Chapter 46: The Game of
Strategy
When Davina handed me the three or four pages of the proposal, I was a bit surprised.
I had to admit, the girl was more diligent than I had imagined in certain respects.
From the formatting and layout alone, the proposal had its merits.
But when I read through the entire proposal, I couldn’t stay composed.
The entire proposal revolved around the four male protagonists in our game, specifically the ones players could potentially romance.
She had written that the character design directly influenced user spending, with the
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most critical factor.
And Davina, who hadn’t even completed a single project yet, felt that our male protagonists weren’t perfect enough and suggested a complete redesign.
This was her first suggestion.
I wasn’t surprised by this. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She had done similar things in the past, and I could
understand where she was coming from.
But then came her second suggestion, which took me off guard. She proposed that we completely change one of the male protagonists–the finance–major simp character, to be exact.
She wanted to transform him into a more
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Chapter 46: The Game of Strategy
5 Points
aloof, high–status figure, someone akin to the “cool” elite.
The finance–major simp would become an overachiever, and his new image would bear an uncanny resemblance to Fletcher.
“The simp character’s background design could inadvertently resemble Fletcher’s image,” Davina had written in the proposal. “This could negatively affect the public image of Lynton Group. Therefore, it needs to be altered.”‘
She sounded as if she were speaking from the perspective of Mrs. Lynton.
Quite assertive, indeed.
I closed the proposal and glanced at Davina before replying, “The proposal is thorough, but Davina, if you had carefully reviewed the
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project file, you’d know that the project was approved by Mr. Lynton when we initiated it.”
I was subtly reminding her that Fletcher hadn’t seen any problem with the finance–major simp character design.
Davina froze for a moment, then after a slight pause, she said, “Charlene, back then, Fletcher was just helping me find a project to deal with school, and everything happened so suddenly. Since you and he were already acquainted, that’s how we ended up collaborating. But…”
She raised her tone slightly, continuing, “The specific details of the project, Letch probably didn’t even read.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, her large eyes holding a hint of a smile. It didn’t seem like she was deliberately trying to pick a fight.
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ine Game of Strategy
+5 Point.
Upon further reflection, what she said wasn’t entirely implausible.
As the company’s game planner, Davina had brought up these two suggestions, so we couldn’t simply ignore them. Even though her points seemed unnecessary to us, there was one thing we couldn’t ignore–she had Fletcher’s backing.
A subtle pressure weighed on me.
So I turned to her and said, “Davina, if you don’t mind, I’d like to discuss this with Ms. Hayes first!”
Kaitlyn had once told me that, in the workplace, sometimes the best approach was to buy time when absolutely necessary.
But Davina didn’t seem inclined to give me
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that opportunity. With a sweet smile, she
said, “Sure, Charlene, I’d love to?
be involved in the discussion. If necessary, I can bring Letch into it too.”
Letch. Once again, Fletcher’s name was on her lips. It seemed Davina was determined to push for quick feedback on her suggestions.
“There’s no rush,” I responded in a calm tone, “Mr. Lynton is busy, so we can handle this internally for now. I wouldn’t want the Lynton Group board to think we’re troubling them over something like this.”
“Well.” Mentioning the Lynton Group board seemed to soften Davina’s stance. She lowered her eyelids, muttering, “Then I’ll leave it to you, Charlene.”
With that, the discussion ended. Watching the young woman drag her feet back to her
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sign.
a quiet
If Fletcher saw this, would he think we were bullying her?
I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was off.
Soon, I handed the proposal to Kaitlyn. After reading through it, she pursed her lips and said, “I knew it. The event issue wasn’t going to be that easy to wrap up.”
I stared at her without replying.
She met my gaze, her slender fingers lightly tapping the desk. “She’s upset about you stealing the spotlight at the event and now she’s looking to cause trouble.”
I decided to address the issue directly. “But if
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we bring this to Fletcher, he might think she’s just eager to improve.”
Kaitlyn immediately picked up on the underlying issue, her frustration evident. “If she’d actually read the project proposal, she’d know the ‘aloof elite‘ character
she’s asking for already belongs to the art department’s male lead. How could there be two ‘overachievers‘ in one game? It’s like she’s just messing around!”
Of course, Davina wouldn’t bring up the overlap in character designs.
Kaitlyn, after knowing this, began to scratch her head. “So, we have to give her an answer, huh?”
We were definitely on the same page.
“Since you’ve raised it, I’m guessing you
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already have a plan?”
Kaitlyn clearly thought highly of me.
If we simply rejected Davina’s suggestions outright, it’d likely cause an issue with Fletcher. But if we didn’t address it, it would seem like we were disregarding Davina’s position as the project manager, which would be a difficult situation either way.
It was quite a tricky problem.
“Davina’s probably already thought of that,” Kaitlyn mused, tapping her chin. “The character designs and images were finalized before we even started the project. She’s overreacting. Honestly, I think her concern about Lynton Group’s image is just an excuse–she’s probably trying to use this as leverage to challenge us.”
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Kaitlyn was clearly suspicious of Davina’s motives. She made a quick decision. “We both know the characters are essential to the game’s overall framework. Changing them is out of the question. If we give in, word will get out that two project leads are being led around by a girl who hasn’t even graduated yet.”
I hadn’t thought through the situation as deeply as Kaitlyn had, but I agreed with her logic. The problem now was how to explain our stance to Davina in a reasonable way.
“Let’s hold off for two days, Kaitlyn said, glancing at me. “See how Davina reacts.”
I didn’t object, but before I could reply, Kaitlyn shifted the conversation, her tone curious. “By the way, Lena, did you really get into Cambridge?”
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“Does it not seem like it?”
Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “I just can’t figure it out. You love programming so much, and this was a once–in–a–lifetime opportunity. Why would you give it up?”
The scar on my wrist throbbed faintly, and I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “Back then, I guess I was in the late stages of ‘hopeless romantic“”
Kaitlyn followed up without missing a beat. “And now?”
Now, the illness was cured.
We were trying to delay, but Davina didn’t give us that chance. Just a day later, she tracked me down again.
“Charlene, how’s the discussion with Ms.
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Hayes going?”
I responded calmly, “We’re still discussing it.”
“Really?” Davina’s voice was low, clearly disappointed.
I could only offer some reassurance. “The character designs are crucial, Davina. We just need a bit more time.”
She smiled sweetly, her eyes narrowing. “Then I’ll wait.”
I thought I handled the situation well, but before I could fully relax during lunch break, Fletcher’s call came through abruptly.
He started with a tone that was anything but friendly, “Ms. Grande, please come to Lynton Group with Ms. Hayes immediately.”
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He soundea Oficial – unmistakable.
Well, this was probably related to the proposal.
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