NOVEL WEB Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Chapter 10 A Little Compensation_1
Translator: 549690339
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In the office, Fang Cheng turned on his computer and logged into a Q&A platform, where he posed his question, “I’m a first-time game studio boss and not very experienced. What should I pay attention to?”
It wasn’t long before a myriad of answers appeared, but a three-word answer quickly rose to the top.
“Don’t owe wages.”
These three simple words, laden with so much pain, spoke volumes of the sorrow of those who had suffered from unpaid salaries.
The other answers were even more interesting, ranging from admonishments against office romances, reminders to pay attention to cash flow, and advice against useless benefits like afternoon teas, team building exercises, and group workouts.
As long as the wages are maxed out, I’m all yours, day and night.
To this, Fang Cheng wholeheartedly agreed.
In his previous life, in order to comprehend the Heavenly Heart and accumulate virtue, he had deliberately opened up his granaries to distribute food after a terrible drought. With enough rice porridge and pickled vegetables to go around, it wasn’t long before he was almost offered the imperial yellow robe—this showed the effectiveness of maxing out one’s “salary.”
After thinking it over for a bit more, Fang Cheng took out some Spiritual Tea he had cultivated and sealed it in a jar. Then, he put a Spirit Talisman he had forged into a brocade pouch to create an Amulet, and slipped it into his pocket as a welcome gift for new employees.
Although their effects were minimal, they did carry the blessing of Immortal Spell, making them quite a unique souvenir.
With the gifts ready, Fang Cheng approached Xu Qingling’s workstation and placed the gifts on her desk before asking, “Does your foot still hurt?”
“How did you know!” Xu Qingling asked in surprise.
Then, her face reddened slightly, realizing she must have made too much noise outside.
She laughed awkwardly, twisted her ankle, and then said in surprise, “Strange, it doesn’t hurt anymore. My ankles are quite sensitive, and injuries usually cause me pain for a couple of days, but nothing seems to work. I guess I’m lucky today.”
“Then you should drink more Spiritual Tea,” Fang Cheng suggested.
He patted his little gift package and sat down next to Xu Qingling, noticing she had already finished going through the job postings he had previously circulated.
Not only that, but she had downloaded both games he had made, played through them quickly, and started composing job advertisements with targeted suggestions.
Indeed, she was the reliable person he had hoped for.
Pleased, Fang Cheng nodded and asked, “Let’s put the job posting aside for now. What do you think of these two games?”
“Hmm… not fun,” she bluntly replied.
Despite speaking to her boss, Xu Qingling didn’t intend to sugarcoat her words, instead, she offered her honest opinion.
“Why is that?” Fang Cheng asked, eager to hear more.
“I don’t play many games normally, and most of the ones I do play are fairly relaxing. I chopped down hundreds of trees in the first game and still couldn’t find the fun in it. The second game is even more baffling; just climbing upwards, I don’t see the appeal.”
At that moment, Fang Cheng felt like he had found someone who truly understood him.
Her impressions matched his own, giving him a sense of solidarity that he was not alone in his views.
Mr. Shen was right; hiring people can indeed help one confirm their own thoughts and also reveal one’s shortcomings.
“So what type of games do you like?” Fang Cheng asked.
“Love simulation games!” Xu Qingling immediately responded, “But my taste is a bit different. I prefer love simulation games from the perspective of a male character, and I love it when they include stats. The ‘Heartbeat Memories’ series is the classic example, and it’s my favorite.”
“‘Heartbeat Memories’ huh…”
“And because everyone is so tired lately, they prefer to enjoy the sweet moments that come after romance, so there are quite a few girls who make advances, the more proactive, the better.”
“I see, I understand. By the way, someone might come by later, and I’d like you to greet them. But I have a feeling they might not want to stay, so just follow their wishes, okay?”
“Got it.”
As Xu Qingling went back to working on the recruitment ad, Fang Cheng returned to his own workstation and started to look up information on the ‘Heartbeat Memories’ series.
As a classic in love simulation games, ‘Heartbeat Memories’ features a variety of female characters and entertaining stats development, with frequent surprising events that can easily throw players off balance, and hidden characters that add a sense of surprise.
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The female protagonist, Shiori Fujisaki, is also one of the classic characters in video game history, a dream lover for many otaku.
One of the producers of “Heartbeat Memories” is Hideo Kojima, whose representative work is another stealth game, “Metal Gear.” It’s evident that great gaming talents share a commonality. Even on vastly different tracks, they can exert their unique charm.
After contemplating Hideo Kojima’s gaming trajectory, Fang Cheng felt that making a romance game next wouldn’t be a bad idea.
After instructing Xu Qingling to leave work on time, Fang Cheng stepped out of the studio, ready to find a suitable world to transform and then to create a new game.
Seeing the boss leave, Xu Qingling let out a sigh of regret.
He seems to have a good temperament and looks agreeable. But he’s probably like me, just graduated from college, clueless about how to manage employees.
Without a signed contract or negotiated treatment, he wasn’t afraid to hand over the company keys to me, fearing I could be a fraudster. There’s a particular innocence unique to college students.
“Luckily, you met me, otherwise you’d be in a sorry state. And I’m having such good luck today; even twisting my ankle doesn’t hurt.”
Rubbing her ankle wrapped in flesh-colored stockings, Xu Qingling smiled contentedly.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and a bespectacled young man came in and asked, “Is Mr. Fang here? I was referred by Mr. Shen.”
After looking at him for a while, Xu Qingling said, “So, it’s you…”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Xu Qingling said sweetly, “the boss isn’t here. But you can leave your resume with me. The boss asked me to receive you.”
After reading through the young man’s resume, Xu Qingling thought for a moment, then asked, “Your previous jobs were unrelated to gaming. Why did you suddenly decide to enter the gaming industry?”
The young man candidly replied, “I heard that gaming pays well, and I’m in need of money lately.”
“Hmm, I see. So, you mean to say if there’s a more lucrative job, you’d switch to that industry immediately?”
“That’s the idea, yes. Actually, my top choice is the Finance position at New Oriental Wealth Building’s Dancing Consultation, but unfortunately, they’re not hiring now.”
Xu Qingling appreciated the young man’s candor and also liked the content of his resume.
So, she picked up her phone and made a call, “Hello, Uncle Wang? I have a finance talent here. Could you please take him in? What about the salary package? Hold on a moment.”
Covering the phone, she asked the young man, “What’s your ideal salary?”
“Ten thousand…”
Nodding, Xu Qingling continued on the phone, “Offer him thirty thousand then, as compensation from me. Is fifteen salaries per year okay?”
The young man was so stunned by this pie from the sky that it sounded more like a joke to him, making him nod dumbly.
“All right.”
Putting the phone down, Xu Qingling gave the young man Mr. Wang’s phone number, “Go to New Oriental Wealth Building and call this number. You can start today. Just act normally, and Uncle Wang will give me this face. If you encounter any problems in the future, contact me.”
After sending off the young man, still dizzy from the shock, Xu Qingling flexed her pale fingers and continued working.
Today, she must complete this recruitment task.
Meanwhile, Fang Cheng floated within the void, pondering which world to choose.
The universe is vast beyond measure, with a number of planets like the sands of the Ganges—countless.
If he can’t find the right one, he can always leap out of this small world and continue the search in other small worlds.
If there’s still no luck in other small worlds, he can turn to the Netherworld, exploring dreams, where he surely would find the right one.
Before long, Fang Cheng used his Divine Sense to lock onto another world.
Stepping through the void, in the next moment, he was within that world.
Looking over this battle-scarred world and after evaluating the situation, Fang Cheng felt he had come to the right place.