"Boss, you just said that this game's main selling point is selling Character Cards..."
"Is that why you used us as templates to create the game characters?"
"Huh?" Only after hearing Durandal's words did the girls finally come back to their senses, each of them glaring at Mo Li with unfriendly expressions.
Rita narrowed her eyes slightly. "Boss, I think you should give us an explanation~"
Himeko: Has the Boss Started Getting Ideas About Me?
"Cough, cough..." Mo Li was startled by the girls' looks and hurriedly waved his hands. "I told you before... this really is just a coincidence..."
Mo Li had a real headache. He couldn't exactly tell them about the system.
Much less tell them that Durandal and the others were actually characters from a game in Another World.
Just as Mo Li was at a loss, Mei was the first to speak up and defuse the situation for him.
"Actually... I still believe the boss..."
Himeko also smiled at just the right moment. "I don't really mind, but Boss, you're being a little unfair here~"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Bronya's lips curled up slightly. "Since you used us as templates, shouldn't our salaries be increased accordingly?"
Only then did Mo Li understand.
So after seeing Honkai Impact 3rd's potential profits, these girls had gotten the idea of asking for raises...
Mo Li didn't mind that they had such thoughts. It was only natural.
Besides, the characters in Honkai Impact 3rd had indeed been modeled after them.
"We won't ask for much, just..."
Before Bronya could finish, Mo Li interrupted, "I understand. That really is only right..."
"Did you forget? I told you this on the very first day."
"I said back then that I would never treat you unfairly. Once the game became profitable, I'd give you dividends."
After hearing Mo Li's words, the girls finally remembered.
They couldn't help it. Back then, they hadn't cared much about Mo Li's game and had only thought he was making empty promises.
Now that Mo Li brought it up again, the girls realized that he had been completely serious when he said those things.
Thinking of that, the girls felt a little embarrassed instead.
After a long while, Bronya finally cleared her throat. "Cough..."
"Boss, actually... we had no choice but to ask for higher salaries. After all, you developed this game, and we didn't contribute much."
"But Saving Girl is the hard work of all of us, and we still want to keep running this game. But... running it requires money..."
"I see." Mo Li nodded. After thinking for a moment, he smiled.
"I've seen your game. The problem is its gameplay—it can't retain players."
"Once Honkai Impact 3rd stabilizes, I'll come up with some new ideas for you. You can work on them in your spare time. Then your 'labor of love' won't keep losing money every month."
The girls' faces immediately lit up with delight after hearing Mo Li's words.
Mo Li's ideas definitely wouldn't be ordinary.
Just look at Honkai Impact 3rd: its novel gameplay, management methods ahead of the entire world...
He had even developed such an outstanding game engine as 3D anime rendering.
It was easy to imagine just how impressive Mo Li was in their eyes.
So the moment he said that, the girls immediately felt reassured.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Mo Li." The gentle Mei was the first to recover. She bowed to Mo Li, unable to suppress the joy on her face.
Himeko tucked back her hair and looked at Mo Li flirtatiously. "Boss, you're so good to us~ How should we repay you~?"
"As for repayment..." Mo Li rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
That reaction made Himeko's heart skip a beat.
He wasn't actually getting ideas about me, was he...?
Himeko was good at talking big, but if Mo Li really tried anything improper, she would definitely hit him hard.
"How about this?" Mo Li snapped his fingers crisply. "Honkai Impact 3rd has been very popular on Douyin lately, but there are still half a month until release."
"To keep the game's popularity from dying down, how about Miss Himeko... makes an appearance?"
Himeko, who had been nervous just moments ago, finally sighed in relief after hearing Mo Li's explanation.
Thankfully, Mo Li hadn't said anything outrageous.
Otherwise, they might have had to reevaluate his character.
After thinking about it, Himeko ultimately shook her head. "Boss, could you pick something else? This... I really can't do it."
The others shook their heads as well. "None of us want to show our faces in public..."
"I see..."
Mo Li ultimately didn't force them.
"Since you don't want to, then forget it. There are plenty of ways to maintain the hype."
"Other than having us show our faces, don't you have any other ideas, Boss~?" After cooling down for only a short while, Himeko started talking big again.
Just as Mo Li was about to speak, the phone in Ganyu's pocket suddenly rang.
In the Studio, Ganyu and Fu Hua were both people of few words. The two mainly helped everyone handle miscellaneous matters.
They were somewhat like secretaries.
"Big Sister Youlan, it's that person calling..."
For some reason, the moment Ganyu said that, the girls' expressions immediately turned cold.
It made Mo Li extremely curious.
"What happened?"
Bronya explained softly, "He's a very annoying guy."
"He's someone Big Sister met while seeking investment outside before... Anyway, he's just very annoying..."
It was an explanation, but not much of one. Mo Li was still curious.
"Should I... answer it?" Ganyu held up the phone, blinking her large eyes as she looked at Mo Li.
Mo Li rolled his eyes at her. "It's your phone. Why are you asking me...?"
Ganyu's cheeks reddened at his words. She hurriedly turned away and looked at Bronya.
"Answer it. Let's hear what he wants to say."
"Oh... okay." Ganyu nodded and quickly answered the call, turning on the speakerphone.
"Miss Youlan, it's me." A young man's voice came through the phone.
The moment she heard that voice, Bronya frowned instinctively. "Tch... just hearing his voice annoys me."
Durandal, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. She replied expressionlessly, "What is it?"
The man on the other end chuckled. "I'm outside your Studio. Can we meet?"
Durandal replied, "Just say whatever it is now."
The man didn't press the matter and instead sounded quite open-minded. "Then I'll be straightforward. Isn't your Studio looking for investment? I think you have a lot of potential, so I want to invest two million in you."
The girls exchanged looks after hearing the man's words.
He clearly worked in the gaming industry. Hadn't he been online recently? Did he not follow news from the gaming scene at all?
Honkai Impact 3rd was being discussed so much on Douyin, and MiHuYo's logo was so obvious...
Their Studio was about to take off, and only now had he come to invest?
"Sorry, Mr. Zhao. MiHoYo Studio is no longer under our control. You should speak with our new boss instead."
With that, Durandal directly hung up.
Her actions made Mo Li even more curious.
The girls were clearly easy to get along with. What had that guy done to make them dislike him so much...?
Image: Rita
The Girls Were Actually Being Targeted?
Outside the Studio.
Zhao Yi sat in his car with a gloomy expression.
It wasn't because Durandal had hung up on him, but because of what she had said at the end.
"New boss?"
He stared quietly at MiHoYo Studio's entrance, lost in thought.
He had learned about MiHoYo Studio by chance, and the instant he saw Durandal, he was utterly stunned.
Her flawless, breathtakingly beautiful face and her capable yet elegant figure made her seem like the perfect female lead who had stepped out of a comic.
With just one glance, that figure had been deeply etched into his mind.
Afterward, he made inquiries and learned that MiHoYo Studio was struggling to make ends meet and desperately needed investment. That was when he began entertaining improper thoughts.
When he approached Durandal under the guise of investment and then saw Bronya and the others at MiHoYo Studio, he was left standing there in a daze.
The entire Studio was filled with top-tier beauties... He felt as though he had entered paradise.
Subconsciously, he set himself a small goal—he had to win Durandal over at the very least. He absolutely wouldn't go home empty-handed.
As for why he didn't choose the others... naturally, it was because Durandal seemed a little adorably naive, so she should have been the easiest to win over compared to the rest.
But when they began discussing investment, Zhao Yi was immediately stumped.
How could he have had that much money to invest in MiHuYo back then...?
Thinking quickly, he used the excuse of observing the Studio for a while, hoping to visit MiHoYo Studio frequently.
But Rita and the others weren't innocent fools. They had long seen through Zhao Yi's little scheme.
After that, he had never set foot through MiHoYo Studio's doors again.
"Damn it! I was one step too late..."
Zhao Yi stared at MiHoYo Studio's entrance unwillingly.
Thanks to his uncle's connections, Zhao Yi had become a game producer at one of Tencent's Studios.
Tencent rarely made unprofitable deals. Under his uncle's guidance, a game he had planned would soon be released.
When that happened, he definitely wouldn't earn a small amount as the game producer.
But it would probably take another month or two before he made money, so he borrowed some money from friends. After gathering two million, he came to MiHoYo Studio at the first opportunity.
According to his calculations, the money he had prepared was enough to buy the entire Studio.
But he feared that after buying MiHoYo Studio, the girls would find work elsewhere. So he didn't plan to purchase MiHuYo outright and still intended to invest instead.
That way, he could enter MiHoYo Studio openly and honestly, then slowly win over the beautiful girls.
Although this investment was destined to be a losing deal, Zhao Yi felt that losing this little money was well worth it for the Studio's beautiful girls.
Unfortunately, ideas were beautiful, but reality was harsh.
Only after making that call just now did he learn that someone had actually beaten him to MiHuYo!
How could he tolerate that?
"A new boss, huh? Let's see what kind of thing you are." Zhao Yi cursed under his breath, picked up his phone again, and redialed Durandal's number.
The ringtone continued for a long time. Then, amid his slightly uneasy mood, the call was finally answered.
Before you continue