13: Tan Jing and Jiang Chuan

In a rental house near Luocheng University, two girls who had just graduated shared a room. The rental was tiny, featuring a bunk bed setup, no living room, and only a rudimentary kitchen.

At this moment, one was lying on the bed while the other sat in a chair applying makeup.

The girl on the bed looked preoccupied and somewhat listless; the two of them had been job hunting and sending out resumes ever since graduation.

One of them had very good luck and signed with Xiyang Live Streaming. Her name was Xin Xin, and she became a Female Anchor. She was very talented at dancing, and her audience had been steadily growing lately, earning her a fair amount in gift tips.

The other was not so fortunate and had yet to find a suitable job.

While applying makeup, Xin Xin said, "I told you to stop looking for a company job. It would be so much better to come be a Streamer with me. You'd earn more than at a company, and it's easy."

Tan Jing, feeling spiritless, swung her small feet clad in white socks and said, "I can't sing or dance, so how could I be a Streamer? I'll pass."

"True, but it's a pity since you're so pretty."

Xin Xin didn't push further. She picked up a handbag from the table and said proudly, "A lot of people have been tipping me lately, so I bought a new bag. Take a look, doesn't it suit me?"

Tan Jing knew her roommate's personality—if she didn't praise her, she would keep going on about it. She sat up and said perfunctorily, "It's really beautiful and suits you well."

Xin Xin said triumphantly, "Of course! This bag cost several thousand yuan. Some companies only pay a few thousand a month. Once I get my paycheck in a while, I'm going to move into an apartment. Are you coming? Let's stay roommates!"

Tan Jing gave a couple of perfunctory replies. She hadn't even found a job yet, so how could she afford an apartment? She stopped paying attention to her roommate, put on her shoes, and planned to head out for some fresh air.

Ever since Xin Xin became a Streamer, she would show off to her every day. Although Tan Jing felt a bit envious, she wasn't jealous.

However, Xin Xin's personality was just like that—she loved to show off and compare. It was better to go for a walk, otherwise, she'd have to listen to this all day. Hearing it every day was making her feel quite irritable.

She walked all the way to Luocheng University, her most familiar place. She loved campus life. Although she was quite good-looking, her family background was poor. Now with no job in sight, she felt lost and didn't know if she should stay in Falling City.

"Tan Jing?"

Just then, she heard someone call her name from behind. Turning around, she saw a very sunny, handsome guy who looked somewhat familiar. She asked hesitantly,

"And you are?"

Shen Jincheng walked over. He had just finished eating and was passing by his alma mater. He thought he'd take a look, but he didn't expect such a pleasant surprise!

"Hello, my name is Shen Jincheng. I'm from Starlight Live Streaming. Are you interested in becoming a Streamer?"

Tan Jing looked him over carefully. The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. She said tentatively, "Shen Jincheng? Ah! I remember now! You're Jiang Chuan's roommate, right? He mentioned you to me!"

Shen Jincheng was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, "That's right, you know Jiang Chuan?"

Tan Jing said with a smile, "Of course I know him. I'm from Luocheng University too. He and I used to do part-time jobs together all the time. I heard he's become famous recently and even trended on the hot searches!"

Shen Jincheng smiled and said, "So you're from Luocheng University too. That's perfect then. Starlight is the company Jiang Chuan started. He said you have great potential to be a Streamer. It turns out you're quite a beauty!"

Tan Jing's pretty face flushed slightly as she whispered, "I'm no beauty! But I don't know how to do anything, so how can I be a Streamer?"

Shen Jincheng took out a list and said with a mischievous grin, "Come on, come on. Look, Jiang Chuan wrote this himself—you 'must' be signed to the company! Look how much importance he places on you, he even used the word 'must'! He has a good eye; if he says you can do it, you definitely can."

Tan Jing had never been teased like this before. She said bashfully, "No, Jiang Chuan and I are just friends. Since it's his company, then... should I give it a try?"

Shen Jincheng handed her his contact information and said, "No problem. This is my phone number. I'll notify you when the time comes. Just wait for our news."

"Okay, then I'll head back and wait for your news. I'm going now, bye!"

Seeing that the official business was finished, Tan Jing fled in a panic, afraid he would continue to tease her.

Shen Jincheng was just about to get to the main point and take out the contract when he realized she had run off! He stood there in the wind, holding the contract in confusion.

"Is this a success or not? Whatever, they know each other anyway."

Tan Jing returned to the rental house very happily. She took off her shoes and, wearing her lace-trimmed white socks, hopped onto the bed with joy.

"I didn't expect Jiang Chuan to have become a celebrity already, and he hasn't forgotten me. He even wants me to join his company. But it seems he has a girlfriend, what was her name again..."

Tan Jing opened her phone and searched for Jiang Chuan. Many news articles popped up. He had been incredibly popular online lately, and everyone was looking forward to him explaining the situation further.

Many streaming companies had even started offering rewards for anyone who could find Jiang Chuan's contact information, with cash prizes... but the man seemed to have vanished, and no one could find him. Tan Jing naturally didn't pay attention to those things. Looking at the photos of Jiang Chuan and the girl named Xiao Yi, the strange feeling that had sprouted in her heart vanished instantly.

"They match so well! I'm far behind this girl..."

Xin Xin had finished her makeup. She had an afternoon stream and was about to head to Sunset for work. Seeing her roommate acting strange, she asked curiously,

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Hearing this, Tan Jing lay on the bed and said listlessly, "Nothing. I just found a job. It's the same as yours, being a Streamer."

Although Xin Xin had said she would help introduce Tan Jing to streaming, she actually least wanted her to become one. After all, this was the only area where she could show off her superiority.

She forced a smile. "Is... is that so? That's great. Which company is it?"

Tan Jing was still immersed in her feeling of loss and replied casually, "I think it's called Starlight Live Streaming?"

Xin Xin hurriedly took out her phone to search, but she couldn't find the company. For a moment, she was both happy and a bit worried. Her emotions were complex, and she hesitated, but in the end, she didn't say anything and opened the door to go to work.

--- -

Jiang Chuan had lunch with Sister Ning at noon. Sister Ning was now even more focused on the company than he was. After a few quick bites, she started contacting design firms.

The two of them returned to the office, and before long, the design firm they had contacted arrived.

The leader was a burly, bald man wearing work clothes. He didn't look like he belonged to a design firm at all, but his speech was very polite.

"Hello, I am Zhang Long, the Design Director of Jiajiang Design. Behind me are our company's renovation masters."

Seeing how polite the other party was, Jiang Chuan also said warmly, "Thank you all for your hard work. I'll take you up to have a look. Our company wants to convert the fifth and sixth floors into rooms for streaming."

Jiang Chuan and Shen Qingning took everyone up to the fifth floor via the elevator.

Zhang Long carefully observed the architecture of the fifth floor. He opened a door to look inside and asked in confusion, "This floor should all be offices. We just need to put a computer inside and pair it with a background wall."