23. Xinghe Collection

At nine o'clock in the morning, the auction had already begun. Huang Ying had personally arranged seven seats, all of which were in excellent central locations.

Yang Fan was walking with Sun Xing along the corridor outside the auction hall.

"How do you like it here?" Yang Fan asked.

"It’s a big company," Sun Xing remarked with a sigh of admiration.

The auction hall was on the fifth floor, and the corridor outside overlooked the five-story open atrium. From this high vantage point, looking over the railing, one could see twelve massive marble Roman columns, projecting an air of grandeur and opulence.

A colossal crystal chandelier radiated brilliant light, its countless meticulously cut reflective surfaces bursting with diamond-like fire.

"I heard this chandelier was made in the Czech Republic and is worth twenty million yuan," Yang Fan added with a touch of sentiment.

"Mr. Yang, did you call me out here just to look at a chandelier?" Sun Xing asked cautiously.

From the very beginning, she had sensed that this young Mr. Yang treated her differently than the others. Sometimes she would catch him looking at her as if lost in thought. This suggested that she held a special place in his mind. It made her feel a mix of secret delight, nervousness, and worry. She had heard many rumors about the unspoken rules of the workplace. What if he had ulterior motives? She really wanted this job; it wouldn't interfere with her studies, and the pay was good. She didn't want to lose this opportunity.

Thinking of this, Sun Xing snuck another glance at Yang Fan. Actually, Brother Yang was quite handsome, though a bit tan. But the tan only added a touch of maturity and stability to his appearance. Even Louis Koo was quite dark, and he was still very attractive. He wasn't even that good-looking when he was fair-skinned; it was only after he tanned that he became a star.

At this thought, her cheeks flushed, and a rosy glow appeared on her plain, fresh-faced complexion, making her look like a Fuji apple that one might want to take a bite of.

*Oh, stop it, stop it!* Why was she having such silly thoughts? Sun Xing shook her head vigorously, trying to chase the wild notions away.

"Because you are different from them," Yang Fan said, looking into her eyes.

"Ah?" Sun Xing was stunned. Was he going to confess to her so soon? Panic washed over her, leaving her feeling awkward and flustered, yet a sliver of secret joy bubbled up in her heart.

Yang Fan turned around, resting his hands on the railing, and continued: "Of the six of you, you are the only one who truly wants to find a job. The others are just here for fun."

Sun Xing let out a sigh of relief. She had been so nervous! How embarrassing—she had been letting her imagination run wild. She felt deeply ashamed, yet there was a lingering sense of disappointment and a daze in her heart.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?" Yang Fan asked, looking at her with concern.

"No, I'm fine. It's just too hot in here, yes, too hot," Sun Xing said in a panic.

"Hot? Maybe a little." It was late autumn, and as this was the annual autumn auction, Baoli had turned up the air conditioning a bit.

"Can you tell me why you want a job so badly? You're a freshman; shouldn't you be focusing on getting to know your school and classmates?"

Sun Xing took a deep breath and gathered her courage. "Mr. Yang, please don't look down on me after I tell you."

Yang Fan looked surprised.

"My family is from the countryside, and I have a younger brother. When he was eight, our parents were working in the fields, and I was watching him at home. He climbed a tree to pick ginkgo nuts for me and fell. There were rocks on the ground, and he suffered a compound fracture in his left leg, leaving him with a permanent limp. He is fifteen now, and in a few years, he'll be of age to start looking for a partner. I feel like I ruined his life. I feel so guilty for not watching him properly."

"Isn't it normal for an older sister to care for her younger brother? Why would I look down on you for that?"

"I know that on the internet, women like me are called 'brother-obsessed.' It's the type of woman men hate most. In truth, I just want to reduce the burden on my parents as much as possible. These past few years, they’ve drained everything to put me through school and still owe our relatives a lot of money."

"Actually, you didn't do it on purpose; it was an accident. Don't let yourself get trapped in guilt. Since it has already happened, you have to face it. Dwelling on emotions is the most useless thing you can do."

"But it was because of me that his life was ruined."

"That's not the same thing. Don't think that way. It only shows that you are a responsible person, which proves that I didn't misjudge you."

"I am about to launch a new project, and I want to know if you're interested in leading it. Furthermore, the work involving the garbage classification endorsement will also be managed there in the future."

"Mr. Yang, I’m willing!" Sun Xing puffed out her cheeks and clenched her small fists. "I will definitely do a good job for you."

"I am setting up a new company called Xinghe Collectibles. It will mainly deal in antiques and art pieces for collectors. The scale doesn't need to be large at first, and you won't need to rent an office. You'll primarily open online stores on Yanxi, Heimao, and Taotao. You'll also need to develop an app and an official account. I will provide the inventory, and you and your friends will handle the online sales."

"Mr. Yang, we are all majoring in Chinese literature. While literature and history are closely related, wouldn't it be better to find students from the archaeology department?"

"Because I'm a fan of aesthetics. I've heard there's a simple method for identifying fossils: licking them with your tongue to taste them. Do you think little fairies would want to learn a major that requires licking dead people's skulls?"

Sun Xing felt a chill; that joke was not funny at all.

"The initial investment will only cover opening the online stores and developing the app. You don't need to worry about the inventory; I'll handle that. I will settle accounts with you at 50% of the market price, and you can set your own retail prices. Your base salary will be five thousand yuan a month, and the others will get four thousand. There will be no more than six people in total."

Sun Xing clenched her fists, feeling incredibly excited. This was an opportunity Mr. Yang was giving her.

"Twenty percent of the company's sales revenue will be used as bonuses and commissions for all employees. You will be in charge of distributing that as well. I am giving you absolute authority, including finance and human resources. If the company grows in the future, I will send someone for the finances, but the HR authority will remain with you."

"I will only consider additional investment once you become profitable. If you cannot turn a profit within six months, the company will be dissolved."

"Mr. Yang, I will work hard!"

"The company documents are with the accounting firm. I'll hand them over to you later so you can become the legal representative. There are two hundred thousand yuan in the account as startup capital."

"Remember, there are two conditions for termination: one, the funds are exhausted; two, you fail to turn a profit within six months. In either case, the company will be shut down."

"If you succeed, the credit is yours, and you will be the General Manager. If you fail, you will be held accountable, you will be let go, and the company will be liquidated."

Yang Fan understood that to use someone effectively, he had to give her sufficient power and funds, as she would be the one doing the work; he couldn't leave her hands tied. More importantly, he needed to give her his full trust and freedom. This was starting a business, not just maintaining one.

Sun Xing’s face flushed with excitement. Starting a business—what student didn't dream of that? She thanked Brother Yang for the opportunity and decided she would give it her all with her sisters from Dorm 2258.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the final item of this year's autumn auction is about to be revealed," Huang Ying's voice came from the hall behind them.

The grand finale had finally arrived. For the past three days, Baoli had spared no effort in promotion. Major websites, media outlets, and television stations were filled with coverage. Experts had come forward to authenticate and comment on the piece. Even the neon billboards in the tunnels of the Beijing and Shanghai subways featured advertisements for this mysterious item.

The entire venue erupted with excitement. The atmosphere, already heated from the previous auctions, reached a fever pitch, nearly hitting its climax.

Under the gaze of the crowd, four beautiful staff members in black suits, wearing white gloves, carefully opened the exquisite Dharani sutra quilt to display it to the audience.

In an instant, the hall was filled with the flashes of cameras and the equipment of major media outlets.

Outside the door, Yang Fan pointed to the magnificent silk textile woven with gold thread on the stage and said, "That is the piece we submitted for auction."