She wouldn’t leave even if you beat her to death!

The winter days in Jiangcheng were always gloomy and bitterly cold, shrouded in layers of thick clouds and fog that obscured the daylight. The dreary weather made it hard for anyone to muster up their spirits.

Yue Qianling stood in the crowded corridor, guarding the printer. The only sound around her was the monotonous hum of the machines operating, but there was a hint of excitement in her eyes.

A few seconds later, she watched her resignation letter slowly emerge from the printer, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

One week ago, Yue Qianling had submitted her resignation application.

Today was Tuesday, and she had already sent the email. After completing the necessary procedures in various departments, she would officially leave her job next week.

So, she announced it in the private group chat of her team.

【Yue Qianling】: Hey, everyone, I’ve resigned. I’m handling all the formalities today, and I won’t be coming next week. Thank you all for taking care of me during this time!

The working environment at a game company wasn’t that formal, so when this message appeared, her colleagues in the group didn’t respond. Instead, several pairs of eyes turned directly to her desk.

“What? You’re resigning?”

“Why would you resign when everything is going well?”

“It’s almost the New Year, why resign now?”

“Isn’t the Christmas event coming up? You haven’t even finished your card art, why are you resigning?”

With so many people asking questions, Yue Qianling couldn’t respond to each one individually, so she gave a general answer, “I need to go back to school to work on my thesis, and afterwards, I might consider working in my hometown.”

“Working in your hometown” was something many of the people present had considered at some point, so they didn’t press her further. At most, they expressed their shock at her sudden resignation and turned to ask someone else, “Why didn’t the team leader say anything?”

Indeed, Yue Qianling hadn’t informed her colleagues in advance about her resignation.

Her team leader was the only one who knew ahead of time that she was going to resign. After all, the first step in the process required her signature.

But, given the team leader’s personality, she didn’t disclose the matter to anyone, which surprised Yue Qianling.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” the team leader adjusted her bangs and said casually, “So. how about we have a dinner together tonight? Consider it a farewell party.”

Yue Qianling didn’t respond immediately to the suggestion.

If she were to list the reasons for her resignation, her team leader would be the first factor.

She wondered if it was because one person couldn’t digest all the food or for some other reason, but her team leader frequently suggested team dinners. If you didn’t attend, you’d be pressured with all that whole teamwork and collaboration spiel, making it seem like not joining the dinner meant you were unsociable and required hours of “ideological education”.

Usually, Yue Qianling, as a fourth-year undergraduate student who hadn’t graduated yet, thought she should respect her seniors and avoid unnecessary trouble, and since her colleagues were all enthusiastic about it, she could only sacrifice her own leisure time to attend these dinners.

But now…

Yue Qianling smiled and said, “No, thank you.”

She took off her ID badge and put it in her bag, gazing directly at her team leader.

Her deep, pitch-black eyes with long, thick lashes, even without makeup, seemed to convey unspoken words, as if they were pleading, ‘I’ve already resigned, so please let me off.’

However, it seemed like her team leader didn’t pick up on her message. Instead, she took out her phone and started browsing for restaurants, saying, “How about the popular grilled fish place downstairs? It’s always crowded, so I’ll make a reservation now.”

She tapped her phone a few times before looking up at Yue Qianling with a smile, “This might be our team’s last meal together. Let’s keep in touch after this.”

Yue Qianling remained silent.

She didn’t want to give her team leader even the slightest hint of approval.

Taking her resignation form, Yue Qianling left her desk.

HC Interactive Entertainment was a game company that had been established three years ago. It wasn’t too big, and the procedures weren’t too complicated. They didn’t even require employees to sign non-compete agreements.

Right now, she just needed to go to various departments and get signatures as indicated on her resignation form, and finally have HR sign and stamp it.

It was only around three or four in the afternoon, so Yue Qianling went to the pantry, poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat by the window. Her excitement was hard to contain.

She opened her phone and started screaming in her university dormitory chat group.

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: I’m finally free!!!! I’m going back to the dorm and lie down for three days and three nights!!! Play games for three days and three nights!!!

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: I’m going to order takeout for three days!!! Nobody can make me go out for dinner!!!

Before long, her roommate, Yin Xue, replied to her messages.

【Yin Xue】: Keep your laughter down. I can hear you all the way from the World Trade Center.

【Yin Xue】: But have you really made up your mind? Won’t you reconsider?

【Yin Xue】: HC is so good, and the pay is high. How many of us can’t even get in? They only hired you out of dozens of people who interviewed from our school this year.

【Yin Xue】: I think you can overlook those minor issues for the sake of money.

However, Yue Qianling’s grievances with HC were far from minor.

There was the team leader who always occupied the time after work for team dinners, the project lead with questionable taste, the team member who had skills but always caused trouble for others, and the air conditioning set to 15 degrees in the summer and 30 degrees in the winter.

Unless you were a part of it, you would never understand just how much these “minor issues” could torment a person.

Yue Qianling was originally a refined university student, but ever since she started working here, there were times when she didn’t even feel like washing her hair.

Anticipating a bleak future, Yue Qianling decided to cut her losses early.

After all, she didn’t need to support a family, so why should she continue subjecting herself to such hardship?

Moreover, while Yue Qianling occasionally acted as a “salted fish”, she was still a dreamer. She had studied art for so many years and had a strong passion for the gaming industry. Naturally, she wanted to work in a positive and forward-thinking work environment.

As for HC Interactive Entertainment, they were making quite a bit of profit, but the money they made was fast money.

Each mobile game they developed followed the same pattern of copying someone else’s framework and gameplay, then quickly releasing it and seeing it flop just as quickly. If a project was lucky, it might last for two or three years. The money flowed in like water, but Yue Qianling couldn’t help but feel lost from time to time. What had she been doing after studying art for so many years?

In her WeChat messages, another roommate also replied.

【Fang Qingqing】: Well, which company isn’t the same? As long as it’s a job, they’re all equally hard. At least HC pays well.

【Glutinous Rice Twist】: Stop trying to convince me. This company is a dump. Even if they raised my salary tenfold, I still wouldn’t stay!

After sending this message, Yue Qianling walked into the elevator feeling refreshed.

The first department she needed to visit to get her signatures was the Administrative Department.

As the elevator doors opened, Yue Qianling’s smile had yet to fade from her face when she heard a furious shout coming from the office of the Human Resources Director right in front of her.

“You want this old master to step down?! You guys are crazy! Are we even going to continue making games?!”

“What a damn arrogant brat! He hasn’t even received his college diploma yet, and he dares to come up here and ask for my position?!”

“Who the hell are you humiliating?! I’m done with this!!!!”

Immediately after, a man in his thirties stormed out of the office, heading angrily towards the elevator.

The Human Resources Director followed, attempting to say something, but in the end, he merely opened his mouth and didn’t utter a word. He then turned and closed the office door behind him.

Yue Qianling was left in astonishment.

She hadn’t expected that quitting could look this cool.

In the brief moment of her astonishment, HR Manager Chen Yin, who was in charge of her resignation process, walked over from the side and called out to her.

“Yue Qianling? Have you completed the procedures?”

“Not yet. I was just about to go to the Administrative Department.”

Yue Qianling turned her head again to look at the man, asking, “Which department was he from?”

Chen Yin had nothing to do at the moment and had just bought a cup of coffee, so she stood by and chatted with Yue Qianling.

“It’s not from your Mobile Games Division. It’s from the Ninth Business Division.”

“Huh?”

Yue Qianling widened her eyes in surprise. “How could people from the Ninth Business Division caused such an ugly scene?”

It wasn’t that Yue Qianling was making a big fuss, but it was just that the “Ninth Business Division” was a highly unusual presence within HC Interactive Entertainment.

To understand this department, one must delve into the company’s history.

The company’s CEO was a young woman in her thirties with a rather legendary background.

During her middle school years, she dropped out of school for a while due to her addiction to gaming. Her family had to break three clothes hangers to steer her back on track.

After finally graduating from college, her family thought they wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore. However, she defied all expectations by rejecting every job offer and telling her family that she wanted to work in the gaming industry.

This decision infuriated her parents to the point where their hearts nearly stopped. Despite breaking three clothes hangers, they couldn’t do anything to change her mind, so in the end, they cut ties with her.

However, the course of her story didn’t take a particularly inspirational turn.

This young woman, brimming with passion, initially wanted to create China’s next-generation 3A game. However, she soon realized that the clients in the 3A game market were dominated by big players who were only interested in investing in *“gold miner” games.

(*Basically, it means that clients are only interested investing in games that has good track record of making significant profits.)

After multiple setbacks and nearly resorting to sleeping under a bridge, she came up with a roundabout solution.

—Make mobile games, earn quick money, and fund her dream.

And the vessel for her dream was none other than the mysterious “Ninth Business Division” within the company.

Unlike other divisions, even its name revealed an air of indifference.

The “Ninth Business Division” wasn’t the ninth division of HC.

As everyone knew, the traditional eight fine arts included painting, architecture, sculpture, music, literature, drama, film, and dance.

On the other hand, video games, hovering on the edge of not being recognized by the world, were devoutly regarded as the “ninth art.”

—Hence, the “Ninth Business Division” was derived from this.

It had been established for three years and was located on the top floor of the HC Interactive Entertainment Building.

They operated like a secret organization. While they shared the same office building and facilities, their structure was separate from HC Interactive Entertainment. They had their own independent office systems and never appeared at company team-building events.

Most importantly, they had no plans to release any products yet.

In other words, they had zero performance pressure!

Although Yue Qianling didn’t know anyone from the Ninth Business Division, it didn’t stop her from feeling jealous.

They were a group of industry geniuses, recruited by the CEO at a high price, and the entire company was committed to supporting them, allowing them to burn a lot of money on developing a real next-generation game.

They were like a group of individuals held dearly by the boss’ heart.

So, Yue Qianling couldn’t understand how that big brother ended up having such a heated argument with the HR director.

“Do you think the Ninth Business Division is really getting a free ride?” Chen Yin took a sip of her coffee and said leisurely, “The development over there has made no progress for seven months now. If they were in another company, they’d be packing up and leaving.”

With that, she turned to Yue Qianling with a meaningful look and said, “But our boss is quite a compassionate person. She didn’t kick anyone out, but she just spent a lot of effort to find a new lead developer.”

Yue Qianling raised an eyebrow, indicating that she was interested in hearing more. Chen Yin continued, “The new lead developer is quite young, about the same age as you, I think…”

Damn.

A shiver ran down Yue Qianling’s spine.

Around her age? Didn’t that mean they’ve just graduated from college, or might not have even graduated yet?

Wasn’t this an insult?

Unless that person was a genius.

But who in the Ninth Business Division wasn’t a genius in their field?

“So, you see…” Chen Yin suddenly patted Yue Qianling on the shoulder. “This world is just that cruel. The person we met just now used to be a prominent figure in the gaming industry, worked for over a decade, achieved so much, but couldn’t make this one project take off. Immediately, they are about to be surpassed by the new generation. So, I advise you to think carefully. It’s best not to waste your time switching jobs and missing out on opportunities for your own growth.”

“Alright, thank you, Sister Yin. I’ll go and get the last stamp.”

“…”

The entire resignation process went smoothly, with every section of the resignation form being signed.

Yue Qianling took a deep breath of the liberating air, her face full of smiles, as she went to find Chen Yin for the final red stamp.

Seeing how happy she was, Chen Yin actually felt a bit regretful.

After all, as an artist, Yue Qianling’s art style was deeply appreciated by the boss, and her output pass rate was the best among all the company’s artists. If she left, the boss would probably ask them to find someone who could meet the standards Yue Qianling had set, which would be troublesome.

And personally, she quite liked Yue Qianling.

So, before stamping, she asked once again, “Are you really not considering it? Resigning means you can’t be rehired within three months. What if you can’t find a better job? If you regret it later, I can help you cancel the process.”

Regret?

Yue Qianling smiled and shook her head. “No, I’ve made up my mind.”

With the words spoken, Chen Yin had no more energy to persuade her. She opened a drawer to find the company seal.

At that moment, Yue Qianling suddenly felt a dark shadow looming beside her.

She turned her head, and when her gaze met the person standing next to her, all the gears in her mind came to a halt, except for her heartbeat, which accelerated.

Gu Xun had appeared beside her, seemingly out of nowhere.

He was wearing a black pilot jacket, which made his tall and well-built figure stand out even more. The lighting elongated his shadow, giving Yue Qianling a subtle feeling the moment he appeared.

The light was so bright that it was somewhat blinding.

Yue Qianling stared at his profile intently.

He, however, didn’t seem to notice the person next to him at all. When the receptionist on the opposite side asked him why he was here, he only raised his hand to take out a piece of A4 paper.

“Here to report, Ninth Business Division.”

As the words fell, several people from the Human Resources Department looked up from their desks, their gazes focusing on Gu Xun.

Some people were just like that; even when their heads were down, their faces concealed in the backlight, and their finely sculpted features out of view, their entire presence still made people firmly associate them with the word “attractive.”

The gazes in the room now provided evidence of this conclusion.

Moreover, he had just said “Ninth Business Division.”

The only person who was supposed to report to the Ninth Business Division today was the new lead developer who had the remark about “has yet to receive a college diploma”.

The only female staff member who was face to face with Gu Xun hesitated for a moment before confirming that she hadn’t misheard, then quickly began checking the information sheet.

At this moment, Gu Xun finally noticed a pair of eyes that had been fixed on him.

He turned his head slightly, and when he lowered his eyes and saw Yue Qianling, he was slightly surprised.

But he showed no hint of surprise, just a slight raise of his eyebrows.

“What are you doing here?”

Yue Qianling suddenly returned to her senses.

She was just about to say something when Gu Xun had already withdrawn his gaze and reached out to take the form handed to him by HR.

Clearly, he wasn’t very interested in why Yue Qianling was here.

But he didn’t know that in the short minute he appeared, Yue Qianling’s inner world had been turned upside down.

Gu Xun turned out to be the person that senior had mentioned, the one who was being criticized for humiliating others.

In that case, HC Interactive Entertainment was truly a great place!

She wouldn’t leave!

She wouldn’t leave even if you beat her to death!

But—

When Yue Qianling finally remembered why she was standing here and turned her head to look at the desk.

Chen Yin had already stamped her resignation form with a bright red seal.