As he spoke, Wu Wei held out his hand.
Old Zhang looked at Wu Wei's face, which seemed to have planned this all along.
After a long moment, he smiled.
"I heard what you just said."
Though he called Wu Wei a pervert, Old Zhang still reached out and shook his hand.
"You looked pretty pitiful fighting alone, so I'll reluctantly join you."
"Gee, thanks."
Wu Wei smiled and shot Old Zhang an eye-roll.
Men did not need many words. Sometimes, a single sentence—or even a glance—was enough to understand each other's friendship.
Wu Wei knew that although Zhang Zhiyuan never held back with his words—
the gratitude in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Yes, Wu Wei looked like a psychopath who got his kicks from listening to players wail in misery.
But Old Zhang knew that Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, the game Wu Wei had made, had real substance.
Was the game simple?
Simple.
A pile of sprites, a few voice lines, a physics engine, and an animation system.
It was as simple as could be, without the slightest technical difficulty.
There were countless games like it on Zhiyou, so why was only Wu Wei's Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy topping the weekly sales charts?
Because Wu Wei had perfectly seized control of the players' mentality!
He gave them hope, then crushed them with endless disappointment.
Yet after all those disappointments, he gave them an unprecedented, overwhelming sense of accomplishment!
When it came to balancing players' emotions, Wu Wei could be said to have taken it to the absolute limit!
That was why so many people could not put the game down!
This was no accident. Wu Wei had gained an instinctive understanding of game psychology!
He knew that Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy was merely a simple beginning.
An era of suffering games belonging to Wu Wei was about to begin!
(Please send flowers, rating votes, update requests, tips, and monthly tickets. Any support is motivation for this humble author!)
After returning to the dorm, Zhang Zhiyuan placed the food he had brought back for Old Second and Old Third on the table, then clapped his hands.
"Come on, come on. Let's have a little dorm meeting."
There were four people in their dormitory.
Zhang Zhiyuan was the Boss, the oldest of them all.
Next was Liu Lao Er, whose real name was Liu He. A big guy from Shandong, he was bold, straightforward, and generous.
He was a beast at the drinking table. He had once fought four dorm rooms by himself, and in the end, he was the only one still standing when he went to take a piss. He was fierce.
Old Third was even more interesting. His name was Lu Bian.
The first time Wu Wei heard him introduce himself, he nearly laughed himself into the hospital. The dorm next door had almost called the police.
That name was way too suggestive.
Of course, Lu Bian truly lived up to his name.
His family was wealthy, and he changed girlfriends as easily as drinking water. He was the dorm's moneybag and had often helped out his fellow brothers in need.
Finally, there was Wu Wei, the youngest in the dorm: an utterly ordinary psychopath.
The four brothers usually got along extremely well, so this time, Wu Wei decided to bring them along and make something big happen.
"What's up?"
"What meeting?"
Old Second and Old Third poked their heads out from their dorm beds and asked.
"Get down here, get down here."
Zhang Zhiyuan waved them over and pointed at Wu Wei beside him.
"Boss Wu is speaking. Hurry up!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Coming, coming!"
The two hurriedly put on fawning expressions and slid off their beds in one swift motion.
"Boss Wu, what are your orders?"
Lu Bian looked ready to be commanded at will, his face full of flattery.
Wu Wei knew his brothers were just messing with him. He laughed and cursed at them, and the four sat down in a circle.
"You all know that my game made a bit of money."
"Fuck, can we just talk without you showing off? You call that a bit?"
Liu He said,
"You're number one on the weekly total sales chart, with over twenty thousand copies sold! Even after the platform takes its ten percent cut, your net earnings are still four hundred thousand!"
"If that counts as a bit, then we might as well stop living!"
Liu He's family circumstances were among the worst of the group.
Wu Wei had earned a full four hundred thousand from a single game in just one week. It was enough to make anyone green with envy!
"That's not important."
Wu Wei waved his hand with a grin.
"What's important is that I want to take this money and start a small studio with you guys to make games."
At those words, Liu He and Lu Bian, who had been joking around moments ago, both froze.
"A studio?"
"Yeah, a game studio. One dedicated to making games."
Wu Wei said,
"Of course, this is only a rough idea for now. We're brothers, so let's speak openly. If you want to do this together, then we'll make it happen."
"If you don't want to, or your families have already arranged jobs for you, there's no need to feel awkward about it."
Ever since Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy had become a hit, Wu Wei had thought about many things.
He could not keep fighting alone forever.
For now, things were fine. The game was relatively small in scope, and he could still handle it.
But what about later?
It was only a matter of time before he moved toward AAA development.
The undead who passed on the flame, Wolf who proved that hesitation was defeat, Ghost who charged through bullets and gunfire, Norman who delivered packages.
One classic game after another, along with ingenious gameplay ideas, was waiting for him.
That massive workload was not something he could possibly manage alone.
Since he would have to establish a company sooner or later, why not start earlier and build up teamwork together?
The people in this dorm were brothers who knew each other inside and out.
No matter what, they were all honest men who would not betray him.
For a company, stability was crucial.
Wu Wei understood that very well from his previous work experience.
Looking at Wu Wei's sincere expression, Old Second and Old Third suddenly felt their noses sting.
That was four hundred thousand!
It could absolutely be called a considerable sum!
Yet Wu Wei was willing to put it up and share it with his brothers.
To pursue their dream of making games, he was offering up his very first fortune!
Wu Wei's boldness was truly admirable.