Hidden moth

Chapter 269: External Wind-Evil and Internal Burn

This leader's name is Wei Digao, and everyone calls him Mr. Wei. In terms of rank and money, they are of the same.

Mr. Wei is not tall, has a round head and a short stature, but he is in good shape. I heard that there is a half marathon certificate hanging in his office, which means that he has participated in a half marathon and reached the finish line within the specified time.

According to Huang Xiaopang, who once worked at the group's headquarters, he also had a nickname called Skinny Pig Head because he was not fat.

In fact, He Kao had also met Wei Digao. When he just joined the company two years ago, President Wei had been on a business trip to the Qiyuan Branch, but he didn't have any impression of President Wei at that time.

At the end of last year, Qian Guran went to the group headquarters to report on his work and also made some efforts. After the Spring Festival, General Manager Wei was assigned by the group headquarters to come and inspect the business development of the Qiyuan branch.

On the evening of Mr. Wei's arrival at Qiyuan, Qian Guran gathered the heads of various departments to host a banquet for him. However, Mr. Wei specifically asked why Gao Xue'e didn't come.

Mr. Wei had met Gao Xue'e a few years ago and was deeply impressed by her. Or to put it another way, he might have been very interested in this beauty, but he had not had many opportunities to interact with her before.

President Wei's visit to the Qiyuan branch also brought another matter. Qian Guran had already proposed to the group headquarters that Gao Xue'e be appointed Vice President of the Qiyuan branch.

This matter has been arranged almost completely. From the perspective of qualifications and business, there is nothing wrong with Gao Xue'e.

However, President Wei believed that his assessment opinion was crucial to Gao Xue'e's successful promotion, and he wanted to have a private chat with her.

Qian Guqian explained that Gao Xue'e had family matters and had asked for an extra week of leave after the Spring Festival. However, Mr. Wei had a few drinks and actually called Gao Xue'e herself.

Gao Xue'e had been in seclusion for a while now, cultivating. While she wasn't in a long meditation position, she needed to purify her mind and body, trying to avoid being disturbed by external factors. Even He Kao tried not to see her, and only had a brief exchange when she needed guidance...

However, when Gao Xue'e called Mr. Wei, she happened to be in a break from practicing and answered the call.

President Wei asked where Gao Xue'e was, and said that he was inspecting the Qiyuan branch, and the group headquarters was discussing the new vice president candidate for the branch, and the evaluation opinions were very important to her.

Gao Xue'e didn't take it too seriously and casually said that she was in Qiyuan, but had other things to do and wouldn't be back until next week. When Mr. Wei heard that Gao Xue'e was in Qiyuan, he immediately perked up and asked her to come over for a drink.

Gao Xue'e apologized and stated that she really couldn't come because of something. She also said that she wished Mr. Wei good luck in his work and hung up the phone.

Gao Xue'e has now achieved some success in her cultivation and her mentality is very stable. During this retreat, she only wanted to concentrate on her cultivation in order to break through, and did not take this phone call seriously.

She just happened to see the call coming in, and after answering it, she turned off her phone to avoid being disturbed again. She didn't see the message sent by President Wei later, and of course she didn't reply.

However, President Wei was unhappy and said some words at the dinner table. Nominally, he was talking about work and pointed out various shortcomings, but they were all targeting the business that Gao Xue'e was in charge of.

The next morning when they arrived at the company, when President Wei had a private conversation with Qian Guran, he specifically mentioned the cloud life project team led by Gao Xue'e.

According to him, the department's business has great development prospects and the group leaders also attach great importance to it, but Gao Xue'e seems to lack a sense of responsibility.

In short, he was hinting that Qian Guran should pass a message to Gao Xue'e, but Qian Guran just laughed it off and didn't respond at all. Instead, he turned around and told He Kao about it.

In fact, there was no need for Qian Guran to pass on the message, because He Kao was present when President Wei was talking in Qian Guran's office.

He Kao had already received a tip-off from someone who knew that Huang Xiaopang, the deputy director of the department, was also at the banquet yesterday. Huang Xiaopang told He Kao what happened at the banquet, and He Kao also knew that CEO Wei would be coming to the company for an "inspection" today.

So before President Wei walked into Qian Guran's office, He Kao quietly used the Toshe magical power.

He Kao was sitting at his workstation at the time, seemingly looking over a document carefully, but in fact his soul had left his body and resided in Wei Digao's body.

It felt like Mr. Wei's body had become his own. He could hear "himself" speaking, but it was Mr. Wei's voice that was heard, and he also had all the feelings of this body.

He Kao just lurked quietly, without any other action, nor did he try to control this body.

Qian Guran was a yamen runner of the fourth level in the art of seeing qi, but he did not find anything unusual about Mr. Wei in front of him. Perhaps it was because he had never thought that such a thing would happen... He Kao naturally heard everything the two leaders talked about.

With He Kao's cultivation level, he could also eavesdrop on this conversation with his spiritual sense, but this was a different matter from Tuoshe.

First, Qian was also a cultivator. If he extended his spiritual sense to investigate what was going on in his office, he might be discovered. Secondly, there were many ways to block spiritual sense from being observed, such as setting up a corresponding magic array.

However, by using the method of Toshe, not only the money could not be detected, but even if there was a magic circle, it would be useless.

In his Tosher state, He had almost no emotional fluctuations, but after regaining consciousness, he was quite angry. Gao Xue'e hadn't provoked Mr. Wei, but Mr. Wei was clearly looking for trouble with her!

Another question that may interest some people is whether Toscher can "read minds"? The answer is both yes and no, depending on the extent to which one wants to interpret.

Even high-level qi-reading techniques cannot accurately read the specific thoughts in another person's mind.

But even ordinary people without any cultivation, if they have received professional training, or have enough experience and keen observation skills, can often perceive a person's inner thoughts.

In the Toshe state, He Kao could clearly perceive President Wei's physical sensations, and thus judge the emotions in every word he said, especially when President Wei mentioned Gao Xue'e... the sensation was very subtle.

Why did Wei Digao do this? Perhaps even he couldn't explain it. But one thing is certain: Gao Xue'e's beauty was very attractive to him and made him very tempted.

There are many things in this world that are judged by actions rather than by the heart. Everyone has various desires, even very absurd and evil desires, but normal people know how to face and control them... There is nothing wrong with having ideas, the key lies in actual words and deeds.

In different situations, as social relationships change, words and actions will also change under the influence of desire. In the past, Mr. Wei did not do anything, but now he may feel that he has an opportunity.

He knew that he might not be able to have any kind of relationship with Gao Xue'e, but he wanted to take the opportunity to flirt with her. What if he really succeeded in getting her?
Fortunately, he still knew the old Gao Xue'e, and had not yet seen the current President E, who had cultivated a body as beautiful as ice and jade and was as elegant as the best of the best. Otherwise, this idea would have been even stronger.

It's normal to be attracted by beauty, but his words and actions are problematic... At least He Kao is very angry.

Elder Li once reminded us that we should not rely on someone for a long time, and this is indeed true.

The total time spent in Hekaotosewei was a little bit long. After his consciousness returned to his body, he subconsciously brought many feelings back to himself. He felt very uncomfortable, as if his soul had been polluted in some way.

Fortunately, his cultivation was solid, and he regulated his breathing, calmed his mind, and concentrated his thoughts, so it took him some time to dissipate the emotion.

In the afternoon, Qian Guran accompanied General Manager Wei to visit and inspect the various departments of the branch. According to convention, it was just a formality, with the leader simply greeting everyone.

The first department Mr. Wei visited was the Cloud Life Project Team, currently led by Deputy Director Huang Xiaopang. Huang Xiaopang greeted his leader with a cheerful smile, appearing to be on good terms.

But Mr. Wei obviously asked too many questions, as if he was very concerned about the business of this department. He also carefully inquired about the senior executives' usual work performance, and then pointed out some possible problems in an encouraging tone.

Next they went to the Cloud Manager project team next door. When Mr. Wei saw Mei Guyu at a glance, he was stunned for several seconds and was shocked by her beauty!
Mei Guyu is not only beautiful, but also has an outstanding temperament... The so-called outstanding means the literal meaning. Even if she is standing casually among a group of people, it is impossible not to notice her.

President Wei specially sat down to communicate with everyone, kindly inquired about the department's business situation and praised them, then asked what Mei Guyu's name was, what school he graduated from and what major he majored in, when he started working, what career plans he had, etc.
Finally, he excitedly said that Mei Guyu could become the "key promotion image" of the company's "Digital Life" project.

What this means needs some explanation.

The departments He Kao and Mei Guyu worked for were both remnants of the once-hot "Metaverse" project several years ago, now riding the wave of the "AI" era. As the saying goes, "unintentional success leads to unexpected success," they had already achieved something new.

When they were developing the "virtual city", Huang Xiaopang designed many eye-catching young lady images. Due to the advancement of AI technology, the transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional has reached a very realistic level.

The virtual city's hallmark is interactive scenarios, with an initial focus on commercial applications, including bringing celebrity endorsements online. The group has an entertainment division and has signed a number of selected celebrities.

The so-called contract signing involves modeling a celebrity's real-life image into a virtual digital human, which is then used in a specific scenario. For example, in a virtual interactive scenario, a celebrity can not only serve as a brand spokesperson, but also as an on-site shopping guide who can communicate with customers.

The communication can be so realistic that in theory it is just like a real person.

In normal scenarios, users can use their mobile phones and computer screens just like regular video chats. If users use AR devices, they can even feel as if they are actually there.

Users can't even tell whether they're dealing with a real person or a virtual one, because sometimes, they're dealing with a real person. Celebrities themselves can even log into their virtual selves, as if possessing someone else's body.

The adjective that He Kao and others could think of was "possession of a body", and they named it "possession mode", which is also an important means of data collection and intelligent learning.

How can a virtual digital person, apart from being realistic in appearance and appropriately beautified, make people feel like a real person?
It is not possible to directly input a person's memory at present, but we can try to simulate it as much as possible. For example, the things that the person has experienced and the various professional knowledge he has learned can be input.

In theory, virtual digital humans are more powerful than real people in some aspects because they will not forget what they have learned.

As for personality simulation, several representative measurement scales in psychology are adopted, digitized, and have the ability to make appropriate adjustments and changes.

I won’t go into the specific technical issues, but the most important thing about this modeling is the “possession mode”, which allows real people to log in to this account in person and interact with people in various situations.

AI has a learning function and can collect various data during the process, such as voice, tone, answers, various behavioral habits, etc.

The digital virtual people created in this way are realistic enough in some scenarios, so they may be abused, such as being used to shoot short videos to spread rumors.

Therefore, the contract signed between the company and the spokesperson also imposes restrictions in this regard, and the modeling data package must be kept confidential and cannot be leaked.

This is actually equivalent to the Tengxin Group signing contracts with these stars and purchasing the rights to use their virtual digital images for use in designated scenarios.

Virtual digital people are just a sub-project of "virtual city". The original intention was to develop a new type of commercial endorsement model, but it was born at the wrong time.

Everyone knows what happened specifically. The rapid rise of the "live streaming agent" industry in recent years has posed a dimensionality reduction blow to it.

Live streaming sales only requires an online live broadcast room, and anyone, including celebrities, can sell goods directly. Although creating a virtual city provides an immersive experience, the cost is too high compared to it.

The project was originally unable to move forward, but as the saying goes, "When the east shines, the west shines," there was another turning point.

Big data computing technology has made significant breakthroughs, especially virtual modeling, which has reached a level of realism. Its application prospects have far exceeded the field of simple commercial endorsements.

The virtual humans in this project are close to real-life effects. This technology isn't exclusive to our company; many companies, both domestically and internationally, are also working on it, providing valuable insights and experience.

What was once only the stuff of science fiction has now become a reality. Since many major companies are pursuing this and see it as a new direction for technological application, group headquarters are paying more and more attention to it.

Now this sub-item is ready to be separated into an independent one, and its name is “Digital Life”.

The "virtual city" will only be a supporting scene for "digital life" and become its sub-project, with the subordinate relationship reversed.

There are more than 30 people from He Kao's department involved in the project. In addition to the other two departments of the branch, there is also a team at the group headquarters following up.

Interestingly, Huang Xiaopang is the main promoter of the "Digital Life" project and the earliest core initiator, but he has the lowest academic qualifications among all R&D personnel, only a bachelor's degree, and comes from the game department.

This will inevitably involve the redistribution of various resources and interests within the group.

Mr. Wei has a plan to bring control of the Digital Life Project to the division he oversees. But Qian certainly won't agree, and the internal competition is still ongoing.

The Digital Life project had the support of group headquarters, with participation from their team. He knew he couldn't keep all the money, but he believed the Qiyuan branch should still be in the driver's seat; that was his bottom line.

So Qian Guran communicated with the group headquarters to add a new vice president to be responsible for this project. It was also natural to promote Gao Xue'e because Gao Xue'e had been in charge of this business from the beginning.

Huang Si's contribution is great. Although he has a low level of education and a little less experience, he can be promoted to the head of the core department of the project and given the power and treatment he deserves.

Including a group of newly recruited employees such as Mei Guyu, they are also personnel reserves for the project.

President Wei came to the Qiyuan branch for "inspection and research" this time, actually with this purpose in mind. He wanted to discuss the matter with money... He wanted to take more, and of course he wanted to keep more money.

From an outsider's perspective, President Wei is just here to pick peaches. Old Qian certainly won't like him, but on the surface he still appears very enthusiastic. This is the norm in the workplace.

Leaving aside the internal power struggles within the group, and the tussle between Lao Qian and President Wei, some matters could only be decided by higher-level leaders. But no one expected President Wei's perfunctory visit to escalate into something more complex.

Although the matter had not been settled yet, President Wei had already regarded himself as the leader of the Digital Life Project. When he suddenly saw Mei Guyu, not only did his eyes light up, but even his heart was moved.

So he kindly expressed his hope that Mei Guyu could become the "key promotion image" of the project.

Mr. Wei also hinted that in the future a lot of resources could be allocated to build and promote Mei Guyu's digital life image, making her a star among stars and the core spokesperson for the group's digital life.

In the digital world, the standard for measuring value is often traffic and computing power. Mr. Wei was telling Mei Guyu that he had all these resources...

Although Mr. Wei's action was a bit of a sudden inspiration, it was also normal. He was just considering the company's business. As a leader, he also served as a "scout".

As for whether Mr. Wei is interested in this beauty and wants to use his position to develop other relationships, that is another matter. Anyway, he has not said it explicitly, and both parties are willing to do so.

But Mei Guyu didn't even think about it and refused on the spot.

Mr. Wei almost thought he had misheard. Could it be that this girl hadn't figured out the benefits? So he patiently explained to her that the company's previous contracted clients were mainly celebrities.

The remuneration obtained from signing the contract is much higher than Mei Guyu’s current income, and the development prospects are much better!
Considering that Mei Guyu was a member of the R&D team, President Wei also gave her another option. She could still participate in the project as an internal employee of the company and receive additional compensation.

Since she was involved in more important work, her rank could be raised by two levels...

Unexpectedly, Mei Guyu still clearly expressed his lack of interest, and told President Wei very seriously that he was applying for a "back-end technical support position", which was also the position written in the contract signed with the branch.

President Wei felt a little embarrassed. Even if she was unwilling, she should at least consider it. It was too disrespectful to reject her so bluntly in public.

President Wei couldn't afford to get tangled up in such a situation, so he finally said unhappily, "This is actually equivalent to a promotion, and jobs can be transferred within the group... Xiaomei, don't forget that you're still on probation!"

**
(End of this chapter)