I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

"You think you can just look at my sister like that just because you're a minor? You've got some nerve."

"The data is out," Chen Ya said finally.

The data has indeed been refreshed; the refresh circle on the webpage has started spinning, but the latest data hasn't been displayed yet.

Gu Yuqing quickly focused her attention on the screen. Her rambling didn't mean she wasn't anxious; she was just trying to relieve her stress.

Soon, the data appeared on the screen.

Looking at that data alone doesn't give you a clear picture, but the line chart below, which visually shows the number of active users during different time periods, makes it much clearer:

From 20 minutes ago to now, the number of people on the line chart has experienced a cliff-like surge, with the entire upward curve almost reaching 90 degrees.

Gu Yuqing felt a suffocating sensation wash over her.

"The number of people online at the same time has reached 40!" Gu Yuqing shouted in a suppressed voice.

It's not the number of daily active users, but the number of users online at the same time.

This number is terrifying; even some mobile games from major companies don't have this kind of data.

"Yeah, it's off the charts," Chen Ya said. "If it goes up any further, the next stage will be in the millions."

"Can the server handle it?" Gu Yuqing frowned, a little worried.

“That’s enough,” Chen Ya said. “Our prepared servers can handle tens of millions of users online at the same time, which is more than enough.”

He turned to look in Ishikawa Takashi's direction and said, "The code that young man wrote was based on traffic of hundreds of millions."

"You really dare to give orders, and he really dares to write them," Gu Yuqing remarked, then immediately asked, "How's the profit situation?"

"The ad lasted 5267 million seconds and had 197,000 valid clicks. The revenue from the ad alone has reached 300,000 yuan," Chen Ya said. "This is the data from 4 hours."

The game had already earned 30 yuan in just 4 hours after its launch, before it even reached its peak.

On average, I earn 1250 yuan per minute.

This speed at which they make money is practically like printing money.

This data performance and profitability are enough to prove that this game can definitely fulfill Gu Yuqing's father's bet!

"Waaah!"

Gu Yuqing let out a scream and buried her face in Chen Ya's arms, hugging him tightly and groping him wildly. Chen Ya felt as if the air in his chest was being squeezed out, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

"We're rich! We're rich!"

Chen Ya was shaken senseless by the frenzied Gu Yuqing. This young lady from the Gu family had probably never been so out of control in her life.

Chen Ya had no doubt that, given her current emotional state, she would agree to any request. But he could only manage a wry smile as Gu Yuqing's hands rummaged through his mess.

"We haven't reached the peak yet. According to my calculations, the data for the next two days will be even better."

Gu Yuqing was no longer listening to him.

At this moment, she just kept rubbing Chen Ya like a cat, and took the opportunity to slip her hand inside his shirt.

……

……

In Beijing's Qingyang District, in the Yushu Oriental Mansion residential complex, Cai Zhenyi's home is located amidst a prestigious community filled with large villas and apartments.

Cai Zhenyi was sitting on the sofa at home wearing a bathrobe, with spaghetti on the coffee table, and he was scrolling through his phone with one hand.

Just then, a trending topic caught my eye.

"The Sheep?"

Cai Zhenyi frowned and blinked, feeling that the name was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

He had a party last night until dawn and only went to sleep this morning. He just woke up now, still hungover, and his mind is a little slow to process.

I can't remember where I've seen this name before.

Clicking into the topic and browsing the trending searches, I saw that it seemed to be a game, and moreover, a match-3 game with a cartoonish style aimed at a younger audience.

Tsai Chen-yi doesn't understand why this kind of game is trending. The only newsworthy aspect is that half the people are complaining about how difficult the game is, while the other half say it's not difficult at all.

Those who say the game isn't difficult are actually trying to lure people in; the truth is, this game is extremely difficult.

Cai Zhenyi frowned.

As someone in the gaming industry, he'll definitely keep a close eye on which games are trending.

It's not uncommon for games to trend on social media. As a major domestic company, their games are trending every day, but half of them are negative news, while the other half are trending because they paid for it.

He would certainly pay attention to competitors trending on social media—his primary concern being whether they were paying for it.

If the other party genuinely made it to the trending topics list based on their own merits, he'd start to have doubts. After all, seeing competitors make money is more painful than losing money yourself.

After reading netizens' comments for a while, the nanny worriedly reminded him that the spaghetti was getting cold.

He twirled the food in his plate a few times with his fork, his brow still furrowed, showing no interest in eating.

Judging from the discussions among netizens, it seems both real and fake.

After much deliberation, he finally dialed his secretary's number.

"Hey? Have you seen the trending topics? If not, check them."

"See that game? Right, that 'Sheep and the Sheep' game. Where did those new characters come from?"

"Beichen Company? Which company is Beichen Company...?"

"oh?!"

Suddenly putting down his phone, Cai Zhenyi's eyes widened.

His brain cells, depleted by alcohol and women, finally rekindled, reminding him of who owned Beichen Company.

Isn't that the kid named Chen Ya?

No wonder I've been so restless.

The matter wasn't serious at first, but now he has to take it seriously.

He took out his phone, opened the WeChat mini-program, and typed "sheep".

Upon clicking through, it was indeed found that the copyright holder was Beichen Company.

"This kid..."

Cai Zhenyi gritted his teeth.

Previously, when they were gathering intelligence, they thought the other side was making games for young children.

Judging from the game's elements and style, it is indeed a game for young children.

But for some reason, even this kind of game has broken down.

He really couldn't understand why players these days had become so childish.

Or are primary school students becoming the main consumers?

After thinking for a moment, he clicked "Start Game".

...an hour later.

Cai Zhenyi raised his head blankly.

He stared at the pasta on the coffee table, now as cold as ice, and his mind went a little hazy.

He actually spent an hour of his vacation playing this game...

Although he initially intended to scout out enemy positions, he later became somewhat engrossed in it.

Moreover, he also felt...

It seems like it might actually be quite fun.

I need to take a day off to go out and gather materials.

I went out to gather information today, hoping to visit a classmate, but they're dating...

I was thoroughly humiliated by the author who thought he was a good friend...

Like an idiot, I missed my train; neither the train nor the passersby in my life waited for me.

I got lost on my journey of life today...

I need to take a day off. Waaaaah...

Chapter 338 Beat him until it hurts

Having worked for many years, Cai Zhenyi had long suffered from electronic erectile dysfunction, and he no longer felt anything for any games.

The essence of games is nothing more than obtaining data through efforts in the game, and then relying on the data in the game to obtain a sense of satisfaction and stimulate the secretion of dopamine.

Cai Zhenyi could command hundreds of people on a daily basis, with countless people running errands for him. The pleasure that real power brought him far surpassed anything that any game could provide.

Of course he has no interest in games anymore.

But when he played the game "Sheep and the Goat," it was as if a withered tree had come back to life, or a long-awaited rain had fallen. His withered little soul was revitalized, becoming full and firm, and slowly and stubbornly raised its little head.

The simple graphics, basic mechanics, and incredible content of the game "Sheep" actually kept him clicking away with his finger, allowing him to immerse himself in the virtual world for a long time.

When he came to his senses, he was surprised to find that he had actually spent an hour on this kind of game.

He couldn't understand why he was so enthusiastic about eliminating bricks in this pointless way.

Having played so many games, and after a few rounds of "Sheep and the Sheep," he immediately realized: this kind of game was made to trick people into watching ads.

It's difficult? That's right, it's difficult. If it weren't difficult, how would you trick people into using props? And without props, how would you get them to watch ads?

The more difficult the game, the more money the ads make.

He even suspected that the game was impossible to complete.

If players can't complete the game, they have to keep watching ads.

Tsai Chen-yi doesn't think from the player's perspective; he thinks from the game producer's perspective.

Based on past experience, to get readers to play more games and watch more ads, the game is usually designed so that they have to watch an ad or make a purchase to complete the level.

After clearing a level, in order to trick players into continuing to watch ads and make purchases, the next level will be designed to be more difficult, requiring them to watch even more ads.

Only by maintaining a reasonable difficulty gradient while also offering substantial and satisfying rewards can a game keep players engaged and playing.

Currently, there are only two top match-3 games on the market: one is "Dream Garden" made by a foreign company that specializes in match-3 games, and the other is "Daily Elimination" from Donghuang Qixing.

Both games were developed using this approach.

Even if you try your best to maintain the player experience, players will still quit, because the core user base of match-3 games is only a small number.

However, the game "Sheep and the Sheep" does the opposite.

The levels are too difficult? Then don't make them! Maintaining players is too hard? Then don't maintain them!

This arrogant attitude made Cai Zhenyi feel as if it were a joke.

Cai Zhenyi didn't know who designed the game, but he had already labeled the other party as a "noob" in his mind.

So whether the game is fun or not is secondary; what's most interesting is that this irresponsible attitude towards the difficulty gradient of the game has become the reason for it trending on social media.

This is a darkly humorous story.

After thinking for a while, Cai Zhenyi dialed his secretary's number.

"Come pick me up from my house within 30 minutes, and we'll go to the company."

"Notify everyone in the department that the vacation is canceled, and those who can return should come back to work as soon as possible."

Soon, the secretary drove Cai Zhenyi back to the company.

Overtime work is commonplace at the company. Many people were already at the company before he announced the overtime work, and no one complained after the announcement.

For working people, as long as they are paid enough, working overtime is not a problem.

"Remember that company I asked you to investigate last time?" Cai Zhenyi put his phone on the table, crossed his legs, and said to his secretary.

Which one are you referring to?

"Check the trending topics," Cai Zhenyi said succinctly.