22: Chapter 22 Hotel Waiter

...

"Mr. Lin, I... I'm just a waitress."

Facing the obviously wealthy and distinguished young man, Xu Anqing stammered a little. She didn't understand why this young man before her knew about her situation. It felt like having a scab torn off, bringing a sting of pain and confusion.

"Miss Xu, this is a sudden idea of mine, and it's just a rather uncertain opportunity,"

In the room, Lin Fang said amiably, "If you're unwilling, just consider me presumptuous. My apologies."

"Please leave,"

Wait, hold on. What about the job details and the salary?

You haven't mentioned any of that. Are you trying to trick a young girl? Xu Anqing instinctively wanted to leave, but her feet refused to move.

The salary here was good. Her initial plan was to work here peacefully and save up $200,000. Logically, she shouldn't be swayed by a few vague words from Lin Fang.

But... what was this faint flutter in her heart? Could it be regret over this seemingly unreliable job offer?

She didn't even know what this company did!

As for the opportunity he mentioned... she was 21, not a child anymore. It was time to face reality.

Xu Anqing steadied her resolve, turned, and walked out the door.

Looks like it's a no-go, Lin Fang thought as he walked over to close the door she had forgotten to shut.

Just as it was about to close,

"Mr. Lin,"

A hand blocked the door. Xu Anqing bit her lip, stared at Lin Fang for a moment, her ample chest rising and falling slightly. "My current monthly salary is 80,000 pesos, roughly equivalent to 10,000 RMB. If you can promise me half of that, 5,000 RMB, I'll go with you!"

Xu Anqing extended her hand, the back of it marked with a red line from where the door had squeezed it. She might be crazy, but she wanted to test the opportunity this mysterious young man spoke of.

Lin Fang was momentarily speechless. He shook her hand. "Pleasure doing business."

——

Now that the decision was made, Xu Anqing relaxed. The blush that had risen on her fair, oval face faded. She wasn't a thousand-mile steed, just a skinny horse grazing on roadside weeds. Yet now, a talent scout had come looking for her.

Now filled with motivation, she looked at Lin Fang before her and said, "Boss, what does our company do?"

"We are a legitimate technology company. The first product's technical team is still in testing. I'll send you the product details later. After returning to the country, you'll initially be responsible for the HR and administrative departments. You'll also have management authority over the company funds. First, we need to get the company set up..."

As Xu Anqing's expression gradually turned to one of stunned disbelief, Lin Fang encouraged her, "The startup phase might be tough, but I have faith in you."

"In the future, you'll be a founding pillar of the company!"

Xu Anqing felt a bit dizzy. She felt like she had boarded a pirate ship. They hadn't signed a contract yet; there was still time to jump ship.

"Boss, the company must at least be registered, right?" Xu Anqing asked with a bitter smile tinged with hope. "What's our company's name?"

"Ah, that part is done,"

Lin Fang picked up a piece of paper from the table. "This is our company's name and logo. Take a look."

The logo on the paper was simple: a half-ellipse shaped like a planet, overlaid with diagonal stripes in dark green, blue, and red, dotted with star-like spots, as if someone had casually scribbled it with a thick brush.

This was the company she would work for from now on. Xu Anqing silently read the only text on the paper.

"Spanning the Seas, Leading the Infinite,"

"Third-Party Biotechnology Co., Ltd."

"..."

The next day, at the breakfast table,

Seeing the pretty waitress they saw every day now 'acquired' by the boss felt even more surprising to Zhou Hui than the sudden founding of a company.

"I've already resigned from the hotel," Xu Anqing said. Today she wore a black dress, which accentuated her fair skin, making it impossible to tell her background.

"Boss, when are we returning to Coastal Sea?"

Last night, she had already experienced the charm of the company's first product. To put it bluntly, once this browser appeared, every other product on the domestic market was doomed!

It was just that good.

Moreover, Lin Fang was quite wealthy. He offered her a monthly salary of 100,000.

100,000! 100,000!! Not 5,000, not worthless pesos. Having never seen such a high salary before, Xu Anqing's eyes practically turned red at that moment. For this, she could overcome any difficulty. If she didn't know how, she'd learn. She'd die before leaving this company!

"Why go back so early? The boss still needs to practice shooting," Zhou Hui said, finishing a bowl of congee in two gulps and wiping his mouth. He grumbled, "What kind of Chinese breakfast is this? Not very authentic either."

"We'll return to the country in a week,"

Lin Fang said, casually dumping the black fried dough stick in front of him into Zhou Hui's bowl. There was also something else to pay attention to around that time: the launch event for the Dominator Game Engine.

——

Meanwhile, back in the country.

Su Chen was eating breakfast while searching for material online. He was a Make complaints (roast/comedy commentary) video blogger. Lately, his audience's tastes were becoming increasingly picky (picky/demanding); he needed to find something more interesting.

A video caught Su Chen's attention:

—— Crushing Unreal, the Glory of a Domestic Game Engine!

"What nonsense. Can't even boast properly without a script," Su Chen couldn't help but Make complaints (mock) just from the video title, but this was exactly his target.

Domestic self-developed game engines did exist, but it was undeniable there was still a significant gap compared to major foreign studios. Videos like this one struck Su Chen as pure self-congratulation. Or they'd compare meticulously rendered special effects to someone else's mobile game graphics, playing word games.

Fooling ordinary people was one thing, but in front of a 'professional' like him who was well-versed in all kinds of information, it was as laughable as children playing house.

Let's see how you're going to spin this tall tale, Su Chen thought as he clicked play.

As expected, the video began with a beautifully rendered scene:

In a dense primeval forest,

The protagonist walked along a path. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the layered leaves, forming golden pillars of light that fell upon the moss-covered ground. Every leaf was clearly visible, veins distinct. A gentle breeze blew, causing the leaves to sway lightly, and the interplay of light and shadow shifted fluidly.

"The rendering is pretty good," Su Chen gave his assessment and continued watching.

The view pulled back, suddenly ascending to the starry sky. Dozens of spaceships of various designs shuttle (wove/navigated) through the vast cosmos, laser cannons crisscrossing.

Immediately followed by an intense space battle.

"Budget's burning. I'll give you a like for that,"

Su Chen took a sip of soybean milk and couldn't help but admire it. The details on each spaceship, the scratches on the metal hulls, the glow when energy shields activated—all were incredibly realistic, clearly the work of a hefty budget.

But foreign game engines could achieve all this; there was nothing special about it. Just typical AAA-quality graphics from premium console games. It seemed domestic game engine development was progressing quite fast,

But with just this, you still don't have Su Chen's approval!