Upon hearing Jiang Tao's words, Hao Zhiming's eyes lit up.
A surge of inexplicable excitement welled up in his heart!
He realized this was his chance!
A golden opportunity to build a connection with this Boss Jiang!
"Interested! I'm very interested! Brother Jiang, what kind of job is it?"
A job that allowed him to do what he loved while also earning money—Hao Zhiming was naturally very interested in such a prospect.
No matter what it was, it had to be better than his current grueling factory job, slaving away day and night like a beast of burden.
"I just started an MCN company, and I'm planning to focus on this industry moving forward…"
Jiang Tao briefly explained his plan to establish an MCN company and train contracted influencers to Hao Zhiming.
Finally, he looked at Hao Zhiming and asked:
"Would you like to join our company as a contracted sports influencer?"
"I'm also planning to develop in the direction of sports influencing in the future. Having a partner would make things livelier."
"As for salary and benefits, we'll cover food and accommodation, and after deductions for social insurance and housing fund, you'll take home no less than 8,000 yuan."
"8,000?"
Hao Zhiming's eyes widened upon hearing the salary Jiang Tao offered, his breathing quickening.
At the factory, he worked 12-hour shifts, exhausting himself to death, and only earned a little over 4,000 yuan a month.
And that didn't even include social insurance or a housing fund—just a basic accident insurance.
Joining Jiang Tao's company meant not only free food and lodging, but also social insurance and a housing fund, plus an 8,000-yuan salary!
Most importantly, he could do what he loved every day.
This…
This was practically a dream job!
"Uh, Brother Jiang, I, I…"
Hao Zhiming was torn. He was afraid Jiang Tao might change his mind and wanted to agree immediately, but he also worried that his abilities didn't match up to such a salary. His heart was in a tangle!
"You silly kid, what's with the hesitation!"
"Brother Jiang is giving you such a great opportunity, and you're not seizing it?"
"Don't you love running? Brother Jiang clearly values you and thinks you have potential worth nurturing."
"Don't be ungrateful and waste Brother Jiang's kindness!"
Liu Zhiyuan, standing nearby, was anxious on behalf of his cousin and gave him a swift kick in the butt.
"Brother Jiang, I… I haven't run in over a year. I don't even know how much my skills have declined."
Hao Zhiming looked at Jiang Tao nervously, being completely honest and laying bare his situation.
"No problem. I trust my judgment when it comes to people. I believe if you train hard, you'll definitely make something of yourself in the future."
Jiang Tao looked at Hao Zhiming with a cheerful smile. He liked honest and straightforward kids like him.
Hao Zhiming hesitated, "Then…"
Jiang Tao interrupted with a laugh, "Be a man and stop dilly-dallying. Give me a straight answer—do you want to join our company or not?"
"I'm in! Thank you, Brother Jiang, for giving me this opportunity. I'll train twice as hard, no, relentlessly, and I won't let you down!"
Hao Zhiming looked at Jiang Tao with excitement, his heart filled with gratitude, feeling as though after years of drifting, he had finally found his mentor.
"Then go quit your current job today. Consider today your first day at work."
"Oh, and add me on WeChat. I'll pull you into our company group."
As Jiang Tao spoke, he pulled out his phone and opened his QR code for adding friends.
"Got it, Brother Jiang!"
Hao Zhiming took out his Xiaomi phone from his pocket, scanned Jiang Tao's QR code with a *ding*, and they added each other as WeChat friends.
Afterward, Jiang Tao pulled Hao Zhiming into the "Jiang Entertainment" WeChat group.
At the moment, the group only had Jiang Tao, the Jiang Bing siblings, his father-in-law, his sister-in-law, the operations manager Shan Yang, and Jiang Jiaqi, who handled miscellaneous company tasks.
Hao Zhiming was the seventh member.
Upon seeing Hao Zhiming join the group, some members sent text messages to welcome him, while others sent emojis.
After adding him as a friend, Jiang Tao glanced at the pair of off-brand sneakers on Hao Zhiming's feet and immediately transferred 5,000 yuan to him via WeChat.
"Brother Jiang, this is…"
Hao Zhiming was stunned when he saw the transfer amount and looked at Jiang Tao in disbelief.
This was the largest sum of money he'd ever received in his twenty-something years of life.
It was even a few hundred yuan more than the wages he earned from slaving away at the factory last month!
Jiang Tao said calmly, "Use this money to buy a couple of decent pairs of running shoes and sports gear.
Get a sports watch too. If it's not enough, just let me know."
"It's enough, it's enough! Thank you, Brother Jiang! Thank you!"
Hao Zhiming's eyes turned red with emotion upon hearing Jiang Tao's words.
A surge of determination welled up in his heart—he'd run his heart out to achieve results and not let Brother Jiang down!
Liu Zhiyuan, standing nearby, patted his cousin's shoulder and said with a sigh:
"Xiao Ming, work hard and train well. Follow Brother Jiang, and you'll definitely make something of yourself one day."
"I know, Cousin. I'll train hard and won't let Brother Jiang down!"
Hao Zhiming nodded vigorously, setting a goal for himself in his heart!
Jiang Tao smiled, patted Hao Zhiming's thin shoulder, and said:
"Go back and get ready over the next couple of days. After the holiday, come with me to Beijing."
"Got it, Brother Jiang!"
Hao Zhiming nodded solemnly.
He never imagined that coming to pick up his cousin on his bike today would lead to such a huge opportunity.
"It's getting late, and I have some things to take care of, so I won't invite you two to the house."
As Jiang Tao spoke, he glanced at the green Submariner watch on his wrist.
Unbeknownst to him, it was already past 7 a.m.
There were only about four hours left before that mutated walnut tree was scheduled to be cut down, so he had to plan ahead.
If he got stuck in traffic and didn't make it in time, the loss would be significant.
"Brother Jiang, go handle your business!"
"We'll head out then, Brother Jiang! See you later."
Liu Zhiyuan and his cousin could tell Jiang Tao was in a hurry to leave. They waved goodbye and rode off together on an electric bike.
"Second Uncle! You're back!"
Just as Liu Zhiyuan and his cousin left, a chubby kid came jogging in from the alley entrance.
The chubby kid stopped in front of Jiang Tao, looking at him excitedly.
Following close behind was a tall, lanky young man.
"Second Uncle! You're back."
These two were none other than Jiang Tao's nephews, Jiang Shijie and Jiang Shaojie.
Earlier, Jiang Tao had sent them a message asking them to come over.
"Let's go, get in the car~"
Jiang Tao waved to the two, then opened the driver's side door and got in.
It had been a while since he drove a truck, and stepping into the cramped cabin with its stiff seats, Jiang Tao felt a bit unaccustomed.
The driving experience was naturally no match for his Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Jiang Shijie and Jiang Shaojie didn't ask where Jiang Tao was taking them. They opened the passenger-side door and hopped in.
*Vroom vroom vroom—*
Jiang Tao started the truck, skillfully backed out of the alley, turned onto the main road, and headed toward the outskirts of the village.
After leaving the village, they drove along a rural road, then turned onto a provincial road, and finally got on the highway.
Due to the holiday, even early in the morning, there was a fair amount of traffic on the highway. Fortunately, it wasn't too congested.
With his two nephews keeping him company and chatting along the way, the journey was quite lively and far from boring.
"By the way, Shijie, how's it going with your girlfriend?"
As they chatted, the topic shifted to Jiang Shijie's girlfriend, Wang Xiaohong.
A little over a month ago, Jiang Tao had come across some information about Jiang Shijie and Wang Xiaohong.
The information indicated that Wang Xiaohong had the quality of bringing good fortune to her husband.
Though her appearance was average, if his eldest nephew married her, his financial luck would surely be excellent in the future.
"Ahem, Red and I are doing great."
Jiang Shijie got a bit shy when his girlfriend was mentioned.
"Second Uncle, my parents have met my sister-in-law too! They're both pretty satisfied!"
"And she's super good to me!"
"Second Uncle, look, these are the sneakers she bought me. They cost three or four hundred yuan!"
Jiang Shaojie said, lifting his leg to show off a pair of Li-Ning sneakers on his feet.
His words were full of praise for his future sister-in-law.
"Hahaha, that's great. If your whole family likes your sister-in-law, it's a win-win."
Jiang Tao laughed. He had some impression of Wang Xiaohong and liked her straightforward, love-boldly personality.
As for her figure or appearance, it wasn't his place as an elder to comment.
Everyone's tastes and preferences are different.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
As long as the two of them were happy and in love, it would be inappropriate for him, as their second uncle, to say anything discouraging.
Jiang Tao changed the subject and asked:
"Shaojie, how's your studying going? Can you make it to high school?"
"Uh, Second Uncle, let's talk about my brother and his girlfriend instead."
The moment his studies were brought up, Jiang Shaojie's face darkened, and he quickly tried to steer the conversation back to his brother.
Jiang Tao asked with a smile, "Shijie, how's your studying going? Can you get into a university?"
"Ahem, Second Uncle, I'm not cut out for studying. I'm not planning to go to college."
Jiang Shijie's expression was slightly embarrassed.
During his high school entrance exam, he was diverted to a vocational school, and his grades had plummeted ever since.
In mock exams, he couldn't even score 300 points.
If he went to college, it would only be the worst kind of junior college.
Instead of wasting time getting a meaningless degree, he figured he'd be better off learning a trade.
Jiang Tao asked while driving, "If you're not going to college, what's your plan? What trade do you want to learn?"
"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking…"
Jiang Shijie was feeling quite lost about his future, unsure of what he wanted to do or what he was capable of doing.
"If you really don't plan to go to school, come find me in Beijing after you graduate."
"I'll train you well, and when my shop opens branches in the future, I'll let you manage one."
Jiang Tao cared deeply for his two nephews, whom he'd watched grow up.
Even though, through his [Talent Scout] ability, he could see that his eldest nephew, Jiang Shijie, had no exceptional talents whatsoever—just an utterly ordinary person—he didn't mind arranging a high-paying job for him.
If he could offer high salaries to outsiders, why not to his own nephew?
Besides, his eldest nephew had a fortunate partner in Wang Xiaohong, which was a pretty good positive buff.
"Really, Second Uncle?!"
Jiang Shijie's eyes lit up with joy upon hearing his uncle's words.
Having lived in the countryside for over a decade, the farthest he'd ever been was Shijiazhuang, seventy or eighty kilometers away.
He'd long dreamed of making it in a mega-city like Beijing and experiencing its bustling prosperity.
With a big backer like his second uncle, life would surely be more comfortable!
Jiang Tao laughed, "Nonsense, would your second uncle lie to you?"
"Hehe, thank you, Second Uncle! It's a deal then! I'll come find you as soon as I graduate!"
Jiang Shijie chuckled and quickly locked in the plan.
"Second Uncle, I'm going too! I'm going! I'm sick of that damn school!"
"I'm graduating this year too. Can I come to Beijing and join you?!"
Jiang Shaojie looked eager and excited.
Jiang Tao laughed and scolded, "You little punk, stay in school and study hard. I'm not hiring child labor."
"School's so boring! Second Uncle, just take me in! I don't need a salary, so it's not child labor. Just cover my food and drink!"
Jiang Shaojie wasn't ready to give up and kept pleading.
School felt like a prison to him, and he didn't want to spend another day there.
"No way, kid. Stop daydreaming and focus on your studies."
Jiang Tao smiled and said, "Here's the deal, Shaojie. If you can get into a regular high school this year—doesn't matter which one—I'll reward you with 10,000 yuan for pocket money."
"Ten thousand yuan for pocket money? Second Uncle, you're not messing with me, are you?!"
Jiang Shaojie's eyes widened in shock at the amount.
Jiang Tao, still driving, chuckled, "A gentleman's word is his bond. Do I look like someone who doesn't keep his promises?"
Through his [Talent Scout] title, Jiang Tao could see that Jiang Shaojie had a talent for [Business Management].
If he nurtured this kid well, he'd be a great candidate to manage his company in the future.
"And when you get to high school, I'll give you 2,000 yuan a month for pocket money."
"When you get to college, I'll give you 5,000 yuan a month for pocket money."
"At that point, you won't have to worry about anything. Just focus on your studies."
"And when you graduate, come work at my company. I'll give you a salary of at least 10,000 or 20,000 yuan a month."
After Jiang Tao finished speaking, the two brothers exchanged a glance, then looked at him with eyes full of gratitude.
After the wave of emotion, Jiang Shaojie confirmed with Jiang Tao:
"Second Uncle… you're not just teasing a kid here, right?"
Jiang Tao laughed casually, "If you don't believe me, I'll write you a contract later. We'll have your grandparents and parents act as witnesses."
"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! I absolutely trust you, Second Uncle!"
"It's just… it feels like such a huge opportunity, how could it land on me, hehe."
"Second Uncle, with you saying that, I'm super motivated to study now!"
"In two months, it's the high school entrance exam. Just watch, that 10,000 yuan is mine!"
Though Jiang Shaojie hated studying, when he got serious, he learned quickly.
Reaching the score needed for a regular high school in two months wasn't too difficult for him with some effort.
"Alright, I'll have the money ready for you to claim."
The three of them chatted along the way, making the journey far from dull.
Around 10 a.m., Jiang Tao took a detour and arrived at the B City service area where he'd rested yesterday.