Besides, Mo Li felt it would be best to investigate first before deciding whether to acquire it.
Youlan was indeed beautiful, but... that was no reason for him to be taken for a sucker, was it?
Before long, Mo Li drove to Yuan Ding Coffee Shop.
"Not a bad name. A destined bond~"
The coffee shop's decor, paired with the soft music, gave the place an elegant and tranquil atmosphere.
Mo Li took out his phone and dialed the number from earlier again. "Miss Youlan, I'm here."
"I see you."
Mo Li turned and scanned the room. He quickly spotted a beautiful, slender, tall woman in office attire waving at him.
Even her figure looks so much like Durandal's! Mo Li was utterly astonished.
He walked over at an unhurried pace, smiling. "Hello. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Mo Li."
"Just call me Youlan."
Youlan slowly rose to her feet as well, offering him a polite smile.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Anything is fine."
After sending the waiter away, Mo Li got straight to the point.
"Miss Youlan, let's get straight to business."
"Let me ask you something first. What does your Studio have that could attract me to invest?"
Youlan opened her mouth and stared blankly at Mo Li's young, handsome face, unsure how to answer.
What's going on? Didn't you already want to invest? Why are you making things difficult for me...
"Our Studio is made up of people who genuinely love games. If Mr. Mo Li is only here to make money... then I can't guarantee that the money you invest will be returned."
Mo Li could not help laughing at that. "What an honest person..."
"I understand. The reason I came to see you was because I saw your Studio's attitude toward games."
"As for making money and pursuing one's passion... I don't think they have to be mutually exclusive."
After a pause, Mo Li's smile vanished as he said seriously, "I have an excellent game concept. As long as it's made properly, the return will be at least tenfold."
Mo Li was actually being conservative.
After all, Honkai Impact 3rd was not a buy-to-play game. As long as the game kept updating and new characters were released, its revenue would continue to rise endlessly.
"But a game like that can't be developed by me alone, and I don't want to spend so much effort founding a Studio myself."
Hearing that, Youlan frowned slightly. "You mean... you want to invest in our Studio and have us make this game?"
Mo Li: "..."
Being honest is one thing, but why do you seem so naïve now, miss...
"Ahem... Miss Youlan, that's taking the joke a bit too far..."
"I provide the money and the concept, then hand all the results over to your Studio... Do you think that's possible?"
Youlan realized she had said something foolish. Her face reddened slightly in embarrassment.
"What I mean is... I want to acquire your Studio!"
"Huh?" Youlan froze. The topic had shifted so quickly that she did not react at once.
"Didn't you say... you wanted to invest?"
Why would Mo Li ever have planned to invest? What he had said earlier was merely because he wanted to speak with this "MiHoYo" founder in person.
Mo Li replied without batting an eye, "I did consider investing, but after thinking it over, I believe acquiring it outright would be better."
Youlan: "..."
She shook her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mo Li, but I have no intention of selling the Studio. Although I'm the founder, I built it together with the other employees."
"Even if I agreed to it, the others in the Studio would not."
Mo Li nodded. "That's understandable, but... could I speak with the others? After all, you should know very well about your Studio's current predicament... I'm afraid you won't be able to attract any investment."
"Even if those employees are willing to work for you without pay, do you still have the money to develop other games?"
"We all love games. Why not work together to create a game that people all over the world will love and gladly pay for?"
Mo Li's words stirred something in Youlan's heart.
In truth, the reason this group had come together was to develop a game that the entire world would love.
Their goal was to create a high-quality game that could both make money and earn acclaim.
But... there were simply too few games on the market that could achieve that.
And for a small operation like theirs, accomplishing that goal was far too difficult.
Even Saving Girl had been funded out of Youlan's own pocket.
Moreover, Mo Li had indeed struck at her sore spot. MiHoYo's employees truly were working out of passion, without asking for salaries...
Though it was all voluntary, Youlan did not want things to continue this way forever.
After all, they all had lives of their own. Without income, what would they do in the future?
Having thought it through, Youlan finally nodded seriously. "Mr. Mo Li, please wait a moment. I need to make a call."
"Please, go ahead. I'm not in a hurry~"
Mo Li was in no rush. He simply smiled and nodded.
A few minutes later, Youlan approached Mo Li on her long legs. "Mr. Mo Li, do you have time to visit our Studio?"
Mo Li knew that things were probably more than halfway settled, so he was naturally happy to accept the invitation.
"Then let's go over now~"
At that moment, at MiHoYo Studio.
A group of girls sat in a circle, anticipation visible in all their eyes.
If Mo Li had been there, he would have been shocked to discover that every girl present was someone he knew very well.
Mei, gentle in temperament, with a head of black hair.
Rita, with a seductive voice and an alluring figure.
Ganyu, with ice-blue hair and a dignified, delicate appearance.
And Himeko, full of ambition, as well as Fu Hua, the Shenzhou Flatboard.
At the center of the group was Big Duck—Bronya—who seemed somewhat emotionless.
"Bronya, how did it go?"
Bronya had long grayish-white hair, a curvaceous figure, and a flawless face devoid of expression.
However, her brows were tightly furrowed now. After hanging up, she said seriously, "Big Sis said... that investor wants to acquire our Studio..."
"Huh?"
"Acquire us? Didn't she say she wanted to invest?" Himeko frowned. "Could this person be here with some ulterior motive?"
Mei nodded as well. "I think so too... Something feels off. After all, there's nothing about our Studio worth acquiring, and of course, nothing worth investing in either..."
"Hehe~" After hearing Mei and Himeko, Rita merely smiled.
"Everyone may be overthinking this, no? Other than Durandal appearing when our games are released, information about the rest of us has never gotten out, has it?"
"In my opinion, that investor is probably here for Durandal~"
Everyone looked at each other, finding Rita's words quite reasonable.
"However... Big Sis said that investor wants to talk with us, and I agreed."
The moment Bronya said that, everyone was surprised. "You really want to sell the Studio?"
"If it gets sold, I'll resign and leave..." Rita looked somewhat dejected. She truly liked their current life.
Every day, she went to work and chatted with her sisters. From time to time, she would check how many more players the game they had made with their own hands had gained.
Whenever they had a good idea, they could discuss it together.
If the Studio were truly acquired, the atmosphere here would probably change drastically.
More importantly... the person trying to acquire MiHoYo was a man.
Rita's words left everyone silent.
After a while, Himeko smiled and comforted them. "Didn't Bronya say it's only a discussion? Whether we sell or not, Durandal will probably listen to everyone's opinions."
"Himeko is right. If Durandal truly wanted to sell, she would not have asked for our opinions."
Just as the girls were feeling uneasy, the Studio's door slowly opened.
Durandal stepped in wearing high heels, with a handsome young man following behind her.
"Big Sis!"
Durandal nodded slightly at everyone. "Let me introduce him."
"This is Mr. Mo Li, who intends to acquire our Studio."
The girls' gazes all turned toward Mo Li.
"He's quite a handsome young man~" Himeko smiled and casually teased him.
Meanwhile, on Mo Li's side...
His mind had already gone numb.
What kind of people were these?
The entire room was filled with the sweet fragrance of girls...
"Your Studio... only has this many people?"
Durandal nodded. "Yes. We developed Saving Girl together."
Mo Li pursed his lips, unsure what to say.
After gaining memories of Earth, he had grown extremely fond of the characters from Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact, but...
Are you sure there hasn't been some mistake? These people all came into reality? And I'm even planning to develop Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact...
Wait...
In that case, don't I have to acquire this Studio?
Otherwise, once I make those games, what if these people sue me?
Though there were differences between the second dimension and reality, if even their names, personalities, and appearances were ninety percent alike, people would inevitably criticize it.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Mo Li?"
"Hehe~ Mr. Mo Li must be rather surprised, right? So many beautiful girls suddenly appeared before you..."
Mo Li quickly came back to his senses and shot Himeko a look. "Ahem... I am indeed somewhat surprised. I never expected everyone in your Studio to be a group of girls..."
"However, I have seen all of your abilities and your love for games in Saving Girl."
"As for why I came here, I believe Miss Youlan has already told you. I wonder what you all think?"
After the girls exchanged glances, Bronya stepped forward and said softly, "Mr. Mo Li, I believe you have seen that our Studio is entirely made up of girls who entered this industry because we love games."
"So, we do not want to be controlled by others..."
Mo Li nodded. "I understand your concerns..."
"Before that, let me tell you what I have in mind."
Before you continue