Career

Between Wen City and the United States, the flight takes fourteen hours. Even with the most advanced communication technology, the sense of distance cannot be erased. Time remains unyielding.

She decided not to dwell on matters between herself and Jiang Chen, focusing instead on studying and exploring the path of entrepreneurship.

Days passed in the blink of an eye. The weather grew colder. The university was about to begin its winter break, but this time she had no intention of returning home. Ye Haisheng wasn’t going home either. Rather than idling alone at home, she might as well stay in Wen City and make use of the holiday.

Wen University was closing for break, and Qin Feifei announced that students couldn't stay in the dorms during the holiday. Housing in Wen City was notoriously difficult to find. Ye Mian contacted an agent ahead of time and rented a two-bedroom apartment downtown. The price was steep, but the amenities were excellent, security was decent, the furnishings were new, and it came with a balcony and a kitchen.

In the freezing weather, she finally moved into her new home on the last day.

There was still no word from Wang Xiang, so she asked the agent to keep an eye out for offices as well. She had about 120,000 yuan on hand. It seemed like a lot, but every penny had to be carefully budgeted. Her greatest advantage was never money, but rather her insight into the trends of the streaming industry. Short video platforms were just emerging, and this foresight was almost decisive—it could generate significant profits.

But she couldn’t do it alone; she needed people to stream and shoot videos.

She set up several accounts, spent days writing scripts for videos—meticulously compiling the hottest viral topics from previous short videos—and learned various editing techniques.

Once preparations were nearly complete, she realized finding people was the simplest part. She had access to the Wen University campus group, filled with young men and women—so many attractive faces, waiting for her. There was nothing to worry about.

After finalizing the content, she posted a part-time job ad in the campus group: she was looking for several pretty girls to serve as video models.

Wen City was a place that nurtured beauty; people here tended to be good-looking. College students, in particular, were always at the forefront of fashion. They weren’t constrained by societal expectations, their styles were diverse, and they were bold. Anything trendy or interesting was something they wanted to try.

No sooner had she posted the ad than several girls added her on WeChat.

Ye Mian sent each of them a template similar to a streamer card, asking them to gather their photos.

It wasn’t as strict as a model card. The photos didn’t need to be bare-faced, but filters were strictly forbidden. After a round of screening, Ye Mian chose three girls with more refined looks.

Among them, she was most satisfied with a girl named Zhou Yan—a freshman in the same year as her, with a pure and delicate appearance. She wasn’t ostentatious, but was pleasing to the eye, evoking the sense of a first love. Most importantly, Zhou Yan could sing.

Without hesitation, Ye Mian called Zhou Yan for a video confirmation.

At first glance, Ye Mian was very satisfied. Zhou Yan’s face was well-suited for the camera; she looked the same in video as in photos, though her demeanor seemed shy. Perhaps she was nervous—she avoided the camera and her singing was a bit shaky.

Ye Mian smiled kindly at this endearing girl and asked gently, “Do you have time to shoot videos?”

“I do,” Zhou Yan nodded, but hesitated, “But I don’t really know how to shoot videos.”

Ye Mian took a sip of water. “That’s alright. I’ll teach you.”

Zhou Yan looked at Ye Mian’s beautiful face, feeling as if she’d seen her somewhere before. Embarrassed to ask, she voiced her concern instead, “You said you’d pay a monthly salary—how can I be sure?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Ye Mian replied, showing her the prepared contract. “We can sign a contract. For now, it’s a cooperative relationship: you help me shoot videos, I teach you how to make them go viral, turn views into traffic, and then I’ll show you how to monetize that traffic.”

Ye Mian didn’t want it to be merely a collaboration, but without a registered company, she couldn’t sign a formal, tax-deductible labor contract.

It sounded trustworthy enough. Zhou Yan nodded, half understanding, half not. After all, college students had spare time, and earning money by making videos seemed like a good deal. The pay was not low—much easier than working at a bubble tea shop.

She asked many questions, and Ye Mian answered them all.

Finally, Zhou Yan nodded. “I’ll give it a try.”

Ye Mian knew she’d pretty much settled it. Zhou Yan was a local, too.

The next day, Ye Mian called her out to sign the contract.

Because of the holiday, a surge of student traffic was flooding short video platforms. The platforms weren’t yet saturated; most content was basic. Some people showcased filming techniques; others simply showed their faces. Attractive, but not captivating.

Ye Mian asked Zhou Yan to spend two days learning how to work the camera, exploring the platform’s functions, finding the best beauty filter for herself, and brushing up on short video filming techniques. As long as her face remained pure, that was enough.

Zhou Yan was surprised at how easy the work was and agreed readily. For the next couple of days, Ye Mian had some free time.

She picked the best direction for Zhou Yan, sent her a newly released song, and told her to arrange the shoot. Quality mattered more than speed.

Zhou Yan was reliable—by the next day, she sent Ye Mian a particularly beautiful video.

On the balcony, the girl sang a sweet love song to the sunset; sunlight shimmered on her hair in a gentle golden glow. Zhou Yan captured all the shots Ye Mian requested, precisely timing when to look at the camera, when to show expressions. The camera work was still a bit raw, but for the platform’s current stage, it was just right.

Ye Mian edited the video, posted it to the short video platform for a test run, and used her remaining accounts to boost it in the comments.

The video quickly gained traction.

This romantic, girlish style stood out among the technical crowd, attracting initial traffic. The account gained a thousand followers in no time.

Ye Mian was satisfied and immediately sent Zhou Yan several new scripts to study and film.

Her vision was starting to take shape.

As for herself, Ye Mian had no ambition to become a celebrity; she wanted to be someone who nurtured internet stars.

All through the holiday, Ye Mian wrote scripts, managed accounts, and recruited talent. The scale was small, the investment minimal. She only waited until after the New Year, when traffic improved, to consider monetization and gradually expand.

Then, she could rent an office and establish a proper company.

Everything proceeded orderly and smoothly.

Until early February, before the New Year, Ye Mian didn’t rest. On New Year’s Eve, she finally spared time to video call Ye Haisheng.

Mid-call, she received a message.

—from Jiang Chen.

[Jiang Chen: Happy New Year.]

Ah! Thank you for your support, I’ll express my gratitude tomorrow~ Sorry, sorry, I’m feeling a bit unwell today, sob sob sob

Once her career is underway, Mianmian’s love story can begin.

What will Jiang Chen become?

A reunion after a long separation~

(End of chapter)