Chapter 103: Promoting Corporate Culture and Setting New Benchmarks (Subscription Requested)

At the beginning, horseback riding always requires an instructor to accompany you. Moreover, it’s important not to go to a field that’s too large. Otherwise, once the horse has the freedom to gallop, accidents are quite likely to happen. First, the staff leads the horse by the reins in a small enclosed area, making the newcomer gradually get used to the feeling of being on horseback. Once accustomed to the constant jolting and bouncing, one can begin to pick up the pace a little.

But riding a horse is entirely different from riding her. Although both involve sitting on top, the pain switches places. Su Mu tried for the first time. The first lap was alright, but after several rounds, the jolting caused his waist to ache and his backside to hurt. And this was just a temperate, gentle horse. If he were to ride one of those wild breeds that race across the grasslands, he’d probably be thrown off after a few laps.

[Horseback Riding Proficiency +1]
[Skill Points +0.01]
[Horseback Riding Proficiency LV1: 5/50 (Novice)]

After circling five laps with the staff, Su Mu glanced at the proficiency stats and did some quick calculations. To reach a level where he could freely gallop across battlefields and shoot with precision from horseback, he’d need to push the proficiency to at least a solid LV3 or venture into LV4. Early on, it’s easiest to build proficiency—each lap counts as one increment as long as the horse is led around. However, as the level rises, the difficulty to improve also increases, possibly requiring specific attributes or other conditions.

Su Mu checked the time—it was still before noon. If he pushed himself, he should be able to reach LV2 before returning to the hotel that evening.

[Horseback Riding Proficiency +1]
[Skill Points +0.01]

Just as he was thinking this, the staff took the reins and trotted around the field again. After several laps without the horse showing resistance, the staff gave Su Mu a signal, indicating he was ready to let go of the reins and let Su Mu take control.

With growing proficiency, Su Mu had gained a bit of confidence. Taking the reins, he began to ride independently around the small field. The circumference was less than a hundred meters; at the horse’s pace, it was only slightly faster than walking.

Meanwhile, outside the riding arena in the resting corridor, Qian Jida, Fan Xiaoyu, and Driver Zhu sat, watching blankly. They had been through this before. Back when Su Mu was intensely focused on his Crazy Sprint role as Gao Qiqiang, he had immersed himself in just one thing—killing fish. He had even earned the nickname “Fish Killer Maniac” during that time. So they knew that Su Mu was probably about to get obsessed with horseback riding in the same way.

Xiaoyu looked worried. “Boss Qian, do you think Su Mu’s going to become a horseback riding maniac this time?”

Qian Jida replied, “No, a horseback riding maniac... that just doesn’t sound auspicious.”

Xiaoyu said, “But riding a horse is on a whole different level than killing fish. I’m not sure if he can handle it.”

Driver Zhu said confidently, “He can.”

Qian Jida and Xiaoyu both stared in surprise.

An hour later:

[Horseback Riding Proficiency LV1: 23/50 (Novice)]

Su Mu had ridden about twenty-something laps, stumbling along the way. Perhaps because he hadn’t yet established communication with the horse, sometimes it would speed up abruptly; other times, it would stop halfway and refuse to move. Being a novice, Su Mu didn’t dare use the whip too harshly, instead going with the horse’s rhythm for the time being.

After more than twenty laps, the muscles on the inner thighs and waist had begun to ache noticeably—he felt it was even more grueling than grinding dance proficiency. Still, he had completed about half the task. If he persevered through the remaining laps in the afternoon, he would essentially have finished the challenge.

Dismounting, his thighs tingled slightly. Limping, Su Mu headed to the rest area. Taking the water Qian Jida handed him, he drank it all at once.

Su Mu asked, “Where are Xiaoyu and Driver Zhu?”

Qian Jida answered, “It’s almost noon. Driver Zhu drove Xiaoyu to the nearby county to get some food.”

Su Mu said, “Oh, tell him on WeChat I need some meat, or I won’t have energy for the afternoon.”

Qian Jida asked, “How long are you planning to train?”

Su Mu thought for a moment. “I’m not sure—until I reach the expected level. If I come every day, it shouldn’t take more than a few months.”

Qian Jida was shocked. “A few months? Won’t your body fall apart? Isn’t just knowing how to ride enough? No need to get so obsessed. Filming uses camera cuts; the audience won’t care if you can really ride on the battlefield.”

Su Mu shook his head. “You’re wrong. Whether the audience cares or not doesn’t matter.”

Qian Jida asked, “Then what matters?”

Su Mu replied, “What matters is that the people paying you care. You have to prove that their money is well spent, so they’ll keep giving you money next time.”

Qian Jida sighed, “That’s just like you.”

Su Mu patted Qian Jida’s shoulder. “Boss Qian, I think our studio should promote corporate culture more in the future. It’s our core competitiveness and a crucial part of sustainable development. We’re only halfway through building this business; we can’t forget our original intention.”

Qian Jida suddenly realized, “You know, that actually makes sense.”

Su Mu continued, “Since I’m the boss, I’ll take on the hard work. Once we’ve hired all the staff by next year, I’ll personally train them—give them a detailed analysis about maintaining the original spirit of the entertainment industry.”

Qian Jida twitched but didn’t dare interrupt. He wanted to say, “You don’t have to,” but held back. After all, once the studio is fully established, it will expand its business. It’s easy to handle ordinary employees, but if they sign some actors and train them, hearing Su Mu’s lessons might throw their careers off track. Not every top star is as confident as Su Mu—demanding money from the big three video platforms or calling on sponsors for more funding. If everyone followed his path, it wouldn’t be surprising if they ended up having accidents left and right.

Before long, Xiaoyu and Driver Zhu returned, carrying an assortment of boxed meals.

“We’re back! Driver Zhu drove me to the neighboring county. These are all local specialty dishes—they say they’re super delicious.”

Su Mu was shocked. “Wow, you went all the way to the next county just now?”

Xiaoyu smiled brightly. “Of course! Driver Zhu is amazing—he took a shortcut and the car felt like it was flying.”

Su Mu asked, “How fast was he going?”

Xiaoyu didn’t know, so she looked at Driver Zhu.

Driver Zhu replied, “Two hundred.”

Qian Jida almost fell out of his seat.

Su Mu said, “Driver Zhu, you’ve been driving our RV for so long and are usually very steady. You don’t seem like the type to speed.”

Driver Zhu said, “It wasn’t our car.”

Everyone was stunned.

Su Mu suddenly remembered—the vehicle was borrowed from Chen Anzhi. He treated his own company’s vehicles like treasures but regarded others’ company funds as worthless! Incredible, such a loyal employee!

Su Mu said, “Driver Zhu, say no more. Double your year-end bonus! Remember, keep up this excellent corporate culture!”

Qian Jida and Xiaoyu were puzzled.

Driver Zhu nodded in agreement.

After lunch, Su Mu’s thigh and waist pain had eased somewhat. After digesting a bit, he mounted the horse again to grind proficiency.

The temporary coach at the riding arena expressed concern: “Mr. Su, I still recommend you not push too hard in the first few days. It’s best to progress gradually so your body can adapt. You might not feel it now, but if you overexert yourself the first day, you could be in severe pain tomorrow.”

Su Mu nodded and thanked him for the advice but decided to stick to his plan. After all, riding was just one of several skills he intended to train. If he wanted to raise all his proficiencies to a high level, time would be tight with little room to waste.

Though this was mainly an online movie, since he was acting in it, he wanted to deliver results and gain something from it. Besides money, he wanted more people to see his versatility. He could indeed perform such action scenes, which would be beneficial for winning favor in the film market. If someday a production team cast him alongside other actors, his past works would serve as the most competitive reference.

“Ha~ Ah ha~ Ah ha ha ha~ Ah~
Let us be companions in this mortal world, living freely and unrestrained, galloping together to share the splendor of life~”

[High Vocal Proficiency +1]
[Mid-Low Vocal Proficiency +1]
[Horseback Riding Proficiency +1]
[Skill Points +0.01 +0.01 +...]

Su Mu spent the whole afternoon riding in circles. Finding horseback riding monotonous, he decided to sing as he rode, leveling up his singing proficiency as well to gain more skill points.

It wasn’t until after four in the afternoon that the notification finally appeared:

[Horseback Riding Proficiency LV2: 1/500 (Intermediate)]

(The End of This Chapter)