Chapter 30: I Think I’ve Been Played…

Inside the internet cafe.

Qian Cai’s face was flushed beet red.

He stared blankly at the disbanded Q-Dog group.

His head was ringing.

Even after half a minute, he still hadn’t recovered.

So, what exactly were these people trying to do?

“Beep, beep, beep.”

While Qian Cai was still in a daze, his Q-Dog received a message from “Xiao Wei.”

“Congratulations! You’ve won the grand prize: a one thousand yuan cash reward!”

“Additionally, we’re giving you a free closed beta account for our new game, Beat the Grass Mud Horse…”

“Hey there, handsome, are you free right now?”

“…”

“…”

Xiao Wei’s profile picture was truly hard to refuse.

She looked pure, sweet, and adorable.

Her smile was enough to melt his heart.

In that instant, he felt as if he had stepped into a spring meadow, surrounded by the scent of blooming flowers…

He nodded frantically.

He had long since forgotten his confusion over the disbanded Q-Dog group!

“Yes, I am!”

“Handsome, since you’re free, could you fill out some personal information?”

“Sure, sure!”

“…”

Qian Cai scribbled down the information as fast as he could.

Once finished, he sent it over with great anticipation.

After a long while…

Xiao Wei’s Q-Dog icon flickered again.

“Handsome, would you like a job? Would you like to become our colleague, develop games together, and create the pinnacle of domestic gaming?”

“Yes, I would!”

“…”

At that moment…

Qian Cai felt a rush of adrenaline. He nearly let out a roar of excitement as visions of a glorious future flashed through his mind.

Without hesitation, he filled out a letter of intent. After settling his bill at the counter under the strange gaze of the owner, Li Zongnan, he charged out of the internet cafe like a whirlwind.

…

July 1st, noon.

Universe Technology.

Ge Yumiao, also known as Ge Shen, had a private office.

Well…

Calling it a private office was a bit of a stretch. It was actually a tiny room in the attic, about three or four square meters, just large enough for a computer and a desk.

Right now, Ge Shen was extremely busy. He was frantically reviewing the artwork submitted by various netizens.

These were the raw materials. Once he had the assets, the rest of the development would be much easier to manage.

While screening and comparing the entries, he integrated the plots to outline game scenes. He wrote down “thrill points” that he, as a player, would want to experience, and then sent all these scenes to the Texture Department, where Zhao Hang was stationed.

Thirty scripts!

Thirty game scenes were all funneled to Zhao Hang.

Zhao Hang took these plots and stories, organized them in sequence, and finished rendering the scenes that required lighting or simple special effects, merging them into scene illustrations.

Once the merging was complete…

He sent everything to Zhong Chongwen’s Technical Department. Zhong Chongwen’s team took the code they had already written and combined it with the scene illustrations, fitting them into the game’s framework.

Whenever a small system was finished, it was sent back to Ge Shen.

Ge Shen would then begin trial operations to experience the gameplay and make adjustments.

Though it was a small company, the workflow and division of labor were very clear.

“The impact feel isn’t quite right!”

“Old Zhong, can we optimize this a bit more?”

“Also, this initial prototype isn’t smooth enough, and the text needs work…”

“Oh, and what our players want most is a challenge, but it shouldn’t be unfairly difficult. I think we can adjust these parts…”

“…”

Evening.

After Ge Shen finished testing a portion of the game…

He immediately began moving between the different departments to offer suggestions for revisions.

“Mom, I’m busy. We’re developing a new game!”

“The new game is undergoing various tests. It should be ready soon. It’s not a big game, and the assets were already prepared, so it should be done in about three days!”

“Yeah, I’m fine. My body can handle it…”

“…”

After finishing his work, Ge Shen’s phone rang.

On the other end was his mother’s warm voice, asking when he would have time to come home for a visit.

He could clearly feel that he was a completely different person than he had been half a month ago.

Half a month ago!

He hadn’t even dared to go home. Whenever he did, he faced nothing but criticism, cold shoulders from relatives, and “well-intentioned” but condescending advice.

But ever since he started sending money home, his family’s perception of him had done a complete three-sixty.

Upon learning that he had joined a company and was involved in game development, their attitude changed again!

They might hate games…

But making games!

In their eyes, that was high-end stuff. It was something only people with an education and real talent could do.

As the setting sun filtered into the attic, Ge Yumiao felt a momentary sense of daze.

He looked down at the countless documents on his desk.

He was exhausted, but his fighting spirit was soaring!

Compared to his former life spent in the darkness of internet cafes, he suddenly felt that only now was he truly in control of his life!

This was his battlefield!

A moment later…

Ge Yumiao heard a knock on the door.

Then…

“President Zhang?”

“Ge Shen, how is the work going today? I saw the version you confirmed; the details are excellent.”

“Ah, thank you, President Zhang.”

“By the way, Ge Shen… I’m planning to establish a new department called the Content Department…”

“Huh?”

“It will be in charge of game content in the future. For now, you’re the only one, but I’ve picked out two people from the players who wrote the scripts. They’ve arrived… Go down and take a look. You might even recognize someone. Old Wu is out doing market research, so why don’t you help me carry the camera? I’m going to present them with their awards.”

“Huh?”

“…”

Ge Yumiao instinctively looked down and saw that Zhang Yang was holding three large award placards.

“One thousand yuan in cash,” “three thousand yuan in cash,” “and ten thousand yuan in cash.”

He followed Zhang Yang out, feeling dazed.

Then, downstairs in the loft, he saw Qian Cai staring blankly at everything in the room, looking shocked as if he had been scammed.

After observing for a long time, Qian Cai finally dropped his jaw.

“Holy crap!”

“There aren’t any girls in this company?”

“No way…”

“Is there seriously not even a single female fly in here?”

“Then…”

“Why are the customer service avatars all girls?”

“…”

The other young man wearing glasses looked equally catatonic.

Upon seeing Zhang Yang and Ge Shen come down…

They seemed to hear the sound of their own hearts breaking.

……………………….

Half an hour later.

Qian Cai dizzily took a photo, flashing a peace sign.

After receiving his one thousand yuan prize, he and the other bespectacled guy-who had received three thousand-joined the company in a complete muddle.

Looking at the cramped rental apartment and the busy young men…

Qian Cai felt completely out of place. He found it truly difficult to associate any of this with a technology company.

“President Zhang.”

“Say…”

“Where’s the one who won the ten thousand yuan prize?”

“Oh, it’s not convenient for that person to show their face… they’re quite low-key…”

“Oh, President Zhang, where are you going?”

“Nothing much, just going for a stroll. You and Ge Shen are old acquaintances; Ge Shen will tell you what to do.”

“Alright…”

Qian Cai watched blankly as Zhang Yang left with a camera and the ten-thousand-yuan sign.

He had no idea that as soon as Zhang Yang left the company, he immediately headed toward a secluded park nearby.

Upon reaching the park, Zhang Yang tiptoed around to check his surroundings. Seeing no one else was there, he let out a deep breath.

Then…

He set up the camera and changed into a different set of clothes he hadn’t worn before.

……………………….

Two more hours passed…

Qian Cai saw three photos appear on the computer’s Tieba forum…

One of him and one of the guy in glasses, each holding signs that read “1,000 Yuan” and “3,000 Yuan”…

“Congratulations to everyone for winning the gold, silver, and bronze prizes in this essay contest!”

“The prize money has been distributed on time!”

“We hope everyone continues to participate in building Universe Technology…”

“…”

And there was another one-a half-body shot showing only a pair of hands holding the “10,000 Yuan” prize sign…

He was bewildered.

What kind of incredible, flowery nonsense did this ten-thousand-yuan guy write?

How could he get ten thousand yuan for it?

Just as he was speculating…

He saw Zhang Yang return to the room.

Not long after, a tall man from the Northeast walked in, looking travel-worn.

Qian Cai heard the two of them chatting…

“Now that this batch of prizes is done, it’s time to pay the netizens who were selected for their drawings… Hmm, I did a quick calculation, it’s about four thousand yuan in total…”

“President Zhang, that advertisement about earning ten thousand a month and a hundred thousand a year for eight hours of work… it couldn’t be…”

“I’m not wrong. I’ve looked at the data. The average time each person spent drawing was less than eight hours. I calculated it at three hundred and fifty yuan for eight hours. With over a hundred people, it’s just over four thousand… If we had work every day, wouldn’t that be ten thousand a month? Isn’t that a hundred and twenty thousand a year? Right, Old Wu, I have a task for you. For those who draw well and are professional, give them a bit more… pay more attention to them and ask if they’re interested in a job… Isn’t filtering talent through actual work more practical than a job fair?”

“…”

“Old Qian, right?”

“…”

“Wait, I think for the exceptionally talented ones, we should issue an honorary certificate first!”

Three days until the game’s release to the world.

As a bystander hearing all this, Qian Cai saw Zhang Yang turn his head and look at him with a beaming smile.

He shuddered.

He nodded subconsciously.

Why do I feel like I’m being played?

Like prey?

Thinking about it carefully…

Dammit!

It seemed like from the very beginning, he had been lured step by step into a trap.

(End of Chapter)