Chapter 26: All the Rumors About My Boss

“About my boss?” Shen Baizhou thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. “I heard this guy is a super rich second-generation heir, insanely wealthy. Do you know how rich he is?”

“How rich?” Su Hongdou asked, her face full of curiosity.

“Well, our company is already considered pretty big in the media industry. Among the eight major media companies, we’re the strongest outside of them. But that’s just one of my boss’s many businesses—he’s so rich, he doesn’t even know how much money he has…”

Su Hongdou felt a little nervous. She wasn’t very good with financial statements anyway—her dad always said it didn’t matter if the company went under.

“And you know, I heard he has five supermodels on retainer, one for each weekday. On weekends, he leaves time for two rising actresses from the film industry. Basically, every day of the week is fully booked.”

Su Hongdou: “…”

“People say it’s because he has too many women that he never comes to the office. Of course, some say that’s nonsense—there are actually other reasons why he doesn’t come…”

“That actually sounds like a sentence people can understand,” Su Hongdou said, relieved.

“That’s because the company has three of his mistresses: Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Qi. He doesn’t dare come because he’s afraid of being exposed!”

Su Hongdou: “…”

“In short, he’s a playboy who rolls around in the worldly pleasures. Everyone agrees that aside from chasing women, he’s a complete idiot.”

“What? An idiot?” Su Hongdou clenched her fists.

“But I don’t think so,” Shen Baizhou said. “Especially after what happened today.”

“Oh?” Su Hongdou was surprised. “What’s your take on him?”

Shen Baizhou pondered for a moment. “Setting aside his lifestyle, I think he’s actually quite wise.”

He stroked his chin, not noticing Su Hongdou’s surprised expression. “Hongdou, you’re still in school, so you might not fully understand the workplace. Do you know what us low-level employees fear the most? We fear bosses who don’t know what they’re doing but pretend they do, giving blind orders! And such bosses are especially common among rich second-generation heirs. Sigh… They’re always desperate to prove themselves to their parents, to society, to other heirs. Working under such people without a quick fix is impossible—they read an article today, and suddenly they want to start some new department and hire hundreds of people. Next week, after a heartbreak, they’ll dissolve it for no reason—it’s just constant chaos!”

Su Hongdou nodded in agreement. She thought of Tang Tang…

“But our rich heir boss isn’t like that. He’s actually a breath of fresh air among second-generation heirs. You know how in the media industry, people think anyone can just step in and make a move. But in reality, this industry runs deep, with its own logic and rules, understood only by veterans who’ve survived for years. Our boss’s rare quality is that he knows he doesn’t understand much. So he leaves business matters to his subordinates. Since he took over, the company’s performance has doubled in just a few years… You see, someone who sees the core of a problem at a glance—isn’t that wise?”

“Yes… really?” Su Hongdou’s face flushed as she shyly put down her chopsticks. Well, it’s not that impressive… I’m just lazy. I really don’t care about strategy, she thought awkwardly. But secretly, she felt thrilled—her parents and Tang Tang always said she was slow, but Shen Baizhou said she was wise! She realized she loved listening to him talk.

“In short, I think he’s not a simple person,” Shen Baizhou continued. “Let me give another example. Many bosses are impatient. They want a show to go live this week and for ratings to skyrocket by next week. They don’t understand that projects have a growth cycle. But our rich heir boss never rushes things. No matter how big the project, he gives you at least a year to prove yourself. Many projects that seemed doomed in the beginning grew during this grace period and eventually became successes. You see, his understanding of project cycles is truly unique.”

Su Hongdou’s face grew even redder, down to her neck. She didn’t understand project cycles at all; she was just lazy. If it weren’t for her dad, she’d make all projects two-year cycles… Yet she realized Shen Baizhou had a point. He never meddled, never pressured his subordinates for instant results. Maybe this was a good quality! Ah! she thought suddenly. I’m not lazy; I understand cycles! You all call me slow, but you don’t get my understanding of cycles! Her face burned as she stared at Shen Baizhou, her heart racing. This man understood her!

“Especially today,” Shen Baizhou continued, “I thought I had no chance, but guess what? My boss actually watched our competition online! He had HR come over to tell everyone that he chose me. What does that mean?”

Shen Baizhou said seriously, “It shows that he doesn’t completely ignore the company. He monitors the important stuff. He truly knows when to intervene and when to let things be!”

“Of course!” Su Hongdou felt proud. Your “Sound Engineer” is so excellent—how could I let you be buried?

“But from the fact that he only watched online,” Shen Baizhou chuckled, “the rumors about Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Qi being in the company are probably true…”

“Such a big head!” Su Hongdou rolled her eyes, glaring at Shen Baizhou’s mischievous grin. You can really make things up… Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, Xiao Qi? I only have one husband in the company, dummy—you!

The next day was Friday. Shen Baizhou hadn’t arrived at the office yet, but on the way he received a transfer of 10,000 yuan from Su Hongdou, along with a message:

“Baizhou, this is for the groceries for the past few nights. Take it~”

Ten thousand yuan just for groceries? Shen Baizhou was stunned. The wealthy really don’t hold back… Though it eased his cash flow a bit—he’d been maintaining a three-figure balance for so long, that five-digit number made him dizzy.

At the office, he went straight to the actors’ department. After yesterday’s pitch meeting, Fang Kuan had chatted with him at length. Shen Baizhou thought he fit the protagonist’s temperament and his understanding of the script was spot on. After checking other dramas Fang Kuan had acted in, Shen Baizhou confirmed his acting skills and immediately cast him as the sound engineer.

With the protagonist set, Shen Baizhou wanted to pick a few supporting actors today. Since this drama was short, supporting roles were even smaller—just a few shots to wrap up—and he was confident no one would refuse.

The first was the dancing girl. This role was simple: two requirements—good looks with a fit body, and dance skills. Both fit the company’s rising star, Aimu. Aimu, a girl from Xinjiang, had the soft, gentle features of the East and the sculpted contours of the West, perfect on camera. And she was trained in dance at an academy, extremely professional.

Shen Baizhou explained his intent, but Aimu looked troubled.

“Sorry, Director Shen. It’s not that I don’t want to act in your drama,” she said carefully, “but I’ve already joined the cast of Our July, and Director Han has me as the female lead, so…”

“Our July? Weren’t they eliminated?” Shen Baizhou was shocked. Yesterday, Sound Engineer became the sole runner-up. The third-place July wasn’t supposed to be produced. Why was it being formed today?

“Director Shen, you might not know,” Aimu reminded him, “Minister Sima approved yesterday to expand the slots to three, so July is back in production…”

Ah, that explains it. Shen Baizhou rolled his eyes inwardly. They said only two would be filmed if tied for second, but after deciding the winner, they allowed three. Huang Liang and the others really don’t hide anything…

“Aimu, it’s okay. Microfilms are very short. Ours is even shorter, around 15 minutes. Your dancing girl role only has a few shots—you could finish in a morning and it wouldn’t affect your lead role in July…”

“These roles don’t interfere with each other,” Shen Baizhou reassured her. “You can do both. My film won’t affect your lead role…”

Looking at Shen Baizhou’s sincere expression, Aimu furrowed her beautiful brows. This isn’t about lead roles—it’s that you’ve been blacklisted! She hadn’t heard any news yet. Although she missed yesterday’s pitch, she had heard from others that Shen Baizhou’s script was excellent. Normally, everyone would fight for a good drama like this, but Shen Baizhou offended Minister Sima and Huang Liang…

“Sorry, Director Shen,” Aimu said with a troubled look. “Director Han is very strict about acting. I really don’t have the energy for another drama…”

“Ah… okay…” Shen Baizhou could only nod. “We’ll cooperate another time.”

“Sure, Director Shen,” Aimu smiled, but in her heart she thought: probably no chance. You’ve offended Sima, so how could you stay in the company? Better to distance myself…