Chapter 20 Game Development
She initially thought he would have a good idea.
After finishing their meal, the trio moved to the living room, where Noelle adeptly lounged on the couch.
“Do you want to play a game?”
In a lackluster tone, Noelle asked, “What game?”
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Dominic unlocked his phone, extending it toward Noelle, presenting the screen to her. “Hey, check this out. It’s the latest trending shooter game. Want to play together?”
Noelle looked at the familiar icon. “Is it popular?”
Dominic noticed Noelle’s interest and excitedly said, “Yes! Even though this game has only been online for a few years, it’s unmatched among similar games. I’m pretty skilled at it. So, how about it? Do you want me to show you the ropes?”
Noelle didn’t respond. Not really…
When the game was being developed years ago, they encountered several technical difficulties. They were at their wits‘ end, desperately seeking help from all corners. She happened to be on assignment in the local military district at the time and lent a hand.
She went the extra mile, staying there for a few more days, not leaving until the internal testing was successful.
After some thought, Noelle decided to play along. Noticing it wasn’t on her phone, she proceeded to download it. All right. It’s a good opportunity to check out how the game is doing now.
She figured her old beta test account was still active. She entered her phone number to log into the game, and sure enough, her account was still there. The level wasn’t high, as she hadn’t logged in since the beta test ended.
“Have you played this before? What does this name mean?” Dominic leaned in for a closer look and studied the few letters shown. Is it an abbreviation?
“I was too lazy to think of a name, so I just randomly typed a few letters.”
Dominic was speechless. How casual…
Matthew chuckled, finding it quite fitting to her style. He wasn’t into games, so he picked up a book and started reading by the side.
“Come on! Let’s become friends and team up in the game.”
“D*inn! Little Noelle, how is it that you have this skin? I couldn’t even buy it.” Dominic had spent a considerable amount of money in this game, earning him the reputation of a legendary big spender. He owned practically all purchasable skins and equipment, with the exception of those limited–edition collector’s items.
Noelle casually answered, “It was a gift.”
She had just checked a moment ago. It seemed that every time this game updated, her account would receive a piece of equipment, even though she had never played before.
No sooner had Alex, who had just returned from being beaten, stepped through the door than he heard the alarmed and exaggerated voice of Dominic.
Noelle looked at Alex as he limped his way over. However, seeing Matthew’s nonchalant expression, she didn’t ask further. Has he been beaten up? How did he leave perfectly fine, only to return in such a state?
Matthew took Alex to the study. After discussing work matters, Alex emerged just as they had finished a round of their game.
Alex also joined the game and became part of their team. The trio began their gaming adventure together.
“Ms. Yersley, you have this too?” Alex eyed the glittering golden gun held by Noelle’s game character, almost drooling over his phone. It was the gun of his dreams.
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Chapter 20 Game Development
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That weapon was from an earlier time, and it was no longer produced then. Even if one had the money, one couldn’t buy it.
“If you want it, it’s yours.”
After a round of gaming, Dominic was tapping on his phone, changing outfits for his characters in the game.
“Little Noelle, players can’t trade among themselves. Otherwise, I would have bought everything a long time ago.”
“Choose. Whichever you desire, I’ll gift it to you.”
Noelle paid him no attention, tossed her phone to them, and got up to go to the bathroom, leaving them to look at it themselves.
Emerging from his study, Matthew watched the two individuals leering at Noelle’s phone. Should I take it back?
At that moment, the two individuals were looking at the personal profile page, exchanging glances. Wait… Are our eyes playing tricks on us? Server 1, 01?
When registering for this game, a string of numbers was automatically generated, denoting the number of registered players in a particular region. There and then, they wondered if Noelle was the first player to join the server.
Upon returning, Noelle looked at the two stunned individuals and asked, “Have you made a choice yet?”
Dominic handed over the phone like a loyal lapdog, with Alex swiftly following suit.
“Ms. Yersley, the code for your account… Um…”
Noelle cast a glance and said, “Oh. The first one to log in during the game’s beta testing.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
The two were bewildered. The first one to log in? Is this game really that arbitrary? That can’t be right.
“Do you know someone inside?”
When Matthew spoke, even without gaming experience, he knew that internal staff typically did beta testing. He wasn’t interested in the game itself. He simply wanted to understand Noelle a bit more.
Realization dawned on the two people across from Noelle when they saw her nod. No wonder! She knows someone!
“I was involved in the development of the game,” Noelle uttered nonchalantly.
Not only were Alex and Dominic stunned this time, but Matthew was also surprised as he looked at Noelle. He remembered that Dominic had been playing that game for a couple of years.
“Ms. Yersley, how old were you back then?”
Alex voiced his thoughts, not intending to question anything but purely expressing his awe.
“Sixteen.”
After some thought, Noelle realized that was four years ago.
Alex and Dominic exchanged glances, both seeing the same look in each other’s eyes. These two are really a perfect match. Both of them are eccentric in their own ways. One was admitted to Stridrora University at the age of sixteen, while the other was involved in game development at the same age. How is everyone else supposed to compare to that?
“Were you involved in any other games?” Dominic asked with a tremble in his voice.
“The games that belong to their company.”
That was the company’s debut game, and it was a huge success. They went on to release a few more, for which she had conducted vulnerability testing for them.
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Chapter 20 Game Development
“Little Noelle, do you know the boss of Westwood Studio?”
The game was produced by Westwood Studio. Noelle nodded in recognition, indicating her familiarity.
“We’re not close, but I have some shared in the company.”
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“Not close? Some shares? Shares?” Dominic’s voice rose in disbelief, echoing with shock. He almost fell to his knees, barely stopping himself from clinging onto Noelle’s leg. That was when he truly realized she was a bigwig. “Little Noelle, from now on, you will be my sister from another mother and father.”
Noelle was a bit baffled as she watched him. What’s going on? Is there really a need for such excitement? Considering his wealth, could this little thing actually interest him?
“Back then, Dominic had wanted to invest in Westwood Studio, but he was turned down,” Matthew explained.
“Oh… I guess it was a good choice?”
“He indeed has a keen eye in this area. Often, we would follow his lead in investments,” Matthew said.
Dominic had a unique eye for opportunities. The projects he took an interest in were basically all profitable.
Noelle raised an eyebrow, quite surprised. Who would have thought that the most eccentric person would turn out to be so impressive? It seems as though when fate closed a window for him, it opened a door instead. However, it makes sense. How could he fit in with them without any real skills? He can’t possibly rely solely on his wit and humor.
After all, his elder brother was the heir to the Sholl family. He was the one who truly belonged to the same social circle as Matthew and the others. However, due to their significant age difference, they didn’t interact much privately.
It made sense that he, as the young master of a prominent family, could fit in so well among that group of people.
Although he rarely involved himself in the Sholl family’s business, the assets under his name were countless. He was the one with the most liquid assets on hand.
Upon hearing Matthew’s rare praise, Dominic nearly swelled with pride, his confidence boosted. He started to speak without any restraint, beating his chest in assurance.
“Little Noelle, in the future, I will help you make a fortune. As for providing for you, well-”
Before he could finish his sentence, Alex abruptly interrupted him. Dominic’s mouth was covered by a hand, effectively silencing him.
Would you just shut up, for heaven’s sake? You’ve got no filter. Alex wasn’t afraid of Matthew getting angry, but he was concerned about being the target of his displaced anger.
“Ms. Yersley, you just mentioned something about giving me a gift. Haha!”
Alex, sporting the same goofy grin as Dominic, swiftly changed the subject.
Dominic also reacted, pulling away Alex’s hand. Exactly. Little Noelle just suggested we make a choice just now.
They were both gazing intently at Noelle.
Observing the two individuals fawning over Noelle, Matthew rubbed his forehead, exasperated by these two embarrassing characters.
“Go on. Choose.”
Noelle also found it somewhat unbearable to watch. She turned her head away as if it was too glaring for her eyes.
The gaming session between the three came to a close, and Dominic and Alex were both given gifts.
