Game Clear

Yancheng.

Tianji Barbecue Restaurant.

Tang Song patted his burning cheeks and let out a breath thick with alcohol.

He turned on the faucet, scooped up some icy tap water, and splashed it over his face.

Then he took out his mobile phone and checked the time.

22:02

This all-day department team-building event was finally coming to an end.

He returned to the private room.

Pretending to quickly join in with his colleagues' conversation.

Tang Song wore a harmless smile, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

The atmosphere was lively and harmonious.

Director Chen Yunteng raised his glass and, red-faced, delivered a few ceremonial remarks. He casually painted a rosy picture of the future, bringing today's team-building event to a perfect close.

They stepped out through the barbecue restaurant's main door.

The slightly chilly evening breeze assaulted the senses as the colleagues said their goodbyes.

"See you Monday, bye bye~"

"Remember to message the group when you get home."

"President Chen, drive safe. Bye bye."

"Come with us, Tang Song. We happen to be heading the same way!"

Inside the black Nissan Teana.

The two female colleagues in the back seat were chatting animatedly.

Tang Song leaned against the front passenger seat's chair back, his eyes half-closed and his expression blank.

In the more than four months since joining Brocade Business, he had poured all his energy into developing the company's new SCM supply-chain procurement system.

System restructuring, feature development, information integration, ERP integration, business process automation...

After the system went live, it greatly improved work efficiency and effectively reduced procurement costs. It received high praise from the company's high-ranking officials.

As a new employee, Tang Song had been full of accomplishment, imagining the promotion and raise his superiors had promised him.

But reality dealt him a crushing blow.

The SCM system's success had ultimately become Director Chen's achievement, seemingly having nothing to do with him.

Even the project's maintenance work had been handed over to Du Shaokai, a colleague with connections.

Tang Song, meanwhile, was assigned to develop a new project and continued working himself to the bone for the company.

The string of unfair treatment made him feel terrible, and he began considering quitting.

Perhaps Director Chen had noticed what he was thinking.

During today's team-building event, Director Chen privately told him that he would apply for a 10% salary adjustment for him next month.

He told Tang Song to work steadily and promised that he would never treat him unfairly in the future.

After struggling with it for quite a while, Tang Song still decided to stay for now.

He would keep this job while looking for another. If he received an offer worth switching for, then he would resign.

His mother had called two days ago as well. A new housing development had opened in his hometown, and she told him to find time to go back and take a look.

If he was considering buying a home within the next six months, he could not let his housing provident fund contributions lapse.

Just as he was lost in thought, Zhao Yue in the back seat suddenly patted his shoulder. "Brother Song! You seem out of it today. Don't tell me you got dumped?"

Tang Song reined in his emotions and mocked himself. "First, I'd need a girlfriend."

Zhao Yue covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Brother Song, you're actually pretty outstanding. You're capable, your features are decent, and you're tall. You're just a little overweight. Hurry up and lose weight while building muscle. The girls at our company will definitely be lining up to chase you!"

Tang Song touched the thick layer of fat on his stomach and said helplessly, "Then I'll work on it."

"Go for it!" Zhao Yue clenched her fist and made an adorable expression.

Hu Mingli beside her blinked and teased, "Little Yue, Tang Song is such a promising catch. Why haven't you snapped him up yet?"

"Sister Mingli, I suspect you're testing me. Don't tell me you have your eye on Brother Song!?"

"Haha, how about we compete fairly?"

"Then I'll have to admit defeat. After all, yours are huge!"

The two slightly tipsy female colleagues shoved each other and joked around, though neither took it seriously.

Tang Song really was a good person—warm, sincere, ambitious, and highly capable at work. He had even worked for a major Internet Plus company in the Imperial Capital.

But his family circumstances were somewhat poor. He was an ordinary young man from the countryside, and buying a home in Yancheng was still a distant dream.

There was nothing particularly outstanding about his looks either. He dressed casually, his hair was unkempt, and he was a little overweight.

As a colleague or friend, he was absolutely fine.

But taking things further? Better not.

Qingxin Garden residential complex.

Tang Song casually tossed aside his backpack and flopped onto the bed.

The alcohol slowly rose to his head, and exhaustion, disappointment, and helplessness swallowed him whole in an instant.

After a long while, he turned sideways, opened WeChat, and sent a message in the department group: "Home."

Then he opened the "Lucky Red Packet" Director Chen had sent, claimed three yuan and twenty cents, and posted a "Thanks, boss" sticker.

He opened Moments and aimlessly scrolled through the screen.

Like an outsider, he silently browsed the updates of familiar and unfamiliar "friends."

Some showed off their daily lives, some showed off their boyfriends, some lived peaceful and contented lives, and some were striving upward.

It seemed that everyone but him was living happily.

Before he knew it, a familiar photo entered his sight.

Deng Yazi: "I accidentally came across our high school graduation photo. Old classmates, how have you all been?"

His scrolling finger stopped unconsciously.

Tang Song quickly found himself in the photo, his gaze growing slightly unfocused.

Back then, he had been about to enter university—full of youthful energy, optimistic and cheerful. White Moonlight had been by his side, and life had seemed full of hope.

But now? Single and overweight, with no car or home, his work and life were a complete mess.

It seemed that ever since his family had suffered an upheaval during his senior year, his life had veered from its intended path and gradually become what it was now.

He casually liked the post, put down his phone, sat at his computer desk, put on his headphones, and prepared to play some games to unwind.

Every stage of life had things that could only be experienced at that stage.

In the three years since graduation, he had seen reality clearly and had been worn smooth by life.

Put more nicely, he had matured.

He still liked what he liked, but no longer forced things, so he left the Imperial Capital and said goodbye to White Moonlight.

He still disliked what he disliked, but could endure it, so he fit into the group and accepted unfairness.

The game "Male God Growth Plan" had suddenly appeared on Tang Song's computer during his senior year.

Maybe he had accidentally downloaded it while browsing study materials.

Because its icon was so large and white, Tang Song clicked into it with a critical mindset, intending to see what it was all about.

Unexpectedly, he ended up playing it for three years, and it was also a major reason he had gained weight.

It was a Simulation Game centered on business management and raising a Male God.

The art style was beautiful, the sound design was top-tier, the settings were complete, the gameplay was exceptionally unique, and it did not require spending money.

The game's story was set against the backdrop of the real world.

Its maps, events, financial markets, companies, policies, environment, and more all remained consistent with the real world.

More importantly, the game's timeline began in 2016.

Living in 2020 and armed with a search engine, Tang Song possessed the cheat-like advantage of knowing the future in the game.

He knew the trends of stocks and futures, the next booming industries, which companies would become unicorns, and which films, songs, and entertainers would become wildly popular in the future...

Moreover, every character in the game had their own storyline, and players could watch their growth, lives, joys, and sorrows.

The sense of immersion was off the charts!

In the game, Tang Song fulfilled his dream of becoming a Male God and thoroughly experienced the pleasures of being a billionaire, surrounded by beauties and standing at the pinnacle of power.

But a game was still just a game.

In reality, he was only a miserable wage slave with no home, no car, and no girlfriend. His life was a complete disaster, and his work was not going smoothly either.

Tang Song shook his head and stopped overthinking.

He entered the game, checked unread notifications, claimed Mission Rewards, bought new items...

After a practiced round of operations, he returned to the main interface.

Tang Song's hand paused on the mouse as his gaze shifted to the in-game timeline.

April 1, 2023

And the current online time was April 1, 2023, 23:50.

Due to the different flow of time, the game and reality timelines were about to overlap.

As a game based on the real world, Tang Song was curious about how the story would develop from here.

He licked his dry lips.

Then he casually picked up a bottle of Happy Water for Fat Otaku.

He summoned his beloved Secretary Jin to report on work.

As he gulped down the Happy Water, he admired the stockinged beautiful legs, slender waist, and perky buttocks on the screen.

All his worries vanished, and his mood instantly brightened.

Although everything in the game was fake, the happiness it brought him was real.

As the clock passed midnight, the rhythmic BGM in his headphones suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

The date in the game changed along with it.

April 2, 2023

Immediately afterward, a beautiful game animation began playing automatically on the screen.

Starting with the story from 2016, one game character after another appeared, one wonderful plot after another unfolded, while achievements, titles, badges, and items he had acquired flashed past from time to time.

After reviewing the entire game journey.

The image gradually fell silent, with only the sound of footsteps—tap, tap, tap—approaching from afar.

The player "Tang Song" slowly walked in from outside the frame.

His suit was immaculate, his posture elegant and upright, and his steps confident and composed.

He stopped before the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of a building, looking down at the brilliant city nightscape below. An indescribable charm surrounded him.

The camera drifted downward, and the image finally froze on his back.

A striking line of text appeared in the middle of the screen.

It seemed the story had ended here. You awakened from a long dream and once again embraced the real world. Congratulations, player!

"Holy crap! Don't tell me I cleared the game? This is fucking it!?"

Tang Song's expression changed drastically. He leaned forward, grabbed the mouse, clicked wildly several times, then heavily pounded the keyboard.

The game screen did not change at all.

Tang Song's heart sank.

He had invested deep feelings into this game.

The realistic setting and unique immersion made him feel as if he truly were cultivating elites, building companies, gathering fortune, and improving himself.

But from this moment onward, the game's dramatic story had come to an abrupt halt, and he had been cut off from one vivid character after another.

An intense sense of loss and disconnection surged over him.

Even Tang Song's breathing became heavy.

"Ding—" A crisp notification sound suddenly sounded.

The game on the computer screen disappeared outright, and the interface became the Windows desktop.

Tang Song's vision blurred for an instant.

Whoosh! A sci-fi light screen unfolded before him.

Player confirmed

System resources loading...1%...50%...100%

Completed