It was this serendipitous experience of cross-dressing that opened up a whole new world for Wei Zhen.

Undoubtedly, he garnered far more attention from others, be it envy or adoration. The entire world seemed to have become a gentler, more charming place. Before putting on these clothes, he was just a short guy who would disappear in a crowd. Both his height and his demeanor were indescribably mediocre. He was the kind of ordinary person no one would ever give a second glance.

Wei Zhen stood up from the vanity, having prepared everything. He wore a simplified medieval maid outfit, but the cuffs and hem had been altered to be shorter. His fair collarbones stood out against his flat chest, and the skirt was black and white. A sky-blue headband held back his long, golden hair.

He tightened the fake gemstone necklace at the collar of his blouse and was just about to turn and leave.

“Xiaobing? You’re so late today.”

“Mm… I missed the bus and had to squeeze onto the next one.”

“I’ve told you before, it’d be much better to live in the dorms. With your current income, you don’t need to work a second job at all.”

“I can’t,” the girl, whose skin was so fair it seemed to glow, shook her head. “The pay for this tutoring job is really good.”

“Fine, do whatever you want.”

Wei Zhen had tried to gently persuade her more than once, but he was at his wit’s end with this stubborn girl, so he decided to drop it.

If Quan Yafeng were here, his jaw would have dropped.

Because the girl talking to Wei Zhen was none other than Li Bing, a classmate of theirs and the girl he’d put on a pedestal after falling for her just a few days ago.

She actually worked at this maid cafe too!

Wei Zhen left first, leaving a plainly dressed Li Bing to do her makeup on her own.

Her plaid shirt was faded from many washes, her black down jacket was a style from who knows how many years ago, and on her feet was a pair of fleece-lined, inexpensive canvas shoes.

What was even more surprising was that Li Bing, who looked like a Cinderella, was actually one of the most popular maids at the cafe.

…

Some friendships from college are especially close, so much so that they can become best buddies for life.

They not only ate and lived together, joking and roughhousing in their daily lives, but they would even stick their noses in when a roommate started dating, trying to offer advice.

Chen Yuan had no idea that his “good buddy” of six months was secretly a Xiaonan’niang behind everyone’s backs. Quan Yafeng and Liu Nan were equally clueless. The only thing they knew was that Wei Zhen and Li Bing got along pretty well. They would never in a million years have guessed that besides being from the same hometown, they were also coworkers.

Chen Yuan walked into the company’s lobby. The reception desk was empty except for a cleaning lady.

He took the elevator to the third-floor workspace by himself, curiously observing the company’s scale along the way.

Bauhinia Investment Company wasn’t what you would call a large corporation. It had only seventy to eighty employees in total, spread across six departments: Management, Development Strategy, Public Relations, Finance, Technology, and Risk Assessment.

Its business model was to take projects provided by others, screen and evaluate them, provide technical and financial support, negotiate contracts, and ultimately, achieve long-term profits.

Almost all ultra-wealthy individuals have their own investment firms, which are involved in various industries and pursue diversified development.

Through continuous operation and cultivation, they build a towering tree with lush branches and leaves. These projects are the very branches and leaves that provide an endless supply of nutrients to the tree.

Pei Youwen had already told Chen Yuan a great deal about these general concepts.

Chen Yuan looked at the countless cubicles on the third floor. This was the Technology Department, the company’s largest division. The desks were adorned with countless potted plants, various high-tech-looking peripherals, and even many posters from anime and games.

It seemed this mishmash of countless elements made it look less like a serious work environment.

The office atmosphere seemed quite lively.

Chen Yuan couldn’t help but imagine what he would do if one of these workstations were his. ‘How should I decorate my cubicle? I’d better pick one near the window. That way, I could not only keep some plants, but I could also look at the scenery outside when I’m tired.’

‘Wouldn’t that be a great way to stay in a good mood while working?’

‘What a novel idea.’

RING RING RING—

Chen Yuan’s phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He took it out; the caller ID showed it was Pei Youwen.

“Hello?”

“Young Master Jiang, I’m heading over to pick you up now. Please send me your address.”

“No need, I’m already at the company.”

“Ah! So soon? Please wait a moment, I’ll be right there!”

“Okay, I’m on the third floor, looking around.”

He hung up the phone.

A few minutes later, Pei Youwen rushed over, dressed in a crisp, proper suit with his hair combed meticulously.

He held steaming hot buns in his left hand and a can of soy milk in his right. His magnetic voice preceded him.

“Aiya! Young Master Jiang~ I told you I was going to pick you up! You coming so early makes me look like a slacker for sleeping in this late!”

“It’s fine. I woke up this morning and was bored.”

“Young Master, have you had breakfast? I hope you don’t mind buns and soy milk. These are beef buns, fresh from the steamer.”

“I haven’t.”

“Then let’s eat together while we talk.”

“Alright.”

Pei was a little too enthusiastic. Before Chen Yuan could even reach out his hand, a bun was already stuffed into it.

He hadn’t even opened the bag yet, but Pei Youwen beside him had already started munching away.

“Has Young Master Jiang seen this area yet? This is the company’s Technology Department. It’s all workstations on the left here, and the break room is on the right. It’s full of beanbag chairs. When you’re tired, you can just put on some headphones and take a nap.”

“I’ve only seen the workstations.”

“Right, right. It’s empty now mainly because everyone isn’t back to work yet. The tech staff should be starting tomorrow. The management staff gets in earlier; they’ll probably all be here this afternoon.”

“Don’t people usually clock in at eight in the morning?”

“No, our company doesn’t have that rule. We start at ten, but we just work longer hours at night.”

“That’s nice. Waking up early really is torture.”

“Because our company specializes in risk assessment. I’m not bragging, but while our scale is much smaller than the big corporations, our risk assessment is top-notch in the country. Many famous companies try to poach our people. We pay those top experts very generous salaries, our work hours aren’t mandatory, and the atmosphere is more relaxed,” Pei Youwen explained enthusiastically as they walked.

Chen Yuan’s interest was piqued, and he took the initiative to ask, “Why is our risk assessment so professional? Aren’t companies like Alibaba and Tencent, or the top venture capital firms, usually the experts?”

“Heh, the core teams at Alibaba and Tencent are certainly at the forefront of the industry, but the people we find are no slouches either. These assessors are the most precious asset in the entire company… Actually, a lot of people have a knack for it, kind of like playing a video game. Young Master Jiang, let me give you an example to see if this makes sense. Some people put their talent points into math, so their logical abilities are naturally stronger than others’. We can’t compare. Some people put their talent points into expression. Whether it’s through writing or social interaction, they can always make people feel as pleasant as a spring breeze. We can’t compare to them either. But then there’s a type of person who is born with a keen business sense. An ordinary person like us might see ten steps ahead when looking at a project’s prospects. After professional training, maybe we can see fifteen or twenty steps. But those people? They can see a hundred steps ahead!”

“Is it really that exaggerated?” Chen Yuan was a little surprised. ‘It’s almost like a superpower.’

“It would be great if it were as simple as a superpower, but these people just have real, solid talent. Some of our risk assessors came from President Jiang’s company, and others I recruited from abroad with high salaries.”

“How high is ‘high salary,’ roughly?”

“Higher than mine, anyway,” Pei Youwen said with a bitter smile. “Upwards of four million a year… But the money is definitely well spent. An assessment report from one of these geniuses can bring us tens of millions in net profit each year.”

“So where do they work? Can I go see it?”

“Of course. I’ll take you.”

With that, Pei Youwen proactively pressed the elevator button and bowed as he ushered Chen Yuan inside.

Pei’s attitude was so respectful, as if he were treating his own father, that it made Chen Yuan feel incredibly awkward.

But during their lessons over the past few days, he had mentioned it several times, yet Pei Youwen stubbornly refused to change.

There was nothing he could do, so Chen Yuan had to just brace himself and ignore it.

“Then how do you determine if you have that kind of business sense?” Chen Yuan asked.

“It’s hard to determine. Usually, you look at their track record.”

“Track record?”

“Right, their work experience. We only spend money to hire people with extensive assessment experience. It’s not something you can figure out with a test.”

“Oh~ So it’s like buying a ready-made product.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep