Rookie Hacker Online

Chapter 6: Rookie Hacker Goes Online

The holiday arrived quickly. Wang Yue nervously called his mom in this world, saying he'd be helping out at his senior's company over summer break. He patiently listened to half an hour of nagging before his dad finally took pity on him, said a few words, and hung up.

From the speed of that hang-up, Wang Yue could sense a hint of disdain. He wasn't sure if it was real, but he soon brushed it off.

On the first day of summer break, Wang Yue went to a barbershop for a new hairstyle, then headed straight to Xiao Nai's Zhiyi Technology to check in.

The process was pretty similar to Bei Weiwei's in the TV drama. He first followed Yu Banshan around the company to get a feel for the place and understand the basics. The office space was actually quite large, with several departments—not like the show where there were only a handful of people.

After touring around and meeting the staff, Yu Banshan escorted Wang Yue back to Xiao Nai's office, then left to handle his own business.

Once Yu Banshan was out, Xiao Nai gestured for Wang Yue to sit on the sofa, then took a seat across from him and got straight to the point. "Zhiyi Technology is a startup. Every department is short-staffed. As for which department you'll join, I haven't decided yet. I'd like to hear your thoughts before making arrangements."

"The planning department," Wang Yue said, carefully recalling what he'd just learned about the company. "Every other department already has its core members. If I joined them, I'd just be a little helper with little to contribute. But the planning department is something you're overseeing, Senior Brother Xiao Nai. Let me help lighten your load."

Wang Yue unconsciously mimicked Xiao Nai's tone, and it came out with a bit of that same flavor.

"It seems Junior Brother Wang is quite confident in his abilities. I look forward to seeing you bring that confidence to the job." Xiao Nai saw a bit of himself in this junior and wanted to see how much of a surprise he could deliver.

"I won't let you down, Senior Brother Xiao Nai!" Wang Yue stood up and extended his hand.

"Looking forward to working together." Xiao Nai shook his hand, then tentatively asked, "As for your salary..."

"Forget the salary. I'd rather learn some hacking skills from you, Senior Brother Xiao. I'm really interested in that." Wang Yue released his hand and said politely.

"Salary is a must. As for hacking skills, Junior Brother Wang, feel free to come to me anytime with questions." Xiao Nai finally saw a hint of the awkwardness typical of a young person in Wang Yue, and the corner of his mouth curled up involuntarily.

Wang Yue left Xiao Nai's office, found the spot Yu Banshan had assigned him, opened a document on the computer, leaned back in his chair, and pondered the company's current situation, his mind racing.

Zhiyi Technology was mainly focused on A Chinese Ghost Story right now. The planning department's core work was mostly done, and the details didn't need his involvement. How could he prove his worth and get Xiao Nai to teach him seriously?

After thinking for a long time, Wang Yue suddenly remembered the various versions of Legend Game from his own world. A few of them had pretty solid setups and long lifespans. So he picked one endorsed by Liu Yifei and started drafting a plan.

After a busy week or so, he finished the plan just before his dorm's Boss and the other two arrived to report for work. He then went to Xiao Nai's office and tossed the thick proposal onto his desk. Ignoring Xiao Nai's surprised look, he helped himself to a cup of hot water and flopped onto the office sofa in a Ge You Slouch.

Time ticked by—kind of like a song lyric, really. Anyway, after finishing his water, Wang Yue ran out of patience, wandered around the company a few times, and was finally called back into Xiao Nai's office.

"Junior Brother Wang, this plan of yours is very detailed. So detailed, in fact, that you could easily take it and find investors on your own." Xiao Nai looked at Wang Yue seriously. "Yet you're settling for a position at my company. Why?"

In that instant, Xiao Nai's mind raced. He knew this junior had faced Weiwei without even flinching, which made him wonder if the guy had some other motive for him.

You know, sometimes you can't let your thoughts wander. Once they do, all sorts of wild ideas flood in. For a moment, Xiao Nai almost convinced himself that a guy had taken a liking to him.

After all, since Wang Yue had entered this TV drama, Xiao Nai was practically the center of this world. His legend was everywhere.

Unconsciously, Wang Yue wanted to learn from this big shot, shake off his own slacker vibe, and try to get closer to being a male idol. He hoped that when he returned to his own world, he could attract the attention of beauties like Xiao Nai did.

After all this time, Wang Yue had picked up a bit of Xiao Nai's aura. Some senior female students at Qing University affectionately called him "Little Male God." The nickname seemed to be catching on, which made Wang Yue both smug and annoyed. What did they mean by "little"? He was plenty big, okay?!

The air grew still, and Xiao Nai's gaze turned increasingly unfriendly. Wang Yue felt that if he didn't say something soon, he might lose this learning opportunity.

So Wang Yue quickly broke the silence. "Senior Brother Xiao, first of all, I don't think going solo to find investors is a good idea. The capital market is ruthless—it chews people up and spits them out without a second thought."

He calmly walked to the water cooler, poured himself a glass, and came back. "Second, I don't believe you're the kind of boss who can't tell merit from fault."

"Finally, I really do see potential in Zhiyi Technology. I want to join and really build myself up. Senior Brother Xiao Nai should understand what I mean." He took a sip of water, rolled his eyes at Xiao Nai in exasperation, and added, "Senior Brother Xiao, I'm male, and I like women!"

Xiao Nai was thoroughly embarrassed by Wang Yue, but his scheming nature kept him from showing any discomfort. After all, as long as he wasn't the one feeling awkward, the awkwardness belonged to someone else.

"Your plan is good, even perfect, but there are a few issues to address." Xiao Nai finally got serious.

"The copyright issue is easy enough to negotiate, but if we're going to develop this game, we're short on manpower. Almost all our people are tied up working on A Chinese Ghost Story. We don't have extra staff for this project." Xiao Nai flipped through the proposal as he spoke.

"Is that all? That's your problem, Boss. My planning is done. Next step is on you guys. I'll use this time to learn some hacking skills. With a big shot like you around, I feel like my skills are about to take off!" Wang Yue was thrilled inside. Hacking—the legendary profession.

Listening to this junior, Xiao Nai felt something was off, but he was sure it wasn't him. So it had to be this junior's problem. He quickly kicked the guy out.

"I'll send you a link to a hacker hangout site. A rookie like you should start learning there. Come to me if you don't understand something!" Xiao Nai said without looking up.

When Wang Yue left Xiao Nai's office, he still looked confused. The big shot's world is really hard to figure out. He shook his head helplessly, pushed the door open, and walked out.