paranoianovel Chapter 77 A Letter from Heaven: Can you outsource this business?
Chapter 77 A Letter from Heaven: Can you outsource this business?
Chu Jiang hung up the phone and casually placed the well-worn Celestial Master Seal on the bar counter with a soft "thump".
Lin Fan's side is probably already surrounded by those old foxes.
However, a CEO needs to be able to withstand pressure.
The position he gave Lin Fan wasn't meant for him to enjoy a life of luxury.
Less than ten minutes later, Lin Fan called again, his voice trembling as if the phone was on vibrate.
"Boss!"
"They agreed!"
Chu Jiang picked up his water glass and blew on it to cool it down.
"Oh, that's good."
"No... Boss, you don't know what's going on here!"
Lin Fan's voice was trembling with tears and a hint of barely suppressed excitement.
"Zhou Wanshan's face is cleaner than my wallet!"
"They said...that they needed time to sell some 'non-performing assets,' and asked if we could pay a 10% deposit first, and then pay in installments!"
"They even asked about your consultation fee. Could you offer a yearly subscription package with a discount?"
Chu Jiang took a sip of water.
Tell them that our company does not accept installment payments or offer package deals.
"We only do high-end customization, and charging on time is our bottom line."
"Also, a reminder to you, Mr. Lin, don't forget to use their deposit to pay your salary for this month first."
After saying that, Chu Jiang hung up the phone again.
A job in the underworld is stable, but performance-based pay in the mortal world is much more appealing.
In the following days, Shanghai entered a strange yet harmonious state.
On the street, the awakened ones and the monsters met, and the tension was no longer palpable.
Instead, they nodded to each other and politely asked a question.
"Dude, how much did you rack up in your Yin De credit score today?"
"Did you sign up for that 'Three Paths Fast Crossing' civil service exam cram school? I heard Hu Xiaoyao even passed!"
The milk tea shop "Santu Station" has become a pilgrimage site for the supernatural world in the mortal realm.
The queue at the entrance stretched from one end of the street to the other, and after turning a corner, it could circle the adjacent shopping mall three times.
That day, an old man with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, was standing in the line, tiptoeing to look ahead.
"My goodness, this line is even longer than the line for the Investiture of the Gods back in the day."
The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself.
"Is the water of the River of Oblivion really that magical? It tastes even better than the Queen Mother of the West's peach juice?"
A fox spirit girl with two fluffy ears next to him heard this and rolled her eyes at him.
"Sir, you just don't understand, do you?"
"What you're drinking isn't just milk tea, it's a position in the underworld, an option for reincarnation!"
"Let me tell you, my second uncle's third nephew has accumulated 800 points of good karma credit just from coming here for a drink every day. He's already booked the 'Child of Destiny' package for his next life!"
The old man listened, completely bewildered.
"Is it really that mysterious?"
A tall, burly man in front of him turned around and said in a deep, muffled voice.
"It's more than just mystical! I managed to snag a cup of 'Ex-Girlfriend's Tears' yesterday, and after drinking it, the inner demons that had plagued me for three hundred years were instantly purified!"
"Now that my Dao mind is clear, I feel I can break through at any moment!"
The old man opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He felt that his worldview, built up over thousands of years, was being rubbed into the ground by this tiny milk tea shop.
After queuing for a full two hours, the old man finally squeezed his way to the front of the bar.
Red Boy, dressed in a yellow delivery uniform, was impatiently placing his order.
"What would you like to drink? Hurry up, there are other people waiting."
"I'd like a cup of their signature Forget-Me-Not Water."
The old man shakily took out a piece of jade of excellent quality.
Red Boy glanced at it.
"We won't accept this. Scan the QR code to pay, understand? Use the SanTuQuaiDu app."
After much trouble, the old man finally managed to pay with the help of a kind-hearted monster.
He held the cup of milk tea, which emitted a faint golden glow, found a corner, and carefully took a sip.
A cool, sweet sensation, yet carrying an aura of endless vicissitudes, instantly surged through my limbs and bones.
The immortal power within him became incredibly compliant, as if it had been ironed.
"This is good stuff!"
The old man's eyes lit up, and he finished the cup of milk tea in just a few gulps.
He smacked his lips, feeling unsatisfied, and got up to queue up again for another cup.
Just then, a voice came from behind the bar.
"Sir, since you're already here, why don't you come in and have a seat?"
The old man was taken aback. He looked up and saw Chu Jiang leaning against the bar, smiling at him.
The old man composed himself, straightened his robes, and then stepped inside.
The moment he stepped into the bar area, his entire demeanor changed.
The image of the old man next door has vanished, replaced by a dignified and otherworldly air.
"The Chief Justice of the Underworld's Supreme Court, Chu Jiang?"
"I am Taibai Jinxing, and I have come to pay my respects by order of the Jade Emperor."
Chu Jiang nodded and pointed to the small stool next to him.
"Have a seat. What would you like to drink? Will Heaven reimburse your expenses today?"
Venus's lips twitched.
He took a scroll from his sleeve and slowly unrolled it.
It was a brocade banner embroidered with dazzling gold thread, on which eight large characters were written in a flamboyant style.
[Outstanding Property Management in the Three Realms, a Model of Harmony in the Underworld]
Chu Jiang took it, weighed it in his hand, and then examined it against the light.
"Is this gold thread pure gold? Could I melt it down and make a ring?"
Venus's smile froze on his face.
"Ahem, Dean, you're joking."
"This is the Jade Emperor, representing the Heavenly Court, giving you high praise and recognition for your work!"
"You've done an excellent job of 'property management'! Ever since you took over the order of the mortal realm, the golden light of merit in the mortal world has been soaring, even our Heavenly Court's year-end bonuses are secured!"
Venus was so excited that he was practically clinging to Chu Jiang's leg and calling him family.
"The Jade Emperor said, this immense wealth and honor cannot be enjoyed solely by the Underworld; it's time for our Heavenly Court to receive it too!"
Chu Jiang lowered the brocade banner.
"Get to the point."
Venus rubbed his hands together, leaned closer, and lowered his voice.
"Dean, to be honest, our Heavenly Court... has recently encountered some management difficulties."
"Some departments, you know, have a lot of legacy issues."
"Some senior celestial officials are rigid in their thinking, lack ambition, fail to meet performance targets year after year, and like to rely on their seniority, occupying positions in the Heavenly Court..."
"What the Jade Emperor means is, you see, your management model is so advanced, could you... also help us 'optimize' it?"
Chu Jiang looked at him.
"You mean, you want me to go to Heaven and help you reform your workplace?"
"That's pretty much the idea!" Venus nodded repeatedly. "Of course, we're not asking you to go in person; we wouldn't dare trouble you."
"We just want to... outsource! Yes, outsource some business to your company!"
"For example, help us monitor the attendance of certain celestial officials, assess their performance, and give those troublemakers a physics lesson or something..."
Chu Jiang tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table.
So they wanted to hire me as a thug.
"This is not a good situation."
Chu Jiang sighed.
"Cross-border law enforcement is neither legitimate nor justifiable."
"Our underworld is a formal institution that values acting in accordance with the law and based on reason and evidence. If word gets out that I'm interfering in the affairs of the Heavenly Court, it will have a bad impact."
Upon hearing this, Venus became anxious.
"Dean, we can discuss this! Everything is negotiable!"
Chu Jiang pondered for a moment.
"There is a way, though."
"To facilitate management and standardize procedures, I suggest that we first implement a 'Provisional Measures for the Management of Celestial Officials Entering the Mortal Realm'."
"What do you mean?" Venus didn't understand.
"It means that from now on, any deity in Heaven who wants to descend to the mortal realm, whether on official business or for private travel, will have to come to me first to get a 'visa'."
"Business visas, tourist visas, and family visit visas all have different fees and lengths of stay."
"We need to conduct background checks and risk assessments on people entering the country. This is also to ensure the stability of order in the real world, don't you agree?"
Venus was stunned.
Before he could say anything more, Chu Jiang had already pushed a price list in front of him.
"This is a preliminary cooperation plan. Please take a look."
"Celestial Official's 'Single Entry Visa': Application fee: 100,000 merit points."
"Performance Optimization" Consulting Service, Basic Package, one million merit points per year, excluding physical legal education.
"Targeted management of 'troublesome employees' is available on a per-use basis, with a starting price of 500,000 merit points. The specific price will increase depending on the individual's cultivation level and the strength of their backing."
Venus stared at the string of zeros on the price list, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
He felt he wasn't there to discuss cooperation, but rather to be exploited.
After seeing off Taibai Jinxing, who looked dazed and said he needed to go back to consult the Jade Emperor, Chu Jiang stretched.
He opened the backend of "Three Paths Fast Crossing".
In the "Property Management Fee" column, the numbers were scrolling wildly like a floodgate opening.
The "Company's First Round Financing Intent Fund" account next to it already holds an astronomical sum.
Chu Jiang revealed that terrified Li the programmer.
He turned to look at Little V, who was refilling the milk tea machine with ingredients.
"Little V".
"Yes, boss."
"Send me a copy of the market research report on Western Hell."
"That old codger Lucifer, isn't he always saying he wants to cooperate?"
"Let me take a look at his balance sheet first, just in case we end up in court and he can't even afford the lawyer's fees."