One Yuan First Recharge: I'm Actually the Boss Behind a Fortune 500 Company

"Haohao?" His mother called out when he didn't speak.

"Hey, Mom, I'm listening," Wang Hao snapped out of his reverie.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then his mother's voice came through again, this time softer, but like a hammer blow to Wang Hao's heart:

"Haohao, you're twenty-nine, almost thirty."

"You need to take your partner's situation seriously."

"Mom isn't pressuring you, it's just... it's even harder to find a wife after you turn thirty."

"Look at the other kids in the village who are your age, they're all in elementary school already."

Wang Hao's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but he found that he couldn't utter a single word.

What could he say?

He said he couldn't even support himself in the city, so how could he dare to find a partner?

He said that every day when he opens his eyes, he has to worry about rent, utilities, and food. How can he have the mind to date?

"Mom, I know," he could only repeat dryly in the end.

"Sigh..." Mom sighed, then suddenly remembered something:

"By the way, do you have enough money?"

"If that's not enough, Mom has some more."

"I took on some odd jobs a while ago, and I just got paid. I have two thousand in hand..."

"No!" Wang Hao blurted out, his voice a little urgent. "Mom, I have money. Keep it for Dad. Don't be stingy."

After he finished speaking, the bitterness in his heart intensified.

In all these years away from home, he has never sent money home or bought his parents anything decent.

On the contrary, his family members would ask him from time to time if he had enough money, fearing that he would suffer grievances outside.

I'm 29 years old, and I've ended up like this.

Wang Hao really wanted to slap himself twice!

"Are you sure you don't need to?" Mom asked, still worried.

"Really, there's no need." Wang Hao forced a smile.

"Your son can earn money now, so don't worry."

After chatting for a few more minutes, his mother reminded him to take care of himself and eat on time before hanging up.

The screen went dark.

Silence returned to the rented room.

Wang Hao stared at the ceiling, his mind a jumbled mess.

His cousin's wedding, the need for a car to take him to the wedding, his parents' worries, his empty pockets, his cold rented room... all these things were intertwined, making it hard for him to breathe.

He did the math.

Today is the first day of the twelfth lunar month, the end of the month in the Gregorian calendar. The company pays salaries on the 15th, so I'll be able to make it into the last month's payday.

Yu Xinxin's sales commissions over the past two days have totaled nearly 10,000 yuan.

If this momentum can be maintained, by the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, perhaps... we can actually scrape together enough money to buy a car.

But that's assuming everything goes smoothly.

What if something goes wrong in the middle?

He was unsure of himself.

"Damn it," he cursed, unsure whether he was cursing himself or this damn life.

Just as I was getting annoyed, my phone vibrated again.

This time it's WeChat.

A message from Wu Liang:

"Haozi! Haozi! Great news!"

Wang Hao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately clicked on it.

Wu Liang's voice message, in an excited tone:

"My cousin! The one who did the graphic design today! She's absolutely thrilled with the images for those nut gift boxes!"

"She also owns a women's clothing store and wants to do a complete store renovation, including the product details page, main image, and banner."

"The offer is 30,000! Is your friend willing to take it? If so, I'll send you the requirements!"

Thirty thousand!

Wang Hao stared at the number, his breath catching in his throat.

His fingers trembled slightly as he typed a reply:

"Yes, definitely! Have your cousin send over the requirements!"

He replied almost instantly.

Wu Liang: "Okay! She said it's best to get it done within a week, is that enough time?"

Wang Hao quickly calculated. Lin Wei only took five hours to complete today's order; with her five-star talent, efficiency shouldn't be a problem.

He replied, "Sure. A week is no problem."

"Alright! I'll have her transfer the documents and deposit first. Same as always, the balance will be settled upon delivery of the drawings!"

A few minutes later, WeChat started vibrating continuously.

First, Wu Liang sent a compressed file containing brand information, product images, copywriting requirements, and style references for the women's clothing store—dozens of densely packed files.

Immediately afterwards, a transfer notification appeared:

"Received 6,000 yuan via WeChat"

Wu Liang's news followed closely behind:

"My cousin was very straightforward; she immediately gave a deposit of six thousand yuan, saying that as long as the design was good, the balance would be settled immediately, without any delays!"

Wang Hao looked at the notification that 6,000 yuan had been deposited into his account, and then looked at the original 4,000 yuan in his WeChat balance.

In total, it's a little over ten thousand.

Although it's still far from 100,000, it's only been two days.

He sat up abruptly in bed, ignoring the cold, and the pressure that had been weighing him down suddenly eased.

There is hope.

There really is hope.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

The money is there, but the work still needs to be done, and it needs to be done well.

He first opened "Behind the Scenes" and entered the game.

Instead of contacting Lin Wei directly, he first clicked on the profile picture of Wang Jie, the finance manager.

Of today's three private chat opportunities, I have exactly one left.

He typed: "Sister Wang, transfer 3,000 yuan to designer Lin Wei's personal account, with the note 'Project Bonus'. Do it immediately."

He hadn't yet given Lin Wei a "bonus" for the previous design order that cost 3,500 yuan.

Once the employees have done the work, the boss has to show it; this is a basic procedure for maintaining goodwill.

Sister Wang quickly replied, "Received, boss. I'll process it right away."

A minute later, Sister Wang replied again: "Boss, the bonus has been paid out."

Wang Hao felt a little more at ease, and then he opened Lin Wei's chat window, carefully choosing his words:

"Lin Wei, new project."

"The entire visual upgrade for the women's clothing brand store includes the product details page, main image, banner, and more."

"The requirements information has been attached to your file."

"The client requires completion within a week. The timeframe is tight, but quality must be guaranteed."

"This is an important client for the company, and the bonus will be substantial upon completion."

He reorganized the compressed file that Wu Liang had sent and sent it as a game attachment.

send.

Wang Hao was a little nervous during the few seconds he waited for a reply.

This workload is much greater than the previous one.

Will Lin Wei feel it's too rushed?

Will they refuse?

Lin Wei replied very quickly.

Still concise, but the content relieved Wang Hao:

"Data received. Project evaluated."

"The workload is full, but it can be completed."

"Delivery time: Submit the first version in three days, and make revisions and adjustments in the remaining four days."

"Requirement: Customer feedback must be timely to avoid repeated and ineffective modifications."

Three days!

Wang Hao's eyes lit up.

He replied immediately: "Sure. I'll relay the client's feedback as soon as possible. Thank you for your hard work."

Lin Wei: "It's my duty."

Chat ended.

Wang Hao leaned against the cold wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

The rented room is still the same rented room, and the bed hasn't even warmed up yet.

But something felt different inside me.

Although the pressure of the Lunar New Year is still there, we now have the tools, the channels, and a glimmer of... visible hope.