Rebirth in a Shura Field, but in an Abstract Version

Senior student 073 should be a little more natural.

Sculpting Time Cafe at the school gate.

In the innermost private room on the second floor, the air seemed to freeze.

What was supposed to be a meeting of four people turned awkward and fell silent because of Zhu Qi's words.

Three second-year computer science students were staring at Zhu Qi, who was sitting in the main seat.

Zhu Qi took a deep breath, breaking the silence.

"Actually, I've had some new ideas these past few days. Since a hardcore game like EVE isn't feasible, I was thinking, how about making a... skiing game?"

"ski?"

The three boys were stunned.

Zhu Qi explained, "Yes, it's about making a 3D skiing game. The protagonist skis through snow-covered mountains or forests, moving back and forth. As you go further, there will be denser trees and rocks. It's somewhat inspired by the parkour mode of Temple Run, but more complex, and we might add some special moves."

Upon hearing the words "3D" and "complex," one of the boys wearing glasses sighed.

He said, "You know what the word 'more complex' means. Temple Run, while 3D, has modular and repetitive scenes, and the protagonist's movement path is very restricted. What you're describing—freely traversing through forests and dodging obstacles—sounds more like a racing game with lots of obstacles, like Need for Speed ​​with its physics-based collisions and rendering. That puts a lot of demands on phone performance and optimization."

Another slightly chubby boy chimed in, "Yeah. And if we're going to do realistic snow physics, the snow effects alone would crash the phone. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Zhu Qi was speechless after being rebuked.

Although she was the client, she didn't understand the technical difficulties of implementation. She just thought Wang Zhe's idea was very vivid and cool.

"Is that really... true?" Zhu Qi asked uncertainly.

The first bespectacled boy to speak shook his head, seemingly having completely lost patience with this situation of "amateurs directing experts."

He stood up and said, "To be honest, I think you haven't really figured out what kind of game you want to make or how you want to make it. This kind of constantly changing approach makes it difficult for the project to move forward. I also have other things to do this semester and don't have the energy to focus on it. So I won't be participating in this project. Thanks for the coffee today, and for the meal you treated me to last time."

After saying that, he pushed open the door to the private room and walked out without hesitation.

The room suddenly felt even more deserted with one less person in it.

Zhu Qi bit her lip, her face turning pale.

This was her first time starting a business, and she encountered a series of setbacks before it even began.

She suppressed her frustration and turned to look at the remaining two boys.

"And what about you guys, are you still going to participate?"

The remaining two boys exchanged a glance.

The slightly chubby boy hesitated for a moment before asking, "I just want to know, are you still going to pay the agreed-upon reward?"

Zhu Qi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Here you go. As long as you're still working for the team, you won't be shortchanged. I, Zhu Qi, am not one to renege on my debts."

"That's fine," the chubby guy breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging glances with his partner. "Since we're getting paid, let's keep going. As long as you set the direction, we'll write the code. We're just doing the work anyway."

While this statement is true, it also conveys a sense of detachment, as if to say, "We're just doing our jobs for the money; whether the project succeeds or not is none of our business."

Looking at their businesslike manner, Zhu Qi suddenly felt somewhat disheartened.

Is this really the startup team she wanted?

Zhu Qi waved her hand, rubbing her temples wearily. "Alright, you can all go back now. I plan to think about the specific direction further. That concludes today's meeting."

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

The two boys didn't say much, and even stood up and left with a sense of relief.

In the small private room, only Zhu Qi and Su Xiaocheng, who had been sitting in the corner like a ghost, were left.

Zhu Qi got up, walked to the door, and closed the door to the private room, shutting out the noise from outside.

Then, she sat back down, leaned back, and let out a long sigh.

Looking at the empty private room, Su Xiaocheng asked cautiously, "Sister Qiqi, are you alright?"

Zhu Qi immediately asked, "Have you been in contact with that Wang Zhe lately?"

Su Xiaocheng paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes. We chatted for a bit yesterday."

"Oh?" Zhu Qi raised an eyebrow. "What did you talk about?"

"It's nothing, just chatting. Oh, and I also learned an interesting story about Wang Zhe."

"What interesting thing happened?"

"So Wang Zhe is a hidden stock trading expert," Su Xiaocheng said mysteriously. "He's been trading stocks since the summer vacation and has made a lot of money! He's already earned enough for his tuition and living expenses for four years of university, so he doesn't need to ask his parents for money at all."

"You made enough money from stocks to cover your living expenses for four years?"

Zhu Qi stared in astonishment.

She originally thought Wang Zhe was just an ordinary freshman with a bit of cleverness, but she didn't expect him to have this skill.

"Really?" Zhu Qi asked incredulously. "Hasn't the stock market been in a bear market for the past two years? How could a college freshman make money?"

Su Xiaocheng said confidently, "Although he seems casual, he's quite reliable. And with his deep understanding of business logic, it's not surprising that he makes money in the stock market."

Zhu Qi fell silent.

A subtle sense of frustration washed over me again.

It turns out... he made money before me.

Su Xiaocheng tentatively asked, "Sister Qiqi, since you also think skiing is a promising direction, but aren't quite sure, why don't we contact Wang again and ask him to get involved as well?"

Zhu Qi pursed her lips, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table. When she spoke again, she changed the subject.

"Are you going to be on stage at the freshman welcome party this Friday?"

Su Xiaocheng nodded: "Of course, you know I've sung karaoke with you before. I sang a short song in class, and everyone unanimously recommended me to sign up."

Zhu Qi nodded, a meaningful smile appearing on her face: "Then I'll join in the fun on Friday night and enjoy your singing."

Su Xiaocheng blinked and instantly understood.

"Sister Qiqi, are you planning to... find an opportunity to talk to Wang Zhe during the freshman orientation party?"

"Ahem," Zhu Qi coughed twice, "What do you mean by 'finding an opportunity to strike up a conversation'? I'm just here to watch the show. If we happen to bump into each other there, it's normal to chat for a bit, isn't it?"

Looking at her smug expression, Su Xiaocheng couldn't help but laugh: "Sister Qiqi, why don't you just call him?"

Zhu Qi lowered her head, her voice so low it sounded like she was talking to herself:

"If I just call... wouldn't that make me look like I'm apologizing and begging for help? That would be too deliberate. We need to be more natural."

Su Xiaocheng shook her head helplessly.

Is this what you call natural?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.