After he and Lin Youxi decided to develop a work about life in Baimei County, Mei Fang's life as a corporate slave began to undergo a slight change.
—He is busier than ever.
Why did you agree to such a thing on such a whim
Mei Fang sat in front of her computer screen, thinking back to what happened on Valentine's Day a month ago.
As usual, he stayed until the last minute to work overtime and then went to the convenience store downstairs from the company to buy some food, where he met a fellow villager from Baimei County.
This fellow villager happened to be my high school classmate and kindergarten classmate, and they both happened to be in the gaming industry like me, one as the chief programmer and the other as the chief planner.
This perfect fate made Mei Fang talk to her more.
Originally, such an encounter would have been enough, but Mei Fang inexplicably got into the car with her, inexplicably followed her to her house, and inexplicably started talking about ideas for game design. They talked until the early morning before dragging their tired bodies back home.
During that night talk, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi decided on the name and type of the game. They planned to develop a simulation game called "Baimei County Time", in which the player plays the role of a teenager who was born and raised in Baimei County and experiences the process of growing up from childhood to adulthood.
In fact, similar ideas for this type of game had already been created on Steam in the early years. For example, "Chinese Parents" and "A Perfect Day" can both be regarded as such childhood nostalgic games.
However, Lin Youxi believes that the touch interaction will not give a sense of reality. She wants to develop a pixel-style game similar to an RPG game with a large map to explore, because she wants to recreate all the scenes in her memory.
Although Mei Fang was involved in Lin Youxi's development plan as a planner, in fact, the title of producer still belonged to Lin Youxi. After several discussions and confirmation of the feasibility, the game project was established according to Lin Youxi's ideas.
Of course, cooperative development is cooperative development, and Lin Youxi also needs to make it clear to Mei Fang about the profit sharing:
"You are helping me complete my development plan, so you are actually working for me. I can give you some money every month, but because I have to keep funds for outsourcing art, I can't give you too much..."
"It's okay, it's okay. I did this project because I was interested in it... and it was originally just a part-time job. If you think I have to be paid to feel at ease, then I want 10 points of the net profit."
"This game might lose money, and you won't get a penny."
Lin Youxi smiled at Mei Fang and said, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a stable salary of 10,000 yuan every month?"
The little bit of money you mentioned turned out to be ten thousand yuan
As expected, he is the main programmer of Penguin!
Mei Fang regretted not agreeing directly. After all, although he was the chief planner, it was a small company after all, and his salary was only over 20,000 yuan. It was really great to be able to earn so much money from this part-time job.
But if this money can be used to outsource, it would be good...
Mei Fang thought about it and nodded, "At this age, I should always think about doing something a little more ideal!"
Because the two companies were close to each other, Lin Youxi would usually ask Mei Fang out for lunch and dinner, mainly to talk about how to implement the system plan from the previous day.
Lin Youxi's gaming experience is actually not as deep as Mei Fang imagined. It is said that she only started playing games in college. This also made it difficult for Mei Fang to introduce some games to Lin Youxi.
But for the games that Mei Fang mentioned, Lin Youxi would find time to play them the next day, and analyze the wonderful design and interactive implementation logic of these games with Mei Fang.
The two were chatting animatedly, and because they were eating in the public cafeteria downstairs in the office building, as time went on, it naturally aroused discussion among their colleagues.
"Why, our Brother Fang hasn't been eating with us lately... Is there something going on?"
"Xiao Cao, you haven't noticed yet, have you? Brother Fang is having dinner with the beautiful Penguin girl every day!"
"Fuck, is this true? I thought Brother Fang was someone who had absolutely no interest in women."
"He's not interested in women, so is he interested in you? He just has high standards... Hey, Brother Fang's new girlfriend is so beautiful."
"But I feel like Brother Fang doesn't look very well lately. Is he tired?"
"With such a beautiful girlfriend and such a hard-working job, he must be tired at night! Haha..."
Mei Fang did not have time to deal with the gossip of her friends during this period. Lin Youxi's development progress was very fast. Mei Fang's plan was often submitted on the same day. She could implement the preliminary functions and then discuss various detailed implementation plans with Mei Fang.
"Ah... this... is like this..."
Mei Fang felt that the intensity of one or two weeks was okay, but he also had to deal with a lot of things in his job. As a result, Mei Fang felt a little drowsy and almost fell asleep while working.
"Brother Fang, if we modify this according to the plan, we - Brother Fang?"
At the instigation of his subordinates, Mei Fang came back to his senses and rubbed his eyes.
"Brother Fang, have you not been getting enough rest recently? You look very sleepy."
"Well... I have some insomnia."
"It's not good to keep working under high pressure. It's easy to die suddenly. Why don't you take a day off and rest for the next two days?"
"The version hasn't been updated yet, so there's no time to rest. At most I can take a morning off to take a nap."
"Brother Fang, you work too hard. Your girlfriend will be distressed by this."
"Go away, where did I get a girlfriend?"
"Brother Fang is already an adult but he is still shy, ahahahahahaha!"
How could Mei Fang not know that they were talking about Lin Youxi
But she is really a shining and sympathetic girl, and Mei Fang now only wants to make the game with her.
Mei Fang had just finished the work at hand when he received a message from [Shan You Lin Xi].
[You can check the functional modules of the store system today. Can you come to my house to develop it? I will treat you to a meal. ]
She seemed very cordial.
Mei Fang thought about the trouble that would happen again today, so he gritted his teeth and sent a message to Lin Youxi:
Mei: [Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t do that today…]
Lin: [Do we have to work overtime again? ]
Mei: [Yes, there will be a problem today, and there are still many bugs in the program that have not been fixed]
Lin: [What BUG is there? Show it to me and I will fix it for you]
Mei: [I’m afraid this is not appropriate…]
Lin: [Don’t you believe in my ability? ]
Mei: [That’s definitely not the case! ]
Lin: [So you are not as interested as you were at the beginning and don’t want to make this game anymore]
Mei: [Nothing! I'm just a little tired lately...]
Lin: [Okay, you should have a good rest today, and we won’t have dinner together]
Is she angry
She must be angry!
How to comfort a girl when she is angry
This is our former Baimei No. 1 High School’s top female student. We can’t just fool her around with her…
Mei Fang, who had no experience in love, had no idea how to deal with this situation. However, he had too much work on hand and could not take Lin Youxi's feelings into consideration. He could only focus on his work at the company first.
It was already half past three when Mei Fang finished his work and fixed the bug. It took him an hour to get home by taxi. During this time, he was thinking about replying to Lin Youxi, but in the end he hesitated and did not send it.
When she got home, Mei Fang insisted on taking a shower and falling asleep immediately. When she woke up, it was already 11 o'clock the next day.
Mei Fang didn't have to go to work in the morning, so she simply washed up and cooked some noodles for herself. Then she picked up her phone to check Lin Youxi's WeChat and sent Lin Youxi a message.
[Just got up after overtime... Do you want to have lunch together? Let’s talk about yesterday’s system.]
…
Then, Mei Fang saw a red exclamation mark.
[The message has been sent, but was rejected by the other party]
Mei Fang suddenly felt his scalp tingling. Was he blocked by Lin Youxi because he had treated her with disrespect yesterday
It's just because of overtime... I have a lot of things to do myself.
Mei Fang actually felt that Lin Youxi was making a big deal out of nothing, but he didn't have much contact with girls. Plus, it was understandable that Lin Youxi's background made her fragile and sensitive, so he gritted his teeth and called Lin Youxi again.
The call kept beeping but the call didn't get through, but the call wasn't hung up either.
Didn’t you see it
I'll call back later...
Mei Fang felt a little unhappy. After all, she was really busy with work, but Lin Youxi couldn't understand her.
She only cares about the game she wants to make. To her, I may just be a tool and not an important person.
If it weren't for the chief planner's talent and familiarity with Baimei County, this person could actually be someone else entirely
But at this age, it’s quite shameful to be jealous about such things.
Mei Fang called Lin Youxi again on the way to the subway, but this time the call did not go unanswered because the call was hung up after just one beep.
[Sorry, the user you dialed is busy]
No... What does that mean
We have been working hard on the development progress for a month, and we used to have happy chats every noon and evening. How come we suddenly fell out
Are all girls so difficult to communicate with
Or is it that only a woman like Lin Youxi would be like this
No wonder this guy has been single since birth... He really has a bad temper!
But even though Mei Fang was angry, he was reluctant to give up the hard work he had put into making the game for a month. It had been a long time since he had such a happy time fighting for his dream, so he had to find a way to contact Lin Youxi.
He was texting Lin Youxi.
[I was wrong about what happened yesterday... I know you value this game very much, but I also hope you can understand me. Our project team is now preparing to release the product, and we have been working overtime recently. I have no choice.]
[I also like the game you are going to make, and I really want to complete this project with you]
[Forget it... You should calm down... I feel like the current progress is a bit too fast. Contact me when you have figured it out.]
Damn!
Mei Fang felt more and more like a dog, and the feeling of dissatisfaction became stronger and stronger.
I have been working in the society for so long, there are some things I should know in my heart... Who will tolerate your bad temper when dealing with people in the workplace? You are not the boss or the president...
However, she has been alone for so many years, and she doesn't even have anyone to drink with. Her withdrawn personality has been like this since high school... I should have been mentally prepared when I was with her...
Mei Fang was trying to make up for Lin Youxi, and at this moment Lin Youxi sent another text message back to Mei Fang.
[Just treat me as dead]
…
Hey, what does this woman mean
Should I just treat her as dead and not look for her anymore
Just because I seem to be less enthusiastic about the game
Too sensitive and difficult to get along with!
Mei Fang's favorability towards Lin Youxi dropped to freezing point. If this woman was so difficult to talk to, it would be difficult for this project to succeed. The sunk costs invested now were not particularly high, so it was a good time to stop.
…
That's what I said.
When Mei Fang was working in the afternoon, the beautiful yet sad face of the woman who was lying at the bar and drinking sadly alone on Valentine's Day night lingered in Mei Fang's mind for a long time.
Frankly speaking, after spending a month together, he had fallen in love with her.
Lin Youxi possesses outstanding talent and works extremely hard when making games. Her technical skills as a programmer are so strong that even all the programmers in Mei Fang's company combined would not be as efficient as Lin Youxi.
Of course, this is just talking about work.
To be honest, Lin Youxi is not very difficult to get along with in real life. She and Mei Fang have a tacit understanding that hits it off right away. They often talk and laugh together. Occasionally, she would tease Mei Fang a little bit. Because she knew that she was one year older than Mei Fang, she would occasionally call herself "sister". She is completely different from her cold and arrogant appearance...
But, his temper is too unpredictable.
Should I wait until she wakes up for a while before contacting her
After getting off work early in the evening, Mei Fang was waiting for a car downstairs of the office building. He was hoping to run into Lin Youxi by chance, and even went to a convenience store to check, but he didn't see Lin Youxi.
…
It would be nice if I could get to know Lin Youxi’s friends.
However, looking at her like this, apart from her childhood sweetheart Xia Yuan, she probably doesn’t have many close friends…
Looking at the brightly lit convenience store nearby, Mei Fang's mind always unconsciously recalled her appearance and figure.
…
call…
Even if I'm considered a stalker or a pervert, I'll accept it...
Some things are too painful to leave unsaid.
Mei Fang took a taxi and sent a text message to Lin Youxi in the car.
[I went to your house to find you. Let's talk it out and part ways in peace. Don't make games without a beginning or an end.]
…
No response to the text message.
Mei Fang didn't think much about it, and then took a taxi to Lin Youxi's house.
Lin Youxi's home is very close to the company, in fact only a 10-minute drive away, but Mei Fang is anxious to see her.
Make it clear, if you are not going to do the project, then don’t do it. You have to give me a definite answer and tell me the reason clearly!
Lin Youxi lives in an old residential complex built in the 2000s, but it has all the necessary facilities. Mei Fang took the elevator upstairs, came to Lin Youxi's door, and knocked gently, but there was no response.
It happened that a delivery guy passed by Mei Fang and went to the next door. His action of making a phone call and knocking on the door gave Mei Fang inspiration.
So Mei Fang knocked on the door again and shouted softly at the top of her voice, "Hello, your takeaway is here."
Sure enough, there was a sound in the room.
But the pace was very slow.
Mei Fang held his breath, waiting to meet Lin Youxi again.
The door opened.
Lin Youxi, wearing only a pink one-piece pajamas, with messy hair and a tired look on her face, appeared in front of Mei Fang.
Lin Youxi also seemed a little surprised after seeing Mei Fang.
However, after a brief eye contact, Lin Youxi extended his hand to Mei Fang.
"Where's the takeaway? Give it to me."
"You really think I'm a delivery boy!"
After Mei Fang complained to Lin Youxi for a while, Lin Youxi smiled a little embarrassedly, "I had a fever today, so I didn't go to work."
"I see..."
The atmosphere at this time became subtle again. Mei Fang wanted to go in but didn't know whether it was appropriate for him to disturb them.
However, if Mei Fang doesn't ask some questions in person, she will regret it...
So he cleared his throat and asked Lin Youxi in a gentle voice:
“Why did you delete me? I’m so sad.”
"Just sad?"
Lin Youxi smiled at Mei Fang and shook her head, "Shouldn't a normal person lose his temper at me and then ignore me?"
“Maybe I’m not a normal person?”
“Then we are quite similar.”
Lin Youxi smiled and opened the door for Mei Fang, "Anyway... come in first and talk."
As Mei Fang entered the room, he scratched his head and asked Lin Youxi, "So, why did you say that? Are you not going to play games with me?"
"Actually, I forgot to take my medicine recently. I feel like my old illness is about to flare up, and I'm afraid it will scare you."
"Take medicine?"
"Yes, that's right."
Lin Youxi picked up a box of lithium carbonate from the table and showed it to Mei Fang. Then he smiled and said, "I actually have a mental illness, bipolar disorder. I stayed in a mental hospital for more than two months last year before I was released."
There are still 3 tonight, don't worry.
(End of this chapter)