Compensation

Yu Nian looked up in astonishment, making sure Qin Yuheng was speaking to him.

Just as he was about to answer, President Ding cut in. "Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin!"

Under Qin Yuheng's cold, heavy gaze, he lowered his voice. "Why don't we find somewhere to talk this through? This isn't the most convenient place..."

Realizing there was no sweeping this matter under the rug today, President Ding's first thought was to minimize the damage.

That meant he absolutely could not let Yu Nian reveal anything else detrimental to Sea Star in public.

Qin Yuheng looked at Yu Nian, seemingly asking for his opinion. Yu Nian hesitated, then nodded.

They returned to an office at Sea Star Media, where President Ding hurriedly sent his secretary to make tea.

If not for the tense atmosphere, it really would have looked like they were there for a meeting.

Judging by Qin Yuheng's expression alone, he always had an air of detached indifference.

He said nothing. Behind him, Assistant Yin pushed up a pair of glasses and said solemnly, "Sir, please feel free to tell us how you've been wronged. I'm sure President Ding will see that justice is done."

Assistant Yin was Qin Yuheng's trusted right-hand aide, and those words often represented Qin Yuheng's wishes.

But if President Ding had thought a little more carefully, he would have noticed something off about the form of address. If Qin Yuheng really were close to Yu Nian, Assistant Yin could not possibly have been unaware of Yu Nian's name.

President Ding gave an awkward laugh. "Yes, young man. Go ahead and tell us what's troubling you."

Yu Nian wasn't quite sure what the relationship between Qin Yuheng and President Ding was, but he could tell that Qin Yuheng's words carried considerable weight, and that he wouldn't take President Ding's side.

That was enough.

As though he had finally found an outlet, Yu Nian angrily recounted everything that had happened that day.

President Ding didn't dare interrupt, but his expression darkened as he listened.

As a senior executive at a large company, he could naturally hear the shady dealings behind it all.

At first, Yu Nian was simply recounting what had happened, but the more he spoke, the more wronged he felt. Seeing Qin Yuheng continue to listen attentively, his pent-up hurt finally seemed to have somewhere to go.

His eyes reddened without his realizing it, and his voice grew terribly hoarse. "I waited seven hours. I even took leave from school, and I still haven't had dinner. But no one even told me the interviews were over..."

Yu Nian was fair-skinned and pretty. Now, his delicate features scrunched up in distress, tears shimmered in his eyes, and the tiny mole on the bridge of his nose stood out clearly. He looked as pitiful as a bullied kitten.

Qin Yuheng took out a silk handkerchief and handed it to him.

For a moment, Yu Nian felt at a loss. He wanted to say he wasn't crying, only to suddenly feel something slide down his face.

Yu Nian lowered his head in embarrassed indignation, took the handkerchief, and mumbled, "Thank you..."

Yu Nian wasn't someone who cried easily. He had never imagined he would get so angry that he cried, much less in front of his ex's older brother.

So embarrassing. So, so embarrassing!

Qin Yuheng turned to President Ding. "I trust you're clear on what happened now?"

Assistant Su still tried to defend himself. "A misunderstanding. This is all a misunderstanding... Actually, I-"

Qin Yuheng raised a hand slightly, and Assistant Su fell silent.

Without so much as glancing at Assistant Su, he said lightly, "There seem to be some problems with your company's management. Why don't we discuss our partnership after President Ding has dealt with them?"

Even Assistant Yin, standing behind him, was slightly surprised by those words. Still, having weathered plenty of storms, the aide showed no sign of it.

President Ding had had a bad feeling ever since learning that Yu Nian and Qin Yuheng knew each other. He hadn't expected Qin Yuheng to actually use their partnership to force him to take a stand. Clearly, Yu Nian's relationship with Qin Yuheng was no ordinary one.

"Of course. Of course."

Realizing that someone else was now in most urgent need of appeasing, President Ding immediately turned an earnest gaze on Yu Nian. "Young sir, this was indeed an oversight on our part. On behalf of Sea Star, I apologize for the inconvenience and losses we've caused you."

With that, he dragged Assistant Su out of the corner where he had been shrinking away and made him apologize as well.

"I'll get to the bottom of this and give you an explanation. Once we've calculated the amount, we'll transfer the appropriate compensation to you as well. Furthermore, we sincerely invite you to join our company and become one of us. Sea Star will develop a dedicated promotion plan tailored to your streaming style, and later we can also launch-"

"Wait." Yu Nian immediately stopped him, his expression conflicted. "I just think the way you arranged these interviews was unreasonable. You wasted my time, and I deserve an explanation. I wasn't asking you to give me..."

Thin-skinned as he was, Yu Nian felt too embarrassed to say "special treatment."

He had never imagined that before he even interviewed, he would fast-forward straight to BOSS Zhipin-a boss hiring him directly. And from the sound of it, they even intended to turn him into their star attraction.

Everyone wanted to become popular, but he didn't want to achieve it through underhanded means.

Besides, President Ding's drastic change in attitude was solely because of Qin Yuheng.

He knew President Ding must have misunderstood something, but he also knew he had no real connection to Qin Yuheng at all.

Including today, they had only met twice. If he had to define their relationship, Qin Yuheng was merely his ex-boyfriend's older brother, which hardly sounded flattering when said aloud.

Qin Yuheng had simply lent him a hand today. Even if he used that to gain extra benefits, the consequences would only be worse once the truth came out.

Just then, Qin Yuheng spoke. "If you don't like it here, I'll have Assistant Yin recommend another company."

Those words were directed at Yu Nian.

Yu Nian couldn't help staring at him with wide eyes.

W-was this really okay?

Why did that sound like, "Pick anywhere you want to work"?

Anyone who knew would say he was looking for a job. Anyone who didn't might think he was going somewhere to be emperor.

But there was not the slightest hint of a joke in Qin Yuheng's tone.

Was his ex's older brother really this nice? Did he take such good care of his younger brother's friends after meeting them just once?

Or did he still remember that argument with Qin Yu last time and want to make it up to him somehow...?

Of course, no one present panicked more at those words than President Ding.

After dealing with Qin Yuheng lately, he knew all too well what kind of man he was. Qin Yuheng would never waste this much time on someone for no reason.

He had originally planned to secure Yu Nian's goodwill with a few perks, never expecting him to refuse.

If Yu Nian turned Sea Star down, it meant he was already deeply dissatisfied with the company.

Wouldn't that amount to indirectly offending Qin Yuheng?

In that case, could the partnership they had spent so long negotiating fall apart?

It wasn't that President Ding was a coward. Compared with Azure's vast financial resources, Sea Star really was a drop in the ocean.

The few online media companies currently on the market had all but monopolized the livestreaming industry. Sea Star had fought hard to carve out a share, but it remained beset on all sides, with its rivals watching hungrily.

They had worked so hard to secure this partnership and done so much preliminary preparation. All they were waiting for was Azure's financial backing.

If they angered Qin Yuheng, Azure could walk away and partner with another company at any time. Sea Star, on the other hand, would be finished.

At that thought, he couldn't help resenting Assistant Su and whoever was behind him. This was all their doing!

Assistant Su had his own grievances that he couldn't voice. He was only being paid to do a job. He had thought Yu Nian had no backing and would be easy to push around. How could he have known it would come to this?

But he couldn't say any of that, at least not in front of so many people. Otherwise, President Ding would tear him apart alive.