Laughter-Inducing Internet Celebrity

Generally speaking, Mr. Du was actually quite well-off. Back when he was an employee, he was a top-tier professional who could afford the capital to start his own business—a true standout among the working class. However, throughout most of the game’s development, he had lived in a state of constant resource scarcity.

It was an unavoidable reality. Game development was a notoriously expensive field, a "money-burning" industry where most producers had to rely on the favor of major corporations or wealthy investors to truly let loose and build something great. The only other option was to strip everything to the bone, perhaps with a few buddies toiling away for years to create a shoestring-budget indie game.

Su Bai didn't come from a major corporation, but his willingness to splash the cash was far more aggressive than any corporate giant.

Never having fought a "war" with such deep pockets, Mr. Du couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive. He was terrified of messing things up and drawing the boss's ire... even though Su Bai appeared to be very easygoing, he knew appearances could be deceiving.

Besides, one couldn't just take advantage of someone simply because they were well-mannered and had a good temperament. In the dog-eat-dog world of high society, bullying the weak while fearing the strong was often the rule of thumb, but that strategy definitely wouldn't work when dealing with an ultra-wealthy elite like Su Bai.

Consequently, Mr. Du felt a lingering sense of unease regarding the game’s current promotional strategy. If they over-marketed it and triggered a backlash, things would get ugly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Du. It’s normal for the comment sections to have opinions. These days, every comment section is full of complaints unless you turn on manual moderation," Wang Haoran said. "As long as the operational data looks good, we're fine."

Wang Haoran possessed the typical mindset of a STEM-focused man. In his view, a vocal minority often made the most noise, which could easily lead to misleading decisions. To him, data was the only objective truth.

With this reminder, Mr. Du felt that perhaps he was indeed overthinking things.

He was just about to head to the conference room to continue discussions with the level designer when an unexpected pair of visitors arrived at the company entrance.

It was a woman wearing sunglasses, dressed in an ostentatiously expensive outfit, accompanied by an assistant.

The moment he saw them, Mr. Du was momentarily stunned, but he quickly maintained his professional courtesy and asked where they were from.

The assistant introduced them.

As it turned out, she was a local Jiangcheng influencer. Apparently, she had heard that the company’s game was blowing up recently and, since she was nearby filming content, decided to "drop by" and take a look.

"I see. Welcome, welcome..." Mr. Du forced a polite corporate smile. He called over an employee responsible for reception to lead them into the conference room and simultaneously notified the level designer that their meeting would be postponed.

At the same time, he was ruthlessly mocking them in his head.

Excuse me, sister? What do you mean, "just dropped by"?

Who do you think you are, an emperor on a tour of the provinces? Or do you think we’re just some little roadside game studio... fine, in terms of scale, we are a bit "roadside," but Bangbang Tech is riding on Su Bai’s coattails now. We’ve got a reputation to uphold.

Furthermore, the woman’s haughtiness was practically written on her face. It wasn't just the influencer herself behind those sunglasses; even her assistant wore a look of blatant arrogance.

It was highly unlikely they were here for a sincere collaboration. More likely, they wanted to jump on the bandwagon and see if they could score a lucrative sponsorship deal.

Mr. Du was well-acquainted with the tactics used by influencers and MCN agencies.

They weren't worth his time. He’d just let the VP in charge of reception brush them off.

With that thought, Mr. Du headed off to the restroom for a "paid poop break."

Ever since his role changed from owner to Su Bai's employee, Mr. Du suddenly discovered that spending time in the restroom stall during work hours had become quite an enjoyable pastime.

Well, perhaps this was an inevitable trait of becoming an employee—the urge to slack off!

It was mostly because the company’s survival crisis had been resolved, allowing everyone’s mood to relax.

Even though the pace of work had slowed down, the recent results—as seen in the game's version updates—were actually of higher quality and received better feedback.

Creative work wasn't something where grinding overtime guaranteed a better outcome; it all depended on one’s state of mind.

In the conference room, the internet celebrity Li Xiaocan looked at the deputy manager in front of her, who was spewing nothing but corporate platitudes, and frowned slightly.

She felt like she was being brushed off...

He was called a deputy manager, but in a small company like this, practically everyone was a "Vice President."

In a proper large corporation, he probably wouldn't even rank as an office director.

It was obvious that Mr. Du was a total "smiling tiger"—slick and oily. He said all the right things, but in reality, he didn't take them seriously at all.

Tsk... Don't these game-developing nerds know how famous I am in Jiangcheng?

One should know that the business deals Li Xiaocan usually accepted were of a much higher caliber.

At the very least, she believed her commercial value was far beyond those amateur cosplayers from the Jiangcheng Anime Society.

Even if you bundled those girls together, they couldn't compare to her.

Therefore, this mobile game company should have been groveling to secure a collaboration with her. Who would have thought they would be so indifferent?

Li Xiaocan couldn't help but glance around.

Credit where it's due, the office space looked quite professional.

She wasn't sure if the company's owner had impeccable taste or if they were just benefiting from being located in the Jiangcheng University Entrepreneurship Park.

Institutions associated with universities always tended to be a bit more refined and geared toward a younger demographic.

After a subtle look from her, the assistant spoke up on the influencer's behalf.

"Deputy Manager Wang, I think it would be best if we spoke with your boss in person. Yes, we want to talk to the actual owner. After all, this is a very important collaboration for you, isn't it? It’s crucial for your company’s future development... Of course, Sister Li actually has many endorsement options. The only reason we're here today is that we wanted to support a local small business..."

Deputy Manager Wang, who was handling the meeting, listened to the assistant’s prattling with a smile. He kept a straight face, but he was laughing his head off internally.

"Supporting a small business"... You make yourself sound like a government official.

Where do you get the nerve? It’s honestly hilarious.

It was nothing more than the classic tactic of playing hard to get to drive up her price.

As for their demand to see the boss personally...

"Mr. Du is currently tied up with something and can't step away. My apologies."

"That Mr. Du from before? He's probably not the actual owner either. We want to talk directly to the big boss, the one who calls the shots."

"...Are you sure you want to see the big boss?"

The image of Su Bai’s tall, handsome figure and his signature nonchalant, playful grin flashed through Deputy Manager Wang’s mind. He struggled to suppress a smirk.

If Su Bai actually showed up, he might not give you any face at all.

Deputy Manager Wang knew the score.

For a truly elite wealthy guy like Su Bai, showing basic politeness to these self-important, laughable influencers was already a courtesy.

Furthermore, Su Bai was a man of the world who had seen it all. Every one of his close female companions was far more beautiful than this so-called influencer; he wouldn't be swayed by her looks in the slightest.

"Yes," she insisted. "I want to see your real boss."

Li Xiaocan also chimed in. She knew that to achieve the highest efficiency and gain the most benefit, one had to negotiate with those who held the real power.