Jiang Ye was not foolish enough to play the role of a benefactor for free. Those who applied were not foolish either; they had already guessed before the interview that they would have to hand over profits.
When signing contracts, there were two options. The first was to submit profits in stages, and the second was to submit in stages based on time.
For example, for a small restaurant, the first 100,000 yuan in net profit earned would not be handed over to Jiang Ye. From 100,000 to 500,000, 20% would be paid, and after 500,000, 40% would be paid. This was profit-sharing.
The profits from the first year would not be submitted. In the second year, 20% would be paid, and from the third year onwards, 40% would be paid. This was time-based.
The small business owners could choose whichever they felt was more advantageous to them.
According to the current contracts, Jiang Ye's trillion-dollar investment would take a long time to recoup its costs.
Even according to Jiang Ye's estimation, at least ninety percent of the investment would be wasted, nearly ten percent would barely be able to sustain and grow, and only a tiny fraction of people would be able to become truly successful and build future business empires.
Recouping costs depended primarily on this tiny fraction of people.
After each interview, Jiang Ye would give the interviewee a score on his phone. He wanted to review them after a few years to see if his judgment was accurate. Most small business owners only scored twenty or thirty points, but there were a few exceptional individuals to whom Jiang Ye gave eighty or ninety points.
During the interview scoring process, Jiang Ye deeply felt how vast the differences between people were, almost as if they were not of the same species.
Especially the contents of the interviewees' minds, reflected in their speech and demeanor. Among thousands of people, there were always a few who stood out from the crowd of mediocrity, giving Jiang Ye a strong premonition: "This is a formidable person, even though he is currently nothing."
Whether it was a temporary illusion or not, during this period of high-intensity interviews and interactions with all sorts of people, Jiang Ye truly felt a certain inexplicable aura, belonging to a very small minority.
He tried to categorize this aura but found that people with this aura did not share any consistent common characteristics. Some were effusive, while others were taciturn. Some had fierce appearances, while others had pleasant ones. There were old and young, listless and energetic individuals.
Jiang Ye couldn't help but examine his confidants and those around him.
Tian Rao's aura used to be very faint, and she hadn't achieved much in her career. But when they last met, she suddenly possessed a strong aura, and her career had taken off.
Isabelle's aura was intermittent, and it always felt like something, such as a tumultuous love life, affected her career endeavors. However, gazing into Isabelle's eyes, one could indeed feel that she was an extraordinary person, completely unrelated to her beauty. Jiang Ye had seen too many beautiful women; those with an aura were a rare few.
Shao Wan, the first time Jiang Ye met him, he could feel the man's towering, pillar-like aura.
Che Zhen's aura was not as strong as Shao Wan's, but it was definitely present. Che Zhen was always very tired; after all, managing so many troops, his job was no less demanding than Jiang Ye's. This fatigue severely damaged his aura. Jiang Ye was rather satisfied with this; Che Zhen's position was special, and he couldn't be too formidable, lest he overshadow his superior.
Among the two beautiful female secretaries, Liu Jizi and Su Yueming, Su Yueming had no aura at all, but Liu Jizi's aura was growing visibly. Jiang Ye hesitated whether to replace Su Yueming, but her current work was still good, so he decided not to replace her for the time being.
Ju Lanlan's aura had always been stable, and after the ordeal of being confined in the hospital, her aura even showed signs of strengthening. Jiang Ye had always had people watching her to prevent her from committing further evil deeds.
Jiang Senlin's aura was undeniable; he was almost one of the most powerful people Jiang Ye had ever seen, truly like a dragon's offspring. Sometimes Jiang Ye himself wondered how he and Cen Yemeng could have such a formidable child. But then again, many outstanding individuals in history had parents with no great achievements.
Cen Yemeng's aura was also very powerful. Jiang Ye was very satisfied with this wife.
Jiang Ye then thought of a lot of people he wasn't particularly familiar with, finally recalling two small businessmen from Bi Rongxing, Mu Gui and Benson.
Although these two were in business together, they were inseparable like brothers.
However, it was clear that Mu Gui was more formidable, possessing a certain aura, while Benson had almost none.
Jiang Ye was very interested in these two and eagerly wished to see what they would become in ten years. If nothing unexpected happened, Mu Gui would become a very powerful figure, while Benson would likely fade into obscurity. It was also possible that these two would turn against each other, as the saying goes, "Never go into business with a friend."
Soon, a message came from Cen Yemeng, calling for a second intelligence meeting.
Jiang Ye excitedly boarded a spaceship to attend.
He entered the meeting room an hour early and found his seat at the very front. Jiang Ye felt a little disappointed.
He had originally planned to prove his authority to his wife if his seat was still at the back.
But he hadn't expected Cen Yemeng to back down.
Jiang Ye didn't cause trouble and sat quietly, waiting.
The attending military officers arrived one after another, greeting Jiang Ye. Jiang Ye nodded in return. Now, only Cen Yemeng remained.
Soon, the clicking sound of high heels echoed in the corridor, each step firm and steady, yet with a hint of lightness.
Cen Yemeng entered, still in her black formal attire. The entire room immediately stood up, but only Jiang Ye remained seated.
"Consultant Jiang, your rank is lower than mine here. You should stand up," Cen Yemeng said with a smile.
Jiang Ye stood up briskly, "Greetings, Commander!"
"Please be seated, everyone." Cen Yemeng nodded and walked to the very front.
"In addition to the military deployments and population status of the major cities on the refugee planet, the most crucial part of this intelligence is the psychological state of the ordinary people on the refugee planet," Cen Yemeng said, activating the holographic projection.
"Our intelligence agents, after a period of infiltration, have integrated into the population of the refugee planet. Some intelligence agents are staying with local residents, having long conversations with their hosts. Some agents are camping in the wilderness, regularly contacting informants nearby. Intelligence agent Chen Longnan even had pleasant conversations with the mayor's wife, obtaining a large amount of high-level intelligence."
"Firstly, the refugee planet implements a knowledge-class system. Different classes of people have access to different knowledge."
"The higher the class, the more books, images, and cultural discussions they can access. The lower classes are not allowed to read, not allowed to receive junior high education, not allowed to watch over ninety percent of movies and TV shows, and not even allowed to play games."
"Those who violate the knowledge-class system will disappear, just like patients with the berserk syndrome, as we discussed in the last meeting."
"However, our intelligence agents have discovered something astonishing: the lower-class citizens of the refugee planet store books in their minds and circulate them privately through oral tradition."
Cen Yemeng gestured, and the holographic projection began to play a video.