Chapter 345: The End of the Universe Is Lying Down

The seaside city, just after a rainfall at three in the afternoon, sported clouds in the sky shaped like fish scales, and crevices between them bathed in daylight promising good weather ahead.

At that time, Jiang Qin along with Sun Zhi and Deng Yuan landed at the airport and headed to the current promotional site of Zhihu.

They spent three days in Shanghai and two and a half days in Hangzhou, and it was already the afternoon of the sixth; the holiday balance was clearly running low.

Before boarding the plane, Jiang Qin seriously considered whether he should go home to check on things or inspect Zhihu’s promotional efforts.

Honestly, it was a tough choice.

At home were his parents and a sweet little one; having that little darling there surely meant no worries about food and drink, comfortably being a pampered son at home, free from all concerns—this was also a tempting option.

Oddly enough, lately whenever Jiang Qin thought of Feng Nanshu living in his home, sleeping in his bed, using his computer, watching his TV, acting silly in his living room, and clattering about following his mom, he really wanted to go home for a visit.

Maybe he had fantasized too much about such scenes because last night he had a bizarre dream.

In the sweltering summer afternoon, Feng Nanshu sat on the couch at home, a fan blowing on her, scooping ice cream and then called out to Ms. Yuan Youqin, saying she was hungry and wanted to eat.

Jiang Qin woke up laughing and then suddenly sat up, stared at the hotel’s wall for a long time, wondering if it was a nightmare or a sweet dream.

Definitely a nightmare, it had to be a nightmare.

At that moment, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, lay back down in the same position, trying to continue the dream to see just how bad this nightmare could get, but he slept till morning without dreaming further, waking up feeling quite disappointed.

So it turns out, even impressive bosses aren’t made of iron; they too crave home and hope for someone warm to provide emotional comfort.

Because the aim of making money isn’t to watch the numbers in the account keep increasing, but for the endless enjoyment that financial freedom can bring.

In other words, the end of the universe is just lying down.

But after much reflection overnight, Jiang Qin still chose to head to the promotional city.

The main reason was because he had been remotely managing Zhihu’s promotion, and although Tan Qing’s internship away from school had made the team’s management and work more standardized, a team stationed away for long was not ideal.

Jiang Qin came this time firstly to stabilize the troops and secondly to build team spirit and enhance cohesiveness.

In his developmental planning, the on-ground promotion for Zhihu was but a trial for this team, and the real moment for them to shine was the on-ground promotion planned for half a year later about group-buying, so the team must not become slack.

Inside Jiang Qin’s wallet was a note from 2009 listing the tasks, among which developing a professional promotional team was highlighted; hence between leisure and work, he still chose work this time.

…

After leaving the airport, Jiang Qin and the two others took a taxi and drove along the coastline, admiring the aquamarine sea and clear skies, feeling utterly refreshed.

“The air quality in the seaside city is just great. Let’s find a spot to build some team spirit later. We should have some beer and clams.

“Sounds good, boss.”

Jiang Qin looked out the window, feeling as limitless as the sea and sky.

Interestingly, Zhihu had so far reached its twenty-second city, a feat not even its boss had achieved.

Such is the charm of the internet era; no matter how far apart, a single network cable can connect the most distant of places.

Though the term ‘global village’ has fallen out of vogue, the advent of the internet truly has altered the dynamics of time and space, reducing costs of communication, and bringing people closer.

Passing a shopping mall, Jiang Qin bought some gifts and took them to the hotel where the promotional team was staying to give them a morale boost.

Since it was the National Day holiday, the nearby university area was sparsely populated, and everyone at the hotel was adjusting their pace while brainstorming the next strategy under Tan Qing’s leadership.

Upon the boss’s arrival, everyone warmly welcomed him.

The on-ground group was formerly the group-buying marketing department—five were veteran staff, and seven were new after recent expansions.

The new employees had not met Jiang Qin before, only hearing he was a college student from Linchuan, so their eyes were full of curiosity.

“Tan Qing, long time no see.”

“It’s been a while, boss. Lanlan said you’d come to button me up during the holiday, but what am I to do today wearing a hoodie without any buttons?”

Tan Qing had a smart new haircut, looking much more mature, hardly the image of an undergraduate. But upon seeing Jiang Qin, she naturally exhibited a girl-next-door charm.

Interestingly, the core staff of unit 208, almost all older than Jiang Qin, still regarded him as the head of the family, especially the female staff who acted quite naturally coquettish around him.

“Less of that tempting talk; wear a shirt and come to my room tonight, we’ll talk shop properly.”

Tan Qing chuckled: “I dare not; I’m afraid the missus will break my legs.”

Jiang Qin couldn’t help but laugh: “Did Feng Nanshu, so young, already command such respect?”

“The missus is the true goddess of 208. Oh right, since it’s a holiday, why didn’t she come along?”

“208 doesn’t keep idlers, so I sent her on a secret mission.”

It wasn’t a lie; Feng Nanshu’s secret mission was to disguise as a lovely gift and maintain family harmony.

Tan Qing acknowledged: “I heard that after Lanlan left school, Wen Jinrui became your personal secretary?”

Jiang Qin nodded: “Yes, the young lady’s quite decent, diligent too; no wonder Lanlan recommended her.”

“Boss, do you find Lanlan or Jinrui more efficient?”

“Tan Qing, I’ve told you not to hang out too much with Su Nai; your speech is getting too vigorous.”

“Alright then, how about Dong Wenhao? And Lu Feiyu?”

Perhaps because she had to manage cross-city promotions straight after leaving school, far from familiar environments and friends, Tan Qing might not have said it, but she missed everyone somewhat.

Jiang Qin shared details about the school, like how Dong Wenhao had committed to directing and never looked back, how Potian Fugui had gained weight, and how Professor Yan had been hinting about smelling hotpot in room 207 as a reminder that it had been a long while since they’d had hotpot.

And Lu Feiyu, since taking over Tonight’s Headlines, had really grasped the art of shock news; it was all about shock these days.

Moreover, he had developed derivative headlines like “Scared to Death,” “Stunned,” “Sweating Bullets,” “Turns Out”—all under the guise of being a responsible media person, which was purely nonsensical.

…

After a brief chat, Jiang Qin got someone to book a restaurant along the coastline and then took the dozen members of the promotional team by taxi to build morale in a breeze-filled setting.

“Everyone, you’ve all worked hard recently. Though it hasn’t been long, I know each of you has experienced promotions in four to five cities, and some of our veteran staff have even run through eight or nine cities.”

“Up to now, we’ve established over fifty branches, and our user registrations are soaring. As the founder of Zhihu, I want to toast you all.”

Jiang Qin raised his glass and drained it in one go.

“We’ve pretty much covered the more prominent cities. Let’s not expend too much energy on the smaller ones; one or two people organizing things there will suffice.”

“Zhihu has now gained traction. Online marketing is also underway. After this month, I’ll arrange bonuses for everyone and have Manager Tan take you on a real trip.”

“Uh… a real trip, with absolutely no work interruptions.”

Noticing a change in Tan Qing’s expression, Jiang Qin quickly added.

After the dinner, as everyone got more familiar with each other, someone boldly suggested they should play billiards, sing at a karaoke place, or spend a few hours at a bar.

Their work tasks were still pressing, but the pathway to the grand halls of heaven wasn’t built in a day, so Jiang Qin happily agreed, though he opted not to join and instead walked along the beach.

“I’ll take a stroll by the seashore and think about the future of the business.”

Jiang Qin said somberly, then left the group and walked down the stairs to the beach.

Watching their boss leave, the team members felt that although he was still a student, he truly possessed an unusual maturity and steadiness.

Ten minutes later, the mature and steady man found himself at the beach’s foot wash, choosing a spot beside the cement path. He cleared the sand with his hand and sat down, watching intently.

This girl’s feet are really white.

Eh, she has a boyfriend?

Jiang Qin watched a girl in a hoodie and shorts rinse her pale feet under the flowing water, handing her shoes to a young man behind her; a smile involuntarily curled on his lips.

Isn’t this also a kind of leisure day?

Once he achieved real freedom one day, bringing Feng Nanshu to the beach to sell flip-flops wouldn’t be bad. Although it wouldn’t make much money, by then he wouldn’t need it.

But if he brought the little rich girl, she definitely wouldn’t let him look at other people’s feet.