Chapter 54, First Chapter: The Fantasy Mansion

A black swallow shadow swept past under the pale yellow full moon.

The enormous bird's shadow frightened away the birds and rodents on the ground; swallow feathers pierced the air, leaving behind a wisp of menacing wind.

How despicable and hateful!

As the swallow flew, it cursed inwardly.

Those heartless [world lackeys]!

It waited so long, and it only lasted one day! Just one day! And those bastards stole it!

After being chased away, Yanzi stubbornly went back twice to read the ghost stories.

The first time, she stayed there;

The second time, it was gone! She devoured the entire ghost story!

The feathers buried inside the lord were also plucked out by the roots, and even the crippled lord was marked and locked by [the world's minions]!

The swallow trembled with anger, but it was merely a [liar's henchman]. Facing the [claws] born from this vast [world], it was like a mouse facing an owl; it was lucky to escape.

It could only console itself: looking at how that silly dog ​​wagged its tail and begged the woman, even without the intervention of [the world's henchmen], the ghost story probably wouldn't last long.

It knew all along that the dog was stupid, and it was incredibly foolish to choose a dog as its lord!

How could it trust a dog?

Those pet dogs that are all show and no substance, who get all excited when they see humans, how can they expect something that's specifically designed to please humans to reap their negative emotions?

Swallow pondered that she had to choose something that harbored intense hatred for humans—it couldn't be a dog! Absolutely not a dog! A dog is a dog, even one that has been abused and killed. With a little coaxing, it will immediately open its heart to humans.

It wants a truly vengeful, insane, twisted lord with whom humans cannot communicate at all!

These kinds of things aren't easy to find.

A car horn blared sharply, and the swallow stopped abruptly, flew back two meters, and hovered in front of a brightly lit building.

Through the rows of glass windows, the scarlet bird's eyes were fixed on one of the lit windows.

Gaa.

It opened its beak and let out a rough, strange laugh.

What luck! There's one right here!

A malevolent spirit that hates humanity, is insane and twisted, and is impossible to communicate with.

...

...

Good morning, Sister Windy.

"Windy, good morning."

Good morning, Windy!

Wen Ting swiped her card to pass through the gate, smiling and nodding to her colleagues as they passed by, "Good morning."

"sister--!"

A vibrant voice burst forth from behind, accompanied by the scraping sound of canvas shoes against marble tiles, and the girl shot towards Wen Ting like a small cannonball.

She grabbed Wen Ting, who was about to enter the turnstile, and excitedly pointed to the giant screen in the lobby, "Sister, look! It's Yun He Li!"

A huge electronic screen hangs on the first floor of Green Forest Games' headquarters, displaying the highest-grossing characters in popular games each year, quarter, month, and week.

Since returning to work after the Lunar New Year holiday, Chaochao has been paying special attention to the screen. Sure enough, she saw Yunheli as soon as she entered the door today.

That's the role of the team leader!

She's only been here for a little over three months, and she's already seen five different roles played by the team leader on the screen!

Wen Ting glanced at the big screen following Chaochao's finger.

Amidst swirling celestial clouds, a handsome man modeled after a crane lowered his eyelids, a faint smile playing on his aloof and unparalleled face, conveying kindness and compassion.

The cry of the crane in the clouds.

The character she designed last year made its debut this Spring Festival, and the gacha pool revenue was quite good.

“Yes.” Wen Ting’s eyebrows curved into a smile. “I’ll treat you to afternoon tea once I get the bonus.”

Chaochao picked up her employee badge and swiped it through the gate. "Afternoon tea? Aren't you going to treat me to lunch, Windy-jie?"

Wen Ting walked with her to the elevator. "I can do it, but I'm afraid I won't be able to find a time when you all have dinner together."

Touched on a sore spot, Chaochao clutched her chest, heartbroken, "For the two months before the Lunar New Year, I didn't get off work before 10 pm every single day. This week after resuming get off work, I finally had a little free time, don't tell me I'll be busy again soon."

"Oh, this is nothing." The woman waiting for the elevator with me smiled and glanced over. "Group Nine's attendance record is the best in our company. If you can't handle this, then there probably won't be a suitable position for you in the entire company."

Upon seeing who the woman beside her was, Chaochao immediately fell silent and shrank back nervously behind Wen Ting.

The leader of Character Design Group 7 doesn't get along with their Sister Windy.

Wen Ting nodded to the woman, "Good morning, Sister Cathy."

"Good morning." The woman gestured with her chin, pointing to the screen behind her. "You saw it as soon as you arrived, impressive, Windy. How much was it this time? Give me a hint?"

“I haven’t received the money, so I don’t know either.” Wen Ting leaned towards Cathy. “Hey, how much is your Chu Hu? I’ll calculate it and find out.”

Cathy chuckled, "Chu Hu has already been nerfed, how can Liushui compare to you? Besides, Chu Hu's copywriting is... I'm speechless."

Ultimately, the success of casting depends on planning, copywriting, and marketing. How much does appearance really matter? Do you really think it's because Wen Ting's drawing is so good?

“It’s C’s fate to be nerfed; it was only a matter of time.” Wen Ting smiled. “When the next version of Ai Long comes out, Yun He Li will also be nerfed to dust.”

Cathy smoothed her hair. "That's true. Group One is going to be all the rage again. We should just rename them the Dragon Group. It's been like this for years, they just give them any role that's even remotely related to dragons."

Chaochao silently watched the two women who disliked each other chatting and laughing from the 1st floor to the 12th floor.

The elevator doors opened, and the two of them chatted and laughed as they walked out together, only waving goodbye at the fork in the road.

As soon as Cathy left, Chaochao immediately stepped forward and whispered, "Sis, she was gossiping about you and the head of the copywriting team in the break room yesterday."

It's said that Wen Ting was flirting with someone during work hours, no wonder the writing quality of Wen Ting's characters is always different in the third part of the novel.

"I know."

Chaochao asked in bewilderment, "Aren't you angry?"

“I’m angry.” Wen Ting’s eyes curved into a smile. “But what she said was also the truth.”

Chaochao: Huh?

She stared blankly as Wen Ting entered the office, unable to understand what she had just said for a long time.

What's the meaning?

Is the team leader really having an affair with the copywriting team 3? But isn't the team leader of copywriting team 3... a woman?

ah? ? ?

Wen Ting pulled out a chair. It was 8:45, and half of the seats in Group 9 were still empty.

In recent years, Green Forest's R&D team has expanded rapidly. The art department alone occupies three floors. Group 9 was a newly established group the year before last, and Wen Ting is the first group leader. The whole group is very young, and these kids like to arrive on time.

At 10 a.m., the administrator knocked on the door of the Persona Team 9 office. "Windy, come here for a moment, the editor of KOL Weekly is here."

The team members in the workspace looked up, and Wen Ting asked, "Is this an interview with Sajiro?"

"yes."

Wen Ting stood up and waved to the boy at the opposite workstation, "DD, come with me."

The boy with naturally curly hair paused for a moment, then pointed at himself with his index finger: Him?

"Yes, you come here."

The boy stood up somewhat awkwardly, tugged at his sweater, pulled down his rolled-up sleeves, and followed Wen Ting, clearly unprepared.

After they left, whispers arose in the office: "Windy really called DD."

"That's great! Now that I've been featured on a KOL's page, I can switch jobs right away."

"Where are you jumping to?"

"I don't know, I just want to resign."

"Hey, the new year has just begun."

"Stop studying! Stop studying!" The girl clutched her head in anguish. "Another year of classes! I want to die!"

The small office was filled with a somber atmosphere.

None of the five members of Group Nine didn't complain about going to work, but none of them planned to change jobs.

These days, the painting industry has its own advantages and disadvantages. The two best places to stay under Wen Ting's tutelage are one where you don't have to work overtime in a perfunctory manner, and the other where you have the opportunity to stand out.

Although DD had heard from Wen Ting that there would be an interview about Sajiro today, Sajiro's final draft was completely different from his first draft.

From his hairstyle to his shoes, Wen Ting gave him nineteen suggestions for improvement, big and small. He was simply implementing Wen Ting's requirements.

DD doesn't consider himself to be the character designer for Sagiko; at best, he's just Wen Ting's legitimate drawing AI assistant, and therefore doesn't have the qualifications to participate in the interview.

When DD sat in front of the KOL's editor with his messy hair, he was still in a dream, looking completely bewildered.

"Yes, I offered some suggestions to help refine the details, but the core design was all done independently by DD."

He heard the team leader say this to the editor with a smile.

“You look so young,” the editor said, turning to him. “May I ask how old you are?”

"...25."

How many years have you been at Green Forest?

"A year and a half."

"Could you talk about the design concept behind the whale?"

DD glanced at Wen Ting, who was stirring her coffee without saying a word.

"It's a design that incorporates elements of great white sharks and killer whales," DD said, forcing a smile.

The editor was intrigued: "As far as I know, great white sharks and killer whales are mortal enemies. Why design a character that combines elements of both?"

Wen Ting saw the pleading look in DD's eyes.

She nodded encouragingly to him; this was a great opportunity to elevate the relationship, whether it was saying "love-hate relationship is sweet" or "pace and love."

Encouraged by his team leader, DD paused for a moment and honestly replied, "I don't know. The planning team just said there would be elements of great white sharks and orcas, but they haven't given us the detailed settings. I haven't had time to look at the latest game update, so I don't know what kind of story it is."

He added, trying to sound clever, "For specific details, please refer to the game content."

"..."

The editor chuckled twice and turned to Wen Ting, "The young men in your group are really honest; they always speak the truth."

Wen Ting covered her forehead, shielding her face from the photographer's lens.

After the interview, DD belatedly asked, "Windy, did I not do a good job?"

Wen Ting sighed: "DD, out of so many personas, there must be a reason why you took the one with Sagiko."

“Oh…” DD replied slowly, “Because I did a marine-themed project in college, I have readily available information on great white sharks and killer whales, so it’s easy for me to do it.”

Wen Ting was speechless.

After a moment, she gave a thumbs up, "Great! I like experienced people. We should make full use of the resources we have."

DD tilted his head and said, "Last time when Dany made the potato rat, you praised her, saying that people should step out of their comfort zone and not always do the same things."

"..." How could anyone in this world have such low emotional intelligence?

Wen Ting covered her mouth and laughed, "Your situations are different. She's been in the industry for three years and needs to make a breakthrough. As for you, you're still young. Just pick up what you're good at and do it well first."

"I see." DD nodded, understanding.

"It's getting late, let's go eat." Wen Ting glanced at her phone. "We're about to receive the bonus from the Whale King, let's treat ourselves to something nice?"

DD lacked emotional intelligence, but he had work experience. He hesitated for a moment, then honestly said, "Windy, this role was basically your idea, so I don't think I should take this bonus."

"Alright, I, as the team leader, get a cut of the team members' bonuses." Wen Ting winked. "If you feel bad about it, bring me a cup of coffee. What do you drink every morning—a Coke Americano? Bring me a cup to try next time."

DD thought about the amount of the bonus and realized there was no need to argue about it over such a small amount of money.

"Are you sure? A lot of people can't handle it." The whole office has complained about him.

How will you know if you don't try?

"I'll bring it to you tomorrow. It's from a shop near my house." He took out his phone. "Do you want me to give you the address?"

Wen Ting casually replied politely, "Okay."

She received a shop recommendation – WOOD (Baijing Mansion Store)

Wen Ting was slightly surprised. "You moved?"

"Yes, my commute takes an hour, so my family bought me a house closer to home."

Wen Ting looked up from her phone and met DD's clear, nearsighted eyes.

She gripped her phone tightly.

I feel like a clown for wanting young people to get more bonuses.

“You can also click in and choose other options,” DD said, oblivious to her misunderstanding, “Here is the menu. Just send it to me before tomorrow morning.”

Wen Ting gave an OK sign, "Received, will definitely send it to you by tomorrow morning."

A rich local brat.

Back at her workstation, everyone had gone to eat. Wen Ting took out her lunchbox from her bag and started eating the leftovers from last night.

Green Forest is located in the CBD of the Second Ring Road in Beijing, and the nearby takeout and restaurants are outrageously expensive. The company cafeteria is decent, but the lines are always very long.

Sometimes, when Wen Ting is too lazy to queue at the cafeteria and can't afford to eat out, she will bring the leftovers from the previous night.

She opened her lunchbox and habitually took out her phone.

The time spent eating was neither too short nor too long. Wen Ting didn't like watching short videos, so she cleared out her daily game tasks.

It's not a particularly fun game; it's just become a habit.

When you unlock the phone, there's a cute, ancient-style character in the bottom right corner of the home screen.

He reclined on the chaise lounge, holding a book, occasionally blinking and occasionally turning the pages.

This is a very old game, and hardly anyone plays it anymore. It was a product of Wen Ting's first company – Desktop Lovers.

Put on a Bluetooth earphone and gently touch the little figure.

After long-pressing, the game program running in the background will be brought up.

Instead of launching directly into the game, a 15-second splash screen ad was inserted early last year.

Not only is there an ad on the splash screen, but the game is also crammed with ads everywhere.

The originally simple UI has become colorful and gaudy, with various recharge icons made to look shiny, and the whole game is filled with a poor and cheap feeling.

Wen Ting hadn't paid much attention to the current situation of her previous company. She could only learn from occasional chats with former colleagues on her contact list that the company was about to go out of business.

According to the last former colleague who left the company, "Desktop Lovers" will permanently shut down after reaping a wave of traffic during this year's Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival is over, and the servers will probably be shut down in the next few days.

After the 15-second splash screen ad, the chibi character reverts to the original version.

A handsome man in ancient costume with blue brocade and white background, wearing a green jade hairpin, lay lazily on the chaise longue in the study.

Under the warm sunshine, as the light and shadows danced, he breathed lightly and slowly closed his eyes. As if sensing something, he looked towards the screen.

As he turned his head, a white birthmark, about the size of a fingernail and shaped like a butterfly, was revealed under his left eye.

The beautiful scene was ruined by the blatant recharge icon.

Wen Ting shifted most of the responsibility to the recharge UI, while taking a small part of the blame herself.

She interned at Wanluo during her senior year of college. This is a work from her student days, and the technique is indeed not very good. Moreover, seven years have passed, and this style of painting is outdated.

From both a professional and gameplay perspective, the graphics are too rough and rudimentary.

Such works, which are not updated and maintained in a timely manner and are only focused on making money, are bound to be eliminated.

Amidst the densely packed recharge ads and small window advertisements, a man with gentle features smiled at Wen Ting: "My lady, you're back."

Wen Ting tapped one of the few blank spaces on the table. He got up from the couch and said, "It's noon. Time to eat."

Wen Ting picked up a piece of potato from the lunchbox and put it in her mouth.

The man tilted his head, then suddenly frowned. "My lady, lunch is the main meal; it cannot be eaten casually."

The potato melted in Wen Ting's mouth. She was stunned. The game was about to shut down, and a new dialogue appeared?

In the game, Gong Baidie is still speaking: "I have prepared a meal for my wife. Please follow me."

Oh? Did they release a new CG?

Wen Ting clicked down, and the moment she pressed the button, a food delivery ad suddenly popped up on the previously blank screen below her finger.

The game immediately redirects to a food delivery app.

"..."

She said, "The server is about to shut down, so why are there still new dialogues?"

Close the food delivery app and return to the game.

Wen Ting outlined the daily interactions: three conversations, a free heart-shaped gift box, a pat on the head, and then a pat on the chest. Completing these tasks will earn her a free heart-shaped gift box for tomorrow.

In just three minutes, I accidentally triggered two ads.

With such a vicious and greedy way of eating, I wonder if I'll even be able to give away the little gift box I received today tomorrow.

Thinking of this, my fingers, which were about to quit, paused.

No matter how rudimentary or outdated it was, it was the first game she participated in producing and the first project she established herself in the capital.

Looking at Gong Baidie, who was surrounded by the UI for recharging from all sides, Wen Ting felt a rare sense of melancholy.

Unlike large companies like Green Forest, Wanluo Network, which produced "Desktop Lovers," was a small workshop. When Wen Ting first joined, it didn't have a detailed division of labor, and the entire company, including the boss and the cleaner, consisted of only five people.

During her two years at Wanluo, Wen Ting created nine "desktop lovers" characters. She was responsible for the art, planning, and copywriting of each character, and she even had to find the voice actors herself online.

Gong Baidie was the first role she played, and also the most popular of the nine roles. It was thanks to Gong Baidie's popularity that Wen Ting, with only an ordinary undergraduate degree, was able to switch jobs and enter a super big company like Green Forest.

The role of Gong Baidie helped her a lot.

Wen Ting tapped Gong Baidie's head, and a small hand appeared in the game, stroking Gong Baidie's head.

The refined man's cheeks flushed as he twirled a strand of black hair. "What does my wife think of the new White Butterfly Balm? I've applied the Snow White Balm that Ling Qiao and my wife both like to my old stylist. Does she like the smell?"

The excessively long text bubble was partially obscured by the recharge icon. She closed her lunchbox and turned off the game.

The new character design on the computer screen is almost complete, and it's ready to be submitted to the modeling team.

The lunch break was more than halfway over, and no one had returned to the office yet.

Wen Ting picked up the stylus and adjusted the pattern on the accessory.

The emotions evoked by the shutdown of "Desktop Lovers" are less about sadness and more about a wake-up call.

Every game has its life cycle, and even the most painstakingly crafted characters will eventually fade away.

Games die, characters die, she dies too; carbon-based life and digital life will all die one day.

Money, making money.

Making money is the top priority; money is the only way to prolong one's lifespan.

Lost in her work, Wen Ting didn't notice that the screen of her phone, which was lying to the side, had lit up again.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Me: Isn't the male lead's name, Lulu, a little too cute?

Friend: Yes...

Me: Forget it, let's leave the first unit like this, and start the next one with a better name.

Next unit: The White Butterfly

Okay, let's leave the first two units like this. Let's start the next unit with something better.