For advance 40+ chapters patreon.com/TranslationGod?
In his previous life, Evan had always liked a famous quote from the ancient Chinese philosopher Guan Zhong: "When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when their clothes and food are sufficient, they know honor and shame."
Extended, this quote means that when you no longer need to struggle for basic food and warmth, you then have the leisure to consider what proper etiquette is, and what honor and shame truly are.
For people in modern society, this principle is essentially the same: when you no longer need to worry about money for basic survival, you then have the leisure to consider what art is, and what spiritual well-being means.
The same applies to the gaming industry. In his previous life, many game designers in the country knew perfectly well that the games they made were garbage and scams, and that the events they designed were garbage and blatant pay-to-win schemes. No, they were the designers themselves—they knew it all too well. But their superiors demanded KPIs, the boss wanted impressive annual reports, and the entire company was focused on making more money. To keep their jobs, designers still had to plan garbage games and pay-to-win events.
It could also be said that in his previous life, the domestic gaming industry was still stuck at the stage of striving for "full granaries," while the foreign industry, having developed for nearly half a century, had long since moved beyond the era of making games just to make a living. They had begun to pursue art and transform video games into the ninth art.
So in his previous life, when Evan saw arguments about domestic games online, he would just smile and say nothing. Let's quickly go over the timeline:
In 1972, Atari released its first console.
In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who worked at Atari, developed the classic Breakout game. (These two later founded Apple.)
In 1992, Atari failed in its market competition with Nintendo and began to decline.
What about Nintendo, the other Japanese giant?
Nintendo was originally a factory that made dominoes and playing cards, founded in 1889.
In 1949, Hiroshi Yamauchi took over Nintendo and established the gaming division.
In 1964, Nintendo partnered with Disney.
In 1977, Nintendo released its first TV game, which was a great success. In the same year, Shigeru Miyamoto joined Nintendo. (Shigeru Miyamoto is the creator of Super Mario and Zelda, and is known as the father of modern video games.)
In 1983, Nintendo released the Famicom.
There's no need to go through the rest of the timeline, because it wasn't until almost ten years later that knockoff consoles appeared in China, giving ordinary people their first chance to experience the Famicom. But the price was still exorbitant at the time. It wasn't until after 2000 that children could play affordable console systems. This fifteen-year generation gap was the difference between Chinese and Japanese/American games. They were a generation ahead—how could China compete? Fortunately, by the time Evan had his accident, China had finally started producing genuinely good games. That's why in his previous life, he never participated in any arguments, because Evan believed: We aren't unable to make good games; we just need time.
Fortunately, reborn into this life, Evan has the opportunity to rewrite everything. A generation gap? It doesn't exist! I myself am a generation gap between two worlds!
After work, Evan also announced to his employees the salary increase plan he had discussed with Grace:
Base salaries would be adjusted upward by 20% to 50%, and everyone would receive one month's salary as a bonus. This move naturally received the full support and enthusiastic approval of all employees.
Watching the employees cheer, Evan felt a moment of disorientation, wondering if Redbird, under his leadership, would rule an era like Nintendo had, or rise like a comet and then disappear just as quickly, like Atari.
Seeing Evan lost in thought beside her, Emily hesitated for a moment, then quietly tugged at his sleeve.
Snapping out of his daze, Evan looked at Emily curiously. What did this girl want? Emily gestured towards the office area, reminding him that the employees were still waiting for him to continue speaking.
Finally remembering he hadn't finished, Evan gave an embarrassed smile and then continued:
"To celebrate the great success of our internal testing,
tonight we're going to the Harbor View Restaurant, and I'm paying for everything!"
"Oh~~~ Hooray~~~" With salary increases, bonuses, and a treat, Redbird was immersed in a sea of joy. Even the New Year holidays weren't this exciting.
Amidst the crowd, Evan looked at Emily beside him: "You don't have plans tonight, do you?"
Emily immediately crossed her arms, asking with a hint of wariness: "Why?"
Evan gave an awkward laugh. "Don't overthink it. I was asking if you're free for dinner tonight."
"Alright." Emily nodded and agreed.
"Great, then come with me later. I'll drive you there."
"When did you buy a car? How come I didn't know?"
"I don't have to report everything to you." Evan rolled his eyes. "But this car is my dad's. He and my mom are still enjoying themselves in Southeast Asia, so I just borrowed it to get around."
It proved that asking a girl out was always a test of patience. When it was time to leave, Emily threw him a line: "Wait for me, I'm going to the restroom to touch up my makeup." Then Evan lay on the sofa and scrolled through his phone for what felt like forever before Emily finally emerged.
Emily, with light makeup on, made Evan involuntarily glance at her twice, sighing inwardly that this girl was indeed too beautiful. He then mocked the people at Constellation Games in his mind, wondering if they were all idiots. How could they let go of such a talented and beautiful designer? If she were with him, even if Emily was just a pretty face, he would gladly keep her on staff.
Beautiful girls always seem to be particularly sensitive to gazes. Evan had only taken two extra glances when Emily shot him a sharp look:
"What are you looking at? This is just polite makeup. If you keep staring, I'll resign tomorrow!"
"Alright, alright, I won't look." Evan helplessly raised his hands in surrender. "Let's go, please be happy. My company currently has forty to fifty people, and they're all counting on you to make the game a big hit."
"Smart mouth." Although Emily said that, a smile still appeared on her face.
Evan sighed inwardly: Girls are so easy to fool!
Driving on the road, after three minutes, Emily was a little confused:
"This isn't the way to the Harbor View Restaurant, is it?"
Evan nodded. "We're going to Sutton Club. Their lamb is quite delicious and considered a specialty in Northfield City. Don't you like eating that?"
Suddenly, a company gathering turned into a two-person gathering, and Emily was a little flustered:
"But you, you, you still have so many people at the company. What will they do if you don't show up tonight?"
"I've instructed Owen and Sasha to put all the expenses on the company's tab tonight, and I'll reimburse the company myself. Besides, they're just having fun—whether I show up or not doesn't really matter."
"Then... then if other people see I'm not there, won't they know I came out with you...?" Emily's voice grew softer and softer towards the end.
Evan, on the other hand, found it a bit amusing. If he had known that Emily was so cute when asked out alone, he would have made his move much earlier!
"What's wrong with coming out with me? I'm not some playboy—I'm a virtuous and domineering CEO!" Evan joked, laughing at himself.
Seeing Emily's face looking almost about to cry, Evan shook his head and explained:
"Anyway, didn't they misunderstand on your first day of work? Otherwise, why do you think they specifically called you the other day to tell me to go home? Relax. Today, I genuinely just want to especially thank you for everything you've done recently, with no other intentions."
Plz THROW POWER STONES.