Chapter 216

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Shh, keep it down......"

Hu Qin subconsciously glanced toward the President's Office, giving him a silencing look.

The President's Office door wasn't closed, a crack left open, and from inside came the President's rather stern voice.

It sounded like some colleague had botched a task and was being reprimanded.

"Cough cough."

Yang Meng's heart skipped a beat; he feigned two coughs, tiptoed, and carefully slipped past the office door.

Seeing him acting like a thief, Hu Qin smiled helplessly, also changed direction, and went to the restroom.

——

16th Floor, Area A, Xingyou Game Company.

Half a year ago Guben returned to Shanghai and immediately began preparing to establish the game company. From registration to recruiting staff, it took a month altogether.

The company address was also carefully chosen, not far from the Riverside residence; walking from home to the company took only a dozen or so minutes.

Lin Xiyu initially didn't agree with him starting a business this quickly, wanting him to rest at home for a while longer.

But Guben was simply someone who couldn't stay idle; even at home he often stayed up late, day and night tapping away at the computer, researching game development.

Before the game company was formally established, he actually produced a match-3 mini-game, released it on a game platform, and it became a minor hit, attracting quite a bit of attention.

One after another, game companies extended olive branches, inviting him to join their teams.

Guben politely declined their kind offers and began laying out his own grand undertaking.

From its founding, Xingyou Tourism positioned its developed games at the high end, using 3D modeling instead of traditional 2D drawing, so players would have better immersion and presence during the experience.

3D modeling has advantages and disadvantages: development takes longer, production difficulty is greater, and costs are considerably higher.

From late March, when Xingyou Tourism's first shooter game, "Xingyou Oddity Hunter," officially began production, to early September, this game had already been in production for half a year, and the invested funds far exceeded everyone's expectations.

From purchasing equipment and software to employee salaries, daily expenses, and every aspect of keeping the company running normally, not a single one didn't cost money.

To save expenses, Wu Meng, this Finance Director, truly lived up to what Guben had said earlier — one person doing the work of three, buying meals, running errands, handling miscellaneous tasks all by herself.

——

"Food's here, everyone take a break, time to eat."

Wu Meng rushed through the Company Gate carrying lunch boxes, her booming voice instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Besides her, the remaining 8 people in the company were all game fanatics, ages ranging from 23 to 28; when they talked games they were high-spirited and talked incessantly, but in real life they were unshaven and unkempt.

8 people, 8 hopeful Diamond-rank perennial bachelors; as of now, not a single one had successfully gotten out of singlehood and married a wife.

Wu Meng was the only splash of color at Xingyou Tourism; although her voice was as loud as ever, not that gentle, to her colleagues' ears it was exceptionally clear and pleasing.

"Sister Meng's back?"

"Bought so much good food?"

"Let me help you carry......"

"Carrying so much stuff, are your arms tired, sore, do you need me to massage them......"

Several colleagues younger than her perked up at the shout, swarming up from their chairs and crowding over.

"You're the smoothest talker."

Wu Meng rolled her eyes at one of them: "If you're so good with words, why haven't you sweet-talked a girlfriend home?"

"That's because I've devoted all my youth to the company."

That person was called Li Hao; colleagues jokingly called him Rat.

"Rat's devoted all his youth to 2D......"

Another colleague, Zhang Shan, knew him inside out, laughing as he teased: "In the game world he has a spiritual romance with the heroine, causing him to find no satisfactory girlfriend in real life."

"Can you blame me?"

Li Hao argued confidently: "2D girls are so pretty, beautiful like fairies; 3D ones are all shrews, ugly and fierce, look at them twice and they get worked up, sue you for sexual harassment."

"Just eat......"

Wu Meng couldn't stand listening anymore, shoved a lunch box into his mouth: "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend, your mouth's this venomous, serves you right to be single for life."

"I just don't want to get married......"

Li Hao didn't care: "Living in 2D for a lifetime is pretty nice too."

"Ignore him, he's already gone mad."

Zhang Shan gave him a disdainful eye-roll, took the plastic bag from Wu Meng's hands, and helped her distribute the boxed meals.

"Why only 8 portions? No Eldest daughter's?"

When he distributed to the last person, he looked at the empty plastic bag, a bit puzzled.

"His food isn't my responsibility."

Wu Meng said with a smile: "Someone will bring him food."

"Another love lunch?"

Zhang Shan caught on: "Envious enough to make my drool flow."

"Sister-in-law is truly beautiful and kind-hearted, and good to Eldest daughter too."

Li Hao also showed an envious, jealous expression: "If I had a wife like that, I wouldn't need to date 2D women."

"You think too highly of yourself."

"Daydreaming."

All the colleagues glared at him with disdain.

"Hehe."

Li Hao self-deprecatingly joked: "You guessed right, I only dare to think about it in my dreams."

"Tch~~"

The colleagues were all defeated by his thick skin, and looked away with disdain.

——

Below the office building.

Liu Rushi drove out from the underground parking lot, and the moment she turned onto the main street, she saw a slender, graceful figure in the rearview mirror.

Lin Xiyu walked slowly from the street opposite, a dark green waist-cinching long dress swaying gently with her steps, her calm and indifferent temperament making her look as if she had stepped out of a Portrait of Beauties, beautiful in a way that did not partake of mortal fireworks.

Liu Rushi's pupils suddenly contracted, her cheeks twisting for a moment from jealousy and hatred.

Lin Xiyu paid no attention to the sedan parked by the road, raised her head to glance at the sign on the office building's Door, confirmed she had not gone to the wrong place, and carrying her lunch box, walked inside.

"You will all receive retribution, Xiao Qian died so miserably, you also don't think about living well......"

Liu Rushi hatefully watched her back, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, forcibly suppressing the evil thoughts spreading like madness from the depths of her heart, only then did she not slam her foot on the accelerator and rush over.

"Beep beep."

Another sedan drove out from the parking lot, the driver behind impatient from waiting, pressing the horn to urge her.

Liu Rushi glanced at that car in the rearview mirror, softly cursed the driver, turned the steering wheel, and drove into the crowded Avenue.

——

Area A, 16th Floor.

Lin Xiyu took the Elevator to Xingyao, and the moment she pushed open the Glass Door, the noisy company instantly fell Quiet.

"Xiyu, you're here."

Wu Meng saw clearly it was her, her eyes brightened, revealing joy she could hardly suppress.

Lin Xiyu pointed at the lunch box in her hand, and exchanged a tacit understanding glance with her.

Wu Meng understood immediately, and the two Best Friends went together to her Finance Director exclusive office for a private talk.

"I have one hundred thousand here, you take it first, it should last a while......"

Lin Xiyu entered the office, took out a Bank Card from the handbag she carried, and handed it to Wu Meng.

"Where did you get the money?"

Wu Meng's eyes revealed shock: "Weren't all the Stocks sold? Where is there still cash?"

"This is a bit of private savings I saved myself before marriage."

Lin Xiyu did not want her to guess wildly, and did not Hide it.

"Does Guben know?"

Wu Meng's Eyebrows lightly furrowed, her heart feeling very uncomfortable.

"There's no need to disturb him with such small matters."

Lin Xiyu smiled understandingly: "Let him focus on doing what he wants to do, the money matter I'll think of a way, if it really doesn't work I'll sell that apartment at Huashi University."

"The house cannot be sold."

Wu Meng got anxious, hurriedly stopping her: "You must not be foolish, house prices are Rising so fast now, selling would be too much of a pity."

"I don't want to sell either......"

Lin Xiyu helplessly held her forehead: "This is a no-choice matter, if I had known I wouldn't have bought the office building, I was too greedy, thinking the office building would also Appreciate, so I urged Guben to buy the entire 16 floors, spent nearly 2 million, leading to the current Fund shortage."

"Buying it was right."

Wu Meng, worthy of being Finance Director, her Calculator clacking away: "With the current speed of house price appreciation, it's higher than a small company's annual revenue, even if Game Development doesn't make money, with house price gains supporting it, we won't lose money."

Lin Xiyu smiled embarrassedly: "You don't need to comfort me."

"I'm not comforting you, it's all true......."

Wu Meng full of confidence: "Believe me, as long as we get through this period, once we have the game demo, we'll be able to pull in Investment."

"Demo, what does it mean?"

Lin Xiyu raised an eyebrow, eyes revealing confusion.

"It's the abbreviation for Demonstration......"

Wu Meng patiently explained to her: "It refers to the incomplete version released by a game company before the official launch, extracting the most representative segment of the game to showcase externally in order to secure investment or platform recommendation."

"Oh oh, so that's it......"

Lin Xiyu suddenly understood, laughing in praise: "You already understand game production so well, speaking so logically, very much like the real thing."

"I can't, I'm just a layman."

Wu Meng rarely Humble: "Only know how to talk, truly know nothing about making games."

"Better than me."

Lin Xiyu laughed awkwardly: "I've never played games, sometimes I really feel quite Embarrassed, listening to Guben talk about game production is like listening to a heavenly book, can't get a word in."

"You're already very virtuous."

Wu Meng patted her Shoulder, expressing comfort in a Best Friend way: "With you silently supporting in the Background, Guben can wholeheartedly do what he likes to do, it can be said you are his virtuous wife, able to hold up half the company."

"Alright, let's not mutually flatter each other here anymore."

Lin Xiyu couldn't listen anymore, picked up the lunch box preparing to leave: "You continue being busy, I'll go see Guben, he didn't come home last night, eighty percent pulled another all-nighter."

"This bunch are all night owls."

Wu Meng pointed at the Colleagues outside, jokingly laughing: "Drowsy during the day, energetic at night, pulling all-nighters is daily routine for them, otherwise they'd all have scruffy beards and worrying images, all from staying up late......"

"No, I have to make Guben sleep properly......"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiyu grabbed the lunch box and hurried off: "Can't let him be corrupted by bad company and turn out like them."

Pfft.

Wu Meng couldn't hold it in and sprayed laughter.

——

President's Office.

Guben wore headphones, fingers rapidly striking the keyboard.

His expression was intensely focused; even if someone pushed open the door, entered the office, and came right up to him, he noticed nothing unusual.

A hand lifted the headphones from his ears, blocking the monitor; only then did he jerk his head up to look at the visitor, blinking blankly.

"I've grown jealous of it."

Lin Xiyu pointed at the computer, her tone resentful: "You stare at it all day and never at me."

Hehe.

Guben returned from his highly concentrated thoughts, momentarily stunned; when he realized his beloved wife meant the game by "it," pleasant laughter rose from his throat.

"And you're still laughing?!"

Lin Xiyu feigned displeasure and glared at him.

Her half-shy, half-angry face carried not a shred of menace.

Guben gave a teasing smile, tugged hard, and pulled her into his arms.

"Did you pull another all-nighter last night?"

Lin Xiyu sat on his legs, feeling something hard and uncomfortable; she twisted, trying to sit more comfortably.

"Don't move, let me hold you a while."

Guben pressed his forehead to her shoulder, inhaling the intoxicating fragrance of her hair, and closed his eyes.

"Don't sleep yet, eat the rice first, skipping meals is bad for your stomach..."

Seeing him exhausted to the point of wanting to sleep the moment he closed his eyes, Lin Xiyu subconsciously pushed him a few times.

Faint snores drifted over; she lowered her head to look closely — he was already asleep leaning against her shoulder.

Sigh.

She smiled helplessly and could only lift him from the chair and lay him flat on the sofa.

To keep him from rolling off the sofa, she thoughtfully rested his head on her own legs so he could sleep more soundly and comfortably.

——

Guben slept deeply this time, not stirring until evening, when the sky was nearly dark, before he slowly woke.

"You're awake?"

Lin Xiyu tried to move her legs, which were already sore, numb, and stiff, almost without sensation.

"What time is it now?"

Guben glanced at the dim office, momentarily bewildered.

"It's already 6 o'clock."

Lin Xiyu rarely saw him so sleep-confused and couldn't help wanting to laugh.

"It's this late, you still haven't left?"

Guben was a bit annoyed: "All my fault, sleeping this late, delayed you from picking up Ruirui from kindergarten."

"I already called Zhao Yuncheng to go pick her up, Grandma went along too, no need to worry."

Lin Xiyu said with a smile; compared to Xiao Ruirui, right now she cared more about his health: "You slept all afternoon on an empty stomach, are you hungry? Want to eat something? The noon rice is already cold, I'll go home and make you a fresh portion."

"No need for all that trouble..."

Guben didn't want her running back and forth and wearing herself out: "Just microwave the uneaten noon food."

Lin Xiyu refused: "Leftovers are unacceptable."

"Never eaten, doesn't count as leftovers."

Guben argued shamelessly but with righteous confidence.

Lin Xiyu laughed in exasperation: "It's because you don't care that you ruined your stomach."

"With you serving me delicious food and drink every day..."

Guben's eyes showed emotion: "Nourishing soup never leaves my mouth, my stomach's already much better, doesn't hurt anymore."

Lin Xiyu pouted coquettishly: "Just barely better, and you go messing around again, what am I to say to you?"

"How about this..."

Guben rubbed his sore, numb neck, rose from the sofa: "Tonight you don't cook either, call Grandma and Xiao Ruirui, let's go out to eat."