Chapter 16: From Now On, Employee Lunches Are on the Company

“Boss Chen, did you transfer too much?”

Shen Rou looked at the transfer amount and glanced at Chen Mo in confusion.

“Yeah, wasn’t it supposed to be 6,400?”

Chen Mo was puzzled. Did he accidentally leave out a zero and only send 640?

But when he checked the transfer record, it was indeed 6,400.

“It is 6,400, but isn’t my salary 6,000?”

Shen Rou asked, still confused.

Realization dawned on Chen Mo, and he chuckled.

“Ah, your salary is 6,000. The extra 400 is a full attendance bonus.”

“But I haven’t even started working yet, and I might not even have perfect attendance.”

“I’m just paying it upfront. If you don’t qualify for full attendance, you can return it later.”

Chen Mo said this casually, but in his mind, he was already thinking—Return it? No way.

Once money is spent, there’s no such thing as giving it back. He was already brainstorming excuses in case she actually tried to return it.

Looking at Chen Mo’s relaxed demeanor, Shen Rou felt deeply moved. The amount might not be much for Chen Mo, but for her current situation, it was practically life-saving money.

She bowed deeply and sincerely thanked him.

“Thank you, Boss Chen. I’ll work hard!”

Chen Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Work hard? That won’t do.

No, he had to get rid of this mindset immediately.

“Uh, Shen Rou, our company promotes a relaxed and enjoyable work environment. We don’t encourage overworking. Work hard, sure, but don’t let it take over your life.”

“Thank you, Boss Chen. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Shen Rou thanked him again.

This boss really cares about his employees. No wonder the workers in the factory treat him with such respect.

Seeing her reaction, Chen Mo felt relieved and sat back down.

“Boss Chen, when do I start working?”

Shen Rou asked. Since the contract was signed and she had already received her advance salary, she naturally wanted to confirm her start date.

“If you have no other plans, you can start today.”

Shen Rou was delighted to hear this. She wanted to start as soon as possible.

“Then I’ll start today. What should I do first?”

“Uh… Organize the materials for processing employee social security and housing fund applications. We might be arranging that soon.”

Chen Mo thought for a moment and assigned her the task.

Yesterday, he had already discussed the social security benefits with the employees. Now that he had Shen Rou, he wouldn’t have to handle it himself.

“Understood, Boss Chen.”

Shen Rou nodded and glanced around the office, realizing she didn’t have a workstation.

Chen Mo noticed this issue too and stood up.

“You can use my desk for now. The computer’s a bit slow, so bear with it for a few days. We’ll be replacing it soon.”

“Boss Chen, this…”

Shen Rou hesitated. Taking over the boss’s desk on her first day didn’t seem right.

“Don’t worry about it. Just use it for now. Once the new desk and chair arrive, you’ll have your own workstation.”

Chen Mo reassured her. In his mind, he was thinking—Just get the social security stuff done quickly, so I can spend another chunk of system funds.

Seeing that Chen Mo genuinely didn’t mind, Shen Rou stopped hesitating, sat down, and started organizing the documents.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo leaned back and scrolled through his phone in boredom.

Before long, it was noon—lunchtime.

Chen Mo suddenly realized that during his previous visits to the company, he never had lunch there. So now, he had no idea where to eat.

After some thought, he called Li Shen over.

“Boss Chen, you called for me?”

Li Shen entered the office respectfully.

“I have a question. Where do the factory employees usually eat lunch?”

“Around noon, food trucks park outside the industrial park. Most employees buy their lunch from there and bring it back.”

“You mean they pay for it themselves?”

Chen Mo’s eyes lit up. Looks like I just found another way to spend money.

“Yes, we’ve always paid for our own meals.”

Li Shen nodded, not understanding why the boss was asking about this. Ever since he joined the company, buying lunch had always been the employees’ responsibility.

“That’s an oversight on my part. As the company’s boss, how can I let my employees pay for their own meals?”

“From now on, the company will cover the cost of employee lunches.”

“Thank you, Boss Chen!”

Li Shen’s face lit up with joy as he quickly expressed his gratitude.

Having company-sponsored meals meant saving money on lunch, which was practically like getting a raise of a few hundred yuan per month.

Then, a thought struck him, and he asked,

“Boss Chen, the food trucks have meals at different price levels. Which one should I buy?”

“What’s the most expensive option?”

“The highest-priced meal is 16 yuan—it’s all meat dishes.”

Only 16 yuan?

Chen Mo frowned. With just over twenty employees in the factory, that meant lunch would only cost a few hundred yuan per day.

That’s way too little. Fast food isn’t going to cut it—I need to find a way to spend more.

But for today, lunch had to be settled first.

He looked up at Li Shen.

“Count the number of employees and buy the most expensive meal option. Also, get each person an extra drink.”

“And by the way, this is Shen Rou, my new assistant. She’ll be handling some company affairs from now on.”

Chen Mo introduced Shen Rou before sending Li Shen off to buy lunch.

---

In the Factory

Li Shen excitedly ran up to the second floor and shouted,

“Guys, come help me get lunch!”

“Li Shen, it’s not even lunchtime yet. If the boss finds out, it won’t look good.”

“Yeah, Boss Chen treats us well. We shouldn’t take advantage of work hours to buy food.”

Seeing their resistance, Li Shen grinned mysteriously.

“This is the boss’s order. Boss Chen said from now on, employee lunches are covered by the company.”

Silence.

Then, the factory floor exploded with chatter.

“Li Shen, are you joking?”

“Is this for real?”

“…!”

One by one, the employees questioned him with disbelief.

Li Shen clapped his hands to quiet them down.

“Calm down, everyone. Boss Chen personally told me this, so it’s absolutely true. And I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

“So, I just need two volunteers to help me carry the food. It won’t interfere with work.”

As soon as he finished speaking, two men stepped forward, eager to help.

---

After lunch, Chen Mo was pondering ways to increase the company’s lunch expenses when someone knocked on his office door.

“Come in.”

He looked up to see a middle-aged man with a weathered face stepping inside. Sweat covered his forehead, as if he had just finished intense physical activity.