Original subtitles

=No Pain No Gain= (Adapted from the Qidian novel)

("Losing Money to Be a Tycoon" by Qingshan Quzui)

=Episode 15= (This story is purely fictional)

(Four Wall Apartments)

So,

you came back without knowing why

he joined Sky Fire?

He didn't want to tell me.

How can I know?

I'm sure he joined Sky Fire as a mole

to steal all of their confidential information.

There's nothing worth stealing in Sky Fire.

Sky Fire has always been the one stealing other people's confidential information.

If so, why did he join Sky Fire in secret to do something like this?

Mr. Pei always does this.

He works hard in silence

and shocks everyone.

Let's not interrupt him.

We should wait for his good news.

(Sky Fire Tower)

(Strive for Excellence and Create Miracles)

Wei.

Wei?

Stop scaring me.

Wei,

what's going on?

Do all of you like to spend nights in the company?

No one likes to spend nights here.

Last night's meeting lasted until 5 AM.

And my house is very far away.

I have to punch in for today in just three hours.

It's not even enough time for me to travel back and forth.

Do we have that many projects lately?

Did you guys work overtime until now?

Don't tell me Mr. Zhou requested you guys to do it.

When he does request us to do it,

that'll be your last day

working in this company.

(Sky Fire)

Wei,

why don't you take a break

and scroll your phone?

The surveillance camera won't catch us here.

Count on me.

I'm not scrolling my phone.

I'm writing my daily report.

With your phone?

You see,

typing on a phone's nine-square grid

requires less finger movement than a keyboard.

It's a form of rest.

Let me type it for you, then.

They haven't given me any work lately anyway.

Mr. Pei,

in the entire company,

you're the only one who's truly concerned about me.

I consider you one of us.

I'll tell you this.

Our superiors said

that we wouldn't let you touch any projects after this.

Mr. Zhou,

I've been observing your actions

for the past few days.

Just be honest with me.

Are you still hesitant about me?

Pei,

you're overthinking it.

Who told you that I wouldn't let you get involved with any projects?

If only I were overthinking it.

You see, I only have two days left until my probation period ends.

But you're not letting me do a single thing.

By then, you won't just find a random excuse

like saying that I slack off all the time and sack me, right?

Mind your words!

Xuming,

he's still young.

It's good that you have a high awareness.

That's what we need.

Our new game, Eternal Reincarnation,

is basically complete.

I was planning to have you try it out anyway.

If so, can I think of it as the last challenge I'll face

during my probation period?

How dare you approach Mr. Zhou with your request?

Don't you have any awareness at all?

You can think of it that way.

Deal?

Deal.

However,

you need to complete the game

within 24 hours.

No problem!

Are we actually letting Pei Qian do the playtesting?

Won't it cause us any trouble?

Eternal Reincarnation

is more than a match for him.

You're right.

Eternal Reincarnation

crushes Returning to Shore on all fronts.

Of all people, Pei Qian is the last one we need to guard against.

I'll go prepare an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

Speaking of which,

how could anyone complete Eternal Reincarnation

in a single day?

(Game Testing Room)

(Four is four, ten is ten)

Four is four, ten is ten.

Fourteen is fourteen.

Forty is forty.

Who said fourteen is forty...

(Game Over)

No wonder they let me do the playtesting.

Isn't this just a knockoff version

of Returning to Shore with added tongue-twisters?

The park has four rows of stone lions,

each row consisting of fourteen large stone lions.

At the feet of each large stone lion lies...

(Game Over)

(You need to complete the game)

(within 24 hours.)

The park has four rows of stone lions.

Mr. Shi took forty-four students

to count the stone lions.

The park has four rows of stone lions.

Each row consists of...

(Game Over)

At the feet of each large stone lion lies

four small stone lions.

Mr. Shi took fourteen students to...

(Game Over)

The park has four rows of stone lions.

At the back of each large stone lion lies

four small stone lions.

(Game Over)

The park has four rows of stone lions.

Count the stone lions.

You say...

(Game Over)

The park has four rows of stone lions,

each row consisting of fourteen large stone lions.

At the back of each large stone lion lies

a small stone lion.

At the feet of each large stone lion lies

four small stone lions.

Mr. Shi took forty-four students

to count the stone lions.

How many

large stone lions

and small stone lions are there?

(Game Over)

This is impossible.

This game is harder than

99.9999999% of the games

on the market.

There's no way anyone can complete this.

This time,

we must create a core gameplay mechanic.

And, it must be something new.

As a soulslike,

the difficulty should be cranked up

to hell mode.

We must integrate ancient poetry

and verses into the combat system.

If so, how many percent of players

should the early-game boss eliminate?

It should

eliminate

99.9999% of players.

(Eternal Reincarnation)

If you're good,

one line works, then every line works.

One line works,

then every line works.

If you're not, one line fails, every line fails.

One line fails,

every line fails.

Want every line to work?

Make one line work first.

Become a pro in your trade.

Master one trade, master them all.

Did I actually complete the game?

(Game Over)

(Sudden Wealth)

Pei,

the analysis in your report is inadequate.

Regarding what the players like and dislike about the game,

not only do you need to list them out,

but you must also identify commonalities

and fundamental issues.

Once you identify the issues,

you need to come up with solutions.

We hire you

to solve our issues.

If not,

why should we hire you?

Sky Fire recruited you

because we recognized your abilities.

But your current work attitude

has left me deeply disappointed!

Why can others

excel at the same job

while you can't?

You should let others see the fundamental differences

that set you apart from them! But what a shame!

You never fully opened yourself up!

What value have you brought to the company?

Did you even treat the company as your home?

What do you do in the office every day?

Pei,

have you ever seen your true self?

You need to be prepared for combat!

Pei!

Pei.

If you can't hang in there anymore,

you should come back.

My child.

You should come back.

Come back!

(Game Over)

(Incorrect password. Please try again)

Wei.

Give me a second. I...

What's wrong with the password?

Why is it incorrect?

I can't log in.

Wei Dongli.

Come with me.

(Incorrect password. Please try again)

(Eternal Reincarnation)

It's been 24 hours.

If you're good, one line works, then every line works.

One line works,

then

every line works.

If you're not, one line fails, every line fails.

One line fails,

every line fails.

Every line will fail.

Want every line to work?

Make one line work first. Become a pro in your trade.

Master one trade, master them all. And make it work!

(Great)

(Great) (Congratulations On Passing the Level)

I won.

I actually won.

Mr. Zhou, I completed the game!

I did it within 24 hours...

I'll excuse myself first.

Sorry about that.

Mr. Zhou.

Mr. Zhao.

Please allow me to explain.

I was late twice last quarter.

My father wasn't in the best of health.

Last month, on the 15th,

he had just undergone heart bypass surgery.

And my mother had a stroke just a few days ago.

He couldn't look after her.

After I handled the affairs at the hospital, I rushed back and worked overtime.

It's shown in the attendance records!

And, this month, on the 5th,

my wife took my mother-in-law for dialysis.

After that, something cropped up.

She couldn't leave her alone.

My child was having a fever.

And, he was all alone.

Oh yeah.

I worked overtime until 5 AM that day.

I've already posted the WeChat record

to our group chat.

Mr. Zhao, take a look. I...

Mr. Zhou, take a look.

You always have plenty of excuses.

Can excuses help us put food on the table?

All of us are busy with our own affairs, you know?

If explanations can generate value,

I'm sure you'll be the most valuable employee in Sky Fire.

Mr. Zhao.

Mr. Zhou,

my situation is special.

For the past few years,

our parents weren't the healthiest.

And my child is still very young.

There are so many expenses to cover at home.

I can't live without this job.

I...

I joined Sky Fire right after graduating, you know?

Even if I didn't contribute much to the company, I've put in my fair share of hard work too.

You guys can't just do this because I'm almost 35...

Wei!

Don't jump to conclusions.

This conversation has nothing to do

with your age at all.

Look.

Just look at this quarter's Last-place Elimination System.

You had the poorest performance.

You weren't as efficient as the others.

You had the highest percentage for being late.

You wrote your reports without thoughts, and you even wrote fewer words than the others.

If this keeps up,

where will your value proposition be?

Where will your core competencies be?

Compared to the others,

your value is extremely meager.

It's not like Mr. Zhou

never gave you a chance.

You were the one who had disappointed us.

Wei,

you do look pretty exhausted, both physically and mentally.

If that's the case,

you should head back first.

Go back and rest.

Readjust your mental state as well.

I understand.

If this does happen,

will I still receive the compensation?

Judging by the situation,

I don't think so.

I understand now.

Judging by the situation,

will I still receive the compensation?

Judging by the situation,

I don't think so.

What's going on in there?

The subsequent discussion will be open and fair.

Let me record it.

It won't pose an issue, right?

Deliberately inducing employees to resign

to avoid paying severance pay

is a serious violation of the Labor Contract Law.

Mr. Zhou, you're busy. You have plenty of affairs to deal with.

It's understandable that you can't recall the labor law.

But what about the HR Department?

I'm sure you know it, right?

Now,

let's review the situation again.

You guys are trying

to sack Wei.

According to Article 39 of the Labor Contract Law,

it must be proven that the employee meets the following conditions.

First, employers may rescind the contract if the worker

fails to meet employment criteria during the probationary period.

Second, a serious breach of the employer's rules and system.

Third, serious dereliction of duties and corruption

causes the employer to suffer significant damages.

Fourth, the worker holds an employment relationship

with another employer concurrently, which has

a severe impact on his/her performance of work tasks assigned by the employer

or refuses to make correction as demanded by the employer.

Fifth, under the circumstances stipulated in Article 26, Paragraph 1

of the Labor Contract Law,

the labor contract is deemed invalid.

Sixth, the employee is held criminally liable in accordance with the law.

It's obvious that Wei fulfilled none of the criteria above.

That means

he's subjected to no-fault termination.

If so, you guys have to give him a one-month notice or...

Give him an additional month's pay.

Compensation shall be paid at the rate of one month's salary

for each full year of the employee's service.

As you guys didn't notify

Wei in advance,

you need to compensate Wei with N+1.

N for his years at Sky Fire,

plus one month

as notice pay.

Mr. Zhou, what other questions do you have?

If there are any issues, I'll have Wei take it to labor arbitration.

Labor arbitration is now very convenient.

We can apply for it online.

Zhao, don't be so impulsive.

To think that you're a game developer.

Did you know that recordings

can now be uploaded to the cloud in real time?

Sit down.

Great work

in reciting the law articles.

I'm just an amateur.

Why are you still standing there?

Follow Mr. Pei's instructions.

Sky Fire has always been a law-abiding company.

Pei Qian, we'll follow your example.

We'll abide by the law and conduct our business impartially.

This is an official notice.

Your probationary period is over...

I know.

I wish you all

success in

your line of work.

I quit.

Let's go.

♪As long as I don't care♪

♪No one can hurt me♪

♪As long as I don't care♪

♪Nothing can hurt me♪

♪I'm not angry, I'm not angry♪

♪Don't get mad at fools♪

♪It's not worth it, it's not worth it♪

♪None of it concerns me♪

♪Whatever you say goes♪

♪That's impressive, I'm convinced♪

♪I'm not angry, I'm not angry♪

♪Don't be so hard on yourself♪

♪I love myself, I must love myself♪

♪I will love myself♪

♪This world is breathtakingly beautiful♪

Excellent!

- Excellent! - Excellent!

Great job!

- Excellent! - Excellent!

Excellent!

You guys can do it!

♪All good♪

We're proud of you guys.

Excellent!

Great job!

Wei,

you need this more than me.

Thanks, Mr. Pei.

How did you memorize

that legal provision so thoroughly?

You may not believe me,

but I was once sacked as well.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

Thus, I studied

the Labor Contract Law.

I don't believe you.

You were actually sacked?

How is that possible?

Mr. Pei,

where are you taking me

after this?

I haven't decided either.

I guess I should pack my stuff, then.

You see,

they just think that I'm too old.

They wanted to sack me long ago.

Luckily, you were there.

You managed

to help me win an N+1.

At least, I can give my family an account.

But you were implicated

because of it.

I'm sorry.

It's fine.

As long as I can make a living, my whole family will be fine.

Hello, Dear?

How's Mom doing?

Good to hear that. What about Dad?

Good to hear that.

That's great.

Nope. I'm not working overtime today.

You...

You should keep our baby company first.

I'll go back and cook for you all.

Yeah, no overtime work today.

I don't need to work overtime ever again.

Okay.

(Jinchuan International Airport)

Hello, Ms. Xin?

It's like this.

Are you sure you gave me the right location?

How could Mr. Sima live in such a place?

Go upstairs?

Where?

What about this?

Send me the location again.

(Go straight for 3 meters)

(Go straight for 3 meters)

Where the heck am I?

You must be kidding me!

(Exit)

Hello, Mr. Pei.

Over here, please.

Please mind your steps.

Mr. Wang,

water that side more.

Mind your steps.

Water them evenly.

(Dihua Hall)

Mr. Pei,

please come inside.

Let me make you a cup of tea.

No need for that.

Long time no see.

Mr. Sima,

can I please

return to Tengda?

Are you not

taking any helicopter rides today?

Mr. Sima,

this house of yours is pretty unique.

It was hard to locate.

Why are you staying here when you're this wealthy?

I grew up here.

No matter how rich I am,

I won't forget who I am.

I won't leave my roots behind either.

Only by living among the common people

can I truly understand

what's unfolding in this world

day after day.

I suppose this is your hometown.

Your hometown is the same as mine.

There are no elevators.

Everything's on foot.

I'm sure you're very healthy.

(Tengda Games)

Mr. Ma.

He's here.

Come! Mr. Pei is here!

Come.

Go!

- Welcome, Mr. Pei! - Welcome, Mr. Pei!

- Congrats on your glorious return! - Congrats on your glorious return!

Welcome.

Welcome.

Mr. Pei,

it must've been tough infiltrating our enemy's ranks.

Mr. Pei, you've been away for so long.

You've lost so much weight.

Yeah. We missed you.

While you were away,

we struck a balance between work and leisure.

We worked hard,

and we also enriched our lives.

Don't worry about it, Mr. Pei.

Mr. Pei, welcome home.

Wei?

Lin Wan, I'm sure you didn't expect this.

We're going to work together again.

Hi, everyone.

Weren't you the one presenting the speech

at Sky Fire?

Yeah, that was me.

It's you, Mr. Goji.

Yeah, it's me.

Hi, everyone.

From now on, we're a family.

So, Mr. Pei, you went there to poach their talents, huh?

I was sacked by Sky Fire.

But luckily, Mr. Pei is a kind person.

He's willing to take me in.

He brought me here.

So, where's my work desk?

I can start working now.

You must be joking me. You're more competitive than Huang.

Let's do this.

Welcome.

One month of paid vacation!

Welcome.

Now that you're back, don't run around, okay?

Our pantry is so huge.

Everything's for free.

Do we have gojiberries here?

Yeah, we have plenty.

We have an unlimited supply of it.

This feels so nostalgic.

This was

originally Huang's work desk.

(Stay true to our mission, succeed for the greater good.)

(GM Office)

How is it?

You like it, don't you?

Why did my office turn into something like this?

We saw that your working environment

was terrible.

So, while you were at Sky Fire,

we cleaned it up for you.

You guys did a perfect job.

Look at this.

I bought it just for you.

Do you like it?

It's Zhang Chulan.

Don't cry now.

Mr. Pei?

You're finally back.

When are you free?

I'll present my management trainee reports to you.

Management trainee?

Was I that twisted?

What do you mean?

I mean, we can hire more management trainees

in the future.

Let our juniors

learn more

from each department

so that they can

grow happily.

Alright, Mr. Pei.

(Tengda Games)

While you were away,

we've refined

The Divine Mountains and Seas once again.

We also discussed

the design direction for the game characters.

This is our latest idea.

Please take a look.

It's fine. Just proceed with it.

Don't you need to take a look?

It's fine.

Over this period,

it has been proven

that you guys are fully capable of making your own decisions.

- Thank you, Mr. Pei. - Thanks.

You guys can do this.

Mr. Pei,

sorry about this.

I've been hiding something from you all along.

Do you still remember a novel called

The CEO Has an Exclusive Crush on You?

I told you to take it down, right?

Yeah.

I did take it down.

I've even got triple the penalty money ready.

But it's a great IP.

We shouldn't let it go to waste.

I gave it some serious thought.

We shouldn't let outsiders reap the benefits.

Mr. Pei,

do you think we can

establish our own TV and film studio?

We can write our own novels

and turn them into TV dramas.

Sure. Just do whatever you want.

Mr. Pei, are you sure about that?

Mr. Pei,

I won't let you down.

If so,

you should name the studio.

It's your own company. You should name it yourself.

This isn't my studio.

It belongs to everyone.

Just name it as our representative.

Whenever you name a project, it'll surely succeed.

Whenever you name one, it'll become popular.

When that happens, you should name another project.

To be honest,

I've been completely transformed

after enduring society's harsh treatments.

Mr. Pei,

I have an idea.

Why don't you hear me out and see if it's suitable?

Tell me.

Feihuang Pictures.

You...

Are you sure you want such an inauspicious name?

Inauspicious?

It represents the splendor of success.

Feihuang Pictures?

Sounds like success to me.

That's great.

Can I use that name?

Sure.

Mr. Pei, I'll surely do my best.

Tell me, then.

What else do you have to report to me?

There's no progress on DreamForge Capital's side.

I thought you held plenty of projects before.

Yeah.

But I've reviewed them

once again.

I think they're not mature enough.

I know you're going to say

that DreamForge Capital is a place where dreams come true.

Even so, we should make sure the projects are stable and reliable.

There's no rush.

If there aren't any good projects, you should wait it out.

Don't worry.

Our company will support you with everything we have.

Why did it seem like he left the company for five years?

What's wrong? Are you lying flat completely?

Are you cutting your losses now?

He became completely different

after joining Sky Fire.

Under probation in Sky Fire,

I didn't make much money at all.

What about next month?

What about the mortgage?

With what? Our sincerity?

I didn't change,

and I didn't give up.

I was just enlightened.

I realized something.

Instead of being tormented in Sky Fire and getting my wage docked,

it's better for me to retire in Tengda and receive 5,000 yuan per month.

I won't be docked a single cent.

5,000 yuan? That's not enough.

Have you ever heard of the term "slash youth"?

Hello. We've arrived at your destination.

Please remember to take your belongings.

Please give me a five-star review if it's possible.

(Promotion)

Mister,

did you source all these goods?

Yeah.

You can pick whichever you want.

Just scan the QR code to pay.

Okay.

I suppose you have it rough as well.

I'll take this.

(You've received 35 yuan.)

Thank you. I wish you happiness.

(You've received a new order. Please accept it.)

Hello.

Mr. Pei, I see you've been keeping yourself busy

after rejoining Tengda.

I guess.

However,

sorry about this.

Using company vehicles for personal gain is against the company's policies.

This car belongs to the company.

If I catch you again,

I'll confiscate the car.

You!

(Profits: Private Kitchen, Sloth Gym, Phone Booth,)

(Returning to Shore, Four Wall Apartments)

(Losses: Zhongdian Web Fiction, Feihuang Pictures)

(Tengda Total Asset)

(Sky Fire)

(Eternal Reincarnation Official Page)

(On the pink wall, a phoenix is painted; the phoenix on the pink wall)

(Paint the phoenix, the phoenix is on the pink wall.)

(The phoenix on the pink wall)

(Great)

The trailer for Sky Fire's Eternal Reincarnation

is pretty good.

I'm sure they've spent a lot on it.

What are you talking about?

They just plagiarized our stuff.

It just looks cool.

So what if they're rich?

They just changed the core gameplay mechanic.

Turned the poetry recital into tongue-twisters.

That's what they do for every game.

They're experts at finding loopholes.

(Cool Visuals on Eternal Reincarnation)

(It's world-class. The visuals are absolutely stunning.)

It's top-tier. I think it'll be highly regarded internationally.

800 soldiers dash up the northern slope!

Go, go, go!

Guys, I'll say this.

(I bet Eternal Reincarnation)

(will stir up a revolution in the new era of locally-produced games.)

(Is Tengda dying?)

(It's been so long since they launched a new game.)

(Have they run out of ideas?)

(Sky Fire is the best!) (Sky Fire is the ultimate)

(Chinese game developer.)

I think they uploaded the video themselves.

The comment section keeps changing its direction.

All of them are praising Eternal Reincarnation while criticizing Returning to Shore.

I'm sure Zhou Muyan and his gang are behind this.

That's a given.

Wei,

come and take a look.

Look.

Don't you think it's familiar?

You see, my ex-superior

is a repeat offender.

They call it learning and drawing inspiration,

but it's just telling the project team to copy the core gameplay entirely.

After that, they can alter it to their liking.

So they could launch so many games in such a short period.

If so, have you played it before?

Is it fun?

No, I haven't.

I don't have time for that.

Back then, I was fully occupied with work.

Mr. Pei played the game before.

He was in charge of its playtesting back then.

I'm serious.

I've sent the trailer and the current situation to Mr. Pei.

He has replied to me.

Let's listen to him.

Among the Three Sins,

slander is the gravest of them all.

We must have faith that karma will take its course.

Sky Fire will receive their just deserts soon.

Do not listen,

do not inquire,

do not dwell on,

and do not look.

Release your obsession.

Focus on oneself,

so that you won't face eternal damnation.

What exactly has Mr. Pei gone through in Sky Fire?

Why is he getting more and more abstract?

Indeed.

He's been getting weirder and weirder lately.

♪The rain has stopped, and the sky finally clears♪

♪Yet water still drips from the eaves♪

♪The sun rises, and dark clouds all disperse♪

♪But why won't my heart dry out?♪

♪Evening glow washes over unspoken monologues♪

♪Old photos dusted with a layer of white♪

♪The future we promised♪

♪Was never unwrapped after all♪

♪This wind blows and blows♪

♪Blows but cannot dispel the haze in my heart♪

♪Longing is rain-soaked kindling♪

♪Like patches of damp moss♪

♪It won't ignite a shred of warmth♪

♪Time spins and spins♪

♪Yet cannot turn back that warmth♪

♪Memories are patches of light not yet dimmed♪

♪Right and wrong drift into the evening breeze♪

♪I want to ask, but all questions are♪

♪Blown away by this wind♪

♪Blows but cannot dispel the haze in my heart♪

♪Longing is rain-soaked kindling♪

♪Like wet moss, clump after clump♪

♪It won't ignite a shred of warmth♪

♪This heavy rain falls, falls, falls♪

♪But it won't wash away the lingering regret♪

♪We were predestined scenes in a script♪

♪Pushed aside, with no room to advance or retreat♪

♪Sinking into the boundless sea of people♪

♪No longer connected♪