He Xiaoyuan had always known life was tough for ordinary people, but he hadn’t expected finding a place to live would be so difficult.
He first tried searching on local classified websites and rental platforms for listings posted directly by landlords. The apartments were mostly near subway stations, within a two- to three-hour commute to the company. But every phone call ended the same way: “I’m not the landlord; I’m an agent.”
Frustrated, He Xiaoyuan realized he couldn’t avoid agency fees and decided to work with a realtor directly.
The agent had plenty of options, all meeting He Xiaoyuan’s requirements—but the rents were not cheap. Even tiny studios cost over 2,000 per month. He Xiaoyuan wanted something around 1,000. The listings the agent suggested were either far from the subway or in terrible condition.
Just finding a place already felt like a major struggle.
Halfway through, Xu Ruomeng messaged to ask how the search was going. He Xiaoyuan replied: “Still looking.”
Xu Ruomeng: “You can stay at school until the 12th of next month, right? That gives you some time to keep searching.”
Her reminder made him reconsider. He decided to extend the maximum commute time from three to four hours. If necessary, five hours would be okay. And if the place was a bit run-down, that was fine too—he was living alone, so he could make do.
As he was about to send the updated requirements to the realtor, he noticed a new WeChat group: “SupraSys Graduate Management Trainees.” About several dozen people were already in the chat.
Opening the group, someone named HR—Zhu Xuanmin tagged everyone:
“Hello everyone, I’m Zhu Xuanmin from HR. Before your official start, I’ll handle communications regarding onboarding and work-related matters.”
“We have a form that everyone needs to fill out. Please download and complete it as soon as possible. @all”
“Graduate Management Trainee Pre-Onboarding Survey”
Replies of “Received” quickly followed. He Xiaoyuan also responded: “Received.”
Opening the form, he saw:
- Name / Graduation school / Graduation date
- Do you have a place to stay before starting? / Address / Applying for company dorm?
He Xiaoyuan perked up—company dorms?
Unsure if he understood correctly, he was about to ask in the group but saw that others already had.
HR—Zhu Xuanmin replied:
“Yes, the company just built a new dormitory. Eligible employees can apply.”
“Each unit is a single room with a bathroom and balcony, around 10–12 square meters. Not huge, but the conditions are decent.”
“I’ll post photos in the group shortly for everyone to see.”
Someone asked: “Is there rent?”
HR: “Yes, 500 per month, deducted from your salary.”
“Wow, that’s so cheap! Around the company, there’s nothing under 4,000 for a single room.”
“Not too close to the office, about a 40-minute commute. A shuttle bus will be provided.”
“Great! I don’t have to find a place!”
He Xiaoyuan thought it was perfect. 500 per month was far below market price and deducted directly from salary—practically free.
He immediately went to fill out the application form.
At that moment, Xu Ruomeng messaged: “Xiaoyuan! The company dorm is open! HR says graduates can apply! No need to look for an apartment!”
He Xiaoyuan: “Already filled out the application.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Yay! 🎉”
Xu Ruomeng: “I love this company.”
Problem solved.
HR mentioned that dorm assignments would be notified individually via text. Since graduates needed to leave school, their allocations would be prioritized and announced within a few days.
He Xiaoyuan expected it to take at least two or three days, but that afternoon he already received a confirmation text with the dorm address. The message stated that recipients could immediately go to the dormitory office to check in.
Although the official start date was still half a month away, He Xiaoyuan decided to move in as soon as he could.
The dorm was in another district, a large complex forming a small community: SupraSys Employee Residence.
The property office handled check-ins. After asking the security guard, He Xiaoyuan used his ID and the confirmation text to register and receive his key:
Building E, Room 1701.
He Xiaoyuan took the elevator to the 17th floor, unlocked the door, and found the apartment brand new.
Near the entrance, on the left, was a bathroom. The entryway had an open kitchen with a countertop, range hood, induction stove, and sink—all fully equipped.
Beyond that was the room: bed, desk, wardrobe, air conditioning, even a TV and Wi-Fi. The balcony had a clothes drying rack and a washing machine.
He Xiaoyuan was thoroughly satisfied: the dormitory was far better than any of the tiny studios he had seen with agents.
Following Xu Ruomeng’s example, he quietly thought to himself: I love this company.
He snapped a few photos of the dorm and sent them to Xu Ruomeng, who replied: “Long live the company! \(≧▽≦)/”
He Xiaoyuan: “Long live the company! \(≧▽≦)/”
Meanwhile, Lu Chen was on the elevator heading to the 29th floor, with Qiao Sixing accompanying him.
Stepping off the elevator, Lu Chen led the way, while Qiao Sixing lagged slightly behind, glancing at his phone.
Pocketing the device, he quickly caught up and whispered, “They’ve moved into the dormitory building.”
Lu Chen immediately understood which “they” he meant but said nothing, simply nodding as he continued forward. After a few steps, he asked, “When do the graduate management trainees officially start?”
Qiao Sixing, who normally wouldn’t pay attention to such details, now knew exactly: “The week after next, half a month from now.”
Lu Chen’s steps didn’t pause: “Move the date forward.”
Qiao Sixing raised an eyebrow.
Lu Chen added: “If it’s delayed, they won’t make it in time. The onboarding is done in batches.”
Qiao Sixing: “Understood.”
A few days later, the notice for the first batch of onboarding appeared in the graduate trainee group.
HR—Zhu Xuanmin: “There will be three batches in total. Please fill in the form and confirm your available start date.”
He Xiaoyuan noticed that his original date placed him in the third batch, two weeks later. The first batch was in three days, the second next week. Considering his part-time work, he left himself in the third batch.
HR—Zhu Xuanmin: “Everyone, please hurry! I need to submit the forms as well. @all”
Twenty minutes later, Zhu Xuanmin organized the forms and sent a copy to the CEO’s office.
Sitting in her office, she murmured: “What’s going on this year? Why is the CEO involved in campus recruitment?”
A colleague replied, “Who knows.”
On the 36th floor in the CEO’s office, Qiao Sixing received the spreadsheet titled “Graduate Trainee Onboarding Confirmation Schedule.” Scanning through, he found He Xiaoyuan’s name with the start date two weeks later.
No, this won’t do, Qiao Sixing thought. The boss wanted him to start earlier—he couldn’t delay.
He opened the office software and messaged HR—Zhu Xuanmin:
CEO Office—Manager—Qiao Sixing: “The first batch has too few people.”
HR—Zhu Xuanmin: “How many would be appropriate, Qiao?”
Zhu Xuanmin was shocked—Qiao Sixing was privately messaging her? The CEO?! She quickly replied cautiously but efficiently.
Qiao Sixing thought: it wouldn’t do to single out He Xiaoyuan by name in such a large company. Normally, he would handle tasks quietly and avoid bothering Lu Chen with minor details. But this…
This is worth bothering the boss about.
He sent the updated “Graduate Trainee Onboarding Confirmation Schedule” to the CEO contact in the software.
Twenty minutes later, he received a reply from Lu Chen.
Graduate Management Trainee Group
HR—Zhu Xuanmin: @all
HR—Zhu Xuanmin: “Notice: For this year’s graduates, the company will provide a welcome gift package for new hires.”
HR—Zhu Xuanmin: “To encourage early onboarding, those who start in three days will receive an additional cash bonus along with the gift package.”
Group reaction: “Wow!”
“There’s a cash bonus too? Real money?”
“Shocked.jpg”
He Xiaoyuan didn’t mute the group and saw the news immediately.
He was surprised: gift package and bonus?
Someone asked: “Zhu Xuanmin, how much is the bonus? Shy.jpg”
HR: “I heard it’s 10,000. It will be deposited directly into your salary account.”
Group reaction: “!!!”
“Wow, that’s a lot!”
He Xiaoyuan also felt surprised—this was quite generous.
HR: “Anyone want to change their start date now? Don’t miss the red envelope!”
“Crying, I need to go home, can’t make it.”
“Same, schedule conflict, missing the bonus.”
“Tears.jpg”
He Xiaoyuan quickly reopened the form and changed his start date to join the first batch in three days.
Qiao Sixing, back at his desk, received the updated schedule again, scrolled down, saw He Xiaoyuan now set for the first batch, and silently smiled, his shoulders twitching.
Heaven knows, he thought, this isn’t a smile for He Xiaoyuan—it’s a smile for the boss.
Only Lu Chen could come up with such a straightforward, effective incentive. Handling even minor onboarding with this level of thoughtfulness was like cutting an apple with a legendary sword—precision and power.
Qiao Sixing smiled briefly, then quickly returned to work and tapped the CEO contact:
CEO Office—Manager—Qiao Sixing: “Lu Chen, it’s done.”
Author’s note:
He Xiaoyuan: Love the company~ \(≧▽≦)/~!
Lu Chen: No, love me.