pjbooks Chapter 24: [I've Really Become a Boss]
Chapter 24: [I've Really Become a Boss]
Liu Zhuohao gripped his phone tightly.
But he couldn't utter a word.
Is Lao Chen good to me? Of course, whether it's pushing myself to improve my grades in school or encouraging me in my recent business ventures.
What about my classmates? Same here. I posted a message in the group, and although many people didn't believe in my cooking skills at first, they were still willing to come and buy a serving to try.
Logically speaking, I should go, just for this sincere friendship among classmates.
"...I'm a bit busy."
He forced out the words through clenched teeth, a far cry from the confident and authoritative manner he had displayed in front of Huang Weixiong just moments before.
The classmate remained silent on the phone.
Liu Zhuohao did not hang up the phone. He stood there motionless, watching Huang Weixiong in the distance stop and look back at him with a puzzled expression.
"Are you that busy?"
After a long silence, the classmate on the phone finally spoke, "This should be the last dinner together. The teachers need to focus on preparing for the exams, some are planning to go on trips, and some need to visit universities in advance... Those who didn't pass the exams also need to start looking for jobs."
He was talking about people who were about to go their separate ways.
For students in other grades, the holiday has only been going on for less than a month.
For these students who have just finished the college entrance examination, the holiday has already been going on for more than a month. They should be having fun all day long, sleeping in until noon every day, and going out for meals and gatherings...
Many things that can be done 'locally' have already been done.
The remaining time should be used to prepare for the future.
Liu Zhuohao pursed his lips and said:
"We're preparing to set up a night market, and it'll be opening soon."
There was silence on the other end of the line. After a while, the student managed to maintain basic politeness and said something like, "Okay, call me when you're free," before hanging up.
Liu Zhuohao stared at his phone, now that the screen was off, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
In the future, this friendship will soon fade away.
After being rejected once, twice, three times... it's only natural that they might stop calling you.
They might think, "It's just a meal out, only a little over an hour. Don't we even have that much time?"
In fact, Liu Zhuohao really didn't have time.
He was no stranger to this suffocating feeling of being chased by time, even more so than when he was working three jobs to pay off debts.
How can you work three jobs in 24 hours?
I have a main job, a temporary job, and a part-time job that I can do on my phone. Between my main job and the temporary job, I can take a break and do these things on my phone.
And Liu Zhuohao will be even busier in the future.
Many businesses operate by setting up breakfast stalls in the morning and night markets in the evening.
But most of these are family-run businesses, with parents helping out at home by preparing the ingredients, and four or five people working around the two stalls.
But Liu Zhuohao could only afford to hire one person for the time being.
He really couldn't squeeze out even that extra hour.
But those classmates probably don't know these things right now.
At the very least, they cannot empathize.
For someone who hasn't done it before, this might be how they calculate it: three or four hours at the morning market, plus seven or eight hours at the night market, that's only twelve hours...
Working two shifts at the factory is also twelve hours a day, so it shouldn't be too busy. I still have twelve hours left to rest!
"The boss?"
Huang Weixiong was just about to walk back.
"fine."
Liu Zhuohao walked over, his expression having returned to calm. "Let's go, let's go to the market and check out the goods."
It's just parting.
Those who can be seen again will always have another chance to be seen.
……
……
"High-end cuisine often uses the simplest ingredients. Chef Liu, preparing for the night market, hurriedly got up and began preparing for today's meal..."
That evening, at Zhuang Zicong's home, Liu Zhuohao was sitting at his computer desk, watching the video he had edited.
"It's a direct copy of the food from 'A Bite of China,' but it feels a bit forced."
He dragged the progress bar and went back to watch it again. "The camera transitions weren't smooth, and the voice-over and music didn't match the emotions of the visuals."
There are quite a few problems.
The more Zhuang Zicong listened, the more anxious he became.
"But you're quite talented, considering you've never even studied it."
"However—" Liu Zhuohao changed the subject, leaning back in his chair, "To be able to edit like this without formal training is quite a talent. The idea of using a documentary narrative framework is correct. Did you record the voice-over yourself?"
Currently, there is no technology that can input any text and output high-quality broadcast-style audio material to be added to a video.
"……Um."
Zhuang Zicong's voice was a little muffled, "The matching wasn't very good."
"It's a bit jarring."
Liu Zhuohao didn't beat around the bush and said:
There's a saying that you have to start learning editing with scripts.
"For a four-minute film, you need to follow the script's flow, including where it starts, where it turns, where it ends, and when the music starts and stops. Only by editing according to the script can you string together the scattered footage into a story."
He paused, looking at Zhuang Zicong: "Editing isn't that difficult—just edit more, watch more, and you can get the hang of it by using templates."
"But it's not that simple either. What's truly impressive is being able to automatically lay out a timeline in your mind when you see a bunch of materials and piece them together into a story that comes to life."
"That requires some talent. I really hope you can study hard when you go to school."
Zhuang Zicong was stunned.
After a long pause, he asked softly, "Where did you learn all this?"
He'd been holding this question in for a long time.
This friend, whom they had grown up with since childhood, seemed to have quietly strode ahead of their group.
"It's a small, obscure website," Liu Zhuohao replied matter-of-factly. "What kind of tutorials doesn't it have? Editing, programming, foreign languages... you name it, it has them."
Not only that, but in the future, even famous teachers' lectures on college entrance examination questions, cooking recipes, game guides... will be uploaded by users from all walks of life.
Zhuang Zicong hesitated, "Then this video..."
"I'll take some time tomorrow to reshoot some footage, and I'll follow your pace when filming." Liu Zhuohao already had a rough idea of the filming process in mind.
Isn't it just delicious food?
This project will likely be remade by countless bloggers in the future.
"Boss..."
Outside, Huang Weixiong poked his head in and said, "Dinner is ready."
"Let's go, let's try it."
Liu Zhuohao stood up. "This is a proper culinary graduate. Although it's a vocational school diploma, at least he has some formal training."
Tonight, Zhuang Zicong's parents were not home. Since he had just finished editing the video, Liu Zhuohao and Huang Weixiong bought some groceries and came over to join in the fun.
On the table, there were three servings of green pepper, potato, and beef rice bowls, as well as a bowl of meatball and seaweed soup for each person.
"How's my buddy's cooking?"
Liu Zhuohao took a bite and looked at Zhuang Zicong sitting opposite him.
Huang Weixiong was also looking at him, his eyes filled with expectation.
Zhuang Zicong held his chopsticks, suddenly feeling somewhat dazed.
He glanced at Liu Zhuohao, then at Huang Weixiong, who stood beside him with a serious expression.
That childhood friend who used to skip classes and stay up all night with me has actually started a group of guys and become a "boss" with people listening to him and following his lead.