Upgrading the content conveyor

"Very well done," Chen Yu applauded Zhang Jianming.

Today, Zhang Jianming had truly earned Chen Yu's respect.

"Jian Ge, go tell everyone that they've worked hard these past few days, and tonight the company is treating us to a feast."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Great, I'll let them know right away."

Zhang Jianming hurried off to share the news.

Naturally, Xie Zhang and the others were thrilled and eagerly anticipated the evening feast.

"Come, come, everyone, you've been doing great in these recent days. Let's raise a glass."

"Thank you, Boss Chen, thank you."

"Don't mention it. As long as everyone continues to do well, gatherings like this can become a daily occurrence."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Shall we go to Taojiang again?"

"Taojiang? That's nothing. In the future, we should go to Ganzhou."

"That's great, Boss Chen. You better keep your word."

"Of course."

Though Chen Yu was the boss, they were all of similar age, so the atmosphere was lively and warm.

"Xie Zhang, that article you wrote about becoming the top martial artist in Jin Yong's world was excellent. It's really intriguing."

"Heh heh, Boss Chen, I just wrote it casually, never thought everyone would like it so much."

"That's normal. Right now, no one has a clear concept of game portals. We're sort of feeling our way in the dark. But no need to worry; if anyone has any ideas or interesting concepts, we can give them a try. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. If there's a need for funding, you can always request it from Manager Zhang."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen. I'll drink to that."

"Don't thank me. Today, everyone can be informal. Eat and drink as you please."

Although he said so, Chen Yu raised his glass as well.

And downed it in one gulp.

Chen Yu wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Oh, I nearly forgot something important."

Saying this, he took out a stack of money from his bag. "For the excellent work everyone has done this time, I'm not a stingy person. Each of you will receive a bonus of 500 yuan. Xie Zhang, for coming up with the idea first, an extra 1000 yuan for you, and Manager Zhang, 3000 yuan as a bonus."

"Wow..."

Such a substantial reward left everyone in a state of shock.

They hadn't expected not only a lavish dinner but also a bonus of 500 yuan.

This was equivalent to a month's salary.

No, even better.

If they were ordinary individuals of their age, they wouldn't even earn 500 yuan in a month.

"Thank you, Boss Chen, thank you," they all turned to Chen Yu, expressing their gratitude, and raised their glasses to him once more.

That night, everyone had their fill of drinks. Chen Yu remained composed; while he wanted everyone to enjoy the meal, getting drunk was out of the question.

Seeing that most of them were about seven-tenths drunk, Chen Yu asked Zhang Jianming to conclude the dinner, and they all left.

"Boss Chen, goodbye."

"Goodbye, and remember to be on time for work tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I'll be there on time."

Li Youhu and the others bid farewell to Chen Yu and departed.

"Damn, Xie Zhang, why did you get a 1000 yuan bonus? I don't accept it."

"If you don't accept it, take it up with Boss Chen. He gave it to me, and besides, it was my idea."

"What idea did you come up with? Honestly, the hottest post wasn't written by you; it was me. My post on how to charm women in games is the most popular on the website. Ah, why didn't I remind Boss Chen just now? That's 1000 yuan, 1000 yuan..."

"Don't worry; if I could get a 1000 yuan bonus this time, I'm sure that next time, if you perform well, you won't be left out of the bonus."

"That makes sense."

They chatted and laughed, leaving together.

...

"Chen Yu, you don't have much money either, giving me a 3000 yuan bonus."

"Heh, don't you want it?"

"I do want it, but I'm afraid of making you broke."

"How could that happen?"

After Li Youhu and the others left, Chen Yu and Zhang Jianming stood at the hotel entrance, enjoying the cool breeze.

"By the way, how are my classmates doing?"

"They're doing well."

"Heh heh, that's good. I was worried these guys wouldn't measure up."

"Their skills will gradually improve. Look at you; your skills have improved significantly recently, haven't they?"

"Don't tease me. Nowadays, I'm under immense pressure every day. Let me tell you, ever since we started this website, I haven't seen my girlfriend for days."

"Oh, missing your girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Did you get to see her?"

"Heh heh."

Zhang Jianming chuckled.

Chen Yu didn't press the matter further and continued, "Hurry back tonight, go see your girlfriend; there's something important to do tomorrow."

"Another new task tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"What task is it?"

"It's still related to content. We need to strengthen content development."

Chen Yu remarked, "I took a look at the articles on our website today, and most of them revolve around Heroes of Jin Yong and Legend. There isn't much content from other games."

"It can't be helped. We've mostly played Heroes of Jin Yong and Legend. We haven't really explored other games. Some of us have created a few characters, but we can't write any guides for them. Maybe we should start playing other games."

"If we have to personally play every game, how much time will that take?"

"What should we do, then?"

Zhang Jianming scratched his head, "We can't possibly ask others to write for us, can we?"

"That's exactly what we can do."

Chen Yu nodded, "The task for tomorrow is to get others to write for us."

"Ah."

Zhang Jianming was taken aback, "Chen Yu, when you say 'others', do you mean the people from gaming workshops?"

"Yes, but not just workshop people; this includes all players as well."

"I'm not sure if these people can write."

Zhang Jianming thought for a moment and said, "Don't forget, even though we've posted a lot of articles recently, each one has taken a lot of effort and time."

"So, we'll compensate them."

"Are you suggesting we pay them to write?"

"Exactly."

"How much for each article?"

"It depends on the quality. It could be as low as 30 or 50 yuan, and as much as 100, 200, or 500 yuan, with no upper limit."

"That's going to be a substantial upfront cost."

If they were only hiring a few people to write, it wouldn't be too much, even if they paid each person several dozen or a hundred yuan.

But if they were involving all the workshops and every player, the cost would become staggering.

"The money part is easily resolved."

Chen Yu had thought this through, "We can allocate a portion of our website's daily transaction fees, and I still have tens of thousands saved up. Also, I have a few pieces of equipment in Legend that I can sell; that should support us for some time."

The reason for this approach wasn't because Chen Yu had a lot of money. There was only one purpose: to outcompete 17173.

The current 5173 had not yet established a dominant position, and if they wanted to defeat 17173, they needed to thoroughly surpass them in content.

"Jian Ge, tomorrow, you should contact the various workshops. Making money is something I'm sure they'd be happy to do. Additionally, on the website, you can post articles offering substantial rewards for game guides, or similar content. Of course, it doesn't have to be solely game guides; any meaningful, valuable articles that can catch the eyes of gamers are acceptable."

"All right, this should be manageable."

"That's the plan. I won't be going to the office tomorrow morning; I'll come after my classes finish at noon."

"Why?."

"What do you mean, why? I've been late quite a few times these days, and the homeroom teacher has already reported it to my mom."

"Your high school is strict. We in vocational school have no one to answer to."

"That's even better; you have your freedom. Well, it's getting late; go see your girlfriend early."

Without further ado, the two friends parted ways.