To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

It wasn’t about flattery or sycophancy, but a genuine feeling from a gaming enthusiast.

Putting aside the visually stunning graphics, interactive items, and various systems, there was an intrinsic naturalness that seemed to emerge, giving Huang Ping the sense that Fang Cheng’s games were developing a distinctive flavor.

Every work of art has its own flavor: novels, movies, games, animations… This flavor might come from a line of dialogue or an expression, but it’s the detail that perfectly represents the game’s flavor, making it memorable.

As Fang Cheng Studio produced more and more games, they improved at a visibly rapid pace, which made Huang Ping anxiously rack his brains on how to make them even more perfect and thereby enhance the game’s quality a bit more.

The process became increasingly difficult, but it also forced him to tap into his potential for greater improvement.

A few days later, the new game “I Am The Director” was adjusted and ready.

Xiao Douzi had completed the configuration for the game’s values, and various related gaming systems had been tweaked; the game’s completion level was very high, ready for release at any moment.

From a project progress standpoint, the development of this game went as smoothly as usual, without encountering any common issues found in typical game development; the process was even smoother than eating Dove chocolates.

But the smoother things went, the more something felt off to Huang Ping.

It wasn’t just him—Xiao Douzi and Monkey also felt that there was something abnormal about this game.

Game development can be rather mystical—in the absence of issues, there might be unseen problems; if it feels like there’s an issue, there might be significant trouble.

Despite their efforts, they couldn’t pinpoint the problem and eventually had to give up, at least for the time being.

On Friday, after work, the three planners realized they were all free, so it naturally became the night for their weekly “Planners’ Night Out.”

Somehow, the second Friday of every month had become their customary gathering, where they would buy various foods and snacks, then head to Huang Ping’s home to eat and play games until they dispersed the following day after lunch.

Huang Ping’s girlfriend would make plans to spend that night at her best friend’s house for their own “Girls’ Night,” conveniently leaving the home to Huang Ping and his two friends.

Although the three of them had an age difference of up to fourteen years, that didn’t prevent them from finding common interests, compatible personalities, and becoming good friends.

This kind of friendship, formed outside of work, was considered quite rare by all three of them.

Carrying drinks, beer, and various barbecues, the trio sat on the living room sofa, ate while watching a Stephen Chow movie, and then turned on “Who is the Champion” to check out that evening’s show.

After eating and drinking their fill, they chatted about recent gaming trends, discussed the ongoing game promotions by Tianyi, and eventually, the topic shifted to their recent gaming work.

Huang Ping took a swig of beer and then, frowning, asked, “Have you guys noticed that the boss’s latest game seems off?”

“Mmm,” Xiao Douzi nodded, “The graphics of the game are quite impressive, the sound effects are well-coordinated, the little animations during the filming of the show are quite amusing, and the various systems’ completion levels are high, but I just feel something’s not right.”

Monkey, sipping a peach-flavored cola, scratched his chin and said, “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it feels like there’s something hidden within the game.”

“I feel the same, it’s like the boss’s quirky sense of humor is at it again,” sighed Huang Ping.

“That’s not just a quirky sense of humor, that’s a signature,” said Xiao Douzi with admiration, “Only the boss could hide Easter eggs in such an extraordinary way.”

“…Fanatics are scary, but why do I feel like you make sense?”

Nowadays, it’s well known that Fang Cheng Studio likes to hide Easter eggs in their games.

On Bilibili, there’s even content specifically explaining this meme, using “This is an Easter egg” to refer to certain twists or moments of anticipation.

In the eyes of players, the gameplay itself is just an appetizer, the Easter eggs are the main course.

This meme has become even more famous than the games produced by Fang Cheng Studio, indicating how the influence of gaming on mainstream culture is deepening.

Considering that they hadn’t discovered any hidden memes in Fang Cheng’s games, the three planners felt as if they had neglected their duties, and the recent bonus they received started feeling a bit like hot potatoes.

The previously joyful atmosphere suddenly became subdued; the only thing left in the room was the highlight reel of “Who is the Champion,” with the bewildered scene of Wang Say Games asking “Why?”

After a moment of silence, Huang Ping took out a USB flash drive from his pocket and said seriously, “I copied the game when I left work; want to take a look together?”

“Huang, you’ve lost your mind!” Xiao Douzi exclaimed in horror, “Have you forgotten what happened with ‘Botanic Garden?’ How could you dare?”

“But I really can’t resist. I have to uncover this secret,” declared Huang Ping firmly.

Looking at the tiny USB flash drive in Huang’s hand, Xiao Douzi and Monkey felt as if they were gazing upon Pandora’s box, involuntarily tensing up.

They were eager to work overtime right then and find out the game’s hidden secrets, to discover the game’s real truth, but they were afraid of being found out by their boss, Fang Cheng.