If everyone is reborn, who will work for capital?

Chapter 54 Recruiting More Soldiers

Back home, Geng Zhi immediately opened the three-person QQ group of Hongzhang Studio, downloaded the compressed file of art resources sent by Hao Pengxiang, unzipped it, and carefully reviewed each image.

The background and fruit objects are drawn in a style that is generally in line with the established design, but the UI design is still lacking. As for the most crucial basic animation effects, they are only passable and need further refinement.

He meticulously reviewed each of the detailed revision suggestions and compiled them into a clear Word document.

Then, switching to the account "Teacher Wang," a message was sent in the group:

[Teacher Wang]: "@Hao Pengxiang, Pengxiang, I've read the draft. The overall style is fine, but there are many details that need polishing. For example, the hierarchy of the UI, the smoothness of the animations..."

After briefly outlining his core ideas for modification, he directly sent the detailed modification suggestion document to the group.

[Hao Pengxiang]: "Received, Teacher Wang! I will adjust it according to your suggestions immediately, and then please review it again!"

Hao Pengxiang displayed a proper attitude in the group chat and showed no complaints.

[Teacher Wang]: "@Gengzhi Xiaogeng, don't just sit there. First, use Pengxiang's existing drafts and basic animations to build the core gameplay framework of the main scene, and release a workable demo to see how it feels. Prioritize program logic."

[Straightforward]: "Understood, Teacher Wang! I'll finish it and post it as soon as possible."

The group chat had just ended when Hao Pengxiang's private chat window popped up immediately.

[Hao Pengxiang]: "Senior! I thought I was being meticulous enough, but I still got a bunch of flaws... This Teacher Wang's standards are just too insane! He's got pixelated eyes!"

Immediately afterwards, he sent a [cat crying] emoji.

Being called a pervert to his face, Geng Zhi just pursed his lips and could only curse back in his heart.

[Straightforward]: "Be content, Pengxiang. The one who pays the salary is the boss, just bear with it. I've worked for him for over a year, I'm used to it."

[Straightforward]: "He was being quite polite to you. Back then, he would yell at me over the phone, cursing me so badly that I questioned my existence."

After Geng Zhi's straightforward complaint, Hao Pengxiang suddenly felt that his treatment was not bad, at least he hadn't been scolded in the past few weeks.

[Hao Pengxiang]: "Ah... I see. Well, senior, you really... have it tough. [Facepalm] I feel sorry for you for a second!"

[Straightforward]: "But then again, although Teacher Wang has a sharp tongue, as long as the work is done well and quickly, he's never stingy with project bonuses; he's very generous! [Laughing.jpg]"

[Hao Pengxiang]: "Holy crap!! Senior, I'm off to edit this image!"

Geng Zhi watched the profile picture on the screen go dark in an instant, a slight smile playing on his lips, before putting down his phone and going to take a shower.

The warm water washed away his fatigue, but his mind was racing as he considered his next move.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that there really wasn't enough time.

During the day, I had to focus on preparing for the exam, and in the evenings and nights, I basically devoted all my time to "Jiaotong University matchmaker". Only when I got home late at night could I calm down and write code.

I'm already struggling financially, like a spinning top, not at all relaxed!

Originally, the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" project was not planned to be so large-scale.

But once things start, it's like a snowball rolling downhill; the more you want to do it well, the more time and energy you have to invest.

The current registration is far more popular than expected. Once he becomes famous, the number of decisions and operations that require his attention will only increase exponentially.

Relying solely on Li Haipeng, a full-time core player, is simply not enough to sustain the team.

Therefore, "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" needs to expand its team and recruit one or two full-time employees who can handle the work.

As for Red Palm Studio, based on Hao Pengxiang's current work progress, it should take about three days to finalize all the static art assets.

The next step is one to two weeks of special effects production and integration, followed by one to two weeks of testing and adjustments. Fruit Ninja should then be ready for official release.

Once launched, a massive amount of bug fixes, daily operations, data analysis, and new content iterations will come flooding in.

Is it just him alone?

That would only exhaust and drag the goose that lays golden eggs to death.

Therefore, the studio urgently needs to recruit part-time programmers who understand game development to share his development burden.

The first thing that came to his mind was his fellow disciples in the Qi Family Army.

But after careful consideration, it seems there's no one specializing in game development. Even if there were, getting them to make this kind of small game might not be suitable, and it might even alarm Professor Qi.

After much thought, one candidate came to mind—Cai Haoyu, a fellow villager who was still struggling with the Grand Theft Auto project.

After taking a shower, Geng Zhi lay on the bed and sent Cai Haoyu a QQ message.

The two chatted briefly and agreed to have dinner together the following evening to talk more.

……

The following evening, Geng Zhi treated Cai Haoyu to a big plate of chicken noodles at the first canteen of Jiaotong University.

"Geng Zhi, your 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' is incredibly popular right now! Everyone's talking about it on BBS and Renren!" Cai Haoyu slurped up a big mouthful of noodles, gave a thumbs up, and exclaimed, "No wonder you're the champion of the entrepreneurship competition!"

"We're just getting started, and we're far from success," Geng Zhi said modestly, then asked, "Do you plan to continue developing your Grand Theft Auto project?"

Cai Haoyu paused, his chopsticks holding the noodles pausing, his face dimming slightly. He sighed, "Sigh, this is tough."

"Oh? How so?" Geng Zhi feigned curiosity.

"To be honest, we contacted several other investment institutions that were interested in games, but they either disappeared without a trace or politely declined. The hope... was quite slim." Cai Haoyu's tone carried an undisguised disappointment.

Geng Zhi swallowed a piece of chicken and asked, "So what's your team's opinion now?"

"We were initially quite enthusiastic, but after being discouraged by investors for several rounds, we started to lose confidence." Cai Haoyu shook his head, his smile tinged with bitterness.

"Have you considered changing direction and trying to make some other games?" Geng Zhi asked.

"My roommate and I have discussed it, but we haven't quite figured out what to do yet."

Seeing Geng Zhi hesitate, Cai Haoyu said directly, "We men from Shandong don't mince words. Do you have something on your mind? Just say it!"

Geng Zhi had been waiting for this question, so he smiled and said, "I recently took on a part-time project making casual games, and it seems like a good approach. I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining?"

"Holy crap! You're running a business and doing part-time work at the same time, fighting on two fronts? That's amazing!" Cai Haoyu's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It's all just to make a living." Geng Zhi spread his hands, feigning helplessness. "The 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' is also expensive, so I have to find some extra money."

"But...you just said it's a casual game?" Cai Haoyu clearly wasn't very interested. After hesitating for a moment, he still asked, "Are you trying to get me to do a part-time job?"