Chapter 17: Setting Up the Studio

Li Lei’s head was already overflowing with all sorts of wild scenes.

“It’s not what you think. It’s about your mug…” Su Cheng tried to explain.

“Uh-huh, sure, right, whatever you say,” Li Lei replied dismissively.

They were bros, after all.

Those who knew, knew.

No explanation needed.

He was genuinely happy for Su Cheng.

The kid finally wasn’t a virgin anymore.

Su Cheng: ???

Shen Manman: ???

What was with that bizarre look on his face?!

And his tone was way too dismissive.

“I feel the studio looks a bit bare right now. Since we’re holding interviews, we should project a company vibe. At the very least, our image needs to hold up.”

The office floor Su Cheng rented had plenty of space. It was already renovated, and a lot of usable furniture had been left behind.

Even so.

It still looked somewhat sparse.

Shen Manman meant that they could spruce it up with a few decorations and minor touches.

“Sounds good, I’m down.”

“By the way, Lei-zi, let me introduce you. Shen Manman has officially joined our studio as our art planner.”

“Awesome! Full support!” Li Lei began clapping enthusiastically in welcome.

Nobody knew what he was actually clapping for.

That morning.

The three of them went out shopping.

They picked up some simple decor, spider plants, and various other potted greens.

Once Shen Manman arranged them, the place felt completely different right away.

The studio’s atmosphere and aesthetic jumped several levels.

The open spaces felt grand where they needed to be.

The cozy spots felt warm and welcoming.

The whole haul cost less than five thousand Yuan.

Shen Manman truly lived up to her art background.

Two programmers like Su Cheng and Li Lei couldn’t hold a candle to her.

Standing at the reception desk, Shen Manman looked at the custom stylized lettering for “Qianhe Studio” that Su Cheng had ordered, lost in thought.

“I feel like something’s missing here.”

“Should we add an introduction or something? A slogan would work, too.”

Shen Manman asked for Su Cheng’s opinion.

If she hadn’t brought it up, Su Cheng wouldn’t have thought of it.

She had a point.

They could add an introduction to define the company’s culture.

“Make your own games; the world of dreams in your hands.”

The words slipped out of Su Cheng’s mouth.

The slogan came from an industry veteran who founded the 99RPG website^[1] back in 2005, a community that had produced numerous acclaimed standalone games.

That site had no funding or commercial motive; every ounce of effort existed purely out of love and dreams.

When Su Cheng first graduated, he was also a young man brimming with ambition and ideals.

Only after working for a few years did he realize he was doomed to be just another cog in the machine.

Under the crushing weight of daily survival, lofty dreams and ambitions really were as fragile as paper.

The world of dreams in your hands?

The moment Shen Manman heard those words, it felt like she had been hit with a shot of adrenaline.

If this was Su Cheng’s founding philosophy, then he had already transcended the mundane mindset of “making games just to turn a profit.”

What a magnificent ideal.

Even Li Lei clicked his tongue in wonder upon hearing it.

The guy used to churn out outsourcing gigs like a madman.

How had he never noticed Su Cheng was capable of thinking like this?

Pretty badass.

Respect.

Once the sign company delivered the lettering, the three of them split the text into two lines and mounted it right beneath “Qianhe Studio.”

After a whole morning of hard work, they were finally done!

Li Lei felt a bit thirsty and looked around for his mug to get some water, but he couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Huh? Have either of you seen my mug? I left it on the desk the day before yesterday.”

“Didn’t I tell you? It broke. It’s in the trash,” Su Cheng reminded him.

It really broke?

Just how wild did you two get to shake my mug off the desk?

Besides the desk, there didn’t seem to be anywhere else to do it in the office.

“I want to switch desks!”

Su Cheng: ???

What the hell was he talking about, switching desks?

Where had Li Lei’s mind wandered off to this time?

For lunch, they ordered takeout crayfish.

Shen Manman asked Su Cheng what kind of artist he wanted to hire.

“You can let me look over the resumes, and I’ll give you my input.”

“Well… someone skilled,” Su Cheng answered simply.

Uh, seriously…

Who doesn’t want someone skilled…?

“Oh, okay. It’s a bit broad, but I roughly get what you’re looking for.”

“Hey, I need to head back to the dorm this afternoon. You won’t need me for the interviews, right?” Li Lei asked.

“No problem. Go take care of your stuff.”

…

2:50 PM.

The interviewees arrived at Qianhe Studio one after another.

While the other candidates began introducing themselves and chatting, a young woman with delicate features and exquisite makeup sat on a chair.

She didn’t talk to anyone, quietly waiting with wireless earbuds in.

Du Xi had fair skin and a tall figure, her chiseled jawline giving her an aloof, unapproachable aura.

A graduate of Musashino Art University^[2], she had just returned to the country. Still unsure of her future plans, her family told her to find a regular job in Yezhou first.

Du Xi figured that worked too; building up some industry experience would make it easier to land a job in a big city later or head overseas for further studies.

To put it simply, she was just padding her resume.

Of course, padding a resume meant finding a place with at least some reputation. If it was just some obscure, rinky-dink outfit, she would rather stay home and sleep.

Du Xi had submitted her resume to several companies in Yezhou, and Qianhe Studio was the first to extend an interview invitation.

She had done some homework beforehand and looked up Qianhe Studio.

To her surprise, Du Xi discovered they were the team behind King of Fighters.

She had no interest in games like that and had never played it, but it was wildly popular and quite well-known.

After checking out some King of Fighters gameplay clips on P-site^[3], Du Xi realized that with visual quality like that… this studio definitely needed to hire a talented artist.

Being somewhat well-known wasn’t bad.

Still, one couldn’t judge a studio purely by its projects. She had to evaluate the team, the environment, and the atmosphere.

Companies these days exploited their workers ruthlessly, and shady small studios were even worse.

Du Xi looked around the office and began assessing the place.

Today was Sunday and there wasn’t an employee in sight, which meant they probably had two-day weekends, or at least one day off a week.

There were over twenty computers, all brand new and likely upgraded with top-tier specs recently.

The floor was quite spacious. An ordinary studio would never be able to afford rent on a place this large.

The space was nicely arranged and clearly maintained with care. Du Xi guessed a professional artist had designed the layout, or it wouldn’t have this level of aesthetic taste.

And most importantly.

The corporate philosophy displayed at the front desk caught Du Xi’s eye.

A world of dreams, in your hands.

In the end, Du Xi reached a conclusion.

This studio seemed pretty decent. At the very least, it wasn’t some shady, bare-bones operation running on a shoestring.

Besides, they had produced a hit like King of Fighters, so the compensation and benefits shouldn’t be bad either.

After waiting for dozens of minutes.

Du Xi walked into a small conference room.

Wait a second.

They’re the interviewers?

So young?

They looked several years younger than her, their faces far too youthful.

What positions did they even hold here for the company to let them conduct interviews?

All sorts of questions popped up in Du Xi’s mind.

Still, out of politeness, she greeted them first.

“Hello to both of you.”

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Du Xi.”

…

…