Best Employee?
Mystery reward??
Was President Pei going to hand out honors now?
The employees all eagerly clicked their mice and cast votes for the colleague they thought most deserving.
Before long, the voting concluded.
Pei Qian glanced at the results.
Huang Sibo came in first with 14 votes, with Bao Xu close behind at 10.
Surprisingly, Lin Wan even got 3 votes—no one knew who cast them.
Pei Qian gave Assistant Xin a subtle nod.
Xin Hailu immediately brought out a custom-made mini trophy, already prepared in advance, and handed it to Pei Qian.
Pei Qian walked up to Huang Sibo and presented the trophy with a smile.
"Congratulations!"
Huang Sibo froze in disbelief for a second before standing up and accepting the award with both hands.
The office immediately erupted in cheers and applause.
Most people genuinely felt Huang Sibo deserved the title of Best Employee.
Who had been tirelessly chasing down the dev team's progress?
Who stayed late every night, working overtime without complaint?
Ocean Fortress's massive success was thanks in large part to the dev team—and as the Lead Executive Designer, Huang Sibo had put in the most effort.
Some people thought Bao Xu's creativity was also crucial—and rightly so, he earned 10 votes.
But ultimately, Bao Xu's ideas had been sparked by Pei Qian's three guiding principles.
He came up with those features only after receiving clear direction, like solving a riddle with hints.
Meanwhile, Huang Sibo had been working non-stop, managing, pushing, coordinating. His presence had been constant throughout the project.
That's why he won the top spot.
Huang Sibo clutched the small trophy, overwhelmed with emotion.
The trophy's design was distinctive—clearly custom-made, nothing like those cheap 10 yuan souvenir trinkets you could find at random engraving shops.
But more importantly, this wasn't about money.
It was about honor.
The words engraved—"Tenda Network Technology Co., Ltd. First Best Employee"—were more valuable than anything money could buy.
As the applause settled, Huang Sibo felt he had to say something.
He cleared his throat and spoke:
"Thank you, President Pei, for your trust and mentorship, and thank you, everyone, for your teamwork and support!"
"The success of Ocean Fortress—first and foremost—comes from President Pei giving us the right direction. Bao Xu and I were only able to move forward because of that."
"Second, credit goes to Brother Bao's wild creativity. Without his brilliant ideas—the story mode, the innovative PvP system—this game wouldn't have reached such heights."
"And of course, it's also thanks to everyone's hard work. The design team worked late nights with me. Everyone else pitched in wherever they could. This was a team effort through and through."
"So in my opinion… this trophy belongs to all of us!"
Another round of applause followed.
Lin Wan had tears in her eyes, deeply moved.
This. This was what a real dream company should look like!
She was now absolutely certain—joining Tenda had been the right choice.
As the applause faded, Pei Qian stepped forward again.
"And now, for the special reward given to the Best Employee..."
"Huang Sibo, from today onward—you're no longer part of the design team. The role of Lead Executive Designer will be handed over to Lu Mingliang."
Xiao Lu: ???
Huang Sibo: ???
Everyone: !?!?!?!
Wait—what???
Did he just get fired?!
He had just received the Best Employee Award—how did that instantly turn into... what, a demotion?
The entire room fell into stunned silence.
No one had any idea what President Pei was doing.
Huang Sibo had been doing exceptionally well as the Lead Executive Designer. His contributions were well-known and acknowledged across the team.
So… why was he suddenly being removed from his position?
Not just taken off the lead role—kicked out of the design department entirely??
Just as shock began to spread like wildfire through the office, Pei Qian smiled warmly and continued:
"As Best Employee, I've decided to award you with a 1 million yuan Dream Fund, so you can pursue your dreams."
"You're still a Tenda employee, but from now on, you'll no longer be in the game department. You may enter any industry you like and invest this 1 million freely. Whether you succeed or fail—the company will cover the cost."
At that moment, Huang Sibo—who had just gone cold with panic—felt his emotions make a dramatic 180° turn.
He wasn't being fired!!
Not only that—he was being supported to follow his dreams with 1 million yuan in startup capital!
It felt like he was in a dream. Huang Sibo was absolutely stunned, unable to believe this was really happening.
Around him, the office filled with gasps and wide-eyed stares. Everyone's face was a mixture of shock, awe, envy, and disbelief.
This was the reward for Best Employee?!
It's simply too unreal.
A million in venture capital, complete freedom, no strings attached—even failure was forgiven?!
Huang Sibo's hands were trembling. He almost dropped the trophy.
"President Pei, I'm worried I may not be capable enough to take on such responsibility…"
Pei Qian gently raised a hand, signaling him to stop.
"You've already proven your ability by becoming the Best Employee. I believe in you—and you should believe in yourself, too."
Pei Qian's voice was warm and sincere.
Huang Sibo's eyes filled with tears. His lips trembled. So many things he wanted to say… but he could only offer a deep bow.
"Thank you, President Pei! I will do my best!!"
Pei Qian looked gratified on the outside—but on the inside, he was giddy with triumph.
Success!
This was the Top-Ranking Elimination System in action!
This wasn't something he came up with casually—it was the result of intense brainstorming.
Ocean Fortress's success had proved beyond doubt: these people were not slackers.
Especially Huang Sibo—this man was a hidden gem in the game development field!
Pei Qian didn't even have time to be mad at how unlucky he was to constantly run into undiscovered prodigies.
What mattered now was dealing with the threat.
If he let Huang Sibo and Bao Xu continue working together like this, what if they created another blockbuster game?
He'd be ruined.
That's why the Top-Ranking Elimination System was absolutely necessary!
But he couldn't just fire Huang Sibo.
He couldn't demote him either. That would raise suspicions, and the system wouldn't allow it.
So Pei Qian thought of this perfect solution:
Just transfer him!
Sure, maybe Huang Sibo had some natural talent for game design.
Fine. In that case—let him do something else!
Throw him into an industry he's completely unfamiliar with, give him a million to play with… and odds are, he'd burn through it with nothing to show.
Meanwhile, with Huang Sibo gone, the game department would suffer, profits would fall, and Huang's own venture would likely tank too.
Double win!
Hehe~~ Only someone as brilliant as me could come up with such a flawless plan!
Pei Qian was practically giving himself a standing ovation in his heart.
But speaking of Bao Xu…
He was also a serious threat.
A huge chunk of Ocean Fortress's success was thanks to Bao Xu's creativity—especially his ideas for story and gameplay mechanics.
And that creativity stemmed from his ridiculously broad gaming experience.
Pei Qian turned toward him.
"Second place in the vote goes to Bao Xu, who also made major contributions to the company."
"It's a shame he didn't get first, but the company has not forgotten his efforts."
"As the runner-up, you'll receive a paid one-month vacation. Starting tomorrow, you won't need to come to work. Go out, travel, see the world. It'll broaden your horizons and help with your future creativity."
<+>
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