Chapter 40: I Think Your Salary Needs an Adjustment

Chen Mo glanced at Wang Maonian’s slightly bloated figure and smirked to himself.

He walked briskly through the cafeteria, checking on the renovation progress.

The renovations were moving quite fast—more than half was already completed. At this pace, the cafeteria would be finished in about a week.

But thinking about it, that made sense.

Aside from the kitchen area, which required more work, most of the renovation just involved tiling and painting.

“Mr. Chen, the measurer has arrived,” Shen Rou suddenly approached and whispered.

“They’re here? Let’s go over then.”

—

“Hello, Mr. Chen!”

At the entrance of the newly rented workshop, Wang Yang hurriedly greeted Mr. Chen as soon as he saw him.

When he arrived at the workshop entrance and saw no other competitors, he immediately realized that he was the only one invited to take measurements.

He felt deeply grateful that Mr. Chen trusted him so much.

“Mm, let’s go in and take a look,” Chen Mo replied with a slight smile and led the way into the workshop.

Inside, he glanced around and noticed that, unlike the cafeteria, this workshop had several makeshift rooms, which were probably used as offices before.

“Mr. Chen, how do you plan to renovate this space?” Wang Yang examined the layout and asked.

“I’m going to convert the entire workshop into employee dormitories,” Chen Mo replied.

“Do you have specific requirements for the size and layout of the dorms?”

Chen Mo thought for a moment before answering, “Design each dormitory for two people—not bunk beds. Each unit must have a private bathroom, and the overall space shouldn’t feel cramped. Also, every room needs its own air conditioning unit.”

Initially, he had considered single-occupancy rooms, but after noticing that some workers were couples, he decided on double rooms instead.

“Mr. Chen, if we use central air conditioning with vents in each room, it would be much more cost-effective than installing separate units,” Wang Yang suggested, recalling some advice from Brother Jun the day before.

“No need,” Chen Mo rejected the idea without hesitation.

“Every employee has different temperature preferences. Some like it colder, while others don’t. Central air conditioning can’t accommodate these individual needs, but separate units allow each person to adjust the temperature as they like.”

Chen Mo shot Wang Yang a glance.

He thought to himself, Why do you think I called you here? Isn’t it so you can increase my budget?

“I understand, Mr. Chen,” Wang Yang nodded meekly. That look from Mr. Chen just now made him feel immense pressure, as if he had become his enemy.

“Besides these, do you have any other requirements, Mr. Chen?”

“Yes, all materials used for the renovation must be the same as the ones in the cafeteria—high-quality, big-brand materials, including the beds, bathrooms, air conditioning, and so on,” Chen Mo said seriously.

“Understood, Mr. Chen.”

Wang Yang nodded obediently and then began taking measurements.

After ensuring there were no further instructions, Chen Mo left.

—

“Mr. Chen, your coffee.”

As soon as he sat down, Shen Rou brought over a cup of coffee.

Chen Mo glanced at Shen Rou. He felt like something about her was different today, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

“Mr. Chen, what would you like for lunch? I’ll arrange it,” Shen Rou asked, standing by.

“Anything’s fine,” Chen Mo replied, unsure what he wanted to eat.

Then, he finally realized what was different about Shen Rou today—since arriving at the office, she had been paying unusually close attention to his every move.

When he wanted water, she brought it before he asked.

When he was about to adjust the air conditioning, she had already done it.

What’s going on?!

Chen Mo looked at Shen Rou at her desk, puzzled by the sudden change in her behavior.

Feeling unsettled, he decided to ask.

“Shen Rou?”

“Yes, Mr. Chen? Do you need something?” Shen Rou immediately came over.

Chen Mo thought for a moment and carefully chose his words.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little… too attentive today?”

“Mr. Chen, I’ve been reading some professional books on assistant skills. These tasks are things a competent assistant should handle, so there’s no need to worry,” Shen Rou explained quickly.

Oh? So an assistant is supposed to do all this?

Hearing her explanation, Chen Mo finally relaxed.

Hmm… Looks like hiring her was really worth it. She even takes care of my meals and daily needs.

Definitely worth it. Absolutely worth it.

With such a dedicated assistant, wasn’t 8,000 yuan a bit too low for her salary?

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Mo consulted the system in his mind. He couldn’t let such a good excuse for a salary increase slip away.

After a moment, he looked up at Shen Rou and said, “You’ve been doing a great job. As an assistant, your skills have improved, so I’ve decided to adjust your salary.”

“Starting next month, your salary will be 10,000 yuan.”

That was the amount he had probed from the system.

“Huh?!” Shen Rou gasped in surprise.

A raise?!

Hadn’t she just received a salary increase recently?

Her paycheck for the previous raise hadn’t even been issued yet, and now she was getting another 2,000 yuan increase?

This…

Shen Rou was at a loss for words. She was happy, of course, but it felt surreal.

She had never expected a salary raise—she was simply doing her best as an assistant.

“Mr. Chen, I wasn’t doing this for a raise,” she said earnestly.

“I know,” Chen Mo replied. “But as your boss, I believe that as your skills improve, your salary should increase accordingly. Not just for you—this applies to everyone.”

His tone was firm, leaving Shen Rou no room to refuse.

“Thank you, Mr. Chen.”

Seeing his sincerity, Shen Rou felt genuinely touched.

“Oh, one more thing,” Chen Mo added.

“Yes, Mr. Chen?” Shen Rou immediately straightened up.

“Notify all department employees to gather tomorrow morning for a company-wide morning exercise.”

“Understood.”

Shen Rou nodded, though she wasn’t sure why Chen Mo was organizing a morning workout. But if he made the decision, there had to be a reason.

“By the way, Mr. Chen, you have a scheduled visit to Cangxue Games today. Fang Chang sent a message saying they have finalized several project proposals for your review,” she reminded him.

“Got it. I’ll head over in a bit,” Chen Mo sighed.

He was getting busier by the day.

But since he had taken over Cangxue Games, he had to push for new projects—otherwise, the system would classify it as intentional business mismanagement.

—

At Cangxue Games.

“Mr. Chen, here are three project proposals for you to review,” Fang Chang handed over the documents nervously.

These proposals were projects he had worked on previously, each with great potential. He was confident that any of them could generate profit—it was only a matter of how much.

Unfortunately, they had all been rejected by the previous boss.

Now, he could only hope that Mr. Chen had a different perspective.