Chapter 63: The Road to the Top (Part 2)

Zhang Liang and his film crew rushed to Yanjing through the night.

By the time they arrived, it was already eleven o’clock in the evening.

On the way, Zhang Liang checked the download statistics for God of Conquest.

Good heavens!

The download count had already surpassed the ninety thousand mark!

There were still nine hours left until eight o’clock tomorrow morning.

In those nine hours…

Could it actually reach number one?

He looked at the download volume for Lone Island Gun God and compared it with God of Conquest.

He suddenly realized that this game truly had a chance to reach the top spot on its very first day!

Then, excitement took hold of him.

He had even come up with the subtitle for the program.

“From Controversy to the Top: Spiritual Opium¹ or a Masterpiece for Learning?”

It was midnight by the time Zhang Liang arrived at the entrance of Universe Technology.

He looked up and saw that the office was brightly lit. Every now and then, bursts of excited cheering echoed from within.

He signaled to the rest of the crew, gesturing for them to stay downstairs while the camera operator got a close-up shot of the building.

Specifically, a shot of the Universe Technology logo.

Once that was done and confirmed, he led the team into the elevator.

This was a newly completed office building. The elevator walls were still covered in thin plastic film, and a faint scent of renovation materials lingered in the air.

Aside from Universe Technology, it seemed no other companies had moved in yet.

The elevator ascended slowly. As it passed the fourth floor, the sounds of cheering grew louder.

“Whoa!”

“That’s the reporter from the Today program! Yes, that’s her, she’s so beautiful!”

“I’m seeing her in person! Wow!”

“Oh my god, seriously? Am I really going to be on TV? I was a total internet bum, and now I’m actually going to show my face on television? I need to call my parents right now!”

“…”

“…”

Vaguely, he could hear how thrilled they were.

In the middle of the night…

The entire company felt like it was throwing a party.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

Zhang Liang’s eyes were momentarily dazzled. He saw a group of young men in suits standing at the elevator entrance, staring at them with wide, expectant eyes.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but those suits looked…

Like they had just been thrown on?

Some of them looked like they had just washed their hair; water was still dripping from strands that hadn’t been dried, and a few collars were crooked.

They looked exactly like a band of…

Mountain bandits who had spotted a wealthy merchant, sharpening their blades and then…

Cough, cough!

“Mr. Zhang, hello! Your arrival truly brings honor to my humble office! I was wondering why the magpies were chirping on the branches² all morning; it turns out a distinguished guest was coming to visit!”

Leading the group was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. His smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze, and his gaze was level and sincere, making it very easy for people to like him.

Zhang Yang took the initiative to shake hands with Zhang Liang, while simultaneously greeting every member of the film crew. After the introductions, he hurriedly invited them inside.

“I’m really sorry for disturbing you all so late at night,” Zhang Liang said as he followed Zhang Yang into the office.

“It’s no trouble at all. We’re used to staying up late; we’re all night owls. If you had come during the day, we actually wouldn’t have been used to it.”

“President Zhang, we’re just here for a simple personal interview. I’m not sure if now is convenient?” Zhang Liang felt a bit stiff. For some reason, seeing this group of people staring at him so hungrily made his skin crawl, as if he were being targeted.

“It’s convenient, very convenient! Any time is fine! You can interview us all night if you want!” Zhang Yang’s eyes crinkled with a smile. After showing them to their seats, he immediately began pouring tea himself.

Outside the office.

Zhao Hang, Zhong Chongwen, and the others stared fixedly at their computer screens, though their eyes frequently darted toward the private office.

They had no heart for work.

They desperately wanted to know what was being said in the interview.

A few of them even tried to lean in closer to listen.

However, because the soundproofing in Zhang Yang’s office was quite good, they couldn’t hear a single thing.

Not far away, Ge Yumiao, the Ge Shen, was frantically searching the internet for famous quotes used in interviews.

He had even opened a Word document and was typing away furiously.

He was already mentally preparing the story of his emotional journey for the interview.

Even though the crew’s main target seemed to be President Zhang, and people like them would likely only be filmed in passing without independent screen time…

But what if!

What if he actually got interviewed?

From an internet bum to being on TV; from a failing student everyone thought was rotten to the core to a designer of a hit game!

Just think about it, how inspiring would that headline be?

How could they miss out on this?

As he thought, Ge Shen’s mind wandered. He even began to fantasize about how he would write his future autobiography, making the period of his life spent in internet cafes sound a bit more degenerate, a bit more painful…

About half an hour later…

The door to Zhang Yang’s office finally opened.

Ge Shen stood up instantly, his face flushed with excitement, his mind filled with various chicken soup³ inspirational quotes.

He saw Zhang Yang and Zhang Liang shake hands.

He saw the reporter, Xiao Ying, wearing a look of admiration, her eyes seemingly never leaving Zhang Yang.

“Brother Zhang, I personally feel that we shouldn’t always look at games with a purely critical mindset…”

“Yes, yes, exactly! I didn’t expect you to have such extraordinary insight at such a young age, President Zhang. The younger generation truly is to be feared⁴!”

“You flatter me, haha. Brother Zhang, come over for tea whenever you have time!”

“I will. Oh, by the way, can I take the opportunity to interview the colleagues who started the business with you?”

“Of course, of course. They’ve been ready and waiting. Ge Shen, you’re going to be on TV, why aren’t you over here yet? Zhao Hang, you guys come over too, don’t just stand there…”

“…”

When Ge Yumiao heard Zhang Yang waving him over!

He was so excited he could hardly breathe.

He was going to be on TV!

Damn!

Zhou Yang’s MV might have escaped his parents’ notice, but they would definitely see this television broadcast!

After all, his parents watched Today religiously.

However…

Facing the camera, the various talking points he had prepared in his mind suddenly went blank.

Under reporter Xiao Ying’s beaming smile, he struggled for a long time, but for the life of him, he couldn’t stutter out a single word!

“Ge Shen is a rather introverted guy. In fact, when I first met him at the internet cafe, he was at the lowest point of his life. Sigh… even now, looking back, I still feel a sense of melancholy. I’m afraid that period is the time Ge Shen is least willing to revisit…”

“…”

Zhang Yang stepped in to bail Ge Yumiao out.

Ge Yumiao, meanwhile, was nodding his head frantically.

He watched as Zhang Yang spoke about his experiences with a deadpan, serious expression.

As he listened…

Ge Yumiao’s nose crinkled, and he was nearly moved to tears by the story!

What was this about drinking water from the internet cafe’s toilet…

What was this about huddling next to a computer tower for warmth when it was cold, eating only one piece of bread a day, and not even knowing if he had eaten at all…

What was this about not changing his clothes for over half a month…

But then…

Wait!

Why does the more he talks, the more I sound like a beggar picking up cigarette butts off the street?

Seeing the sympathetic look in reporter Xiao Ying’s eyes, Ge Yumiao’s expression nearly crumbled.

Zhang Liang, however, watched with eyes that grew brighter and brighter as he listened!

This was great!

The more dramatic the program, the better the ratings would be…

August 2nd.

Seven in the morning!

At the Yanjing branch of Bluebird Computer.

The owner, Zong Qingyun, who had just returned from a business trip, found his phone blowing up with orders early in the morning.

He opened the shop early, only to find it crowded with parents who had rushed over to inquire.

Was Zhou Yang’s advertisement really that powerful?

It was only put up yesterday, and now so many people were here to buy computers first thing in the morning?

He was a bit dazed.

What was going on?

How did business explode like this after being closed for just one day?

“Boss, do you have that Bluebird student aid computer⁵ in stock?”

“Boss, has the new Bluebird model arrived yet?”

“Boss, I want to ask, does that game really have the kind of effect I saw online?”

“Boss! Can we try it out here? If it’s really interesting, we’ll buy it…”

“…”

Zong Qingyun was bewildered by these questions. Student aid computer? Did Bluebird Computer even have such a series?

And a game…

What game?

It wasn’t until he questioned his staff that he realized their new Bluebird computers came pre-installed with a game called God of Conquest!

The game seemed to have gone viral all over the internet!

Many parents had come specifically because they heard about it.

He quickly opened a new Bluebird computer and installed it. Once finished, he clicked in to try God of Conquest himself.

“You can actually play games like this?”

It was 2005!

A game like this was incredibly novel. Although Zong Qingyun struggled to play it due to his limited education…

It was indeed very interesting!

When he walked out of the shop, he saw several employees explaining the computer’s performance.

But the parents didn’t seem to care about hardware specs; they were focused on the software inside…

Some parents were even asking things like, “If I buy this computer, will my son get a perfect score in English? Will he be able to talk to foreigners?” or “After installing this game, can you guarantee my son will get into a top-tier high school? If you sign a guarantee, I’ll buy it.”

Zong Qingyun was speechless when he heard this!

This was ridiculous!

Wasn’t this like asking for a guarantee that your son would not only find a wife but also that the wife would definitely give birth to a grandson?

“Alright, alright, everyone… this is just a game we’ve included. A game isn’t a miracle cure. It might help improve grades, but we certainly can’t guarantee a child will get into a top school!”

“Didn’t you say this was a learning computer?”

“No, I never said it was a learning computer!”

“That’s what they’re saying online…”

“…”

Looking at the crowd of parents, Zong Qingyun felt helpless, yet he patiently explained things to them.

Exhausting as it was, the results were unbelievable. In less than a few hours, he had sold four or five computers!

That was more than he usually sold in two or three days!

Eight-fifteen in the morning.

After pulling an all-nighter handling HR matters, Liu Yun returned home and collapsed onto her bed.

But not long after lying down, she heard bursts of excited shouting coming from the room next door.

She was beyond annoyed; her head felt like it was about to explode!

“So noisy!”

“Li Ming! Can you be quiet? And Li Nan… are you two trying to kill me? Don’t you know I worked overtime all night!”

“…”

She stormed out of her room and into the study…

Then, her eyes widened!

She saw her husband, Li Nan, had bought a Bluebird computer and was playing a game with their son!

When she saw the game clearly, her vision went dark, and her breath nearly hitched!

“Li Ming! What are you doing? Who told you to buy this computer!”

“The neighbors all upgraded their computers, so I thought I’d get one too. You work in the industry, so you should know that if a kid doesn’t understand computers, they’re losing at the starting line. Besides, look how fun this game is. We won’t have to spend money on cram schools in the future; let’s give our kid a head start… Everyone in the neighborhood is playing this. I watched them yesterday, and it really feels like fun learning…”

“Don’t you go online? Do you even know which company developed this game?” Liu Yun felt her entire body trembling.

“Oh, Liu Yun, don’t be like that. Just because your company didn’t develop it doesn’t mean we can’t play it, right? You’re being too dictatorial. Besides, our Nan Nan likes it, and many of his classmates have bought it. We can’t be the only ones who don’t, can we?”

“You… you… you…”

Liu Yun sputtered for a long time, unable to get another word out.

She felt as if her lungs were about to burst from sheer rage.

Her face was flushed bright red.

It felt as though someone had delivered a stinging slap to her face.

Before she could even recover, her phone began to ring.

She picked up the call.

“Sis… it looks like they’ve reached the top! They’ve even knocked Lone Island Gun God off the charts…”

“I heard, this is just a rumor, mind you, that a hit show on Zhejiang TV⁶ interviewed them last night…”

“…”

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yun felt her vision go dark.

She fainted instantly.

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes