Chapter 58: Night and Dawn (Part I) (Four Thousand Words!)

Under the gaze of the multitude, Song Qingqing stared blankly at Zhang Yang.

He was still as handsome as before.

Yet, he no longer possessed that youthful immaturity; every word and action exuded a mature air tempered by the hardships of life.

He was confident!

Facing the diverse array of reporters and various skeptical voices, this confidence seemed ingrained in his very bones—as if nothing in this world could ever crush him.

His voice possessed an equally magnetic pull. Amidst the massive crowd gathered at the entrance, the moment he spoke through the megaphone, all attention immediately locked onto him.

He neither denied some of the unglamorous events of his past nor cared about the occasional curses interspersed through the air.

It was as if...

His heart had turned to iron!

Yet, a sudden, heavy ache gripped Song Qingqing's heart.

It felt as though that senior from her memories was still here.

And yet, that senior also seemed to be gone forever.

They possessed the exact same youthful vigor.

However!

Things were no longer as innocent as they used to be.

Back then, he had said he wanted to be admitted to the Department of Law at Peking University and become a respected lawyer.

He had said that striving for the title of top scorer in the college entrance examination was something he could definitely fight for...

He had also once mentioned that university was a place he yearned for immensely; he wanted to know what a university was really like, having heard that it was vast, spacious, and beautiful.

The students who studied alongside him all respected him deeply, treating him as an idol, while simultaneously falling into the idyllic dreams of university life he had painted for them.

And right now...

He seemed to have betrayed his former beliefs.

He appeared to have lost all interest in becoming a lawyer.

Standing before the cameras, he talked at length about educational issues, about gaming, and about the future of "Cosmos Technology," his voice drowning out all the curses directed at him.

Many lost interest and walked away, grumbling.

However, others stopped in their tracks, listening intently to what Zhang Yang had to say.

Song Qingqing lowered her head.

A profound ache squeezed her heart.

She had no idea what Zhang Yang had gone through during the period after he dropped out of school.

But it certainly wasn't as simple as the breezy remarks he made: "My dad gambled away our money, mortgaged things using my ID right after I turned of age, made my life miserable, and occasionally left me with nothing to eat."

Just imagine.

A youth with a boundless future, someone destined for the spotlight, is suddenly told that his path forward is severed, instantly dragged into an abyss where nothing awaits him but darkness, pain, and a ruined life...

Then!

Just how desperate must he have been!

Good heavens!

Fate truly dealt him an extraordinarily wretched hand!

Trying to crush him completely!

And just as he managed to crawl back up, life ruthlessly shoved him back down again!

...

"Zhang—Brother Zhang?"

"He's Brother Zhang? Oh, my god, it's him! Mom, it's him!"

"I didn't dare tell you before, but actually, during my first and second years of high school, the person who tutored me and taught me problem-solving methods was him..."

"I was afraid you wouldn't trust him, but truthfully, I didn't hire any external tutor; the person I found was Senior Brother Zhang!"

"Without him laying that foundation for me, there is no way I could have gotten into Tsinghua University..."

"The students he used to teach—even the worst of them ended up as undergraduates now... Yes, it's him!"

"He could never be a deadbeat debtor! There is absolutely no reason for him to be one!"

"..."

In Hangzhou.

A young man was browsing the web.

He froze instantly when he saw a news headline reading: "Zhang Yang is a deadbeat debtor."

It felt strangely familiar!

Driven by impulse, he clicked on it.

He read the text report on the screen.

He was stunned.

His memories flashed back several years in an instant!

He jumped up in excitement, bolted out of the living room, and shouted at the top of his lungs to his parents who were watching television!

His parents were startled.

"What?"

"Brother Zhang has appeared! He didn't actually fail to go to college; he... I knew there was something weird about him dropping out back then, why did he suddenly quit? Qingqing is in Beijing, I need to call Qingqing! She went to work at Brother Zhang's company, and she didn't even tell me..."

The parents looked at the agitated young man.

When they heard the name "Qingqing," they grew excited as well.

Qingqing.

She was a good friend of their child from their high school days.

An exceptionally hardworking and brilliant female student; even in university, their child and Qingqing had kept in touch.

They had hoped their child would end up with Qingqing and had often nudged him to chat with her more.

"No!"

"I have to clear Brother Zhang's name! I was one of those students!"

"Yes, I'm going to prove it to them! Mom, is my student ID still around?"

"Wait, my testimony alone isn't enough. I need to contact the others and get them to help prove it too!"

"..."

They watched as their child excitedly rushed back into his room...

From inside the room, they heard the sound of a phone dialing.

...

Late at night.

The reporters had all dispersed.

Inside "Cosmos Technology," Zhang Yang had someone lock the company doors and walked into the office.

Zhong Chongwen, Zhao Hang, Ge Yumiao, Qian Cai, and the others looked toward Zhang Yang.

"Let's hold a meeting together!"

With a smile, Zhang Yang dropped those words and turned to walk toward the conference room alone.

They looked at one another.

In the end, they chose to follow...

On the internet, the online abuse was still rampant. Their company had already received a notice ordering the temporary removal of *Crazy Whacking Alpaca*, while *Desert Cycling* entered a review process with the relevant authorities to determine if the game harbored elements of pyramid schemes and fraud.

At this moment...

Everyone's mood was rock-bottom. These creations were the fruit of their sweat and blood!

They were the dreams they had poured countless day-and-night efforts into!

Now, all their hard work was on the verge of going down the drain!

If the label of pyramid scheme fraud was truly pinned on them, then this newly established "Cosmos Technology" might collapse overnight.

President Zhang?

Everyone looked at Zhang Yang's retreating back, their hearts aching profoundly.

Everyone in the company understood that the blow this incident dealt to President Zhang was the deepest of all.

At worst, the rest of them could just switch companies and find other jobs.

As for President Zhang...

The public opinion online increasingly painted a picture of Zhang Yang being completely discredited and ruined.

Judging by the attitude of the gaming community online, everyone was out to destroy him and ban him completely!

It was foreseeable that once "Cosmos Technology" went bankrupt, he would never be able to work in the gaming industry again, and staying in Beijing might even become impossible.

He had nowhere left to retreat!

They walked into the conference room and sat down with heavy, complicated feelings.

Song Qingqing brewed a cup of tea for each of them and sat down attentively next to Zhang Yang with her notebook.

Before the meeting even began...

The phones of Ge Yumiao and Qian Cai started ringing.

Subconsciously, they took out their phones and stepped outside to answer.

To their surprise, the calls were coming from Da Di Company.

They were bewildered.

Why would Da Di Company be calling them?

"You're offering me a monthly salary of eight thousand?"

"Do you know how much President Zhang pays me?"

"A monthly salary of ten thousand versus eight thousand, and you still have the nerve to poach me?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Damn it! President Zhang scammed me? I've already received my monthly salary, okay! Did he scam me with actual money? Are you sick?"

"..."

Ge Yumiao shouted into the phone.

He cursed Da Di Company out as sick and brainless.

Then he returned to the conference room and blacklisted that number.

Qian Cai returned shortly after.

Once seated, the two of them seemed to realize something as their spirits jolted upright, prompting them to look up at Zhang Yang, who was organizing his materials!

At a time when President Zhang was in the direst need of money and carrying massive debts, he had never once thought about paying off his debts first. Instead, he prioritized paying their salaries and honoring his promises...

He had even!

Given them gaming profit bonuses!

At this moment...

A suffocating sense of choking emotion gripped their throats.

President Zhang was genuine with them!

After finishing organizing his things at his seat, Zhang Yang silently gazed at the lights outside the window.

One by one, the others had also finished taking their phone calls.

Most of these calls came from Mustang Technology and Da Di Technology, with a small fraction from Lianzhong Computer...

The offers varied, but in the market, they appeared quite generous!

Their goal was singular: to poach talent.

Zhang Yang suddenly chuckled.

He found it rather ironic.

He was just a nobody; did they really need to make such a grand fuss just to crush him?

Just as they finished their calls, Zhang Yang himself received a call from Mustang.

He was bewildered.

"Hello?"

"President Zhang, can we have a chat?"

"Oh, President Liu, hello." Zhang Yang smiled warmly, remaining polite, though he no longer addressed Liu Ruohan with honorifics.

"President Zhang, I still hope to acquire your company and team. Name your price!"

"..."

"President Zhang, I know your company is in a difficult situation right now, but I can help resolve all of your company's and your personal debt issues. In fact, I admire you greatly; I feel your story shouldn't end like this!" On the other end of the line, the voice sounded quite urgent.

"Thank you for your appreciation, President Liu, but there's no need." Zhang Yang was still smiling.

"President Zhang, this is not the time to be headstrong or act on impulse. I've received word that Lianzhong Computer is out to destroy you..."

"Are they going to send an assassin to kill me?"

"That shouldn't happen. After all, it's a society ruled by law; those messy tropes from novels won't happen..."

"Are they going to poison me?"

"Probably not either. Lianzhong Technology is a major brand after all, and they plan to go public in the US in the future. They won't have such cheap scandals, and there's no need for them to do that anyway..."

"Then I'm relieved. I won't die, and as for the internet and public opinion, it doesn't really matter..."

"..."

Without waiting for Liu Ruohan's continued persuasion, Zhang Yang hung up the phone.

Then, he looked around at everyone in the conference room.

"Is everyone done with your calls? If you're done, put your phones on silent. Bear with me tonight, everyone; let's pull together and flesh out the template for the new game..." Looking at everyone, Zhang Yang's smile grew even brighter. "We shouldn't feel upset or angry just because parents reported us. We need to leverage this! Any force we can leverage, we must use! Parents care most about their children's education and all hope their kids will win at the starting line. Well then, let's give them a gaming product that represents that starting line. This is a massive cake... In fact, in a sense, we should even thank them for reporting us!"

"Alright, now let's discuss the system settings for the student version of *God of Strategy*!"

"First, the immersive social English communication integration system..."

"Next is the mathematics integration system. Most kids probably love stories about princes and princesses, so in the final level, we'll create a dragon boss. If they want to defeat the boss, they need to collect a full set of equipment..."

"And that equipment—things like stones, swords, weapons, and shops—items inside the game that kids must input English words to purchase. When inputting the English, kids will also hear the audio prompts three times... Through this, we can continually reinforce their memory, striving so that after a single mini-stage ends, the kids will be able to speak and write a short passage of English..."

"Also, in the virtual character communication, all the little boys and girls will converse entirely in English—oh, and text as well. Hmm, we need to figure out the exact mechanics to prevent the game from becoming purely an English lesson while keeping it fun. Anyway, if kids want to become friends with virtual characters, collect equipment together, defeat the evil dragon, and save the princess or prince, they must increase their favorability ratings with the virtual characters..."

"Following that, the mathematics and natural science popularization system..."

"..."

Inside the conference room.

Zhang Yang spoke with great enthusiasm to everyone about the future of this game.

He spoke earnestly and systematically.

It was as if...

He was forever brimming with this kind of vitality!

...

Meanwhile, at Mustang Technology.

Several HR staff members looked at one another...

"Did Zhang Yang really offer ten thousand a month over there, and they actually take home even more?"

"Is that real or fake?"

"I don't believe it!"

"Wait, he's a deadbeat debtor, where would he get the money?"

"The money probably came from the game profits. Those two games are considered quite explosive in the indie gaming space... Even if it's not millions, hundreds of thousands is completely out of the question..."

"I heard that everyone involved in the game gets a certain percentage of the revenue?" One of the bespectacled staff members walked over after finishing a phone call, looking somewhat skeptical.

"Really? I don't believe it. Don't they have a base salary plus commissions? Calculated that way, their salary is two or three times mine!" Another person chimed in after hanging up their phone.

"I heard Zhang Yang even promised them an apartment in Beijing within five years?"

"Is this company out of its mind?"

"???"

"An apartment in Beijing? If that's true, then I..." Although impractical, the bespectacled employee still fell into a daydream.

"Stop daydreaming. Nobody even knows if Zhang Yang can survive this hurdle; the internet is still full of abuse, and his games have been taken down! What future does this company have? Chances are, these people will be coming over to us in a few days..."

"Fine... Wait, hold on, no! It looks like someone online is speaking up for Zhang Yang? Wait! It seems to be true! Zhang Yang really used to be a top student? Huh, he changed his name? He used to be called Zhang Lin? Heavens, are his tutoring methods really that magical? I don't believe it!"

"There's a personal account written right here..."

"..."