Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Mei Fang’s Monthly Financial Report

After receiving the video and camera from Mei Fang, Wan Chaoxiong only spent one night editing the video. The next day when he saw Wan Chaoxiong, he looked completely exhausted.

“Hey… did you stay up all night? I’ll treat you to dinner another time.”

“Editing videos is usually simple, but Xiang Bingbing was shouting non-stop during the entire shoot, which made it take me a long time to remove the noise.”

Wan Chaoxiong waved his hand, “There’s no need to treat me to dinner. I’m socially anxious, but please don’t treat Xiang Bingbing to dinner either; she deserves it.”

“Hey! Why are you saying such things about me! Chaoxiong, you’re too mean!”

Xiang Bingbing, hearing Wan Chaoxiong’s complaints behind Mei Fang, pouted and said, “Mei Fang performed so brilliantly on stage. Isn’t it okay for me to cheer him on?”

“You’re a photographer. You don’t have time for that. And can you please call me by my full name? We aren’t that close.”

“But it’s more fun to call you Chaoyong, Chaofeng, hahaha.”

Wan Chaoxiong, who was almost one meter eighty tall in class, seemed like a little brother in front of Xiang Bingbing. She would often pat his head, leaving him no time to dodge, and he could only grumble:

“Damn wild girl from Shennongjia!”

Mei Fang, amused by Wan Chaoxiong’s predicament, suddenly felt himself being shaken as Xiang Bingbing placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Yuan Yuan promised to eat until she’s full. You can’t go back on your word… This time I might not have done very well, but next time I won’t disappoint you!”

“Okay, okay… Stop, stop—”

Mei Fang felt like he was on a roller coaster.

“Next time? Next time Mei Fang will only find me!” Wan Chaoxiong mocked, making Xiang Bingbing even angrier.

“Oh, you still dare to talk! I’ll make you pay…”

Xiang Bingbing chased after Wan Chaoxiong, lightly tapping him along the way. Mei Fang, while massaging his sore shoulder, gave Wan Chaoxiong a determined look.

Thanks, buddy!

Mei Fang took the USB drive containing the edited video home and watched it on his computer. As expected, Wan Chaoxiong’s editing skills were excellent, fitting for a C Station veteran.

I should recommend his next video.

Mei Fang had uploaded a video of Xia Yuan on C Station before, but the filming technique was average, and there was no noise reduction. Although it got a small recommendation, it didn’t create much of a stir. However, this five-minute video had quality.

Mei Fang showed the video to Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, both of whom gave high scores.

“Your classmate is really useful. Can we hire him to work for us?” Xia Yuan said with a hint of familiarity after spending time with Mei Fang.

The studio indeed needed people skilled in video editing, and Mei Fang had some temporary workers at C Station, but giving them videos would expose their identities.

“There’s no rush right now. I just ask Wan Chaoxiong for help occasionally…”

“By the way, Fang, I told you before about recording our songs.”

Xia Yuan listed her research findings to Mei Fang: “I recently looked into the cost of a recording studio and equipment. A studio costs 500 yuan per day, and it’s far away; equipment includes a microphone, headphones, audio interface, reverb, and a harmonic balancer… Though it’s expensive, the total cost can be controlled around 4,000 yuan.”

“In which room do you plan to record? Your and Youxi’s room? Also, bringing these devices home would raise suspicions.”

Mei Fang thought, “The reason for buying the computer last time was already quite far-fetched. Mom must trust us since she hasn’t said anything.”

Lin Youxi added, “We don’t necessarily have to record at home. The school should work. Our studio’s activity room or Mr. Chen Qi’s place might help. There may be existing recording studios and equipment.”

“But borrowing from the school feels inconvenient…”

Xia Yuan tugged on Mei Fang’s arm, “I still want my own recording equipment. Youxi suggested placing it in the studio. It’s quiet on weekends…”

“I’ll definitely buy it for you, but first, you need to understand how to use it. Let’s check with the school first. Once we get used to it, we can set up a recording spot in the studio. Nothing beats a proper studio.”

“I’ll check next week.”

Xia Yuan leaned closer to Mei Fang, curious, “Speaking of which, how much has our studio earned? Fang, haven’t mentioned it much… Youxi, do you know?”

Lin Youxi shook her head, “I don’t know either. I haven’t asked much, but I am curious.”

Lin Youxi had calculated the bandwidth expenses for C Station, which kept increasing and was now nearly 20,000 yuan per month.

Additionally, Mei Fang paid part-time employees every month, a cost Lin Youxi hadn’t asked about.

“If you two are curious, I can show you the financial report… But promise not to get arrogant after seeing the income.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t. All our hard-earned money.”

Xia Yuan waved her hand, “Show me quickly.”

As someone who enjoyed managing finances with Excel, Mei Fang opened his encrypted document and recorded the recent monthly financial summary.

**Studio Monthly Financial Report**

*The Slow Bird Flies First* +13,452.3 USD, converted to RMB 102,237.48;

*The Crown* (unit price 6 yuan) sold 1,203 copies last month, earning +7,218 yuan this month, cumulative sales 7,221;

*Life Restart Simulator* (unit price 1 yuan) sold 3,401 copies last month, earning +3,401 yuan this month, cumulative sales 13,430;

*To the Moon* (unit price 8 yuan) sold 701 copies last month, earning +1,682.4 yuan this month, cumulative sales 4,312;

*Rain Blood: Dead Town* (unit price 5 yuan) sold 922 copies last month, earning +1,383 yuan this month, cumulative sales 3,002;

Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi were shocked by the game earnings.

“Why is *The Slow Bird Flies First* still making so much money? It’s clearly not as fun as these other games!”

“The other games are clearly better, but they don’t sell well.”

“It’s the market environment here. People don’t have much money, and there are a lot of pirated versions. Even for 1 yuan, few people directly pay for games.”

Lin Youxi asked Mei Fang, “Do these games need to be like *The Slow Bird Flies First*, with embedded ads, to earn more?”

“No, single-player gamers value immersive experiences. Built-in ads would be criticized. *The Slow Bird Flies First* is different; it’s a short, fast-paced game where ads fit well.”

“Yes…” Xia Yuan nodded, “When I played *To the Moon*, an ad popped up asking me to pay, which ruined the experience.”

Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi weren’t surprised by Mei Fang’s nearly 120,000 yuan monthly income, knowing it was just net profit. Expenses were also substantial—

This year, Mei Fang personally bought three iPhones, three Alienware laptops, and a DSLR camera, totaling 65,000 yuan.

C Station’s bandwidth maintenance and server fees amounted to 30,000 yuan.

C Station’s labor costs. Now, C Station had 20 part-time employees. Although their salaries were low, Mei Fang paid nearly 50,000 yuan.

In the expense column, they saw three classmates’ names.

Yue Xinyi, -800;

Liu Xiaoyu, -600;

Peng Xue, -8,000;

Liu Xiaoyu was hired by Xia Yuan to help with music, and after the Bai Mei Renjia incident, Mei Fang paid her 600 yuan. This money was transferred in cash to Xia Yuan.

Peng Xue’s 8,000 yuan was a one-time payment. Mei Fang had informed Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi about her interest in learning bass, and Xia Yuan naturally supported her friend’s dream.

Since Peng Xue wanted to form a band with Xia Yuan, Mei Fang considered it a business investment rather than a personal loan.

Only Yue Xinyi’s payment puzzled Lin Youxi:

“Do you give Yue Xinyi a salary every month?”

“I started last month. I informed Yue Xinyi, but forgot to tell you.”

Mei Fang explained, “You can see Yue Xinyi’s active participation on C Station and in the work group. She gathers opinions and compiles them into lists, which is professional website management. This deserves the salary.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t deserved,” Lin Youxi shook her head, “But if you give Yue Xinyi a salary, let me know. I could ask her for more help. Before, I felt bad.”

“Youx, you’re starting to hang out with us.”

Mei Fang thought everyone was acting like bosses, speaking with confidence.

“What about Zhang Ming? Aren’t you close? Why not give him a salary?”

“Feelings are feelings, interests are interests. Zhang Ming only worked on a proposal over the summer, and his writing was average. I prepaid his salary by treating him to a car. He has no time to help now, so it’s impossible to pay him. I’ll give him some New Year’s bonus.”

Mei Fang was clear about it.

“So that makes sense…”

Xia Yuan sighed after reading the financial report, “Making money is tough. Everyone works hard, but we lost money last month… I wish we hadn’t bought such expensive phones. By the way, Fang, do you have savings? I have 70,000 yuan in New Year’s money. Should I transfer it to you?”

“No need. I can manage.”

Lin Youxi chimed in, “Expenses are fine. Many are one-time costs, like digital products.”

“Yeah, I know…”

Xia Yuan stretched, “But it feels like we’re still earning too little. When I finish organizing these songs into an album, we’ll make a lot of money! Fang, Fang, do you feel like writing songs lately? If we can gather ten songs before the year ends, let’s release an album?”

“Don’t worry. I have plenty of lyrics saved… You can pick from what I’ve written, and I can offer suggestions on the music.”

“Amazing! After I finish recording these three songs, I’ll find you. But you need to help me record *I Am Willing*?”

“Sure, no problem… But I need to prepare for the next game.”

Lin Youxi wondered, “Is it urgent? The versions of *The Crown* and *Life Restart Simulator* are only recently stable. You should rest and not fall behind in studies.”

“I have it under control. Time management is okay…”

Mei Fang suddenly remembered something, “Should we invite Xiang Bingbing and Liu Xiaoyu for dinner this weekend?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I need to add someone else, and we can discuss the new project.”

“Add someone? A girl? When did you meet?”

“Not a new person. I plan to invite Guo Yun. Any objections?”

Xia Yuan shook her head, “No problem. We planned to play with Guo Yun last time, but she went abroad. Where did she go again?”

Lin Youxi thought, “Her school is a bit far from ours. Let’s meet somewhere central. It’ll be convenient for both sides.”

“That sounds good… Dao Kou area would be suitable. It’s in the city center. Let me check if there’s a buffet…”

Mei Fang complained, “Yuan Yuan, don’t worry about Xiang Bingbing eating me out. Don’t be so stingy. It looks like no one can afford it.”

“I’m not being stingy! Buffets are nice. I’ve never had one. It’s not a big deal, right? Youxi wants to try it too. Why didn’t you ask her?”

“Ah, okay…”

Mei Fang turned to Lin Youxi, who nodded slightly, “I’ve seen others eat buffets on TV. I want to try it too.”

“I’d say the buffets in Jiangcheng aren’t particularly good. To eat well, you need to try Jin Bao Men, costing 180 yuan per person…”

“Fang, you’re too confident! Eating such expensive food, do you think the studio’s money is yours? Youxi and I are working for free now.”

Xia Yuan pinched Mei Fang’s cheeks, “And why do you always show off? You choose the most expensive restaurants for dinners and buy the most expensive things. If you keep doing that, we can’t catch up with your spending. From now on, I and Youxi will have to supervise the budget!”

“Alright, alright… I get it… Let’s eat something ordinary!”

Mei Fang compromised.

—

Truly exciting, posting at 2:35 AM for three consecutive days. I was busy tonight, so it’s late. Starting tomorrow, I’ll return to normal updates.

Also, my boss found out about my novel writing. To avoid misunderstandings, I treated the boss and executives to dinner.