Employee Number Two

Chapter 151

At 9:30 AM, inside Shangdao Coffee.

Gu Ran picked a booth by the window and ordered two cups of Blue Mountain coffee.

On his laptop screen, the App Store backend subscription curve was climbing explosively.

Everything was ready; all that was missing was the final piece of the puzzle.

10:00 AM sharp.

The wind chime at the cafe entrance rang with a crisp sound.

Li Sinan pushed the door open, her exquisite curves wrapped in a black professional pencil skirt.

Her hair was meticulously pinned up behind her head, her light makeup was delicate, and the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose made her look like a highly capable legal beauty.

She was trying to use her mature outfit to cover up her overly young and beautiful face, as well as the unconcealable anxiety in her eyes.

The recent rumors at school and the joint complaints from parents pressed down on her like a mountain, leaving her breathless.

Her resignation letter was already written and sitting in her bag.

Today was the last way out she had left for herself—the mysterious GRGameStudio.

Li Sinan stood at the door, her gaze quickly sweeping across the cafe.

At this hour, there were very few customers.

In the corner, there was a couple being overly affectionate; at the bar sat a chubby guy playing on his phone.

As for the rest...

There was only the back of someone wearing a white shirt sitting by the window.

Li Sinan froze for a moment.

Why did this back look a bit familiar?

She subconsciously tightened her grip on her bag strap and walked over in her high heels.

As she got closer, Li Sinan let out a gasp of surprise, her previously tense professional demeanor instantly collapsing by half.

Student Gu?

She walked up to the table, looking at the young man who was spacing out at his computer screen, and asked subconsciously.

Why are you here? Don't you need to review... oh wait, you've already finished the college entrance exam.

Li Sinan remembered this kid's heaven-defying score of ranking second in the whole school. She couldn't help but tap her head, then gave him an apologetic smile. Your teacher has had too much going on these past two days, I forgot the exams just ended.

Seeing that Gu Ran didn't speak, Li Sinan subconsciously assumed he was playing a game and didn't think much of it.

Anyway, she was about to resign; a teacher's authority and all that didn't matter anymore.

She leaned in a little closer, lowered her voice, and asked with the nervous tension of someone feeling a bit guilty:

Student Gu, since you've been sitting here, did you happen to see a... well, a middle-aged man who looks like a boss?

In her imagination, the producer capable of making a smash-hit game like Temple Run...

Had to be a balding, slightly chubby middle-aged geek in a plaid shirt, right?

Gu Ran closed the menu and slowly raised his head.

His deep eyes carried a hint of teasing amusement, his gaze lingering on Li Sinan's slightly flustered face for two seconds.

Miss Li, are you looking for that balding middle-aged man, or are you looking for your new boss?

Li Sinan was stunned.

This tone... wasn't right.

Before her brain could process it, Gu Ran pointed to the seat opposite him, the corners of his mouth curling up:

Have a seat, Ms. Li. You are very punctual.

Ms. Li?

This form of address gave Li Sinan goosebumps.

She pulled out the chair and sat down in a slight panic, her suspicious gaze darting around Gu Ran's face.

Student Gu, don't joke around with your teacher. I'm waiting for a very import...

GRGameStudio.

Gu Ran interrupted her. His voice wasn't loud, but it struck Li Sinan's heart like a heavy hammer.

Founder, Gu Ran.

He extended his long, slender fingers, tapped lightly on the table twice, and spelled out the letters of his name.

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

Li Sinan's pupils shrank instantly, her mouth fell slightly open, and her gold-rimmed glasses almost slipped down her nose.

GuRan... GR... Gu Ran?!

"You... you're the one... the one who sent the emails..."

Li Sinan stammered, her mind going completely blank.

She simply couldn't connect the recent high school graduate sitting in front of her with the business mogul in the emails who spoke with such authority about the future of the mobile internet.

This was too absurd!

"Don't believe me?"

Gu Ran seemed to have anticipated this reaction.

He didn't bother explaining further. Instead, he just turned his laptop around so the screen directly faced Li Sinan.

"The App Store developer backend, real-time data."

"Temple Run, global downloads have broken the five million mark."

Gu Ran tapped on the astronomical figure, his tone as casual as if he were reading off a menu. "This is the data as of eight o'clock this morning."

Li Sinan felt her brain buzzing.

Even though she was an English teacher, she could still read numbers.

That string of zeros dancing on the green chart looked like some kind of magical incantation, instantly shattering all her doubts and her entire worldview.

Five million downloads?!!!

With such an astonishing number, she didn't even dare to imagine the profits behind it.

What shocked her the most was that the person who achieved such an incredible feat was actually her student?!

The very same student who was currently sitting across from her, drinking a thirty-yuan cup of Blue Mountain coffee and looking at her with a completely calm expression.

Li Sinan took a deep breath and adjusted her glasses with trembling hands, trying to calm herself down.

But her voice was still wavering.

"So... the code you were writing in my English class back then..."

"That was it."

Gu Ran admitted openly.

"Didn't you even help me test out a bug back then, Ms. Li?"

Li Sinan blushed.

She had only done it for fun at the time; how could she have thought so much of it?

Just as she was lost in thought, Gu Ran sneezed.

Weird, who is gossiping behind my back?

It took a full five minutes to digest the information before Li Sinan could barely accept this surreal reality.

She looked at Gu Ran, and her gaze had changed.

She was no longer looking at a student, but at a monster, or rather... a wealthy boss.

"Then... what about the company?"

Li Sinan asked cautiously.

"The team you mentioned in the email, and the future plans..."

With such high numbers, the company's scale must be pretty big, right?

There had to be at least a research and development team of several dozen people, a spacious office building, and professional HR and finance departments...

Hearing this, Gu Ran put down his coffee cup.

He leaned back slightly, unable to hide the amusement in his eyes.

Leaning against the back of his chair, he calmly held up two fingers and waved them in front of Li Sinan.

"Currently, the company structure is very streamlined."

"Streamlined?"

Li Sinan had a bad premonition.

Or rather, ever since finding out that Gu Ran was the mysterious person... she had an inexplicable feeling of having been roped into a sketchy scheme.

Gu Ran smiled faintly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth:

"I am the boss, as well as the producer, lead programmer, and game designer."

"You are employee number two, as well as the lead artist, operations manager, admin, and accountant..."

At this point, Gu Ran paused and subtly added.

"If necessary, you might also have to moonlight as the janitor."

Li Sinan: "..."

She stared at Gu Ran's two wiggling fingers, feeling a sudden wave of dizziness.

So this was just a ragtag setup?!

It wasn't even a shell company. It was literally a bare-bones commander leading a single gullible fool who hadn't even officially joined yet!

This wasn't finding a safe harbor; this was boarding a pirate ship!

"Student Gu, no, Gu Ran..."

Li Sinan took a deep breath, feigning anger, and put on her authoritative teacher persona.

"You're employing child labor... No, wait, this is a scam!"

"A scam?"

Gu Ran raised an eyebrow. "Teacher Li, have you ever seen such a handsome scammer?"

"Besides..."

Gu Ran leaned forward, his deep eyes locking intently onto Li Sinan's, his tone suddenly becoming incredibly bewitching.

"Do you want to stay at that school full of prejudice and gossip, wasting your talent writing self-reflection letters for the rest of your life?"

"Or do you want to join me, stand at the forefront of the mobile internet boom, and become a rule-maker in this industry?"

"Even though it's just the two of us right now, in the future..."

Gu Ran pointed out the window, his voice deep and powerful.

"We will be the ones setting the rules for this industry."

"Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo... in the future, when they see us, they'll have to politely call us 'friendly competitors.'"

Li Sinan looked at the high-spirited youth before her.

Sunlight spilled through the window onto the side of his face, coating him in a layer of gold.

Although she didn't quite understand some of what he was saying, in that moment, she had to admit she was truly moved.

That feeling of being trusted, being needed, and... the desire to break the status quo.

"But..."

Li Sinan was still making her final struggle.

"I've never made a game before. I'm just an English teacher who occasionally draws illustrations..."

"That's enough."

Gu Ran pulled a bank card from his pocket; it was one he had prepared specifically for this.

"There's five hundred thousand in startup capital in here."

He slid the card across the table to Li Sinan, making a crisp scraping sound.

"The password is six eights."

"Your first task is not to draw, nor is it operations."

Li Sinan was completely stunned.

Five hundred thousand?

Just handed over like that?

Looking at the utterly dumbfounded Li Sinan, a victorious smirk curled on Gu Ran's lips.

"I want you to go to Qinglin City."

"Rent the best office building near Qinglin University and register the company."

"Let's name it... GR Games."

The reason he chose Qinglin University wasn't just because it was where he and Ye Zhenzhen were about to go.

More importantly, it would be his home base, the starting point of his business empire.

Being in a favorable position brings distinct advantages—whether it came to securing talent, or a wife.

Li Sinan looked at the thin bank card in front of her, feeling as though it weighed a ton.

She bit her lip and, ultimately, reached out, slowly pressing her hand against the card.

"B-Boss..."

Going from her student to her boss, Li Sinan was still not quite used to the change in title.

Though her voice was still a bit dry, she asked, "Does this count as... a business trip?"

Gu Ran smiled.

He picked up his coffee and took a gentle sip.

"Of course, Teacher Li."

"And it's all fully expensed."

...

Half an hour later.

Li Sinan walked out of UBC Coffee in a daze.

She clutched the bank card tightly in her hand, along with the newly signed contract. Her gait was stiff and uncoordinated, as if she were walking on cotton.

It wasn't until she settled into the taxi that it suddenly hit her.

Did she really just... sell herself?

And to an eighteen-year-old student, no less?

If the facts weren't staring her right in the face, she would have honestly thought she was being pranked.

Oh my God, this was just too surreal...

Meanwhile, back in the coffee shop.

Gu Ran watched Li Sinan's retreating figure, in an excellent mood.

Now that Employee Number Two was sorted out, next up...

It was time to head back and take care of "Family Member Number One" at home.

Thinking of Ye Zhenzhen, the smile on Gu Ran's lips deepened.

He wondered if that little ostrich had gotten out of bed yet.