At the Mingfu family banquet, Pei Qian smiled as he stared at Cui Geng, making the latter feel a bit uneasy.

“Mr. Pei, please eat too.”

To Cui Geng, the dishes on the table looked and smelled delicious. Every dish was quite tasty, and although the portions weren’t large, there were so many dishes that he alone couldn’t possibly finish them all.

Mr. Pei, however, appeared uninterested in these dishes. He picked at his food perfunctorily, just as he would during a regular meal at home.

Noticing that Mr. Pei kept staring at him with what seemed to be admiration in his eyes, Cui Geng felt inexplicably anxious and unconsciously began imagining some rather bizarre scenarios.

After all, internet novelists were known for their extraordinarily active imaginations.

Pei Qian, of course, had no idea what Cui Geng was thinking. The reason he was staring at Cui Geng was mainly because he felt he had discovered an extraordinary talent!

Originally, Pei Qian hadn’t thought too much about it.

Inviting the author who wrote the least in the study group to visit the company and learn about the Tenda spirit was primarily to let him experience the laid-back atmosphere of Tenda Group. Then he could go back and promote this spirit, thereby disintegrating from within the study group composed of workaholics.

What Pei Qian never expected was that this Cui Geng would exceed all expectations. Not only did he perfectly fulfill Pei Qian’s expectations, but he also delivered a pleasant surprise!

In the morning, he had just arrived at Tenda headquarters’ game room to play games.

By the afternoon, he had directly posted an end-of-book announcement, declaring that he would be writing this book casually from now on and would finish it soon—readers could take it or leave it!

How carefree!

How casual!

Pei Qian couldn’t help but think, if all the authors on Endpoint Chinese Web were like Cui Geng, how could his grand plans not succeed?

So, the more Pei Qian thought about it, the more satisfied he became. He even started considering entrusting Cui Geng with important responsibilities.

However, Pei Qian didn’t immediately reveal his thoughts. He decided to be a bit more cautious.

At the very least, he needed to test whether this Cui Geng was truly the talent he needed.

With this in mind, Pei Qian said, “I have a few questions. Just for casual conversation.”

Cui Geng quickly nodded, “Of course, Mr. Pei. Please go ahead.”

He was also somewhat puzzled, unsure of what Mr. Pei was up to.

But one thing was certain: this was not just a simple meal.

Judging by the company’s scale, Mr. Pei was at a minimum a billionaire business magnate. How busy must his schedule be? How could he possibly have time to dine with a nobody like himself?

Although Cui Geng generally had high self-esteem, he was well aware that he was just an ordinary author, not even standing out on the small Endpoint Chinese Web platform.

Cui Geng might be laid-back, but he wasn’t stupid or naive. Even if he disliked social niceties, he wasn’t completely ignorant of them.

So, he immediately became fully alert, his mind racing as he waited to answer Mr. Pei’s questions.

Pei Qian casually asked while picking at his food, “The book was going well. Why did you suddenly post an ending announcement?”

He deliberately made his tone sound very casual and kept a smile on his face, afraid of putting pressure on Cui Geng.

However, Cui Geng’s heart still skipped a beat.

What was going on? His ending announcement had been posted less than two hours ago, and Mr. Pei already knew about it?

But how did Mr. Pei know?

Did Mr. Ma tell him? Impossible! For such a trivial matter, how could Mr. Ma possibly bother Mr. Pei?

So… there was only one possibility left…

Could it be that Mr. Pei was reading his book?!

Cui Geng suddenly panicked, because upon brief reflection, he realized this was the only possibility.

If so, Mr. Pei’s attitude was quite intriguing…

Cui Geng looked at Mr. Pei sitting across from him. Under the soft lighting, his face wore a warm smile, yet behind that smile was a mysterious meaning that was difficult to define.

Cui Geng instantly understood.

Oh no, Mr. Pei was urging him to update the book in person! Treating him to a meal—this was the carrot before the stick!

Cui Geng wasn’t someone who didn’t know how to appreciate kindness. He hastily said, “If Mr. Pei enjoys reading it, I’ll delete that announcement immediately! I won’t end this book without Mr. Pei’s approval! I’ll write it to five million—no, ten million words!”

Pei Qian: “?”

Damn, this Cui Geng had misunderstood.

Pei Qian hurriedly explained, “No, no, no, I think ending it now is good, even better if sooner. I’m serious.”

“A real man should know when to cut things off, and do it decisively. I admire you for this quality.”

Cui Geng blinked, somewhat bewildered.

What kind of divine reader was this!

If every reader were as understanding as Mr. Pei, how happy would he be as an author!

Cui Geng immediately raised a glass of wine in excitement: “Mr. Pei, no need for words—it’s all in this drink!”

Seeing Cui Geng so excited, Pei Qian confirmed that this author’s decision to end the book early was indeed from the heart.

Pei Qian then asked, “Why did you post the ending announcement today?”

Cui Geng let out a long breath. Since Mr. Pei wasn’t here to urge him to update, things were simpler.

“Mr. Pei, it’s because today I was deeply inspired by the Tenda spirit. That announcement was written on impulse.”

Pei Qian’s eyes immediately brightened.

Good, this guy gets it!

But one question wasn’t enough to be sure; he needed to ask a few more.

“With the old book ending, what are your plans next?”

“Research for a while, then start a new book. What else can I do?”

“What if readers criticize you?”

“I just won’t read the comments.”

Pei Qian: “Well, what if I talk to Ma Yang about letting you leave the study group and find another job? What do you think?”

Cui Geng was puzzled. Mr. Pei wanted him to leave the study group for another job?

Why?

Had Mr. Pei recognized his work abilities and wanted him to take charge of a department under his command?

Impossible! He was just a novelist. What work abilities did he have?

Could it be… that Mr. Pei wanted to arrange a position for him to better gather material for his writing?

Thinking of this, Cui Geng nodded, “That would be great.”

Pei Qian observed carefully and found that except for the last question, Cui Geng had answered all his questions almost without hesitation, and his eyes revealed a kind of unwavering determination.

Pei Qian was delighted. This was promising material!

He picked up his wine glass and took a sip, already considering how to utilize this promising talent.

Currently, many departments in Tenda Group had issues. Although the Tenda spirit test had recently started to correct the unhealthy workaholic culture, the progress was too slow.

Pei Qian pondered that since Cui Geng was so “talented,” it would be a waste to keep him in a mere study group.

He should be assigned to some of Tenda’s more stubborn departments!

For example, the Game Department, Fei Huang Studio, ROF Assembly, and so on…

These departments had repeatedly backstabbed him from their inception, and now it was happening more frequently, becoming increasingly difficult to rectify.

For Mr. Pei, they were all heavy burdens.

Perhaps assigning Cui Geng there could change this atmosphere!

But which department specifically…

Pei Qian was a bit troubled.

Maybe… let him decide for himself!

Pei Qian casually asked, “Which Tenda department do you like the most?”

Cui Geng was taken aback: “Uh, Mr. Pei, I’m not familiar with all of Tenda’s departments.”

Pei Qian thought for a moment, then took out his phone, logged into the TPDb website, and pulled up a list of all of Tenda’s current businesses.

Cui Geng took the phone and was secretly shocked.

Tenda Group could truly be called a behemoth now!

He found himself overwhelmed by the options. Many departments interested him, but to pick one interested him most? He couldn’t decide.

In terms of gathering material for novels, all these departments would probably be useful.

With this in mind, Cui Geng said, “Mr. Pei, I’d like to go to all of them, if possible. Of course, if it’s inconvenient for you, then forget it…”

Pei Qian was overjoyed: “Convenient! How could it not be convenient?”

“Work is fixed, but people are flexible. Since you have this need, we’ll accommodate it!”

“Here’s what we’ll do—I’ll give you a special position… you can freely visit any department of Tenda. The department heads must prepare a workstation for you, pay you a salary, everything according to the standards of a formal employee.”

“If you have any requests, everyone in the department must unconditionally accommodate you.”

“You set your work content, and no one else has any right to question it.”

“When you want to change departments, just change directly. When you want to return to your original department, just go back. No department head can obstruct you for any reason!”

When Pei Qian heard Cui Geng say he “wanted to go to all of them,” he wasn’t angry at all. On the contrary, he was extremely pleased.

Since Cui Geng was a pure gold shit-stirring stick, using him only to stir up the study group would be wasteful. He should stir up the entire Tenda Group!

The script Pei Qian envisioned was perfect.

Cui Geng was a genius who had a profound understanding of the Tenda spirit.

Letting him freely visit various departments would first spread the Tenda spirit and correct the workaholic culture in these places.

Second, each department would have to prepare a workstation for him and provide all benefits including salary and bonuses as if he were a formal employee. He could set his own work content, slack off every day, and make other employees in the department envious.

Finally, his requests would be unconditionally accommodated by each department, and he could come and go freely without interference from other department heads. This would disrupt the work of these departments!

It was foreseeable that this Cui Geng would soon cause a bloodbath within Tenda Group…

Cui Geng’s eyes widened slightly.

He who understands me, Mr. Pei, does!

Wasn’t this position tailor-made for him to collect material?

A salary to eliminate worries about livelihood.

Unconditional cooperation from departments greatly improves the efficiency of collecting material.

Freedom to come and go, allowing periodic visits to different departments to collect material, beneficial for expanding his subject matter and creating connections between different fields in his books…

Cui Geng excitedly picked up his wine glass and clinked it against Mr. Pei’s.

“Mr. Pei, I won’t let you down!”

“Excellent, I wish you great success!”

Both of their faces were beaming with smiles and unlimited expectations for the future.