"Phew…"

Su Wei had expected her cold, distant demeanor to fluster the other party further. To her surprise, after taking a deep breath, Li Keqin calmed down completely. Composing herself, she turned to Su Wei with a sincere, apologetic expression.

"I sincerely apologize for my earlier lapse. But may I have just a few more minutes of your time?"

Su Wei glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. "You have three minutes left."

"More than enough."

The Li Keqin standing before her now was a completely different person from the flustered girl moments ago. Confidence glowed on her face as she walked slowly toward Su Wei.

"Before arriving, I analyzed your current product—the 'Tianyan Check Bug' software. Market research shows it’s entering saturation. Even with the partnership with the Grand Zhou Federal Empire, 100 million Zhou yuan monthly is likely the ceiling. Your company urgently needs a new product to expand. With that stable funding, you can venture into slightly riskier areas—social or interactive apps, even games or films."

"I’ve studied your software. Its professionalism is top-tier. What you lack isn’t tech—it’s direction. This targeted hiring tells me you already have a new framework. But I’m here with ideals and ambition."

Su Wei raised an eyebrow. *If she’d shown this confidence from the start…* Still, the earlier panic left a trace of doubt. Calmly, she asked, "For example?"

"A social app."

Su Wei inwardly scoffed but gestured for her to continue.

"Everyone says 'Chuanyin' dominates messaging and Twitter owns microblogging—unbeatable. But there’s an untapped niche. They chase breadth; we target depth."

"Like the beauty community. An app for sharing makeup techniques, cosmetics, fashion, and styling. Target: young women. Promote it right, and it’ll profit—not just from traffic fees, but ads will pour in. Add luxury content too. People can’t afford it? *That’s* why they’ll watch."

Su Wei nodded slightly. *True. Niche, but potentially more profitable than Tianyan Check Bug.*

"Especially the Huaxia market. Its spending power nearly matches Grand Zhou’s. A massive cake many capitalists are eyeing. Don’t overlook it."

Smiling, Su Wei gestured to the chair. "You revealed your whole strategy. Aren’t you afraid I won’t hire you?"

Li Keqin’s tension melted. "I trust you wouldn’t let real talent slip away."

Su Wei held her smile, silent for a beat. Then, softly: "Deputy manager… or manager?"

"Manager, of course." Li Keqin’s voice brimmed with conviction. "Grant me the authority to act. I’ll deliver results you’ll be proud of."

"Confidence is a virtue." Su Wei stood, smiling. "You’re hired. Start Monday. Your title? I’ll tell you tonight."

"Thank you for your trust!"

Li Keqin beamed and left, radiant. Su Wei drifted to the window, watching the rolling sea. *Talent? Ambition? Drive? Yes. But can I trust her? An undiscovered genius… or just an armchair strategist?*

"Chairwoman, shall I call the next candidate?"

"Mm. Go ahead."

In a flash, Su Wei sat back, marked a check on Li Keqin’s resume. *Give her a chance. I was young once too.*

The next three interviews were unremarkable. She hired two steady veterans—ten years in the field, cautious, reliable. Perfect counterweights to Li Keqin’s fire. *A thoughtful brake isn’t dead weight. It prevents mistakes.*

Meanwhile, programmer and architect hires for Jiucang Group’s UK branch were finalized. Headquarters—operator of Tianyan Check Bug—needed stricter, higher-paid talent. Su Wei left those interviews to Qiao Yu.

Far west in Huaxia, Dawnlight Technology Co., Ltd. was hitting its stride. Their short video app neared completion. Fueled by Su Wei’s funding, Su Xiu and his team lived at the office—takeout meals, latex mats on the floor for sleep.

One evening, gathered around barbecue on the floor, someone grinned at Su Xiu.

"Hey, Jiucang Group’s chairwoman is named Su Wei—same as your sister."

"Huh?" Su Xiu blinked. "How old?"

"Roughly our age?"

"Rumor says… she’s even a student at Zhaoge Royal Academy."