"That's not right." Jiang Ye paused his pen, having just signed the character for fire. "Did the police release the definitive cause of death for Shang Heyu's wife? Why didn't her parachute open?"
Liu Jizi blinked. "Are you suspecting murder?"
Jiang Ye blinked again, his brow furrowed.
"Chief, you worry too much," Liu Jizi said with a smile. "Why are you becoming so suspicious?"
"You're right, why am I becoming so suspicious?" Jiang Ye frowned and finished signing. "Perhaps it's because of my wife. She often reads violent murder mysteries. After finishing them, she tells me the plots, which makes me a bit jumpy."
"Violent murder mysteries?" Liu Jizi looked a bit bewildered. "I thought Chief Cen was a delicate, demure woman. She appears quite serene."
"Just because she's delicate and demure, she likes to read thrilling novels. She's been devouring Agatha Christie lately. If she were a blood-soaked female assassin, she might read sweet romance novels, tales of moonlit encounters and such," Jiang Ye chuckled. "If you can't experience it in life, you seek it in novels."
Liu Jizi smiled, then pulled out another contract and placed it before Jiang Ye, continuing his introduction.
"Zhao Wenbin, an expert in weather weaponry. He was a professor at a university before being recruited by the military to improve weather weapons. His annual salary is six million." Liu Jizi explained, "This man is an extreme gourmand, eating a different meal every time, three times a day. He's tired of the military's mess hall and wants to eat somewhere else. He requests a residence near the food street on Jiang Ye Star, and a 10% salary increase."
"That's easy. We can even assign him a personal chef," Jiang Ye signed rapidly. "Is this person overweight?"
"He undergoes regular liposuction and has a small plastic ball in his stomach to enhance satiety."
"Got it."
"Hua Qing. This individual doesn't solely research weapons; she's a management talent with expertise in various weapon disciplines. She's responsible for evaluating project feasibility and costs, and coordinating the research efforts of different laboratories," Liu Jizi said. "She wants to report directly to you upon arrival, managing the weapon experts you've recently recruited."
"Report directly to me and manage other experts?" Jiang Ye frowned. "She's got quite the ambition. Who does she think she is?"
Cen Yemeng pulled out a document, which contained Hua Qing's resume.
Jiang Ye's expression shifted. "It's good for young people to be ambitious. Let her come and try it out first."
[Hua Qing, born into a family of weapon research. Her father, Hua Manlou, is a quantum weapon expert in the Galactic Empire's army, enjoying the treatment of a divisional commander. Her mother, Shuang Ruonan, is a negotiator for a weapon company. Her maternal and paternal grandparents also held positions in the weapon industry.]
[She is exceptionally intelligent, admitted to military academy at the exceptional age of 15, and obtained a Bachelor's degree in 'Weapon Materials Science' at 17. Subsequently, she earned a Master's degree in Organizational Behavior from Xuanhuang Star Independent University, a Master's degree in Weapon Development History from Honghuang Star Capital College, and a Master's degree in Weapon Classification from Kobo Field Star.]
[She served at the Galactic Empire Military's M78 Nebula Weapon Research Institute as Chief Evaluator and Head of the Budgetary Accounting Department. She led multiple classified projects, achieving outstanding results. She received 'Outstanding Individual' and 'Outstanding Collective' awards 7 times, and was awarded one 'Human Hero Silver Medal,' enjoying special allowances from the Weapon Research Committee.]
"Her requested salary isn't low, is it?" Jiang Ye flipped through the contract.
"One hundred million annually, and she hasn't requested anything else," Liu Jizi said. "It's quite a good deal. She was earning over eighty million in the military. For someone of her caliber, if she stayed in the military for another ten years, her salary could potentially double."
"Thirty years old, and earning a hundred million. These young people are truly formidable," Jiang Ye clicked his tongue in admiration. "Truly an exceptional individual. However, a resume is just the outer shell. Once she arrives, I'll see what her actual capabilities are."
"When you were thirty, a hundred million probably felt like the leftover grains at the bottom of a bowl," Liu Jizi chuckled.
"That's different. I'm a rough person. This person is educated, with so many Master's degrees. A scholar. How admirable," Jiang Ye said, looking at the paper again. "I should get a few easy Master's degrees myself. I don't even have this Human Hero Medal."
"You do. Yours is gold," Liu Jizi replied.
"I do?" Jiang Ye looked bewildered. "I do? When did I get it?"
"Two years ago, during your extensive overseas visits. Every time you visited an alien planet, they bestowed numerous honors upon you, your wife, and your son," Liu Jizi explained. "You've probably received over ten Human Hero Medals, and your wife has a dozen."
Jiang Ye was speechless.
He thought the medal sounded incredibly prestigious, assuming it was difficult to obtain.
He hadn't realized it was like a tourist souvenir.
Well, perhaps it was genuinely difficult for ordinary people, but for him, it felt like a souvenir.
"Is this Human Hero Medal something like a common cabbage?"
"It's extremely rare. It's an honorific title strictly controlled by the Galactic Empire. Each planet can only award 50 medals per year, 10 gold and 40 silver."
"I see. A common cabbage."
"It's very rare! How can it be a common cabbage?"
"Fifty per planet, fifty million for ten thousand planets, fifty billion for a hundred million planets..." Jiang Ye said casually.
"That's not how you calculate it, Chief," Liu Jizi said, torn between laughter and tears. "Most people can only compete for their own planet's quota."
Liu Jizi took out another contract and continued his introduction.
"Lu Yueling, an earthquake weapon expert. She holds a double Master's degree and is currently pursuing a doctorate. She has led many major projects and has a plethora of honors. When our people tried to recruit her, her superior caught them. He was extremely reluctant and agreed to a 50% salary increase for her, demanding she not come to Jiang Ye Star."
"That's good. When everyone vies for someone, that person is truly talented," Jiang Ye nodded. "Even with a fifty percent raise from them, she still negotiated with us. What are her conditions? I see in this contract... the salary is normal?"
"She has taken a liking to our negotiator," Liu Jizi said with a knowing smile.
"What?" Jiang Ye looked confused.
"The negotiator we sent to talk to her. He's only about a six out of ten in terms of looks, not handsome, not ugly, nothing particularly outstanding. But somehow, he captured Lu Yueling's heart. The young lady is head over heels for him and wants to come to Jiang Ye Star to pursue love. Money is secondary," Liu Jizi explained.
"This matter..." Jiang Ye scratched his head. "We can't assign marriages, can we? It's free love. What's the young man's attitude?"
"That young man doesn't know yet," Liu Jizi shrugged. "Lu Yueling told another negotiator."
"Let's sign her first. If it works out, we'll wish them happiness. If not, it has nothing to do with me," Jiang Ye looked at the contract. "After all, this contract only specifies the salary; it doesn't say we have to assign someone as her boyfriend."
"Exactly, exactly!" Liu Jizi giggled. "It's up to her own abilities. We can create more opportunities for them to interact. Whether it works out depends on fate."