Chapter 543 Recruiting and Expanding

Chapter 543: Recruitment

With the veteran Zuo Zuying present, everyone had a great time at the dinner between Su An’s group and Kang Honghui.

After they parted ways, Zuo Zuying saw Su An home.

Su An asked him curiously, “What did you mean by those things you said to Kang Honghui at the dinner?”

Zuo Zuying glanced at her. “Seriously, you don’t see it?”

Su An shook her head honestly. “No.”

Zuo Zuying asked, “What do you think is Kang Honghui’s biggest value to you and your magazine?”

Su An thought for a moment. “His presence itself?”

Zuo Zuying nodded. “Exactly. The guy himself—he’s got integrity, and if you listen to his insights and his analysis of future market and social trends, he has a very forward-thinking perspective.”

Su An frowned. “So?”

Zuo Zuying lightly knocked her head with his knuckles.

“Ow! You trying to kill me?” Su An glared at him.

Zuo Zuying chuckled. “So, while he’s still at his current job, we maintain a good relationship with him. But wouldn’t it be even better if we could lure him over for your magazine?”

“With him running the magazine, you’d have tons of free time to focus on other things. Plus, your network stays intact—he becomes part of it, and his connections might even be more high-level.”

“In business, the most important skill is knowing how to delegate. It frees you from getting bogged down in messy day-to-day stuff. You stay above the fray, overseeing things from a higher vantage point, only stepping in when problems arise.”

“Many things don’t require us getting our hands dirty. Everyone’s energy is limited.”

Su An absorbed his words. “Xiao Zuo, you know your stuff. I’ve learned a lot from you.”

Zuo Zuying smirked proudly. “Well, you’re a good student—a fast learner.”

Su An sighed. “It’s a good idea, but Kang Honghui doesn’t seem like someone easy to poach. He loves his job—it’s a stable position.”

Zuo Zuying scoffed. “That’s why I said you can’t think sideways.”

Su An stared at him, eager for an explanation.

Zuo Zuying continued, “Your magazine doesn’t require daily office attendance, and we’re not asking him to fetch coffee or chase clients.”

“By the way, you publish once a month, right?”

Su An replied, “For now, yes. Once we’re up and running, I plan to release two issues a month—on the 7th and 21st.”

Zuo Zuying nodded. “There you go. He doesn’t have to quit his stable job. He can still work there while occasionally advising your magazine, ensuring everything runs smoothly. It’s called wearing multiple hats. He’d just be your guide, not someone micromanaging everything. Understand?”

“Think of it like a ship at sea. The crew and oarsmen know their roles without being told. The helmsman just keeps an eye on the big picture now and then to make sure they’re not drifting off track. Get it?”

Su An’s eyes lit up. “That’s possible? Xiao Zuo, you’re a genius!”

Zuo Zuying preened. “Mhm.”

“Otherwise, if you shoulder all the work, you’ll burn out. What’s the point of making money if you’re stuck in the office all day? Who’ll enjoy all that cash?”

Zuo Zuying accompanied Su An to pester Kang Honghui several times, wearing him down until he finally gave in. In addition to his main job, he also took on the roles of editor-in-chief of *Outside* and deputy director of the magazine *Outside*.

Upon joining, he immediately pointed out several shortcomings in the magazine's operations, reassigned roles based on individual strengths, and drafted a market plan for the year.

With Kang Honghui overseeing the magazine, Su An felt unstoppable—suddenly, she found herself with little to do, as her workload had lightened considerably.

Zuo Zuying now had more chances to hang out with Su An.

The two of them scouted everywhere for great eats. Zuo Zuying drove Su An around cities like Yangcheng, Guancheng, and Pengcheng, hitting up bustling food streets, markets, stadiums, parks, cinemas, riversides, and even beaches. Occasionally, they would let loose at "Dream Fox" club.

Their bond deepened, reaching somewhere between friendship and romance—both harboring unspoken affection.

Su An’s daily routine essentially became: eat, attend school, and spend time with Zuo Zuying.

Since Zuo Zuying often waited for Su An at the school gate, everyone who knew her was aware she had a devoted admirer—loaded and good-looking. He even joined her in the cafeteria so often that many recognized him.

Gradually, her swarm of admirers thinned out.

Ren Shan returned from City A to handle matters at the Yangyu Mountain three-way intersection market.

The intersection had now become the largest commercial hub within a ten-mile radius, and she came to lock in lease contracts for the following year in advance.

Just as Ren Shan had predicted, this year’s rent doubled. Merchants, afraid of losing their spots, rushed to sign contracts the moment Ceng Zhijie notified them.

After crunching the numbers, Ren Shan estimated next year’s annual rent would exceed 500,000 yuan. After deducting garbage disposal fees and miscellaneous expenses like Ceng Zhijie’s cut, the net income would still be over 510,000 yuan.

Staring at the report in Ren Shan’s hands, Su An’s jaw nearly dropped.

"Shan Shan, compared to you, I feel useless."

"You know, starting the magazine was exhausting—grinding under the scorching sun, editing until my eyes turned red, nearly roasting alive, and even dreaming about it at night. The first month, we printed 50,000 copies at 0.66 yuan each, and after all costs, I only made a little over 10,000 yuan."

"Meanwhile, you just sit at home, doing nothing, and make tens of thousands a month, over half a million a year..."

Ren Shan glanced at Su An with a smile. "In two years, it’ll double again. By then, the annual rent will be over a million."

Su An choked.

"My magazine is finally on track now. The first few months were brutal—like harvesting crops at Ninety-Three all over again—I nearly collapsed from exhaustion. But now, I’ve hired a capable person to manage things. I just drop by occasionally. It’s not as hands-off or steady as your Yangyu market, but it’s still like printing money."

Leaning closer to Ren Shan, Su An lowered her voice, unable to hide her pride. "Shan Shan, right now, *Outside* has eleven employees. We publish monthly, selling about 200,000 copies per issue at 0.66 yuan each. The price might seem low, but the volume makes up for it."

"I haven’t run the exact numbers, but we’re making around 80,000 to 90,000 yuan a month. And soon, we plan to publish twice a month. Our deputy director did an analysis—based on our current readership and influence, at peak performance, we could sell over 600,000 copies a month across two issues."