Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

"That's right. There are simply no readily available professionals in the esports field right now."

"Then we'll cultivate them from the very beginning. Players are cultivated, coaches are cultivated, analysts, directors, event operations, program production—all these things ultimately have methodologies. Finding a good prospect and mentoring them hand-in-hand for a year or two is much more reliable than digging up someone who only has a half-baked understanding from outside."

As he spoke, he felt the logic was becoming increasingly clear, and his tone became warmer: "Besides, universities aren't lacking in smart people. What they lack is an opportunity to 'come in and give it a try.' Think about it, those who study computer science, media, or psychology, working here for a while might be much more interesting than them going to internet companies to tighten screws."

As Gu Xinyue listened, a faint smile slowly appeared on her lips, but she didn't reply immediately.

She was silent for a few seconds, her gaze falling on his face as if she were examining something.

That look wasn't like a subordinate looking at their boss, it was more like...

Well, Lin Shu himself couldn't quite put his finger on it, but when he was being looked at with that kind of gaze, he always felt a little hot on his back.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she shook her head, her voice carrying a gentleness she herself didn't recognize, "It's just that—if your idea came from someone else, it might just be wishful thinking. But coming from you, it sounds like it could actually happen."

She spoke very softly, and after she finished speaking, she felt a little embarrassed and lowered her head to pretend to rummage through the file bag in her hand.

The office was quiet for a moment.

The sky outside the window had darkened, and the lights in the office buildings across the street were turning on one after another, casting a warm yellow glow on the glass.

Lin Shu looked at her still drooping eyelashes and suddenly wanted to say something—like, "So what do you think? Do you think what I'm doing will work?"

But the words stuck in his throat.

The timing is wrong.

Both of them knew that it was too early to say some things now.

The line between them, which led them from "partners" to "something else," hasn't been crossed yet.

She carries the Gu family's connections in traditional industries on her shoulders, while he holds the unfinished journey of HWG and this show in his hands.

Both of them are the kind of people who know what cards they're dealt and understand that it's best to get the things that need to be done done first.

"Well—" Gu Xinyue finally raised her head, her face regaining its crisp and clear expression, though a faint warmth still lingered at the base of her ears. "Regarding university recruitment, I'll do some preliminary research beforehand. Fudan and Tongji in Shanghai, and Zhejiang University and Hangzhou Dianzi University in Suzhou and Hangzhou—I'll contact the employment offices first to see if there's any possibility of cooperation."

"Okay." Lin Shu nodded, watching her put away the file folder and stand up.

She walked to the door, placed her hand on the doorknob, and suddenly turned back to look at him: "By the way—have you had dinner?"

Lin Shu was taken aback: "Not yet."

"I haven't eaten either. Wait for me... I'll go downstairs to the cafeteria and get two meals so we can eat together."

Before he could answer, she pushed the door open a crack. "I remember your extra spicy one."

The door closed.

The sound of her footsteps receding into the corridor echoed, her heels clicking lightly and steadily on the floor tiles.

Lin Shu sat alone in his office, staring at the closed door for several seconds.

The tea on the table was still warm, and the twilight outside the window had deepened.

He looked down at the draft recruitment form in front of him. Someone had drawn a small flower in pencil on the corner of the form at some point—probably when Gu Xinyue handed him the document.

He reached out and gently touched the flower, but didn't wipe it off; he just left it there.

"Actually, it's fine without chili—"

He muttered something to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips, before looking down and continuing to flip through the list of potential guests.

……

After finishing their meal, the two spent some time alone.

We didn't talk about work, but just chatted about some trivial things in life.

Time moved forward step by step in this strange atmosphere, and before we knew it, it was 21 p.m.

"Boss!!"

The office door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, accompanied by knocking; it was unclear who came first.

"Oh, Assistant Gu is here too."

Tang Bin's distinctive southern Jiangsu accent filled the room. The man didn't think much of it and looked at his boss's position. "The base renovation is almost complete. You need to go and take a look yourself. There are some things I'm not sure about, so I'll have to ask you to come."

Lin Shu looked up and saw Tang Bin wearing a dusty gray work jacket with some dust on the cuffs and his hair bearing marks from his hard hat. He had obviously just come from the renovation site at the new base.

"Then I'll go first!"

These words were spoken to Gu Xinyue.

"Boss, you can go ahead and get busy. We'll get the recruitment done as soon as possible."

Gu Xinyue switched modes in an instant, as if the person who had been languidly chatting about everyday life just moments before was someone else entirely.

"Alright, get ready, we'll head over first thing tomorrow morning."

……

HWG Club's new base, or more accurately, its new youth training base, is a three-story standalone building with a small courtyard, located in a renovated industrial park in Minhang District, Shanghai.

Originally an office building for a company, it was recently taken over by Lin Shu and converted into a youth training base for the club.

As for the main base that Lao Qi and his team are preparing... well, even the main structure isn't finished yet.

Yes, regarding the construction of the main base, after discussion among everyone, it was decided that renting was far less cost-effective than building, so they found a piece of land in the suburbs and started building with blocks.

When the car arrived at the base entrance, Lin Shu was stunned as soon as he got out.

A huge dark blue GG banner has been hung on the exterior wall of the building, with the gold-stamped words "Next Stop, Pro!" still dazzling in the midday sun, and the subtitle "HWG Youth Training Chronicle" is neatly placed at the bottom.

On either side of the main entrance stood a row of brand-new posters, which were the design drafts for the program's main visual—a silhouette of several contestants standing under a spotlight, accompanied by the slogan "Above talent, there is choice."

"Miss Gu had GG Company put this up overnight yesterday."

Tang Bin added, "She said that a sign had to be put up at the gate before filming could begin, otherwise the filming crew wouldn't even have a decent set of outdoor shots."

Lin Shu nodded without saying anything more; the other person was a thoughtful person by nature.

"Is there anything wrong with the filming crew?"

"No, they're all old acquaintances, very reliable."

"That's fine then."

"Let's go in and take a look!"

Lin Shu felt somewhat ashamed, because this was the first time he had actually visited his renovated youth training base since the program was being prepared.