The next morning, Mei Fang dragged his slightly flu-ridden body out of bed early to distribute New Year’s red envelopes at Linxi Tech alongside Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi.

Employees still bleary-eyed from holiday festivities perked up seeing their bosses—who should’ve been on break—show up. Operations specialist Yun couldn’t resist teasing while collecting his envelope:

“Boss! Shouldn’t you three still be on vacation? Finished your homework yet?”

“Nope. Wanna do it for me? Weren’t you a university grad?”

Mei Fang’s deadpan response made Yun backpedal instantly: “I-I used to be decent, but that knowledge is long gone—”

“Bringing up my woes without helping? Deducting your bonus.”

“Nooo, Boss! Have mercy!”

The crowd erupted in laughter.

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Now with around 50 staff, Linxi Tech was structured into:

Programming Dept – Led by the strict but revered Lin Youxi (“Young Miss”), divided into front-end (taciturn A-Cheng) and back-end (introverted Robin). Despite her youth, male programmers obeyed her every command—a testament to both her expertise and their otaku nature.

Planning Dept – Overseen by Mei Fang himself, with copywriters and system designers fleshing out his concepts. The lively Cola bridged departments with her cheer.

Art Dept – 3 concept artists and 5 UI designers under Qingniao (mistaken early on as “Young Miss”), whose hanfu outfits (TL: traditional chinese clothing) brightened the office.

Operations Dept – Nominally headed by Yue Xinyi but actually managed by Fengling. The troublemaking Yun reported here, handling forums and testing. With Gaokao approaching, Yue now served more as a mascot, occasionally popping in to supervise.

Ximilu Games – Split between the new Yezi team (developing match-3 puzzles) and the original studio (porting Cloud Journey to mobile).

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Cloud Journey had sold 100,000 copies domestically in 2013—an impressive feat given China’s single-player market. Overseas Steam release negotiations were underway, with Mei Fang positioning it as a Monument Valley competitor.

After the red pocket distribution, each leader addressed the team:

Xia Yuan – Warm and approachable
Lin Youxi – Cool and precise
Mei Fang – Balanced, with promises of future prosperity

Unlike typical young moguls brimming with arrogance, Mei Fang remained low-key—and perpetually exhausted.

Must be exhausting balancing school and work! No wonder he caught a cold.

With such a diligent young boss, our future looks bright!

On the subway home after distributing envelopes, Mei Fang sat between the girls and bonked both their heads.

“No more reckless antics, understood?”

Xia Yuan rubbed her head, betraying Lin Youxi instantly: “Youxi came up with yesterday’s idea! I was just an accomplice—why hit me equally hard?”

Lin Youxi simply smiled. “Someone enjoyed themselves too much to complain now.”

“Regardless,” Mei Fang sighed, “we need rules for cohabitation. We can’t betray our parents’ trust—especially while still building their acceptance of our trio dynamic.”

“Fine… We just got carried away celebrating,” Xia Yuan mumbled. “By the way, have you contacted that uncle Dad recommended?”

“He replied this morning. Meeting him tomorrow.”

“Who’s going with you?” Lin Youxi asked. “Former entrepreneurs might look down on us.”

“Yeah! Hiring him as CEO could upset the team,” Xia Yuan fretted. “And could someone his age adapt to our culture? Oldest colleague is 28-year-old Robin…”

Lin Youxi voiced darker concerns: “At his career stage, he might exploit us to start his own venture.”

“TV business dramas are full of such betrayals!” Xia Yuan nodded vigorously. “Be careful!”

“I’ve considered everything,” Mei Fang assured. “While we want C-Site to stay our utopia, experienced guidance is crucial as we scale. Besides, Sister Yue controls finances and HR—no one’s hijacking us easily.”

Satisfied by his reasoning, the girls dropped the subject.

“As long as you’re confident,” Xia Yuan said. “Meanwhile, I’ll prepare my third album this semester.”