Chapter 383: Pet Gameplay

Wulongcha swayed a bit, 【If you have the guts, just say it.】

【I don't have the guts to say, I'm afraid Uncle will beat me with a feather duster!】

"Got it!"

【Uncle looks so pale, is he worried about Dad? He's fine!】

"Uncle, I'm going back to work!"

"Mm!"

Su Yu returned to her study and looked at the budget report Luyingying handed over.

"That much?"

On the phone, Luyingying sighed, 【You don't look at the online trend; for such a profitable project, why are there so few helmets being made? You need at least a million units in stock! Do you know how many reservations there are after I opened the pre‑payment requirement? Ten million! The number is still rising!】

【I want you to approve budgets for this many people, not because we need that many, but because even with three shifts your factory can only accommodate that many workers!】

Su Yu hesitated, 【I want to accelerate the holographic process; this is just a transitional game, I don't intend to keep it alive for long.】

Luyingying understood, but she was even clearer that Su Yu's idea couldn't be realized.

【Impossible. Until the research up there is clarified, the holographic technology can only stay at the base.】

Su Yu: …

With no choice, Su Yu obediently approved the budget Luyingying gave her, and let the finance department release the funds.

The Su Clan, thanks to a Holographic Online Game, saw its stock soar, and Su Xi, who holds the most shares, became the nation's richest person!

……

The Su Family villa's infirmary was put to use again.

【9】 "Great‑grandma!"

Great-grandmother!

Yang Zhichun lay on the bed, patted Su Yu's head, 【Hey, don't worry, Great‑grandma is just tired!】

Su Yu sat obediently beside him, watching Yang Zhichun without speaking.

Yang Zhichun felt a bit guilty under her plaintive little gaze, 【Great‑grandma just misses your great‑grandfather and dad.】

Frankly, Yang Zhichun's husband wasn't the ideal husband in her heart, but was a good husband by worldly standards. Over the years, Yang Zhichun had worried about Su Xi and Su Yi; after Ji Yan and Su Yu returned, she worried about the mother‑daughter pair.

Even now, Su Yu has grown up; seeing that Su Xi won't marry, Yang Zhichun feels her own life is already complete.

Without worries, people tend to overthink. She dwells on her late spouse, on being young, on a possibly victimized son; the more she thinks, the worse her mood, and her health begins to falter.

"Alright!"

【I'll draw some Dream Cards in a moment; how long do you want? I'll get them ready for you!】

Yang Zhichun: … This isn't impossible!

After death you might not see the old man and the unlucky son, but while alive, you can!

Su Yu understood Yang Zhichun's intention, and after a while, using a company excuse, went to the study to draw cards.

【Do you really want to draw a hundred Dream Cards?】

Having mastered the Draw Card technique, Su Yu planned to use a Lucky Card before drawing more; Wulongcha didn't answer immediately, instead hovered in midair, asking Su Yu.

【Yes, I really like my great‑grandma! I want her to stay alive. At least, she should live until I leave; she hasn't actually met great‑grandma yet, I'm not sure whether, under my arrangement, she can meet great‑grandma, so as long as great‑grandma doesn't want to leave, I want to keep her!】

Su Yu's words were a bit roundabout, but Wulongcha understood. The original owner of this body truly deserved what they were doing! 【Alright!】

One hundred Dream Cards were credited; Su Yu first used 32, ten to let Yang Zhichun meet Su Yu's great‑grandfather Su Zhengda, ten to let Yang Zhichun meet Su Yu's grandfather Su Zeyan. The remaining twelve were split, six each for Su Xi and Su Yi, also to meet Su Zhengda and Su Zeyan.

【All set, another one million spent, go get to work!】

Wulongcha finished arranging, wobbling on the desk; from Su Yu's perspective, it was pounding the desk to vent, though it couldn't actually touch the surface.

【Okay, I'm on it!】

Su Yu diligently coded, adding maps and a draw‑card mechanic to her family's holographic game.

The Wulongcha assisting Su Yu hesitated, 【Your company has always had a reputation as a conscientious game studio; this doesn't seem right, does it?】

【It's fine; there are only two options, either pay or gamble. Paying yields better results than gambling, and this is an indie mini‑game, not tied to the main line; anyone who dislikes it just won't play!】

This time Su Yu added a pet system. Players can buy desired pets from a pet shop, or randomly draw from a pet pool; whatever pet they draw, they raise that pet.

In the holographic game, if a player abandons or mistreats a pet, they not only get fined, but NPC affection also drops, and wandering outside may trigger NPC attacks.

The most expensive pets are golden‑shining dragons and phoenixes, followed by creatures only found in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, plus various breeds of cats and dogs. Beyond those, there are spotted deer, pandas, dolphins, orcas… all sorts; Su Yu can look up any animal's model.

Su Yu and the tech team labored for two weeks to finish the module.

After it was ready, they chose a day when the game had one million registrations to announce the new pet system! Liang Yan and Tang Can, upon seeing the update notice, immediately ran to the villa to ask Su Yu, 【Soft and fluffy, do you recommend buying or drawing pets?】

Tang Can hadn't intended to ask, but the announcement stipulated that abandonment was strictly prohibited. If he drew a decent animal, Tang Can could grit his teeth and keep it, or gift it to another player, which counts as rehoming.

But if he draws an undesirable animal, wouldn't he have to smash it in his hands? If it lives long, that's even worse!

【Buy! When you log in and check the listed drop rates, you'll choose to buy. Some pets in the pool don't match conventional aesthetics; if drawn, they'll be disgusting for a while!】

【What is it?】

【Mosquitoes and cockroaches!】

【…】

【…】

Liang Yan was truly speechless, 【Sister Xiao Yu, what on earth are you thinking?】

【It's not me; it's the tech department that did it! You can ask them!】

Liang Yan and Tang Can exchanged a glance, relieved they asked, otherwise drawing cockroaches and mosquitoes would have made them so angry they'd be ejected from the game by the headset! After getting the news from Su Yu and asking her, Liang Yan and Tang Can began spreading it through their superficial friend circle.

Su Yu also posted in her own friend circle, recommending that the new mode, buying, suits players with fixed goals better. If a player wants to draw pets, she advises checking the drop‑rate description in the game rules first.

With everything ready, the pet system went live quickly.

#WhoTheHellThoughtOfMosquitoesAndCockroaches#【OP】: Who on earth thought of mosquitoes and cockroaches? If you have the skill to model, you have the skill to speak! Drawing pets and getting this makes me want to die!

Floor 1: 666, you must have done a lot of shady things regularly!

Floor 2: After looking at the OP's record, if you're bad it's not your fault, but if you ruin your teammates it's your mistake! Floor 3: Hehe, I originally thought I was unlucky, spent 100 yuan to draw a cat worth less than 100 yuan, and now I'm hugging my big baby and smooching it! Floor 4: Lighten up, mosquitoes and cockroaches die faster than other pets.

Floor 5: Luckily I honestly bought it! …

After the pet system went live, most players chose to accept it. This thing doesn't affect their combat power; it's just various concoctions. Especially since the pet rules explicitly state that pets will react according to real‑world animal conditions, many players gave up this mode.

Su Yu is also quite satisfied with the pet system. The revenue didn't meet expectations, but it's a long‑term business. Players who raise pets need pet food, which must be obtained by completing daily quests.

Those who don't want to do quests can just buy it in the pet shop.

If a pet falls ill due to a player's improper commands, the player must take the pet to a pet hospital for treatment.

Because these settings are so close to real life, Tang Can and Liang Yan both decided to raise a pet in the game.

But after two days they began to regret it.

"Xiao Yu, sister, how long did you set the dog's lifespan?"

Su Yu blinked, "Ten years. If you can't bear to let it end, you can buy a Life‑Extending Pill to add another ten years."

Liang Yan let out a "thud" and sat on the sofa, "My god!"

Tang Can also leaned against the sofa, looking a bit irritated.

"What's wrong?"

Liang Yan said plaintively, "I thought it was a game pet, so I got a husky! Every time I log in, I'm either walking it or on the way to walk it—it's really annoying!"

Liang Yan remembered a classmate who raised a husky in elementary school; no one could laugh when they saw the dog. They often had to pay a sum as compensation for the husky's damage to public property.

This time she raised it in the game, thinking she shouldn't have to pay—after all, the damage is to her own house! But! That husky turned into a spirit!

It will dig up other people's land!

To avoid being hunted by NPCs, Liang Yan can only obediently pay compensation! To avoid paying, the first thing she does each time she logs in is walk the dog, draining its energy.

"Then I'll have the tech department go online for the pet custodial department."

Pet custodial? Just hearing that, you know this thing will cost money.

"Xiao Yu, sister, why are you making so many things that cost money?"

Su Yu isn't that money‑loving either! Liang Yan has read gossip that someone estimated Su Yu's assets to be twice as much as hers!

"Raising pets has costs! Online you can have data custodial, but real dogs can get depressed; the two are actually different. I can only make impulsive pet owners feel a pang by having them spend money."

Su Yu didn't intend to set a high price either. First‑time pet owners each get a 10% discount card, allowing them to custodial their pet at one‑tenth price. If it happens a second time, it's a high custodial fee—i. e., full price.

"Alright!"

Liang Yan admitted she acted impulsively.

"Can Can's pet is a cat; aren't cats well‑behaved?"

Liang Yan's husky still needs walking, so why does Tang Can's cat? "I have a ragdoll cat, sweet and cute in appearance, its fur is very smooth, but it's a real handful for the pooper‑scooper! It's so delicate! You have to buy ingredients carefully; it gets sick and needs hospitalization at the slightest thing—so tiring!"

Tang Can is relieved she doesn't have one in real life. In the game, the ragdoll cat's glass stomach makes Tang Can's heart seize!

"Okay, I'll have the tech department update it."

Su Yu made a phone call to arrange it, and had the chef uncle prepare hot pot for them.

Today the three of them gathered; she finally had free time, so they could eat hot pot and chat about recent gossip.

"Softie, when will you get the house you want?"

"It's almost ready, but I might log in later; I have a lot to handle!"

Building houses, opening shops, constructing cities, transportation, etc., all require her help. Her spare time is spent resting, so she has no time for the game.

"Being busy is fine, so you don't have idle time and get nagged by parents about marriage!"

Liang Yan is just a victim.

Even though she's so young, her dad already has the seasoned‑in‑pressuring‑for‑marriage stance, which scares her enough to be stunned!

The hot‑pot broth and ingredients were all brought out, and Su Yu, while adding ingredients, asked.

"Your dad doesn't seem to care about you, yet he's willing to let you marry? I thought he'd let you pick a few leeches."

Although a leech son‑in‑law is hard to control, Liang Yan's family has plenty of money, her parents are young and shrewd, and can support her for many years. If that fails, she still has her two sisters, so Liang Yan doesn't have to worry about a leech's harm at all!

Liang Yan scooped up the meatball and said, "Mmm! Delicious!"

Tang Can prepared three sauce dishes and placed them beside them, "Adjusted to your tastes."

"Thanks, Can Can!"

"Thanks, Can Can!"

Liang Yan took another bite of meat, drooping her brows, and said, "My dad's idea is to find a few people I like, have a child, and it doesn't matter who the child's father is."

"Six!"

The meatball Su Yu was picking up fell back into the pot with a "plop", and she hurriedly scooped it out with a slotted spoon.

Tang Can ate a lettuce leaf, shook her head, "This can cause problems!"

Citing others' shared experiences, Tang Can, who became a theory king, gave an example, "If one day you have a man you truly love, but you already have a child from an unknown previous boyfriend… "

The child has grown up, and you now have true love—what do you do with that child? If you have to sacrifice your whole life of romance for that child, it sounds so unfair!

"You yourself are the most important!"

Putting it in the most generous terms, if the person Liang Yan likes also likes her and accepts that child, what if they have another? Who gets the inheritance? "If it develops as I say, your story could be turned into a family‑ethics idol drama!"

Tang Can was a bit hopeful, "If it really happens, let me know; I'll write a novel and make money!"

Liang Yan rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't do that!"

At this point, "Xiao Yu, sister, might be the one who gets the harshest marriage pressure in the future!"

"That's not necessarily so!"

Su Yu is very confident! Before she can get married, she'll probably have enough money and leave this place! Tang Can nodded, "You need to be bigger than Softie; your dad is already anxious."

Liang Yan frowned, "If it really doesn't work, let them have a second child! Rather than me having a child, I'd rather accept a sister or a brother; if that's impossible, I'll adopt one."

Su Yu knows Zhu Xueheng's persistence even better, "Most likely it's impossible!"

"Why?"

Liang Yan didn't understand! Su Yu was stumped, how should she tell Liang Yan, your dad can't give birth?

Thanks for the votes, cuties~ Good night, cuties~