All Villains

Zi Lin appeared on the red carpet in a sailor uniform and white over-the-knee socks, greeted by a wave of applause and flashing lights.

This was her first time experiencing such a spectacle, and she was genuinely a bit excited.

Still, displaying her figure and striking poses for photos were basic skills for any model, so she wouldn't make any mistakes.

She smiled as she moved through each pose, cooperating with the photographers.

Zi Lin actually knew that her looks were merely average, not particularly outstanding among models.

Although her figure was quite impressive, this "advantage" only worked in low-end shows.

High-end shows, on the other hand, didn't favor models with overly large chests.

This wasn't just the case in the modeling world; the film and television industry was the same.

Actresses with explosive figures but less striking faces mostly ended up playing vase roles, even in low-budget web dramas.

So Zi Lin was well aware that making a name for herself would be difficult.

Perhaps soon, she'd have to give up her dreams and accept reality—just like many friends who had already left the modeling industry.

That was why she treasured the stage even more.

Even if it was just a small stage organized by a game company, with an audience of less than a hundred.

The other models seemed to feel the same way.

Probably because the turnover among low-tier models was high, with many chasing their dreams for only a year or two before giving up. The Dream Builder's preparations made them feel a faint hint of that dream.

—Or maybe it was simply that they rarely had the spotlight on them, and it excited them.

Every model was serious and gave it their all.

Even when wearing sexy swimsuits, silk camisoles, lingerie aprons, and bunny girl uniforms, they posed generously in front of the cameras.

In the audience, the male and female employees of Dream Builder had clapped until their hands were red.

Chen Wanzhong's face was as red as a monkey's butt, but at least he had stopped glancing around nervously and was now earnestly observing every detail of each model's body.

He paid particular attention to the dynamic changes between the clothes and their bodies as they moved.

Beside him, Peng Linmu was lost in thought, so absorbed that he wouldn't hear anyone calling him.

Ding Nian watched the models with excitement, her eyes practically glowing.

Xu Fang, on the other hand, remained calm, watching the outfits with a smile full of appreciation.

The Little Assistant had also forgotten the panic of earlier, when he was banging on the door and shouting, "Boss, something's wrong!" and was now staring intently at the models interacting on stage.

Especially the one with a pure, childlike face, yet possessing an astonishing bust and an impossibly narrow waist.

She looked like a character straight out of a manga.

She was the only Chinese model among the four sent by the special car, and her stage name was Nan Yue.

According to the info, she was just 19, a freshman majoring in acting, and a small-time influencer with over 30,000 followers on Weiguang.

Xu Meng could still hear the Little Assistant muttering under his breath, "How can someone like that exist in real life? It's impossible..."

It wasn't just the audience; the photographers were also quite excited, their cameras clicking away.

The shutter sounds never stopped.

A few people were taking photos and videos with their phones—employees were banned from taking pictures, so these phones belonged to the models. Seeing the scene, they asked the photographers to take some shots for them, probably to post on social media.

Mm, everyone was happy.

Xu Meng relaxed and focused on enjoying the show, pushing aside any stray thoughts.

But just then, a front desk staff member suddenly ran over and whispered in his ear, "Boss, there are police at the company."

"?" Xu Meng turned his head, his face full of confusion. "What are the police here for?"

"They said they received a tip-off that our company is organizing prostitution."

"??"

"What the hell???"

Xu Meng found it absurd.

He stood up and followed the front desk staff to deal with this inexplicable inspection.

In the end, he had to bring an officer in for a look before the suspicion was completely cleared.

Xu Meng wanted to ask who had reported them, but the officer refused, citing "protecting the informant's privacy."

Helpless, Xu Meng had no choice but to sit back down and continue watching the show, but his mind had already wandered.

Yesterday, after the announcement, there was an organized wave of troll attacks. Today, after the models arrived, they were falsely reported...

And then there was the news Meng Ling had gathered from the models...

At six in the evening, the "performance" ended.

The models retrieved their phones, snapped a flurry of selfies, and took group photos with familiar friends before reluctantly leaving Dream Builder, clutching flowers and extra red envelopes.

Song Zhicheng, who had been missing for an entire day, finally reappeared.

"Boss, I found out."

"The source of the water army?"

"Exactly!" Song Zhicheng confirmed.

"Konjac Games?" Xu Meng asked again.

"Exactly!" Song Zhicheng confirmed once more, but immediately realized something was off.

"Huh?"

"You already knew, boss?"

But hadn't the boss been wandering around and watching the show all day? Xu Meng pressed further: "Do you know someone at Konjac Games?"

"Uh... I do, but that's not where I got this info."

"Then where did you hear it?"

"From Konjac Games' sworn enemy, Four-Dimensional Games. They were worried I wouldn't believe it, so they even provided chat logs."

"?" Xu Meng was speechless.

You two game companies, founded less than eight years ago, and you've already become "sworn enemies"?

That much drama? And besides—

"How did someone at Four-Dimensional Games know Konjac Games hired a water army? And how did they get the chat logs?" Xu Meng was baffled.

"Uh, because..." Song Zhicheng hesitated.

He'd promised his friend not to spill it, but after two seconds of wavering, he came clean: "Because inside Konjac Games, there's a mole from Four-Dimensional Games."

!!!

Xu Meng was stunned again.

A mole?! Was the ACG game circle in this world really this intense? They even used moles? Was that even legal?? Xu Meng glanced at his thermos and health supplements, and solidified his resolve to leave the ACG game circle after the next game.

This world's ACG game circle was too terrifying—practically everyone was a villain! If he stayed any longer, he might actually get poisoned or drugged one day...

"Do you think our company has moles from other companies?"

"Well..." Song Zhicheng said uncertainly, "Our company's been in the industry less than two years, and we haven't made any enemies. It shouldn't come to that, right?"

No enemies? "Not before, but now it's hard to say."

According to what Chen Mengling had dug up, Konjac Games was likely developing a new game, and its core selling point was highly aligned with the adjustment direction of the "Frost Snow Project."

They were destined to be competitors from now on.

And they'd already made their move.

A water army could still be brushed off as "friendly competitor interaction," but filing a false police report offline to frame someone had already crossed the line in Xu Meng's mind.

And this was only the second day.

As the competition became clearer, Xu Meng didn't even want to think about what they might do next.

"Should we call them out?" Song Zhicheng asked.

Xu Meng shook his head. "Pointless. Chat logs aren't admissible as evidence."

"Trading insults from a distance is just a waste of breath. They won't care."

"Let me think about how to piss them off the most..."