Chapter 55: How Could He Be a Deadbeat? (Part 2)

Yanjing.

Mumaen Technology.

Liu Ruohan had returned to Huaxia. After reporting the situation regarding Legend to her father, Liu Zhongshan, she left his office.

Liu Zhongshan’s expression was one of pure fury.

It was the kind of rage that came from being under someone else’s thumb with no way to vent.

He was the Savior of this game!

If he hadn’t taken over the agency rights, Legend would have been dead in South Korea by now!

He could still remember how those people had been so profoundly grateful back then, practically treating him like their own father.

And now…

Now that Legend was a hit in Huaxia, the South Korean side had completely changed their tune.

They claimed that the licensing fees had to be increased. Otherwise, they wouldn’t just stop updating the versions; they wouldn’t even lift a finger to deal with hacks or private servers!

This negotiation had been a total failure.

In his entire life, he hated being blackmailed more than anything else.

How could he not be furious?

He stared fixedly at the feedback documents from the South Korean side.

For a long time, he couldn’t say a word.

Of course…

Liu Ruohan didn’t care about Liu Zhongshan’s state of mind as she walked out of the office.

She simply felt that the company seemed to be changing more and more.

Many people had been replaced; a purge was underway.

At that moment, she happened to cross paths with Liu Yun.

After they passed each other, she suddenly stopped.

“Manager Liu.”

“Hello, Vice President Liu.” Liu Yun’s gaze was respectful when she saw Liu Ruohan.

“Uncle Shen—I mean, Director Shen—has he really retired?”

“Yes, he’s retired.”

“Are you in charge of the Personnel Department now?”

“Ah, not for the time being. President Liu will likely invite a new leader to join us…”

“Oh, I see. By the way, Manager Liu, is the information regarding Zhang Yang authentic?”

“It is. Zhang Yang didn’t used to go by that name; he was called Zhang Lin. Two years ago, as soon as he turned eighteen, he became a guarantor for a loan company. At the same time, his ID card was used as collateral multiple times. Many of his small-sum loans are overdue, and currently, his credit and bank accounts are restricted for consumption¹. Also, it seems he dropped out of school in his second year of high school and never even received a diploma. The high school resume he showed me before was likely a forgery…”

“He can open a company like that?” Liu Ruohan was incredulous.

Eighteen years old…

And his credit was already in such a shambles…

What exactly had he done?

“The laws in this area aren’t perfect yet, so he might have exploited some loopholes. However, in theory, any money he earns from his business, aside from basic living expenses, must first be used to repay his debts until they are cleared.”

“He’s only eighteen. What on earth did he do?” Liu Ruohan was shocked by what she was hearing.

“We can’t find that out for the time being.” Liu Yun shook her head. “However, I did find some fragmented information. He doesn’t seem to have any property left in Erlonghu Village, Nanmin County, Zhangjiakou. There used to be a house, but it was sold for ten thousand yuan. His relatives have severed all ties with his family. His mother died when he was about fourteen. As for the specific cause, that would require further investigation…”

“What about his father?”

“There’s no information. We’d have to check with the local Public Security Bureau for specifics. In short, the company shareholders are extremely opposed to acquiring his studio. I heard Shengteng also wanted to acquire them, but as soon as they found this information, they immediately gave up. This guy is too complicated.” As Liu Yun spoke, her eyes turned somewhat cold.

She felt she had certainly done the right thing.

“…” Liu Ruohan fell silent upon hearing this.

July 11th.

Early in the morning, a light rain began to fall outside the window.

Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, looking at the spacious office, the brand-new desks, and the latest LCD monitors playing new songs by Zhou Yang and other singers…

In an instant, Zhang Yang felt completely refreshed!

This was what a technology company was supposed to look like!

He walked over to the glass partition nearby and caught a glimpse of his reflection.

“Hmm, I’m starting to look a bit like the CEO of a Fortune 500 company…”

“A bit young, though.”

“But hey, young and promising…”

“…”

Whether it was because the office lighting was better or because he was in high spirits after moving into the new company, Zhang Yang found himself increasingly satisfied with his appearance.

He was somewhat handsome, especially those eyes. When he squinted with a smile, they held a gentle warmth mixed with a hint of roguishness. From a distance, he actually possessed a scholarly air. If he wore glasses, people would believe he was a student at a prestigious university.

And…

At my age, I should be in my first or second year of college, right?

As Zhang Yang thought this, his smile stiffened slightly. Then, feeling a bit despondent, he picked up a piece of gum and began to chew.

“The company needs a three-month plan next…”

“First, the plot issues for this romance game, God of Conquest…”

“The plot…”

“What kind of role should the player play?”

Zhang Yang sat back in his chair, picked up a pen, and began to recall the romance games and plots from his original world.

Then, he started writing furiously.

After only a few minutes of writing, he heard a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

“President Zhang, these are the resumes we’ve received, and there’s a sophomore college student who says he wants to come and check out the company…” Zhang Yang saw Ge Yumiao walk in holding a stack of resumes.

In just over a month…

Ge Yumiao had transformed from an internet cafe loiterer into the Director of the Planning Department, complete with a Universe Technology ID badge.

Dressed in a suit and leather shoes, he had clearly groomed his hair, combing it back into a slick, shiny pompadour where every strand seemed meticulously cared for.

He also wore a pair of glasses. Standing seriously beside Zhang Yang with the resumes, he looked exactly like one of those “refined” social elites.

“Oh, alright.”

Zhang Yang nodded.

“President Zhang, also, after two days of screening questionnaires, the Planning Department has roughly determined the character elements for God of Conquest. We’ve already coordinated with Manager Zhao’s Art Department. President Zhang, are you free at nine o’clock? If so, we’d like to briefly form a God of Conquest team and have you decide on our proposal. Also, this is the general game leveling numerical system and plan I’ve drafted…”

“Well, good work, Ge Shen. I really have to see you in a new light after these few days!”

Zhang Yang was genuinely surprised when he saw the proposal Ge Shen handed over.

The plan was meticulously crafted, and every sentence seemed to have been polished and refined before being finalized.

His hunch had been correct.

Ge Shen really was a talent!

“Heh… President Zhang, I’m constantly reminding myself that I’m a department head now. After all, I’m a man of status, and my work has to live up to that status…” Ge Yumiao grinned instantly upon hearing Zhang Yang’s praise.

“Hahaha, good. You can head out now. Let me look over these resumes first, and then I’ll come over for the meeting…”

“Alright!”

Ge Yumiao nodded and left the office.

Once Ge Yumiao was gone, Zhang Yang glanced at the resumes.

In fact, most of these applicants were old acquaintances from the Tieba who had submitted articles to him before, and they all came with their own portfolios.

Zhang Yang looked them over briefly; these people were basically all solid candidates.

Just as Zhang Yang was about to look at the intern resumes, he received a call from a Shenzhen² number.

Then…

He answered the phone.

“President Zhang! I’ve met so many people here…”

“This place is a paradise for the second-hand digital market!”

“It’s been a real eye-opener. It turns out the principles behind the MP3s and MP4s we used before are actually so simple…”

“After tinkering around for a while, I can basically handle some simple mobile operating system issues now…”

“It turns out so many of those random phone brands on the market are just a bunch of ready-made components assembled together and put in a shell to be sold…”

“I met a middle-aged man who makes phones. After I told him the things you mentioned to me, he was very eager to meet you!”

“…”

On the other end of the line.

It was mostly Tong Wei’s excited voice.

Since arriving in Shenzhen, his horizons had been broadened, and he had realized the massive potential of the mobile phone market.

He said he had found a company, was working hard there, and had met a middle-aged man who shared similar ideas with Zhang Yang.

That man had apparently quit his job, and if possible, he planned to fly to Yanjing tomorrow to meet and chat…

After listening to Tong Wei’s long-winded chatter, Zhang Yang finally hung up.

Zhang Yang looked at the drizzling rain outside the window, then glanced at the time on his old-fashioned black-and-white phone.

“This era is truly a great era!”

“Right, the meeting is about to start.”

“Better finish writing these things quickly before the meeting…”

He felt another surge of emotion, suddenly filled with fighting spirit.

Picking up his pen, he lowered his head and began scribbling down the plot for the new game, God of Conquest.

………………………………

“Hello…”

“Hello, you must be Song Qingqing, the one who called earlier?”

“Mhm, yes!”

“You’re still a sophomore, right? So young.”

“Yes, I’ll be a sophomore when school starts in September.”

“I have a question. You’re a law student at Yanjing University, so why do you want to intern at our company? We’re a game company, and your major doesn’t quite align… To be honest, we don’t really have a need for legal talent yet, so it might be a waste of your skills.”

“Um, regarding those questions, I’d like to talk to President Zhang in person…”

“Oh, alright. President Zhang might be in a meeting, please wait a moment.”

“Okay.”

At nine o’clock in the morning.

A long-haired girl carrying a backpack walked into the new Universe Technology office.

The girl was wearing jeans and had a clear, pretty face, radiating a youthful aura.

She curiously looked around at everything new in the company.

Finally, her gaze settled on the office in the distance.

From inside the office, Zhang Yang’s voice could faintly be heard.

“The year 2012…”

“The gates of hell open wide. To escape the pursuit of the underworld messengers³, ghosts possess humans and feed on negative emotions…”

“Our protagonist, well, the player, will play the role of the God of Conquest. Facing characters like cold senior brothers and sisters or shy junior brothers and sisters, they use love to eliminate negative emotions, thereby assisting the underworld messengers in capturing the ghosts. That’s the background of our dating sim…”

“Once the conquest value⁴ is full, the player will kiss the other person…”

“…”

“…”

The girl froze for a moment when she heard that voice.

Then she sat down obediently.

About an hour later, the meeting ended.

Then, the door opened.

The girl stood up immediately.

“Senior?”

When she saw Zhang Yang, she called out instinctively.

“Huh? Hello, you are…”

Zhang Yang turned his head slightly, looking at the vaguely familiar girl standing before him.

“I’m Song Qingqing.”

“Ah, are you the intern colleague?”

“Senior, you don’t remember me?”

“You look familiar, but I can’t quite place it…” Zhang Yang stared at the girl for a while, feeling a bit lost.

He definitely had some impression of her.

But…

Who was this?

“The Law Department, Senior. Didn’t you say back then that you wanted to apply for the Law Department at Yanjing University? Back in tenth grade, you were the one who showed me around the school… My grades weren’t good then, and you charged me for tutoring. You also made me buy you all sorts of food, and you even told me to lie to my dad, saying I was growing and needed money, that girls should be raised with wealth⁵ and needed more spending money…”

“Cough, cough, cough… Let’s talk in the office. There are too many people here…” Zhang Yang seemed to remember something suddenly. His old face turned red with extreme embarrassment as he hurriedly waved her inside.

“…”

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes