Chapter 43: New Game in Progress (Part 2)

What is wrong with this Zhang Yang?

Why is he asking these bizarre questions out of nowhere?

Is he sick in the head!

A male god¹?

From childhood to adulthood, I have always been the center of attention…

Where would I even get a perfect male god?

I don’t have one!

I definitely don’t!

Why did he ask that? What is he trying to do!

Could it be…

How can this person be so rude!

On the plane.

Liu Ruohan gazed at the drifting white clouds outside the window, Zhang Yang’s words seemingly echoing in her ears.

As she thought about it, her cheeks suddenly flushed a deep crimson for some reason.

She instinctively touched her face and stole a guilty glance at the assistants around her. Seeing them with their heads down, focused on their documents without any sign of suspicion, she finally relaxed a little.

Then, her mind drifted back to her childhood.

A male god?

A long, long time ago, Liu Ruohan had indeed fantasized about a man of destiny, just like most girls.

It was one night, after her mother had finished telling her the fairy tale of “The Prince and the Dragon” and turned off the lights to leave…

She lay in bed, reminiscing about the wonderful story.

As she drifted off into thought, she unconsciously imagined herself inside the tale.

She was a princess imprisoned in a castle by a cruel dragon, calling out for help from the window in desperation amidst the loneliness and darkness.

And then…

The prince heard her cries!

In her fantasy, under the brilliant sun and a sky full of falling roses, a handsome and tall prince rode a white horse. After enduring countless hardships and hacking through thorns, he finally defeated the dragon.

Along the way, all the demons surrendered at his feet, and all his rivals dared not look up at him.

He walked up to the castle step by step, came to her side, knelt on one knee, and finally looked at her with immense tenderness under the gaze of the world.

“My Princess…”

“I’m sorry, I’m late!”

“…”

Accompanied by beautiful music filling the air and an incredibly romantic atmosphere, he gently kissed the back of her hand…

Apologizing for his tardiness, he vowed to be her knight for a lifetime, protecting her forever.

And then…

No!

What am I thinking!

I actually used to think about such unrealistic things…

Ahhh!

This is so embarrassing!

Wait!

A knight?

Didn’t that guy Zhang Yang say something about a knight earlier?

What exactly is he trying to do?

How can he be…

So rude?

On the plane, Liu Ruohan’s mind was a chaotic mess, and for some reason, her face grew even redder…

Two hours later…

The plane landed at Seoul airport.

Liu Ruohan put on her mask and hat to leave the airport.

Just as she was preparing to disembark and get into a car, her phone received over a dozen text messages!

All dozen or so were actually from Zhang Yang.

She was shocked!

“President Liu, I thought about it just now. Deep down, I feel a very urgent desire, and at the same time, I really hope to cooperate with you on a new game…”

“To someone as kind, lovely, and understanding as you, President Liu, I really hope to have a deeper conversation…”

“Are you free tonight? If you are, I hope you can give me a call. If not, then… then should I text you?”

“President Liu, I have no intention of harassing you. It’s just, I wanted to ask, does an outstanding girl like you also have a childhood? Have you ever thought about plots involving princes and knights?”

“President Liu, I know you’re on the plane. That, well, the cliché plot of a prince saving a princess—do you think anyone has ever fantasized about that? Would it be very childish?”

“…”

“…”

Seeing this series of messages.

Liu Ruohan was stunned. Especially when she saw Zhang Yang’s messages suddenly revolving around princesses and knights, she felt a sudden chill run down her spine!

Heavens!

How did this guy know!

Was it a guess?

Wait!

Is this guy a human or a ghost!

“President Liu, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, it’s nothing.”

“Oh. We have a lot to discuss next. President Liu, why don’t you rest for a bit first?”

“It’s fine.”

…

“Someone once said that as long as you stand at the eye of the storm², even a pig can fly…”

“Our Huaxia technology is constantly progressing…”

“The future isn’t just 3G or 4G; there will even be 5G…”

“If you define a mobile phone as just a communication tool, then you are wrong.”

“It can be an MP3 player, an MP4 player, a game console, a camera, a digital camera, or even a portable computer…”

“The future holds many possibilities…”

“If you’re interested, you can go to Shenzhen to investigate. Come back after half a month and find me again. At that time, I’ll teach you what to do…”

“…”

Tong Wei left Universe Technology.

His head was spinning.

The content of his conversation with Zhang Yang was far too subversive. It was so revolutionary that it felt unbelievable, yet it was filled with a sense of urgency.

He took out his black-and-white screen phone.

He dazed out for a moment.

There were indeed phones on the market now that could take photos and play music.

However, he could never have imagined that future phones could access the wireless internet, log into Q-Dog, watch movies, become like computers, and even have many unheard-of functions.

This was simply too far ahead of its time for him!

But…

He was a young man, after all. He accepted things quickly, and since he was an electronics major, he understood basic circuitry.

Perhaps!

This was the “eye of the storm,” the trend of the future!

Tong Wei returned to his rental room.

Under the whispers of several neighbors in the building, he finished packing his luggage and left the rental.

…

July 6th.

Rain.

After the hype died down and the novelty wore off, the download data for the stress-relief game “Beat the Grass Mud Horse” had slowed down significantly.

On the single-player game daily rankings, the numbers continued to slide…

One hundred and twenty-three thousand downloads.

This was pretty much the limit for its data.

Looking at these figures, many people at Universe Technology couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment.

Zhong Chongwen also felt a certain sense of letdown.

The first day had been so fierce, giving off the feeling that they were slaughtering gods and demons³, perhaps even capable of going toe-to-toe with Human Killing Machine.

But the following two days…

It was simply too weak.

However, he also understood that this was just a simple stress-relief game. Even if it was a hit, there was a ceiling to how far it could go.

Ding!

Right at that moment…

Zhong Chongwen’s phone suddenly vibrated.

He checked it and saw a text message notification.

When he saw the amount credited to his account, he was stunned.

Heavens!

Twenty thousand!

This much?

“Holy crap! This much? Is there a mistake?”

While he was still in shock, Zhao Hang, who was sitting next to him, instinctively jumped up, his eyes bulging.

“Damn, I got mine too. Fifteen thousand! My god, I’ve never seen this much money in my life…”

“…”

On the other side, Ge Yumiao clutched his chest, equally startled.

Almost simultaneously, notifications of credited funds appeared on all their phones.

Just as everyone was reeling from the amounts they had received…

They saw Zhang Yang walk out of his office.

“Comrades, why the long faces? I told you before, if you follow me, you’ll make money. Ten thousand a month, a hundred and twenty thousand a year. I’m a man of my word.”

“Alright, alright! Don’t start cheering just yet!”

“Comrades, I’m giving you a task today!”

“As the saying goes, once you’re fed and warm, your thoughts turn to… well, you know⁴.”

“What kind of girlfriend do you want? Write down exactly what you’re looking for in a document and send it to me. The more detailed, the better. Whether it’s long legs, wavy hair, the mature type, the cute type, or the innocent girl next door… anything goes.”

“…”

“President Zhang, are you handing out girlfriends?” Wu Zhuang asked instinctively.

“In a way, yes. But it’s not me personally handing them out. Our game is going to provide them. And not just to you, but to all our players. We’re giving out virtual girlfriends and boyfriends.”

“Huh? What kind of game is that?”

“It’s basically a dating sim. Hmm, I’ve thought of two potential names for now. One is God of Conquest⁵, and the other is Tokimeki Memorial⁶…”

…

Night fell.

Liu Ruohan finished her day’s work.

After a moment of hesitation, she ultimately decided not to call Zhang Yang back.

However…

She logged onto the Universe Technology tieba on Qiandu.

The moment she entered the forum, she saw two headlines that left her speechless.

“Universe Technology is giving out girlfriends!”

“Universe Technology is giving out boyfriends!”

“…”

???

What was going on?

(End of Chapter)

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Translator’s Notes

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1. male god: A popular Chinese internet term (男神, nánshén) used to describe a man who is idolized for his looks, talent, or personality. It refers to a ‘perfect man’ or an ‘ideal crush,’ often used for celebrities or exceptionally attractive individuals. ↩
2. eye of the storm: Translates the Chinese business term ‘fengkou’ (literally ‘wind gap’), referring to a powerful market trend or opportunity. The phrase ‘even a pig can fly’ is a famous quote by Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, suggesting that in a booming industry, even the mediocre can succeed if they catch the right trend. ↩
3. slaughtering gods and demons: A hyperbolic phrase (tú shén miè mó) common in Chinese gaming and web novel culture. It describes a performance or power level so dominant that it can defeat even the most formidable, ‘god-like’ opponents or established industry leaders. ↩
4. once you’re fed and warm, your thoughts turn to… well, you know: A play on the Chinese proverb ‘wēnbǎo sī yínyù’ (温饱思淫欲), which literally means ‘once one is warm and well-fed, one’s thoughts turn to lust.’ The speaker trails off to avoid saying the word ‘lust’ directly, humorously suggesting that now that the employees are well-paid, they will naturally start thinking about romance. ↩
5. God of Conquest: A reference to the anime and manga series The World God Only Knows (Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai). The protagonist is a gaming expert known as the ‘God of Conquest’ who uses dating sim strategies to navigate real-life romantic encounters, which aligns with Zhang Yang’s plan for a dating simulation game. ↩
6. Tokimeki Memorial: A reference to Tokimeki Memoriaru, a seminal Japanese dating simulation game released by Konami in 1994. It is widely credited with defining the conventions of the dating sim genre, such as managing a schedule to improve stats and win a character’s affection. ↩