After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar] – CH109

Chapter 109

[I Don’t Believe It]: No way. Fake, right? This has to be fake, right?

[I Hate This]: Waaaaah this is definitely fake, right! How could Boss Xie actually send real, physical prizes? I don’t believe it! Boss Xie must be joking!

The moment Xie Xingchen posted on StarBlog, the entire internet collectively wailed.

Everyone said they simply couldn’t accept this “bad news.”

After all, the number of people who joined the Lantern Festival event looked huge, but compared to all of StarNet, it was still only a small fraction.

[I’m Crying and I’m Not Pretending]: Waaaah I should NOT have! I shouldn’t have given up the event because of my planet’s time difference! Boss Xie, if you’d said this earlier, I would’ve crawled there if I had to!

[This World Is So Unfair]: +1, but I think I’m even worse? I wanted to join, but I waited and waited and then fell asleep… waaaah I’m truly hopeless /(?o?)/~~

[My Damn Boss]: I’m so mad, I’m so mad! I was literally in the event, and then I’d been online for less than half an hour when my damn boss dragged me back to work overtime. Screw that overtime! Now I lost everything. AHHHHHH I’m resigning in a minute. I’m done!

Everyone who didn’t log in had their own reasons, and some of them were tragic beyond words.

In the end, the comments under Xie Xingchen’s post almost turned into a “who has it worse” competition.

Seriously, open the comments and anyone would end up shedding a single crocodile tear for the people who missed the event.

And in sharp contrast, the second most upvoted comment was pure happiness.

Just reading the words, you could feel the smug, delighted mood radiating off the screen.

[Today Is New Year’s!]: Hahahahahaha Boss Xie is generous! There are actually real-life prizes! I honestly thought it’d already be great if we could just use the prizes in the holographic marketplace!

[So Good, So Good]: It’s not just the prizes that were amazing! The event itself was insanely fun too! Waaaah mini Chang’an City was unbelievably gorgeous! And the NPCs were so nice. I only helped a few grandmas cross the street, and I got the “Helpful Citizen” title, and then in the final draw I pulled a super luxurious, elegant, high-waisted ruqun set!

[Yep That Lucky One Is Me]: Same, same! I graduated from military academy, the “can fight” type. That night I happened to pass an alley where the authorities were chasing a major thief. I helped out and also caught a few pickpockets and turned them in, and I got the “Punish Evil, Promote Good” title. Then I drew a Priority Shopping Card!

[Kitty Come Raise Paw Paw]: Hahahahaha I’m different. You guys went around doing good deeds. Me? I only got rejected by every cat. Somehow I got the title “Two-Legged Creature Cats Don’t Like,” and because of that title I drew the phoenix crown that costs 2000 stamps to redeem. Hahahahaha it’s the first time I’ve ever liked my “cats hate me on sight” physique!

The comment section was full of talent. Everyone spoke so beautifully.

Sure, it was subtle bragging!

But honestly, the titles really were eye-opening.

There were all kinds of weird, ridiculous titles.

Xie Xingchen even saw one called “Women’s Federation Director.” When he checked how the player earned it, he instantly wanted to vanish on the spot.

So not only did his staff take that offhand remark he’d made seriously, they even used it logically inside the game instance?

Xie Xingchen: I’m out. I concede. This one’s on me. jpg

As everyone knows, when a game runs an event, the official side usually makes a fortune.

Following that rule, Xie Xingchen, who had just obtained official status, was no exception.

Just from the low-priced paid tasks at the game points, he earned a few hundred million.

That was with him still having a conscience. If he’d been more ruthless, multiplying the profit several times would’ve been easy.

But he didn’t get away with paying nothing either. The prizes exchanged from the Central Redemption Tower, purely by market value, were basically equal to what he earned that night.

So this event, which he decided to run on a whim, didn’t actually make him money.

But as always—New Year’s is about being happy!

He didn’t lose money, and everyone got a lively celebration. That’s great.

And it’s not like he gained nothing.

Look—he successfully boosted the popularity of his follow-up products.

Especially Hanfu and matching accessories. From now on, their high-end image was firmly planted in everyone’s mind.

It’s just that…

Xie Xingchen dumped more work onto his staff again.

Because Earth Commerce doesn’t sell “simple” Hanfu and jewelry.

Those simpler Hanfu and jewelry were created by Zhang Yu, Ivy, and their team of twenty by “trimming down” the high-end Hanfu and lavish original jewelry.

So if they wanted to send those items out in real life, they first had to export the Hanfu and jewelry model files from the StarNet marketplace, then find manufacturers to produce them.

It sounded annoying, but it was already very convenient, because these were modified from the high-end Hanfu and lavish jewelry, and those high-end originals were uploaded by scanning real physical pieces. If they had to build everything from scratch, the workload would be so huge employees would resign on the spot.

After all, this wasn’t one or two items.

Altogether, it was more than two thousand different items!

Luckily, to create a clear contrast with the high-end Hanfu and original jewelry, they removed complicated embroidery and similar details. Otherwise it would’ve been a nightmare.

Xie Xingchen: 0.0

Zhang Yu gave a wry smile and said straight out, “Boss, I think we need to hire people.”

She was just a designer, but now?

She didn’t even know how many roles she was juggling.

Sure, Xie Xingchen never skimps on pay, but… is it possible that… money doesn’t matter if you don’t have the life to spend it?

After grinding through the Lantern Festival event, she really couldn’t grind anymore.

Ivy felt exactly the same.

She was thinking even further ahead.

Earth Commerce was growing faster and faster, which meant the number of things they had to handle would also grow.

So day to day it might look manageable, but one event could literally grind employees to death.

That wouldn’t work.

After a long, serious discussion, and factoring in Earth Commerce’s growth rate, Zhang Yu and Ivy formally requested staffing expansion.

Xie Xingchen didn’t object. He asked instead, “Didn’t you two already form a team of twenty? Is anyone there suitable?”

Zhang Yu and Ivy both nodded immediately, saying in perfect unison, “Every single one of the twenty is suitable!”

Xie Xingchen didn’t say anything else. He only said he needed one day to think, and he’d give them a firm answer tomorrow.

For a company in rapid expansion, hiring was inevitable. The only question was how many.

Hire a large batch now, while things are still manageable, and let them get familiar with the environment? Or hire a few first and add more later?

Considering events like the Lantern Festival would probably happen again, Xie Xingchen leaned toward hiring more people. He couldn’t count on getting this lucky every time and stumbling upon amazing part-time talent.

But how many, whether to bring in the entire team of twenty, and what the structure would be—he needed to think it through.

He spent the whole night on it.

The next morning, he gave his decision.

[Xie Xingchen]: @Zhang Yu @Ivy Since you both think so highly of them, contact the part-time team from the Lantern Festival event. If they’re willing, they can all join Earth Commerce’s Design Department as employees. If they’re not willing, ask if they’d like to sign a part-time contract as external collaborators for the Design Department, so we can bring them in when needed.

[Zhang Yu]: OK. Being obedient. jpg

[Ivy]: Got it, Boss! We’ll do it right away.

Finally receiving the boss’s message, the two exchanged a look and smiled brightly.

They really, really loved the team they’d built this time.

Everyone got along well, and most importantly, everyone was insanely capable.

No dead weight. No parachuted-in people. No credit-grabbers. No passive-aggressive drama. No tattling to management…

So even though their bodies were tired from work, their hearts felt light and happy.

Since the boss had already set the hiring plan, they didn’t bother with polite fluff.

They dumped the news straight into the work group chat and successfully “blew the group up.”

[Zhang Yu]: @Everyone Good news!

[Ivy]: @Everyone Boss Xie said Earth Commerce’s Design Department is hiring! After the Lantern Festival event, he’s very satisfied with everyone. If you want to join Earth Commerce, message me privately and we’ll talk benefits. If you don’t want to join full-time, there’s also a part-time option. For that, message @Zhang Yu.

The moment they sent it, all twenty people popped up and spammed celebration stickers like crazy.

Just watching the sticker refresh speed, you could tell how excited they were.

Almost instantly, Ivy got flooded with private messages.

Zhang Yu got fewer, but the questions were much more detailed.

Because this team was made of industry experts and famous StarNet artists.

Industry experts were easy—everyone has to work. Who you work for is still work. Earth Commerce allowed remote work, the atmosphere was good, and the boss paid generously, and most importantly—Boss Xie didn’t treat them like oxen.

At other companies they worked day and night. Here, they would probably only have to grind during events sometimes, yet the pay wouldn’t be less than before, and the benefits were great.

Just the monthly internal employee purchase quota alone made people desperate to get in.

So almost everyone still working in companies chose full-time employment without hesitation.

Only the StarNet “big-name” creators who loved freedom refused full-time.

They had their own jobs, their own lives, their own fans, and weird hobbies. Some were even influencers who streamed sometimes.

So they could only regretfully decline full-time and ask about part-time instead.

They learned the part-time deal was:

• Sign a contract with Earth Commerce.
• One guaranteed event per quarter, with each event lasting no more than 20 workdays.
• A guaranteed base pay of 3500 star coins per month.
• Commission calculated the same way as full-time staff.
• Holiday gifts.
• One Earth Commerce Priority Shopping Card per year.

Hearing that, they couldn’t help marveling at Boss Xie’s generosity.

Sure, 3500 star coins wasn’t much to either Boss Xie or them.

But it was guaranteed income no matter what.

And the commission matched full-time rates.

And there were holiday gifts and a priority shopping card.

And that was just part-time!

Everyone: Suddenly we really want to know what full-time benefits look like (:3??)

They dared to think it, but didn’t ask.

Everyone: Don’t ask. The reason is we’re afraid we won’t be able to resist signing full-time if we hear it.

[Zhang Yu]: One event build per quarter, meaning once every three months. Each event is at most 20 consecutive workdays. Commission will be paid at the full-time rate.

[Zhang Yu]: But Earth Commerce is people-friendly, so you can take leave for that quarterly event. If you’re busy that quarter, just take leave. The boss said as long as you participate in four events per year, you’re good.

Everyone was already satisfied. Now they were beyond satisfied.

Only four events a year!

And you can choose the timing!

Rounding that up, it’s basically like the part-time job doesn’t exist.

Grind the event when you’re free, and the rest of the time you can live your life however you want.

[Zhang Yu]: Alright, that’s it for now. If you’re interested, message me to sign the part-time contract. After signing, there’s also a work task: producing the finished goods for the simple Hanfu and jewelry. If you can take it, you can take it. Taking it counts as one event participation.

Zhang Yu mentioned it casually and didn’t expect anything.

Most of the people choosing part-time were illustrators and draft artists, many of them young women with drawing and design talent, but they likely couldn’t handle this kind of manufacturing-side work.

But to her surprise, Wang Qianqian privately messaged her and accepted the task.

Xie Xingchen was startled. “Wang Qianqian’s family runs a garment factory?”

How could the world be this coincidental?

Zhang Yu nodded, also looking like she’d entered a parallel universe.

Because Wang Qianqian’s family business wasn’t small. It was huge. Extremely huge.

Their factories were mostly on remote planets, but the scale was massive, and they were a famously ethical company: Da Wang Apparel.

They could’ve relied purely on automated production, but “Da Wang” set up most factories in remote worlds to provide jobs for impoverished locals.

That wasn’t a profit-only capitalist—it was a responsible entrepreneur.

When Xie Xingchen learned this, he felt genuine respect and instantly liked Wang Qianqian more. And his way of showing goodwill was direct.

After thinking briefly, he looked at Zhang Yu and said, “Zhang Yu, after this is done, calculate Wang Qianqian’s commission and give her two options: take the commission in cash, or use it to buy Earth Commerce products.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes went wide with envy.

If she got that chance, she would absolutely use the commission to buy Earth Commerce products.

Because those were things money couldn’t buy!

Zhang Yu: Waaaah, another day of being moved to tears by the boss’s thoughtfulness.

But she wasn’t jealous.

Wang Qianqian earned that privilege with her own ability. What was there to envy?

It’s just that…

Zhang Yu didn’t wait until everything was finished to tell Wang Qianqian. She told her immediately.

Wang Qianqian exploded with joy and instantly chose to use the commission to buy Earth Commerce items, terrified that if she hesitated for even one second, the opportunity would vanish.

To earn a higher commission and buy more, she even took on the task of coordinating directly with her family’s factory.

And honestly, she was ridiculously good at it.

In this kind of work, she alone was worth more than everyone else combined.

Plus, she was the boss’s daughter. Da Wang’s employees definitely wouldn’t dare act up.

Da Wang Apparel not only welcomed the collaboration enthusiastically, they also gave major concessions on pricing.

And the production steps for the “Immortal-Drift Series” (the simple Hanfu, jewelry, and accessories) were closely supervised by dedicated managers.

That same day, the owner of Da Wang Apparel found out.

Not only did he not scold his daughter for “helping outsiders,” he was thrilled to learn she was joining Earth Commerce (part-time), and that after this job, her pay (commission) could all be used to purchase Earth Commerce products. He was so happy that he opened doors wide for both his daughter and Earth Commerce.

If employees might ignore the young miss, they definitely wouldn’t ignore the big boss.

So even though Earth Commerce’s requirements for the Immortal-Drift Series were “low in complexity but high in standards,” with the top leader speaking, everyone did their best to produce beautifully and deliver perfect work.

And that created a positive loop.

Xie Xingchen felt confident handing production rights for the Immortal-Drift Series to Da Wang Apparel.

At the moment, those production rights still looked insignificant, but as Earth Commerce grew bigger, Da Wang Apparel also rose with it. Eventually it became the number one leader in the apparel industry.

But that’s for later.

Right now, Da Wang Apparel had only just started working with Earth Commerce, and they were still in the adjustment phase.

Although the high-end Hanfu and jewelry, the “Glory and Splendor Series,” already had finished products, the mid-to-low-end Hanfu and jewelry, the Immortal-Drift Series, were still in production due to customization issues. So Xie Xingchen hadn’t shipped anything yet.

In contrast, the other prizes were mostly ready and were being shipped in batches.

Only one day had passed, and Xie Xingchen had already received all shipping addresses for the redeemed prizes.

More than 70% of those addresses were in human civilization.

That made him sigh that humans really were the species that loved crowds the most, and… humans really could reproduce.

By comparison, addresses from plant civilization were only a handful.

Xie Xingchen even suspected that some plant-civilization lifeforms, who could just find a patch of soil and sleep, still didn’t know Earth Commerce existed.

That wasn’t a joke. It was real.

Because the comments asking “What is Earth Commerce?” “What does Earth Commerce do?” “How do you all know Earth Commerce?” were almost always from plant-civilization lifeforms.

Xie Xingchen could only feel envy for those long-lived species.

When you live too long, you don’t care about three or five years at all.

Sometimes you wake up from a nap and the world has changed into something unfamiliar.

He started by packaging and shipping postcards and plush toys. Robots moved in orderly streams, forming a neat shipping chain.

This place used to be nothing but wilderness, but the huge number of robots made it feel oddly bustling. Even the flowerbeds looked livelier.

In truth, with Earth Commerce’s current shipping volume, the small wormhole receiver was no longer sufficient. If Xie Xingchen wanted a permanent solution, he needed to buy a large wormhole receiver and build a large logistics station nearby.

But… large wormhole receivers were expensive.

If he bought one, his account balance would basically drop back to zero.

But a medium wormhole receiver wasn’t cost-effective either.

So Xie Xingchen originally planned to hold out a little longer.

After all… it would just be slower!

He could handle it.

He believed customers could handle it too.

A small business needs to compress costs!

That’s how you save money!

Otherwise, if he kept spending like this, when would he ever start building Earth’s interstellar route?

No. Absolutely not.

The interstellar route mattered. It was tied to Earth’s future development.

Xie Xingchen turned and asked, “Prosperity, how many parcels are still in the warehouse?”

Prosperity answered without hesitation, “There’s still an entire warehouse of parcels.”

Packaging was handled by newly purchased packing machines. The free robots all moonlighted as delivery bots. They drove various hover vehicles and moved parcels like a conveyor belt toward the small wormhole receiver.

But realistically, if they had a large logistics station, most of this could be done by assembly-line equipment. Xie Xingchen would only need a few delivery bots at key points, and everything would run smoothly.

Unlike now, where robots were running back and forth like overworked dogs.

Xie Xingchen: “…Do I actually need to build a large logistics station?”

And just like that, he was conflicted again.

Xie Xingchen suddenly asked, “Prosperity, do you think it’s better to save money, or build a large logistics station first?”

Prosperity turned his head and said stiffly, “Boss, whatever makes you happy.”

Xie Xingchen: “…” My Prosperity, you’ve learned bad habits.

Xie Xingchen sighed, stared at his account balance, and couldn’t decide. His brows knitted in worry.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the players receiving packages were celebrating like it was New Year’s.

[Gua Gua Ji Ji]: Hahahahaha I got my package! It’s a full set of “Chang’an Impressions” postcards! Waaaah they’re so exquisite, I love them! Those 60 stamps were so worth it!

[Qi Qi San San]: Who isn’t? I redeemed a carrot plush. It cost 50 stamps, but it’s genuinely adorable, cartoonish and playful, and it’s so soft and skin-friendly. I love hugging it while watching shows!

[Laughing Like the Sun]: Hand raised here. I redeemed a lemon-yellow lemon pillow. The color is gorgeous! And it’s the perfect size. My little sister loved it at first sight!

[The Prettiest in the World]: Hehe I’m different! I redeemed a milk-tea “suction cup” water cup. There’s no milk tea, but every time I drink water it feels like I’m drinking milk tea. It’s amazing. Look, isn’t it pretty? [Pic 1] [Pic 2] [Pic 3]

…

Even though Xie Xingchen had only just started shipping the prizes, people couldn’t wait to post on StarBlog the moment the items arrived.

Postcards, plushies, suction cups, little bags… everything was unbearably cute!

The second they posted, everyone else got jealous.

And this was only the first-floor prizes from the Central Redemption Tower!

On the first floor, the cheapest prize was only 15 stamps, and the most expensive was only 70 stamps.

As long as you played seriously and logged in on time, even if your luck was terrible, you would still be able to get something.

And—

If people weren’t mistaken, there were lots of brand-new items in there too!

Everyone: !

Waaaah… we missed out on a hundred million!

Boss Xie, why are you so ruthless? Why didn’t you tell us in advance that the redemption prizes were real? Why? Why? Why?

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