October 23rd…
The English and Japanese versions of Repent and be Saved were officially released!
At once, Hao Shuaiqi downloaded the English version of the game and live-streamed himself restarting it on the increasingly popular live-streaming platform, Link Live.
However, this time, he did not take the ordinary route through the game. Instead, he went for speed.
Ever since Hao Shuaiqi started live-streaming the game a long time ago, he had been getting an increasing number of subscribers. At the moment, he had already reached over a hundred thousand. One could say that he was quite a famous UP Master on the up-and-coming live-streaming platform, Link Live.
Every day, someone would ask during his live-stream, "When is the English version of this game going to be released?"
Hao Shuaiqi's videos of Repent and be Saved, which he posted on Aili Island, had become extremely popular as well. Foreigners' comments on Hao Shuaiqi's live-streams had also become the topic of conversation among locals.
Now that the English version of Repent and be Saved was finally out, Hao Shuaiqi naturally grabbed the opportunity to broadly advertise it to his viewers.
The viewers of his live-stream were over the moon.
"I've been watching the live-stream of this game, it looks extremely challenging! Thank you, UP Master, for introducing us to such a fun game!"
"This is great! There's an English version at last! You can only imagine how much I've endured while trying to play the Mandarin version."
"I have to say that this game's English version is really not bad. I took a quick look at it. The important parts were translated very appropriately and accurately. It brings out the meaning of the original game very nicely as well. The developer is kind indeed; they pay so much attention to the details. I'll give it a good rating!"
"I was never interested in traditional Chinese culture, but this game has got me hooked!"
"The UP Master has completed the game several times already. I don't think this game will be a problem for me!"
Many players were also posting good reviews about the game on the official platform's overseas channels and various overseas forums and websites.
It looked like the foreign versions of Repent and be Saved were doing well!
Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd…
Li Yada had been keeping an eye on the foreign websites' figures. The more she observed, the more emotional she became.
"I did not expect the foreign websites' figures to be even better than the local ones. Boss Pei is awesome!"
Li Yada was utterly impressed.
The official platform had helped Tengda produce Repent and be Saved in multiple foreign languages. Even though the translations were top-quality, Li Yada could not be a hundred percent certain that the game would catch on overseas.
The reason was simple—the cultural gap was too wide!
The local games market was worlds apart from the overseas games market. Many games that were popular in China failed overseas. No matter how hard other developers tried to market their games, it almost always proved useless.
On the other hand, games that were completely unheard of in China became extremely popular overseas.
Thus, developers who focused especially on the overseas market began emerging in China. They worked hard to understand foreign gamers' interests and were put in charge of acclimatizing local games to overseas culture. In fact, this line of work was quite profitable.
The 'acclimatization' process covered style, gameplay, the game's details, marketing techniques, and other aspects. It involved a holistic alteration of the local game's design so that it could suit the tastes of foreign gamers.
Sometimes, in order to achieve greater success, developers would change the entire setting of the game and adopt a Western style that would look more pleasing to the foreigner's eye.
Thus, it was extremely rare for the exact same game to be popular both locally and overseas.
Games that could achieve this would undoubtedly become the pillar and money tree of any games company.
This was also why Li Yada was incredibly surprised that Repent and be Saved could achieve such success overseas.
"Frankly, I did not expect Repent and be Saved to be so popular overseas.
"The entire game is based on traditional Chinese culture. It included elements that only local players would resonate with, such as the Bridge of Forgetfulness, the Three-Life Stone, Mengpo, and the like. These things would mean nothing to foreigners. "Yet, foreigners seem to like this game a lot. It's obvious how successful this game is.
"This is all thanks to Boss Pei's hard work!"
Thinking about the hard work that Boss Pei had put into the game filled Li Yada with respect.
"First of all, the game's design…
"Repent and be Saved is a hardcore, action-based game that appeals to foreigners. Boss Pei risked local gamers being turned away and made the game extremely difficult. Did he plan for this game to be released in the overseas market from the very beginning? "Second, the advertising method… "Many foreign UP Masters live-streamed Repent and be Saved on Link Live with a dictionary next to them at all times. This allowed the game to gain popularity overseas and become a common topic of discussion among all gamers. "The chances of foreign UP Masters recommending any local game of their own accord were low. However, this was dependent on the game itself. "Given how outstanding Repent and be Saved was, it would have been discovered and recommended by other foreign UP Masters, even if not Hao Shuaiqi. "Last of all, Boss Pei told me not to rush into producing the game in other languages. "On one hand, we had to patiently wait for the game to gain popularity among foreigners. On the other hand, we had to give the translators more time to bring out the game's meaning and culture accurately and beautifully.
"All of these factors contributed to Repent and be Saved's success overseas!
"Perhaps this is what people mean when they say 'a general planning in the seclusion of his tent can determine a distant battle's outcome'. Boss Pei had thought about every single thing; his plan was perfect!
"It looks like there's a lot more for me to learn!"
Li Yada could not help but feel emotional.
Just as she was overwhelmed with emotion, Pei Qian arrived at the office.
Li Yada quickly stood up. "Boss Pei, the foreign versions of Repent and be Saved are
Pei Qian's expression darkened as he quickly raised his hand to stop her. "There's no need to tell me."
Li Yada nodded at once. "Ah, alright, Boss Pei."
Indeed, Boss Pei had expected this. There was no need for her to report the good news now.
no
Pei Qian felt speechless.
Sigh, I'm receiving bad news first thing in the morning!
"Boss Pei, the project team doesn't have anything to do now. We're only fixing minor bugs. I'm planning to get them to work on improvements to the game or new downloadable content. What do you think?"
"Downloadable content? No!" Pei Qian was shocked. He quickly put an end to this dangerous thought process.
Pei Qian turned to look at Li Yada seriously and said, "Everyone has already been working so hard. Why aren't you all taking a break?
"The employees are Tengda's greatest asset. You cannot overwork! What's more, constantly generating output and not accepting input would impede your creativity. "As game designers, you have to play more games in order to expose yourselves to different materials. Only then would you be able to create games that would impress gamers, understand?
"Tell everyone not to do anything this week. Er… ask Bao Xu to bring everyone out to play online games.
"Bao Xu, you will be the Gaming Leader from now on. You'll be in charge of bringing everyone to play games!
"Come up with a plan and give everyone a task. I don't care what games you play; everyone has to play for at least forty hours this week. If they don't play for long enough, I'll hold you accountable!"
Bao Xu, who had been lowering his head as far as possible and trying to blend into the background, suddenly jumped.
F*ck! My head is already almost touching the monitor! Why is Boss Pei still assigning work to me?!
Bao Xu quickly stood up. "Alright, Boss Pei."
Pei Qian stomped into his own office.
Everyone looked at one another, at a loss as to what to do. Then, they turned to look at Bao Xu.
Bao Xu was speechless. He shrugged and asked, "What are you looking at me for? Quick, get moving… don't make my job difficult."
Everyone looked at one another once again and then quickly put down the work that they had been doing. At once, they began to play games.
Back in his office, Pei Qian was using his sub-par English to read the comments on the English version of Repent and be Saved. He sighed.
Ai, I already expected this outcome before the English version was produced, but… I was helpless!
Pei Qian had thought that the cultural gap would have stopped ninety percent of foreign gamers from playing the game. Yet, now, he realized he had been too positive.
He had not expected foreigners to put themselves through so much torture just to suffer in a game. What's more, they had made so many Chinese UP Masters popular while they were at it!
On seeing how well-received the game was both locally and overseas, the official platform had decided to translate the game into other languages. That was how everything developed so smoothly.
"Forget it, I'll leave it to fate."
There was nothing Pei Qian could do about this anymore.
Now, it was time to sharpen his weapons just before the battle. He looked through all the activities planned for 1024 Digital Day.
Pei Qian watched some shows in the afternoon and then took a nap as he waited for the farewell meal he had planned for Chief Editor Xia and his team.
In the evening, one each of Tengda's seven-seater cars and ordinary cars arrived at Ming Yun Private Kitchen.
Xia Jiang alighted from the car, looking pale and unwell.
The people behind her looked unwell, too. One of the burly men in the camera crew was walking unsteadily. He looked quite weak as if he had just vomited.
It was obvious that most of them were not adjusting well to extreme activities.
Just thinking about the memorable experience she had at Jingzhou's amusement park, Xin Tiandi, made Xia Jiang feel uncomfortable.
The rollercoasters, drop towers, pendulum rides, and the haunted house…
Xia Jiang had no idea how she endured them all. Even now, her legs felt weak.
Pei Qian was already waiting for them at the entrance of Ming Yun Private Kitchen. When he saw how downcast all of them looked, he could not help but smile with joy from the heart.
Hehe, a point back to Tengda!
I'll see if you dare to stab me in the back again!
Satisfied, Pei Qian began to wonder if the official platform would send any more people over, now that he had driven all of these reporters crazy from soup to nuts.
"How are you, Chief Editor Xia? Did you all have a good time today?" Pei Qian displayed a warm, genuine smile.
Xia Jiang forced a smile and answered, "Yes…"
Pei Qian nodded, pleased. "That's great! Have a good meal and sleep well tonight. I've arranged for all of you to go skydiving tomorrow. It'll be very fun; you can't miss it!"
Xia Jiang was speechless.
The next afternoon…
The staff arrived at the hotel which Xia Jiang and her team were staying at. All they could find in their rooms was a trophy, a certificate, and a hundred thousand yuan left behind for Boss Pei.
Beside the trophy was a letter.
"Boss Pei…
"Thank you for hosting us so well during this period. We've had an unforgettable experience in Jingzhou!
"We have a lot of work to do. Our leader has just assigned another interview to us. We have to go back as soon as possible. Boss Pei, we know that you're extremely busy, and we're genuinely sorry that we did not get the chance to say a proper farewell.
"Don't worry, Boss Pei. We will make sure we produce a good write-up of your interview! May we have opportunities to work together again in the future!"
Chapter 301 Why are you so Secretive about the Event?
Pei Qian happily kept the one hundred thousand yuan and placed the trophy and award in his office. He felt much more relieved now.
Finally, he could relax!
Of course, Pei Qian did not forget to instruct Assistant Xin to reimburse the interview team for the money they had spent on their return flight. It was not much, but he had to take every opportunity he had to spend money.
Now that he had sent the interview team off, he could focus on spending money without any qualms.
It was October 24th, the first day of a week of events to celebrate 1024 Digital Day!
They had already been marketing the event for some time before this. Thus, the moment the event started, many people began to participate!
Fish-Catching Take-Out was first.
During the event period, Fish-Catching Take-Out would offer a discount on their food and free delivery. The more they could sell, the more losses they would incur.
Early in the morning, old and new users alike ordered food on Fish-Catching Take-Out's mobile application. A few chefs in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had never worked so hard in their lives. They produced dish after dish to meet the demand.
The food was then quickly packed with exquisite cutlery into a heat-resistant bag, ready for the delivery men to arrive on their scooters and bring them to customers like busy bees.
Of course, the staff in charge of collecting the cutlery, washing them, and disinfecting them was equally busy.
Pei Qian had already considered that there might not be enough manpower. Thus, he allowed Fish-Catching Take-Out to hire temporary workers during this period, who were to be paid daily. This ensured that there would be enough help and deliveries would not be delayed.
Even if deliveries were delayed, nothing else could be done but to give customers further discounts or waive charges altogether. If the delays were too long, Pei Qian would even compensate customers with double the price of their order.
All in all, he had to make sure that Fish-Catching Take-Out—which had already been incurring losses—would incur more loss!
On top of these, Pei Qian also spent a large sum of money on ensuring that the temporary workers could wear the same uniform and use the same heat-resistant bags and scooters.
If one walked around Jingzhou, they would be able to see delivery men wearing Fish-Catching Take-Out's yellow and blue uniform, riding similar-looking scooters to deliver food. One could say that they looked bright and stood out.
Compared to the delivery men whom Pei Qian remembered, who tore through the crowd with their electronic scooters; Fish-Catching Take-Out's delivery men were different. They were not so rash. Instead, they were very polite and kept strictly to the rules and regulations by avoiding pushing others and tearing through crowds.
Even if they failed to deliver the orders on time, their pay would not be docked. The compensation to customers would come from Fish-Catching Take-Out's account.
What's more, Fish-Catching Take-Out was healthier and more generous compared to other platforms. Delivery men earned more per delivery, which minimized the need for them to rush and risk their safety to complete as many orders as possible.
Of course, basic efficiency and quality were ensured. If the delivery men were too slow and failed to help Pei Qian maximize his losses or if they were rude and made customers unhappy, they could still be fined or fired.
Things were equally busy at Upwind Logistics. Before this, they had notified many delivery companies about this event. During the event period, Upwind Logistics was not going to charge any fees for delivering parcels. Thus, many delivery companies agreed to dump their parcels at the Upwind Courier stations.
One could enjoy a discount or waiver on postage at Upwind Courier stations. Thus, customers who needed the discount could hire Upwind Logistics to deliver their mail.
All the Upwind Courier stations around Jingzhou became incredibly busy. The delivery men constantly sent parcels and mail. Each time they started or completed a delivery, Boss Pei would see the remaining balance in his System Funds fall slightly.
There wasn't an obvious increase in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's customers, but there was in the number of people who purchase ROF's units!
Several gamers began waiting in line even before the internet cafes opened for the day Shortly after they did open, the first one hundred units were given out. They did not remain available for long at all.
This was because it was too worth it!
The units were originally to be sold for their cost price. That meant the installation, delivery, and after-sales service charges would be waived. In addition to the free upgrade, customers could save about four thousand yuan with one purchase! Naturally, they were greatly attracted!
Even though the first one hundred units were sold out in the blink of an eye, the rest of the customers remained excited to purchase units of their own.
The excess stock that Pei Qian had instructed Zhang Yuan to purchase came in handy at once. The various parts were continuously being delivered from warehouses to the storerooms. There, the staff quickly assembled the system units and then arranged for them to be delivered once they were done. The entire process was very quick.
Many people received their system units in the afternoon after placing their orders in the morning. This surprised them beyond words.
In the afternoon, at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe…
Yu Hang had been focusing intently on his screen. He lightly tapped the left button on his mouse with his index finger. At once, the gun on his screen spat out blue fire, causing the zombies in front of him to stumble backward.
He had to admit—the high-end hardware and gaming monitors with high refresh rates in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe were providing him with unique gaming experience.
After the game ended, Yu Hang leaned back in his chair and took two sips of his coffee. His heart was still racing from the excitement of the game. At that moment, the manager of the internet cafe approached him, bent down, and mumbled in his ear. "Congratulations, Sir. You've won a prize." Yu Hang jumped. He quickly turned around and saw the manager staring at him, smiling. He was at a loss for words.
Is this a scam?
That can't be. This manager has been working in this internet cafe for a long time. I recognize him.
Such a big establishment can't be trying to cheat me in broad daylight, right?
Could this really be my lucky day?
Yu Hang looked at the manager, only half believing him. "What prize? Are you going to waive my bill for today?"
The manager smiled. "Sir, please leave your shipping address and contact details. You are our internet cafe's first lucky winner; we'll be delivering a computer system unit to you. It will be of the same brand as the ones you see in our internet cafe."
Yu Hang almost thought that his ears were playing tricks on him. "Huh? A computer? For free?"
The manager continued smiling as he nodded. He spoke again in a low voice. "Yes, we are giving you a custom-made ROF system unit for free."
Yu Hang suddenly felt light-headed. The hairs on the back of his neck stood.
How strange!
He had taken part in activities organized by other internet cafes before, but other internet cafes always made sure to draw as much attention to these activities as possible.
They would have signs put up at the entrance and posters put up on the walls. If someone really were to win a prize, the internet cafe would announce it for three days consecutively so that everyone else would know.
Why was Fish-Catching Internet Cafe holding the event so secretively?
He had just won a system unit. Shouldn't they blow trumpets and make announcements? Why were they acting like they had done something horrible, that they did not want others to find out about? Why did they have to notify him by whispering in his ear?
Yu Hang had no idea what was going on. If he had not been a regular customer at this internet cafe, he would have run out as fast as he could and told the world that this shop was a scam.
However, he could not help but feel excited when he heard that he would be receiving a ROF system unit.
He knew about ROF. The internet cafe had been making announcements about a ROF promotion recently. The hardware looked attractive, and the free upgrade sounded very good. Customers could save about four thousand yuan with a single promotion; it was as good as getting a computer for nothing.
However, Yu Hang was not rich. He could not even afford the lowest-grade ROF system unit.
Now, he was getting one of the system units for free? How could that be?!
He took the pen from the manager and wrote down his shipping address, still only half-believing what was happening. He wrote 'Handong Jiaotong University's main campus, Block Number 14, 4-03'. Then, he wrote his name and cell phone number under it.
The manager nodded. "Alright, we'll arrange for delivery now. Please be prepared to receive the delivery."
The manager picked up the pen and paper and then left.
Yu Hang scratched his head, unable to wrap his head around what just happened.
What's going on?!
The manager came, asked for my address, and then left.
That was it?!
Yu Hang began to doubt that he had even won a prize. Perhaps he had imagined everything. Perhaps this was the side effect of having too much coffee.
"Forget it. They didn't ask for any money from me anyway. I'll just wait." Yu Hang did not think too much into it. Instead, he continued playing Ocean Stronghold.
I'll just wait. If I really receive something in a few days, then I will decide what to do.
He played until 1 PM and then began to feel his stomach rumbling with hunger. It was time to eat.
It was about time to go home.
On the way home, he ordered Fish-Catching Take-Out. That way, he would receive his order once he arrived back at his dormitory. He could eat and then take an afternoon nap. Life was beautiful.
When he reached the main entrance of his school, his cell phone rang.
"Hello, are you Mr. Yu Hang? Your express delivery is here."
Yu Hang quickly answered, "Oh, alright. I'll be right there."
Yu Hang hung up and mumbled to himself, "Why did they deliver my order so quickly today?"
He had ordered Fish-Catching Take-Out many times in the past. His timing was always just right; once he approached his block, his order would arrive.
However, they had called him the moment he walked through the school gates today.
Yu Hang walked briskly back to his dormitory.
When he was approaching his block, his phone rang again. "Hello? Are you Mr. Yu Huang? Your food is here."
Yu Hang was speechless. "Alright, alright. Stop rushing me; I'm almost there."
The delivery man responded, "Huh?"
Yu Hang paused. He suddenly realized that this man's voice sounded different. On further thought, the earlier man seemed to have said that his 'express delivery' was here.
Yu Hang quickly said, "Ah, I'm sorry. I got it wrong. Give me a moment; I'm almost there."
He hung up, feeling extremely confused. Express delivery? I didn't order anything recently. Where is this express delivery from?
What's more, parcels wouldn't ordinarily be sent to his hostel. Instead, they would be left in a line on a plain field for people to claim them on their own. Why was this delivery being made directly to his block? He was being treated too well!
Yu Hang walked briskly to the first floor of his block and saw the Fish-Catching Take-Out delivery man from afar, dressed in a yellow and blue uniform.
However, there was also a motor tricycle beside this delivery man and another staff with a massive box in front of him.
Yu Hang looked confused. He approached Fish-Catching Take-Out's delivery man and received his food. Then, he approached the other staff.
"What is this?" Yu Hang scanned the massive box, looking perplexed. The man smiled and said, "Your computer has arrived. Do you need me to take it upstairs for you?"
Yu Hang was evidently shocked as he exclaimed, "Holy sh*t!"
He had just won the prize earlier this morning, and yet the system unit had already arrived by the afternoon?!
Even rockets didn't move this quickly! Yu Hang had not even thought about the system unit when he was trying to figure out why he was receiving a delivery. Even if it was true that he had won one, he expected it to only arrive in three to five days.
He already knew that ROF installed computers. One could order the hardware online. However, he never thought that they would deliver units much faster than physical stores would deliver purchases! "Please help me take it upstairs. Thank you!"
Yu Hang was extremely excited. Am I dreaming?
When he arrived at his dormitory, his roommates were going about their day. Some were sleeping on their beds while others watched shows on their laptops.
The delivery man was extremely skilled. He set the box down, unsealed it, and then retrieved the system unit from within. Then, he placed it on Yu Hang's table.
Handong Jiaotong University's main campus had much better facilities than Handong University. Instead of bunk beds, they had beds on the upper deck and working space on the lower deck. Thus, there was space for Yu Hang to place the system unit.
Yu Hang rushed to his classmate's side and said, "Old Li, lend me your monitor!"
old Li slept in the bed opposite Yu Hang, and he was the only one who owned a desktop. Yu Hang was used to laptops as well; that was why he did not own a monitor. What's more, this system unit did not come with a monitor.
If he wanted to test out the system unit, he had to borrow someone else's.
Old Li had been playing a game when he turned around to see the impressive-looking system unit on Yu Hang's table. His eyes widened as he said, "Holy sh*t! Old Yu, did you win the lottery?!"
Chapter 302 A New Method of Interviewing: Empty Spaces
Everyone in the dormitory was shocked. All of them began to surround Yu Hang. Old Li exited the game, disconnected his monitor, and then moved it to Yu Hang's table.
The other roommates were already studying the new monitor, their eyes filled with admiration.
After adeptly connecting the monitor to the system unit, the delivery man switched the system unit on to prove that it was in working condition.
"This is how you can contact us for after-sales services. If you encounter any problems with your computer or you want to upgrade any part of it in the future, you can call this number and ask for technical assistance.
"May you have a happy time gaming. If you were satisfied with our service, remember to leave us a five-star rating!" The delivery man left, clearing out the garbage from the dormitory on his way out. "Quick, quick, quick! View its specifications!" Yu Hang's roommates were even more anxious than he was.
Soon, the specifications were displayed on the screen. The impressive figures and high-end, trendy-looking hardware stunned everyone.
"This computer… must be worth five or six thousand yuan at least," one of them commented as he swallowed his saliva.
Old Li sniggered. "Five or six thousand yuan? Why are you looking down on this computer? This system unit was made from top-tier hardware. I think it's worth about fifteen thousand yuan."
Yu Hang's roommates gasped.
A fifteen-thousand-yuan system unit… this was the system unit of their dreams!
Old Li's eyes were filled with envy. As the only one in the entire dormitory who understood computer hardware, he could speak clearly and logically about it and even boast about his knowledge. However, when it came to buying his own hardware, he could only afford a system unit with a below-average price-to-quality ratio.
There was no other reason for this apart from the fact that he had no money!
Students had limited income. Apart from rich second-generation heirs, who else could afford a system unit that cost more than ten thousand yuan? "Old Yu, are you secretly a rich second-generation heir? Or did you sell your body outside of schooling hours to earn money? Can you tell me how you found such a good deal?"
Everyone was clearly envious.
Yu Hang scoffed. "You're the one who sold your body! I just won a prize! I think Fish-Catching Internet Cafe is hosting an event now. While you're surfing the net there, you will stand a chance to win a system unit. I was lucky that I got selected."
Old Li's eyes lit up. "Holy sh*t, there's such a good deal? When did it start?"
Yu Hang answered, "Today. I was playing in the morning when I got selected. Then, the system unit was delivered this afternoon. They're extremely efficient!"
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
They had only ever heard of internet cafes waiving the per-hour charges; they had never heard of internet cafes giving out system units!
Were they ballers?!
One of Yu Hang's roommates began to pack his things without another word.
In a sour tone, Old Li said, "Ai, don't even think about it. Old Yu was incredibly lucky. What's more, there are bound to be tons of people taking part in the event. Winning aside, you might not even be able to get a seat in the internet cafe. Don't waste your time traveling there."
Yu Hang pondered for a moment and said, "That might not be true.
"Few seats in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe are occupied. In the morning, only sixty to seventy percent were taken.
"What's more, they're quite low-profile about this event. Even when I won the system unit, they did not make a big deal out of it. Instead, the manager quietly walked up to me and asked me for my address and contact details. No one else knew that I won the prize."
Old Li and the others began to pack their things as well.
"Let's go, let's go! We'll play games at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe today!"
"That's right. It doesn't matter even if we don't win any prizes. I want to experience what it's like to play games at a high-end internet cafe."
"Hey, wait for me! Let me put on some pants!"
"What's the address? Which one of you knows?"
"Ai, wait for me. I need to finish up some things."
"Go and get busy, we'll wait for you at the internet cafe!"
Yu Hang could not help but smile. These people were way too pragmatic.
Before this, none of them were willing to go there because they thought Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was too expensive. Now that they knew they would stand to win a system unit, they could hardly keep still.
Yu Hang observed them with a smile on his face. In any case, he had already won a prize. There was no way he would win another one even if he went there again.
He took out Fish-Catching Take-Out's cutlery and smelled the fragrance of his food.
As Yu Hang ate, he downloaded various games on his computer.
The school's internet speed was slow, but he could still use the extra fast system to play ordinary online games.
It would be a crime against humanity not to play games on a computer like that!
While waiting for his games to download, Yu Hang accessed online shopping websites and considered buying a monitor for himself. Now that he had a system unit that cost more than ten thousand yuan, how could he not have a gaming monitor with high refresh rates?
It went without saying that he had to get a good keyboard and mouse as well. They had to match his awesome system unit.
Yu Hang had been browsing the website when his cell phone rang. "Hello, your express delivery is here."
Yu Hang felt light-headed. Another express delivery?
Since Old Li and the others were on their way to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, they headed downstairs together.
It was a delivery man from Upwind Logistics, but he was not the same person from before.
This time, the delivery man carried a huge box and multiple small boxes out of his motor tricycle.
Confused, Yu Hang asked, "What is this?"
The delivery man smiled and answered, "We received new instructions from our boss earlier; Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's lucky winners would be given a monitor and other peripherals apart from a system unit. That's why I delivered the additional items to you as soon as I could."
Yu Hang was overjoyed. "Awesome! Old Li, help me carry these up, quick!" Old Li cupped his fists and said, "Farewell!"
Just like that, the entire group disappeared without a trace.
At Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Huanyu Tianjie branch…
Zhang Yuan and Ma Yang were sipping coffee and chatting in the resting area.
"Boss Pei is so generous. By the end of the week of events, ROF will be well-known across Jingzhou.
"Although we'll be incurring great losses, local residents will know that ROF is a top-quality brand with excellent installation and after-sales services. As people talk about us more and more, I'm sure we will be able to recover the losses.
"What's more, the more hardware we purchase, the less it would cost overall. We're saving quite a lot in this aspect as well.
"However, what I don't understand is why Boss Pei refuses to publicize the fact that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe is giving away system units."
This stumped Zhang Yuan.
The event was supposed to last for seven days. The lucky draws could greatly increase the number of customers visiting the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes. Of course, they should publicize the lucky draws as much as possible.
Although that would cost them some money, they would be able to generate profits through Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
As both of them chatted, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside the door.
"Are there… are there empty seats in this branch?"
"Huff… huff… yes, there are!"
"Quick, quick! Find one!"
A few students rushed in, panting and red-faced. It looked like they had sprinted all the way here. After registering their identification cards at the front desk, they made payment and took their seats. Then, they switched on their computers and began to play games.
A few minutes later, more people entered the shop and sat down.
Zhang Yuan was stunned. "Eh?"
Those people looked so eager. They could not be merely interested in playing games. They must have found out about Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's giveaways. That was the only explanation for their enthusiasm!
At about 3 PM, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was filled. Some people could not find empty seats and left dejected, hoping to try their luck at other branches.
Zhang Yuan could not help but feel emotional when he saw the fully-booked Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
"So that was the reason! Boss Pei already knew that whether we advertised the giveaway or not, the internet cafe would be filled. In that case, there was no point in wasting money on advertising!
"I must learn from Boss Pei's meticulous planning and thriftiness!"
At that moment Pei Qian rubbed his temples, feeling an oncoming headache. Although he had planned everything quite well, a bunch of problems had surfaced during the execution stage!
This was especially so for Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's giveaways. Pei Qian realized he had been too naive.
Who said that gamers wouldn't find out about the event if he didn't advertise it?
It was only the afternoon of the first day, and yet gamers had already taken up all the seats in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes!
Pei Qian could expect that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe would be fully booked for the entire week.
It was a good thing that Pei Qian reacted quickly. He immediately gave the lucky winners a monitor and peripherals, so that he could spend another sum of money.
Pei Qian wanted to continue giving out as many system units as he could. He even thought about giving out more than ten units today, but the System rejected this idea. He had no other option.
Still, on further thought, Pei Qian realized that this minor surprise had no impact on the bigger picture whatsoever.
Everything was still progressing steadily!
If he continued to incur losses at this rate, Pei Qian could easily achieve a loss of five or six million yuan without even having to spend money on his own employees. Just thinking about this figure shocked Pei Qian to the core.
Bliss was coming too suddenly! He was finding it hard to believe!
"Hehe, it looks like I've found the right way to incur losses. I feel my future as a baller approaching! My dream of incurring losses to become a tycoon is finally coming true!"
Pei Qian could not help but feel overjoyed. Although he would have a huge mess to clean up in the next cycle, Pei Qian could not be bothered to think too much about it for now.
Everything would be fine if he could incur losses during this cycle… even if it meant the sky would fall in the next cycle.
If he found it impossible to incur losses during the next cycle, he could just bum around and allow the System Funds to increase on its own. A conversion rate of 100:1 would still give him a lot of money anyway.
If he really needed to incur losses, he could open more businesses to burn his money! Pei Qian fantasized about these things happily as he accessed the official games platform and looked for a good game to play.
The moment he entered the platform, he saw an exclusive interview on the homepage.
'An Exclusive Interview with Tengda Games: Turning Gamers' Imaginations of Perfection into Reality'
There was a subtitle as well: 'Follow the officials and find out about the awesome one who created Repent and be Saved!'
Pei Qian was absolutely shaken. What's going on?! He knew that the interview would be released soon, but… this was way too soon, right? The interview team had just left Jingzhou on Sunday morning. Since then, only thirty-odd hours had passed.
How did you produce the interview so quickly? You must have been f*cking motivated! Couldn't you have slacked and waited until the next month to produce this interview?!
As he read the title, Pei Qian felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He thought back to what happened before he accepted the interview…
The official platform had better not be messing with me!
Pei Qian's entire body began to tremble as he clicked the title.
A write-up appeared, along with a video. He roughly scanned the write-up and realized that they did not mention him much.
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief.
However, when he read the line of small words at the beginning, Pei Qian felt his stomach lurch again. The write-up had not mentioned him much, but the problem remained huge!
These were the words at the beginning:
"Shakespeare once said 'there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand readers' eyes.' Different people would have different interpretations of the same story.
"For this interview, the author will adopt a whole new method. We'll be using the 'empty spaces' technique to allow our readers to outline the silhouette of our subject-the celebrity creator.
"What kind of person is he? Read the full interview below, and you will likely find out."
Chapter 303 Huang Sibo's Interview
Pei Qian felt a little faint.
What did 'empty spaces' mean? Wasn't it an ordinary interview? Why were they playing so many tricks?
He quickly scrolled down.
The documentary's feature displayed various scenes around Jingzhou first.
"This was the author's first time in Jingzhou. The author never had much of an impression of the city. He knew that this was the provincial capital of Handong Province.
"He thought that as an ordinary second-tier city, Jingzhou would not have many booming businesses, famous and reputable historical sites, or large-scale enterprises. However, once he got to know Jingzhou's local environment and people, the author's view of the city took a 180-degree turn.
"Simply put, tradition and creativity coexist beautifully in Jingzhou.
"Like a sprout growing out of an old tree, the city makes one appreciate rich history coupled with modern innovations at the same time. The city contains several historical sites that hint at its long history. At the same time, it contains up and coming companies that display thriving vitality.
"These historical sites are neither famous nor reputable, and these up and coming companies are not huge. However, they are both new and old, stable and risky, conservative and innovative—all at once. They've found a place for themselves in the heart of the city.
"As the saying goes, each place has its way of supporting its inhabitants.
"One can easily see Jingzhou's shadow in Tengda. "Sometimes, it appears conservative and steady. It has invested in many traditional industries like the physical and logistics industries. It remains humble and continually changes people's lives, starting from the smallest details.
"Other times, it appears extreme and innovative. It has created bold and imaginative games that do not fit the mold, never failing to shock players.
"The Jingzhou spirit has given birth to a unique business like Tengda. In a little over a year, the business has developed and expanded rapidly, leaving other companies that have been resting on their laurels far behind."
Immediately after this, pictures of Tengda's business appeared. This included the office, employees, work, meal times, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, and the like. "The thing that sets Tengda apart from most other companies in Jingzhou is the assurance of the best work environment and remuneration. In fact, people might begin to question if the employees are being overpaid.
"However, the facts have shown that these generous working conditions have inspired the employees to work hard and be creative. This contributed to Tengda's rapid development and success."
One could say that this introduction had completely bound Tengda and Jingzhou together. On the surface, the author seemed to be praising Jingzhou. However, he was in fact praising Tengda.
Pei Qian had to admit that Chief Editor Xia had not toured Jingzhou in vain when they landed!
A lot of the footage showed Jingzhou's landmarks. Although the video's introduction was not long, it almost completely covered Jingzhou's conditions and customs. If someone had taken the same footage and made it into an advertisement for the city, nobody would have suspected a thing. Pei Qian remained calm even after watching this because he had already expected such praise.
The only thing that worried him was that the video had exposed Tengda's treatment of its employees.
Of course, Pei Qian knew that he could not keep this hidden for long. Jingzhou's working-class circle was only so big, and Tengda had so many employees. He could not possibly stop everyone from showing off their benefits and remuneration to others.
However, no matter how word got out in the past, the information was kept within Jingzhou.
With this video from the official platform, Pei Qian feared that hoards of talents from other cities would fly to Jingzhou and apply for a job at Tengda.
Yet, Pei Qian maintained the same response. He would leave the next cycle's problems until then to resolve.
He scrolled down some more.
The next segment contained interviews with Tengda's employees.
Before the interviews started, there was a brief introduction of Huang Sibo and his resume. He had once worked as an administrative planner in another game company in Jingzhou City;
Once he joined Tengda Games, an exception was made for him; and he was immediately given the position of chief planner. He was put in charge of the research and development of Ocean Stronghold.
He later established Fei Huang Workspace and worked together with Director Zhu Xiaoce to shoot a short film entitled 'Boss Pei's Daily Life', a documentary entitled 'Coming Out of the Cocoon as a Butterfly', and a show entitled 'A Day in a Great Inventor's Life'.
This resume looked very colorful and impressive.
One had to understand that ordinary game designers would boast endlessly after creating just one popular game. Some might even earn truckloads of money from that one game, enough to last them a lifetime.
Yet, not only had Huang Sibo researched and developed Ocean Stronghold-a classic, domestically-produced FPS game; but he also founded Fei Huang Workspace and produced many short videos that were universally appreciated and became hot topics of discussion.
He had achieved so much success after crossing over. Anyone would be able to tell that he was a desirable talent!
What's more, all his achievements on his resume had been accomplished in a little over a year. That was even more shocking.
After scanning Huang Sibo's resume, Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief.
That's not bad. They've made Huang Sibo and his achievements the focus of the interview.
This was completely within Boss Pei's expectations!
There was an interview video under the resume. Pei Qian clicked on it. The video showed Huang Sibo and Xia Jiang seated at two ends of a couch. Xia Jiang asked questions, and Huang Sibo answered them in turn.
"We all know that you're an old employee of Tengda. The company had probably not been established for long before you joined. Can you tell us why you joined a company like that back then?" Xia Jiang asked, smiling.
Huang Sibo pondered for a second, and then answered, "Very early on, I did odd jobs at another game company in Jingzhou…"
Huang Sibo briefly explained how he ended up working at Tengda.
Xia Jiang then asked a few more targeted questions. One of these was why Tengda chose Huang Sibo over Old Liu, who used to be the chief planner at Huang Sibo's previous workplace. Apart from that, Xia Jiang also asked why Tengda's work environment was so good for a new company, why Tengda initiated Huang Sibo's pay raise and gave him double of what he earned before…
Pei Qian did not have any problems as he listened to the interview.
After all, Huang Sibo was telling the truth!
However, Pei Qian realized that there was a crafty look in Xia Jiang's eyes and that he looked triumphant every time Huang Sibo answered his questions. For some reason, Pei Qian felt like something was amiss. He continued watching, and Xia Jiang's problem became more obvious. The latter asked about the inspiration and thought process behind Ocean Stronghold, their advertising methods, why Huang Sibo left Tengda after Ocean Stronghold achieved success, and so on…
Huang Sibo answered all of these questions truthfully.
"Actually, before we started working on Ocean Stronghold, we had a general framework for it. From the beginning, we decided that this would be an FPS game with a heavy focus on the story mode, would take care of new gamers' feelings, and would sell epic weapons for 888 yuan.
"In fact, in the beginning, I thought that this wouldn't work out."
Xia Jiang egged Huang Sibo on at the right moment. "Why not?"
Huang Sibo smiled and explained, "From a more traditional perspective, all three of these things looked risky.
"No local FPS game had ever created a story mode. A few overseas FPS games had story modes, but they could not acclimatize to the local market once they were imported.
"What's more, many local designers saw creating story modes as an arduous and unrewarding task. It involved high investments and low returns, and it would turn out inefficient and unimpressive.
"At the time, FPS games were seen as competitive games. Developers wanted to make them as hardcore as possible and appeal to veteran gamers as much as possible. They ran the risk of players despising the game if they lowered the difficulty.
"As for selling the epic weapon at 888 yuan… many people must have thought that we were just dying to earn money, hahaha."
Huang Sibo sniggered. "Honestly, I thought so as well. After all, my mindset was deeply influenced by traditional ways of game design."
Xia Jiang nodded, expressing his agreement with Huang Sibo's words. "Indeed. However, Ocean Stronghold turned out to be a success. It proved that the general direction was correct."
Huang Sibo nodded as well. "That's right."
At that point, the conversation ended. Neither of them revealed who came up with the game's framework. Instead, they began to talk about another topic.
"The game's advertising method… you weren't sure about it at first, right?"
The more Pei Qian watched, the more uncomfortable he felt.
Xia Jiang's questions were deviating from the main point!
You should be asking about Huang Sibo's responsibilities as an administrative planner, the difficulties that he faced, and how he managed to overcome obstacles by discussing and cooperating with his colleagues! Why do you keep asking Huang Sibo about things he was not even in charge of? Pei Qian continued watching.
"After Ocean Stronghold was completed, you left Tengda Games. Can you briefly tell us about that?" Xia Jiang asked again. Huang Sibo smiled, embarrassed. "Honestly, I didn't leave of my own accord."
Xia Jiang responded, "Hmm?"
Huang Sibo became emotional. "When Ocean Stronghold was released, I was over the moon. You could say that I became filled with lofty ambitions.
"After all, I went from being an administrative planner who did odd jobs in one games company, straight to being a chief planner. I even managed to produce such a popular game. In such a short period, I achieved so much. All the success got to my head.
"At the time, I was prepared to give my entire life to creating games.
"If I was in another game company, I probably would have been given more heavy responsibilities and put in charge of research and development of another game."
Xia Jiang nodded subtly. "But none of these happened at Tengda."
Huang Sibo smiled. "That's right. Even now, as I look back on that day, it feels like a dream to me. At the time, the entire project team was celebrating the success of Ocean Stronghold. I was also fulfilling my daily responsibilities as I was used to.
"All of a sudden, I was notified that there was going to be a selection for the most outstanding employee in the company. It was a blur, but I was selected."
"It was then that I realized what the prizes for the most outstanding employee were. I was rewarded with a trophy, a certificate, and a Dream Fund of a million yuan!
"I could use the Dream Fund of a million yuan to chase my dreams and visit any country I wanted!"
Chapter 304 The Existence of an 'Invisible Person'
Xia Jiang asked, "So you left Tengda because you received a Dream Fund?".
Huang Sibo nodded. "That's right.
"When I first received this sum of money, I was extremely confused. I never thought that I would lay hands on so much money before. I thought about what to do with the money for a long time.
"Finally, I decided that my passion did not lie in the game industry.
"When Ocean Stronghold became popular, I did think about giving my life to the game industry. However, once I got the money, I discovered that what I really wanted to do was to venture into the filming industry. "Thus, I used this sum of money to set up Fei Huang Workspace. I found a friend with similar passions, Zhu Xiaoce. Then, I embarked on an entirely new journey."
Xia Jiang replied, "So, this sum of money changed your life."
Huang Sibo nodded again. "That's exactly right. This sum of money helped me to see my true self and recognize what I truly wanted. I also found my life ambition. Now, I am extremely grateful for being selected as the most outstanding employee and being awarded the Dream Fund.
"It was not just a sum of money that I was given to start my own business. It was a sum of money that helped me to see myself as who I really was. One could say that if I had not been selected as the most outstanding employee, I would not be who I am today. There would be no Fei Huang Workspace, Boss Pei's Daily Life, Coming Out of the Cocoon as a Butterfly, and other great works."
The more Pei Qian heard, the more he felt like there was something wrong with the interview.
Indeed, his name was not mentioned throughout the entire video—that was apart from the mention of Boss Pei's Daily Life.
However, Huang Sibo was obviously describing an 'invisible person'!
Who was the one who selected the inexperienced Huang Sibo over Old Liu, who seemed to have vast experience?
Who was the one who gave Huang Sibo the pay raise?
Who was the one who created the outstanding work environment in Tengda?
Huang Sibo did not understand the three requirements for Ocean Stronghold, but who was the one who came up with them?
Who was the one who came up with the Dream Fund and allowed Huang Sibo to leave Tengda Games to start Fei Huang Workspace?
Obviously, the answers to all of these questions pointed to one single person.
It was the boss of Tengda!
In other words, it was Pei Qian!
Although the interview did not mention Pei Qian from beginning to end, the 'empty spaces' technique allowed the readers to strongly feel somebody else's presence and influence over Huang Sibo. This person seemed to play a critical role in Huang Sibo's growth.
He had shown Huang Sibo how to get onto the right path!
Anyone who listened to this interview would be left with the same impression.
Huang Sibo was talented indeed. He was still young, and yet he had already completed so many successful projects. Be it games or films, Huang Sibo's works were outstanding.
However, his talent had been hidden at first.
If this 'invisible person' had not scouted Huang Sibo's talent, brought it out, and showed him the right path; Huang Sibo's talent might still have been hidden. At the very least, he would not have been able to accomplish so much in a little over a year.
The saying 'a fine steed in the hands of a slave-driver would only hover between working to death and staying in the stable; nobody would recognize it as a fine steed' probably applied here.
People always said there were tons of fine steeds, but few people like Bole[1].
The fact that Huang Sibo could achieve so much showed that he was a fine steed indeed. Yet, the interview emphasized the importance of someone like Bole!
Pei Qian felt cold sweat forming on his forehead.
The situation looked bad!
Both of them were echoing one another's sentiments; there was great chemistry between them!
Pei Qian had thought that Huang Sibo would jump at the chance to be featured in the video, so that he could boast about his own achievements. He expected Huang Sibo to leave Pei Qian out of the picture altogether.
Yet, Pei Qian was only half-right.
Huang Sibo had left Pei Qian out of the picture, but the achievements he boasted about were Boss Pei's!
This was much more effective than praising Boss Pei directly!
Pei Qian quickly scrolled down.
The second interview was with Bao Xu.
Bao Xu's resume was written above his video as well. It contained his history as a young internet addict, his experience as Ocean Stronghold's concept designer, and his experience making adjustments to various games after that. Bao Xu was now a stabilizing force in Tengda Games.
Although his interview took a completely different angle from Huang Sibo's, the feeling that it left Pei Qian was exactly the same!
"I heard that you used to be what most would call an 'internet addict'. You basically lived in internet cafes. Is this an exaggeration or…?" Xia Jiang asked.
Bao Xu laughed, clearly embarrassed. "It's true; it's not an exaggeration at all. I used to stay in an internet cafe from the end of winter until summer-that's four to five months. I didn't even go back to my dormitory.
"Everyone else in the internet cafe was dressed in short-sleeved shirts, but I was still in my winter clothing."
Xia Jiang's eyes widened in disbelief. "How did you shower, then?"
Bao Xu shook his head. "I didn't."
"Brush your teeth?" "I didn't either. At most, I washed my face and rinsed my mouth in the internet cafe's washroom."
"What did you do when you were tired?"
"I would line the internet cafe's chairs up together at night. If I felt sleepy during the day, I would lean back in my chair and take a nap." "Did you have enough money to pay the bill and purchase your daily necessities?"
"I sold in-game equipment, boosting and grinding services while I stayed at the internet cafe. Apart from the internet cafe's bill, I did not spend much money elsewhere. Whenever I felt hungry, I would have some cup noodles. If I was absolutely starving, I would order takeaway. I guess I had just enough money."
Xia Jiang looked shocked. He could hardly express his feelings in words. "Your hygiene and health must be…?"
Bao Xu laughed. "Extremely horrible, but I didn't really care about these things back then.
"Recently, I've been reading a lot of news about people suddenly dying in internet cafes. Looking back, I guess I was quite lucky that I didn't just drop dead."
Xia Jiang continued, "How do you think you started living that kind of lifestyle? Is it what people call an 'internet addiction'?".
Bao Xu remained quiet for a moment and said, "I think I was confused and lost about my own future.
"At the time—apart from gaming, nothing really excited me. I wasn't interested in anything else. Even when I left the internet cafe, I had nowhere to go. As time went by, I found myself stuck in a vicious cycle.
"Now, looking back, I think I would have been reduced to nothing if things were allowed to carry on."
At that moment, Xia Jiang asked, "What caused the change, then?"
Bao Xu recalled what had happened. "Someone found me in the internet cafe and hired me to design a game.
"At first, I didn't believe him. However, he looked very sincere. He even gave me five hundred yuan upfront and told me that there was a top-tier computer that had two monitors in his office. He said I could play games there any time that I wanted.
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"Five hundred yuan was not much, but… for the first time in my life, I felt important and appreciated. At that moment, I realized that I was not a piece of trash who knew nothing but playing games.
"Thus, I walked out of the internet cafe.
"At that time, I did not think that my life would be changed forever."
Xia Jiang said, "You're quite an outstanding employee in Tengda Games. It's said that you've been placed second for 'best employee' twice. Both times, you got a paid one-month holiday. How do you feel about this?"
Bao Xu smiled bitterly. "I feel regret."
Xia Jiang was shocked. "Regret?"
Bao Xu nodded. "That's right, I regret being selected."
Xia Jiang could not help but smile. "That's very hard to understand. Most people would probably be over the moon if they had such opportunities to go for paid holidays, right?"
Bao Xu shook his head, helpless. "I did not want to leave. I would choose to stay in the office to work over roaming around outside any day.
Xia Jiang said, "But you still went in the end."
Bao Xu nodded. "That's right. I wanted to give it up and let the person who came in third go on the paid holidays instead. However… rules were rules. I could not change them."
Xia Jiang became curious. "This is the first time I'm hearing something like that.
"The company arranged for one of their best employees to go for a paid, one-month-long holiday. Not only did they pay their salary, but they also covered all costs of the holiday. The employee did not want this prize and attempted to transfer it to someone else, but the company did not allow it!
"If I had not heard you saying this with my own ears, I would be tempted to think that these are lies."
Bao Xu shrugged, looking helpless. He could not do anything about it; these words came from the bottom of his heart.
"I don't think that's necessary. If you were willing to transfer the prize, why weren't you allowed to?" Xia Jiang asked.
Bao Xu pondered for a moment and said, "I think the company was treating me well. In the beginning, I was firmly against leaving. However, after traveling twice, everyone said that I looked much better. My health improved as well.
"I think they did not allow me to transfer the prize because I needed the exercise.
"This is probably how employees are being cared for here. Although I was conflicted, I knew in my heart that it was right."
After that came Lin Wan and Lu Mingliang's interviews.
Each one of them had impressive resumes, and they seemed to shine brightly.
Lin Wan was a director who had taken part in the research and development of Bloody Battle Song: The Powerful Version. She was also the one who decided to turn it into a mobile game.
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Lu Mingliang was the creator of Game Designer and the mocking voice in the game. Now, he was the man in charge of Upwind Logistics.
Both of these interviews were about the same as Huang Sibo's. As they spoke, they seemed to hint at an 'invisible person' giving them directions as they produced their respective games.
After these interviews, Xia Jiang finally came to a conclusion.
"These four outstanding employees of Tengda are remarkable representatives of a hundred others in the company.
"They all have different personalities and experiences, and they all take on different roles and responsibilities.
"Yet, without a doubt, all of them are impressive talents!"
[1] Bole was famous in China for being able to judge horses' potential based on their appearance.