After ending the call with Xie Shijin, Wen Xiao set the bed tray, which had been leaning in a corner, on the bed, then pulled her laptop out of her bag.
It was the same laptop the original owner had bought for college. It had cost over four thousand yuan, had very little memory, and didn’t even have its drive partitioned.
The C drive was already full.
With a machine that lagged so badly even games turned into mosaics, Wen Xiao genuinely wondered how the original owner had managed to play at all. Xie Shijin had transferred her so much money, yet she hadn’t even thought of getting herself a new gaming computer.
If she could get her videos off the ground and start earning money, the first thing she’d do was buy herself a new computer.
Wen Xiao opened NetEase Cloud Music to put on some songs. Then an idea struck her, and she invited Xie Shijin to listen along.
He joined a moment later.
Wen Xiao’s playlist was full of catchy pop songs that got stuck in your head.
Naiyou Paofu: This is my playlist, Your Majesty’s. Do appreciate it properly. Most people don’t get this kind of treatment.
After sending that, she focused on editing her video.
“Young CEO Xie, the core gameplay framework for Starcore Contract is all in place. The lead programmer says the underlying logic is stable, and there haven’t been any serious crashes or lag so far…”
A sugary little song came on. Wu Ze paused, surprise flashing across his face.
Since when did Young CEO Xie listen to this kind of catchy pop?
Seeing him stop, Xie Shijin finally looked up. “What is it?”
Wu Ze immediately returned to normal. “Nothing. At the current pace, we should have a complete installation package ready next week for a small-scale gray release test. The only things that need your decision are the launch event plan and the gacha rates for the first release. The planning team has drafted two versions and is waiting for you to look them over when you have time.”
Xie Shijin had set up a game studio while he was still in college and released quite a few hit mobile games. His studio had made a name for itself in the gaming industry.
“Mm. Have the planning team send the proposals over.”
“Of course.”
Wu Ze was about to leave when he heard Little Xie’s phone switch to another song—a catchy hit that had been all the rage lately. His girlfriend had even gone out of her way to learn it and sang it in his ear every day, to the point that he could hum a few lines himself.
He hadn’t expected Young CEO Xie to like this kind of song, too. He remembered that Xie Shijin used to listen to music—or rather, not listen to music. What had gotten into him today?
Wu Ze didn’t dwell on it and quickly left the office.
Xie Shijin had naturally noticed the song’s style, too. He frowned, but in the end let it play through.
At midnight, Wen Xiao finally finished editing the video.
Her shoulders were aching badly.
She stretched, and the lyrics reminded her that their listening session was still on.
Xie Shijin hadn’t left yet.
He might be asleep at this hour, so Wen Xiao simply turned off the music.
To her surprise, a message from him arrived the next second.
Xie Shijin: Not listening anymore?
Naiyou Paofu: Mm-hm, I’m done for the day. Getting ready for bed.
Naiyou Paofu: Good night~
She sent a waving cat sticker.
Xie Shijin replied with a very aloof “Mm.”
Looking back through their chat, Wen Xiao realized that he had never said good morning or good night to the original owner. Some people thought saying good night was flirtatious; Xie Shijin probably felt the same way, which was why he’d never said it to her.
Only when the original owner asked what he was doing would he tell her about his day. If she didn’t ask, he could go the whole day without sending a message.
Maybe he was just a low-maintenance partner…
Wen Xiao was exhausted. As she turned the thought over in her mind, her eyelids closed, and she soon fell asleep.
The next day, Wen Xiao got up at eight on the dot.
She didn’t feel like making congee today, so she heated the custard buns from the fridge in the rice cooker and poured herself a large glass of cooled boiled water. As part of her morning routine, she sent Xie Shijin a good-morning message.
After sending it, she crouched at the doorway and gazed at the front yard she’d cleaned until it was spotless.
She’d already decided to turn the outside into a garden.
First, she’d have to lay down concrete. The dirt path was filthy. Then, from the gate leading into the courtyard, she’d plant flowers on either side…
Wen Xiao had watched plenty of renovation videos and already had some initial ideas for how to build out the house.
She opened BOSS. She’d submitted over a hundred resumes yesterday, but only a few people had replied. The range of options was even narrower for the remote part-time jobs she was looking for.
Wen Xiao replied to them one by one.
One company, called Cool Entertainment, said she could do a trial edit.
Most of the jobs Wen Xiao had applied for were editing positions. The footage this company sent her was from a gacha game on the market, a kind she’d never played.
She specifically looked up the editing style for this type of game, then tried putting together a video.
Xie Shijin: [Transfer: 5,000]
Xie Shijin: Breakfast money.
Wen Xiao was still looking for work that paid a hundred yuan a day, while one transfer from the young master was nearly two months’ wages. Did the gap between people really have to be this huge?
Facing the temptation of money every day, Wen Xiao was afraid that one day she’d fail the test.
With tears in her eyes, Wen Xiao tapped “Decline.”
Naiyou Paofu: No, I love custard buns.
Naiyou Paofu: Xie Shijin, have you ever played Borderlands?
If she remembered correctly, Xie Shijin was great at games. He’d even started his own studio in college, and later released a mobile game that became a nationwide hit. The studio had grown into an independent game company.
Unfortunately, after he took over Xie Corporation, he handed the game company over to someone else. Without him at the helm, it gradually fell behind in the gaming market.
Xie Shijin: I have. Why bring it up all of a sudden? Do you want to play?
Wen Xiao answered honestly: No, I got a remote editing job, and they want me to edit videos for this game. I don’t know much about this kind of game, so I wanted to ask you about it.
Xie Shijin: Download it. I’ll show you how to play.
Naiyou Paofu: Okay~
Xie Shijin played a round with her, and Wen Xiao got the basic idea.
He was very patient. When she didn’t understand something the first time, he explained it again. At first, Wen Xiao had been nervous, afraid he’d think she was stupid, but he was unexpectedly good-tempered.
Once she understood the game’s essentials, she watched the sample account the company had provided and soon finished editing the video.
While waiting for a reply, Wen Xiao clicked to check out the company. It had between zero and twenty-two employees, so it seemed small.
Then again, a big company wouldn’t hire her either.
An hour later, the company told her that her trial edit had passed and that she’d need to do a brief online interview.
They offered eighty yuan per video, with a bonus if one took off.
The rate was decent, and it was remote, so Wen Xiao gladly accepted.
The interview was scheduled for one that afternoon. Wen Xiao made a point of applying a full face of makeup. She had lovely features and barely a blemish on her face; with makeup, her face looked even more refined. Her eyes in particular were bright and limpid, like a deer’s in the forest.
Naiyou Paofu: I’m about to have an interview and I’m so nervous. It feels like taking an exam in high school.
Before she’d transmigrated, Wen Xiao had been an old hand at work, skilled at slacking off while avoiding her boss’s notice. Now that she’d transmigrated and had to interview again, she really did feel that nervousness of someone just entering the workforce.
Xie Shijin: [Image.jpg]
The first thing that caught her eye was a row of long, slender fingers. Then she noticed the talisman resting in his palm, inscribed with the words, “May every interview be a success.”
Wen Xiao once again marveled at how beautiful his hands were.
Naiyou Paofu: Why do you have something like this?
Someone with Xie Shijin’s status didn’t need to interview for a job. He was one of those privileged people who inherited the family business as soon as he graduated.
Xie Shijin: A friend bought it as part of a group order.
Jiang Zimo loved collecting things like this. Even though he was a young master, he was always hunting for bargains on all the major platforms, buying plenty of useless things just to qualify for a discount. Whenever they met, he’d show off the junk he’d picked up.
Wen Xiao thought his friend seemed pretty down-to-earth.
Wen Xiao entered the interview room ten minutes early. At one o’clock sharp, the interviewer joined.
At the sight of the interviewer’s familiar face, memories she’d buried suddenly came back to haunt her.
The streamer was called Xun Zhou. The original owner watched his livestreams all the time. He was handsome, had a nice voice, and was good at games.
The original owner often sent rockets in his stream, spending well over a hundred thousand yuan.
And that wasn’t all. She often harassed him with private messages, asking for his personal contact information. He’d turned her down repeatedly, but she’d even threatened to stop sending him gifts if he wouldn’t add her.
Most male streamers would add a major donor to keep them happy, but Fanzhou was different. No matter how much money she spent on him, he wouldn’t add her.
In fact, because the original owner harassed him so often, he’d come to hate her.
Wen Xiao: “…”
The original owner really had left her surprises everywhere.
But there was no turning back now. Wen Xiao steeled herself and said, “Hello, interviewer.”
Hearing a voice that sounded somewhat familiar, the man looked up.