The month-long closed beta for World was a resounding success. After about ten days of final adjustments, the game officially launched.
Riding the wave of the previous PR war and a massive marketing budget, millions of players flooded in on the first day. Since the goal was to net over 200 million in profit, Jiang Zhou had prioritized server capacity during development. As a result, there were no lag spikes or crashes despite the high traffic; the optimization was flawless.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a game with a full population at launch that doesn’t lag!”
“Waaaah, my computer actually runs it! I can’t do max settings, but on normal, it doesn’t stutter! It finally doesn’t stutter!”
“My laptop from freshman year—which is over two years old with average specs—can run this. I’m actually surprised.”
“Go go go! World, here I come! I’m going to be the coolest kid in the primitive world!”
The launch of World caught the attention of various sectors, especially the business community. Many people came to “inspect” the game to see if it truly had the potential to hit the 200 million profit mark. This inadvertently turned into high-level promotion, drawing the interest of several wealthy socialites and heirs.
After his attempt to ruin the world through public opinion failed, Lu Shen turned to other tactics. He registered a shell company and utilized the moles he had planted within Shangzhou Games to start poaching staff.
Jiang Zhou’s salaries were already triple that of ordinary game companies, with core members earning nearly 100,000 a month. Lu Shen didn’t hold back this time, offering 200,000 a month just to lure away the core R&D team.
It would be a lie to say they weren’t tempted by a doubled salary, but they had to weigh the situation. As core members, they were eligible for company shares. More importantly, Jiang Zhou had promised that if the annual profit targets were met, she would distribute 5% of the total revenue among them.
With only five or six people in the core team, each stood to gain nearly 1% of the total revenue. This was far more attractive than a mere salary bump.
“President Jiang, these are the few people causing trouble. They’ve been constantly hinting that a company with better benefits is hiring,” the HR department reported, having quickly identified the troublemakers.
“In a few days, I will form a new game research team. Put these individuals and those who are wavering together as the ‘core team’ for a new project.” Sending them away would be easy, but that would be too lenient on Lu Shen. She needed to make him bleed a little.
“Understood, President Jiang.” HR didn’t quite understand the move, but she trusted Jiang Zhou unconditionally. She knew that the critical parts of the World were completed by Jiang Zhou alone. Even if the core team was poached, as long as Jiang Zhou remained, a new team could be built in no time.
…
As the game entered its profitable phase and bugs became rare, Jiang Zhou found herself with more free time. And with free time came a perfectly legitimate excuse to head to the building next door to find Xia Shang.
“Is President Jiang here for President Xia?” the receptionist greeted her, proactively pressing the elevator button. “President Xia is in the conference room meeting a client.”
“Thank you.” Jiang Zhou thanked her politely and took Xia Shang’s private elevator directly to the top floor.
Xia Shang wasn’t there, and the office door was locked. Jiang Zhou pulled her right hand out of her pocket and used her fingerprint to unlock the door. Once inside, she closed it behind her.
She walked over to the desk and sat in Xia Shang’s chair. Noticing the computer wasn’t locked, she squinted at the screen.
The browser was open to a search page. Driven by curiosity, Jiang Zhou moved the mouse to the search history. When she saw the keywords, her lips curled into a massive grin.
【How to propose to a girlfriend?】
【What to prepare for a proposal?】
【Top 10 things to watch out for during a proposal!】
【Gift this to your girlfriend during a proposal to make her cry with joy!】
【Top 3 things girls love most! Must buy!!!】
She’s planning to propose?
Jiang Zhou let go of the mouse, leaving the interface exactly as it was, and started playing on her phone. Since this was the case, she should act as if she knew nothing and saw nothing.
About half an hour later, the office door opened. Xia Shang walked in, pinching the bridge of her nose with a look of exhaustion.
“Follow up on CEO Yan’s matter and see what companies he contacts next,” Xia Shang instructed her assistant. She looked up and finally saw Jiang Zhou sitting in her chair.
“Go back to your work; I’ll call you if I need anything.” Xia Shang stopped and turned to the assistant. “I need to rest and don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Yes, President Xia.” The assistant’s view was blocked by Xia Shang, so she didn’t see who was inside and left without suspicion.
Once the door was closed, Xia Shang’s expression softened. “Finished with work?”
“Mhm. The world is running smoothly. The team can handle the minor issues.” Jiang Zhou stood up and threw herself into Xia Shang’s arms.
Xia Shang caught her steadily. Before she could speak, Jiang Zhou wrapped her arms around her neck and peppered her with kisses.
“From now on, I’ll just clock in during the morning and spend my afternoons here with you,” Jiang Zhou said. “Well? Are you moved?”
“You used to be here all the time,” Xia Shang stated matter-of-factly.
“Hmph. Women. Truly never satisfied,” Jiang Zhou teased.
Xia Shang smiled, used to these antics. She played along. “True. When it comes to you, I will never be satisfied.”
“Oh? You mean I can’t satisfy you?” Jiang Zhou raised an eyebrow.
“Mhm. Your stamina isn’t good enough.” Xia Shang delivered a critical hit immediately.
“…” Jiang Zhou had no comeback for that. It wasn’t her fault; the physical foundation of this body was just… what it was.
“Sigh. So, love does fade, doesn’t it?” Jiang Zhou sniffled. “Are you bored of me? Do you think I’m getting old?”
“Huh?” Xia Shang tilted her head. “I’m three years older than you.”
Jiang Zhou ignored her. “I see. You clearly prefer those seductive eighteen-year-old girls.”
“I don’t.” Xia Shang sighed helplessly. “You know I only like you.”
“I don’t know that!”
Xia Shang kissed her. “I only like you. I only like Jiang Zhou.”
Jiang Zhou’s eyes twinkled. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Then why don’t you give me presents?” Jiang Zhou countered.
“Presents?” Xia Shang blinked. She usually just gave Jiang Zhou her cards to swipe as she pleased.
“If you don’t even want to think of gifts for me, how can you talk about liking me?” Jiang Zhou sighed. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
Xia Shang didn’t know what to say, so she tried tentatively: “What do you want? I’ll go buy it now.”
“What I want might not be buyable,” Jiang Zhou said seriously.
“I have money. A lot of money,” Xia Shang emphasized.
“I want you. I want Xia Shang,” Jiang Zhou said. “Can money buy that?”
Hearing this, Xia Shang’s expression turned even more tender, losing all the cold indifference she showed her subordinates. “I… am yours.”
After some playful cuddling, Xia Shang lay on the office lounge bed, having changed into pajamas. Don’t overthink it—they spent every night together; there was no need to “work overtime” during the day.
“Close your eyes and just feel my touch.” Jiang Zhou knelt on the bed, placing her hands on Xia Shang’s shoulders, performing a massage on her acupressure points.
Playfulness aside, Jiang Zhou had noticed the fatigue in Xia Shang’s eyes. She had likely dealt with a difficult client. While Jiang Zhou understood business, she was still a step behind Xia Shang, the future richest person.
The best she could do was monitor Lu Shen’s every move and ensure Xia Shang could relax after work.
…
Two months after the launch, the monthly profit report for Shangzhou Games came out. Looking at the numbers, Jiang Zhou remained very calm.
“Announce it: everyone gets double bonuses this month.” At Shangzhou, Jiang Zhou maintained her “boss” persona—cold and collected.
But as soon as she reached the building next door, she became much more approachable, greeting familiar faces with a smile.
Click. The office door was locked. Jiang Zhou slapped the report onto Xia Shang’s desk.
“Look. This is the monthly profit, after all costs have been deducted.” Jiang Zhou lifted her chin, tugging at her collar to reveal some faint, ambiguous marks.
Xia Shang picked up the report. When she saw the amount at the bottom, surprise flashed in her eyes. “This is… net profit?”
“Yes. How is it?”
“Unexpected,” Xia Shang said. “I estimated a ceiling of about 20 million. I didn’t expect 50 million.”
“The total users for World have surpassed ten million. As long as everyone spends a few dozen bucks, we’ve already won the bet.” As she spoke, Jiang Zhou walked behind Xia Shang, her peripheral vision catching the computer screen.
Oh boy. This time it wasn’t a search page—it was an actual forum thread.
# I gave my girlfriend a surprise proposal, and in the end, I was the one kneeling and crying… #
Wait… this thread title seems a bit… off?