40: Chapter 40: Though the place is dilapidated, it should not be underestimated.

"Mr. Qin, why did you decide to leave NetEase?"

Qin Gong smiled and said, "I wanted a change of environment. After staying at a big company for so long, there are too many processes and too many restrictions; I couldn't do the things I wanted to do."

Most candidates this week had used this reason, so Jiang Yuan didn't pay much attention to it and continued asking, "After you resigned, did you think about what you wanted to do?"

Qin Gong said earnestly, "I want to work on some truly interesting projects—not assembly-line products, not mobile games, but games with a soul that can truly make players feel happy."

Jiang Yuan nodded without saying anything.

Qin Gong continued, "I have played both of your games. I've played Vampire Survivors for over a hundred hours, and I just cleared Ascension 15 in Slay the Spire. To be honest, I did my homework before coming here; otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to submit my resume."

Jiang Yuan glanced at him and asked thoughtfully, "Then, in your opinion, how should the distribution for Spark Games be handled?"

This question seemed to hit the nail on the head for Qin Gong. He quickly went through all his relevant knowledge in his mind before speaking with a solemn expression.

Once he started, he spoke in great detail and without reservation about everything, from how to pave overseas channels to how to operate domestic communities, as well as streamer collaboration strategies, media PR strategies, and even how to build data analysis systems and create user personas.

For a full ten minutes, the man's mouth barely stopped moving.

Every time Jiang Yuan asked a relevant question, it seemed to boost the other person's enthusiasm even further.

The two of them chatted in the conference room like this; it didn't look like an interviewer conducting an interview, but rather like friends with similar views exchanging opinions on the subject.

After he finished speaking, still feeling like he had more to say, Jiang Yuan asked the question she was most concerned about at the moment: "Then, if the distribution of Spark Games were handed over to you, what would be your first step?"

Facing this question, many answers flashed through Qin Gong's mind.

But finally, after considering Jiang Yuan's speaking style and her impressive resume of achieving fame at a young age by creating two major hit indie games, he said, enunciating each word clearly, "I thought of many answers, but when it came down to it, there are only two words left: Recruit people!"

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow and made a gesture for him to continue.

Qin Gong said, "Distribution is not a job one person can do. I need at least one person who understands overseas markets, one who understands the domestic market, and one who understands data. With these three people in place, I can build the basic framework within three months. Of course, if the company is willing to invest more budget and let me hire three more people on this basis, then I can definitely shorten this time significantly!"

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan nodded with an expressionless look on her delicate face, remaining silent.

A few seconds of silence passed.

Just as Qin Gong's mood gradually shifted from his original confidence to some nervousness, Jiang Yuan parted her pink lips, chuckled at him, and said in a crisp voice, "Start next Monday. You will be in charge of the Publishing Department. Remember to write down the requirements for how many people you need and give them to me."

Qin Gong stood there, stunned. With his emotions surging, he subconsciously thought he had misheard.

Jiang Yuan stood up and reached out her hand, "Welcome to Spark Games."

Qin Gong shook her hand and let out a long sigh of relief. For a moment, he felt the same immense pressure he used to face when dealing with the top executives at NetEase.

Looking at Jiang Yuan's slender figure as she turned to leave, Qin Gong hesitated for a few seconds, but in the end, he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "President Jiang, I have a question I'm very curious about. I wonder if I could..."

Jiang Yuan turned her head upon hearing this, looking somewhat surprised, and said in a crisp voice, "Of course you can! Go ahead and ask!"

"The question is, you are so young, and in terms of game development, you already possess boundless creativity and top-tier technical skills. Why are you also so clear about the tricks of those old hands in publishing? The distribution strategies I just mentioned—it's one thing that you understood them, but sometimes you even asked about my next steps in advance. You are truly a genius; it leaves me in awe!"

Jiang Yuan: "..."

Pointing her finger at him, Jiang Yuan chuckled, "Those who make games must understand a little bit about distribution. Spark Games does not have a custom of having to suck up to superiors. I'll let it slide this time, but don't let it happen again!"

After saying that, Jiang Yuan left with light steps, leaving Qin Gong standing there, muttering to himself, "Did I mess up? When I was at NetEase, this trick worked every time! But then again, President Jiang is so young and already worth over a hundred million; she must be different from those people!"

Monday morning at eight o'clock.

Qin Gong appeared at the office door right on time.

He arrived a full half-hour earlier than the start time agreed upon with HR. He did this for no other reason than to leave a good enough impression on his new boss and new colleagues, so that his work in the coming years could proceed more smoothly.

But after he stood at the door and took a look inside, his heart immediately sank.

It turned out there were already people at the workstations, and more than one!

A man with delicate features and a thin build was staring at a screen while holding a cup of soy milk, while another, who was robust and rugged-looking—more like a gym coach than a game designer—was lying in his chair scrolling through his phone.

No one noticed him.

Since there was no hope of being the first to arrive, Qin Gong simply didn't rush in, but instead stood at the door and watched carefully for a while.

This office was not big, with seven or eight people squeezed into open workstations, and the walls were covered with sketches and sticky notes.

On the other side, with its back to the door, stood a whiteboard, though it was impossible to see exactly what was written on it.

In the far corner, there were a few boxes of drinks stacked up, and on the windowsill sat a few vibrant green plants.

To be honest, compared to NetEase where he had spent six years, this place seemed a bit too much like a makeshift operation.

However, he had spent six years in that big office at NetEase that could seat two hundred people, and he had never arrived that early.

"Who are you looking for?"

Just as Qin Gong finished observing, took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and intended to walk in to officially start his career at his new employer, a delicate and soft voice came from the side. Qin Gong looked toward the sound and saw a young woman wearing a white knitted sweater and a knee-length cotton skirt, standing at the door of the pantry holding a cup, looking at him with some vigilance.

The woman looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with her long hair draped down and wearing square black-rimmed glasses. She had a beautiful face, and the name section on her employee badge read "Su Meng".

"Qin Gong."

He extended his hand and said with a smile, "The new person in distribution."

Su Meng glanced at him, didn't shake his hand, but just nodded in realization and said, "Oh, the one from NetEase."

She shouted inside: "Chen Yu, your new boss is here."

Hearing this, the robust man who was lying in his chair scrolling through his phone jumped down, trotted to the door, grabbed the hand Qin Gong was about to withdraw, and wore a bright smile on his face.

"You must be Qin Gong, right? You should be older than me? Then I'll call you Brother Qin from now on? Hello, Brother Qin!"

So this was Chen Yu.

Qin Gong smiled, "Hello, Chen Yu. I just got here too, you can just call me by my name!"

"Hey, that won't do. I'll still call you Brother Qin!"

Su Meng walked past them with her cup and left a sentence lingering in the air: "President Jiang hasn't arrived yet; you can sit for a while."

Qin Gong nodded and followed the enthusiastic Chen Yu into the office.

His workstation was arranged next to Chen Yu's, with a new computer on the desk, not yet turned on.

Qin Gong sat down and looked around.

On the wall directly facing him was a piece of paper with a few handwritten words: Spark Games — Publishing Department.

The words had just been written, and the ink wasn't dry yet.

Qin Gong watched this scene, the smile on his face slowly stiffening. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: he had been wrong before—this place didn't even seem to qualify as a makeshift operation...

Yet, it was precisely this kind of place that had given birth to the two best-selling domestic single-player games of the year, ranking first and second on the domestic single-player sales chart!