118: Pressure Zone - Part 3 (Bonus Chapter)

Ye Cheng, sitting nearby, glared at Jin Lulu a couple of times, then turned her head and shot a somewhat puzzled glance at Jiang Ye. Immediately after, she pulled out her phone and quickly sent him a WeChat message:

"Why aren't you clapping back at her? She's practically shoving it in your face! That's not like you!"

Jiang Ye felt his phone vibrate, took it out, glanced at it, and typed a reply:

"I already tested the waters. This isn't something that can be solved with words. Those three over there are seasoned veterans who consider themselves on a much higher level. Even if we won a verbal sparring match, in their eyes, it would just make us look childish and laughable. We'd win the battle but lose the war—not a real victory."

Ye Cheng looked down at the WeChat message and blinked: "What does that mean? I don't get it."

Jiang Ye continued typing to explain: "When it comes to putting someone in their place, you have to..."

He typed halfway through the sentence when he noticed Ye Cheng was resting her chin in her hand, tilting her head, and staring at his phone screen with a look that said, 'What on earth are you babbling about?'

Jiang Ye scratched his head, feeling that explaining this kind of 'strategic-level' thinking to a girl who prioritized emotional reactions was a bit of a hassle. So, he simply deleted that line of text and switched to an analogy he was sure she'd understand instantly:

"Let me put it this way: if I peeked up your skirt, thinking I saw something and feeling smug about it, but you were actually wearing safety shorts. Then, no matter how much I congratulated myself on scoring, in your eyes, I'd just be a laughable, sleazy idiot. The key is the gap in perception, got it?"

Seeing this crude and direct analogy, Ye Cheng was stunned for a moment, then angrily reached over and pinched Jiang Ye's thigh hard, making him grimace in pain.

However, she instantly understood his point—to win today, they had to expose their 'safety shorts'!

Liu Fangli watched the two of them exchanging glances and smiled, casually bringing up a new topic:

"By the way, I heard from Old Wang that all the students here are juniors? So, you'll all start internships next summer, right?"

Sheng Jin immediately chimed in, her follow-up smooth as silk: "That's right, Manager Liu. We start internships next summer, and we're all really worried about it."

Mentioning internships, An An, Xiao Mi, and Miao Miao all sighed in unison.

Internship opportunities at art schools were fiercely competitive, especially for average students like them who weren't top performers. Finding a professional, promising internship that matched their major was incredibly difficult.

Jin Lulu looked at her roommates' worried expressions, then glanced at the composed Zhao Qian beside her, and smugly raised an eyebrow.

She didn't have to worry about this. When the time came, the sugar daddy by her side would naturally secure her a fancy internship certificate, allowing her to breeze through her senior year comfortably.

Liu Fangli took in the girls' reactions, smiled as he looked around the table, and asked gently, "What's wrong? Haven't any of you found a suitable company yet?"

The three girls shook their heads one after another:

"I've sent out so many resumes, but hardly any responses."

"Yeah, maybe we'll have to wait until the campus recruitment next spring."

"It feels so hard..."

Seeing this, Wang Jincheng chimed in at the perfect moment: "Huh? Manager Liu, didn't you come to the Shengtian this time precisely to set up a branch office here? This seems like a perfect opportunity..."

Liu Fangli chuckled and waved his hand, his tone tinged with 'helplessness': "Yes, yes, assigned by headquarters to come and break new ground here. Just a life of hard labor."

Zhao Qian immediately laughed and chimed in: "Manager Liu, you're too humble! This isn't breaking new ground—it's expanding territory, like a governor ruling a frontier province!"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the girls at the table, who were listening but not paying full attention:

"Ladies, this is a big deal related to your career paths after graduation. Shouldn't you hurry up and toast Manager Liu and ask for some advice?"

"Huh? That's right!"

Sheng Jin, catching on immediately, took over and asked with feigned curiosity: "Honey, we still don't know which company Manager Liu is an executive at. Maybe we've all heard of it."

Wang Jincheng smiled slightly and uttered four words: "Tianying Entertainment... heard of it, right?"

Several girls who had been whispering among themselves let out a simultaneous gasp of surprise. Even Ye Cheng, who had been focused on eating, looked up.

Ordinary people might not be familiar with the name, but for art students like them—active on TikTok and Weibo, closely following the influencer economy, and about to face internships—the name was all too familiar.

Tianying Entertainment was an MCN agency that had risen rapidly over the past two years. Its background was mysterious, its resources were powerful, and in a short time, it had incubated numerous influencers with millions of followers. It was one of the most formidable new players in the industry.

Jin Lulu and Sheng Jin were also slightly surprised. They had only known that Manager Liu was a high-level executive from a major company in the major Shengtian, with solid connections, but they hadn't expected him to be from a top-tier agency directly related to their field.

Ye Cheng raised an eyebrow, glanced at Jiang Ye beside her, who had gone back to focusing on a plate of shrimp dumplings, and secretly sent a WeChat under the table:

"Damn! Those two bitches actually brought in reinforcements! And from Tianying! We're done for, done for. I feel like we're going to lose today—we can't out-brag them!"

Jiang Ye glanced at his phone and moved his fingers: "Want me to smirk?"

It took Ye Cheng a moment to understand, and she rolled her eyes hard: "Forget it! You and your smirking. Be careful you don't end up getting your mouth torn for trying to show off!"

Jiang Ye sent a nose-picking emoji and went back to eating.

Wang Jincheng was very satisfied with the girls' reactions and continued to up the ante: "Manager Liu is specifically here to establish the Tianying Shengtian branch. He might even end up as the head of the branch office!"

Liu Fangli glanced at Ye Cheng, who was looking down at her phone, and pretended to be displeased as he waved his hand:

"Hey~! Old Wang! Didn't we agree today was just a friendly gathering, no work talk? Why bring it up again? And as for being the head, that's an exaggeration, a huge exaggeration! I'm just a butler managing logistics. The operations team handles the actual work—I wouldn't dare interfere."

He shifted his tone, sounding 'sincere': "However... if you girls are genuinely interested, once our branch's talent recruitment plan officially launches in six months, you're all welcome to give it a try. The timing would be perfect—that's when you should be starting your internships."

An An, Xiao Mi, and Miao Miao exchanged glances, all feeling somewhat tempted.

These days, entering the live-streaming or short-video industry after graduation was a common career path for art students. If they could directly sign with an agency of Tianying's caliber, with professional teams handling packaging and operations, their starting point would undoubtedly be much higher.

Xiao Mi hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, "Manager Liu, what... what would the contract for newbies at your company look like? In terms of treatment..."

"Xiao Mi~! How can you just bluntly ask about contracts at the dinner table? That's such a mood-killer!"

Before she could finish, Sheng Jin interrupted with a laugh: "Today is mainly about gathering! How about this: later, you add Manager Liu on WeChat, and he can explain the details to you privately. Wouldn't that be clearer than asking now?"

Liu Fangli gave Sheng Jin an approving look—this girl really knew how to handle things.

He smiled and nodded: "Miss Sheng Jin is right. Anyone interested can add me on WeChat. Although I'm not directly in charge of operations and selection, I can definitely recommend a few promising talents. As for the treatment..."

He took a sip of wine, building up the suspense, before leisurely saying, "The specific tiered system is a trade secret—I can't say much. But I can reveal this: as long as you pass the company's potential evaluation and get a 'Promising Newcomer' contract, the guaranteed base income is this much."

He held up his thumb and index finger to form an 'eight'.

"Eight thousand?" Miao Miao blurted out.

"Yes, eight thousand."

Liu Fangli nodded affirmatively and emphasized, "After taxes. No hidden tricks or schemes. A pure, guaranteed base income, paid on time every month as soon as you sign."

His gaze swept over the girls' shining eyes, and he added, "Of course, there are several higher tiers above that. I think with your qualifications, as long as you're willing to work hard, getting a base of ten or twenty thousand shouldn't be a problem."