Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

After dinner, Shen Liang once again gathered the girls, who were tired from the day and ready to go to sleep, for a meeting.

It's the kind of meeting that takes up time after get off work, where you can take the opportunity to explain the details of your plan.

Regarding his plans for establishing himself in Liyue.

It's nine o'clock at night. All the girls have just finished dinner and showered. They're all wearing pajamas and nightgowns, hugging pillows, some yawning, some with their heads drooping. There aren't many seats in the tea room. Some of them are sitting, but most simply sit on the soft carpet. The tea room is basically the Emmanuel Group's meeting room now, and soft wool carpets have long been laid out on the floor.

Shen Liang looked at his crooked and disheveled teammates: a girl with wet hair who had just come out of the bath, a mature woman in a revealing nightgown showing off her long white legs, and a female hooligan with her arm around someone's shoulder...

"I apologize for disturbing your rest, sisters, but I will have to leave Teyvat for a while starting tomorrow, so this meeting must be held today."

The girls were quite pleased with Shen Liang's address of "my dear sisters," but they still complained, "Are we leaving again?"

"Then what about our project?"

"So let's assign the follow-up tasks today." Shen Liang clapped his hands and turned on the projector, which displayed a PowerPoint presentation about his initial project in Liyue.

“You can refer to the instructional videos here to learn how to use the construction site equipment. I have prepared twenty tablets for you to carry with you and learn how to use your equipment at any time. If you don’t understand the videos, you can ask the shrine maidens like Inashiro Hotaru and Ayumi. They have already learned how to use all the machinery from me before you did,” Shen Liang said methodically. “After I leave, you must learn how to use these devices within five days.”

"Five days?" Sure enough, some girls questioned it.

"We don't understand the written language, how can we learn it in five days just by watching videos and listening?"

"Lady Ryoko, do you take us for university students from your Earth?"

“Because you are the first batch of employees, you need to learn these things in order to lead other employees in the future.” Shen Liang stared at the group of young ladies who were still somewhat naive and unruly, and then said leisurely, “If you can’t learn them, you will be automatically demoted.”

"What does 'automatic downgrade' mean?" Ayaka Kamisato didn't quite understand.

"Look, this is a white helmet, this is ours." Shen Liang picked up his helmet, revealing a slightly wicked smile, and explained the strategy he and Bronya had come up with beforehand.

"The white hard hat is for the supervisor or the client, you can think of it as the boss, which is what our group wears now. But we won't wear white forever. Later, we will also introduce red, blue and yellow."

"What red and white? Why are you suddenly bringing up hats, Ryoko-sama?" Hiiragi Chisato was puzzled, but many of the girls behind her had already narrowed their eyes and were looking thoughtful.

"Don't rush, listen to me. Red hard hats are generally for project managers and technical personnel with certain skills, which are our subordinates; while yellow hard hats are for ordinary Teyvats who don't know anything and can only perform basic manual labor."

After hearing this, Hiiragi Senri hugged Shen Liang's arm. She didn't understand, but that didn't stop her from giggling and acting coquettishly: "Oh, in that case, we're both wearing white helmets, right?"

Shen Liang smiled slightly, "It is now."

All the girls, including Ayaka Kamisato, felt a chill in their hearts.

“Right now, everyone is in a top management position because we haven’t finalized the division of labor yet. But in five days, we’ll conduct a recruitment drive to expand our workforce. At that time, we’ll need to create different roles.” Shen Liang smiled mischievously. “Only those who learn how to use the equipment will remain as white hats, because you’ll be responsible for training other employees. Those who still haven’t learned in five days will be demoted to red hats, becoming subordinates of the white hats. Don’t worry, though, because you are my trusted confidants, there’s no way you’ll become yellow hats doing the most mundane tasks; that would be a waste of talent.”

While Hiiragi Senri and the others were still pondering Shen Liang's meaning, they heard him speak calmly and unhurriedly.

"However, the only ones who can stay with me all this time are the white hats, and only the white hats don't need to do any specific work, since you're all essentially the board of directors. If you become red hats, you'll have to go out and do a lot of necessary work yourself, so... at least it's impossible for us to still be living together and discussing so many topics like we are today."

The girls were terrified!

What white hat or red hat? This statement truly reveals His Highness the Regent's true colors as a major capitalist!

These young ladies aren't fools; Shen Liang's meaning is crystal clear. He intends to divide them into two groups based on their work abilities: one group consists of beautiful young women—his close advisors—who are highly capable and can continue to follow him around; the other group consists of unjustly dismissed women—who become management positions—his "relatives of the emperor"!

Don't be fooled by the red hats that signify management positions! Aren't they all pampered young ladies? Do they really need to take on so-called "management roles"? What they want is to be on the board of directors, to be "close confidants" of Chairman Shen Liang!

Only by staying close to him can you get firsthand information and firsthand opportunities! He holds too many benefits; once separated from you and placed in another group, you'll never be able to reap those rewards again! To put it more discreetly…

—Only by his side is it possible for even he himself to…

Right now, everyone is getting along so well, like a close-knit harem of little wolves. But if someone could be kicked out of the group to reduce competition... that would be something everyone would love to do.

But I absolutely cannot be the one kicked out!

Shen Liang's eyes blazed the moment he saw the group of girls! They were brimming with fighting spirit! These weren't just spoiled fools; their privileged upbringing meant excellent education, and those who didn't understand competition would never have made it onto Shen Liang's ship! The women here weren't pushovers!

As expected, Bronya's plan worked very well.

"Oh right, the uniforms will be the same from now on, since we can't wear helmets all the time." Shen Liang put his left arm around Hiiragi Senri's waist and rested his right hand on his head, looking at the group of girls who had been stirred up with a playful smile. "Of course, some people will wear white dresses, and some will wear red dresses—don't worry, they'll all look equally good."

There's also a hierarchy based on clothing!

Ayaka Kamisato sadly discovered that the girls' competitive spirit had been completely aroused!

Is it fair to say that her husband really understands women's minds? First, he used "closeness" to define social classes, and then he used "clothing" to define social classes. Each of these directly hits women's absolute sore spots!

If you divide social classes based solely on interests, such as salary or management scope, the difference isn't that significant for girls. But if you use clothing, it's a completely different story. No proud girl can tolerate being of a lower social class than those around her and having to wear clothes that reflect that class!

It's like the difference between white-collar and blue-collar workers. For men, it doesn't really matter, it's all about salary. But for women, it's absolutely unacceptable. I would rather wear office attire than work clothes!

A girl would never allow herself to be dressed in a way that makes her feel inferior to the girls around her!

Absolutely not!

Even if a red dress and a white dress both look equally good, it still won't work!

[Besides, I always feel like something bad is going to happen to the people wearing red shirts. I don't know where they got the data that says the mortality rate is high in departments where people wear red shirts.] Torachiyo muttered to herself.

"If I had to say, I think everyone who works on construction sites and handles equipment exudes the aura of the Red Shirts department." Shen Liang instantly understood which movie Hu Qiandai was watching.

"By the way, how long are you planning to keep holding Chisato?" Ayaka Kamisato asked in a low voice beside him.

Shen Liang realized that the girl he had been holding around the waist was not Xiao Bailu. He quickly shook off Shu Qianli and then decisively started a new topic.

Hiiragi Senri pouted, clearly not very happy.

“Many people probably don’t know what we’re going to do with the rocks we’re mining and transporting to Liyue Harbor.” Shen Liang sat cross-legged on a chair, a position that was easy for him to maintain due to his small size. “It’s actually quite simple. If we can’t afford expensive land, then we should focus on developing new bases instead of trading land with Liyue.”

"To establish a new base?"

"After arriving in Liyue, what is the most impressive building you have ever seen? If it were me, the most impressive building would not be the precious and beautiful city building like the Jade Palace on the Scarlet Cloud Slope, but the Jade Pavilion on the Radiant Sky of Tianquan."

Ayaka Kamisato was taken aback. The Jade Pavilion was the residence of Tianquan, one of the seven stars of Liyue. It was an extremely imaginative building. It was based on floating stones and floated hundreds of meters in the air above Liyue, so much so that it could be said to reign over the entire Liyue Harbor.

"The Qunyu Pavilion is a very imaginative building. It is visible to everyone and everyone must admire it. It proclaims the wealth and status of Tianquan Star in the most direct and magnificent way." Shen Liang looked at everyone. "But what I admire most is not only Ningguang's unique architectural concept, but also the ingenious thinking behind the entanglement of interests behind this building."

The girls had expressions that said, "Here we go again," "But what can I do but sit here and listen to you finish," and "Hmm, Ryoko-sama is going to start pretending again, but Ryoko-sama is so cute like this."

"Let's get straight to the point. Don't you think that Qunyu Pavilion's current reputation was obtained rather opportunistically?"

"Huh?" Hiiragi Senri's eyes widened upon hearing this news. "The Jade Pavilion is a landmark building that can be regarded as a model of continental architecture. Even the General's castle tower is not as famous as this floating Jade Pavilion! This is all due to her obsessive art at all costs. What tricks did she take?"

"No, it's just taking a shortcut," Shen Liang said calmly. "Have you considered how much the Qunyu Pavilion will cost?"

Everyone was stunned again, lost in thought.

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure about the exact cost, but I've found out something interesting: while hollow stone is a rare building material, it's not expensive because its practical value is minimal. So, it's only about ten times the price of marble. A hollow stone base that can support such a magnificent building as the Jade Pavilion would typically cost no more than five hundred million to one billion Mora."

Ayaka Kamisato's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had grasped something in an instant.

"Yes, you're not mistaken. The area above the Jade Pavilion is far more than ten thousand square meters, but its land only costs a few hundred million Mora. In a place like Scarlet Cloud Slope where every inch of land is precious, that price would only buy a hundred or so square meters of land," Shen Liang said calmly. "It's common knowledge that in Liyue, the cost of land far exceeds the cost of building materials. You could even say that the houses on it are a free gift if you buy the land, because the houses aren't valuable; the location is what matters. But Ningguang doesn't need to do that. The cost of her Jade Pavilion is probably less than that of any large trading company in Scarlet Cloud Slope, yet it far surpasses the reputation of any trading company."

Shen Liang sighed with some emotion, "There are countless trading companies with billions of Mora in assets, but only the name Qunyu Pavilion resounds throughout the Seven Kingdoms. What exquisite ingenuity this is!"

Thinking about it carefully, it's true. The real expense of Qunyu Pavilion might be her residence up there, but the incomparably expensive "land" is not the problem at all.

"So Ryoko, you also want to build a... Kunyu Pavilion?" Ayaka Kamisato asked in shock.

An outsider dares to challenge the Jade Pavilion! What ambition!

Meanwhile, the eavesdropper listening outside the door also showed a look of shock.

Chapter Twenty-One: Sweet Rain

The bright moon is in the sky.

Upon hearing such shocking news, Ye Lan immediately began to survey her surroundings and held her breath.

Many espionage agents often fall victim to the moment they receive confidential information. At that moment, they may subconsciously forget to disguise themselves or control their breathing, instantly exposing their true form.

Even more likely, the person being monitored may deliberately expose some "big news" to test the existence of potential monitors around them.

But Ye Lan remained silent for a minute and did not feel any risk of being exposed.

Unlike other spies who need to disguise themselves or bribe thugs, Yelan doesn't need to put in so much effort when carrying out surveillance missions. She has a natural advantage: the Eye of God.

As a water-based primordial deity, she can use water currents to create refracting water currents that conceal her form, a technique often referred to as optical camouflage on Earth. Therefore, Yelan can monitor particularly perceptive individuals, and combined with her family's inherited techniques, she is even confident that she can hide from the sight of immortals or even demons.

Therefore, most of the general affairs staff were not qualified to take on the task, which was of great interest to Inazuma Yutaka.

Although Ningguang told her at the time that there were plenty of eyes watching this otherworldly boy, and that hers wouldn't make a difference, Yelan didn't really care whether she needed her or not. More often than not, this interdimensional traveler only served her own interests.

After listening to the boy's boastful words in the room for a while and confirming his next direction, Ye Lan silently left the third floor of Baiju Inn.

She didn't go straight downstairs; instead, defying most people's common sense, she headed towards the rooftop and then leaped away across the building under the cover of night. As a spy, one must always do things unexpectedly; spies who always act according to expectations often die young.

Then she saw a girl with light blue ponytail on the rooftop, with beautiful unicorn horns on her head, wearing a short skirt similar to a cheongsam with a black silk bodysuit underneath.

Gan Yu had her eyes closed, and Ye Lan knew what she was doing. Although this half-immortal beast also consumed human food, it spent most of its time with the gentle breeze and bright moon, or as immortals would say, it absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon.

But most of the time she worked at the Moonlit Pavilion, where there was a Moon-Gazing Pavilion specially set up for Gan Yu. That bedroom had a large skylight, and Gan Yu only needed to stay there to absorb enough moonlight. She rarely went out, and even less often... she was encountered in such a place.

Ye Lan revealed herself, narrowing her eyes, "Miss Gan Yu?"

Only then was her appearance revealed. Due to the requirements of her identity as a spy, she wore the standard tight-fitting leather jacket and pants, with various cutouts added for breathability, revealing her fair skin and dark lace bodysuit underneath. The clothing was very layered, even exuding a noble and elegant air. Even if she were discovered, few people would likely think that such a mature and beautiful woman would be a spy doing that kind of work.

However, if Shen Liang were here, he would find it strange that the beautiful girls of Liyue always seem to be fond of wearing bodysuits and black stockings under their clothes... Should we not talk about the difference in aesthetics between Teyvat and Earth? Wearing tight-fitting bodysuits that fit the body in Liyue seems to be a conservative trend, avoiding showing too much skin.

But if this kind of outfit were on Earth... although it reveals very little, Shen Liang would definitely like this kind of "conservatism".

“I’ve always heard that there’s a ‘non-existent colleague’ in the General Affairs Department. She seems to occasionally appear on the way to report to Tianquan Star, but most of the time she can’t be found. Most people in the General Affairs Department have never even heard of her name.” Gan Yu blinked her beautiful, deep purple eyes, which were as clear as autumn water. “Today I have met her, and she is indeed well-deserved of the reputation.”

“The Seven Stars need to be thoroughly familiar with the situation in all parts of Liyue. There are countless infiltrators belonging to the Seven Stars, but there are always some special intelligences related to special missions that need to be collected through special means. I am an expert in this area,” Yelan said calmly. “I wonder what brings Miss Ganyu to White Horse Inn so late at night.”

"Just trying to relax," Gan Yu said with a smile.