Just like that, a freeloading studio came into existence.
Right outside the door was the subway station, downstairs was a small commercial district, not far from a gym, and you didn't even need to take the elevator to get to the second floor.
Now that the studio was established, the next step was to make games.
But before Fang Cheng could start, Mr. Shen's call came in again.
"Fang Cheng, have you started recruiting for your studio yet? Have you got your eyes on any candidates?"
"Recruit for the studio? Aren't I enough on my own?"
"Are you even speaking human language? Can you handle everything by yourself?"
"Sure, I can."
Mr. Shen was so choked up he couldn't speak for a moment before he finally said, "You do need to recruit, and the person needs to complement you, like if you're good at programming, then find someone who's good at innovative gameplay. You'll be the producer and lead programmer, he'll be the lead designer, and then gradually add more people."
Hearing this, Fang Cheng thought Mr. Shen was right.
He had already made two games, and while they couldn't be called critically acclaimed, they at least stood out.
But the problem was, he didn't know why the first game was popular even though he didn't find it fun, and the second game, which he intended to be a horror game that scared people, turned into a healing game.
Yeah, it was pretty disappointing.
If there was someone who could help with the postmortem to study where it failed, that would be great.
So, he immediately began writing a recruitment advertisement, posted the job requirements on BOSS Recruitment, and left his contact information and location.
He didn't know how much to offer for a salary, so he left it negotiable.
He didn't know what to require for education, so he didn't choose any.
There was one test question though, which was to analyze why "The Forest's Second Son" and "Towards Death and Life" failed? You could pick either one.
After listing the job advertisement, Fang Cheng, full of anticipation, began playing games, searching for the secret to what made games fun through experiencing different ones.
And while he played games expressionlessly, as if he were in a classroom, his job advertisement caused a small stir.
Some onlookers found the job posting and couldn't help but laugh after reading it.
Taking a jab at "The Forest's Second Son" and "Towards Death and Life," how dare you!
Job-seekers filled with a sense of justice were about to lash out in criticism, but then they noticed something odd about the name of the studio.
Fang Cheng Studio...
Hmm...
This name couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?
Upon seeing the studio's brief and realizing it really was Fang Cheng, they fell silent.
You're calling works that have made a small name for themselves in the gaming circles recently, failures?
You're lucky it's not against the law to boast in this day and age, otherwise, we would definitely have to arrest you and sentence you to a few decades in jail.
"The Forest's Second Son" and "Towards Death and Life" were not perfect games, with detailed scrutiny revealing many flaws, such as the overly simplistic tutorials, or even lack of them; the game mechanics were hidden too deeply, like a game of hide and seek.
But the former's world was vast enough, and the latter's humanistic care deep enough, that these two aspects alone were sufficient to compensate for all the deficiencies, making them the most popular games recently.
A game doesn't need to be perfect, but it must have fun elements.
So, should one give it a try and apply for the job?
Thanks to this little wave, Fang Cheng freeloaded another advertisement worth over a hundred thousand, bringing some attention to Fang Cheng Studio before it even started working officially.
As Fang Cheng completed another game and began pondering why it was fun, Mr. Shen called again.
Mr. Shen was unusually diligent today, even more than when he was dating his wife or when he went to the hospital to check on his hair loss.
On the other end of the phone, Mr. Shen asked helplessly, "Fang Cheng, was this job ad on purpose or an accident?"
"Um... it was on purpose."
"Not bad, you know about negative marketing. And then there's the twist of using your real identity as the trump card. But don't do this too often; it can have negative effects."
"Okay, it was an accident, I don't even know what went wrong."
"You..."
Mr. Shen sighed deeply, feeling that the worry he had for Fang Cheng was tenfold compared to that for others.
"Alright, I get that you're not good at writing these recruitment ads. I'll introduce you to a front desk cum HR person to help you. They can also handle finances, an all-around talent, so you can offer a higher salary. Later on, when you have more people, it will be up to them to decide whether to stay or leave."
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Fang Cheng made a quick calculation and found that today was indeed a good day to recruit for the front desk, HR, and finance positions.
The Way of Divination was not something he was very skilled at. The previous prediction that his Taoist Heart was unstable and needed video games to replenish it was also impulsive.
However, now, making a quick divination of good and bad fortune was still achievable.
Having made this realization, he put down his mouse, sat at the front of the studio, and began to wait for talents to arrive.
Soon, the sound of high heels clacking against the floor echoed from outside.
The irregular sound allowed Fang Cheng to sense a woman clumsily walking in high heels through the corridor, just by listening.
After stumbling once again, she angrily tossed her high heels aside and then walked in carrying her shoes.
She was a very pretty girl, seemingly a recent college graduate with somewhat immature features that gave her a fresh and delicate appearance.
At this moment, there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, and a few strands of hair lazily stuck to it, adding a hint of charm to her looks.
Although she was in a black business dress, the act of carrying her high heels revealed an uninhibited side, which made Fang Cheng think she might be quite interesting.
Upon seeing Fang Cheng, the woman's previous anger subsided, her furrowed brows involuntarily relaxed, and even the pain in her feet seemed to lessen significantly.
After pushing a chair towards her and serving her a cup of Spiritual Tea, the woman thanked him and was just about to identify herself when Fang Cheng asked, "Are you here for the job Mr. Shen referred you to?"
She took a look at the logo "Fang Cheng Studio" highlighted by the spotlight behind Fang Cheng and immediately nodded, saying, "No, but I could be."
"Then maybe you could introduce yourself?"
"My name is Xu Qingling. I graduated from Yale Law School, and I'm good at sending the defendant, their lawyer, and even the judge to prison."
After making another quick calculation, Fang Cheng found her to be incredibly suitable and nodded, "You don't need to send that many people; just stay. When can you start?"
"Right now. You're the boss, right? How should I address you?" Xu Qingling asked excitedly.
"Fang Cheng."
As he extended his hand, Fang Cheng felt Xu Qingling shake his hand vigorously for quite a while before reluctantly letting go.
Afterwards, Xu Qingling continued to inquire, "So, what does our studio do?"
"You decided to join without knowing anything about it?"
"I'm just a bit impulsive."
"I see," Fang Cheng said, nodding thoughtfully, remembering that Cultivators who were a bit impulsive tended to be like this.
He assigned Xu Qingling a workstation and then prepared to figure out what a boss should do.
Meanwhile, Xu Qingling went to the restroom, took out her phone, and said, "Grandpa, I found a job."
"Yeah, in the game industry."
"In our family's office building. He took a fancy to me at first glance, and I did to him; it's that simple."
"Don't worry, I'm sure to make something of it. If I don't, I'll come back and take over the family business. Alright, hanging up now."