Chapter Twenty-One: Master Designer

"Yu Jia, this is Han Hai, the leader of Group Two. From now on, you'll be learning under him with the rest of the team." In the Qiyou Building, Yun Ying led Yu Jia into an office of about fifty square meters. The group leader she introduced wore black-rimmed glasses and was a middle-aged man.

When Yun Ying glanced at him, the man smiled kindly and said to Yu Jia, "Calling me 'Leader' sounds too formal. Just call me Old Han."

Han Hai's hair was long, all tied back at the nape of his neck; with his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, he looked less like an operations manager and more like an artist.

"Please take care of me in the future, Leader Han," Yu Jia said, prompted by a look from Yun Ying.

On the way here, Yun Ying had repeatedly instructed her not to call him Old Han, no matter what he said—she must address him as Leader Han. Yu Jia didn't quite understand the difference, but Yun Ying had emphasized it so many times, she simply complied.

Seeing that Yu Jia hadn't made any mistakes, Yun Ying finally relaxed and smiled at Han Hai. "Old Han, I've got something to take care of, so I'll leave her with you."

"Alright, Sister Yun, go ahead. I'll have Lin Xiaoxiao show Xiao Yu around," Han Hai replied, pleased by Yu Jia's respectful address. He liked polite young people.

After Yun Ying left, Han Hai led Yu Jia into the workspace and began introducing her to the basics of Group Two. "With you, there are ten of us in Group Two. Everyone here is warm and friendly, so don't feel constrained—think of this place as your home."

He brought Yu Jia to a workstation. "This is Lin Xiaoxiao. Follow her for now and ask her anything you need—don't worry about bothering her."

Seated at the desk was a tall, striking woman who could easily overpower Yu Jia—despite her name, Xiaoxiao, there was nothing small about her.

After the introduction, Han Hai spoke to the woman, "Xiaoxiao, this is Yu Jia, our new team member. She'll be with you for now."

Hearing her name, Lin Xiaoxiao turned her head, expressionless, radiating an air that kept others at a distance. "Oh," she replied, giving Yu Jia a once-over before turning back to her work.

Han Hai gave Yu Jia an awkward smile. "That's just her personality—she's actually quite nice."

"Xiao Yu, just observe how Xiaoxiao works. When you feel you've learned enough, come find me and I'll give you access to our recommendation resources."

Yu Jia nodded, and after watching Han Hai leave, she turned her gaze to Lin Xiaoxiao's computer.

She saw that Lin Xiaoxiao was messaging with a designer. Yu Jia leaned in—since Han Hai wanted her to learn, the other woman naturally wouldn't mind her watching.

Sensing Yu Jia's presence, Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at her, then reached under the desk and pulled out a small stool. She set it up and gestured for Yu Jia to sit before returning to her work.

Watching this, Yu Jia blinked her large, pretty eyes. She couldn't explain why, but suddenly she felt that this senior Lin might actually be easy to handle.

She shook her head, dismissing the odd thought, and settled onto the small stool, attentively observing Lin Xiaoxiao's work.

Qingzhu: "How much longer for the new game?"

Sword-Rising Sect Master: "Soon, I'm working on it."

Qingzhu: "You've been saying that for a year."

Sword-Rising Sect Master: "It's really almost done. I've even picked out the name."

Qingzhu: "...When will you release it?"

Sword-Rising Sect Master: "If I have to give a time frame, I'd say ten thousand years."

"..." Watching the exchange, Yu Jia blinked, feeling that the tone here was a bit off.

"Senior Lin, what are you doing?" she finally couldn't resist asking.

"Urging an update," Lin Xiaoxiao replied, her words as sparse as ever.

But her voice was pleasant, the kind that made one want to snuggle up to a big sister next door.

Yu Jia was about to ask more when Lin Xiaoxiao handed her a document.

Yu Jia read through it carefully and finally understood why Lin Xiaoxiao was pestering the designer.

The Sword-Rising Sect Master was one of the few top-tier game designers at the Qiyou Baiqiao branch.

What does it mean to be top-tier? A game with annual sales exceeding ten billion.

No wonder an operations manager would personally urge for updates.

After handing over the file, Lin Xiaoxiao continued her banter with Sword-Rising.

[Ding!]

Suddenly, a new chat window popped up on her screen.

Irascible Mantis: "Boss Qingzhu, I want to participate in the new sci-fi game event."

Seeing the notification, Lin Xiaoxiao frowned. Irascible Mantis was a senior designer whose monthly revenue had once reached ten million, but there was a lot of inflation in those figures... So Lin Xiaoxiao didn't think much of him.

Qingzhu: "Go through the internal submission process."

Irascible Mantis: "Boss Qingzhu, really? I still need to do an internal submission?"

Qingzhu: "Follow company procedures."

Once Lin Xiaoxiao had brushed him off, Yu Jia asked curiously, "What's internal submission?"

"It's a privilege for contracted designers," Lin Xiaoxiao replied. "They can submit their games directly to the operations managers for review."

With that, she reopened her chat with Sword-Rising, ready to continue her endless back-and-forth.

She'd been tormented by him for half a year, nearly driven to obsession—sometimes she even dreamed about how to make him release a new game.

As Lin Xiaoxiao pondered, she suddenly turned to Yu Jia. Newcomers are often the most motivated, while her own patience had long been worn thin by Sword-Rising.

"Want to give it a try?"

...

Baiqiao, Xingxiqiao Continent

Irascible Mantis stared at Qingzhu's reply on the screen and punched his monitor, making the expensive virtual display tremble.

His expression was now as dark as thunder.

On the Qiyou platform, designers are ranked as follows:

Contracted: newly signed designers

Trainee: monthly sales of ten thousand

Junior: monthly sales of one hundred thousand

Intermediate: monthly sales of one million

Senior: monthly sales of ten million

Special: monthly sales exceeding one hundred million

Top-tier: annual sales of ten billion

Platinum: annual sales of one hundred billion

Generally, once you reach the level of intermediate designer, you gain certain privileges on the Qiyou platform. For instance, when you release a game, the operations manager will recommend it directly, granting you access to guaranteed promotion resources. While not officially stated, these are unwritten rules acknowledged throughout the industry.

But now...

He, a senior designer, was being told by Qingzhu to go through internal submission.

Internal submission was for newbies—those just signed!

"This time, with this game event, I'll make sure to top the rankings. Let's see if you regret it then."

Irascible Mantis muttered under his breath, sat back down, and began contacting other operations managers.

A person lives for pride, just as a tree lives for its bark. This time, he was determined to reclaim his dignity.