Chapter 362 - 359: The Little Umbrella Oolong Incident

Chapter 362: Chapter 359: The Little Umbrella Oolong Incident

After hanging up, Zhou Lu stared blankly into space, mulling over what Jiang Xia had just told her.

As an employee at the TV station, she was well aware that domestic viewership ratings were declining year by year. On top of that, with the pace of development accelerating, the widespread adoption of computers had become a fact of life.

’The future, just as Jiang Xia said, might belong to the mobile internet,’ she thought. ’People will be able to get online anytime, anywhere, with just a phone. They’ll be free from the fixed schedules and limited program choices of television. It won’t be the TV stations choosing their audience anymore; it will be the audience choosing what they want to watch.’

When that happened, the status of television stations would plummet.

Zhou Lu sighed softly. ’It’s very likely that these next couple of years will be television’s last hurrah.’

As an ordinary person with no connections, the highest she could probably climb by the time she retired was the position of chief editor, and even then, the station director would still be above her.

Compared to the average person, her compensation was quite good, but that’s all it was—good. A fixed salary and a monotonous daily routine.

’But what if... what if I could have an even better life than this?’

◇

「Meanwhile」

Jiang Xia pushed open the door to Li Weiya’s office.

"Godmother, guess who just called me?" he asked, a smile in his eyes.

"A business partner?" Li Weiya replied without looking up, busy optimizing the development plan Jiang Xia had given her. ℴℴ𝘮

"Yu Du TV Station. Zhou Lu, Chief Editor Zhou."

Li Weiya was slightly surprised. "What did she call for? Don’t tell me the TV station got jealous after seeing how much traffic D Station pulled in after launch?"

"You’re amazing, Godmother. Nothing gets past you." Jiang Xia chuckled. "Godmother, are you stressing about D Station’s staffing right now? I can actually recommend someone to you, but whether we can get her or not will ultimately be up to you."

"Who?"

"Zhou Lu."

Hearing this, Li Weiya’s expression turned odd. ’This kid’s gotten addicted to poaching people, hasn’t he? First, he tricked me into working for him, and now he’s got his sights set on Zhou Lu. She’s doing perfectly fine at the TV station—she even got a promotion and a raise over the New Year. Isn’t trying to poach her a bit of a stretch?’

"That doesn’t seem very realistic, does it?"

"That’s why I said it all depends on whether you can persuade her, Godmother. Chief Zhou is highly capable, and her experience at the TV station is a perfect match for D Station’s business model. If she were to become D Station’s Director of Operations, not only would her expertise be a direct fit, but it would also lighten your workload. She’s the most suitable candidate there is," Jiang Xia explained.

Li Weiya nodded, then said hesitantly, "That may be true, but you still need her to agree, right? Why would Zhou Lu give up a perfectly secure job to come work for you?"

"It’s hard to say, but if you’re the one who talks to her, Godmother, I think there’s a good chance."

Jiang Xia shrugged and continued, "When I was on the phone with Chief Zhou just now, I told her that it won’t be long before television starts going downhill. Traditional TV channels will be hit hard by the rise of the mobile internet, and the future prospects are grim. Rather than coasting on a mediocre, fixed salary in a sunset industry, why not take a chance and fight for something more? She might just shine like the sun."

Li Weiya couldn’t help but laugh. ’There he goes again, feeding people his motivational chicken soup.’ The key was, as a successful and promising young boss, his words now carried a weight that people had to seriously consider.

Once the seed of wanting to change jobs was planted, it was bound to sprout roots in a short time. It was just a matter of when she would act on it.

"In that case, I’ll find some time to talk to her and feel her out," Li Weiya said after a moment of thought.

She and Zhou Lu were on good terms personally. They had even exchanged New Year’s greetings and would occasionally chat, though it was mostly about work.

"Great. If Chief Zhou agrees, have her come to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible to build her team. As for her salary, Godmother, you can decide on the specifics. Feel free to give her a slight, appropriate raise," Jiang Xia said.

After all, if Zhou Lu could shoulder a huge part of the responsibility for D Station, it would be a surefire investment. In another two or three years, once they started riding the wave of 3G and 4G development, the company would quickly become a unicorn in the video industry. So what if they had to offer her a high salary from the start?

"Alright."

Li Weiya nodded. "I heard from Yanwan that your classes at Tsinghua are starting soon?"

"Yeah... soon. About a week from now."

"Okay. Anyway, you two should focus on your studies. I’ll handle things at the company. Try not to take any days off from school."

"Okay, thank you, Godmother."

After work, Jiang Xia took his wife’s hand and headed to the supermarket to buy groceries. He planned to make a simple meal of two dishes and a soup, reminiscent of the peaceful days after they had gotten married in his past life.

As they passed the checkout counter, Jiang Xia glanced at the conspicuously placed display of Okamoto 003s. He leaned in and whispered into Lin Yanwan’s ear, "Baby, are we out of our ’little umbrellas’?"

Lin Yanwan’s face instantly flushed red. ’How could he say something like that to me in public? So shameless!’

She glanced at the people in line next to them out of the corner of her eye and said shyly, "I’m not the one who uses them, how would I know?"

"Last night was the last one. We’re definitely out." Jiang Xia blinked. "So, honey, should we buy some?"

"Don’t ask me! Whoever uses them can buy them!"

Lin Yanwan shot him an embarrassed, angry glare. ’He has to ask me about this kind of thing? If we don’t use a "little umbrella" and I get pregnant, what then? I still have school to finish! A premarital pregnancy... how would I face my parents?’

Thinking about how often they used them—sometimes three or four in a single night—the four boxes their parents had "sponsored" were all used up in just over a week.

’Come to think of it,’ she mused, ’it really is good to be young.’

"Oh..."

So, Jiang Xia glanced at the people nearby and decisively grabbed a whole stack of boxes. Ten per box, he figured, should be enough for a month.

Seeing this, Lin Yanwan’s face burned. She decisively put some distance between them, determined to deny any connection to him.

Finally, at the checkout, Jiang Xia nonchalantly pulled eight boxes of Okamoto 001s from his pockets. Everyone, including the cashier, was stunned.

’This young man’s needs are... substantial. Damn, is he here to stock up for a store?’

The cashier scanned the items one by one. "All together?"

Jiang Xia: "Together."

Lin Yanwan: "I don’t know him."

The two spoke at the same time.

This made the cashier freeze for a second.

Jiang Xia scratched his head in embarrassment. "Ahem, I meant, all eight boxes together."

Lin Yanwan paid and hurriedly scurried away with the shopping bag. If she stayed with him any longer, she’d be so embarrassed her toes could dig a two-bedroom apartment out of the floor on the spot.

Watching the pretty girl flee in disarray, the cashier chuckled softly. She could tell what was going on—it was just a young couple getting shy about buying "little umbrellas." She saw that kind of thing all the time.

And on the other side of town, Li Weiya sat in her office and dialed Zhou Lu’s number...