Chapter 244

Chapter 244: Who Is the Real Eldest Miss? (5000 words)

Mei Fang and Lin You Xi’s C Station core team mainly consists of programmers, artists, and website operation planners. Most of them were early users from A Station.

Although they are considered veterans, they actually started participating in the early days of the anime community when they were around fifteen or sixteen years old. The majority of the members are not particularly well-known figures within the industry, but they work in related fields after graduation, driven by their interests.

This outsourced team comprises about forty people, with twenty-seven of them officially accepting job offers. Twenty-four of them can attend the offline employee conference. The gender ratio is nearly equal, with males dominating the programming roles and females the art roles, while there are only a few operation planners.

On this basis, Mei Fang also posted several job descriptions on C Station, mainly for HR-related positions and some website operation members. Resumes poured in, and after written tests and phone interviews, two ladies were temporarily hired to assist Yueyue’s work, which could alleviate some of Mei Yue’s burdens.

Mei Fang’s Lin Xi Technology 1.0 plan is to expand the official team members to fifty.

Fifty people is a threshold in management studies; within this number, it’s possible to achieve a flat management structure where everyone knows each other, understands each other’s work content and responsibilities, and there isn’t a very rigid hierarchy.

In the early stages of entrepreneurship, establishing this sense of belonging will make everyone more willing to stay in the current team.

In his previous life, Mei Fang led a team of up to twenty people at most, as managing more would become difficult. However, with Lin You Xi, Mei Yue, and others as assistants, and凭借老板的身份以及家底富裕的底气, he can go further.

Mei Fang reserved a small hall for four tables at Mayflower Hotel in Jiangcheng. He mobilized everyone to decorate the small hall in advance. Liu Xiaoyu sat at the entrance table for reception, her sign-in sheet marked with the names of new members.

Around eleven o’clock, team members began arriving at the hotel one by one.

This was both the first full employee conference and the offline meeting for the core development team of C Station.

Previously, they had always worked online, communicating mostly through voice calls, rarely revealing their real names or photos. Lin You Xi and Mei Fang had been using the same account, preserving the mystery until the last moment by never sending voice messages.

Due to the relatively new nature of the anime culture in China, those who came to sign in looked like young adults in their early twenties. They were surprised to see Liu Xiaoyu and asked if she was part of the team, seeming too young.

“I’m a newcomer, just recently recruited.”

Liu Xiaoyu’s answer was correct. She was originally an employee of Ximilu Games, now helping temporarily.

“You look so young… Did you graduate? Are you still a student?”

“Ahh… I, um… I’m currently working part-time.”

Liu Xiaoyu gave a safe response.

Since Mei Fang allowed everyone to come dressed in cosplay costumes, a few did indeed show up in JK uniforms, car girl costumes, and plushie outfits. Before coming, these members had informed everyone, so they were easily recognized upon arrival.

“You must be Sister Cola! Wow, you’re cuter than I imagined.”

“Whoa, I thought Yunzi was a middle-aged man with a beard, but he turned out to be such a handsome guy, I love it!”

“I only love virtual characters. I’m Lady Lingmeng’s dog.”

“Enough, enough… We all agreed we were all ‘dead otakus,’ but now one looks better than the other, and I’m the only true ‘dead otaku.'”

Long-time online friends meeting in person for the first time naturally brought about various amusing moments. Many who were eloquent online became silent offline, being teased by everyone, then returning to online platforms to retort.

However, the greatest interest of the team members was waiting for the appearance of the “Eldest Miss” of [Mountain Has Lin].

“Who do you think is the Eldest Miss?”

“I peeked at the sign-in sheet earlier, and there really was someone named Lin You Xi. I think that should be our station manager.”

“Could the Eldest Miss have already arrived, blending in among us?”

“I think it’s that lady at the next table. Her aloof demeanor seems quite fitting.”

“I think your goofy style is more like the Eldest Miss.”

“Are we interacting with the Eldest Miss?”

“Hey, hey… Are you even from C Station? Isn’t there supposed to be two Eldest Misses? Oh, you joined this year, right? That might explain why you’re not familiar. The first-generation Eldest Miss used to chat a lot with us, even saying she played many eroge.”

“Wow, what news! This is my first time hearing it.”

“What? You guys think that lady at the next table is the Eldest Miss? She’s Qingniao, one of our artists.”

“Should we ask the little sister preparing food over there?”

“She’s so young to be working at a hotel, how hard-working.”

“She’s probably doing part-time during holidays, maybe she wants to buy something…”

One male colleague then approached Yue Xinyi, who was asking the server for the menu:

“Excuse me, little sister, could you tell us who booked this banquet hall?”

Yue Xinyi examined the bespectacled man before her and frowned.

“It’s obvious, it’s Eldest Miss Shan You Lin Xi who booked it.”

“I didn’t ask that. I wanted to know—”

The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses, “You know this is a C Station gathering, right? Haha… aren’t you here to meet the Eldest Miss?”

“Yunzi, don’t laugh so loudly, you’ll scare the little sister.”

“Ah, you’re Yunzi…”

Yue Xinyi shook her head with a helpless expression, “Dare to call me little sister, you must be itching for a fight.”

When Yunzi and the other colleagues heard Yue Xinyi’s words, they were stunned, “You… you’re also from C Station?”

Yue Xinyi thoroughly enjoyed the scene, hands on her hips, looking triumphant, “Not only am I a member of C Station, but I’m also your superior, Yunzi. You must call me Big Sis.”

“Big Sis… Wait, you’re not ‘Boss Yue Xi Group Big Sis,’ are you?”

“Hmph.” Yue Xinyi sneered, showing a mischievous and charming expression, “If not me, who else could it be?”

Yue Xinyi was one of the earliest members assisting Mei Fang and Lin You Xi with C Station operations. Her C Station account ID was 4, known as “Boss Yue Xi Group Big Sis.” Because Yue Xinyi watched many anime novels and was a lively presence online, everyone called her Big Sis whether at work or in casual chats.

“Wow! Big Sis is actually a genuine loli! How old are you? No wonder you rarely speak during weekdays, are you in school?”

“When did I turn into a loli… Hey, get away from me!”

Yue Xinyi fiercely knocked back the members trying to pat her head. Everyone was delighted and quickly invited Yue Xinyi to sit down, while Yunzi served her tea.

“Speaking of which, since Big Sis is such a young student, then our Eldest Miss must be—”

“Just wait and see…”

Yue Xinyi calmly took a sip of tea offered by Yunzi and heard a woman on the table mutter sarcastically, “Big Sis is truly Big Sis, impressive.”

Peng Xue, dressed in punk rock fashion, sat among C Station’s colleagues. Her mature look was almost convincing, and she was quite outgoing, chatting easily with everyone, making them believe she was a quiet C Station member.

Yue Xinyi worried Peng Xue would expose her, so she blushed and said to Peng Xue,

“Why are you here, Xue? You shouldn’t be sitting here, go sit with the kids.”

“You’re a kid too, why don’t you go sit with the kids?”

Mei Fang reserved four tables, with one marked as temporarily unseated, similar to a main table.

But listening to Yue Xinyi and Peng Xue’s banter, everyone became excited.

Big Sis was the Eldest Miss’s closest companion, and the main table was called the “kids’ table.” Now, Guo Yun, Zhang Ming, and Liu Xiaoyu, who had completed sign-in, were seated there. They all looked quite young, could it be…

Could it be…

Is the Eldest Miss really a rich high school girl?

Such discussions heated up even more online. At this moment, Mei Yue walked briskly to the front, asking the hotel staff for a microphone.

“Oh, oh, she’s going to speak.”

“Isn’t this the Eldest Miss? She interviewed me during the interview.”

“She looks a bit older, and her aura doesn’t seem right. The Eldest Miss should be more aloof.”

“Are you seriously expecting the Eldest Miss to be a loli? Pervert.”

“Okay, everyone, please calm down.”

Mei Yue greeted everyone with a smile, “Firstly, thank you all for accepting our offer and joining today’s welcome party. Let’s introduce ourselves briefly! Oh, right… Don’t misunderstand, I’m not the Eldest Miss. Actually, I’m just like everyone else, recently hired by C Station… Yes, I handle mainly administrative, human resources, and financial matters…”

Mei Yue, a high-achieving student who obtained her CPA three years after graduating, had met many important figures during her work at the firm and was experienced in hosting meetings. After a brief introduction, she began the main event.

“Now, I know everyone is curious about one thing today: the true identity of the mysterious C Station Manager, Eldest Miss Shan You Lin Xi.”

“We will reveal the answer soon. Please welcome—”

Amidst prolonged applause, Xia Yuan covered her face and slowly walked out from behind the screen.

“Yuanbao! I knew it, Eldest Miss Shan You Lin Xi is Yuanbao! Give me money!”

Discussions about the station manager’s true identity had been ongoing within C Station, much like on the internet. The theory of “Yuanxi Unity,” which fit well with otaku fantasies, was widely accepted. Many members believed the recently promoted Yuanbao was the station manager herself, leading to immediate recognition when she appeared.

Xia Yuan took the microphone from Mei Yue, who then sat at the “kids’ table” to listen to Xia Yuan’s speech.

“That… um…”

“Yuanbao, don’t be nervous, I’m your fan!”

“What Yuanbao! Here we should call her Eldest Miss!”

“Eldest Miss, don’t be nervous!”

“Ahh… Um, I’m not nervous, haha.”

Xia Yuan hadn’t expected to appear as a special identity, “Actually, I’m not really the C Station manager. I’m just benefiting from You Xi’s light… In short, I will also become a part of C Station, or rather Lin Xi Technology, as a mascot. Please look forward to it!”

“Yes! Yuanbao is not Eldest Miss!”

“No way! Yuanbao is not Eldest Miss!”

“I get it, let’s draw a 2D image for Yuanbao, to compete with AC Niang from A Station!”

“Everyone, please calm down, the real Eldest Miss is coming.”

Xia Yuan held the microphone and muttered to the screen behind her, “You Xi, You Xi, can you come out now?”

“…”

Lin You Xi slowly walked to the front amid applause, appearing much more aloof than Xia Yuan, as some employees had hoped.

“Hey, Zi Xi, speak up, Zi Xi. Didn’t you always want to see the real Eldest Miss?”

“What more can I say? AWSL!”

Some members even fell to their knees in gratitude, thanking a miracle only gods could grant.

“Thank you, C Station, thank you, anime world, Eldest Miss is truly Eldest Miss! There’s nothing left to hope for!”

Today, Lin You Xi actually wore a black fishnet lace Lolita dress, forced to play the role of the manager. Seeing the members’ embarrassing behavior, Lin You Xi felt a headache.

“Everyone has said a lot, I won’t repeat it…”

“Say more, Eldest Miss!”

“Yes, say more!”

Lin You Xi was skilled in organizing class activities and confident in face-to-face communication, but this kind of idolizing her symbolically made her struggle.

“My name is Lin You Xi, the nominal manager of C Station, and the nominal leader of Lin Xi Technology. I have a lot of interactions with everyone in terms of work, especially in programming code development. However, my exchanges with everyone are mostly limited to work-related content.”

“Nominal… Does this mean the Eldest Miss is not the real manager?”

“That’s why I said nominal…”

Lin You Xi explained with a smile, “When I was very young, there was a boy who was my childhood friend with Yuan. We often went to his house to play. It was in his house that I first encountered games, anime, and many wonderful things in the anime world.”

“These experiences motivated me to create a place for enthusiasts like us to communicate. I hope we can establish a culture exchange sanctuary that is purer and less commercial than A Station.”

“With such a mindset, I, along with my childhood friend, completed the basic framework of C Station. I enjoy coding, so I focused on web development. However, everything else, including external cooperation, bandwidth fees, forum feedback, recruitment of everyone here, and even naming C Station, was done by him because C sounds like my name.”

As everyone listened to Lin You Xi’s gentle recollection, they felt like they were watching a cute couple. This moved Yuxin to tears, so much so that the bespectacled male colleague Yunzi kept patting her shoulder to comfort her.

“So, I feel that the identity and honor of the C Station manager should belong to my childhood friend, the true first-generation Eldest Miss of [Shan You Lin Xi], Mei Fang.”

Lin You Xi turned towards the screen and smiled, calling Mei Fang’s name, “It’s your turn to speak, Fang.”

“…”

Mei Fang scratched his head and walked out amid applause.

“I won! Victory for the Fang Party!”

During the period when Fang was the manager, although his statement was only a small part of the discussion, the main contributor was in the development team of C Station. This person was laughing wildly, “See, I knew Fang was the true Eldest Miss!”

“What Eldest Miss… I don’t recognize it! The Eldest Miss is clearly this Xi, only Xi is the Eldest Miss.”

“Damn, is our Fang not cute?”

“Stop arguing, stop arguing. I think Yuan, Fang, and Xi are all Eldest Misses.”

Mei Fang walked to the front, leaning on Lin You Xi’s arm and complaining, “This is completely different from our prepared speech… Didn’t you say it would be centered on you? You really enjoy seeing me improvise.”

Lin You Xi smiled at Mei Fang, “We need to let everyone know your position, otherwise, there will be many doubts.”

Mei Fang nodded in agreement with Lin You Xi and then addressed everyone,

“There are many things, it’s hard to explain in a short time. But before that, I want to thank everyone for coming today. C Station has grown from a naive child’s work to a formidable presence today, thanks to everyone’s efforts. I deeply appreciate it. Also, I’m glad to see everyone finally meet in person. From now on, we will work together, grow together, and move toward a brighter future.”

“Alright, I won’t ramble anymore, lest the food gets cold.”

Mei Fang held the microphone and surveyed the room, then smiled, “Let me conclude with a famous quote from our seniors—what you love is your life. Welcome to join C Station, and please look forward to working with us.”

This chapter took me a long time to write. I’ll update more later.

End of Chapter