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

"Including PC, PS, NS, Xbox, and other mainstream platforms," ​​Chen Ya said. "High-performance consoles will have high-spec configurations, and low-performance consoles will have low-spec configurations. As long as the compatibility is done well, that's fine."

Gu Yuqing pressed her forehead: "I feel like you're constantly digging a hole for yourself, and it's a huge hole that no amount of soil can fill."

Even if Chen Ya said his "Original Demon" plan started a long time ago, the company has only been officially established for a few days! Most of the company's employees only started working today!

And yet, they're digging such a huge hole, making a cross-platform game, and it'll take another six months to develop...

If this could be made, it would require cheating!

Seeing Gu Yuqing's indescribable expression, Chen Ya suddenly placed his hands on her shoulders.

What are you doing?

Gu Yuqing felt a rare moment of panic.

"As I've said before, the core of our game is 'paying for love,'" Chen Ya said. "As long as players feel our love, they will make purchases."

"So, your way of making players feel loved is to dig a hole and bury yourself in it?"

"Pretty much." Chen Ya actually nodded. "Only by doing our best in every aspect of the game, pushing the platform's performance to its limit, and doing everything to the extreme, can we make players feel loved!"

Gu Yuqing mulled over her emotions several times, silently chanting "My heart must not be swept away" for a long time before finally revealing a smile of utter despair.

"Whatever makes you happy."

After all, it was stated that non-interference in business operations is a principle.

Gu Yuqing's only hope now is that Chen Ya won't get too carried away and become unrealistic and ambitious, leading to a major setback.

His previous works, "Sheep and Sheep" and "Synthetic Watermelon," should have generated enough revenue to meet his father's demands, based on normal income levels.

As long as Chen Ya's game doesn't devour gold so quickly that he ends up losing money and can't recover his losses, then it's a victory.

Speaking of which... Gu Yuqing thought to herself, a company that made "Sheep and the Sheep" has such a big budget for its second game.

Who would believe that if I told them?

If Gu Yuqing didn't know Chen Ya well, she would never have believed it.

...Outside Chen Ya's private office, Ishikawa Dong sat there, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Earlier, Xu Zheqing and Qin Sulan were with Chen Ya, intending to report on their work before leaving. However, the three of them, standing outside the door, all heard Gu Yuqing's intermittent voice coming from inside.

"...You're so big...you can support me..."

"...feeling love..."

The office door, while not exactly soundproof—you can't hear much anyway—it also lets in some noise.

Undoubtedly, the two employees next to him, who weren't very familiar with Chen Ya, also heard it, which made Ishikawa Takashi feel very embarrassed.

Although Gu Yuqing never revealed her identity, and Chen Ya didn't deliberately introduce her, secrets don't stay hidden forever. News always spreads like wildfire, and now everyone knows that the beautiful woman is an investor.

I'd heard before that the relationship between investors and business owners can sometimes cause all sorts of problems, and seeing the two of them like this now, it's hard not to have some doubts.

Qin Sulan held a folder in front of her face and whispered to Ishikawa Tō:

"Is there something going on between Mr. Chen and that investor?"

Ishikawa Takashi immediately adopted a Buddha-like posture, looking down at his nose and remaining silent.

Just kidding. During the Qingming Festival, Gu Yuqing almost sat on Chen Ya. The two of them were bickering right under my nose. What kind of relationship could they have?

But even if you know, you absolutely cannot tell anyone!

Qin Sulan whispered, "Actually, I think Mr. Chen is the most handsome man I've ever seen in real life, and the investor is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in real life. The two of them... are quite a good match."

Ishikawa Tō remained silent, while Xu Zheqing, standing beside him, boldly commented, "I basically agree."

Just as the two were chatting, the office door suddenly opened, and Gu Yuqing, her face flushed, appeared before the three of them. Seeing the three standing in the doorway, Gu Yuqing was startled.

All three of them saw that the room inside was dimly lit, the curtains were drawn, and a faint fragrance wafted from it. They had no idea what had just happened...

But the next topic was off-limits; they couldn't think about it too much—the three of them quickly reminded themselves.

Gu Yuqing glared at Chen Ya, then turned and walked away in her high heels.

Chen Ya watched her retreating figure and suddenly smiled.

Actually, if he wanted to show his abilities, it would be very easy to impress investors; there was no need for him to make such exaggerated claims.

He simply didn't want to use the same tactics he used on investors on Gu Yuqing.

Besides, he had already said that before.

I don't lie to Gu Yuqing.

……

At the last meeting, Gaoshan Capital mentioned that they were investigating the project led by Cai Zhenyi, and the schedule was moving faster than expected.

As the company's top executive, Gu Yuqing naturally had to personally oversee this project. Even if she had a thousand objections in her heart, she still had to go and watch over it.

Her partner was her cousin, Gu Zefeng, who had a large gap in his mouth and liked to talk about everything. Gu Yuqing didn't like him.

But from another perspective, taking him along when doing official business, as long as no outrageous rumors spread, is considered an excellent performance.

The two arrived at the new office building of Donghuang Qixing. As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw a welcoming team lined up, led by Cai Zhenyi himself.

"Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu, our two Mr. Gus are very welcome! Welcome to our Perfect Studio!"

Cai Zhenyi, with the air of a successful man, eagerly extended his hand, but Gu Yuqing was holding her bag with both hands, so his warm hand ended up in Gu Zefeng's hand.

I need to get an injection at the hospital and take a day off.

I'm not feeling well and am currently receiving IV fluids at the hospital, so I probably won't be able to write anything today. I'm taking a day off.

A young woman next to me, who was also getting an IV drip, kept glancing at me secretly; I don't know why.

Chapter 345 Can You Please Stop Looking for Me?

"Hello."

Gu Zefeng was a little flattered and quickly greeted them with both hands. The two waved and patted each other's shoulders, acting as if they were very close.

"It is our honor that the two Mr. Gus would grace us with their presence; it truly brings glory to our humble establishment..."

Gu Zefeng laughed and said, "President Cai, you have such a good relationship with our family, so there's no need to be so formal!"

"Haha, since Young Master Gu is so generous, I won't bother with formalities. But what I just said was all from the bottom of my heart, nothing more, hahaha..."

The two met when they were children. Their relationship was the kind where they would fight over toys and make each other cry. After a few words, their feelings would quickly warm up, and the cold, fake smiles on their faces could freeze a tilapia.

Gu Yuqing glanced at Cai Zhenyi's back. Several employees stood respectfully behind him, subtly highlighting Cai Zhenyi's central position as the center of attention, creating a sense of ceremony.

It's clear that Cai Zhenyi didn't take advantage of Gu Zongyan's approval or the relationship between the two families for granted. He led the studio staff out to greet her, giving her plenty of face.

At least he's much more refined than Chen Ya, that guy who's truly "spoiled and arrogant."

However, Gu Yuqing felt that this arrangement... seemed a bit like a seating arrangement, which was far too bureaucratic for an IT company.

Chen Ya's employees were more inexperienced and less slick, giving off a more "geeky" vibe.

"Let's talk inside."

Gu Yuqing and her group entered together. Donghuang Qixing clearly had high hopes for this studio, allocating a four-story detached office building to them as their office space, with an estimated annual rent of tens of millions.

The group passed by the minimalist-style lobby on the first floor. Since they were visiting, they didn't take the elevator but entered the staircase through the side door, stepping on the soft orange carpet as they went up to the second floor.

As soon as I reached the second floor, a wave of heat, mixed with the smells of many people, hit me.

Before me were countless rows of long office tables, each with more than ten computers, half of which were occupied and the other half empty.

As Cai Zhenyi walked, he gestured and introduced the items:

"Our main office area is on the second and third floors, with a total of 300 workstations. We are still recruiting and our goal is to fill these 300 workstations and then add another 100."

Gu Zefeng stared in disbelief and asked, "President Cai's studio has a development team of 400 people?!"

“Yes,” Cai Zhenyi said, looking quite proud. “Our Donghuang Qixing has quite mature project management experience, and a development team of 400 people is just right for our game.”

After meeting Cai Zhenyi, Gu Yuqing finally spoke for the first time and asked, "How long is your game development cycle?"

"One year."

Gu Zefeng exclaimed in surprise again, "A year? That fast?"

"Yes, this deadline was set out of a sense of responsibility to our investors," Cai Zhenyi said.

"This game represents a huge leap from our previous game genres, and it's an adventure for both the company and me. We hope to see results from headquarters and investors as quickly as possible."

Gu Zefeng said with a sigh, "I can't wait to see what President Cai's new game is like."

After touring the entire studio, Gu Yuqing realized that the term "studio" had given her the wrong impression, causing her to underestimate Donghuang Qixing's determination this time.

With a development team of 400 people and an independent office building, the initial investment was substantial.

At this rate, if their games don't generate an average monthly revenue of 3000 million, the studio owner will have to commit suicide to atone for his sins.

After touring the development office area, we went to the reception hall for a discussion. Cai Zhenyi invited over a man with a buzz cut, saying he was the lead game designer, and asked him to introduce the game's content.

The game's lead planner looked to be around forty years old, with a slightly dark complexion and a rather honest appearance. He spoke succinctly and without much eloquence, holding a laser pointer in his hand. He turned on the projector and immediately began to speak.

He clicked on the PowerPoint presentation, and several character designs and map designs appeared on the screen. The art style was anime-like and looked quite exquisite.

"Our game is tentatively called 'Gungnir's Heart,' but of course, the name is only tentative and will definitely be changed after it goes live. It tells the story of an adventurer who travels to the otherworldly continent of Karadi and gradually explores the mysteries of the world..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zefeng couldn't help but yawn.

Cai Zhenyi interrupted the lead planner, saying, "Just get to the point. There's no need for background information."

The lead planner skipped two pages and continued, "Our game's core gameplay and monetization revolves around gacha mechanics and character progression. We've drawn inspiration from Zelda: Legends of the Wild and Original Sin, designing an environmental interaction system. For example, water combined with ice will freeze the environment, and wind combined with fire will set the entire area on fire..."

Gu Zefeng nodded blankly; he knew nothing about these things and felt nothing. Gu Yuqing, however, was deeply shaken.

This idea is the same one that Chen Ya had in mind.

The only difference is that one involves elemental reactions between characters, while the other adds a map interaction mechanism—making it more similar to Legends of the Wild.

Just as Chen Ya said, everyone was studying "Legend of the Wilderness," so their thinking was bound to converge.

"Then what is the point of your design?" Gu Yuqing asked.

The lead planner opened her mouth, not expecting Gu Yuqing to ask such a question. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"In terms of meaning, from a gameplay perspective, it encourages players to explore multiple ways to solve problems. Our game will have two elements: adventure and survival. In this process, different elements can be used to interact and achieve the goal."

Gu Yuqing nodded, and the lead planner continued:

"From an operational perspective, players need to have multiple characters to have enough means to solve various problems and play more 'comfortably,' which indirectly increases players' desire to draw cards."

Gu Zefeng asked, "So how much exactly can it improve?"

This question stumped the lead planner; he opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time. Cai Zhenyi waved his hand, gesturing for him to hand over the test pen, and said:

"Let me explain."

Having taken over the situation, Tsai Chen-yi crossed his legs, sat on the sofa, and frantically pressed buttons on the PowerPoint presentation, finally stopping at a table full of data. He then spoke eloquently:

"I won't go into too much detail about the gameplay; I'll mainly talk about the revenue. As I mentioned earlier, we have a team of 400 people, and the development cycle is planned for one year. Regarding the revenue..."

Although Cai Zhenyi works in the gaming industry, he is essentially more of a speculator.

He is neither an expert nor interested in the professional fields of game mechanics and design; his only interest is in the revenue generated by the game.

How much to invest, how much to return, what the rate of return is, how long the game's lifespan is... all these are his concerns.

In short, he doesn't care about the game itself; he only cares about whether the game makes money.

After Cai Zhenyi spoke for a long time, Gu Yuqing roughly understood.

In Cai Zhenyi's game, there is a "temple" similar to the temple in "Legend of the Wild".

Players can team up to challenge the "Temple Boss" in order to obtain the corresponding character's exclusive weapon and skill fragments, and develop their characters.

Each version introduces a brand new temple, and in order to clear the temple, players must log in every day to grind stamina and increase their combat power.

Of course, spending money can increase the efficiency of grinding and allow the team to be formed faster.

In addition, the game's "shout" function (the little megaphone for speaking in the world channel), guilds, costumes, and so on all require in-game purchases.

After listening, Gu Yuqing had only one feeling: this is an online game version of "Legend of the Wilderness", full of pay-to-win elements.

Like other games from Donghuang Qixing, it is similar to other online games from major companies.