Chapter 15: Fishing

Hearing Shen Siyuan confirm that the project was viable, Ding Youguang appeared even more excited.

"However, there is one thing I don't understand," Shen Siyuan said.

"Go ahead."

"Why did you come to me? I don't think I can be of much help to you."

"You can't say that, Brother Shen. You don't realize your own value." Ding Youguang chuckled as he said this, looking rather sly.

"Oh? And what value do I have?" Shen Siyuan hadn't even realized he had any.

"First of all, you have to understand that I have no money."

"Right, and then?"

"And this project requires at least a planner, a programmer, and a graphic artist..." As he spoke, Shen Siyuan began to understand why he had been approached—Ding Youguang was eyeing the free labor available in Shen’s team.

"I can't afford to spend money on trial and error, so I have to find people who don't charge."

"Damn, I knew there was a catch," Shen Siyuan said.

"Why put it that way? Just tell me, can this be done?"

Shen Siyuan had no rebuttal.

"You go talk to the programmer and the artist. If the game is a success, we split the profits evenly. If it fails, it’s just a waste of some spare time—we’re just playing games or binge-watching shows anyway, our time isn't worth much..."

"This sector is still an untapped blue ocean. If we enter now, there’s still a chance..."

"What’s the revenue split, and what kind of game do you want to use to test the waters?"

"Seventy-thirty split. As for the game, I’ll leave that to you; you definitely have more ideas than I do," Ding Youguang said quite sincerely.

Ding Youguang had just shown him the monthly revenue, which was raw data from the distribution channels, before any cuts were taken. If the four of them participated in this project, each person could earn anywhere from forty to fifty thousand at the low end, to over a hundred thousand at the high end per month. That was far more than a salary, and it was practically passive income.

"Is there a company? We need to sign a contract," Shen Siyuan said. Since money was involved, a verbal agreement wouldn't suffice.

"There is a company. I registered it a while back and never dissolved it. Don't worry, we will definitely sign a contract. Whatever belongs to you, not a single cent will be missing," Ding Youguang promised, patting his chest.

"Alright, I'll find an opportunity to talk to Zhou Zhengdao and Li Qunfang." These two were the programmer and graphic artist in Shen Siyuan's team, respectively.

"Will Li Qunfang be willing?" Ding Youguang asked, looking worried.

As a programmer, Zhou Zhengdao often ate and drank with Shen Siyuan, so their relationship was good. Furthermore, his technical skills were excellent; he had participated in the development of various game projects in the Online Gaming Department, and his prowess was among the best in the entire Glorious Animation company. However, Ding Youguang didn't know him well, which was one of the reasons he needed Shen Siyuan.

As for Li Qunfang, she was a quiet young woman. Aside from her immediate seatmates, she rarely interacted with anyone. She loved anime and cosplay, and it felt as if she existed in a completely different dimension from Shen Siyuan and the others.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Shen Siyuan said calmly.

"Then what do you think our first game should be?" Ding Youguang asked. Clearly, there was a hint of a test in his question. Everyone had their own value; Zhou Zhengdao and Li Qunfang's roles were clear—the project couldn't function without them. So, where did Shen Siyuan's value lie?

"Fishing. We could add a leaderboard and a lucky draw system," Shen Siyuan said coolly.

"How so?"

"When you go to an arcade, what game do players play the most?" Shen Siyuan countered.

"Fishing?"

Shen Siyuan nodded. "Not everyone knows how to play, but fishing is definitely one of the most played games. Besides, the controls are simple—up, down, left, right, and a confirmation button. Those buttons can be mapped directly to a remote control."

"People play fishing in arcades for points and game tokens, both of which can eventually be exchanged for physical prizes. So, we shouldn't just let users play to kill time; we need to give them a hook. For example, a monthly bonus for the top ten on the leaderboard, or an iPhone for the person in first place..."

"Isn't that just gambling?"

"Yes, but we are legal. What do you think our Operations Department actually does? What kind of events do we launch during holidays? Lucky draws, probability games—that’s how we ensure our revenue..."

"Fishing is just a casual game; it doesn't seem to have many monetization points. If we do this, won't we lose money?" Ding Youguang was quick-witted.

"We can sell VIP status. VIP 1 users get double points while fishing, and so on—the higher the VIP level, the higher the multiplier. If the player with the most points every month gets a ten-thousand-yuan bonus, don't you think people will top up their accounts to climb the leaderboard?"

"Plus, we can control the leaderboard ourselves. That’s easy for the programmer. We’re both the players and the referees—it’s all up to us..."

"Heh heh, Brother Shen, you're quite ruthless, aren't you?"

"Pfft, nonsense. This is just a marketing strategy."

"Let's eat... let's eat..." Ding Youguang’s face was glowing; he felt he had chosen the right partner.

The reason he had approached Shen Siyuan was initially for his connections. Beyond that, he needed him to act as a planner. After all, operations and planning weren't that different—both required a deep understanding of game content design. Since their project wasn't large and the requirements weren't that high, Shen Siyuan was perfectly capable of filling the role. But the fact that Shen Siyuan had provided a concrete plan and even identified monetization points in such a short time made him even more confident in the project.

After eating, Shen Siyuan bought some cold noodles and a cola, and the two headed back to the company. When they parted ways upon entering the office, Ding Youguang whispered to Shen Siyuan: "As soon as possible."

In principle, the company didn't interfere with employees starting their own businesses, but using company resources for one's own projects was definitely forbidden. Therefore, they had to keep it a secret until it was a done deal, which was why Ding Youguang didn't want to discuss it on the corporate messaging app.

When they entered the Operations Department, most people were hunched over their desks sleeping, while only one or two were still playing games. Li Juan was also asleep at her desk. Shen Siyuan walked over on tiptoe and placed the cold noodles on her table. He noticed that she already had a serving of freshly cut fruit and a cup of coffee on her desk.

It was obvious these hadn't been bought by her; someone else had brought them. Li Juan had many suitors—a few "simps" in the company who were being reeled in by her like fish. This was one of the reasons Shen Siyuan didn't care for her; if you don't like someone, just say so—what's the point of leading them on? However, Shen Siyuan just treated her as a regular colleague; he didn't delve into personal matters. Besides, the men being led on surely knew it themselves; they were just pretending to be oblivious, convinced they would be the ones to win her over in the end.

Shen Siyuan had been very careful, but he still woke Lin Manzhi, who was sleeping next to him. Seeing it was Shen Siyuan, her eyes lit up, and she immediately pointed at the phone on her desk. Shen Siyuan was puzzled, but when he opened his phone, he saw she had pushed her best friend's WeChat contact to him.