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

Wang Hao looked at the piece of meat in the bowl, paused for about two seconds, and said "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Li Na smiled and picked up another piece of chicken for herself.

"Honestly, Wang Hao, I think you're doing really well right now. A man should be responsible and able to handle things. Selling alcohol is hard work, but it's good for your character. Look how steady you are in your words and actions now. What girl wouldn't be attracted to you?"

That's a bit much. Xiaoya quickly coughed and said, "Nana, eat some meat, eat some meat. This chicken is stewed until it's very tender."

"Oh right, eat some vegetables." Li Na seemed to realize she had said too much, picked up a piece of chicken and put it in her mouth, but her eyes were still glancing at Wang Hao. "I was just telling the truth. Sister Su Qing, don't you think?"

She then turned the conversation to Su Qing.

Su Qing raised her head and looked calmly at Li Na.

Under the lights, her face was somewhat pale, but her makeup remained exquisite. She tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a very faint, almost imperceptible smile.

"Yes," she said softly, "A man who can handle things is indeed rare."

After saying that, she lowered her head again and focused on eating. Her chopsticks traced tiny circles in the bowl as she picked up each grain of rice, one by one, and put it into her mouth.

It looked as if they were performing some important ritual.

Wang Hao could sense the undercurrent beneath her calm surface.

He didn't say anything, just ate in silence. Li Na started a conversation about interesting things at the county school, and Xiao Ya chimed in, barely keeping the atmosphere going.

Su Qing didn't say another word throughout the entire meal.

She ate very little and very slowly, spending most of her time listening.

Whenever Li Na and Wang Hao spoke, she would slow down her movements, her eyes glazed over, as if she were thinking about something far away.

Occasionally, her gaze would sweep across Wang Hao's face, quickly and lightly, like a feather brushing across the surface, leaving no trace.

"..."

After the meal, Wang Hao helped put the last few tables back in their places and checked the tent's stability one last time. By the time everything was tidied up, it was almost ten o'clock.

"Brother, you've really worked hard today." Xiaoya saw him to the gate of the courtyard, her eyes filled with sincere gratitude. "You have to get up early tomorrow, so you should go back and rest."

"Okay, you guys should go to bed early too." After saying that, Wang Hao nodded to Su Qing and Li Na beside him, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Wang Hao!" Li Na waved, her smile bright. "See you tomorrow! By the way, if your company has any good wine recommendations, I can ask the school's labor union about purchasing it after the New Year!"

Su Qing simply gave a soft "hmm," her gaze quickly sweeping over Wang Hao's face before turning to the lamplight in the courtyard. Her profile appeared somewhat frail in the night, the hood of her down jacket drooping, and her scarf hanging loosely.

Wang Hao turned and walked towards his home. The night breeze was cool, and the wind on his face made him feel refreshed.

He could feel three gazes behind him—Xiaoya's gratitude, Li Na's enthusiasm, and Su Qing's ambiguous gaze.

Back in my own yard, the light in my parents' room was already off.

Wang Hao quietly finished washing up and returned to his room.

Exhausted. Every muscle in his body screamed in pain. He collapsed onto the bed, too weak to even turn over.

I took out my phone and checked the time—10:20.

The moment the screen lit up, a notification popped up, its black background and gold lettering standing out prominently:

【warn!warn! 】

[Employee Zhou Jianjun is on the verge of an emotional breakdown!]

Wang Hao frowned, his drowsiness dissipating by half.

Zhou Jianjun?

Would that seasoned veteran have an emotional breakdown?

He paused for a moment before clicking on the notification, and the game interface redirected to a detailed report page.

When Wang Hao finished reading those paragraphs, he sat up straight in bed, wide awake.

[Employee Status In-Depth Report: Zhou Jianjun (45 years old)]

[Current emotional state: 11/100 (Extremely dangerous)]

[Collapse Risk Level: High (92%)]

[Background Details:]

The employee has three daughters (aged 19, 16, and 13) and has long been the family's breadwinner. Three years ago, her marriage broke down, and rumors following the divorce prompted her to secretly undergo paternity tests. The results showed that none of the three daughters were her biological children.

[After tracing the source, it was confirmed that the three daughters share the same biological father—the employee's former boss and friend of twenty years.]

[After the divorce, the employee attempted to maintain a father-daughter relationship, but faced collective alienation and hostility from his daughters (influenced by their mother). Recently, the eldest daughter posted a lengthy accusation on social media, claiming he had been "indifferent for years" and "failed to fulfill his paternal responsibilities," along with some taken-out chat logs, sparking online harassment.]

The employee is currently in a state of severe depression, has a fundamental doubt about their self-worth, and exhibits clear self-destructive tendencies.

Wang Hao stared at the screen, feeling his throat go dry.

He watched it three times, and with each viewing, his shock deepened.

Three daughters... none of them are her own.

After raising a child for over a decade and giving it my all, I ended up raising someone else's child.

He was betrayed by both his most trusted friend and his wife.

Now, she's being publicly criticized online by the very child she raised.

This is fucking...

Wang Hao recalled Zhou Jianjun's usual demeanor—the middle-aged man who always wore an old-fashioned cadre jacket, carried a thermos, and smiled at everyone he met. He always left room for maneuver in his words, always followed procedures in his work, and always had an air of "no problem, I can handle it."

Now Wang Hao understood.

That's not composure at all; it's numbness.

That smooth way of dealing with people was nothing more than a wall he built for himself after his life completely collapsed.

How could someone who has gone through all this easily trust anyone again?

How could I possibly confide in anyone?

He's managing to get to work on time every day and handle all the miscellaneous tasks at the company in an orderly manner; he's already using the last bit of his strength to maintain a normal appearance.

Wang Hao suddenly remembered that all-staff meeting.

Zhou Jianjun sat in the conference room with a professional smile on his face, his fingers tapping lightly on his thermos.

At that time, Wang Hao thought that this was a seasoned veteran who needed to be "conquered," and his favorability rating was only 12%, so he had to find a way to improve it.

Looking back now, it's really laughable.

Despite carrying such immense pain in their hearts, they still come to work every day and manage to do their job well.

He was actually still scheming about how to "win people's hearts".

The phone screen went dark. Wang Hao turned it back on and read the text again.

Mood score: 11.

The risk of collapse is 92%.

These two numbers felt like needles piercing my eyes.

Wang Hao didn't know what the "employees" in the game actually were—were they just a string of code?

Is it some kind of artificial intelligence?

Or something else entirely.

But at this moment, he couldn't think about any of that.

All he knew was that someone was about to be crushed.

And he has the ability to do something.