Watching the Show in the Office

The "Frost Snow Project" was no stranger to hired trolls.

It had faced them once right after its initial release.

But that was perfectly normal.

—In this world, the ACG game circle was a bizarre realm; anyone who waded into it was bound to get slammed sooner or later.

Either slammed by players, slammed by hired trolls, or slammed by both at once.

If you launched a new game and neither trolls nor players were trashing it, it most likely meant your game was dead in the water—nobody cared at all.

When "Frost Snow Project" first launched, thanks to its relatively niche positioning, it enjoyed the premium treatment—getting slammed by both players and trolls simultaneously.

But that "welcome ceremony" only lasted three or four days.

After that, probably sensing the "Frost Snow Project"'s doomed aura, rival companies quickly stopped topping up the trolls' accounts.

Then the "Frost Snow Project"'s buzz took a cliff-dive in no time.

"What's the deal this time?"

"Could some rival have the foresight to think the 'Frost Snow Project' turning a new leaf would threaten them?"

"Hmm..."

Xu Meng pondered for a few seconds, trying to pinpoint the mastermind behind it all.

But there were over a dozen ACG game companies worth naming—no way to guess.

In the end, he could only jot a note in his little book, toss his phone aside in annoyance, and go to sleep.

The next day, the moment he arrived at the company, Xu Meng stormed over to the Operations Department to chew out the person in charge.

"Do you know who's hiring trolls to steer our narrative?"

"Huh?" Operations Director Song Zhicheng blinked in confusion, clearly caught off guard by the question.

Seeing that expression on his face, Xu Meng helplessly pressed his forehead.

That thought from yesterday resurfaced—how could he make a good game with these Pests? But he shook his head, casting that excessive notion aside.

He pulled out his phone, opened the comment section of the "Frost Snow Project" account, and showed it to Song Zhicheng.

Song Zhicheng scrolled through a few pages, then said uncertainly, "Are these posted by trolls?"

Xu Meng took a deep breath and raised a hand to his chest.

—Behind him, Little Assistant Chen Mengling had already slipped her hand into her inner pocket.

"You're asking me? Who's the Operations Director, you or me!?"

Song Zhicheng fell silent.

"Come on, haven't you been in this industry for over seven years?" Xu Meng looked at him, a mix of frustration and disappointment. "Haven't you made any industry friends, like troll ringleaders or something?"

Song Zhicheng had nothing to say.

After a long pause, he finally forced out, "I... don't like trolls. I've barely had any contact with them."

"?" A question mark slowly appeared above Xu Meng's head.

You're an ACG game operations guy, and you've made it to director—not liking trolls is normal, but barely having any contact with them is a bit...

"I quit my last two jobs because I refused to use trolls to attack competitors and got fired for it." Song Zhicheng confessed with some difficulty.

"..."

Xu Meng wanted to say something, but found it hard to get the words out.

So Dream Builder's Operations Director was a high-minded idealist? That wasn't easy.

Too bad, buddy, you picked the wrong track.

You shouldn't be at an ACG game company—you should go to a single-player game studio.

That place is crawling with damn idealists, each one more stubborn than the last.

Xu Meng let out a weary sigh. "Forget it."

"Not wanting to attack competitors is fine, but you can't just sit back when others attack you. Here's what you do—try asking around with your former colleagues."

"If you can't find out, then forget it."

"If you can figure out which company it is, you don't need to hire trolls. Just tell me, and I'll curse them out myself."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Song Zhicheng froze for a moment, then quickly nodded as he snapped back to reality.

"And about that VTuber girl you were supposed to contact—make sure you get on it. Don't skimp on the budget."

"Got it. I'm already setting up meetings."

"Good. Let me know as soon as you find out." Xu Meng reminded him again before finally leaving the Operations Department.

As he passed through the open office area, he could clearly feel a restless, unsettled energy flowing through the crowd.

Unlike yesterday's turmoil—when the company seemed on the verge of collapse, the boss fired the heads of the copywriting and art departments in succession, and drastically restructured work content—

This atmosphere held no unease, but instead churned with a secret, gleeful anticipation.

A few people in particular were grinning lewdly.

Xu Meng was baffled.

"What's up with them?" he asked Chen Mengling.

The Little Assistant pointed at Chen Wanzhong not far away. "Their reactions differ, but the reason's the same."

Xu Meng followed her gaze and saw Chen Wanzhong fidgeting, his face flushed red, occasionally clenching his fists to psych himself up.

"What's he nervous about? Going on a blind date?"

"Boss, didn't you say to send invitations to the agency and bring in models for them to draw reference from? The models are arriving this afternoon," the Little Assistant finally revealed.

"Chen Wanzhong's too nervous, but to do his job well, he can't avoid looking. He's mentally preparing himself."

"The other employees have just never seen several models in real life before. They're probably looking forward to a live show or something."

"Live show?" Xu Meng shook his head instinctively.

But after shaking it, he fell into thought.

To ensure good reference material, they'd offered the talent agency double the price, securing permission for non-photography staff to observe during the shoot.

The company was indeed short on cash, but the afternoon appearance fee for B-list models was actually very low.

—So low it made Xu Meng wonder how they even survived. Still, low fee or not, basic respect had to be maintained.

Xu Meng had his staff rearrange the large motion-capture office, clearing out a rest area and a changing room.

The observing staff wouldn't swarm in like gawkers at a zoo; instead, a designated viewing area was set up, and photography was banned.

—The motion-capture space was Dream Builder's largest indoor area, oversized for the company's needs, easily accommodating everyone.

Without a doubt, this was another legacy left by the former boss, Zhang Yang.

In short, Xu Meng demanded the process be as professional as possible to ease any awkwardness the models might feel.

Thinking it over, turning this "reference session" into a team-building fashion show didn't seem half bad.

The models could get an extra red envelope to supplement their living expenses.

The employees could shake off the unease from the company's upheaval and layoffs, boost morale, and dive into the upcoming grueling overtime schedule.

"Do you want to watch too?" he asked his assistant.

The Little Assistant looked a bit embarrassed, but seeing that Xu Meng wasn't joking, she nodded excitedly. "Yes! Totally!"

"Then make it happen. Go find Zhang Ge and Sister Chen and have them arrange it."

Those two—one handled external liaison, the other managed internal coordination—were among the few employees at Dream Builder over forty, experienced and highly reliable.

Sister Chen in particular, who juggled administration and HR, was very popular in the company.

Xu Meng watched the Little Assistant trot off to find them and nodded in satisfaction.

Having a company was way more comfortable than going it alone.

Being a hands-off manager felt great! He unscrewed his thermos, took small sips of goji berry tea, and strolled leisurely over to the art staff's workstations to watch them draw the new character portraits.

He was most familiar with Ding Nian and Xu Fang, so he walked over to see their work.

But the moment he saw Ding Nian's screen, half the goji berry tea in his mouth sprayed straight out of his throat.

"Cough, cough, cough!!"

He choked, coughing violently.

Ding Nian, who had been completely focused on her drawing, turned around in confusion.

On the computer screen beside her was a red-haired mature woman, completely nude, reclining sideways on a dark red sofa while sipping red wine.

That was Tong Que, the female character with the most screen time in the early stages of the "Frost Plan."

"You, cough! Why are you drawing a character without clothes?" Xu Meng asked with difficulty between coughs.

I did say to make the character sexier, but I never said to leave her naked! There's no way this would pass censorship!!