From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

After sending the message, I locked my screen, picked up my plate again, and settled down to eat.

The overall situation is settled, and the initiative is slowly returning to my hands.

Yang Hao, who was standing next to me, glanced at my phone screen out of the corner of his eye and suddenly spoke up: "Brother Ye, was the person you were chatting with just now the internet celebrity Qiqi?"

After saying that, he quickly added, "I didn't look at it on purpose. I was eating and glanced at her profile picture by chance. I recognize her."

I nodded, slightly surprised. "You know her?"

"I've been following her for over half a year. I watch her live streams every night when I have free time. I even spent two or three hundred yuan on gifts for her when I got paid from my part-time job," Yang Hao said with a chuckle, scratching his head.

I then asked, "Having watched her livestreams for so long, do you think she has an easy personality to get along with?"

Yang Hao immediately shook his head: "She seems very aloof and hard to approach. Many top donors in the live stream give her gifts, but she only politely says thank you. She seems cold and never takes the initiative to talk to anyone."

Have you interacted with her in your live stream?

"How could I dare?" Yang Hao chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Even the rich and powerful guys don't pay attention to me, let alone us ordinary fans. They wouldn't even reply to private messages."

After saying that, he looked at me with curiosity in his eyes: "Brother Ye, how come you were chatting with her privately via messages? Are you a fan of hers too?"

"I'm not a fan, it's just a private matter," I said casually, then added with a smile, "Maybe I can arrange for you to meet in person."

"Really?!" Yang Hao perked up immediately, his face full of excitement.

"Of course it's true."

Yang Hao immediately grinned, his eyes filled with conviction, and he exclaimed with genuine emotion:

"Brother Ye, I'm truly impressed by you now! At first, I thought running this site would be difficult and I didn't have much confidence in you, but now I'm completely at ease. I'm sure I'll succeed if I follow you!"

Listening to Yang Hao's admiring praise, I simply smiled faintly.

I have no real strength; I'm just going with the flow. To put it bluntly, it's all a combination of deception and fabrication.

This world is just a giant makeshift operation.

I was born into humble circumstances, with no family background or connections, but I have never looked down on myself.

That's why I'm never intimidated by people of any status.

For example, when facing top-tier rich kids like Su Qing and Fang Heng, I would refute them when necessary and stand up to them when necessary, without ever trying to please them.

No wonder my cousin always says I'm stubborn and impulsive.

I don't deny that I am often impulsive.

But that's just my nature; I was born unable to compromise or yield in everything.

We are all human beings, with one head and two shoulders. Who is more noble than whom?

At worst, we'll both perish; there's nothing to be afraid of.

After lunch, instead of staying cooped up in the cramped courier shop daydreaming, I decided to go out with Yang Hao on a tricycle to pick up and deliver packages.

Firstly, it helps to familiarize oneself with the road conditions and locations of the entire area, including residential communities, construction sites, and factories.

Secondly, it helps to understand the actual daily volume of parcels in the area, in order to prepare for revitalizing the stations in the future.

On the way, Yang Hao couldn't help but complain that the previous boss, Liu Dong, had never gone out to deliver a single package in the six months since he took over the station.

They spend all day holed up in the store scrolling through their phones and sleeping, relying entirely on exploiting their employees to keep the store running.

Upon hearing this, I merely scoffed: "It's perfectly reasonable that he can't make money. Heaven rewards diligence; lazy people will never earn enough to make a living."

I worked non-stop all afternoon, from the afternoon until dusk.

In the past, when delivering food, you only needed to manage your own orders.

They can take over and operate the courier station themselves, and they have to do all the big and small things themselves.

It's tough, but so is the hope.

Qiqi replied to my message the next day at noon.

She said to me, "Boss, I've managed to free up a little time right now. Would it be convenient for you to meet in person and discuss this in more detail?"

Her initiative to invite her to meet in person is enough to show that she had had enough of being exploited by Xingyao Media and was eager to escape the quagmire.

If she hadn't been driven to the brink, she would never have easily trusted me, a complete stranger online, and would certainly not have dared to meet me in person.

Without hesitation, I told her directly, "Tell me a location, and I'll come find you."

A few seconds later, the other party replied: "Come to Haitang Road, call me when you get there."

The message ended with a private mobile phone number.

This girl is simple-minded and soft-hearted. She not only dares to meet a stranger alone, but also directly gives him her private contact information.

This also indirectly confirms that every day at Star Media felt like an eternity.

I immediately greeted Yang Hao and then took a taxi straight to Haitang Road.

After arriving at the destination, I dialed the phone number that Qiqi had sent me.

The call connected, and a gentle female voice came through the receiver: "Hello, who is this?"

"It's me, the person you communicated with via short video and private message. I'm already at the side of Haitang Road," I replied calmly.

"Go straight ahead, there's a Dongyang Private Restaurant on the street. Go upstairs to a private room on the second floor, I'll be waiting for you there."

I hung up the phone, looked up and found the elegantly decorated Dongyang Private Restaurant, then pushed open the door and went straight up to the second floor.

As soon as I stepped onto the second-floor stairs, a clear, gentle female voice rang out: "Is this the person who contacted me online?"

I turned my head and saw that the wooden door of the private room was opened a crack, and a girl peeked out with half of her delicate face, cautiously looking into the corridor.

I nodded slightly and walked towards the private room.

After entering the private room, she immediately closed the door and then glanced at me.

Because I was coming to see her, I specially changed into the outfit that Su Qing had bought for me before, so that I wouldn't look too shabby.

After looking her over, Qi Qi turned to the side and raised her hand, gesturing for her to sit down: "Please sit down."

After I pulled out a chair and sat down, I also glanced at her.

She looks different in person than in the video. Without beauty filters and effects, she looks like a very ordinary woman.

However, her voice is indeed quite pleasant, soft and gentle.

I skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Have you thought it through? Are you planning to join forces and fight back, and leave Xingyao Media?"

Qi Qi nodded gently, her eyes filled with trepidation, and said, "I want to leave, but I want to understand first, what do you need me to do for you?"

I looked her straight in the eye and said, "Many of the streamers in your company are like you, forced to sign unfair contracts, right?"

Qi Qi frowned slightly, looking at me with surprise: "That's right, most of the newcomers are like that. How do you know the inside story of the company?"

"That's not important." I waved my hand. "How did you all end up signing this deceptive contract step by step?"

She lowered her head, her voice full of regret:

"I was tricked into joining by HR's sales pitch. Before I joined, they said I could have flexible salary and leave at any time. The contract was full of hidden clauses in small print."

"When I first entered the industry, I didn't know the rules. I just glanced at the document and signed it. When I wanted to leave after starting the job, I realized that I was completely trapped."

I frowned: "Since there's something fishy about the contract, why don't you call the police to protect your rights?"