Chapter 21: Zhou Xiaohong, Establishing a Social Networking Company, and Poaching Talent

After finalizing the office lease, Yan Fei rushed to the job fair without a moment's delay. He intended to hire an assistant to establish the company's organizational framework before focusing on developing a social networking and communication app for strangers.

Upon arriving at the job fair during the afternoon peak, Yan Fei paid a premium to secure a prime location left behind by an event organizer, using the existing signage to advertise his own hiring needs.

No sooner had he prepared his station than a young man sat down and smiled, saying, "Hello, I am here to apply for the Market Manager position."

Yan Fei looked at the man, who appeared to be in his thirties, and asked, "Tell me about your background."

The man immediately replied, "My name is Zhang Shu, and I graduated from..."

After Zhang Shu finished his self-introduction, Yan Fei said, "I'm sorry, you aren't quite the right fit for our position. We are looking for a senior manager with experience in the internet sector, specifically someone who has led product development and managed large-scale operations."

Zhang Shu left, looking disappointed. From the large crowd of onlookers, another person quickly squeezed through, sat down, and said, "I have experience working at a major internet firm. I've done game development and led a game development team. I fit your requirements well. Are you really offering a two-million-yuan annual salary?"

Yan Fei looked at the dozen or so onlookers and announced loudly, "Two million or more, depending on individual ability. As long as you are hired, the minimum is two million a year. Those of you with the talent are welcome to try out; we are only hiring one person."

The two-million-yuan salary attracted many curious job seekers, but few dared to step forward for an interview, as most felt they lacked the necessary qualifications for such high compensation.

By the time Yan Fei rejected the fifth candidate, the crowd had not diminished; rather, it grew, as everyone wanted to see what kind of person could command such a salary.

Eventually, due to the organizers clearing the crowded aisles, only a few people remained by Yan Fei's desk. No one else dared to interview. By the time the fair ended, Yan Fei had interviewed eight people, none of whom he felt were suitable.

Zhou Xiaohong, clutching her resume, looked at the closing job fair with anxiety. She had resigned from her previous human resources department two months ago, and if she didn't find a job soon, her savings would be depleted by the end of next month.

Hoping that sending out one more resume might bring a glimmer of hope, she had applied to many positions she deemed suitable. Unknowingly, she ended up at Yan Fei's booth.

After handing over her resume, she saw the requirements on Yan Fei's sign and quickly retracted her hand, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was too anxious and nervous, I didn't read your job requirements."

Yan Fei looked at Zhou Xiaohong, who was quite attractive but wore an expression of deep anxiety on her oval face. He smiled and said, "Give me your resume. I primarily came to the job fair today to look for an assistant; the senior manager position was just a whim to see if I could get lucky."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaohong handed him her resume and said softly, "I previously worked in HR recruitment, so I can certainly work as an assistant."

Yan Fei took the resume, gestured for her to sit, and began to read. A minute later, he looked up and asked, "May I ask why you resigned from the Dachang Company?"

A look of discomfort crossed Zhou Xiaohong's face. Yan Fei, noticing this, said, "If it's inconvenient, never mind. Just tell me if you resigned voluntarily or were forced out, and whether there was any labor arbitration involved."

Zhou Xiaohong replied quietly, "It's not that it's inconvenient. Our manager harassed me, and I had no choice but to resign. It wasn't the company's fault, so there was no labor arbitration."

Yan Fei nodded. In his previous life, while running a company, he had been subjected to frivolous labor arbitrations by employees for bizarre reasons—cases that the labor bureau would strangely accept. This had led to a rise in "professional" workers who made a living off labor arbitration, which left Yan Fei and many other small business owners deeply dissatisfied. Therefore, he had a strict policy against hiring anyone with a history of labor arbitration.

After a moment of thought, Yan Fei said, "Our company is a startup. I can offer you five thousand a month. Your title will be Acting HR Manager. If you perform well, you can be promoted to manager. If I am not satisfied, I will hire a dedicated HR manager once the company is established, and you will become an HR specialist. Are you willing to join us?"

"I am!" Zhou Xiaohong did not hesitate. Five thousand was a thousand more than her previous salary, not to mention the opportunity to become a full HR manager. She said earnestly, "Don't worry, Boss. I will work hard and will definitely not let you down."

Yan Fei nodded and said in a low voice, "Come with me. We are going to the office now."

After leaving the job fair, they took a taxi straight to the Galaxy International Building and took the elevator to the 18th floor. As soon as they stepped out, they saw the massive company entrance.

Yan Fei opened the door and led Zhou Xiaohong inside. As they walked, he introduced the space: "This is an internet company. Our business license will be ready next week. The entire office covers three thousand square meters, taking up the whole 18th floor. Starting tomorrow, your job will be to take my place at the job fairs to recruit people with internet experience and help build the company's framework."

Seeing the enormous office space, Zhou Xiaohong felt as if she had entered a major corporation. She was thrilled, though she felt immense pressure upon hearing she would be tasked with building the framework for a company that was currently a blank slate.

Seeing her reaction, Yan Fei smiled and said, "You only need to assist. First, recruit a suitable manager; I will authorize them to build the framework, and you will provide support."

Zhou Xiaohong felt relieved. She began asking Yan Fei about details she needed to pay attention to, methods of operation, and the overall sequence of tasks, taking diligent notes of everything.

At 6:30 PM, the two parted ways. On her way home, Zhou Xiaohong still felt as if it were unreal. A stroke of incredible luck had fallen upon her; the hour-long conversation alone felt like a significant growth experience.

Back home, her roommate and best friend saw her strange expression and immediately asked, "Xiaohong, what's wrong? You look like you're sleepwalking."

Zhou Xiaohong turned to her friend and said, "Xiangxiang, pinch me. I think I've hit the jackpot. See if I'm dreaming."

Zhao Xianglan pinched her and asked curiously, "What on earth is going on? You're not dreaming."

Feeling the sting, Zhou Xiaohong realized her luck was real. She said excitedly, "Xiangxiang, I was hired by a major startup. I got the position of Acting HR Manager. The office is over three thousand square meters and located in the ultra-luxurious Galaxy International Building!"

Zhao Xianglan listened to the excited recount and cheered, "Xiaohong, you found a job! That's great! I won't have to bear the rent by myself next month; the pressure was really too much."

The two young women, who had been working in Shenzhen for just over a year, celebrated joyfully, discussing their future dreams and hoping to put down roots in this international metropolis and become true Shenzhen residents.

The next day, after waking up and watching the beautiful scenery from his balcony, Yan Fei made a simple breakfast. After eating, he turned on his computer to check the markets.

The rebar futures market gave Yan Fei a shock during the collective bidding phase; a massive long order of 3,000 lots appeared at 4,500, a significant jump from yesterday's settlement price of 4,325—a rise of 175 yuan.

Watching the 4% surge, Yan Fei was dumbfounded. It looked as if the opening would hit the daily limit. Fortunately, a few seconds later, a short order suppressed the price to 4,460.

After five minutes of watching, at 8:59 AM, the opening price settled at 4,439. This opening price meant Yan Fei had a floating loss of over 51.88 million yuan—more than half of his principal. If the loss reached 70% of the principal, he would need to add margin.

Gritting his teeth, Yan Fei placed a 9,000-lot short order at 4,439, intending to suppress the rebar futures price after the market opened.

At 9:00 AM, Yan Fei suddenly realized that part of his 9,000-lot order had been filled during the final minute of the collective bidding. The moment the market opened, it was instantly swallowed by the bulls, and the price of rebar climbed to 4,445.

At this point, Yan Fei's equity stood at 139.94 million yuan, with a position of 32,694 short lots at an average price of 4,280, resulting in a floating loss of 53.945 million yuan.

Staring fixedly at the screen, Yan Fei prayed for a massive short to come and crush the bullish trend. As if answering his prayers, after the price rose to 4,450, a 20,000-lot short order smashed into the market. The price of rebar plummeted like a waterfall to 4,410.

Following this massive short order, countless short orders flooded the market like snowflakes, pummeling the bulls' momentum and causing the price of rebar futures to fall continuously.

In just ten minutes, the price of rebar dropped to 4,380, and the trading volume soared to over 5 billion yuan. Watching the market stabilize, Yan Fei felt the bulls would not be able to recover today and that the market would likely close lower, so he felt reassured and switched his screen to the Shanghai Copper 0912 contract.

Rubbing his eyes, Yan Fei stared in disbelief at the Shanghai Copper 0912 contract; it had opened at the daily limit. The fluctuation lasted only seconds, with an opening price of 49,330—hitting the limit immediately. The lowest price was 49,240, which only lasted for a few seconds before being sealed at the limit again.

It was the first time Yan Fei had ever seen a copper futures contract sealed at the limit. He was stunned for a full minute before concluding that it would continue to rise tomorrow, so he decided not to touch his position, intending to wait for the bullish momentum to fade before closing.

Yan Fei looked at his account: 4,820 long lots at an average price of 46,700 yuan per ton, with a floating profit of 63.383 million yuan. Pleased that he could finish his trading day early, he felt quite happy.

Checking the time, it was 9:30 AM. He switched to the CSI 300 index. It opened at 3,222.40, a 0.59% rise, and then climbed steadily with trading volume similar to yesterday.

Within a minute, the index rose to 3,230. The bulls' attack was as fierce as a tide, forcing the bears to retreat and showing signs that the CSI 300 index was set for a strong rise on the first day of a new cycle.

Seeing this, Yan Fei wondered if he should follow the trend and go long. Suddenly, a 2,000-lot short order hit the market, instantly driving the CSI 300 index down to 3,210.

Facing the sudden bear attack, the bulls retaliated with a 3,000-lot long order, aggressively pulling the CSI 300 index up to 3,235.

This exchange triggered a fierce battle between bulls and bears. The index began to swing wildly. In just half an hour, it hit a low of 3,190 and a high of 3,240.

Watching the intense battle, Yan Fei found it exhilarating. Following his instinct to stay with the bears, when the index returned to 3,240, he sold all his holdings to go short.

In a few seconds, his 400-lot short order was filled at an average price of 3,238.86, costing 58.3 million yuan in principal, with over 30,000 yuan in fees and commissions, leaving 470,000 yuan in his account.

After finishing his trading, Yan Fei's phone rang. It was Zhang Xuhao. "Mr. Yan, the industrial and commercial changes have been completed. We've also rented an office and are preparing to recruit full-time delivery riders and a team of ground promoters to cover Shanghai with our 'Ele.me' flags."

Listening to Zhang Xuhao, Yan Fei remembered he still owed the four-million-yuan investment for Ele.me. He smiled and said, "Good idea. Implement it boldly. I will transfer the second installment of four million yuan tomorrow."

"Thank you, Mr. Yan." Zhang Xuhao chatted for a while longer, asking for advice on food delivery business operations. After receiving Yan Fei's guidance, he was inspired and immediately went to work.

After hanging up, Yan Fei checked the time. It was only 10:00 AM. With nothing else on his hands, he prepared to stay home and study finance books. Suddenly, his phone rang again.

It was Zhang Song from Liepin.com. Yan Fei asked happily, "Manager Zhang, any good news?"

Zhang Song smiled and said, "Mr. Yan, good news. On Sunday, I met a senior executive in the internet industry who is considering a job change. Most importantly, he is the head of a business department at a Tencent subsidiary that hasn't been receiving much attention."

Yan Fei asked, "What is his name, and what is his current situation?"

Zhang Song replied, "His name is Zhang Xiaolong. He is at an email company in Guangzhou that is a subsidiary of Tencent. It was a small company Tencent acquired a while ago. Since Tencent wants to develop its own QQ Mail, they absorbed some of the valuable assets and have been neglecting the company. Zhang is dissatisfied with this and is planning to leave."