8 Not difficult at all

At first glance, the four tasks seemed troublesome, but in reality, they were quite manageable.

The arrangements for the crew could basically be handed over to Peizhao and her team, with everyone’s collective effort pushing things forward.

The check-in activity had to be handled by Yu Zhi herself, but since it was linked to the limited-time card pool, they were combined, so it wasn’t troublesome either.

As for the side task, it was just about setting up a company, which could be done through online recruitment.

After sorting it all out, it didn’t seem difficult at all.

The arrival of Bo Qiao and Xu Huang was a great help to Yu Zhi—she decided to have the two of them take charge of recruitment coordination for Zhengzheng Films.

At that moment, having finished a lavish meal, the two were sprawled out on the sofa and balcony, waking up their senses.

Bo Qiao said, “Ah, why didn’t you say there were such impressive people involved? I feel like a fool.”

Xu Huang replied, “Peizhao! It was Peizhao! The dramas I watched as a kid were all made by her!”

Yu Zhi, feeling stuffed, lay back and said, “She’s not that old, and you’re not that young.”

Peizhao was only in her thirties, the prime age for breaking into the industry.

“That’s an exaggeration! Just a dramatic way of putting it! Besides,” Xu Huang said, “I was only seventeen or eighteen when I watched those dramas, so that counts as childhood, right?”

Bo Qiao retorted, “You’re just making excuses!”

She was a fence-sitter, siding with Yu Zhi to tease Xu Huang, and added, “But come to think of it, now that we’re twenty, we don’t even dare say we watched your shows or read your books back then.”

Xu Huang said, “It’s not really that long ago, but it feels like it!”

Yu Zhi said, “Greetings, philosopher.”

The three had thought they’d be dining with Yu Zhi alone, but unexpectedly, the group had grown to eleven, filling up a round table.

The other eight were all adults.

Though the three were also twenty years old, they hadn’t yet entered society or borne life’s burdens; their thoughts and habits remained very much those of students.

“Big Sister Peizhao called me Little Bo Qiao,” Bo Qiao recalled shyly, “She’s so gentle!”

Yu Zhi remained silent.

That was because they hadn’t seen the behind-the-scenes footage of her directing—she was fierce!

Xu Huang said, “Yeah, everyone was so nice! And when they drank, I thought it would be like before, where they’d be wild and force us to drink with them.”

She had experienced that at club and family gatherings, where someone would obnoxiously say, “If you don’t drink, you’re disrespecting me,” which was maddening—who even knew where such ‘face’ came from?

Peizhao, Lang Qingwen, and Zhai Duo all enjoyed drinking, especially white liquor, but they didn’t insist others join them; they happily drank by themselves.

There was only one male screenwriter at the table, a refined man. Noticing Bo Qiao and Xu Huang wanting snacks but being refused, he sent some over to them personally.

“Zhi Zhi, are we going to be their assistants? Serving tea and water? I can do that!” Bo Qiao leaned back, looking toward Yu Zhi in a relaxed, almost lying-down manner.

Yu Zhi said, “No, you two are my assistants, running errands for me. Their assistants will be hired separately. You start by helping find them.”

Bo Qiao said, “Huh?”

Xu Huang said, “What?”

Such a big responsibility!

Before they could respond, Yu Zhi dropped another bombshell: “You two will also help me with the company recruitment for now. Once you get the hang of it, it’ll be your task.”

Bo Qiao asked, “What company?”

Yu Zhi said, “The company whose stamp you’ll use—I’ve registered an account and posted recruitment information online. You’ll join me in this.”

After the side tasks were done, the company would definitely continue operating, and Bo Qiao and Xu Huang would oversee it.

Since she had brought them here, Yu Zhi wasn’t just letting them finish their internships and leave.

After summer vacation came senior year, a time to find jobs. Such a good opportunity shouldn’t be given to strangers but kept for familiar friends.

Of course, friends and relatives working together can often lead to falling out, but Yu Zhi wasn’t investing alongside them.

She was the boss; they were subordinates.

If problems arose later, she could simply dismiss them.

Bo Qiao said hesitantly, “...Are you really that confident in us?”

Xu Huang also hesitated, “We don’t know anything...”

Yu Zhi’s voice was firm: “The world is just one huge amateur troupe, very makeshift.”

Many things seem extremely difficult at first, impossible to start, but in reality, they’re not as far off as imagined.

As long as you’re willing to try and take the first step, you’re already on the road to success.

Bo Qiao said, “That may be true, but I’m afraid I’ll mess up.”

Yu Zhi turned over, resting her chin on her arm, and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? How badly can you mess up? At worst, you hire someone unsuitable—just fire them and hire again.”

Bo Qiao was enlightened, “When you put it like that, it sounds pretty simple.”

Yu Zhi laughed, “Because it really is!”

Xu Huang asked, “Don’t you have to pay them if you fire them?”

Yu Zhi countered, “How much could it be? They start as interns; after a few days or a week, you can tell what kind of person they are. Daily wages are maybe one or two hundred. Even if they fake it, when they officially join, if the contract term is short, the severance won’t be much.”

She said, “You don’t need to get everything perfect at once. If it’s wrong, fix it. No one achieves perfection immediately.”

Bo Qiao and Xu Huang listened attentively.

Suddenly, Bo Qiao said, “Zhi Zhi, you’re really mature.”

Yu Zhi paused.

The hotel’s subtle incense scent wafted softly through the air.

Her voice was gentle: “Someone else told me.”

When she was a child, she thought breaking a bottle was the end of the world, but once, after breaking two bottles of beer, the small restaurant owner didn’t scold her. Instead, he helped her up from the shards and placed her safely aside.

Yu Zhi cried and trembled, promising to pay him back.

The owner checked if she was hurt and said, “What’s there to pay for? It’s the bottle’s fault. Don’t be scared, this is nothing. You’re fine, and that’s what matters.”

Helping serve dishes for an hour earned her a meal.

It was a mutual agreement. Yu Zhi also tutored the owner’s child, who always gave her extra chicken legs and eggs, saying she needed to replenish her strength.

She stayed there for quite a while, seeing the owner hire helpers, have them leave, and hire again, witnessing mistakes like serving the wrong dishes or wasting a whole piece of meat.

If she had been at home, her guardians would have stripped her bare, leaving her hungry, beaten, and scolded.

But with the owner, she heard, “It’s no big deal, no harm done. Nobody gets it right the first time. What’s the worst that can happen? As long as it’s not life or death, it’s not a big deal.”

It was the same with writing novels. When Yu Zhi first drafted a long outline transitioning from short stories to novellas, she complained to her editor.

The editor told her, “Words need revision. It’s normal for the first draft and final draft to be worlds apart. Just write first; no matter how bad, it can be fixed.”

Just like her life—no matter how bad it gets, she can make it through.

But first, she had to take the step.

Bo Qiao and Xu Huang worried about affecting Yu Zhi. They felt the six thousand yuan wage couldn’t be taken for nothing, so before coming, they encouraged each other to focus intensely.

They’d done part-time jobs before.

Their parents were quite well off—Xu Huang got two thousand yuan a month for living expenses, Bo Qiao one thousand two hundred, though the latter’s parents gave extra for clothes and phones.

Living in Ningsi City wasn’t luxurious, but it was comfortable.

During their three years at university, they had taken part-time jobs tutoring and running errands, and because Peng liked running, she even did running errands for others, supplementing their living expenses and living well.

They had encountered annoying things—unreachable clients, unpaid balances after tutoring—but bad people exist everywhere, and in the moment, they wished they could have dealt with them harshly.

But part-time jobs were different from real work.

Moreover, this was an opportunity from Yu Zhi.

Bo Qiao said, “Since you say so, I’ll definitely do it! If I mess up, you can scold me hard!”

Xu Huang said, “Right, if I make a mistake, you scold her hard!”

Bo Qiao immediately retorted, “Hey, hey, hey!”

Yu Zhi laughed, “Hit her!”

·

The next morning, Yu Zhi woke at seven.

Perhaps to encourage healthy living, the limited-time event’s update came at seven instead of midnight.

In the dark room, Yu Zhi squinted at the screen.

[Check-In Activity] Day One Task Updated

“Legend has it that Feng City, thousands of years ago, was an ancient sacrificial site, home to a massive altar and the tallest tower closest to the sun and moon. Shooting stars streaked across the sky, and meteor craters were mysterious gifts from beyond the heavens.

Today’s check-in: Go to the altar to perform a ritual and find Xun Yi to speak with for five minutes.”

[Check-In Reward] A set of formal attire

[Note] Pay attention to the time—don’t miss it!

Seeing the mention of “sacrifice,” Yu Zhi was momentarily stunned.

Her novel included descriptions of this part, inspired by history—the heroine, facing formidable enemies, saw her army defeated until a meteor fell from the sky, smashing the enemy to defeat.

From then on, the heroine was hailed as the “Goddess,” spreading the story that she was a “divine maiden descended to save the world,” laying the foundation for her eventual reign and unification.

Yu Zhi guessed, “Could the check-in locations all be related to my novel?”

She looked back at the check-in task description and found the details were about “locations” and “props.”

She had overlooked this yesterday, but now, with a clear mind, it was obvious—the task was tailor-made for the filming scenes!

Yu Zhi said, “Great, I’ll claim the voucher first.”

The limited-time card pool interface refreshed her draw count. After claiming, it grayed out, and a “2” appeared next to the voucher icon at the top right.

She checked the draw options and the “guaranteed golden card in five draws.” Though she didn’t know what the golden cards were, she decided to wait.

“At worst, I’ll use all my draws on the last day!”

She closed her eyes.

Single draws could bring miracles or be utterly useless.

Yu Zhi didn’t want to gamble on her luck.

“Anyway, since I’m awake, I might as well look up a guide for the altar and then grab some breakfast.”

No time to sleep—time to get down to business!