Chapter 24: Preparations

Chapter 24: Preparations

About an hour after Shi Ling sent the program to the group chat, the rest of the members couldn’t sit still anymore.

In the short time it took Shi Ling to stand up and pour a glass of water, the chat had already reached 99+ messages.

Shi Ling’s phone kept buzzing continuously with notifications. When he returned to his phone and tried to scroll through to see what everyone had said, his relatively new phone unexpectedly lagged.

Shi Ling looked at his phone, speechless.

Although he hadn’t splurged on the phone to save money when he bought it, it was still ridiculous that a chat group could overwhelm it like this.

Navigating through the lag, Shi Ling opened the "Future Game Tycoon" group chat.

The most active participants were Mo Jin and Shao Qin.

Ever since they confirmed their participation in the project, they had been self-teaching programming in their spare time while attending classes. They had put in as much effort as they did during the college entrance exams, pushing themselves to the limit. After all, whether it was Shi Ling or Jiang Sijie, they had both mentioned that once the project was on track, they would establish a studio and start hiring externally. If their skills were still at the level of an average programmer by then, there was no way they could be entrusted with leading the tech team.

To secure their positions, they had no choice but to study like mad.

It had indeed been quite grueling over the past half month.

Supposedly, their plan was to rest for two days during the National Day holiday before continuing their intense study schedule. However, no one expected that on the very first day of the holiday, Shi Ling would surprise them with something big.

The reason Shi Ling’s phone was lagging so much was mainly because Mo Jin and Shao Qin had @-ed him too many times in the group chat.

[@Shi Ling, what’s next? What’s next? I want the next part!]

[@Shi Ling, is there more? Please show me! I only planned a two-day break, and if we round it off, I only get one day of rest. Just one day! Give me the next part, please! I’m begging you!]

[@Shi Ling……]

Amidst these were exclamations from Fang Lingyun: [It’s already come this far? Is the next step internal testing? Should I go learn from my family’s marketing department?]

Finally, there was a greeting from Senior Jiang: [Is it done? I’ll come find you tomorrow!]

Shi Ling skimmed through the messages.

The reactions from these few people in the group chat were pretty much what he had expected.

Mo Jin and Shao Qin lived too far from the capital, and the Fang family was always busy with their business, so family members were rarely together. Fang Lingyun had mentioned earlier that he planned to have a good family reunion during the National Day holiday, possibly even a trip. These three could only call out to him in the group chat.

But Jiang Sijie was different. Though he didn’t know the exact reason, she seemed to have left the Jiang family.

That meant Jiang Sijie was also on her own now. Upon hearing that Shi Ling’s project had made progress, she would definitely come to him as soon as possible.

Shi Ling first @-ed Mo Jin and Shao Qin, telling them: [This is all there is for now. As for what comes next, it depends on when you two can master the skills.]

In other words, Shi Ling had set an example for them, and now it was up to Shao Qin and Mo Jin.

Then he separately @-ed Jiang Sijie: [If you have any pre-built models, you can bring them over tomorrow. I can start replacing them.]

Jiang Sijie, who seemed to have been keeping an eye on the group chat, replied quickly: [I do have some completed, but they’re not very refined yet, and they might not match the current content of your game.]

Shi Ling: [That’s not a big issue. For now, we just need a rough version that looks presentable, not something fully completed.]

[This version is for the investor, namely Ji Mingxiu, and his investment team. With this, the investment funds should come through faster.]

[I met Ji Mingxiu today, and I think his interest in investing in our project is quite strong.]

Shi Ling sent three consecutive messages, which were met with a string of ellipses from Jiang Sijie.

[……]

[Shi Ling, you’ve done so much in just one day?]

[Also, when did you and Ji Mingxiu become so familiar? Ji Mingxiu is a cunning and crafty person. He managed to hold his own against other seasoned businesspeople in his early twenties and even gained the upper hand. He’s definitely not a simple character. Don’t be deceived by him.]

[These mature businesspeople are the best at deceiving others.]

Now it was Shi Ling’s turn to be puzzled.

He read Jiang Sijie’s messages in the group chat twice, deeply suspecting that the senior sister might have been deceived by a mature businessperson before.

But Shi Ling felt it was necessary to defend his future boss a little: [He’s not bad. Ji Mingxiu is actually quite nice. After I left the Zhou family, he even paid for a month of my hotel expenses!]

[Senior Jiang, don’t be so hostile towards Ji Mingxiu. We can’t let the relationship between the team and the investor become too tense. It’s not good for the money.]

Jiang Sijie:……

[You make a valid point. Even if we’re going to badmouth him, we should wait until after we get his money.]

Seeing that Jiang Sijie had taken his words to heart, Shi Ling nodded in satisfaction and started a new topic in the group chat: [Once we get the investment, we can start preparing to register the studio. Any suggestions for the studio’s name?]

This was a good question, and the group immediately began brainstorming.

Mo Jin from the south wanted to draw a coconut as the studio’s emblem, while Shao Qin from the north thought a frozen pear would be a good idea. Jiang Sijie, in charge of the art, started to feel a headache coming on.

The next day, Jiang Sijie indeed brought her models to Shi Ling.

Shi Ling went through all the usable models she had.

As Jiang Sijie had said, most of the models lacked sufficient detail and needed further refinement. However, the models for the protagonist, who had been well-designed from the start, and some of the characters closely related to the protagonist were almost fully refined.

Compared to the character models, the scene models were somewhat lackluster.

But this was understandable, as scene development was always much slower than character development.

The scene was discussed multiple times between Shi Ling and Jiang Sijie before it was finally confirmed. Not only that, but the objects within the scene were also revised numerous times. Compared to the characters whose settings were established from the beginning, it indeed fell short by quite a margin.

After going through it once, Shi Ling offered some suggestions: "We should start by refining the scene and the objects within it. That's more urgent. The other NPCs aren't actually a high priority for now. They're still quite rough, but they're usable for the time being. Of course, it would be even better if the protagonist model could be more detailed."

"We still need to give the investors a vision of what we can achieve. Show them just how detailed our characters can get."

Jiang Sijie was of the same mind. She pulled out the most complete scene model: "When I get back, I'll refine this part first, then work on the character model. For the rest, I'll make them presentable enough for the initial version to pass."

Shi Ling nodded and asked, "When do you think you can get it done?"

Jiang Sijie made a quick estimation in her mind: "If we push the progress, it should be ready by the National Day holiday. But just to be safe, let's add an extra ten days."

After saying that, she looked at Shi Ling, who seemed deep in thought, and curiously asked, "What's wrong? Is there an issue?"

Shi Ling waved his hand, "No, I was just thinking that when the project gets on track, I'll probably be too busy to handle my part-time job at the dessert shop. The question is when to resign."

Jiang Sijie did a quick calculation for him: "You should be done by October. But if that's the case, who will take the semi-finished product to meet Ji Mingxiu?"

Jiang Sijie was the one who initiated this project, and Shi Ling was also one of the core members. Logically, at least one of them would have to go to secure the investment.

But the situation was that Shi Ling would be juggling his part-time job and likely wouldn't have the time. Jiang Sijie, on the other hand, honestly didn't want to meet Ji Mingxiu.

Ji Mingxiu and Jiang Siceng were too familiar. The last time she introduced Shi Ling to Ji Mingxiu, it had been quite risky. Although Ji Mingxiu didn't seem to mention it to Jiang Siceng afterwards, but...

Jiang Sijie pressed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Why did she rope Ji Mingxiu in as an investor in the first place?

Oh, it was because after it was revealed that she wasn't a biological member of the Jiang family, many people who had previously been polite started to gossip in front of her. Most of them were blocked by her. Among the people she knew, Ji Mingxiu was relatively reliable.

Jiang Sijie sighed softly, "One still needs to rely on oneself. Without ability, all you have are useless connections."

Even this useful connection wasn't drawn by herself but through Jiang Siceng.

Although Shi Ling didn't know exactly what was bothering Jiang Sijie, he could tell she didn't want to meet Ji Mingxiu.

After weighing the options, he suggested to her, "Why don't we ask Fang Lingyun?"

Jiang Sijie was taken aback, "Fang Lingyun?"

She had met Fang Lingyun before and knew what kind of person he was.

As the second young master of the Fang family, Fang Lingyun was indeed the most suitable person, apart from her and Shi Ling, to meet Ji Mingxiu. But...

In Jiang Sijie's impression, as the second young master of the Fang family, Fang Lingyun was quite reliable on important matters, but he was still young and somewhat inexperienced. It didn't take much thought to know that he would likely be overshadowed by Ji Mingxiu.

Jiang Sijie hesitated, "Can Fang Lingyun handle it? He might be dominated by Ji Mingxiu..."

Shi Ling smiled, "If you put it that way, any of us would be dominated by Ji Mingxiu. You said it yourself, he's a seasoned businessman. None of us can match him."

"But compared to others, Fang Lingyun has some advantages. I heard that his brother has a decent relationship with Ji Mingxiu. Ji Mingxiu would give him some face. Besides, I've already agreed with him that he'll be in charge of publicity. It wouldn't hurt to let him meet more people."

He looked at Jiang Sijie, "If you're worried, you can go with him. If he can't handle it, you can step in."

Convinced by Shi Ling's reasoning, Jiang Sijie responded, "You're right. Ji Mingxiu is a seasoned businessman after all. None of us who haven't even fully entered society could possibly be his match. If we were to negotiate face-to-face, I'd probably be led by the nose."

Let alone Jiang Siceng, much less them.

Compared to others, Fang Lingyun, born into the Fang family, should be able to handle it more gracefully.

Jiang Sijie relaxed, "Let's do as you said. Just pay more attention and don't get tricked by Ji Mingxiu and his team. Unfortunately, we don't have the money."

If she had the money, she would be the investor and wouldn't need to seek others' investments.

Afterwards, Shi Ling took the usable models back to replace them, while Jiang Sijie briefed Fang Lingyun about the upcoming negotiation with Ji Mingxiu.

To this, Fang Lingyun didn't show as much concern as Jiang Sijie. He even confidently assured them, "This is my forte. Just wait for me to shine!"

Jiang Sijie: ...

Although she thought Fang Lingyun was a bit overconfident, she didn't dampen his confidence.

It's good for young people to have confidence.

---

Holidays always pass by quickly, and soon it was time for students to return to school.

Shi Ling also returned to his part-time job at the dessert shop.

The moment he returned to the shop, he went to talk to the manager about resigning.

Shi Ling felt a bit awkward about it.

Although he was confident that he could find another part-time job after leaving the Zhou family, this shop had appeared at just the right time to help him through a tough period. The people here were great, and he had gotten along well with them.

Now that he was leaving, he felt a bit reluctant himself.

But compared to Shi Ling, the manager was much more composed. After listening to him, she patted Shi Ling on the shoulder, "Study hard. When you officially resign, I'll give you a red envelope."

Shi Ling looked at the manager, "Did the manager know I was going to resign?"

The manager shrugged, "Of course. You're a student at Jingda University. The workload at Jingda is notoriously heavy. Anyone who's been online would know that, let alone us, running a shop next to Jingda. It's fine during the summer vacation, but once the courses really pile up, you'll definitely need to quit.

"Besides, even if you were struggling at the beginning, generally speaking, two months' salary should be enough to get you through the tough times. After that, as long as you study hard, Jingda will ensure you won't have to worry about money."

She smiled, "I was just wondering when you'd come to talk to me about it."

Shi Ling smiled along with them.

The store manager had a clear understanding of what was going on in her mind!

After finishing the matters at hand, Shi Ling went back to work with peace of mind.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory of 412...

Fang Lingyun and his roommates were already playing the latest version of their self-made game, *Natural Disaster*, which had already undergone one round of model replacements.

Although the game content was still quite limited, they had played it several times without getting bored.

Holding his phone, Fang Lingyun said, "I never thought that a gaming noob like me would one day be able to participate in the development of a real game. Thanks to Shi Ling, and thanks to Senior Jiang."

After finishing, he kicked Mo Jin sitting next to him. "Hey, how's it going with your programming team? The future content of our game depends on you guys!"

Mo Jin silently pulled his leg back. "We're learning, we're learning. It's just that... I don't know when my code will be as smooth as Shi Ling's."

After half a month of self-study and some guidance from Shi Ling, they had managed to write some basic code. However, the process was quite bumpy, with inexplicable bugs popping up from time to time, and since they were still not very proficient, it would take them a long time to troubleshoot those bugs.

That being said, both Mo Jin and Shao Qin had made significant progress in programming.

However, for now, they could only write some basic code under Shi Ling's guidance.

Shao Qin glanced at Fang Lingyun. "Why aren't you learning with us? We're in the same major, after all!"

Fang Lingyun, with his legs crossed, said confidently, "I'm in charge of publicity. Programming is your job, so the publicity is mine to handle."

"It can't be helped. Someone has to do this!"

Because Fang Lingyun was acting too smug, Shao Qin and Mo Jin each gave him a knock on the head.

After being knocked, Fang Lingyun quietly sat back down, intending to play another round of *Natural Disaster*.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he looked up at Shao Qin and then at Mo Jin.

Shao Qin and Mo Jin felt a bit uneasy under his gaze. "Fang Lingyun, what are you looking at?"

Fang Lingyun blinked. "Do you guys want to meet the investors?"

Shao Qin and Mo Jin were stunned. "Meet the investors?"

Fang Lingyun nodded, finding his idea more and more reasonable. "Yeah, you know, Senior Jiang has handed over the task of discussing with the investors to me. After all, Senior Jiang is very busy, and Shi Ling has to work part-time, so this important task falls to me."

"Although you two are in charge of programming, just imagine how awkward it would be if you didn't even know the investors when we meet them. I think it's necessary for you to meet them. What do you think?"

Shao Qin and Mo Jin looked at each other and thought Fang Lingyun's idea made sense.

However, the thought of meeting the investors made them feel uneasy.

Shao Qin was a bit worried. "What preparations do we need to meet the investors? What should we wear? Suits, or something else?"

Fang Lingyun waved his hand. "No need. My brother is quite familiar with our investor. Brother Ji knows we're just a bunch of students. Even if we really wore suits, it would look out of place. He won't blame you."

He waved his hand grandly. "When the time comes, just follow me. I'm very familiar with this!"

Fang Lingyun said confidently, "With me around, nothing will go wrong!"