Chapter 3: Even a Capitalist Wouldn't Do That!
Sitting in front of the computer, Chen Xu now had a rough understanding of his current situation.
Gaming Industry, this was the direction he was aiming for.
However, even if he decided to make games, it wasn't that simple.
Although the black technology in this world allowed game development to bypass the need for constructing底层代码 (底层代码) (bottom-layer code), Art, Music, Modeling, and so on, none of these could be omitted.
Moreover, Chen Xu himself was in a rather awkward position.
First, he didn't have the Job Title of a Game Designer, so the resources he could use were very limited. Chen Xu estimated that for some classic small Independent Games from his previous life, these resources would still be sufficient.
But there was another crucial point: he didn't have much money. After all, he hadn't been out of school for long, and living in Modu, even if it wasn't the city center but the suburbs, the cost of living was quite high. He only had a little over ten thousand Yuan in savings.
He put the System aside for now; after all, this thing only allowed him to collect points from his own released works. Plus, it didn't even offer a money-changing function—how ruthless!
"I need to figure out a way to make money," Chen Xu muttered, stroking his chin.
He searched for various information online, understanding all aspects of this world's Gaming Industry, while also conceptualizing in his mind.
However, after exiting the webpage and seeing a folder on his desktop, Chen Xu's eyes lit up.
Inside the folder were a dozen or so Strip Comics that had already been colored. The content depicted some rather revealing young ladies engaging in a water volleyball sport. The story's melody was positive and uplifting, fully showcasing the vitality and high fighting spirit of the young girls.
According to the memories in his mind, these Strip Comics weren't drawn by him, but were given to him by a Senior Sister from his college to help with the coloring. Looking at these spirit-lifting Strip Comics, Chen Xu had already made a decision.
He had an idea for the first money-making project.
In his previous life, there was a Domestic Bishōjo Match-3 game that was deeply loved by players: Mirror (Game).
It was voted the second-best reviewed game of 2018, topped the Steam Platform's global daily bestseller list, accumulated 71,000 reviews, of which nearly 69,000 were Positive Reviews, and most of the remaining 2,000 reviews were negative reviews given simply for playing along with a joke. The reason for choosing this game was very simple.
On one hand, this game involved virtually no game modeling. On the other hand, most of the game's content could be self-sufficient with Chen Xu's skill level. Moreover, given its game characteristics, Mirror (Game) had a unique advantage compared to other games, especially without much promotional funding. When it came to quickly accumulating initial capital, Mirror (Game) was arguably the best choice.
Of course, some of its more explicit content would need to be changed.
"But relying on one person would be too time-consuming; I need to find a helper," Chen Xu mused after making his decision, an idea forming in his mind. But before that, he needed to solve his hunger.
Feeling a pang of hunger, Chen Xu stood up, grabbed his keys and phone from the table, and prepared to go downstairs to find a restaurant to satisfy his physiological needs.
"Never underestimate the meat carver at any Lanzhou Lamian Restaurant; their knife skills are truly astonishing!"
Chen Xu picked up a slice of beef as thin as cicada wings with his chopsticks, sighing with emotion. Dipped in the noodle soup, the beef even gave Chen Xu a translucent, crystal-clear feeling. Six slices of beef were laid out on the noodles, with chopped green onions and cilantro on the side. Whether in his previous life or the Parallel World, the beef was always one word: thin. Although the amount of meat wasn't enough to fill a tooth gap, the noodles were quite tasty. They were incredibly chewy, and the noodle soup, simmered from beef bones, was equally incredibly delicious.
After eating his fill, Chen Xu paid the bill and left the restaurant. On his way home, he dialed a phone number.
After about three rings, the call connected.
"Senior Sister Ruan, the draft you gave me earlier is finished. I'll send it to you to receive. Also, do you have time tomorrow, Senior Sister Ruan? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"No problem. Tomorrow at 1 PM, let's meet at Island Coffee at the Garden Community intersection."
Hanging up the phone, Chen Xu stretched. He had already decided to earn his first pot of gold with Mirror (Game).
But if all the work had to be done by him alone, Chen Xu estimated that the workload would take him about two months to get Mirror (Game) out. And that was with overworking intensely. So, if possible, finding a helper would be ideal. Whether it would work out, though, remained to be seen.
At 1 PM.
Chen Xu arrived at Island Coffee at the agreed-upon time. Sitting by the window in the downstairs lobby was a girl, about twenty-four years old, wearing glasses. She was dressed in a white casual outfit, sitting there listening to music with headphones on.
"Senior Sister Ruan, thank you for coming all this way," Chen Xu greeted her as he walked up.
"No trouble at all, my home is right nearby," Ruan Ningxue said with a faint smile, shaking her head as she took off her headphones.
Before Chen Xu could say anything more, Ruan Ningxue looked at him happily and spoke, "So, Chen Xu, what did you want to talk about? Have you finally decided to join my studios? Honestly, I've been telling you, stubbornly sticking to manga isn't wise. You could start by honing your skills with Doujinshi, then switch careers. Many famous teachers in the industry used to draw Doujinshi under an Alias! Plus, I've seen your coloring, Chen Xu, you're very talented!"
Ruan Ningxue spoke to Chen Xu with great earnestness.
"Cough, cough... well, Senior Sister Ruan, I appreciate your kindness, but I'm not here to talk about that today," Chen Xu coughed awkwardly a couple of times. She was a Senior Sister one year ahead of Chen Xu. Like the previous Chen Xu, who wanted to be a Cartoonist, Ruan Ningxue also harbored the same dream. However, her path was slightly different: instead of repeatedly failing to get her submissions accepted like Chen Xu, Ruan Ningxue started drawing Doujinshi. This alone ensured a steady income, and in her words, becoming a bestselling Doujinshi artist, building a reputation, and then transitioning to an Official Cartoonist was also a road to success!
As for what kind of Doujinshi? Naturally, they were Doujinshi that told beautiful love stories, though sometimes they might not be so beautiful. Ruan Ningxue, as his Senior Sister, believed Chen Xu was very talented and had always wanted him to join her in forming a studios. Noticing that the topic had veered off a bit and was likely to return to this matter, Chen Xu immediately brought up what he wanted Ruan Ningxue's help with today.
"Huh... switch to making games?"
Hearing Chen Xu's words, Ruan Ningxue's eyes widened, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
"My initial thought was just to show stories to others. Whether it's manga or games, they're just different mediums," Chen Xu explained to Ruan Ningxue, using the reason he had already prepared. "Besides, the industry isn't lacking examples of Cartoonists or novelists transitioning to directors or Game Designers, right?" Chen Xu said with a smile. After all, unlike his previous life, the development of technology had significantly lowered the basic entry barriers for various industries. So, in this world's entertainment industry, examples of cross-industry transitions were quite common. Of course, successfully transitioning after crossing over was another matter entirely.
"That's not the point!" Ruan Ningxue rolled her eyes. "No food, no accommodation, and illustration payments get delayed! So, Chen Xu, are you trying to freeload off me?"
If it wasn't her Junior Brother sitting across from her, and if she hadn't constantly tried to get Chen Xu to join her, Ruan Ningxue would have immediately left. Because, by all appearances, he seemed like a scammer. A wicked capitalist, trying to freeload off her labor! No, even a capitalist wouldn't do that!
(End of Chapter)
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