"Xiao Lu, there's still a small issue with this function. Adjust it a bit more. For the feel and controls, ask Brother Bao for advice—he's the expert," Huang Sibo explained patiently, pointing at the design document.
Xiao Lu was a member of the design team, currently responsible for the design and implementation of the ghost mode functionality.
His experience was even less than Huang Sibo's.
Xiao Lu was an intern at another game company, he'd never handled any important work, most of the thing he did was filling out forms and running errands. While his work experience wasn't exactly zero, it was pretty close.
In most companies, hierarchy was determined by job title and seniority. Though Huang Sibo and Xiao Lu had similar durations in the industry, their actual experiences differed significantly, naturally making Huang Sibo the senior figure.
"Understood, Brother Huang, I'll fix it right away!"
Xiao Lu immediately opened the editor and began revising the function according to Huang Sibo's suggestions.
Ocean Fortress had already entered the development stage. The expensive templates and functions previously purchased had been loaded into the editor, and the designers had started actively building the game.
Using the editor itself wasn't difficult, as the designers already had some prior experience. Their development speed was certainly far quicker than a complete outsider like Pei Qian.
"Stay focused on your work; don't let your mind wander off to Guangzhou. Complete your assigned tasks first," Huang Sibo reminded Xiao Lu after noticing his excitement.
Feeling embarrassed, Xiao Lu scratched his head. "Ah, Brother Huang, I've never been to Guangzhou before, and now we're even visiting the famous Tianhuo Studio. I'm just a little excited. But don't worry—I promise I'll finish my work properly!"
Huang Sibo nodded, returning to his own workstation to continue his tasks.
To be honest, he'd never been to Guangzhou either.
In fact, probably the vast majority of employees at Tengda had never been.
A flight from Jingzhou to Guangzhou cost thousands of yuan, and before joining Tengda, all these employees had been broke—how could they possibly afford such trips?
When they first heard about this "exchange and learning" trip to Guangzhou, everyone else was thrilled, except for Huang Sibo and Bao Xu.
Bao Xu, being a shut-in by nature, had absolutely no interest in leaving home. He'd rather stay at the office and grind games for five days straight.
Huang Sibo, meanwhile, worried whether the game's progress would be affected.
After roughly estimating the workload, Huang Sibo concluded that the trip wouldn't significantly impact their schedule. Ocean Fortress should still be completed on time, allowing him to finally relax.
At this point, Huang Sibo cared about nothing else as much as the game's progress.
President Pei had trusted him deeply, entrusted him with great responsibilities, rewarded him generously, and now even organized a trip to Guangzhou for everyone to learn and team-build. How could he repay such kindness?
The only way was to ensure this game turned out beautifully. Otherwise, how could he face President Pei?
Additionally, Huang Sibo genuinely wanted to visit Tianhuo Studio.
It was an extremely famous domestic game studio, and before Huang Sibo had entered the industry, Tianhuo Studio had been his ultimate career aspiration.
After starting work, Huang Sibo had heard many rumors about Tianhuo Studio.
Some said Tianhuo Studio once gave out bonuses worth five months' salary;
Others claimed their designers' monthly bonuses exceeded their base salary;
Others even insisted that Tianhuo Studio had even awarded a luxury sports car as the top prize during an annual event.
Huang Sibo had never verified these stories, but evidently, many in the game industry viewed Tianhuo Studio as their dream workplace.
Visiting and learning from such a place would undoubtedly benefit their future careers significantly!
…
…
One month passed quickly.
Friday, December 27th.
Employees of Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd. arrived from the airport at their booked hotel in Guangzhou. They checked into their rooms and unpacked their luggage.
For Handong Province, winter had already set in with bone-chilling cold, but Guangzhou's climate was considerably warmer. The gentle afternoon sunlight bathed everyone, creating a cozy, comforting feeling.
Huang Sibo was somewhat lost in thought.
The atmosphere really felt like they were here on vacation!
Several girls from the administrative department were checking their phones for the itinerary, deciding on sightseeing spots and shopping centers for tomorrow morning.
A few young men from the design team were already searching for nearby supermarkets, planning to grab a crate of beer for their hotel rooms to enjoy an evening of drinks and card games.
There were 27 employees on this trip.
Bao Xu didn't join; he had no interest in outings like this, preferring to stay behind at the office.
As for President Pei…
President Pei didn't mingle with everyone. He returned to his room as soon as they arrived—likely tired from the flight and needing rest.
Assistant Xin was responsible for the entire trip; Pei Qian wouldn't get involved in these trivial matters.
Huang Sibo was sharing a room with Xiao Lu. After unpacking his suitcase, Huang Sibo took out his laptop and started carefully reviewing design documents and refining the game's storyline.
Currently, the major structure of Ocean Fortress was mostly finalized. But in Bao Xu's opinion, there was still plenty of room for improvement in gameplay feel and details.
Huang Sibo was working hard on these matters, determined to make the game as perfect as possible.
Only when even Bao Xu, an experienced gamer, couldn't find any flaws would the game truly be considered finished!
"Brother Huang, I'm going out with the others to explore. You should rest if you're tired," Xiao Lu said excitedly, joining his colleagues on their adventures.
…
Meanwhile, in Pei Qian's room:
"Brother Qian, I'm so exhausted from acting… Our friendship feels so distant due to work…" Ma Yang complained, visibly tired.
So far, aside from Assistant Xin, no one in the company knew about Ma Yang's personal relationship with Pei Qian.
Therefore, whenever company employees were around, Ma Yang had to pretend not to know Pei Qian at all, respectfully calling him "President Pei." It was emotionally draining.
They'd once been roommates, sleeping on bunk beds, yet now an insurmountable divide had formed…
"It's all for the company, bear with it for now," Pei Qian patted Ma Yang's shoulder reassuringly. "You're my eyes and ears within the company. Immediately let me know if you notice anything unusual!"
If their personal relationship became public knowledge, other employees might become cautious around Ma Yang.
That would make it difficult for Pei Qian to monitor company affairs closely.
Pei Qian needed to have complete awareness of everything happening at Tengda. Otherwise, if something went off-track and he ended up making a profit, it would be disastrous!
Ma Yang's long face grew even longer. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of undercover agent. Anyway, there hasn't been anything unusual lately. Everything's going smoothly, and everyone's diligently following the design documents to build the game."
Pei Qian nodded—that was reassuring.
He had previously skimmed through the design documents briefly. Although he didn't understand the details clearly, he confirmed that all three of his original requirements were met.
As long as they didn't drastically alter the design, the game would likely flop, leaving him nothing to worry about.
"Oh, by the way," Ma Yang suddenly remembered, "everyone seems particularly excited about Tianhuo Studio. Is it really that famous?"
"How should I know?" Pei Qian didn't know much about the gaming industry, nor did he know exactly what kind of studio Tianhuo was.
He had simply picked Guangzhou on a whim as a place to spend money, and Assistant Xin had casually contacted several famous local game companies, including Tianhuo Studio.
The employees mistakenly assumed it was carefully planned by Pei Qian. In reality, he had no idea who the producer at Tianhuo Studio even was…
"Tomorrow, Tianhuo Studio is the first company we'll be visiting. Make sure to ask a few more questions when we're there—don't let things get awkward. They're kindly hosting us, so we have to be friendly," Pei Qian reminded Ma Yang.
As the boss, Pei Qian didn't find it appropriate to personally ask too many questions; it might lower his status somewhat.
Therefore, he delegated that responsibility entirely to Ma Yang.
Ma Yang confidently nodded. "Don't worry, Brother Qian. Leave everything to me!"
<+>
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1399284?view=expanded
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/losing-money-to-129248702
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/losing-money-to-129248702
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1399284?view=expanded