
It advocated elite education—each student's annual tuition alone exceeded a million.
It gathered aristocrats and heirs of major financial conglomerates from around the world.
It used to accept only female students; it was said that only after recent reforms did it begin accepting male students.
Of course, there were also quite a few 'commoners' who fought their way out of countless competitors through truly outstanding talent and ability.
They were called commoners, but in fact most of them had backing from financial groups, so they could only be considered half-free.
For geniuses among geniuses, many people were still willing to invest.
And the man's next sentence made the girl's heart jump into her throat.
"In the future, you won't need to do part-time work here anymore."
[From the girls' nervous emotional fluctuation +18. Congratulations, you have obtained [Money +8 million]!]
Mu An picked up a cup of hot tea and blew lightly over the rim before continuing,
"Don't be nervous. I mean—you're my exclusive secretary from now on."
"I've already spoken with Sister Wanrou about it."
"After graduation, you don't need to work for Tianmu Group. From now on, you'll only be responsible to me."
"As for your contract term, whatever number of years was signed remains that number."
"As for salary, let's set it at one million per month for now."
"Later it'll rise or fall depending on your work performance. Other benefits can directly match Tianmu Group's standards."
Was this good or bad?
It depended on the person.
If he were the type of rich kid who played at entrepreneurship, just chasing 'experience,' then Gu Qingyu's job would become far easier—she might be able to coast while collecting a high salary.
Of course, given her serious personality, she probably wouldn't do that.
If she decided to do something, she would do her best to do it well.
"Young Master Mu… what should we do now?"
Gu Qingyu asked respectfully.
She wasn't foolish enough to refuse.
Even if she refused, it wouldn't matter.
Because the moment she joined Tianmu Group's Qingyun Program, she became, to some extent, someone without full autonomy.
"Call me Boss."
Mu An corrected her seriously.
She paused, then immediately changed her wording as requested.
"Boss, what should we do now?"
"It's not what we should do—it's what you should do."
Mu An grinned.
Truthfully, this was his first time being called 'Boss.'
And since he was the 'Boss,' he naturally had to have the 'Boss's style'—he couldn't possibly handle everything personally.
As the saying goes: when there's work, the secretary does it; when there's no work…
Gu Qingyu felt speechless inside, but her face still held the professionally trained smile.
"Here's five hundred billion…"
The man slid a bank card forward.
Gu Qingyu: ???
Her face went blank, completely confused.
"My first task for you: help me acquire the biggest web-novel platform in the country. In other words—buy it."
"I want my voice to be the only voice inside that company. Can you do it?"
His expression seemed to carry a strange hint of enjoyment now, his fingers tapping the tabletop in a steady rhythm.
[From Gong Nanyan: shy and nervous emotional fluctuation +30. Congratulations, you have obtained [Luck +30]!]
On the other side, after a moment of stunned silence, Gu Qingyu quickly regained her composure.
Her mind raced, analyzing what this meant.
This was his first task for her—and also his first test of her capability.
What she needed to do was complete the 'test' in the fastest, most professional, most cost-effective way possible.
"Boss, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
Gu Qingyu was full of confidence.
As a multi-field professional talent, she naturally knew the current landscape of most industries and companies domestically and abroad.
She also had exposure to online literature and entertainment.
As far as she knew, the largest web-novel company in the country didn't have a market cap exceeding five hundred billion.
If she held five hundred billion plus the banner of Tianmu Group's crown prince and still couldn't take the company down, then all those years of study had been for nothing.
"May I ask why you plan to buy this company?"
"As far as I know, the web novel industry is still in its early stage, and it's undoubtedly a market with tremendous potential."
"The problem is that in the past few years, it hasn't produced a single breakout hit that went mainstream. That might impact our later IP adaptation and development."
"Simply put: it can make money, but it won't make big money."
After hesitating, Gu Qingyu still offered a kind reminder.
She wanted him to have realistic expectations and not put too much hope into it.
The market was what it was—expect too much, and the disappointment would be that much greater.
But Mu An smiled calmly.
The arrogance on him seemed no longer concealed. With a flick of intent, he instantly refined several god-tier web novels by top authors.
"I understand what you mean."
"It's simple. A few breakout bestseller books, right? I'll write them myself."
He spread his hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"..."
Even with her self-discipline, Gu Qingyu still couldn't help looking at Mu An like he was an idiot.
If breakout blockbuster books were that easy to write, they wouldn't have gone years without a single one.
You had to know, even if the web novel industry hadn't reached its peak, there were still over a million authors domestically.
If a million authors couldn't produce one breakout work over several years, was he planning to surpass tens of millions by himself in a short time?
Not only write one—write several?
Especially as a complete newbie with zero web-fiction experience—
'Could it be my future boss is also a rich kid who aims too high and doesn't stay grounded?'
'Throwing five hundred billion into a vague fantasy—honestly, that's pretty wasteful.'
'Now I'm starting to wonder if this restaurant's success was just blind luck and a lucky accident.'
Gu Qingyu felt a bit disappointed inside.
As someone with talent, who didn't want to meet a wise patron and accomplish something earthshaking?
[The girl feels you're a bit too ambitious and not down-to-earth. She's somewhat disappointed. Emotional fluctuation +25. Congratulations, you have obtained [Special Skill · One Thought, Ten Thousand Words]!]
——————
[Special Skill · One Thought, Ten Thousand Words]: Don't ask—just know you were born a typing saint, terrifyingly strong!
After using this skill, you can generate tens of thousands of words in a single thought, with automatic formatting and input into the computer.
Note: Every 100,000 words consumes 1,000 proficiency.
——————
"Don't believe me?"
Mu An smiled.
This [Special Skill · One Thought, Ten Thousand Words] was far stronger than the [Beginner-level Skill: Wordsmith] he'd gotten before.
With the former, you just use your brain and tens of thousands of words come out automatically.
With the latter, you still had to type. Even if it upgraded later and you could type faster, you still had to move your hands —much less convenient.
"Since I'm your secretary, I naturally wouldn't dare to disagree."
"Everything will be as you say."
Gu Qingyu's smile was perfectly measured.
But anyone could see her heart didn't agree.
"How about this—if I don't write a breakout hit web novel within one month, then your contract term gets reduced by ten years."
"And if within three months I don't write three books, then I'll completely restore your freedom."
Mu An looked at her with a smile and proposed a wager.
Like a fisherman carefully preparing bait for a fishhook.
Like an angler, carefully preparing the right bait on the hook.
And what he wanted to catch... was naturally this fish named Gu Qingyu!
Gu Qingyu's first reaction was that this was a 'trap.'
The thirty-year contract term was actually reasonable.
After all, Tianmu Group wasn't a charity—they gave, and they expected returns.
But thirty years was still not short for her.
She was in her early twenties now.
Thirty years later, half her life would be gone in the blink of an eye.
If she could regain her freedom early, she would of course want it with all her heart.
She was just afraid it wouldn't be that simple...
In the end, Gu Qingyu still couldn't stop herself from being tempted.
"What exactly do you consider a breakout blockbuster?"
"Or rather, how much money must it make before it counts as a breakout blockbuster?"
She was very smart—details like that had to be nailed down in advance, or the loopholes later would be endless.
If he intended to play tricks, she could argue with eight mouths and still lose.
"At least ten million per book."
"Of course, that's total—fees, simplified/traditional rights, film/TV copyrights, and so on."
Mu An rubbed his chin as he spoke.
'Ten million per book? He really dares to dream.'
Gu Qingyu clicked her tongue internally.
Right now, probably no one in the country dared to say they could write a book and steadily earn ten million!
Let alone do it three times in a row!
Could it be that this man was using this as an excuse to give her back her freedom?
"What are the other conditions?"
Gu Qingyu knew well there was no such thing as free pie falling from the sky.
Everything, even what seems free, has already been marked with its price in the dark.
"Since it's a bet, the stakes have to be equal."
Mu An raised three fingers.
"One book, plus ten years. Three books, plus thirty years."
"I mean years working for me alone."
"Everything, or nothing at all?"
"Now you can start making your choice."
Gu Qingyu took a deep breath.
For every additional breakout book, she'd work ten more years for him; if she failed, ten years were reduced.
If she won, she regained freedom.
If she lost, add thirty years—meaning sixty years total.
That practically meant working for him until she died!
Reason told her that no matter when, she shouldn't let herself fall into a dead-end trap.
Sometimes staying still and waiting was the right choice.
But…
People always have a gambler's hope in there heart.
And she was no exception.
A thought rose up uncontrollably:
What if?
It wasn't scary to have no hope.
What was scary was seeing hope—because once hope planted a seed, it broke through the soil and grew wild.
Mu An didn't rush her, quietly waiting for her decision.
Even if she didn't bite this time, it didn't matter.
He had plenty of time—he could always find another chance later.
Once he had his eyes on a heroine (a gold mine), she wasn't getting away.
'Run? If you dare run, I'll just kill the person you value most—your little brother (the protagonist)!'
'Being a villain means using special methods when necessary. That's perfectly reasonable, right? Heh heh heh—(smart readers will add the meme themselves)'
"Boss, forgive my impudence, but may I ask—can you really decide this?"
Hearing her question, Mu An's lips lifted slightly.
Because he knew...
'The fish has taken the bait!'
"Of course."
"I can re-sign the contract with you later. All the details will be written into it."
As he spoke, Mu An's body suddenly trembled slightly.
Then his expression gained a few traces of laziness and strangeness.
"Then... deal?"
Gu Qingyu ultimately decided to gamble.
Thirty years was too long—she wanted to seize the moment.
Even if she lost, so what?
She already had thirty years.
Thirty years later, another thirty—what difference did it make?
Maybe by then she wouldn't even have to worry about being forced to come out and find a job because she was too old!
She could only comfort herself that way.
"Deal!"
Mu An smiled.
He saw she seemed about to step forward to shake hands, and his heart jumped.
He immediately tossed the bank card with five hundred billion precisely into her hands, perfectly stopping her from taking a step closer.
"Since the terms are settled, get moving."
"I'm still waiting for you to help me make money."
He waved his hand and started shooing her out.
Gu Qingyu also felt it was a bit inexplicable, but didn't think too much about it.
Working for capitalists meant racing the clock—if you couldn't be worked to death, you'd be worked half to death. That was normal!
The urgent task was acquiring the target company as soon as possible.
She was already fantasizing about what she'd do once she regained her freedom.
If she could control time, she'd truly want to press a button and skip forward three months.
Little did she know from the moment she stepped into the net Mu An had carefully woven, there was no turning back.
The door closed.
Before leaving, Gu Qingyu even gave him a slight nod as a show of courtesy.
[The girl is full of anticipation for her future free life. Emotional fluctuation +25. Congratulations, you have obtained [Luck +25]!]
Mu An chuckled, confident and composed.
[Is it hard for one book to make ten million?]
[By then the entire web-novel platform will be mine—how I promote my own books will be up to me.]
[And if worst comes to worst, I have plenty of money. I can commission 'someone else' to buy my novel's rights—just moving money from my left hand to my right!]
So, making over ten million from a single book was like scaling the heavens for ordinary people, but for him it was child's play!
Besides, he was extremely confident in those god-tier works from parallel worlds.
Taking out any one of them and dropping it into today's web-fiction scene would be explosively groundbreaking.
Not because they were bad—but because they were too good.
Every single book could be the founding ancestor of a brand-new genre!
"Sister Nanyan, are you still not willing to come out?"
As if thinking of something, the man reached out with a big hand and dragged Gong Nanyan out from under the table, where she had been hiding in embarrassment.
She shot him a sultry glare, then dabbed her slightly dusty lips and face with a tissue.
"You—always tricking girls again. She probably thinks she's the one getting the bargain and is secretly pleased."
"And I finally found a capable employee here, and you snatched her away after I barely use her!"
As she spoke, Gong Nanyan acted coquettishly, lightly twisting the little bit of flesh at her man's waist.
Don't ask why it was 'lightly'—it was because she couldn't bear to hurt him.
Mu An wasn't embarrassed at all.
He smoothly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight into his arms, wearing a grin that begged to be punched.
"What do you mean 'snatched her away'? Your employee is my employee too."
"People move upward; water flows downward! We're each relying on our own abilities!"
"And besides… didn't I already compensate you just now?"
As he spoke, he even blinked at her with innocent, harmless eyes.
Gong Nanyan's cheeks instantly flushed red; even her delicate ears were tinted pink.
She lightly tapped his chest with her fist and scolded softly, "Good thing Qingyu didn't come closer, or else…"
Before she could finish, the man had already leaned in, lowering his head with unmistakable affection.
He captured that piece of warm, cool jade with his lips, apologizing with actions instead of words.
[From Gong Nanyan: shy emotional fluctuation +30. Congratulations, you have obtained [Lifespan +1 year]!]