CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288: SLAPPING ONE’S OWN FACE

Xu Ke sat steadily at the head of the table, watching the shifting expressions of the directors below.

The meeting room was becoming somewhat noisy, like countless flies buzzing around Xu Ke’s ears. However, at this moment, Xu Ke couldn’t tell everyone to shut up; he could only let the smile at the corner of his mouth turn cold and ruthless.

As a few more minutes passed, the meeting room slowly quieted down. A director, whose voice had earlier been a bit hoarse, persisted in saying, "You say this new team you found is making the game for you, but where is this new team? Why don’t we know about it? Why hasn’t the company allocated any funds for them? Why don’t they come to work? These clips you just showed us—were they edited by someone you hired to fool us?"

What he said made some sense, and the looks directed at Xu Ke by the crowd instantly took on a subtle quality.

"Mr. Xu, don’t blame us for having doubts; the director’s points are quite reasonable. Can Mr. Xu clarify the issues raised by the director?" One of the directors spoke up, and although the others remained silent, their eyes were filled with questions. It was clear that if the answer Xu Ke provided today wasn’t satisfactory, his position might not be secure.

They expected to see a look of panic in Xu Ke’s eyes, but instead, Xu Ke merely smiled. He then waved to his assistant next to him, and once more, the lights in the meeting room dimmed, and what was on the big screen continued.

On the screen, a man’s tightly pressed lips slightly curled up. Though still dressed in white, his whole demeanor suddenly turned charming and sinister. Then, a small line of text and a choice appeared on the screen: select the faction of either side.

With a glance from Xu Ke, his assistant, holding back a feeling of excitement, chose the villain’s side. The screen’s flowers, birds, and blue sky were instantly replaced by a vast darkness, from which a figure slowly emerged. At this moment, a race selection option appeared on the side of the screen.

Seeing that Xu Ke had no objections, the assistant, suppressing his emotions, continued playing the game in front of all the directors with a stern face.

The game didn’t last very long, as its primary purpose was to showcase current progress to everyone present. Thus, after twenty minutes, the demonstration ended, and the meeting room was bright again. The directors once again changed the way they looked at Xu Ke; although the gaze remained complex, it now contained other elements.

"This is the result of nearly a week’s work by my team. I think the last doubt raised by the director should now be answered in everyone’s mind. As for the director’s other concerns, I’ll explain separately why I didn’t have them work at the company or inform you of their existence because I felt it wasn’t necessary. I wanted their minds entirely focused on game development without other distractions. The facts prove that my decision was correct. Compared to the previous team, the efficiency of my new team alone suffices to prove the correctness of my decision. As for funding, it’s because they haven’t worked for a month yet, so there’s no need to pay them, and other aspects are handled by their team leader. The leader didn’t ask me for money, so naturally, I didn’t provide any." Xu Ke spread his hands, showing a helpless expression.

"So, do any of you still have questions? If not, isn’t it time for the director to fulfill his promise?" Xu Ke turned his gaze to the director, with a look of innocence in his eyes, causing the director to grit his teeth tightly.

However, he had just said those words in front of so many directors not long ago, and he couldn’t deny it had happened.

The director was at the prime age for a man. How could he be happy resigning from everything to retire? He now regretted it, wanting nothing more than to go back and harshly slap himself to keep from speaking impulsively. But it was too late.

Beads of sweat slowly formed on the director’s forehead as everyone’s attention in the board meeting focused on him. His lips pressed together slightly, and just when he didn’t know what to do, a slightly weak voice came from the corner.

"The director’s previous words probably stemmed from concern for the company and Mr. Xu. The bet was just a spur-of-the-moment remark, not to be taken seriously. What do you think, Mr. Xu?" The director said, smiling, with an air of condescension, as if speaking with Xu Ke was a great honor for him.

Xu Ke’s smile gradually faded as he leaned back, curling the corner of his mouth in a purely mocking gesture, "I thought the words ’spur-of-the-moment remark’ only appeared among children. Is the director still a child?" Xu Ke directed his gaze at the director whose face had turned livid and spoke unwaveringly.

The director’s expression became as stiff as ever. He had never been so embarrassed before, and as the person in the corner attempted to say more, the director cut him off and spoke first.

"Of course, it’s not a spur-of-the-moment remark. A gentleman does not go back on his word. I won’t take back what I said. Whoever wants the position can have it." The director glared at Xu Ke and stood up from his seat, kicking the chair before walking out, but paused momentarily beside Xu Ke.

With a sinister look, the director said to Xu Ke with hatred in his voice, "You played hardball today, but there’s a long road ahead. What I lost today, I’ll reclaim tenfold or a hundredfold one day."

The director left the meeting room, but the meeting didn’t pause because of one person’s departure.

The crowd began a new round of discussions around the game’s topic. Most directors wanted Xu Ke to bring the game development team to the company so they could work there and make it easier for everyone to check the game’s progress.

"There’s a reason why they aren’t at the company. When it’s time for them to enter the company, I won’t need anyone to ask before I bring them in, but now is not the right time. They need a completely undisturbed environment for working peacefully, and the company’s many people and gossip would affect them." Xu Ke said with a smile.

The directors wanted to say more, but Xu Ke stopped them, "I am the person in charge of this project, so I have full responsibility for all matters. Please don’t intervene. This meeting is concluded; everyone has work to do." Without giving anyone a chance to speak further, Xu Ke signaled to his assistant and left.