Why Can’t I Make Games C68
by MarineTLChapter 68: Zhang Yang the Nouveau Riche (Part 1)
August 8th.
For Chen Qiang, the head of Dream Dragon Studio, this was a moment of profound agony.
He had suffered from insomnia all night.
His mind was flooded with news regarding God of Conquest.
In his memory, the last time he had been this sleepless was back when Dream Dragon Studio was first acquired by Shengteng Network.
Back then…
His head was filled with excitement. He felt that after the bitterness came the sweetness, that the stars and the sea were within his reach. He had tossed and turned with pure thrill.
In fact, after gaining the backing of Shengteng Network, the single-player games he released did indeed achieve massive sales. He had been unstoppable, crushing every competing game of the same period.
That included Human Killing Machine from a month ago.
Although Human Killing Machine hadn’t reached the heights he had imagined, it remained number one for its period, setting a brand-new record.
He had believed that his records could only be broken by himself.
He was still the king of single-player games!
But!
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that a figure appearing out of nowhere would rampaging through the single-player gaming circle like a madman.
He opened Tieba…
“Holy crap!”
“Oh my god!”
“Is it going to break the record of Human Killing Machine this morning?!”
“Damn! Over four hundred thousand copies sold in less than eight days. Is this guy even human?”
“My god, this is terrifying!”
“Crap!”
“…”
Tieba was filled with the sounds of shock.
Chen Qiang had the backing of Shengteng Network, relying on the massive user base of Q-Dog chat to drive his download numbers.
But Zhang Yang…
Chen Qiang never would have guessed that Zhang Yang was actually relying on those parents – the very same people who, half a month ago, were cursing him bitterly, pointing fingers at his back, and wishing they could tear him limb from limb!
He clicked on the Universe Technology official website.
The first things to catch his eye were the game news and the player showcase.
The game news was, naturally, the interview with Zhejiang TV. The player showcase featured photos of children holding trophies and smiling for the camera.
Below their photos, there were even personal testimonials.
The testimonials seemed heartfelt, filled with stories of hardship and hard work, but the core message was always the same: promoting how much the game had improved them as individuals!
These testimonials appeared not only on the official website but also across various Tieba forums and major web portals!
How could parents resist when they saw this?
Especially when they saw a student who used to be at the bottom of the class suddenly speaking fluent English after playing the game, even silently reciting English vocabulary in their dreams!
How could they hold back?
They were dying of anxiety to get their hands on it!
“The record’s broken!”
“He really broke the record!”
“He’s created a new legend, oh my god!”
“…”
The morning sun shone into the room.
Chen Qiang stared fixedly at the sales figure of five hundred and thirty thousand copies, gasping in shock!
He had known this day would come, but he never imagined it would arrive so quickly!
What was even more exaggerated…
The download data hadn’t stopped.
It was still surging.
A month from now, would it challenge the all-time record for domestic single-player games?
After steadying his nerves, Chen Qiang arrived at Shengteng Technology.
Upon entering, he saw a group of management staff with frustrated expressions, looking extremely suppressed.
In the office of the head of the gaming department, the sound of someone pounding on a desk could be heard.
Xiao Qiu from the Market Research Department walked out with his head hanging low.
“Manager Qiu, what happened?”
“Got chewed out by Mr. Xu. He’s in a terrible mood. Don’t bother him right now…” Xiao Qiu answered Chen Qiang listlessly before turning to leave.
It was only after Chen Qiang questioned others…
That he realized it was all because of the issue with acquiring Zhang Yang.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say!
Previously, they had already agreed on an acquisition contract and were preparing to send someone to negotiate.
But!
After a series of news stories about Zhang Yang broke, the final conclusion the Marketing Department gave Mr. Xu was that he wasn’t suitable for acquisition!
And now…
The Marketing Department had called again…
And then:
“Sorry, I’m busy. Can we talk about this later?”
“…”
“Mm… I’m considering giving them bonuses. Well, it’s not much, just a little bit. The highest is only around two hundred thousand, and the lowest is only twenty thousand. Sigh, it’s embarrassing to even mention; it can’t compare to your company…”
“…”
A colleague’s imitation of Zhang Yang’s voice echoed repeatedly in Chen Qiang’s mind.
Chen Qiang suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe!
“A petty man drunk on success1!”
“He really is a petty man drunk on success. Oh, my heart…”
“…”
The colleague was grumbling and cursing.
But his eyes were full of envy…
One had to realize…
Their salary for two whole years only amounted to two hundred thousand!
……………………
The morning of August 8th.
“Are they here yet?”
“They haven’t come out yet!”
“Why aren’t they out? What time is it already!”
“I don’t know…”
“…”
A swarm of reporters had surrounded Universe Technology, blocking it completely.
Every reporter was craning their neck, quietly waiting for first-hand information.
Someone had leaked the news.
All the reporters knew that Zhang Yang had written two songs for Zhou Yang.
One was called Common Jasmine Orange. Within three days of its release, it had exploded across the Chinese music scene, becoming the new song that every young person on the streets could hum a few lines of…
The other song was being kept secret for the time being, intended as the lead single for the next album!
Facing questions about this unknown lead single.
Zhou Yang had been all smiles in front of the media. He didn’t say a word about it, but he couldn’t hide his anticipation.
Of course, that wasn’t the main point.
The most important thing was an even more exaggerated piece of news!
Zhang Yang had an A4 notebook, and inside that notebook, there were apparently many similar songs!
There were even rumors…
That Common Jasmine Orange and the lead single Zhou Yang was so excited about were just two songs Zhang Yang had picked at random!
One could only imagine how incredible the quality of the other songs must be!
Even more unbelievable!
A high school dropout, a loser who had been stuck in an endless rut just a month ago, actually possessed such staggering talent.
His single-player game was selling like wildfire, already creating a sales myth!
The single “Common Jasmine Orange” was selling like wildfire, creating a sales myth in Taiwan as well!
It had only been a single month!
The situation itself was shrouded in mystery.
The reporters were dying to know what was going on with this Zhang Yang, a man who had seemingly burst out of nowhere!
Furthermore…
They had received insider information!
It seemed the head of the copyright department from Taiwan’s Star Entertainment was coming today to personally meet with Zhang Yang. Apparently, they wanted to discuss the future with him.
…
Universe Technology.
Many people felt as if they were standing on the clouds, looking down upon the entire world…
They had reached the summit!
Of course, they were no longer cheering, simply because they had cheered far too many times already.
However, their hearts were still surging with emotion.
Right at that moment…
The door to Zhang Yang’s office opened.
They expected Zhang Yang to be excited, but they found his expression calm, his eyes even reflecting a hint of complexity.
They saw Zhang Yang carrying a large suitcase.
Inside the suitcase…
Was it luggage?
“Everyone, call the colleagues who are busy downstairs. After thinking about it for a long time, I have finally made a difficult decision!”
“…”
When they saw Zhang Yang’s expression, everyone’s heart skipped a beat. Their surging emotions suddenly plummeted, replaced by an inexplicable, sinking feeling.
A few minutes later…
The busy colleagues from downstairs arrived as well.
They looked at Zhang Yang.
Their moods weren’t great either.
“Sigh, everyone has their phones on them, right?”
Zhang Yang glanced at everyone and let out a long, melancholy sigh.
Everyone’s heart skipped another beat.
“How about this, everyone should call emergency services first. Just in case someone’s heart isn’t great… they can help with CPR early…”
“…”
Hearing this, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
“President Zhang, what’s wrong?”
“President Zhang, don’t scare us!”
“President Zhang, you… did something happen?”
“…”
Everyone’s nerves were pulled taut by Zhang Yang.
“Sigh, it’s a long story. I’m grateful for everyone’s hard work over the past month. I originally wanted to give you all a good vacation and wait until the end of the month to say this, but after thinking it over, I decided to do it early.”
“…”
Deep down, everyone felt a wave of tension and panic.
“Zhong Chongwen!”
“Ah, Pre… President Zhang…”
“Come here!”
Zhong Chongwen’s heart twitched, and his legs felt weak as he walked up to Zhang Yang.
“Your heart is okay, right?”
“No, it should be fine…”
“I’m sorry. I told you before that your salary would be a hundred and twenty thousand a year plus bonuses. Now, I might not be able to fulfill that, because…”
“…”
Zhong Chongwen froze!
Then, he watched as Zhang Yang turned around and opened the suitcase, and then…
His mind went blank!
“Because this month, I’m giving you two hundred thousand!”
“…”
Boom!
Zhong Chongwen felt like his head was exploding!
His blood boiled with adrenaline. This sudden emotional roller coaster nearly made his heart give out!
The other employees of Universe Technology stared fixedly at the suitcase full of bright red cash2…
“Ge Shen, come here. Two hundred thousand!”
“…”
“Old Zhao, come here. Two hundred thousand!”
“…”
As they watched him call out names one by one…
This emotional whip-sawing!
They suddenly felt like their hearts really couldn’t take it!
…
“President Liu, I want to come to your company to see you…”
“I need to fulfill my promise…”
“…”
Liu Ruohan looked at the text message in a daze.
She was momentarily stunned.
What was this guy doing?
Fulfilling a promise?
What promise?
It was completely out of the blue.
Still, she nodded and set a time with Zhang Yang…
…
The reporters outside heard another round of excited screams coming from Universe Technology!
They desperately wanted to know what was happening inside.
However…
They simply couldn’t get in.
Half an hour later, they saw Zhang Yang walk out.
“Sorry, everyone, I kept you waiting…”
“I was busy inside just now…”
“Busy with what? Busy handing out bonuses. Oh, I have to say, carrying a suitcase with two million3 in it really makes the arms sore…”
“…”
“…”
“Alright, everyone, see you later!”
“Where am I going? It’s a secret for now. Anyway, see you later!”
“…”
The reporters watched blankly as Zhang Yang, carrying a small suitcase, climbed into a pre-arranged van and drove off cheerfully…
Somehow, the way he looked was quite irritating…
He had the unmistakable air of a nouveau riche4!
Translator’s Notes
- A petty man drunk on success: Translates the idiom xiaoren dezhi (小人得志). A xiaoren (literally ‘small person’) is a person of low social status or poor moral character. The phrase describes someone who becomes arrogant or overbearing after achieving sudden, often unmerited, success. ↩
- bright red cash: This refers to the 100-yuan banknote, the highest denomination of the Chinese Renminbi, which is red. In Chinese media, a suitcase of “red bills” is a common visual shorthand for a large sum of cash, often used for dramatic effect in scenes involving bonuses or payments. ↩
- two million: In China, the highest currency denomination is the 100-yuan bill. Two million yuan in cash weighs roughly 23 kilograms (50 pounds) and occupies significant space. This explains the physical bulk of the suitcase and why Zhang Yang’s arms are sore from carrying it, turning a literal physical burden into a boastful display of wealth. ↩
- nouveau riche: Translates the Chinese term baofahu (暴发户), meaning an “upstart” who has suddenly acquired wealth. It carries a strong connotation of being flashy and uncouth, lacking the social refinement or modesty associated with established status, which explains why the reporters find his manner irritating. ↩
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Yowwww just the core three members are 600k. Then the rest gets 20k each???? They are rich rich!! I’m happy