ROSGT Chapter 62: Turning Trash into Treasure
Volume 1
Chapter 62: Turning Trash into Treasure
In the SB Guangnao Company office building.
In the office of the head of the software development department.
Huang Xiaotian was engrossed in playing a game on his Guangnao—it was Stack-Em-Up!
Although Huang Xiaotian regarded Ye Chui as insignificant, he couldn't deny Ye Chui's talent. Therefore, he kept an eye on Professor Cha's activities. When Stack-Em-Up was released, Huang Xiaotian was among the first to download and try it out.
At first, Huang Xiaotian was unimpressed, thinking the game was mediocre. But soon, his indifference vanished...
Gradually, he became captivated by the tension and excitement that Stack-Em-Up created, constantly staring at the screen, waiting for the falling blocks.
He was hooked.
He had played several rounds already today...
When his game finally ended in failure as the blocks stacked too high, Huang Xiaotian snapped out of his daze, feeling annoyed.
“I can’t believe I got so hooked on this game!”
This game was developed by Ye Chui, whom Huang Xiaotian considered beneath him. Getting so engrossed in Ye Chui's game felt like an insult.
He was about to close the game when he suddenly paused, frowning. “Why does this game look so familiar?”
He quickly remembered. A week ago, someone had submitted a game called Building Blocks to him. Though that game was terrible, it bore a vague resemblance to Stack-Em-Up...
Huang Xiaotian hurriedly searched through the recycle bin on his Guangnao.
Fortunately, he found the submission document from Roberta.
He opened Building Blocks and reviewed it. A cold smile crept onto his face.
“This has to be a coincidence. The similarities between these two games are too many. I could accuse Professor Cha of plagiarism…”
Huang Xiaotian was no gentleman; his motto was “no poison, no man.” He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals!
“Roberta is from America? People from such a small place are easy to deal with. I’ll buy the copyright to Building Blocks from him, then use him to accuse Professor Cha of plagiarism. I’ll ruin Professor Cha’s reputation!”
People in this world were still quite innocent. In another world, lawsuits over copyright and plagiarism could boost someone’s fame. But here, such issues could destroy Professor Cha’s reputation.
With this in mind, Huang Xiaotian immediately sent an email to Roberta using the address from the submission. He included his contact number, hoping Roberta would get in touch to discuss the matter.
Shortly after sending the email, Huang Xiaotian’s portable Guangnao rang—someone was trying to contact him.
“That was fast,” Huang Xiaotian smiled. SB’s reputation really worked wonders. He answered the call with a smile, “Hello, is this Mr. Roberta?”
“Yes, I’m Luobotcha,” came a heavily accented voice.
Huang Xiaotian was taken aback. “You’re really Mr. Roberta?”
“Of course, I’m Luobotcha. What do you need from me?”
“…”
Huang Xiaotian thought his ears were deceiving him. He patiently continued, “Mr. Roberta, I’m from SB. A week ago, you submitted a game called Building Blocks to me. Do you remember?”
“Building Blocks, yes, I developed it. What do you want?”
“Mr. Roberta, I want to buy the copyright to your game,” Huang Xiaotian said with a smile. “You can name your price.”
“Sorry, but the copyright to Building Blocks has already been sold.”
“What?”
Huang Xiaotian was shocked. Who would buy such a terrible game?
He quickly asked, “You sold the copyright? For how much?”
“I gave it away for free.”
“Gave it away for free? To whom?” Huang Xiaotian asked, puzzled.
“Professor Cha.”
“Professor Cha?” A name flashed through Huang Xiaotian’s mind. “Do you mean… Professor Cha?”
“Yes, Professor Cha is amazing. My lousy Building Blocks game was transformed into Stack-Em-Up in just one day. Meeting Professor Cha is the best thing that’s ever happened to me…”
Huang Xiaotian had no desire to continue listening. He angrily shut off his Guangnao.
He looked at the screens showing Building Blocks and Stack-Em-Up side by side. The two games were originally the same. Ye Chui had transformed Building Blocks into Stack-Em-Up...
He had turned trash into treasure!
What infuriated Huang Xiaotian the most was that he had dismissed Building Blocks as garbage, but in Ye Chui’s hands, it had taken the internet by storm!
This filled Huang Xiaotian with a deep sense of defeat.
To him, this was a disgrace.
“Bang!”
Huang Xiaotian grabbed a ceramic teacup from his desk and hurled it to the floor, shattering it into pieces.
He panted in anger, veins bulging on his forehead.
“Professor Cha…”
…
“Roberta, who were you talking to? Come help me,” Fang Xi called out loudly in Wolverine Game Studio.
He was writing some code but kept encountering errors, so he wanted Roberta to help check it.
Roberta put away his Guangnao and walked over with a friendly smile. Sitting down next to Fang Xi, he replied, “Some guy from SB. What do you need help with?”
Hearing Roberta’s answer, Fang Xi was curious but knew about Roberta’s language issues, so he didn’t think too much of it. He pointed to the screen and said, “Check this code for errors.”
“Let me see,” Roberta said, focusing on the screen.
Nearby, Ye Chui and Fang Nan were discussing something—
Ye Chui had just asked Fang Nan to be the spokesperson for the game mall. He praised her, saying she was an internet goddess who would surely captivate countless fans. Embarrassed yet pleased, Fang Nan shyly agreed after playfully punching Ye Chui’s chest.
Ye Chui, rubbing his sore chest, glanced at Roberta and said to Fang Nan, “Roberta’s programming skills seem quite good. He easily solves problems Fang Xi can’t handle.”
“I think so too,” Fang Nan replied. She had some programming knowledge herself. Watching Roberta, she remarked, “We’ve only worked with him for a day, but I have a feeling he might be very talented, maybe even better than Bai Miyun.”
“Really?” Ye Chui was astonished. Could he have accidentally recruited a programming prodigy?
“I’m just guessing. Maybe I’m overthinking it,” Fang Nan said, shaking her head. Then she asked Ye Chui, “Hammer, you always say you’re using Stack-Em-Up to promote Street Fighter. Will that really work?”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Ye Chui replied confidently.
Ye Chui had released Stack-Em-Up to promote Street Fighter. Street Fighter wasn’t suitable for the Software Alliance forum, but Stack-Em-Up was perfect. With Professor Cha’s reputation and the immense appeal of Tetris, the game’s success was guaranteed. Using it to promote Street Fighter was an excellent strategy.
Ye Chui had included an Easter egg in Stack-Em-Up—a mysterious video lasting about a minute.
Anyone who has played Tetris knows that it can be challenging initially but becomes very engaging once you get the hang of it.
Stack-Em-Up had twelve levels. With each level, the blocks fell faster.
When players reached the sixth level, the Easter egg—a promotional video for Street Fighter—would appear.
That morning, someone found the Easter egg and posted a comment about it—
“I reached the sixth level, and suddenly a system reward appeared—a mysterious video. It showed two people fighting. The pixels seemed a bit blurry, but the fight was intense and thrilling, making my blood boil with excitement!”
This comment quickly sparked a discussion.
“Mysterious video? What’s that?”
“Is it a guide for Stack-Em-Up?”
“Wow, someone reached the sixth level? I can’t get past the third level!”
“So there’s a mysterious video at the sixth level. I need to play more and see it!”
The buzz about the mysterious video spread.
Gradually, more players reached the sixth level, and more details about the video emerged.
By that evening, news of the mysterious video in Stack-Em-Up was trending online.
Such mysterious elements always pique people’s curiosity the most.
Seeing the online buzz about the video, Ye Chui smiled faintly. “Excellent, that’s exactly the effect I wanted…”
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