Work Prophet

"What else did galgames teach you?"

"Let me think, not every game needs to pursue a happy ending," Wang Guowei said.

"With galgames, they seem open, but actually, almost every branch has the optimal choice. If you follow the walkthrough step by step, you can achieve the perfect ending.

"But the problem is, doing so, you'll lose the fun of the game. You indeed finish it, but you're merely a puppet of the strategy guide; those choices aren't what you truly want to pick in your heart."

Li Yu thought for a moment, "But if you choose according to your own wishes, isn't it easy to hit a bad ending?"

"That's right, it's quite frustrating, but no one ever said a game has to reach a happy ending, right? Besides, some game developers just aren't considerate and haven't planned any good endings at all. No matter how you play, it's a dead end; it's just a matter of how you meet that end."

"Do people still play such games?" Li Yu asked.

"People still play them," Wang Guowei replied, "As long as the player base is large enough, there will be all kinds of people, but that's a good thing. It makes the variety of games in the market richer."

"Of course, making a game that sells massively, stays at the top of bestseller lists, and gets featured by the media is obviously awesome, but a small game with a unique personality that touches a small group of people's hearts is also cool.

"Of course... your investors might not think the same way."

Li Yu nodded, "Thank you for chatting about games with me."

"I was actually trying to comfort you, but somehow we ended up talking about games. Right, speaking of games, how's your medieval realism game going? The one for which you asked me to design a webpage."

Wang Guowei wanted to divert Li Yu's attention somewhat from the "breakup" situation, so he asked.

"Not bad."

"When will the demo be ready, so I can give it a try? I remember you told me before that there's a strange sect in it called the Double Rest Sect, worshiping a god named Saturday.

"By the way, is there a quest to join this sect? I feel like I'd get along well with the people in there, even though I haven't taken a double rest since I graduated...

"But I feel like I could be a counterexample, warning others how terrible it is to lose Saturday."

"Do you really think double rest is something very important?" Li Yu paused, then added.

"You see, there are actually many things in the world more important than double rest, like war, famine, education, nuclear pollution, and so on. Compared to these, whether or not there's a double rest seems pretty insignificant, right?"

"Who said double rest doesn't matter?" Wang Guowei's eyes widened, "I dream about having double rest!

"Well, those things you mentioned afterward are indeed important, but I'm not Mahatma Gandhi, worrying about humanity. Let those grand issues be left to those up high to fret over.

"Why should I, a working stiff, always have to worry about bringing world peace, human harmony, and love worldwide?

"Anyway, I just wish every company would honestly abide by the labor law, granting us our leaves on schedule. Is that too much to ask? Why can't they manage that?"

"Furthermore, I figure my wanting a vacation doesn't harm anyone, right? Would wars erupt, famine spread, and nuclear pollution worsen just because we workers start taking regular vacations? That shouldn't be the case.

"I've been working overtime recently, and yet neither Ah Bai nor Ah Pu gives me any face. They continue their fights regardless."

Wang Guowei rambled on, but when he turned around, he found that Li Yu on the sofa had already closed his eyes.

Wang Guowei was startled by the sight and cautiously extended a finger under Li Yu's nose, realizing he had merely fallen asleep from exhaustion rather than anything else, and only then did Wang Guowei breathe a sigh of relief.

He stopped grumbling, fetched a quilt from Li Yu's room to drape over him, and then returned to his room to play games.

......

Early the next morning, Li Yu opened his eyes, rubbed his slightly sore neck, and felt that his head was no longer so groggy.

He picked up his phone from the table and found four WeChat messages, three of which were from Zhang Yanlin, asking if he had safely gotten home.

Li Yu casually replied, Sorry, fell asleep as soon as I got back last night, and hit send. Then he looked at another WeChat message, which was from a lotus avatar.

It contained a photo, showing a mother cat and two kittens drinking water by the pool in the neighborhood.

Li Yu replied, Stop looking, go to school now.

However, there was no further reply from the lotus avatar, while Zhang Yanlin's reply came quickly—Glad to hear that.

A moment later, she sent another message—Are you available to take a call now?

—Available, Li Yu typed.

—Then I'll call you.

After sending this, Zhang Yanlin initiated a call request.

When Li Yu answered, he immediately heard Zhang Yanlin's concerned voice, "Did something happen?"

"It's nothing."

"But this morning, I just received a call from someone who said her name was Xu Mengyuan, and she's from the head office's HR department. She said you're going to take a leave of absence for a while."

"You won't be coming to the company starting next Monday, I asked her why you need to take a leave after already taking your annual leave, and how long the leave would be, but she just told me she couldn't disclose that.

"She also said that while you're away, the head office will send someone else to handle the branch's business. Is that true?"

"No, it's just a misunderstanding. I'll resolve it," Li Yu said, "There's no need for you to worry, just go about normal work next Monday."

After hanging up, Li Yu didn't rush to call Xu Mengyuan but first took a shower and then returned to his bedroom. He opened the wardrobe, selected a black suit to wear from a row of black suits.

He looked in the mirror to ensure his complexion had returned to normal, and only then did he dial Xu Mengyuan's number.

"I thought you would contact me sooner. Don't blame me; it's the board's decision. Taylor agreed to give you some time to consider, but during this period, you can't engage in your previous work," Xu Mengyuan said.

"But as far as I know, we don't have much time left."

"This fully shows how much the board values you..."

"Let me return to my position," Li Yu interrupted the HR lady, "I will proceed according to the company's requirements."

On the other end of the phone, it seemed Xu Mengyuan was a bit surprised and only spoke again after a while, "Have you thought it through?"

"I've thought it through," Li Yu said calmly, "I never really had a choice from the start, did I? If I don't do as the company says, my followers won't survive either. They will turn into fuel, providing faith so that our kind can descend onto other dimensions.

"No matter how I choose, they are doomed, so there's nothing to hesitate over. Besides, I am an Earthling after all; Mr. Qin is right, I should stand with my kind."