To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

At Fang Cheng Studio, the biggest punishment might just be not being allowed to work.

After thinking for half a day, Xiao Douzi steeled her heart and then said, “Let’s sneak a peek and discuss in whispers, without writing documents or keeping records. Could the boss be an Immortal or something? Could he still know we’ve worked overtime?”

“Mmm, that makes sense,” Huang Ping nodded.

“This time I’m on Xiao Douzi’s side,” Monkey also nodded.

Having reached a consensus, the three of them eagerly turned on the computer, plugged in the USB drive, huddled together in front of the screen, and stealthily started running the game.

With the additions over the past few days, the game had become even more polished.

Now, the tutorial was complete, the game’s system guidance was perfect, and new players could play with virtually no burden.

The game could be played offline or online; if online, one could visit other people’s in-progress shows or even make a cameo in someone else’s game, which was a neat little Easter egg.

However, Huang Ping knew that this definitely wasn’t Fang Cheng’s big Easter egg.

The real big Easter egg was something that could change how the game was played.

Wondering why they shouldn’t let the boss know about their secret overtime, Huang Ping specifically cut off his home network and started playing offline.

He immediately turned off the tutorial and swiftly got into the heart of the game.

This time, Huang Ping noticed that Fang Cheng had intentionally simplified the gameplay by limiting it greatly.

That was to continuously draw employees, train them, and then have them produce various shows.

Although the player had to handle everything from show planning to actual broadcast, the whole process just required a few clicks and assigning staff, almost instantly intuitive.

And the game, with its witty and humorous performances, plentiful random events, and a wealth of richly varied animations, was not monotonous.

However, contrary to the simplicity of the gameplay, the game actually offered a lot of depth for thought.

Different employees had different tags, which corresponded to different program tags as well.

When the tags overlapped, the employees’ work efficiency would greatly increase, thus producing better show outcomes.

Apart from this, there were combinational effects between shows, and as the game progressed, players would discover that different times could also have different impacts on the game—details that could be found in reality.

After arranging combinations and ultimately broadcasting their shows, players could see the final viewer ratings and audience comments.

This part was Huang Ping’s favorite.

Viewer ratings determined the overall success of the show and the financial subsidies from above—a show had to be well-crafted to earn high ratings.

Through audience comments, one could tell whether the combination of elements in the show was correct, and predict upcoming popular themes and combinations based on viewer preferences.

Although Huang Ping didn’t know what method Fang Cheng used, after several attempts, he found the audience comments to be flexible and varied, as though watching a group of real, live viewers commenting in front of their TVs.

They could accurately identify the themes and combinations players used, and some could even recognize familiar faces. There were even professional critics who seriously reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the shows.

The comments were either humorous or harsh. Some comments could make people laugh, while others could hit them hard.

The game had a strong element of randomness, with final outcomes potentially affected by various factors.

Sometimes, a huge investment with associated stars could plummet in ratings due to negative news, resulting in nothing gained.

But at other times, even with modest investment, if the show caught the wind of popularity, it could become an overnight sensation and make a hefty profit.

In the game, player income mainly came from activity funds disbursed from above and advertisement fees.

Expenditures included various costume and prop fees, reporter interview fees, program planning costs, and employee wages, among others.

After re-experiencing the game, Huang Ping and the others originally aimed to find the Easter egg, but after playing for a while, they became immersed in the game, starting to discuss the effects of various combinations anew.

“I always felt that comedy and suspense didn’t really mix well, but the actual effect is surprisingly good, and the audience feedback is especially positive. Could it be that this combination was misjudged?” Monkey asked, puzzled.

“I think it’s because comedic elements can dilute the tension brought by suspense, allowing the audience to relax. And I have to say, a lot of times, viewers don’t actually like to deduce. They just need an engaging story to immerse themselves in for a while. Plus, if the story is also pretty interesting, then that’s even better,” Huang Ping explained.

“Hmm, that makes sense. So how about we try mixing comedy with the gangster theme? What do you think we should call this show?”

“Black Club?”

“Hmm, sounds promising. Then how about dance and gangsters? What do you guys think?”

“I just pictured it… please give me a brain that has never thought of such a thing.”

“Whatever, let’s just check out dance and gangsters.”

“Stop… we’re running out of money.”

“Too late!”

Once the themes were combined and handed over to the screenwriters, the show could officially start production.

In the official production process, the stage would showcase different animated performance effects based on the themes chosen by the players.

For example, if it were gangsters and dance, you could see on stage a bunch of guys in black suits, covered in tattoos, with scars all over their faces, looking fierce as hell.

Just by their look, you could tell these guys were regulars on the wanted list, the kind the police would have to empty their magazines upon sighting.

However, these guys started singing and dancing on stage.

The bald Han Dynasty guys gathered together hand in hand, dressed in white ballet outfits, and then began dancing the Dance of the Little Swans.

They moved gracefully and elegantly, and although it was extremely hard on the eyes, for some reason, it felt kind of cool after watching for a while.

Seeing this, Huang Ping, who had just been dissenting, immediately burst out laughing, and even Xiao Douzi started to giggle.

Ridiculous combinations often bring a more interesting experience to the players in front of the screen, and this was a nice little easter egg.

But it was still not enough.

After the laughter, Huang Ping, holding his stomach, said, “Oh boy, we can’t keep this up, we’re almost out of money. Luckily we saved the game earlier. Otherwise, just this combination would be enough to bankrupt us.”

Monkey nodded, “You’re right, this game is always short on funds. Buying good scripts costs money, hiring staff costs money, and training the staff costs money too. They eat at my place, sleep at my place, why do I still have to pay them?”

It was just an offhand comment, but it caused Xiao Douzi to freeze, as if he had realized something.

He pulled Monkey aside and asked seriously, “What did you just say?”

“Why do I still have to pay them?”

Hearing this sentence, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck through Xiao Douzi’s mind.

He restarted the game quickly and began to try over and over again, repeatedly attempting to unlock the plot.

After several attempts, he stared at the screen and pondered. Fifteen minutes later, he quickly restarted the game and continued to try.

Seeing Xiao Douzi so engrossed, Huang Ping didn’t dare say a word, and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

By this time, Xiao Douzi had completely entered work mode, and whatever was said would fall on deaf ears.

Finally, Xiao Douzi slammed on the keyboard excitedly and said, “I got it.”

Turning his head, Huang Ping looked at the screen and finally saw the anomaly.

In the assets column, Xiao Douzi’s assets had already broken seven figures, but the staff value was not good, and the show group’s equipment was also shabby, completely inconsistent with his actual assets.

Recalling Xiao Douzi’s operations, Huang Ping also nodded and said, “I see, I got it too.”