dognovel Chapter 342 Chengdu Branch
Chapter 342 Chengdu Branch
Thirty-eight people appeared in unison at the entrance of Tutu Technology at nine o'clock on Monday morning.
Lu Ran stood next to the front desk, leaning on her cane, looking at the group of new faces, feeling quite pleased with herself.
Some people carried backpacks, some carried briefcases, and some were empty-handed.
Some people wore suits and ties, some wore hoodies and jeans, and some even came in slippers.
Lu Ran glanced at the person wearing slippers; it was Zhao Yiming, a plaid shirt paired with slippers—a typical engineering student's outfit.
"Good morning, Brother Lu!" Lu Xiao was the first to walk over, carrying a bag of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and chewing on one. "Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten." Lu Ran looked at the bag of steamed buns in her hand. "You ate at the company?"
"Let's grab a bite before we clock out." Lu Xiao paused for a moment after saying that, then added, "Oh right, we don't need to clock out at our company. I'll eat slowly then."
She strolled leisurely to the work area, found an empty seat, turned on her computer, and ate xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) while waiting for it to boot up.
Other new employees also found their workstations one after another. Some were installing software, some were filling out forms, and some were chatting with the older employees next to them.
The office was noisy, like a vegetable market.
Zhou Mingzhe came out of the meeting room with a stack of printed "New Employee Onboarding Handbooks" in his hand, and handed them out one by one.
When the manual was sent to Zhao Yiming, he took it, flipped through a couple of pages, looked up and asked, "President Zhou, where is our company's code style guide? I'd like to take a look at it first."
Zhou Mingzhe was taken aback: "It's your first day here, shouldn't you familiarize yourself with the surroundings first?"
"What's so special about the environment?" Zhao Yiming said. "As long as there's a computer, internet, and a chair, that's enough. I want to take a look at the coding standards first, and then I can start working this afternoon."
Zhou Mingzhe glanced at him, then turned to look at Lu Ran.
Lu Ran walked over, leaning on his cane, and patted Zhao Yiming on the shoulder: "The coding standards are on the internal Wiki, find them yourself. But I suggest you have lunch with your colleagues today and get to know them. You can write code anytime, but you might not know all the people by tomorrow."
Zhao Yiming thought for a moment and nodded: "That makes sense."
Lu Ran, leaning on his crutches, walked around the work area, checking on everyone's condition.
Some people are reading the manual carefully, some are chatting with colleagues, and some are slacking off by scrolling through their phones.
He walked up to a boy wearing a baseball cap, stopped, and glanced at his screen—not a phone, but a thick math book.
"Your name is Zhang Hao?" Lu Ran glanced at the nameplate on his desk.
"Yes." The boy looked up, pushed up the brim of his baseball cap, and said, "Hello, Brother Lu."
"Bring your math book to work on your first day?"
"I didn't read this at work." Zhang Hao turned to a page in the book, pointing to the dense formulas on it. "I read this at home last night, and I brought it here today to ask Lao Wang if my optimization scheme for the matching algorithm can be used in ranked matches. I was afraid I would forget it, so I brought the book with me."
Lu Ran looked at the formula written on the page. Although he didn't look at it carefully, he could tell that the person had really put in the effort.
It's not the kind of thing I just write to get it over with; it's something I've genuinely thought about seriously.
"Old Wang works in the technical department, you can just go find him."
"Okay." Zhang Hao closed the book, stood up, and walked towards the technical department.
Lu Ran continued walking around with his crutches, eventually reaching the design department. There he saw Lu Xiao, a design student, showing her design drafts to her colleague on a tablet.
A senior employee sat next to her, glanced at her a few times, and his expression became very subtle.
"Did you draw this?"
"Yes," Lu Xiao said. "This is the new Ahri skin I designed. I've drawn the concept art, skill effects, and recall animation. Can you take a look and see if there are any problems?"
The veteran employee glanced at it a few more times, then remained silent for a while: "Are you sure you're new? Or not a senior designer who's been lurking in our company for years?"
Lu Xiao smiled: "I'm new here. I was interviewed just last week."
"Where did you intern before?"
"I never did an internship. I spent all four years of university drawing in my dorm room."
The veteran employee returned the tablet to her, turned to look at Lu Ran, and his eyes were full of "Where did you recruit this person from?"
Lu Ran smiled at him, then walked away leaning on his cane.
After walking around once, Lu Ran had a better understanding of the situation.
Although these new employees have just joined the company, several of them have already gotten into the swing of things.
This proactive attitude of not waiting for tasks to be assigned by superiors, but actively seeking out tasks to do, is truly rare.
People like this don't need any intervention; they'll grow up on their own.
He walked back to his office, where Shen Yuege was tidying up the documents on his desk. Seeing him come in, she asked, "How did it go?"
"Not bad." Lu Ran sat back in his chair, resting his right leg on the footstool. "There are a few promising talents who can be trained to become key personnel."
"You still don't think that's enough?"
Lu Ran leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment: "It really isn't enough. Thirty-eight people seems like a lot, but when divided among various departments, it's not much. The technical department added twelve people, but Lao Wang said they're still short eight. The operations department added ten people, but Xiao Yang said they're still short ten. The marketing department added six people, but Lao Zhao said they're still short five. That adds up to more than twenty people. And..."
He paused, picked up the water glass on the table, and took a sip: "And I'm planning to open a branch office."
Shen Yuege stopped organizing the documents: "Branch office?"
"That's right." Lu Ran put down his water glass. "Shanghai is our headquarters, but we can't just stay in Shanghai. China is so big, and every city has outstanding talent. If you recruit people in Shanghai, you'll recruit people from Shanghai and the surrounding areas. If you recruit people in Chengdu, you'll recruit people from the Southwest region. People from different places have different ways of thinking and working. Bringing people from different places together will create a chemical reaction."
Shen Yuege thought for a moment: "Where do you plan to open the branch office?"
"Our first stop is Chengdu," Lu Ran said. "Chengdu has the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Sichuan University, and Southwest Jiaotong University, so there's a lot of talent in science and engineering. Plus, the cost of living in Chengdu is lower than in Shanghai, so our employees will be happier. Our second stop is Wuhan, which has Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and is also a hub for talent. Our third stop is Xi'an, which has a lot of talent in electronics and military industries, which are exactly what we need for making games."
Fortunately, Wuhan University in this world is quite different from that in his previous life, otherwise Lu Ran would really have to reconsider.
"Are you planning to open three branch offices all at once?"
"It's not all at once, it's in batches," Lu Ran said. "Let's open the Chengdu branch first and see how it goes. If it's successful, then we'll open the Wuhan and Xi'an branches. We can't take too big a step, or we'll mess things up."
Shen Yuege rolled her eyes at him: "Can you watch your words?"
"I'm telling the truth," Lu Ran said matter-of-factly. "Starting a business is like walking; if you take too big a step, you're more likely to trip..."
"Alright, alright," Shen Yuege interrupted him. "Continue."
"I plan to let Brother Zhou take charge of the establishment of the Chengdu branch. He has management experience and is reliable, so I trust him with my job. I will be responsible for recruitment, and he will be responsible for management. The division of labor is clear."
Shen Yuege thought for a moment: "So when do you plan to start?"
"The sooner the better." Lu Ran picked up his phone and glanced at the calendar. "I'm going to Chengdu next week to establish connections with universities. Recruitment can proceed simultaneously. By the time the branch office location is finalized, we should have recruited enough people."
"Your leg isn't fully healed yet, are you able to travel for work?"
"I'll be fine once the cast is removed." Lu Ran glanced down at his right leg. "The doctor said I'll have a follow-up appointment next week, and if everything's okay, the cast can be removed. I can make it in time."
Shen Yuege didn't say anything more and continued to organize the documents on the table.
Lu Ran picked up a pen and wrote down the names of several cities in his notebook: Chengdu, Wuhan, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Beijing.
Then there are a few keywords: branch offices, campus recruitment, talent pool, companies with 1,000 employees, and companies with 10,000 employees.
He stared at the words "10,000-person company" for several seconds, and couldn't help but laugh.
Ten thousand people—a year ago, he wouldn't have dared to even dream of it. But now he feels it's not impossible.
With its current size, Tutu Technology has more than enough capacity to support a team of several hundred people.
Once the revenue from League of Legends and Three Kingdoms Kill stabilizes, TUTU's GG income will increase, and supporting a team of several thousand people will not be a problem.
As for 10,000 people, that's for later.
But those who never even dare to dream of it will never reach that point.
Opportunity always favors the prepared.
He closed his laptop, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Zhou Mingzhe: "Brother Zhou, I'm going on a business trip to Chengdu next week. Keep an eye on things at the company."
Zhou Mingzhe replied instantly: "What are you going to Chengdu for?"
"Open a branch office."
There was a silence of about ten seconds on the other end, followed by a string of ellipses and the sentence: "Are you serious?"
"Seriously. When have I ever joked with you?"
"You said you'd treat us to a meal last time, but you ended up offering us boxed lunches."
"That's different. A boxed lunch is still food. A branch office is a real branch office, not a boxed lunch branch office."
Zhou Mingzhe sent an "I give up" emoji, then said, "Fine. You go to Chengdu, I'll keep an eye on things at the company. But you have to give me more money."
"Add double the salary."
"I'm not talking about salary, I'm talking about overtime pay. If you're not in the company, I'll definitely be working overtime every day."
Lu Ran smiled, replied with a "deal" emoji, and then put his phone aside.
Shen Yuege looked at him and asked, "What did Brother Zhou say?"
He told me to pay more.
"Did you add it?"
"It's been increased. Double pay."
"You're really willing to sacrifice."
"We can't skimp on necessary expenses," Lu Ran said. "Brother Zhou has been with me since the very first day of starting the business, and he never complained during the company's most difficult times. Now that the company has money, we can't skimp on what's due. It's not because he asked for it, but because he deserves it."
Shen Yuege looked at him without saying anything, but gently squeezed his hand.
She introduced Zhou Mingzhe to Lu Ran, and now it seems that the two are indeed a good match.
In the afternoon, Lu Ran asked Zhou Mingzhe to print out a list of major universities across the country.
He held the list and flipped through it page by page.
Beijing has the most universities, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing Institute of Technology, Communication University of China, and Beijing Film Academy—each with unique talent resources.
Tsinghua and Peking Universities have high overall quality; Beihang University and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications are strong in computer science; Communication University of China and Beijing Film Academy are strong in design and media.
If we can recruit people from these schools, it will greatly supplement the company's talent pool.
But the problem in Beijing is that the competition is too fierce.
The headquarters of major companies are all in Beijing, and they spend a lot of money to recruit talents during the annual campus recruitment season. With its current strength, Tutu Technology can hardly compete head-on with those major companies.
It's not that we can't compete, it's that there's no need.
People acquired at exorbitant prices may not be significantly different in ability from those recruited at a normal price, but the cost difference is several times greater. No matter how you calculate it, it's not a worthwhile investment.
He's already visited almost every university in Shanghai: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University, Tongji University, East China Normal University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and Shanghai International Studies University—he's basically recruited everyone who could. The rest were either unsuitable or already booked. He doesn't need to invest too much energy in Shanghai in the short term.
Nanjing has many universities, including Nanjing University, Southeast University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Hohai University, and Nanjing Normal University. Nanjing is close to Shanghai, and students there have a strong desire to work in Shanghai. If you were to conduct campus recruitment in Nanjing, you should be able to find some good candidates.
Hangzhou is home to Zhejiang University, whose computer science program ranks among the top in the country. Furthermore, Hangzhou is home to Alibaba and NetEase, boasting a strong internet environment that broadens students' horizons. Recruiting from Zhejiang University requires minimal training; graduates can start working immediately.
Wuhan has Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Central China Normal University, and Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. Huazhong University of Science and Technology is strong in computer science and software engineering, Wuhan University has high overall academic quality, and Wuhan University of Technology has a solid engineering foundation. Wuhan's talent pool ranks among the top five in the country.
Chengdu is home to the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Sichuan University, Southwest Jiaotong University, and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. UESTC's electronic information engineering programs are among the best in the country, Sichuan University boasts high overall student quality, and Southwest Jiaotong University excels in engineering. The cost of living in Chengdu is low, but the sense of happiness in Chengdu is completely different from that in Shanghai for the same salary.
Xi'an has Xi'an Jiaotong University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Xidian University. Xi'an Jiaotong University is strong in engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University is strong in military-related fields, and Xidian University is strong in electronic information. Although the universities in Xi'an are not as famous as those in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, their students have a solid foundation and are hardworking.
Guangzhou boasts several top universities: Sun Yat-sen University, South China University of Technology, Jinan University, and Guangdong University of Technology. Sun Yat-sen University has a high overall quality, South China University of Technology excels in engineering, and Jinan University is strong in media studies. Guangzhou is the economic center of South China and also has a good internet environment.
Lu Ran marked these cities on the map and connected them into a line. From north to south and from east to west, it was like a net, covering the major talent hubs across the country.
He stared at the map for a long time, then picked up a pen and drew a circle around Chengdu.
First stop, Chengdu.
It's not that other places aren't important, but Chengdu has all the right timing, location, and people.
Timing: It's not campus recruitment season now; most companies are waiting for spring recruitment next year. By acting early, TuTu Technology can snatch up promising candidates before others.
Advantages: Chengdu has a lower cost of living, and for the same salary, it is more attractive to students than Shanghai. Moreover, Chengdu is the central city of Southwest China, attracting students from surrounding areas.
Human Resources: Chengdu has several good universities, such as the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Sichuan University, Southwest Jiaotong University, and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, each of which has the talent that Tutu Technology needs.
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