After Writing Four Big Shots into Danmei Novels - Chapter 7

Feng Qian didn’t feel anything in particular for his older brother, who was forced to embrace the role of “Uncle” with tears in his eyes.

He offered comfort in a completely flat, monotonous tone: “In the past, because Brother looked so young, the media often questioned your ability to shoulder the heavy responsibility of leading the Feng family. Now that the younger generation calls you ‘Uncle,’ it proves your appearance has matured. This is something to be happy about.”

Feng Qing: “But I don’t like being called ‘Uncle.’ It sounds too frivolous.”

Feng Qian hesitated: “Old Man?”

Feng Qing was speechless.

He had a perfectly good brother; it was a pity he wasn’t a mute.

He took two deep breaths, his exhaled air condensing into tiny flames in the atmosphere before instantly vanishing.

Feng Qing changed the subject: “Anyway, I’m heading to the Federation soon for a meeting to discuss a collaboration—a major agenda. It definitely won’t be settled quickly. Only I have the status and the free time to make the trip. I might stay there for about a year. How about lending me your secretary?”

He remembered his brother had a very beautiful Elven secretary.

The Grand Duke was famously romantic and prolific in his affections, yet his reputation in high society wasn’t bad. After all, he was silver-tongued and interesting, never using his status or power to coerce or threaten. Even if one didn’t want a “more-than-friends” relationship, the experience of dating him was top-notch. Among his subordinates, it was a popular reward for those without dating experience to request a “Dating Tutorial Session” with the Duke.

His “use” sounded flippant, but he really just wanted someone to pour tea, arrange his schedule, and handle some documents. Having someone easy on the eyes around significantly boosted his passion and efficiency at work.

Feng Qian’s secretary was a half-elf; the bloodline was so thin he didn’t even have pointed ears, but he was an Elf nonetheless. His looks were guaranteed—features clear and noble, with eyes carrying the ethereal coldness unique to Fantasy Species. He was like a pure, chilling flower that could make one’s soul wander at a glance.

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, but Feng Qing wanted to keep him close for a few extra looks.

Feng Qian: “He’s going on a business trip with me.”

Feng Qian: “Since you’re coming, can you help me handle some company affairs? I happen to have an intergalactic contract I want to negotiate in person. Only you can suppress those high-level executives.”

Not only did he fail to snag the Elven beauty, but his workload also increased. What a loss.

Sensing something was wrong, Feng Qing refused: “No way. Not unless there’s an Elven lady.”

Feng Qian: “…I’ll help you look.”

While the Empire was easy to leave but hard to enter, the Federation’s main star was very welcoming to outsiders. In the racially diverse Federation, the chances of hiring a rare species were naturally higher than in the Empire.

After a brief exchange regarding the recent situation in the Empire, Feng Qing hung up.

Although he held little hope for his brother finding an Elven secretary and had voiced his refusal, he knew that if his brother really had to travel across galaxies for business, he truly was the best candidate for Acting Chairman.

He could only blame himself for being too excellent.

Feng Qing sighed, brushing his bangs back. Without the bangs as a shield, his face was almost too radiant for a male; the light spilled over his waist-length silver hair, blurring into a faint halo.

The last pure-blooded Elf in the universe was currently in a virtual space, dangling a cigarette from his mouth while writing trashy novels.

Smoking ruins the face and body; since he finally had a beautiful shell, Gu Jue only indulged the habit in the optical brain to satisfy the craving, never touching it in reality.

Because 《The Wealthy Old Duke Falls in Love with Me》 had achieved great success, Gu Jue’s pockets were full. Not only could he buy a yearly subscription to the spirit plant wellness meals, but he also had the capital to “whale” (spend money) in the virtual space—to do a good job, one must first sharpen his tools!

Can spending on your workspace be called “whaling”?

No, it cannot!

Thus, Gu Jue felt perfectly justified in purchasing a beanbag sofa, a massage chair, an E-sports pod, a private pool, a massage AI, and a chiropractic AI. He ensured he could write while swimming, sitting, lying down, or flying—arranging a full “36 Positions of Writing.” Since it was all just virtual data, it was surprisingly high-quality and low-cost.

Among these, Gu Jue’s favorite was the environment change function.

For a monthly fee of six hundred credits, he could choose simulated environments like [Snowy Region], [Deserted Beach], [Noisy Cafe], [Elementary Classroom], [Study Room], [Desert], [Lakeside Cabin]… and so on. For a writer, there was no better feature; it was perfect for shifting moods.

Just think—

Writing a campus novel? Choose [High School Classroom].

Writing a one-night-stand scene? Go to the [Nightclub], complete with a realistic “Just have a drink or two with me, bro” background voice.

Whaling unlocked more premium scenes, such as an [Apartment in the Apocalypse]. Looking out from the window by the desk, you could see dense swarms of zombies crowding toward the building. During writing sessions, you could even hear the meaningless howls and sirens of the zombies, providing a total sense of impending doom.

And his most-used scene lately was the [Presidential Suite of the 5-Star Withered Well Hotel], a collaboration with the Withered Well chain.

As Gu Jue lay on the soft King-sized bed, he pondered how the protagonist Feng Xingzhi and the Duke would perform “indescribable” acts on this very bed—

Ah, he was so dirty.

Does this count as sacrificing for art? Gu Jue fell into deep thought.

As 《The Wealthy Old Duke Falls in Love with Me》 had been updated at a breakneck speed of 50,000 words a day for quite some time, most of the writeable plot was nearly exhausted. Gu Jue’s writing speed had slowed down—he was, after all, an outsider who had only recently transmigrated. Writing behind closed doors all day would inevitably lead to stagnation.

Even though he was “shearing his own wool,” he had to change the background details; he couldn’t copy everything verbatim.

The credits in his Star-Net bank account were sufficient for him to live leisurely for a long while, but he still decided to reconsider Auntie Zhang’s suggestion to go out and find a job. This time, with full pockets and no worries about meals, he could accept a lower-paying position.

The “lower-paying” part brought him back to the academic credentials issue.

In the original owner’s private school on a subsidiary planet of the Empire, the Song family was one of the school board members; they had wiped out all of the original owner’s grades. Most students in the school came from families with business ties to the Songs; even if they didn’t, they wouldn’t risk offending the school and the Song family to clear the name of an orphan. The original owner had tried to report his graduation certificate as lost, but a check on the official school website revealed his name wasn’t even in that year’s graduation list.

A textbook case of local dark forces.

The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away; while the Song family wasn’t a major player in the Imperial capital, they could cover the sky with one hand on a small planet.

Let’s not think about that for now. Let’s think about something good.

Gu Jue found a recruitment website and filtered for clerical jobs with “no degree required.”

Recruitment is a two-way street. Large companies that are short on people but have plenty of money will pay for promotional slots so more job seekers can see them. The company name popping up in the first row was very familiar; after a few looks, Gu Jue remembered it was the Niehuang Group Auntie Zhang had mentioned.

Since it was familiar, Gu Jue clicked to open it.

In the virtual space, the environment instantly switched to the Niehuang Group headquarters. The group owned a vast piece of land on the Federation’s main star. Setting aside the various recreational facilities, there was a lush green lawn in front of the office building where one could lie down in a “star” shape—a view that inspired longing. Gu Jue swiped to pull up the recruitment list. The academic requirements for the listed positions were extremely strict, except for one position highlighted in bold that required no degree:

[Recruiting Assistant]

[Rent provided] [Meal allowance] [Transportation allowance] [Commercial insurance]

Recruiting: 1 person. No degree required. No work experience required.

Special: Rare Fantasy Species, Elves preferred. Excellent benefits.

This was too suspicious.

In the other recruitment posts for Niehuang Group, all office assistant roles clearly stated requirements for graduation from top-tier universities, work experience, and a “no-freshman” policy.

Based on Gu Jue’s social experience, this job posting felt a lot like a pyramid scheme trap.

He looked further down—

10,000 to 50,000 credits/month

(If race requirements are met, salary is negotiable upon interview)

Corporate Profile:

Niehuang Group is a cross-galaxy enterprise based on the Federation’s main star. As of Star Calendar year 40xx, the total market value of Niehuang Group is estimated at 30 trillion and 730 billion credits, with business spanning seventy-six galaxies. Business scope focuses on real estate, hotels, stock investment, and logistics.

…

Gu Jue had intended to refuse sternly, but they were simply offering far too much money.