"Just think about it. Since university started, everyone knows Su Can has been nothing more than your lapdog. Even when he passes gas, he’s probably dying to know what it smells like. People grieve for a while when a pet dog dies, let alone when it comes to someone they have feelings for. How could he possibly stop liking you all of a sudden? Su Can has been sitting next to Chu Youwei for a year now. If he actually liked her, he would have chased after her a year ago. In my opinion, Su Can is just trying to get your attention. As soon as you crook your finger at him, that dog will come wagging his tail back to you. The way he’s acting now is just a reaction to how cold you’ve been to him lately. Think about scratch-off lottery tickets; sometimes you give someone a little incentive of five or ten bucks. Su Can getting close to Chu Youwei is just meant to provoke you. The moment you turn back to him, he’ll kick Chu Youwei to the curb without a second thought. An ugly duckling can never turn into a swan. This is reality, not a fairy tale, let alone a novel."
After listening to her roommate’s analysis, Lin Shanshan, who had been feeling quite annoyed, suddenly saw the light. A carrot and a stick; it seemed she had indeed been a bit too harsh before. It wasn’t that Lin Shanshan lacked fish in her pond, but having one suddenly leap out and slap her in the face had left her feeling deeply offended. Thinking of this, the corner of Lin Shanshan’s mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile.
"Unless Su Can kneels before me and slaps himself twice, and takes the initiative to cut ties with Chu Youwei, I will never forgive him!"
Lin Shanshan already had a perfect plan in mind. She would keep the leash of this "simp" Su Can firmly in her hand, give him a couple of sweets, and then, at the moment he was happiest, kick him away for good. The look on Su Can’s face then would surely be a sight to behold. Thinking of this, Lin Shanshan began to chuckle in anticipation.
If Su Can had heard their conversation, he would definitely have given them both a thumbs up and commented: "What a pair of masterminds."
...
In the men’s dormitory, three pairs of eyes were fixed on Su Can with expressions of men ready to face death, as if to say, "If you don't give us a proper explanation, we might as well go down together." They never imagined Su Can would come up with such a rotten idea.
Seeing their expressions, Su Can felt a bit guilty and gave a few dry coughs.
"I don't know if you’ve heard the saying: 'There is gold under a man's knees, so trade it in as soon as you can.' Twenty-one matches a day—if you play eight a day, that’s 160. Boss, didn't your girlfriend just mention she had her eye on a new bag yesterday? You could earn that in just ten days. Third brother, I remember your father is still working at the construction site. Think about his calloused hands. Think about your mother picking mushrooms on the mountain every single day. Fourth brother, even if you’re not short on cash, you don’t want to keep asking your parents for money, right? Once the gaming companion platform goes live, we’ll split the shares. Just think—you get a cut of 1.25 yuan per match. Ten matches, twenty, a hundred, ten thousand? That’s all money!"
The boss went silent. The third brother went silent. Only Lü Ge looked at Su Can with a wary expression.
"Why does it feel like you’re trying to scam us?"
Faced with Lü Ge’s skepticism, Su Can didn't miss a beat.
"You guys know Tencent, right?"
The three nodded. How could they not know Tencent? Nowadays, who could live without it?
"When Tencent was just starting out, Ma Huateng, the boss of Tencent, used to pretend to be a girl to chat with nerds online. If Ma Huateng could do it, why can't we?"
The three were stunned, unable to believe what Su Can was saying. The boss of Tencent, Ma Huateng, actually pretended to be a girl online to lure innocent male netizens? Holy crap, that was a massive scandal! Suddenly, Su Can’s proposal didn't seem so unacceptable after all.
What if there were no girls? What if the girls weren't skilled enough? Su Can’s solution was simple. The internet was an intangible, invisible place; as long as the voice was sweet, who would know—or care—what was behind the screen? In 2013, voice-changers didn't really exist yet, but building one wasn't difficult. With Liu Ran’s technical skills, he could create an initial version in two days and refine it for use later. Netizens in 2013 weren't as hyper-aware of scams as those in the future, and the idea of a man pretending to be a woman was completely unheard of. In the world of current netizens, text might be deceptive, but surely a voice couldn't be faked, right?
If they called it a scam? Su Can smiled and waved his finger. "I’m just helping to raise their awareness of fraud ahead of time."
Recalling the expectant look on his girlfriend’s face when she looked at that bag, Wang Kai coughed. "Ahem, I suppose it’s not impossible. Those simps are going to throw their money away anyway. They might as well give it to us instead of some random online stranger."
Wang Kai was tempted. Since they started dating, his girlfriend had never made any unreasonable demands, and she only ever looked at those bags for a fleeting second before moving on. In fact, she gave him more gifts than he gave her. As a student, Wang Kai didn't have much money, and since there was a chance to earn some to surprise his girlfriend, he didn't want to pass it up.
Liu Ran felt the same. He wanted to earn money to make things easier for his family. He spent his days handing out flyers and working as a digital serf for other software companies. Since he was working anyway, why not take a gamble? At least it offered a glimmer of hope. Liu Ran never forgot what Su Can said: "Enduring hardship is useless; it will only make your life harder."
Although the picture Su Can painted was a bit too big for them to swallow yet, there would eventually come a day when they could finish it. In an instant, the pressure fell upon Lü Ge. The three gazes previously fixed on Su Can now turned toward him. In truth, the moment Su Can mentioned using a voice-changer to coax innocent netizens, Lü Ge had been sold. It wasn't for the money—it was purely out of a hobby. Yes, a hobby! Definitely not because he was a creep!
"Since the three of you have decided, how could I back out now? But we need a plan."
"Third brother is in charge of software development—the voice-changer must come first. I’ll handle the promotion. Boss, Fourth brother, the 'young ladies' are in your hands. We aren't the only dormitory short on cash. Try to find girls with good gaming skills and sweet voices. I’ll provide you with a script later. It will have specific dialogue for chatting with targets. For example: 'Brother, brother, will your girlfriend be jealous if we play together? Your girlfriend only knows how to be jealous, unlike me, who only knows how to feel sorry for you, brother~.' Or: 'Brother, have you missed me?' For players with specific tastes, we can use a different script. For example: 'I’m going to scold you, okay? If you don't play well, I’m going to scold you, brother.'"