Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 406: A Farewell Surprise for Ruan Guangjian
Tuesday, January 25.
Shangyang Games.
Ruan Guangjian logged into the game once again and carefully experienced BE QUIET from start to finish.
As usual, startled yelps and sudden shouts kept echoing through the office. However, everyone at Shangyang Games had long since gotten used to it.
Ye Zhizhou and Wang Xiaobin whispered to each other.
"Master Ruan's decibel level today is obviously higher than before."
"Yeah. That means the improvements during this period have been very effective."
The two stared at the decibel meter in front of them. The numbers on it kept fluctuating, and the peak values were being recorded.
After comparing them with the previous testing results, it was immediately clear that there had been a significant improvement.
After quite a while, the noise finally subsided.
Ruan Guangjian's face was flushed with excitement, and he looked full of energy.
"Good!"
"Now this game finally has the feel of a proper horror game!"
"I think the visuals don't need any further changes. From here on, it's just about polishing the details."
Everyone stood up and applauded, expressing their sincere thanks.
During this period, Ruan Guangjian had truly given it his all. Not only had he completely revamped the game's art style, but he had also proposed many gameplay improvements.
Originally, the game's horror level had only been barely passable. With Ruan Guangjian's help, it had been pushed all the way up to excellent!
On top of that, he had also taken time to draw art for the Shared Phone Booth, and even contacted other friends from his circles to help out.
Ruan Guangjian had contributed a great deal, and everyone at Shangyang Games saw it clearly.
Although Lin Wan had already paid him a full and generous salary, Shangyang Games still felt they owed him a big favor.
"Well, things here are basically settled," Ruan Guangjian said with a smile.
"I'll probably head back to Shanghai soon."
"I need to arrange the relocation of my studio, and then prepare for the Spring Festival."
"Who knows, maybe after the New Year our entire studio will move to Jingzhou. Then we'll all be neighbors!"
Everyone thanked him again. Although they hadn't worked together for very long, they still felt somewhat reluctant to see him go.
After leaving Shangyang Games, Ruan Guangjian took out his phone and called President Pei.
Since he was leaving Jingzhou, he should at least say a simple goodbye.
…
At this moment, Pei Qian had just finished seeing Lin Chang off.
The two had agreed that after the horror game and the phone were released—and after Lin Wan was taken care of—they would have a big feast together to celebrate.
Pei Qian's phone suddenly began to vibrate.
"Hm?"
Seeing Ruan Guangjian's number, Pei Qian instinctively frowned.
Just thinking about the phone booth incident made him angry!
But angry or not, he still had to answer the call. What if he missed some critical backstabbing news? That would be a disaster.
"President Pei, I plan to spend a couple more days sightseeing in Jingzhou, and then I'll head back to Shanghai."
"Thanks for the warm hospitality during this time. I know you're busy, so I won't bother you with a face-to-face farewell."
"After the Spring Festival, once I move my studio here, we brothers can drink together!"
Pei Qian: "?"
What did he mean by 'move my studio here after the Spring Festival'?
And what did he mean by 'we brothers drink together'???
Who allowed you to move your studio here? And since when were we brothers?!
Pei Qian felt utterly speechless. One was Ruan Guangjian, the other was Qiao Liang—why were all the people on his mental list of enemies so shamelessly familiar with him?
Hearing that Ruan Guangjian was about to leave, Pei Qian actually felt a bit happy at first.
After all, the trouble-making disaster star was leaving. Life might finally become a little more peaceful. He wouldn't have to worry about suddenly getting stabbed in the back by a paintbrush one day.
But then he thought again.
Wait, that's not right!
Pei Qian quickly said, "Hold on! I still have something to do!"
"How about this—I'll pick you up from your hotel this afternoon. I've got a big surprise for you!"
On the other end of the phone, Ruan Guangjian sounded surprised.
"Oh? A surprise? What kind of surprise?"
Pei Qian chuckled.
"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. Just wait for me at the hotel this afternoon. I'll come pick you up."
Ruan Guangjian didn't ask any further questions and simply agreed: "Alright."
After hanging up the phone, Pei Qian couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl slightly upward.
You almost slipped away, kid!
Earlier, Pei Qian had already called to confirm that after a month of intense work, three of the smaller projects under the second major attraction of the haunted house had been completed.
These small projects didn't take up much space. For example, one called "Bathroom" was just a restroom of about ten square meters, where all the gameplay took place within that cramped environment.
Moreover, these smaller projects could be built simultaneously, so progress was relatively quick.
Although the most terrifying part of Fright Hostel was the third major attraction, Pei Qian couldn't wait any longer.
Seeing that Ruan Guangjian was about to slip away, he had to arrange something for him. He absolutely couldn't just let him leave so easily!
Thinking of this, Pei Qian made another call to Chen Kangtuo.
"Get those three small projects fully prepared. This afternoon I'm bringing a friend over to try them out. You must scare the piss out of him!"
…
…
Afternoon, Old Industrial District.
At the moment, the construction of Fright Hostel didn't appear to have made much visible progress. The three large factory buildings had merely been cordoned off, and preliminary preparations were underway.
Inside one of the factory buildings were several shipping containers. This was where the second major attraction was located.
The entire old industrial district was very large. In the future there would certainly be a ticket office, souvenir shops, and so on—but none of those existed yet.
After all, it had only been a little over a month since the proposal was first made. Finishing three small projects already wasn't easy.
Ruan Guangjian and Pei Qian got out of the car and walked toward the factory building.
"President Pei, if it weren't for the construction workers here, I might've thought you were bringing me here to dump a body," Ruan Guangjian joked.
Pei Qian thought to himself: Heh, you think I wouldn't want to?
Ruan Guangjian looked around in confusion.
"So, President Pei, what exactly is the surprise you mentioned?"
Pei Qian played it mysterious.
"Come with me and you'll find out."
The two entered the large factory building. Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong happened to walk out to greet them.
When Ruan Guangjian saw the project name "Fright Hostel," he suddenly understood.
"Oh! President Pei, is this a new haunted house?"
Pei Qian smiled slightly.
"That's right! When you came to Jingzhou, you didn't get to fully enjoy the haunted house. So this one was specially arranged for you!"
There was absolutely no exaggeration in that statement. Aside from wanting to lose money, the second biggest reason Pei Qian decided to build the haunted house was to get revenge on Ruan Guangjian!
Even Qiao Liang had suffered obediently when he came—so why should Ruan Guangjian get to leave unharmed?
Absolutely unacceptable!
Ruan Guangjian's face instantly turned pale.
"No, no, no, that won't do! President Pei, I'll be taking my leave!"
He cupped his hands and immediately tried to slip away.
Pei Qian quickly grabbed him.
"Come on! Since you're already here, you should at least try it!"
"And besides, this haunted house was specially made for you. If you don't go in, wouldn't my effort be wasted?"
Despite all of Pei Qian's persuasion, Ruan Guangjian kept shaking his head.
"President Pei, to be honest—things like roller coasters, giant pendulum rides, and bungee jumping don't scare me at all. But the thing I'm most afraid of is haunted houses!"
"How about this—President Pei, I'll treat you to bungee jumping instead. Let's jump together—"
Just as Ruan Guangjian tried to change the battlefield and play to his strengths, Pei Qian firmly refused.
"No way! Bungee jumping isn't interesting!" Pei Qian shook his head vigorously. "Trust me—haunted houses are way more fun!"
After a lot of persuasion, Ruan Guangjian finally reluctantly agreed to experience the haunted house.
Before entering, he even deliberately went to the restroom first.
After all, he hadn't brought a change of clothes. If he really ended up wetting himself, that would be awkward.
Chen Kangtuo handed the project instructions to Ruan Guangjian.
"Master Ruan, take a good look. After you go in, you have to fully meet the requirements listed here to clear the stage."
Ruan Guangjian looked as if he were facing a formidable enemy. He stared at the sheet and quietly recited the instructions to himself. Fine beads of sweat began forming on his forehead.
Pei Qian stood nearby, outwardly cheering him on, but inwardly feeling delighted.
Ruan Guangjian, oh Ruan Guangjian~ so this day has finally come!
Weren't you immune to giant pendulum rides and bungee jumping? Didn't you happily enjoy my roller-coaster gauntlet?
Today, you're going to get properly treated!
Pei Qian knew very well that in the haunted house Fright Hostel, the most terrifying part was the third major attraction, but the second major attraction was also quite frightening.
If the third attraction relied on traditional methods like scenery, props, and actors to scare people, then the second attraction leaned more toward psychological suggestion.
Letting people scare themselves, gradually increasing psychological pressure, keeping the mind constantly fluctuating at a high level of tension—this kind of fear could be just as terrifying.
Pei Qian could hardly wait to see Ruan Guangjian run out of there in tears and snot…
Soon, Ruan Guangjian finished memorizing the requirements for the first small project and walked into the corresponding shipping container.
Originally, this major attraction was designed so that players would encounter many small projects randomly. They would need to memorize the requirements for all of them and then clear three consecutive challenges in one go to pass.
But since construction wasn't finished yet, they could only experience them individually.
After Ruan Guangjian entered, everyone immediately gathered around a nearby laptop to watch the surveillance feed.
Chen Kangtuo hesitated for a moment before reminding him:
"President Pei, shouldn't we do a quick physical check first? The scene inside is really pretty scary. I tried it once myself and it scared the hell out of me."
Pei Qian shook his head.
"That shouldn't be necessary."
Ruan Guangjian was in great physical condition. He could ride roller coasters and giant pendulums without any issue, so there shouldn't be any health concerns.
At worst, he'd just scream loudly inside the haunted house. If he had an excessive reaction, staff would immediately rescue him, so nothing serious would happen.
"Uh… President Pei, he's shaking," Hao Qiong said.
From the monitor, they could clearly see that after entering, Ruan Guangjian took nearly ten seconds just to pull the latch and lock the door. Then he spent another ten seconds picking up the red candle on the floor and turning off the lights.
He was probably constantly trying to build up his courage.
Pei Qian chuckled.
"Trying to stall? The longer you stall, the scarier it gets!"
There was no time limit for completing this challenge—and none was needed.
In such a frightening environment, the longer you stayed, the more terrifying it became. The best strategy was to finish the tasks quickly and get out as soon as possible.
Someone like Ruan Guangjian would probably be scared off before completing all the requirements.
"AHHH!!!"
A scream suddenly rang out.
Inside there were high-definition infrared cameras, as well as speakers and microphones that could capture sound.
That scream startled everyone present.
Pei Qian jerked in surprise. Two seconds later he asked, "What did he see?"
Chen Kangtuo scratched his head in confusion.
"He didn't see anything… He just placed the candle in front of the mirror. He hasn't even covered his eyes with both hands yet."
"He just saw himself in the mirror and screamed?"
Hao Qiong glanced at Pei Qian, who was staring expectantly at the monitor.
"President Pei, Master Ruan really does seem pretty timid. Maybe we should just stop?"
Pei Qian shook his head.
"How could we stop? I believe he'll definitely be able to overcome his fear!"
<+>
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