Whether a space is good or not depends entirely on what it's going to be used for.
Take a telemarketing-focused company, for instance. If you set up these small, exquisite, private cubicles, it would be inappropriate—completely inappropriate! It wouldn't have that "hustle" atmosphere at all!
The gaming industry, however, is a different story. This field is full of shy, socially awkward nerds, so the more rooms there are, the better. Everyone can just do their own thing without bothering each other.
Nerds aside, the art department also has its fair share of eccentric master artists. Putting these people in a conventional corporate environment would actually make them uncomfortable.
Listening to Su Bai's logic, the property manager's mouth twitched slightly.
It sounded like the company President Su was planning to start didn't have much of a future... Oh, wait, that wasn't just his imagination.
Actually, right here on the sixteenth floor, there was a ready-made example.
It was one of the only two companies on this floor that had yet to move out.
The other company was obviously a shell corporation. It had no actual business and no real staff here. They had already communicated with its boss, and it could be cleared out at any time.
So, in reality, there was only one company left to negotiate with.
"Speaking of which, it's quite a coincidence. That company is also in the gaming industry... I think..."
The property manager wasn't entirely certain either, because the atmosphere in that small company was rather bizarre, and the boss was drunk every single day.
"Is that so? Then we'll tag along with you and say hello to our peers."
Su Bai didn't mind making their acquaintance. In fact, he was quite curious about the gaming industry, mainly because he rarely had the chance to interact with it in his daily life.
Wang Haoran was slightly socially awkward, but it wasn't a big deal. With Brother Bai around, he definitely felt much more confident. A lot of college students were like this: if a close buddy was particularly opinionated and took the lead in doing something big, twisting everyone together like a rope, they could actually unleash a tremendous amount of energy. But if the rope failed to twist, they'd just be a pile of loose sand.
Walking down the corridor toward the room further inside, Su Bai saw the sign for Bangbang Technology Game Studio and felt a profound sense of respect.
"Silly son, don't you think this logo looks a bit familiar?"
"Isn't this the game we were just discussing? That buy-to-play, niche, premium anime-style mobile game..."
Wang Haoran and Su Bai had reached a surprising consensus on their teasing nickname for this game. It was mainly because this genre had a strong pretentious, artsy vibe—a kind of tragic beauty where the creators insisted on making it even knowing it wouldn't turn a profit.
"So this company is actually located right here in Jiangcheng," Wang Haoran marveled.
"And it's right in the industrial park outside our university gates... By the way, how long has this company been here?" Su Bai turned to ask the property manager.
The property manager explained that they had been there since the company was registered. It seemed they weren't doing very well and were expected to disband within a week.
"A week? Then who's going to make up for the New Year's event that I'm missing out on?" Wang Haoran grumbled.
Su Bai was shocked. "It actually has a New Year's event? Such a cheap game still has the conscience to release updates..."
"Yeah, it feels like the event content is richer than a certain open-world mobile game."
"That's invincible." Su Bai mused that the talents in the room before them should be dubbed Mobile Game Immortals. In comparison, Wang Haoran wasn't an immortal at all; at best, he was a Core Formation senior disciple from the lower realm.
Filled with reverent anticipation, Su Bai watched the property manager knock and open the door.
A faint, crisp scent—a blend of coffee and whiskey—wafted out to greet them.
Excellent. It perfectly matched Su Bai's stereotype of artsy youths... In Su Bai's worldview, these people's absolute favorite drinks were coffee and foreign liquor. Chu Mingzhe, for example, loved this vibe, except Old Chu's alcohol tolerance was pretty weak. He and Xue Tao were about on par; combined, the two of them would be instantly wiped out by Wang Haoran in a single round.
Yes, despite Wang Haoran looking completely harmless, during the dinner party after military training, he had almost drunk their instructor under the table...
When it came to alcohol tolerance, he was the hidden boss of the legendary Room 510. This was just pure, unadulterated talent, considering the guy didn't even like social dinners or anything of the sort.
Before long, a bloated, long-haired artsy man appeared. Despite the long hair, he didn't give off any feminine aura. His sharp gaze and thick stubble proved that he was an orthodox artsy man, radiating an aura of unrestrained freedom.
The guy's very first sentence made Su Bai almost lose his composure.
"Heh, are you here to kick me out early? As expected, the ruthlessness of capital is fully exposed at this very moment."
"...President Du, we act strictly according to the contract. Before the lease expires, we won't kick anyone out." The property manager seemed to have long understood the other party's temper and smiled with great politeness. "We have new clients who want to rent this floor. It just so happens they are also in the gaming industry, so I brought them over to take a look."
"Oh?"
Hearing that peers had arrived, the man snorted softly—three parts contempt, three parts amusement, and four parts a burp from drinking too much.
He stared at Su Bai, sizing him up for a good while, and fell into a momentary daze.
As everyone knew, statistically speaking, the average attractiveness of professionals in the gaming industry was... well, quite average... or even below average.
Handsome men and beautiful women were like ultra-rare mythical beasts that occasionally spawned in the wild grass—creatures that only existed in legends.
Even among these mythical beasts, Su Bai belonged to the tier with the absolute noblest bloodline.
No matter how narrow-minded a person was, they had to admit he was good-looking. This was an absolute crushing defeat on a genetic level, capable of evoking humanity's innate appreciation for beauty.
However, President Du of Bangbang Technology Game Company quickly snapped back to reality and let out a cold, world-weary sneer.
"Just another playboy from some rich family coming to play games with life."
With that, he shook his head and turned to pace away.
Along the way, he grabbed the liquor bottle beside him and took a swig.
Su Bai noticed the bottle. It was Johnnie Walker Black Label... or as it's more commonly known, Johnnie Walker. Yes, the very same Johnnie Walker often associated with a certain game streamer...
"Quite tasteful. This whiskey has the highest cost-performance ratio at this price point... Well, not necessarily, it depends on personal taste," Su Bai commented sharply.
"...Why do I feel like this boss is a bit..." Wang Haoran was momentarily at a loss for words.
How to put it? He definitely wasn't an ordinary person.
But then again, being an artist, if he were ordinary, he probably wouldn't be able to create anything interesting.
"How long has this guy been exhibiting these symptoms?" Su Bai asked the property manager.
"Pretty much... he's always been like this. Sigh, President Su, please be the bigger person. President Du isn't actually a bad guy; he just likes to spout weird nonsense occasionally."
"It's fine, I don't mind."
In Su Bai's eyes, the comedic effect of this guy's edgy, melodramatic persona far outweighed any offense it caused him.
Besides, the guy wasn't wrong. He, Su Bai, really was a playboy playing games with life. There was nothing wrong with that statement. These days, anyone marching into the gaming industry with zero foundation and making a massive fuss about it was just someone with too much money to burn. It was perfectly normal for people to think of him that way.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
