Chapter 7: Determined to Compete!

Li Lei had assumed that “starting a studio” was merely an idea of Su Cheng’s.

He had only mentioned it last night, yet here they were today, scouting locations to lease.

Clearly, Su Cheng had made quite a fortune off 《King of Fighters》.

Still, however much he made came down to Su Cheng’s own ability; it had little to do with him.

Li Lei usually took contracts from major firms, and thanks to his solid technical skills, he pulled in good money himself.

At the end of the day, though, he was just a high-tier wage slave, earning his money through sheer blood and sweat.

The kind who wouldn’t even get his name in the ending credits.

If Su Cheng really got this studio off the ground and turned 《King of Fighters》 into a full-fledged IP…

That would go down in history!

Just look at those classic franchises: even after the creators had slacked off for years, the IPs continued to rake in revenue.

In the future, whenever content creators made video game chronicles, they would never be able to skip 《King of Fighters》.

And if they mentioned 《King of Fighters》, they’d have to mention Su Cheng, and they’d have to mention him, the lead programmer, right?

Wouldn’t that be bragging rights for a lifetime?

He absolutely had to start this game studio with Su Cheng!

He truly wasn’t bragging.

In Li Lei’s personal opinion…

His code read like poetry.

Gorgeous.

Functional.

Clean.

Sharp.

When other people saw uncommented ordinary code, they’d probably get a headache.

Yet when people saw his code, they couldn’t help but pause in admiration.

Led by an agent, the two toured Yezhou, checking out several properties listed for rent.

Su Cheng set his sights on a spacious flat, roughly four hundred square meters.

Li Lei leaned toward a small single unit in a tech incubator park, around fifty square meters.

“We’re just setting up a small studio. There’s no need for something so huge… Fifty square meters is plenty.”

A small studio only needed space for a few people and some equipment; it was more than enough.

What would they even do with that much room?

Play pool?

“Lei, don’t just look at right now.”

“Sure, renting a single room is cost-effective at the moment, but what happens when we expand later?”

“These leases are signed for three years, or at least a year at a time. When the time comes, moving back and forth and subleasing would be an absolute nightmare. It’s better to get it right in one go.”

Su Cheng was the kind of person who hated unnecessary hassle.

For instance, building a PC.

He couldn’t be bothered to compare specs and hunt for the best performance-to-price ratio; he simply bought top-tier parts right away, saving the time and effort of constant upgrades later.

Renting a place was no different.

Su Cheng didn’t care to analyze whether the location, price, and square footage offered the best value.

In his past life, Su Cheng might have searched for review videos to evaluate whether the location was cost-effective.

Because he had no money back then, he had to split every single Fen^[1] in half, but in reality, that just wasted an enormous amount of time.

It was a trap that almost everyone easily fell into.

Things were different now.

Su Cheng had money!

He could do it all in one go!

Hearing this, Li Lei was rendered speechless.

Fine, fine, fine.

You’re paying, so whatever you say goes.

“I respect your decision, but I stand by my suggestion,” Li Lei said earnestly.

His philosophy was that when starting out, one had to be steady.

King of Fighters was a hit, but there was no telling if the next game would be.

It was like certain webnovel authors: one book suddenly blew up, but the next flopped so hard even their own mother wouldn’t recognize it, completely rejected by readers.

Developers who could produce hit after hit were vanishingly rare.

Neither of them was wrong.

Su Cheng was bolder and more confident.

Though Li Lei liked to talk big, he truly preferred playing it safe when it came to real work.

Su Cheng signed the lease with the agent on the spot.

Then he bought several pieces of equipment.

He picked up some adhesive wall art and potted plants to give the place a simple decorative touch.

And just like that, the studio’s initial setup was complete.

Those few things wiped out all the money in Su Cheng’s pockets, leaving him with just twenty thousand Yuan to his name.

“The company isn’t registered yet, right? Why don’t you come up with a name?”

Su Cheng pondered for a moment.

It would be called 【Qianhe^[2]】.

“Qianhe?”

“Yeah. Like a thousand paper cranes, free and unbound, making our own games.”

It sounded poetic, but why did it also feel a bit half-baked and thrown together?

Whatever.

The name didn’t matter.

A studio was only as good as the games it made.

…

The next day.

Old Zhang called Su Cheng and Li Lei into his office once again.

“Su Cheng, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but 《King of Fighters》 cannot participate in the Supernova competition.”

Can’t participate?

Both Su Cheng and Li Lei were taken aback.

Why?

“《King of Fighters》 has already been commercially released, and with considerable success, so the review board rejected our entry application.”

A released game couldn’t enter?

What kind of logic was that?

Nobody had mentioned this rule before!

It wasn’t stated anywhere, neither in the eligibility criteria nor in the competition guidelines.

“There’s nothing we can do. It’s a newly added rule.”

Old Zhang looked somewhat disheartened.

How could he not understand the real reason behind it?

《King of Fighters》 was already out on the market, performing brilliantly and generating immense hype across players of all ages.

Handing you the championship outright would be unfair to the others.

Refusing you the championship would make the judges look incompetent, and they’d get dragged through the mud for it.

After all, it was a game validated by the market.

A critical and commercial success.

So they simply barred Su Cheng from competing altogether.

Old Zhang felt utterly helpless as well.

His ambition to advance his own career was about to fall through.

Hearing this, Li Lei couldn’t hold back his cursing any longer.

Unfair.

Completely unfair!

“Fuck.”

“Those clout-chasing old bastards really are utter scum!”

Indignant and furious, Li Lei started railing right in front of Old Zhang.

Su Cheng felt the injustice too.

Still, he held back from swearing, though frustration churned inside his chest.

This was an obvious attempt to suppress him and Old Zhang.

I’m too strong, so you won’t let me compete?

On what grounds?

The creator of 《King of Fighters》 was a student at Yezhou University, which should have brought tremendous honor to the school. They ought to be hanging banners every single day to promote it and attract more applicants.

He couldn’t speak for other majors, but when it came to the gaming department and this specific program, enrollment numbers would definitely be guaranteed.

“Word is that Shi Xiaoqiang made a pretty good game, and several judges plan to push him forward to represent the university.”

If Su Cheng’s earlier attitude toward entering had been casual and nonchalant…

Hearing that the winner had already been preselected instantly solidified his resolve to compete!

“Professor Zhang, as long as the game hasn’t been released, it’s eligible, right?”

“Yes, but it’s far too late now. Registration closes in a week.”

“There’s still time!”

One week!

How on earth could there be enough time?!

“I plan to make a sequel. I can enter it into the competition first, and then release it afterward.”

“You mean… King of Fighters 2?” Old Zhang furrowed his brow. “How much of it have you done?”

“More than half. I should be able to finish it within a week.”

Su Cheng’s words reignited the spark of hope in the dejected Old Zhang’s eyes.

“That works!”

“If you run into any difficulties, just let me know!”

“I’ll go contact some of my former students right now and have them assist, to see if they can help speed up your progress.”

Old Zhang was well-versed in the competition rules.

As long as the student independently handled game design and core development, outside help was permitted for the rest; it was completely within the rules.

Su Cheng declined.

“That’s all right, Professor Zhang. Li Lei and I can handle it.”

“If we really can’t get it done in time, I’ll come to you for help.”

Zhang Shunping was suddenly taken aback by the handsome young man before him.

The energy radiating from him could directly influence everyone around him!

Su Cheng.

He had a bright future ahead.

“All right.”

“Then I’ll be waiting for your good news.”

“Remember, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t sacrifice the game’s quality just to get it finished.”

“If it really doesn’t work out, we just won’t compete. It’s no big deal.”