Hearing the voices of the employees, Yan Ruyu stepped forward. Dressed in a qipao, her presence utterly commanded the attention of everyone present.
"Everyone, quiet down for a moment. Listen to me. The salary will be distributed when it's said to be distributed. As long as there are no special circumstances, it will be paid on time."
"Manager Yan, I'd like to know if tomorrow is a special circumstance or a normal one?" an employee asked loudly.
"Everything is normal for now. Both Manager Zhang and I have seen your hard work, so please rest assured, we won't let you all contribute in vain. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. I believe your efforts will not be in vain. I won't say much more. I'll see you all with your salaries tomorrow."
Hearing Yan Ruyu's assurance, the employees smiled happily.
"As long as we get paid as promised, I'll be perfectly content."
"Exactly. Working here pays a hundred and fifty more than other places. That's not a small amount."
"One hundred and fifty a month, one thousand eight hundred a year. My goodness, I'll definitely work hard next time. I was docked eighty this month. I’ll be serious next time and won’t get any more deductions. If you don’t know, you’ll be shocked by the deductions."
"Be grateful, you were only docked eighty, and it's still more than the wages outside, right?"
"Let's wait and see the salary tomorrow. There haven't been many customers in the store lately. It's just that those few restaurants are lowering prices. If the boss doesn't have money, how can he pay salaries?"
A discordant voice emerged, instantly dampening everyone's spirits.
At this moment, the accountant walked over. "Since everyone is here, this is a movie ticket from the boss for us. It's for the late show."
"What good is a movie ticket? Cash is better!"
"That's right. A late show movie, and we have the morning shift tomorrow."
"What movie is it? A Chinese Odyssey, I've heard others talk about it. It's a five-year-old movie. I didn't expect the boss to make us watch a movie from five years ago."
"Are you going to watch the movie?"
"It's a bit late, and we have the morning shift tomorrow. However, a friend said this movie is good, especially that line, 'I love you for ten thousand years.' It makes one unable to extricate themselves."
A customer nearby walked over.
"Your store actually gives employees movie tickets? Your benefits are really good."
"Yes, our bosses are very good. Our Manager Zhang is a university student!"
"Oh, you said you weren't going to watch the movie? Can you transfer the tickets to us? We just went to buy movie tickets, and we couldn't get tickets for A Chinese Odyssey."
Hearing this, the waiter was astonished. "Sell them? How much will you give?"
"The ticket price is sixty, how about fifty?" the customer offered, directly trying to haggle.
The waiter nodded, about to speak, but was stopped by Yan Ruyu: "If you want it, sixty, not a cent less. Do you believe I can sell it for eighty when we get there?"
"Fine, no need to say anything else, sixty it is." The customer readily took out the money, handed it to the waiter, and took the tickets.
"Manager Yan, are these tickets really that sought after?" the waiter asked in surprise. She had thought selling them at a discount would be good enough. Fortunately, Manager Yan was there, or she would have lost ten yuan.
"Think about it. To buy these movie tickets, I had to travel halfway across Zhonghai City. Do you think they are easy to buy? And closer to the showtime, some people will occasionally buy tickets at a higher price."
After hearing Yan Ruyu's words, the waiter slapped her thigh in regret.
She had missed out on another ten yuan…
Everyone had thought a movie ticket wouldn't cost much, but unexpectedly, one ticket was sixty yuan. It seemed their boss was indeed wealthy. If he weren't, how could he afford to give them employees movie tickets?
Moreover, these movie tickets were very easy to sell and didn't need to be discounted.
The employees now had renewed anticipation for their salaries the next day.
The next day, the finance department started work and called out to the employees: "Today is salary day. Come one by one, don't delay work. Anyone who delays work will be docked a hundred!"
In a short while, sounds of astonishment erupted.
"I didn't expect to get this much. It's even more than I thought. The boss is truly generous."
"Boss, I have nothing more to say. Just watch my work attitude. I will definitely satisfy you and have customers praise me every day."
"With such high salaries, it's only normal to have higher expectations. I complained about too much work here last time, and I was wrong. The more work there is, the more motivated I am."
Holding their salaries, the employees couldn't believe their eyes. They had said it was thirty percent higher than other places, and it truly was.
Although the recent sales figures hadn't met the standard, and they had no bonuses, everyone believed that it wouldn't be long before they received bonuses.
At this moment, their work enthusiasm soared to an unprecedented level.
Before, it was just empty promises painted by Zhang Tianxing.
But now, that "pie in the sky" wasn't just a drawing; it was something achievable through hard work. Manager Zhang kept his word, and he was a boss one could rely on.
...
Zhou Xingxing looked at the box office data on the website, his heart greatly shocked.
A Chinese Odyssey was finally gaining traction. His persistence had not been in vain.
However, it was five years late.
Was his painstakingly crafted transformation finally going to be recognized by the market?
He then thought of his current predicament, being relegated to obscurity, and that was not the life he wanted.
He wanted to make a comeback. He would find another good movie script and show the world that he, Zhou Xingxing, could do more than just direct comedies.
He picked up his notebook and began to write.
How many disdainful glances had he endured over these five years? Now, he was filled with fighting spirit once more.
However, the box office was still a bit lacking. If only it could be higher.
Zhou Xingxing gave a wry smile. That was impossible.
If nothing else, consider "Lotus Lantern." It took five years to perfect. The plot, the visuals, they were all peak productions of that era. Defeating "Lotus Lantern" would be extremely difficult, practically impossible.
He still couldn't quite understand why "A Chinese Odyssey" had failed five years ago, yet now it could contend with domestic and international blockbusters.
Zhou Xingxing was all too familiar with the film lineup for this period. When he saw it, he had no expectations, because the competition was too formidable.
The movies he directed were not being recognized by the market. What was the point of his painstaking efforts? The market reigned supreme; the audience decided what was good.
His opinion as a director didn't matter. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many bad movies.
No matter what, he would make a movie about his experiences over the past few years. He believed it would definitely have a market.
This time, he would rise again. He would get up from where he fell. The awards he hadn't won, he would claim them. He would succeed.
Zhou Xingxing leaned down and seriously wrote on the script. The words "King of Comedy!" were clearly written on it.