**Chapter 4: I May Not Have Work Experience, But I…**
Lin Siyi, although not from a C9 university, is at least a graduate student from a 985 university, so she won’t be a serious drag on anyone.
Cheng Yixiu sat on the sofa and briefly browsed through her resume. His gaze landed on it, and he directly pointed out, “Lin Siyi, you graduated with a master’s degree in finance from Shen University, passed the securities and fund qualifications, and during school, you also passed the CFA and CPA. Are you currently taking the FRM?”
“Your qualifications are quite good. It’s a pity to only be an assistant. You have enough theoretical knowledge, but you’re lacking practical work experience. From a career planning perspective, you could consider moving from an industry researcher to a fund manager in the future.”
“However, in our industry, a well-performing researcher’s annual income is actually not low. The income of top industry researchers can even exceed that of fund managers. The straightforward part of this industry is that as long as it’s within legal and compliant boundaries, it only matters if you can ultimately make money for the clients.”
“So, here’s the plan: tomorrow morning, you’ll come to the company with me. I’ll have the HR department arrange your onboarding procedures. Your temporary position will be as my assistant for six months. Once my previous assistant returns from maternity leave, we’ll discuss internally, and if approved, you’ll be transferred to a researcher position. Do you have any objections to this?”
Lin Siyi asked, “Mr. Cheng, can I ask about my compensation?”
“In addition to the fixed salary and year-end bonus, the company will provide five social insurances and one housing fund, meal subsidies, regular health check-ups, a year-end double salary, paid annual leave, at least one or two group overseas trips each year, and various team dining activities.”
“So, what’s the fixed salary for this position?”
Cheng Yixiu adjusted his glasses and glanced at her, “How much do you think I should offer you?”
Lin Siyi fiddled with her fingers, feeling a bit embarrassed, “Is it 30,000?”
“Are you dreaming?” Cheng Yixiu said expressionlessly.
Lin Siyi wasn’t pleased to hear this, “Mr. Cheng, I’m actually doing double duty for you, being your assistant and pretending to be your girlfriend. You’re actually getting a bargain by paying me one salary, aren’t you?”
Cheng Yixiu looked at her indifferently, his fingers subconsciously tapping on the sofa’s backrest.
“A monthly salary of 15,000, no more. From your resume, you haven’t graduated long, and as a newcomer without work experience, offering you a 30,000 salary doesn’t comply with company regulations.”
“I may not have work experience, but I have acting skills. After all, life is like a play, and it’s all about acting.”
Cheng Yixiu: “…”
“And Mr. Cheng, let me remind you, it’s not me who wants to pretend to be your girlfriend, but you who asked me to cooperate with you in pretending. Isn’t that right?” Lin Siyi said, deliberately blinking.
Cheng Yixiu couldn’t help but laugh, “You haven’t even started working yet, and you’re already offending your boss?”
Lin Siyi shrugged nonchalantly, “It’s okay, given the current situation, it seems like you need me more, boss?”
Cheng Yixiu pondered, “Alright, 30,000 it is, but 15,000 will come from the company account, and I’ll privately transfer the other 15,000 to you as your acting fee. Satisfied?”
“Deal!”
Solving a major concern before bed, Lin Siyi couldn’t wait to report the good news to Song Yunxiao. Finally, she wouldn’t have to wake up early and deliver takeout until she was exhausted.
Before leaving, Cheng Yixiu reminded her, “Tomorrow morning at 6:30, wait for me at the elevator. On the first day, I’ll take you to familiarize yourself with the environment. Our company usually starts at 8:30, but I like to arrive early.”
“And about the dress code, business casual is fine. Unless necessary, it doesn’t have to be too formal. For example, what you’re wearing now is okay, just avoid overly bright colors.”
Lin Siyi had a dreamless night and immediately got up when the alarm rang at 6 a.m.
After a quick wash, she sat in front of the makeup mirror and applied a light professional makeup. Her black wavy hair was tied into a ponytail today, looking fresh and energetic.
Wearing a white collared short-sleeve shirt paired with a navy plaid ruffle skirt, Lin Siyi chose a light gold watch from her wardrobe and a small silver crossbody bag.
At the door, she picked up a pair of white high heels. Having gotten used to wearing T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers for delivering takeout, today’s heels felt a bit uncomfortable. Fortunately, they weren’t new shoes, so they didn’t hurt her feet.
When Lin Siyi reached the elevator, she checked the time on her left wrist. It was two minutes to 6:30.
Just as she hesitated whether to knock on Cheng Yixiu’s door, he opened it, ready to leave.
“Morning, boss!”
Compared to before, Lin Siyi’s smile today was exceptionally bright.
But for Lin Siyi, Cheng Yixiu was now her bread and butter, and she even relied on him for next month’s property fee! Of course, he didn’t know that since she moved in, she had been using his Wi-Fi.
Unaware of Lin Siyi’s thoughts, Cheng Yixiu said, “You’re punctual. Have you had breakfast? If not, we can grab something together.”
“Sure!” Lin Siyi grinned. On her first day of work, the boss was treating her to breakfast. Even if she was full, she’d still eat more. How could she refuse?
They took the elevator straight to the underground parking lot. Once in the car and buckled up, Cheng Yixiu asked, “Do you prefer Chinese or Western breakfast?”
“Either is fine. I can’t cook, but I’m not picky, so I’m easy to take care of.”
“Then I’ll take you to the place I usually go.”
The car exited the community gate and entered the road. While keeping an eye on the traffic, Cheng Yixiu explained, “If there’s no traffic, the company is about a fifteen-minute drive from our community. If you commute by electric scooter, it won’t take much time.”
“Okay, got it.”
After breakfast, they arrived at the company just past seven.
Cheng Yixiu took out an access card from his briefcase and led Lin Siyi through the passage. As they walked, he said, “Once the HR department starts work, you can report and go through the process. I explained everything last night, and they’ll assist you with signing the employment contract, fingerprint registration, and issuing your company badge and access card, along with the building’s access card.”
“Your workstation is right outside my office. I’ll have Cindy guide you for a few days for a work handover. Once you’re settled, she can officially start her maternity leave.”
“I hope you won’t let me down.”
Lin Siyi patted her chest and promised, “Boss, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied and strive to create excess returns for the company.”
“Then I’ll look forward to it?”
“Of course! Why not?”
At eight, colleagues started clocking in one after another.
The domestic stock market opens at 9:30 a.m. On trading days, companies like Yiyang Capital, which specialize in secondary private equity, usually have a morning meeting before the market opens. It’s generally a summary of the previous day’s situation and a forecast of today’s investment targets. During trading hours, everyone operates independently, but if there’s any sudden situation, they’ll communicate immediately.
Gu Zhaoyang hadn’t even arrived at the company when someone told him that Cheng Yixiu had brought a girl to join as his assistant.
This guy had asked him to help recruit someone yesterday, and today he suddenly brought someone in from who knows where? Gu Zhaoyang’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
Before he arrived, his voice was already heard.
“Brother Xiu, everyone’s saying you hired a girl for yourself? Where is she? Let me see.”
Soon, Gu Zhaoyang burst into Cheng Yixiu’s private office.
Cheng Yixiu glanced at him, “When are you going to change your habit of entering my office without knocking?”
“Come on, we’re so close we’re practically wearing the same pants.”
Cheng Yixiu couldn’t hide his disdain, “Sorry, I don’t have such a heavy taste. I don’t have the habit of sharing pants with others. I have a cleanliness obsession.”
“Let’s not talk about that. Where’s the person you hired?”
“She might be at the HR department. You can take a good look when she comes back.”
“Brother Xiu, be honest. Where did you dig this person up from?”
Cheng Yixiu thought of the fake couple arrangement with Lin Siyi and felt it was best to keep it under wraps, even from his friend. So he left that part out and simply said, “She’s a neighbor from across the hall. I heard she was job hunting, so I asked her to try at our company. Of course, if she’s not capable, she’ll have to pack up and leave.”
Gu Zhaoyang was a bit skeptical, “Is that all?”
Cheng Yixiu: “What else did you think?”
Gu Zhaoyang almost believed him, but when he saw Lin Siyi in person, the question mark on his forehead couldn’t be suppressed.
Standing next to Lin Siyi, Cindy quickly introduced, “This is another partner of our company, General Manager Gu, Gu Zhaoyang.”
“General Manager Gu, this is Lin Siyi, the assistant Mr. Cheng just hired.”
Lin Siyi greeted, “Hello, General Manager Gu.”
“Hello, Lin Siyi, right? The ‘Siyi’ as in ‘reckless’? Your name is quite unique.”
“General Manager Gu, you’re joking.” Lin Siyi felt a bit embarrassed.
“Work hard. In our company, as long as you have the ability, you won’t be overlooked.” Then he suddenly leaned down and whispered, “If your Mr. Cheng fires you, I have plenty of positions for you to choose from!”
Lin Siyi was confused, “Huh???”
After speaking, Gu Zhaoyang didn’t wait for Lin Siyi to react and left, leaving Cindy awkwardly facing Lin Siyi.
“Sister Cindy, what did General Manager Gu mean by that?”
“Well, you’ll find out if you get the chance in the future. Where were we? Let’s continue.” Cindy pulled Lin Siyi’s arm and led her to her workstation.