Friday was a bright, sunny day, and Li Banjia's mood was equally radiant. (Daily stipend +1, [Imperial Treasury] 400 + 1 = 401 taels. Imperial Majesty 22.)
Together with Wang Mengmeng and Zhang Chen, he carefully proofread the first draft of the "New Media Matrix User Stickiness Improvement Pilot Project Weekly Report," into which the three of them (plus the hidden system) had poured their collective efforts.
Wang Mengmeng's analytical report was rich with charts, text, and clear logic. The data-tracking script Zhang Chen had built, though simple, successfully captured the initial user behavior data of the first batch of H5 activity pages, such as page dwell time, button click rates, and share counts. Using his Lv. 1 [Policy Discourse] skill, Li Banjia integrated these scattered materials into a summary report that was not only backed by data and forward-looking, but also cleverly mentioned how the "team overcame initial difficulties to ensure data timeliness."
"Perfect!" Li Banjia closed his laptop with a satisfied smile on his face. "Mengmeng, Brother Zhang, we owe this success entirely to you two. Let's go—I shall lead you to present our memorial to the throne!"
At two o'clock in the afternoon, inside Zhao Dezhu's office.
Li Banjia presented both the printed and electronic versions of the weekly report. Instead of rushing to read the contents, Zhao Dezhu first glanced at Li Banjia, followed by Wang Mengmeng and Zhang Chen standing behind him. Wang Mengmeng nervously clutched the hem of her shirt, while Zhang Chen maintained his usual steady (or rather, expressionless) demeanor.
"You're all here?" Zhao Dezhu asked in a flat tone. "It seems you're all quite confident in this weekly report?"
"President Zhao, we have confidence in the project, and even more confidence in the team," Li Banjia replied evenly. His 7-point [Intellect] and 5-point [Charisma] allowed him to face his boss with much greater composure now.
Zhao Dezhu uttered an "hmm" and lowered his head to carefully review the report. For a moment, the only sound in the office was the rustling of turning pages.
Time ticked away second by second. Outwardly calm, Li Banjia had palms slick with sweat.
Finally, Zhao Dezhu raised his head, a flash of hard-to-detect surprise—and... approval?—glinting in his eyes behind his lenses.
"Li Banjia," Zhao Dezhu began, his tone much gentler than usual, "this weekly report is very well written!"
He pointed to several sections of the report: "Mengmeng did a meticulous job on the user persona analysis. Although the sample size of the initial data is small, Zhang Chen, your ability to build a tracking system and gather feedback this quickly is commendable. Most importantly, the overall logic of the report is clear, the objectives are well-defined, and it offers great reference value for our next steps. In particular, your mention of the A/B testing plan and the idea of rapid iteration is fantastic!"
He even gave a rare nod to Wang Mengmeng and Zhang Chen. "You two have worked hard as well. Keep up the good work following Banjia."
Both Wang Mengmeng and Zhang Chen looked pleasantly surprised and hurriedly nodded.
Zhao Dezhu finally made the call: "This project will proceed along the path outlined in your weekly report. Next week, I want to see the preliminary results of the A/B testing. As for manpower, if you truly fall short, you can submit a formal request, and I will consider it on a case-by-case basis."
"Understood, President Zhao!" A heavy stone dropped from Li Banjia's heart as a wave of joy surged within him.
The very second Zhao Dezhu said, "I approve of your plan," Li Banjia felt his phone give a joyful vibration in his pocket.
"Clang—!"
[Phase II Task of [Imperial Expedition: Pilot Storm]: [Steady Progress and Initial Results] completed! Evaluation: Excellent (solid data, profound insights, proper handling, ruler and subjects of one heart, the Holy Heart is greatly pleased! Exceeded expectations!)]
[Task Rewards: [Rank Experience Value] +100, [Imperial Treasury Silver] +300, [Imperial Majesty] +10.]
[Special Reward: [Ministry of Works - Directorate of Construction] (Project Management Module) officially unlocked and upgraded to Lv. 1!]
Li Banjia's [Rank Experience Value] skyrocketed instantly from 130 points to 230 points! The [Imperial Treasury] also surged to 801 taels (501 starting this chapter due to the Friday stipend +1, plus the 300 task reward). His Imperial Majesty increased from 22 to 32 points.
Immediately afterward, an even more dazzling golden light (still a cheap special-effects PLUS version) flashed across the system interface!
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! Another meritorious service rendered, your prestige growing day by day! Experience value is full (230/200), Your Majesty has successfully been promoted to [Rank 9-A Censor-in-Chief] (Acting)! Unlocked new traits: daily stipend increased to +2 taels, subordinate limit increased to 3, [Imperial Court] deliberation efficiency slightly increased, unlocked preliminary management authority of the [Ministry of Works]!]
[Name: Li Banjia]
[Rank: Rank 9-A (Acting Censor-in-Chief)]
[......]
"Rank 9-A? Censor-in-Chief?" Li Banjia shouted inwardly. "My promotion speed is faster than riding a rocket! And my daily stipend has gone up too!"
Suppressing the urge to immediately check the new functions of the [Ministry of Works], he listened as Zhao Dezhu continued: "Li Banjia, your performance this time has been outstanding, and I will submit your name for the top-tier performance bonus this month. Keep up the good work. If this pilot project can be successfully rolled out, it will be a tremendous benefit both to you personally and to the department."
"Thank you, President Zhao! I will give it my all!" Li Banjia's voice carried a hint of excitement.
Emerging from Zhao Dezhu's office, both Wang Mengmeng and Zhang Chen looked overjoyed. Zhang Chen, in particular, usually a man of few words, kept a rare, faint smile at the corners of his mouth. Winning the leadership's recognition and seeing the value of his technical skills was a tremendous encouragement to him. On the system panel, Zhang Chen's [Loyalty] quietly rose from 65 to 70.
Li Banjia was feeling even more triumphant. Opening his phone's system, the interface for the [Ministry of Works - Directorate of Construction] Lv. 1 indeed possessed many more features than the trial version, such as "Resource Allocation Simulation," "Risk Warning (Beginner)," and "Gantt Chart (Simplified Version)." Although still rendered in pixel art, it looked far more professional.
"Censor-in-Chief... sounds a lot more imposing than 'Secretary Assistant,'" Li Banjia thought with self-satisfaction. Now he was holding "heavy wealth" (a whopping 801 taels!), had two "beloved subjects" under his command, enjoyed a higher official rank, and had even unlocked the powerful "Ministry of Works"...
Zhao Dezhu's words—"of great benefit to your subsequent development"—echoed in his ears.
"It seems that Our 'territory' is about to expand once again!" Li Banjia gazed out the window, his eyes flashing with a light called "ambition."
New challenges—We accept them all without hesitation!