Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Journey Begins

“I never should have… I never should have bothered with that jerk,” Yu Jia muttered through clenched teeth. She was simply too soft-hearted. She swore to herself that from now on, she would never, ever give Yin Jian another chance.

[Ding! You have a new message!]

“Oh? Did he realize he was wrong?” Yu Jia’s eyes brightened at the notification, and she quickly glanced at her computer.

But she was mistaken. The message wasn’t from Yin Jian at all, but from a designer she’d signed a contract with a week ago.

“Of course, how could that jerk possibly recognize his own mistakes.” Yu Jia sighed in disappointment, cast aside thoughts of Yin Jian, and began to reply to Happy Afro, who had messaged her.

Happy Afro was the designer she had contracted a week ago. A newcomer, but in her eyes, his ideas and concepts for games were already top-notch. With proper guidance, he might even become a senior designer—or perhaps, with some luck, a master designer.

Happy Afro: “Boss Stone, I saw my game is doing better in the promotion area. Can I ask how it’s performing in terms of replay?”

Stone: “Very well, you have a 16% replay rate. Your concepts are fresh and original. If you keep working hard, you might break out of the current region.”

“Original concepts?” On the other end, Lu Guo, sporting his trademark afro, murmured as he read Yu Jia’s reply.

Yin Jian’s image flashed through his mind—if not for Yin Jian, his game would never have been so interesting.

He shook his head. He wasn’t the type to take credit for another’s achievements without a second thought.

He quickly typed a reply.

Happy Afro: “These were all my friend’s ideas. I just took a few of his suggestions and benefited from his wisdom.”

Stone: “Your friend? Is he also a designer?”

Happy Afro: “No, he has no interest in this field.”

Yu Jia’s eyes lit up at the reply. She felt that Happy Afro’s friend had immense potential in the gaming industry. If a few offhand comments could help Happy Afro produce such an excellent work, what could he do if he tried himself?

It felt to Yu Jia that a new star might rise from her own hands.

Such talent must not be buried.

With that in mind, she quickly typed out another message, wanting to learn more about Lu Guo’s friend.

Stone: “Would he be interested in becoming a designer? I think he has huge potential. With the right nurturing, he could very well become a top-tier designer.”

Happy Afro: “With his ability, this little pond of ours would only limit him. The sea is where he truly belongs.”

Yu Jia took a sharp breath. In her memory, only University Yin Jian had ever deserved such praise. She had thought he was one of a kind, but now she realized her perspective was too narrow. In such a vast universe, how could there only be one dazzling genius?

But…

Yu Jia’s gaze grew determined. She believed that as long as she kept working hard, one day she would be just as outstanding as these prodigies.

Stone: “Thank you. But if possible, could you let your friend know how I feel?”

Happy Afro: “No problem. Next time I see him, I’ll mention it. But chances are, he won’t come to our company.”

Stone: “That’s fine. By the way, here’s my analysis of your game and some suggestions for improvements. Take a look.”

Yu Jia sent the material she’d stayed up late compiling to Happy Afro.

Their conversation had just ended when Han Hai walked in from outside.

He entered Team Two’s office, scanning the room as everyone worked busily.

*Clap, clap, clap!*

Drawing everyone’s attention with a few claps, he announced, “In half an hour, Director Wang will be presenting the headquarters’ new platform updates. Make sure you’re on time—don’t be late.”

“Understood, Team Leader,” came the reply, and Han Hai quickly left the office. He had many important matters to handle today.

About twenty minutes after Han Hai left, Lin Xiaoxiao stood up with Yu Jia, and together they headed for the conference room.

It was the very conference room where Yu Jia had once voiced her dissent to Wang Fafu. The seating was unchanged, but this time, she sat up front with Lin Xiaoxiao.

Soon, the meeting began.

Right on time, Wang Fafu entered with a stack of notes in hand. His belly led the way as he stepped onto the platform. After making sure everyone was present, he launched straight into his speech:

“Recently, growth in our company’s top-selling titles has plateaued, so headquarters has decided to implement a few experimental reforms.”

Wang Fafu wasted no time on formalities, jumping straight to the point. He had enough authority in the company, and preferred not to tire himself with lengthy speeches—better to finish quickly and get some rest.

“First, after discussion, headquarters has decided to add a new featured spot in the center of each regional section.”

“Limited-Time Discount.”

“This will allow older titles to shine once more at a lower price. Of course, this will require negotiation between the operations team and the designers to determine whether to participate and what the discount should be.”

“The second decision is to launch a new division, different from anything before—called the Hall of Achievements.”

“It will feature works that have achieved special recognition in some area.”

“For example, games with over ten billion in sales, or those designated as national treasures.”

“Third, we’re activating a tipping function for players, as well as fan leaderboards and playtime rankings.”

“This will foster more interaction between designers and players.”

“Fourth, we’re launching the Game Bubble Bar, which allows players to post comments at certain points in the game.”

“These comments will be visible to other players, although both players and designers can choose to disable this feature.”

“The main purpose is to make games more engaging and fun.”

Finishing the announcement, Wang Fafu let out a breath. It was tiring to say so much at once.

With the update details covered, he glanced around the room. Out of habit, he almost asked for feedback, but—

Catching sight of Yu Jia’s eager eyes, he swallowed the words. Last time, when Yu Jia had contradicted him, others might have thought he was just in a good mood. But in truth… there was a deeper reason.

“Ahem.” Wang Fafu coughed, shifting his gaze away from Yu Jia. “Alright, that’s all for the updates. Get back to your work.”

With that, he left the conference room, leaving the operations staff exchanging puzzled glances at his retreating figure.

“That was a little odd.”

“Maybe something urgent came up.”

A few people whispered among themselves, then rose in small groups to leave.

“Xiaoxiao, wait a moment. I have something I want to discuss with you,” Han Hai said, approaching just as Yu Jia was about to leave with Lin Xiaoxiao.