Company benefits

"Boss Chen, your recent promotion efforts are truly impressive."

"Well, it's just luck, Boss  Xu," Chen Yu modestly replied.

"But how could it be just luck? You managed to heat up Stephen Chow's 'A Chinese Odyssey' and successfully drive traffic to our game. It's like a stroke of genius."

"Heh, the connection between the two was already quite close, so I can't take all the credit."

"Regardless, you and your team have done an excellent job."

"You flatter me."

"By the way, we've transferred the payment to your account; you can check it later."

"Alright."

Chen Yu was excited. This was 800,000 yuan, in addition to the previous 200,000 yuan, making it a total of 1 million yuan. Roaring in excitement, the first 1 million yuan he earned in his life was about to be realized.

Indeed, the internet was often referred to as an endless abyss, but it was also an exceptional source of income. Even if he only managed a game website in its early stages, the profits were beyond his imagination. If he ventured into online gaming in the future...

Chen Yu daydreamed, but he knew that, for the time being, he wasn't suitable for the online gaming business. At least not at this stage.

"Huh, why is it 1.8 million?"

Chen Yu logged into his online banking and, to his surprise, found 1.8 million yuan.

"Um, Boss  Xu, are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

"No mistake."

Xu Bo smiled and said, "It's what Boss Ding instructed."

"Boss  Ding?"

Chen Yu was taken aback. "Which Ding?"

"How many Ding's do you think we have at NetEase?"

"Wow, you don't mean Ding Lei, one of the richest men in China, do you?"

"Right on the money."

Xu Bo sent a smiling emoji.

"Indeed, the top dog, an absolute legend."

When it came to who was the biggest legend during the early days of China's internet, the answer was Ding Lei. When NetEase went public, it propelled Ding Lei to the position of the wealthiest individual in mainland China. Whether or not he was still the wealthiest was debatable, but he was undoubtedly one of the richest people at the moment.

At this time, neither Ma Huateng nor Jack Ma, nor any other notable figures in the Chinese Internet industry, could match Ding Lei's wealth.

"Boss Xu, do me a favor and say a few good words about Boss Ding. I want to latch onto his thick thigh."

For Chen Yu, there was no way he could contain his excitement when it came to Ding Lei. For instance, he handed over 1 million yuan without batting an eye and then casually added another 800,000 yuan. It was as if saying, "Good job; here's a little extra."

"Damn, this is how life should be," Chen Yu silently resolved, deciding to be more like Ding Lei in the future.

"Boss  Chen, are you really going to latch onto his thigh?"

"It's necessary."

"Alright, we asked Ding Lei if he's interested in joining NetEase."

"Joining NetEase?"

Chen Yu was taken aback. "Are you planning to acquire 5173?"

"Boss  Ding raised the idea," Xu Bo continued, "but, of course, we'll respect your wishes, and we won't force it."

"Well, I don't have any intention of selling 5173."

Chen Yu shook his head. Although latching onto Ding Lei's NetEase was appealing, Chen Yu didn't want to tread that path. With decades of experience, he couldn't be certain where his future would lead.

"No problem, Boss  Ding was just expressing an idea. But whether we acquire or not, he has instructed us to maintain a good relationship with you in the future. Boss  Chen, you should take good care of us."

"Haha, Xu, you're quite the joker. You must take care of us as well."

After chatting online for a while, Xu Bo had to attend to other matters.

Chen Yu closed QQ and felt quite pleased. Their collaboration with NetEase had not only brought 100,000 concurrent players to WJO but also generated an income of 2 million yuan.

In addition, relying on the movie reviews he wrote earlier, 5173's IP traffic had reached new highs recently. Of course, this wasn't the most significant aspect.

The most crucial thing was that the collaboration between 5173 and NetEase had elevated their reputation. Chen Yu believed that, in the near future, he wouldn't have to leave home, as major game companies would come knocking at his door.

"Jian Ge, do you want to hear some good news?"

"What good news?"

"The final payment from NetEase is in."

"800,000 yuan?"

"No."

"Wait, did they deduct some money from us? It shouldn't have been like this."

"It's not 800,000; it's 1.8 million."

"1.8 million? Holy...!"

Zhang Jianming was taken aback by the figure Chen Yu mentioned. "Wait, it was 80,000 before. But the NetEase CEO said we did a great job and gave us a 1 million tip."

"Ding Lei, the richest man?"

"What do you think?"

"Wow, this guy is incredibly wealthy."

Zhang Jianming jumped up in excitement and quickly gathered all the employees.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's have a meeting."

Looking at the ten employees, Chen Yu invited them to take their seats.

"The first thing is that our recent collaboration with NetEase has gone well, and we've achieved excellent results. So, I've decided that starting tomorrow, we'll hire a cook to prepare our meals. No more fast food for us."

The employees unanimously applauded this decision.

In the recent period since the company's inception, everyone had been eating fast food. While it wasn't terrible, it lacked proper nutrition, and hygiene was mediocre. The welfare improvement of having a dedicated cook was well-received.

"The second matter I've been thinking about is that just getting a cook is a small step. To enhance everyone's welfare, I've made another decision. I'm giving each of you a 200 yuan raise."

"Wow..."

Compared to the first decision, the second one was met with an explosive reaction as the employees cheered.

"A 200 yuan raise, that's amazing!"

"500 plus 200 equals 700! Support Boss  Chen!"

"700 yuan? I feel like I can't spend that much in a month."

"What are you talking about? I can't even spend 500, and now with 700, I'm a high-income person."

In 2001, the cost of living was very low, and wages were meager. Even adults earned just a few hundred yuan. It was unexpected that after working in the office for only a couple of months, they would receive a 200 yuan raise. Such a welfare package was truly impressive.

"Calm down, calm down."

Chen Yu smiled and said, "Everyone, be quiet for a moment; I'm not finished yet."

Zhang Jianming clapped his hands to silence the excited group.

"Hehe, it's just a 200 yuan raise; there's no need to get so excited. I promise you all that if you continue to work well, there will be more raises like this in the future."

"Hail to Boss  Chen!"

"Here it comes again..."

Chen Yu once again calmed everyone down. "Actually, what I've mentioned so far is just a minor issue. Now, I'm announcing the third benefit."

Chen Yu was not a stingy person. Although he might be frugal in many aspects, he was always generous when it came to his employees.

Continuing, Chen Yu revealed the third decision. "When all of you joined the company, we didn't have labor contracts. From today onwards, we will officially sign labor contracts."

However, the employees seemed indifferent to this decision. Xie Zhang said, "Boss  Chen, we trust you, whether we sign labor contracts or not."

In fact, many private enterprises or small businesses didn't sign labor contracts. This was true in 2001, and it remained the case for many companies in the following decades. As a result, many people didn't have a strong concept of labor contracts. Therefore, when Chen Yu announced this, the employees didn't react much.

But Zhang Jianming added, "You guys are wasting Boss  Chen's painstaking efforts. Among the three benefits today, the last one is the most significant. Once you sign labor contracts, not only does your job security increase, but, more importantly, the company will provide you with social insurance and housing fund."

Unfortunately, Zhang Jianming's explanation went unnoticed, as Xie Zhang and the others asked, "What's social insurance and housing fund, Manager Zhang?"

Chen Yu chuckled and said, "You can search for that online. Alright, that concludes today's meeting. Meeting adjourned."