How Dare You Turn Down Nanshan Pizza Hut?!

"This person's game is pretty interesting. Go ask whether he'd be willing to sign a five-year contract and stay on yogame for five years."

Inside the yogame platform's conference room, chief executive Teng Feng looked over the platform's recent game download statistics.

The download growth for this game called Getting over it was simply too fast. It had taken only three days to go from complete obscurity to the top of the trending charts.

Day one: only Silver had his sanity shattered.

Day two: the fans who followed him into the game began raging with red eyes as well.

On the third day, the entire livestreaming platform—whether they were gaming streamers or not—was urged by their fans to start playing the game.

What followed was a moment of shattered Dao Hearts across the nation.

With nothing more than simple, beginner-level mouse controls, it gave everyone the most extreme high-pressure experience.

Unlike the satisfying games popular on the market, this game tortured people until their hearts, livers, lungs, and spleens hurt.

Most games on the market were satisfying games full of one-hit 999 damage. Pay to get max-level talents, pay to receive divine gear, pay to become stronger.

Yet this game, which felt especially miserable to play, had fought its way out from among all those satisfying games.

"Have one last talk with him about buying out this game. Leaving it in his hands is a waste. Selling the game for ten bucks with permanent access? That's simply wasting this game's greatest value!" Teng Feng watched those streamers smash their keyboards like madmen.

Some netizens even left scathing comments beneath various meltdown compilation videos: the game designer's family must own a keyboard factory.

Attentive netizens had counted the numbers and found that keyboard sales on Taobao had risen noticeably lately.

Customer service staff at various online stores had also received many strange questions:

[Is this keyboard good quality? Can it withstand being smashed a few times?]

[Has it undergone stress testing? Is it waterproof?]

[Can it be cheaper? I want to buy several, so I won't feel bad when they break.]

Teng Feng snorted. If he were running this game, he would definitely introduce several features: pay to earn one revival chance, pay for skins to change the pot's appearance, pay for grappling hooks or something similar to save a run temporarily.

Naturally, their uses per run would be limited, while VIP users could use them a few more times.

Looking at the game designer's profile, he could not help sighing. As expected of a student still in school—he did not understand business at all.

Kids at this stage made games with such pure intentions. They never considered things like making money.

"Have a designer contact him and test him out. If he's suitable, we can recruit him into the company too. His talent is genuinely quite good and worth cultivating." After saying that, Teng Feng closed the designer's profile.

A dedicated staff member noted down and took responsibility for contacting Ethan Vale.

The image on the multifunctional projection screen in the conference room changed. The news related to Getting over it ended, and the projected display switched to the TGA awards at the end of the year.

It was only March, yet they had already begun preparing for the year's end.

Although yogame was a gaming platform, its people also made games.

"This time, the award we're aiming for is Best Independent Game." Teng Feng spoke solemnly.

Established more than a decade ago, the annual Best Independent Game award recognized outstanding works that could not invest massive funds into development and promotion, yet were full of innovation and fun in gameplay.

"Yes!" Everyone in the conference room nodded in acknowledgment, though they showed little enthusiasm.

Because it was the same every year.

That very day, Ethan Vale received a message from yogame.

"A job offer? And they want to buy out the game? Two million to buy the game's copyright?" Standing beside Ethan Vale, Song Shan's breathing had already become rapid.

He stared enviously at the email Ethan Vale had just received, his eyes filled with envy.

"That's amazing! You'll be one of the Ma family from now on! This job is way too good!" Song Shan exclaimed.

That was the benefit of becoming famous with your first work while still in school. Many major companies would send you job offers. All you had to do was nod, and you could join them with a high salary.

Ethan Vale glanced at the email, his expression utterly unchanged.

He did not even hesitate much before replying directly.

[Sorry, and thank you very much for your company's invitation. Joining your company conflicts greatly with my career plans, so I will not consider it for the time being.]

Song Shan did not even have time to stop him before Ethan Vale had already sent the email.

"What are you doing? This is such a rare opportunity!" Song Shan quickly snatched the mouse, wanting to help him recall the email, only to see that the other party had already opened it. It could no longer be recalled.

Seeing him like this, Ethan Vale smiled as well.

Looking through the original owner's memories, Song Shan was the person closest to him in this world.

If he had not come from another world, then accepting this job offer would have been the greatest gain of his entire college life.

Song Shan sincerely cared about the original owner.

"I sent you some weapon reference materials by email. Go build the models." Ethan Vale directly packaged up the documents in his hand and sent them over.

"Do you even understand what you're doing?! Do you know who you just turned down?" Song Shan was speechless. Had his brother really gone stupid?

There was a saying: you feared your brother suffering, but you also feared your brother driving a Land Rover.

But right now, he genuinely hoped his best friend would have a bright future.

"I know. Go build the models. One day, your brother will take you cruising in a Land Rover." Ethan Vale laughed.

"You..." Song Shan stared blankly at Ethan Vale. Was he serious?

"Didn't Getting over it make us a little money? This time, we're investing it into making a new game." Ethan Vale turned to look at Song Shan.

"You call more than two million a little money?" Song Shan was stunned. The hell did he mean, a little money?

"How much are you planning to invest in this new game?"

"Of course—"

"Everything!" Ethan Vale placed the design document in Song Shan's hands.

Dead Cells

Song Shan opened the game design document in his hands. From level design to weapons, then all kinds of monsters, abilities, attributes...

It contained settings for essentially everything a game should have.

Only now did he realize that Ethan Vale was serious.

"Starting our own studio? That's a pretty huge step..." Song Shan was at a loss for words.

"That's why I need you to help me. Otherwise, I'd have to grind myself to death."

"Fine. If you want to go crazy, then I guess I have no choice but to go along with you. Just remember to feed me!" Song Shan laughed as he returned to his computer desk and opened the email Ethan Vale had just sent him.

"My goal isn't big. I just want everyone to give me a 'Super Difficult'!"

On the new book's side, you can check in and vote every day to help this newbie grow.

Arigato, oni-chan~