Chapter 21: Relatives

“Good morning, Director Zheng.”

Seeing Zheng Can, Shen Siyuan greeted him out of courtesy, though without much enthusiasm.

“Morning.”

Zheng Can was noticeably more cordial than before, even casting a probing look at Shen Siyuan.

But Shen Siyuan pretended not to notice.

Zheng Can was a complicated character, and Shen Siyuan didn’t much like him.

His abilities were mediocre; he got by on flattery alone. The only reason he held his current position was due to an unusually close relationship with the president of Radiant Animation.

As a leader, he lacked strong opinions and frequently reversed decisions, causing the entire online gaming department to often engage in futile efforts. This earned him much resentment.

Compared to the thriving single-player division, where salaries rose yearly, the online gaming department was in decline, with wages stagnant for three years. At every annual meeting, the department was singled out for criticism from leadership, fueling dissatisfaction among staff.

Seeing Shen Siyuan head toward the operations department, Zheng Can turned and greeted Jiang Wenxin.

His enthusiasm seemed even greater compared to his brief nod to Shen Siyuan.

“Good morning, Accountant Jiang.”

But Jiang Wenxin merely offered a lukewarm nod. Zheng Can was not offended and even cheerfully asked if she had eaten breakfast.

Within the company, Jiang Wenxin held a unique status. Even as a senior executive, Zheng Can had to wear a smile around her.

After a brief, perfunctory reply, Jiang Wenxin walked straight toward the finance department.

Watching her retreating figure, Zheng Can glanced back toward the operations department.

Once at his desk, Shen Siyuan opened his computer, discarded the empty breakfast bag, then checked his phone, noticing several unread messages.

Opening them revealed that Ding Youguang and Zhou Zhengdao had added him to a group chat and were bombarding him with messages.

“Brother Shen, you know Accountant Jiang...”

“Shen Siyuan, big shot, you’ve hit the jackpot with a rich woman? Don’t forget us little guys...”

“You’re hiding something. You’re not one of those rich heirs sneaking into the company to experience life, are you?”

“Don’t go too far with this...”

“We’re all comrades in the trenches here; you can’t just cut ties with the common folk...”

“Tell us, are you as broke as we are...?”

...

Reading their back-and-forth teasing, Shen Siyuan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Just acquaintances. Don’t read too much into it,” he replied.

“Just acquaintances?”

“Are you serious?”

“I know her too—why didn’t she ask me if I had breakfast?”

“She said she bought too much; that bag wasn’t even opened. Are we blind or what?”

“Ah, you’re doomed! You’ve finally gone down this niche path; your future looks bright...”

“Accountant Jiang is rich and beautiful, but Shen Siyuan, you can’t be like this. I despise you unless you introduce her to me...”

...

“It’s really just acquaintances. Stop making things up. Jiang thinks I’m a decent person and wants to set me up,” Shen Siyuan explained.

There was no need to hide it. They all worked at the same company, and with how Jiang treated him, their connection would be noticed sooner or later. Better to be upfront.

“Why should she set you up?”

“I’m better than you in every way—more motivated, better looking. Why doesn’t she want to introduce me?”

“My salary’s higher, my coding skills are like art. Why not me?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t have time to argue. I’m finishing the fishing game plan this morning.”

When it came to work, the two stopped joking and focused.

Shen Siyuan thought the matter was settled, but shortly after starting work, Zhou Chuan sent a message asking, “What’s your relationship with Accountant Jiang?”

Shen Siyuan was momentarily surprised at how fast the rumor spread but quickly realized it must have been Zheng Can inquiring.

He replied, “She’s a distant relative.”

Then he messaged Jiang Wenxin on WeChat to align their story.

She responded instantly, agreeing.

She was currently texting her husband about the morning’s events, still shaken.

They had thought Shen Siyuan was just an extraordinary individual with some unusual skills—but he was still human.

This morning’s display, however, was beyond normal human realms.

With protective powers and divine abilities, especially the mysterious aura around Dou Dou, it was immediately clear something exceptional was at play.

Though Jiang Wenxin had appeared calm, her legs were weak, and her mind raced, trying to decipher Shen Siyuan’s true identity.

That was why when Zheng Can greeted her earlier, she only gave a brief, indifferent reply—she simply wasn’t in the mood.

“I don’t remember you mentioning this before.”

Hearing Shen Siyuan’s explanation, Zhou Chuan was a bit surprised.

“You never asked,” Shen Siyuan replied.

Zhou Chuan sent a playful dog-face emoji but didn’t press further, probably returning to Zheng Can.

Shen Siyuan ignored it and opened the fishing game plan to work on refining it.

The gameplay was simple, but the design was complex.

First, fish species and their point values had to be considered. Each fish varied in capture difficulty.

He also had to determine when and in which levels different fish would appear.

Additionally, Shen Siyuan reworked the points leaderboard, setting rewards for the top ten players. Points could also be used for lotteries.

This was to prevent players without a chance to reach the top ten from giving up, ensuring their points remained useful and were gradually spent.

With so many factors, there was a lot to consider.

By midday, Shen Siyuan rushed through a first draft and sent it to the group.

Li Qunfang was added to the group, and they renamed it “Fishing Masters Casting Wide,” a name both dramatic and bold. Shen Siyuan initially assumed Ding Youguang had renamed it but later learned it was Li Qunfang.

“Let’s get a first version done. For fish images, we can find resources online or unpack other fishing games. @Li Qunfang, you can adjust and modify these resources to speed up our progress...”

“Great idea, Shen Siyuan,” Ding Youguang said happily. He hadn’t thought of that.

Don’t blame Shen Siyuan for cutting corners; this was common in the industry now. A single game’s code could be reskinned dozens of times and marketed as new games to rake in money.

They didn’t directly use the fish images but used them as references, which was fairly professional.

Shen Siyuan gave further instructions. His part of the project was basically done, with only optimizations and tweaks left.

After a busy morning, the afternoon was free time. At day’s end, Lin Manzhi stopped him to remind him about meeting Jiang Tingyu that evening.

“I won’t forget. I’m heading there now,” Shen Siyuan said.

But when he left the building, Tao Guangxia was waiting at the stairwell.