Based on his memory, Pei Qian found Bao Xu in the internet cafe near the school’s west gate.
His characteristics were very obvious.
It was already autumn, and while others were wearing long sleeves and pants, he wore a sweater with a thick coat draped over his chair.
It wasn’t that he was cold, but rather that he had been wearing this outfit continuously since last winter…
Besides him, no one else could do such a thing.
Bao Xu was staring blankly at the computer screen.
On the screen, his character was riding a flying mount, wandering around the main city.
Pei Qian came up behind Bao Xu and detected a faint smell of hair oil.
It wasn’t too severe, possibly because Bao Xu’s hairline had already receded severely, and he didn’t have much hair left.
Hmm, if he could persuade him to leave the internet cafe, he would need to give him some money to take a shower and change into clean clothes.
“Bao Xu?” Pei Qian called tentatively.
Bao Xu was stunned for ten seconds before woodenly turning his head. With two huge dark circles under his eyes, he blinked in confusion: “You’re looking for me?”
Having confirmed he had found the right person, Pei Qian sat down in the empty seat next to Bao Xu.
“I have a job here. Would you be interested?” Pei Qian asked.
Bao Xu slowly turned his head back to continue staring blankly at the computer screen: “To be an internet cafe attendant? Not interested.”
“Not as an attendant, but as a designer. To design your own game,” Pei Qian said.
Bao Xu’s face slowly turned back, looking Pei Qian up and down.
He finally determined that Pei Qian seemed to be just an ordinary student.
“Don’t mess with me,” Bao Xu didn’t believe it.
Pei Qian felt speechless, thinking that if he were wearing different attire, it might have gone much better.
But the suits hadn’t arrived yet.
Pei Qian decided not to waste time and directly pulled five hundred yuan from his pocket.
“If you’re willing to come, this is an advance on your salary.”
Seeing the five crisp hundred-yuan bills, Bao Xu’s eyes instantly lit up with a gleam.
He became somewhat convinced that Pei Qian was serious.
If it were a scam, Pei Qian would be asking him for money, not giving it out.
And right off the bat, it was five hundred.
In 2009, five hundred yuan was a considerable sum for someone like Bao Xu, especially since internet cafe rates at that time were generally only two or three yuan per hour.
“Not only that, but the company has top-of-the-line computers with dual monitors. You can play any games you want,” Pei Qian decisively added.
Bao Xu’s eyes immediately brightened.
No need to pay for internet access, and he could play games on high-end computers whenever he wanted!
Wouldn’t that be much more comfortable than the internet cafe?
It was like dropping a handful of dried fish in front of a starving cat.
“You’re not lying to me? Then what exactly would my job be?” Bao Xu asked suspiciously.
“Your job would be to play games! Your position title would be Game Experience Tester.”
“Experience other people’s games as well as our own, and immediately provide feedback to me when you find any issues.”
“Of course, you can also participate in the design work and offer suggestions.”
“I think you’re completely qualified for this position, don’t you agree?”
Pei Qian smiled, full of persuasive charm.
Bao Xu pressed his lips together, his throat moving slightly.
Wasn’t this the life he had always dreamed of?
Playing games while earning money—what’s not to like?
“I’m willing… uh, I’m willing to consider it. If it’s really as you say, I… can consider coming out of seclusion.”
Bao Xu had nearly blurted out “I’m willing,” but thinking again, what if it was a scam?
So he left himself some room, deciding he would only make a final decision after seeing the actual work environment.
Pei Qian was certain he had convinced him.
With such good conditions, there was no reason to refuse.
“So now what you need to do is:”
“Take this five hundred yuan, go take a good shower, get a haircut, and buy some clean clothes.”
Our company is in Shenhua Luxury View. With your current appearance, the security guard might mistake you for a homeless person and stop you from entering.”
“As for when to start work, it should be within the next couple of days. I’ll call you then.”
“Be ready at any time.”
After speaking, Pei Qian turned and left.
Bao Xu looked at the five hundred yuan in his hand and suddenly couldn’t hold back his tears.
“I… I’ve finally been recognized…”
He tightly clutched the five hundred yuan, lying on the computer desk, sobbing uncontrollably.
His slightly balding head reflected the light from the monitor, giving off a hint of warmth.
People nearby couldn’t help but turn to look. What was going on?
Had he found some amazing equipment drop that made him so happy?
…
…
Having secured Bao Xu, Pei Qian was in high spirits.
Another capable assistant acquired.
With Ma Yang and Bao Xu as his left and right arms, things would be much easier to handle.
Pei Qian wasn’t worried about Bao Xu running away, because the look of anticipation in his eyes couldn’t have been faked.
With such favorable conditions, Bao Xu couldn’t possibly refuse.
Unfortunately, talents like Bao Xu were rare.
Pei Qian still needed to recruit online.
Taking five minutes, Pei Qian edited several recruitment standards on his phone and sent them to Xin Hailu, asking her to post job requirements online according to these standards.
This recruitment had three types of positions.
The first was the design position, with requirements being: love for games, with priority given to those proficient in using cloud editors.
The second was the art position, requiring: a certain level of aesthetic sensibility, ability to fully understand designers’ intentions, and thorough communication with outsourced teams.
The third was the administrative position, requiring: female, proper facial features, elegant temperament.
Regarding salary levels, they would be higher than the industry average, with specific compensation to be discussed in person.
There was no programming position because games could now be created using cloud editors and templates. Using cloud editors was primarily the designers’ work, an implementation-level issue.
Some special functional requirements could be requested as customizations in the cloud editor, with dedicated programmers completing them remotely, charging by workload, eliminating the need to recruit programmers directly.
The art position was also mainly responsible for communication work.
The cloud editor contained numerous art resources and could also be used to contact specialized art teams for customization, but the specific process required dedicated personnel for negotiation and consultation.
The person doing the consultation also needed a certain artistic sensibility; otherwise, communication would be ineffective, like ducks talking to chickens.
As for the administrative position…
With such a beautiful company setup, hiring two or three beautiful female receptionists wouldn’t be excessive, right?
Xin Hailu wasn’t just Pei Qian’s assistant; she was also responsible for various company affairs and needed administrative staff to handle miscellaneous tasks.
Pei Qian wrote extremely vague job requirements.
For instance, the design position only stated “love for games, with priority given to those proficient in using cloud editors.”
This was practically the same as having no threshold at all.
If the threshold were set too high, all applicants would be industry elites, which wouldn’t work.
Pei Qian needed to set the standards lower, allow more mediocre people in, giving himself room to select.
With this, most of the preliminary preparations were complete.
The workplace was confirmed, and office desks and chairs would soon be arranged.
Pei Qian’s attire was also sorted out.
Ma Yang and Bao Xu, his two capable assistants, were ready.
Xin Hailu was managing the company in an orderly manner.
As long as people were recruited through interviews, they could officially begin work and start losing money at lightning speed!
Pei Qian envisioned the future with great satisfaction.