Chapter 37

When Bian Xuedao received a call from Brother Wen, Brother Wen was already at the entrance of Dongsen University.

In a small private room in the school's cold drink hall, Brother Wen handed a waist bag containing 50,000 yuan to Bian Xuedao.

Bian Xuedao took a look, took out three bundles, put them in his pocket, and returned the bag to Brother Wen, smiling and said, "It's my first time making money, so I'll take some to share with the guys in the studio to boost morale. I want to make it clear, this is just this once. Next time, whatever you give me, I'll take it all."

Brother Wen just smiled.

"How do you plan to reward them?" Bian Xuedao asked.

Brother Wen said, "I'll take 20,000 yuan and divide the money equally among everyone."

Bian Xuedao shook his head, "That won't work. In the first week, each person gets a few thousand, but what about the next week? What about the future? Will you still divide it? How much? Will they be unhappy if it's too little?"

Bian Xuedao asked again, "Are the people in the studio working on a technical share or getting a salary?"

Brother Wen said, "They're getting a salary."

Bian Xuedao nodded and said, "That's good. I have some ideas. As a partner, I'll share them, just as a consultant."

Brother Wen glanced at Bian Xuedao, "Go ahead."

Bian Xuedao said, "As the boss, it's important to share the joy with your team, but more important is to use this money to establish authority and encourage progress. First, the money must be distributed so that everyone can see the results and be willing to continue working."

"Second, give out less money without a specific reason, a few hundred is enough. The rest should be given as rewards, and each person who receives money should have a reason, such as technical support, a golden idea, or effective promotion. If there's no specific reason, you can say they come early and stay late, treating the studio like home."

"Third, don't distribute the money equally. There must be a hierarchy. For the same amount of effort in promotion, give more to those who perform better and less to those who perform worse. Create a competitive and comparative atmosphere. This has another benefit: after a few months, the standards for distributing money will get higher, and if you decide not to give out money in the future, no one will complain."

Brother Wen looked at Bian Xuedao, speechless, and after a long pause, he managed to say, "Is the education level in your school's International Trade program already this good?"

Bian Xuedao ignored the technical man's exclamation, sat up straight, and changed his tone, "Old Wen!"

Hearing this address, Brother Wen was taken aback, then understood something and nodded seriously.

Bian Xuedao said, "We need to understand one thing: our studio is a business, not a group of like-minded friends playing house. So, we must have rules, and the reward and punishment system must be established as soon as possible. A team is what it is, and it needs a solid foundation."

Brother Wen stirred the milkshake in his cup with a small spoon, silent for a long time.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Bian Xuedao patted Brother Wen, "Don't overthink it. Even if you do, think about it later. I've been thinking about a new feature for an add-on. Help me consult on whether it's technically feasible. I've been thinking for a few days, but my foundation is too weak, and I can't figure out some parts."

Mentioning technology, Brother Wen's entire demeanor changed, "Go on!"

Bian Xuedao said, "I want to write an offline add-on. In simple terms, it's one that can run the game without the player being online..."

There were a few points in what Bian Xuedao said that Brother Wen needed to think about in detail. Bian Xuedao saw Brother Wen to the school gate, and before parting, he patted his pocket with the money, smiling, "It's still you professionals who have the power. It took me a month to earn this much on my own, but working with you, Brother, was my best choice."

Brother Wen was good at playing along, "Without your reminder and investment, we wouldn't have been able to do this. It's a win-win! By the way, I'm going to an English salon this weekend, and I'll take you next week."

On the weekend, the 717 and 603 dorms had their first gathering of the new semester.

After nearly a year of interaction, especially after the Dragon Boat Festival, the atmosphere between the two dorms was particularly harmonious, like old friends.

At the dinner table, everyone shared interesting stories from their holidays. Even girls like Su Yi and Li Xun would share some embarrassing stories about themselves. The boys and girls no longer drank aimlessly but would chat for a while before naturally raising their glasses.

Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, the door was pushed open, and four boys entered. The boy at the front had short hair and eagle-like eyes, holding two bottles of white wine, smiling but with a cold look in his eyes. The three boys behind him were tall and muscular, clearly athletes.

The girls in 603 tensed up when they saw these boys. Nan Jiao stood up and walked over, saying, "Zuo Heng, what a coincidence, you're eating here too? Let's go outside and talk."

Zuo Heng didn't move, his gaze scanning the table, finally landing on Chen Jian, who was sitting next to Su Yi. He walked over, "Chen Jian, right? I've heard of you, you're in the student council. The head of the school student council, Lao Kang, is my friend. I'm here to drink a toast with everyone and get to know you all. It will be good for future interactions."

As he spoke, he moved Chen Jian's beer glass aside and called out, "Lao San, get some more glasses from the waiter."

While Zuo Heng was speaking, Su Yi tightly held Chen Jian's arm, looking at him and shaking her head slightly.

A boy went out to call the waiter.

The glasses were brought over, and Zuo Heng poured a full glass of white wine in front of Chen Jian, then walked behind Tong Chao and poured half a glass into his cup, then half a glass into Yang Hao's cup, and finally behind Bian Xuedao. Bian Xuedao turned his cup upside down, "Sorry, I don't drink."

Zuo Heng was taken aback, "Not giving me face?"

Bian Xuedao smiled, "I don't drink."

Zuo Heng laughed, pointing at Bian Xuedao, "I know you, you're surnamed Bian. Fine, if you don't drink, you don't drink!"

He then called out without turning his head, "Big Brother, bring me the teapot, I'll pour some water for Brother Bian."

Bian Xuedao had never met Zuo Heng before, only heard that there was a second-generation official from the preparatory class who was madly pursuing Su Yi. He hadn't taken it seriously before, but now he could see that this guy had a strong presence, dominating the scene as soon as he entered the room, overshadowing the boys from 717.

Bian Xuedao knew Zuo Heng's target was Chen Jian. If Chen Jian couldn't hold up, his own actions wouldn't matter. He decided to wait and see.

After pouring a round of drinks, he got stuck at Li Yu.

Li Yu, mimicking Bian Xuedao, turned his cup upside down, "I don't drink either."

Zuo Heng sniffed Li Yu's head forcefully, "Brother, you're not being considerate, bullying me for being new."

He glanced at Li Xun, who was holding Li Yu's arm, and said, "Brothers can be found again, money can be earned again, but if you lose your life, the woman will belong to someone else."

Li Yu looked up at Zuo Heng, "Forgot to take your thousand-gold pill this morning?"

Gently patting Su Yi's hand, Chen Jian stood up, looked at Zuo Heng, picked up the glass of white wine, and poured it on the ground.

Zuo Heng didn't react, poured himself a glass of white wine, stood opposite Su Yi, and said to her, "Next month is your birthday, I'll give you a gift to express my feelings." He then drank the glass of wine in one gulp and left with the three boys.

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