Magnolia Restaurant.
Located on Celestial Road, Hua Fu is the most expensive restaurant in Riverdale. Normally, the hostess might not see the same face twice in a month, but today, she saw the same two guests from yesterday afternoon.
"Hello, do you have a reservation?"
Cynthia gave her phone number. One of her company's bosses is a shareholder of Magnolia Restaurant, and as a department head, she gets two chances every month to host clients there with all expenses paid by the company.
As she puts it, "It'd be a waste not to use this meal."
Cynthia picked the most expensive set meal, sent the waiter away, and pulled a few contracts out of her bag.
"The first contract is for publishing Jump and Jump. It includes the agreement for using cloud servers later. The second one is a draft for a strategic partnership between Earth Games and WeChat Games."
William read through the first contract. It had the same terms as the digital version—no changes.
He signed it and moved on to the second one.
The second contract was much more interesting. It matched exactly what William had in mind when he first thought about a "strategic partnership." He didn't expect Cynthia to actually pull it off. Looking back, agreeing to bring her into the company might have been one of the best decisions in the company's history.
The contract said that Earth Games would work closely with WeChat Games in a strategic partnership. WeChat Games would get first-publishing rights to some of Earth Games' titles, along with a 5% stake in the company. As for which games those would be—that would depend on negotiations.
In return, WeChat Games offered tech support, staffing, financial investment, and resource sharing. The most valuable part was definitely the resource sharing.
WeChat is the most widely used communication app in the world. A single announcement from them can reach nearly 3 billion phones globally. That's the kind of exposure no other platform can match. Of course, due to cultural protection policies, they can't just post announcements anytime they want. But if the timing is right, even one announcement could do more to raise Earth Games' profile than anything else in the world.
William didn't rush to sign the second contract. Cynthia's "pledge of loyalty" was impressive. If she had only brought the original terms, he knew that wouldn't be enough to satisfy her. It was obvious she had another goal in mind. Since that's the case, why not show his sincerity first?
"Do you want a stake in the company?"
Cynthia smiled, clearly pleased, and pulled out a third contract. "My terms are all written here."
William took the third contract and after reading it, could only think—she's got quite the appetite.
"Impressive, really."
William could only admire Cynthia's boldness.
He signed the second and third contracts. It wasn't just about Cynthia negotiating better terms for herself. Deep down, her goal was still to help Earth Games reach the future she saw in William's vision.
Cynthia packed up the contracts. "Tencent is going to announce the launch of their WeChat Games division tonight and officially step into the gaming market. They want Jump and Jump to go live on the WeChat Mini Widget platform by tomorrow at the latest. Of course, based on our agreement, you can hand it over to them and let WeChat Games handle it."
"I'll do it myself."
William had already finished everything needed to launch *Jump and Jump*. All it took was a few clicks. There was no need to pass it on to their team.
"Alright, let me know when it's live, and I'll coordinate with WeChat Games."
"No problem, Manager Cynthia."
According to the third contract, the position of general manager of Earth Games would be taken over by Cynthia. On top of that, she'd own 10% of the company's shares. She'd be in charge of everything big and small, including but not limited to: company strategy, personnel management, payroll, and partnerships. Basically, William would no longer have to worry about running the business—he could focus purely on making games.
In fact, the third contract was more like a bet—only the thing they were betting on was trust.
It was a big move, and a bold one too. That's exactly why William respected her.
If William had refused to sign the third contract, Cynthia probably wouldn't have switched jobs so willingly.
But there was actually a misunderstanding on William's part. He thought Cynthia joined Earth Games because she believed more in the future of the gaming industry and wanted to be one of his early followers. But the truth was—she wanted to build a new era with him.
In the end, switching jobs is only worth it if it helps you grow.
On paper, Cynthia's salary hadn't changed. But in reality, she was already making a fortune.
That is, assuming Earth Games didn't crash and burn.
After a full meal, Cynthia headed back to Nangang City to resign and handle the rest of her affairs. In just a couple of days, she'd be ready to move into the Earth Games studio.
That is, assuming they had a studio.
William's tasks for the next two days were to launch Jump Jump, rent a studio space, and start preparing for their next game.
He started with the studio. He contacted a housing agent in the morning and told them exactly what he was looking for. In the end, they found three options.
The first one was 48 square meters, located in an old office building in the East District. The neighbors were a delivery company, a phone repair shop, and a kids' tutoring center.
The second one was 90 square meters, also in the East District, but close to the core business area of the Central District. The building was newer, traffic was convenient, and the area was well-developed.
The third one was 270 square meters, in the tallest office building in the Central District. The neighbors were mostly design or media companies. The overall atmosphere was the best—and so was the rent.
The first one was immediately out. It was too small—barely enough space for three desks—and the neighbors meant it wouldn't be a quiet place to work.
William was stuck choosing between the second and third. The second wasn't huge, but not too small either. It was just right for a small studio. Rent was also much cheaper, which meant less pressure for a new startup.
The third one felt like going all in from day one—great environment, good vibe, checked every box. But the rent was high, which would put more strain on daily operations.
William couldn't decide, so he called Cynthia to get her thoughts. She agreed with his thinking. After discussing it together, they decided to go with the second option.
Another bonus of the second space was that it didn't need any renovations. The 90-square-meter area was already divided into a front desk, two offices, and a working area. They just had to furnish it and move in—super convenient.
With the space settled, William headed straight to the computer mall.
On Blue Star, computer malls mostly deal with bulk purchases. Regular families hardly use PCs, so prices are pretty firm.
William found a store and ordered five high-end PCs, complete with professional-grade color monitors. The total cost was 110,000.
After he paid, the shop owner found out he still needed office desks and generously offered to deliver everything together for free. They'd even get all the gear installed that very night.
As for the internet, the telecom company would come a day later to install the connection.