Outside the café, several young women hid behind cars in the parking spaces, observing Keqing's meeting through binoculars.
"He's a handsome guy! Such a sweet face~~ And he looks so young!"
The white-haired girl stared excitedly at Ye Ming, who might become the studio's "savior."
"Huh? Really? Let me see!"
Upon hearing words like "handsome," "sweet," and "young," the mature-looking red-haired woman beside her eagerly snatched the binoculars from Kiana's hands.
As she admired Ye Ming's appearance and manner of speaking, she fantasized aloud:
"Not bad at all. It'd be great if we could work with someone like him long-term."
"Are you looking for a boyfriend or an investor?" Kiana teased.
"What's wrong with a boyfriend? I've had more than enough of being single."
At the mention of her seemingly endless single years, Himeko nearly squeezed a crack into the binoculars in her hands.
"Everyone in the studio is single. Only Auntie Himeko is in such a hurry."
Before Kiana could finish, Himeko grabbed her head and said with a terrifyingly kind smile:
"Guess~~ which little cutie keeps calling me Auntie, making me anxious about my age every day and desperate to find someone?"
"My bad, Himeko A... Sis."
Kiana had wanted to keep talking back, but the continual cracking sounds from her skull forced her to yield.
"So, why aren't we observing from inside the café?"
The girl with twin drill curls wore an expression full of question marks as she complained:
"Wouldn't that be more convenient? And the patrol officers wouldn't suspect us of being stalkers."
"Can't be helped. Our studio's out of money."
Kiana shrugged and sighed.
"Going into the café means ordering something. Even the cheapest latte costs thirty-six a cup, and we can't even afford rent right now."
Himeko explained as well:
"Actually, hiding here doesn't do much. We're mainly worried that Keqing might run into bastards like Penguin again."
"Exactly!"
Kiana stomped her foot and said indignantly:
"What happened last time made me so mad! If I see them again, I'll definitely..."
"Shh! It looks like the two of them have reached an agreement."
Himeko held down the excited Kiana. Keqing and Ye Ming, visible through the binoculars, had made a new move as well.
"I... I don't understand..."
Keqing asked with a puzzled expression:
"Those are the only conditions for the investment?"
"What's wrong? Are they too excessive?"
"No, no, no!"
Keqing hurriedly shook her head.
"Thirty million in funding, only to become a member of our studio. Other than recovering development costs, your treatment regarding profits will be the same as ours..."
"We have no reason to refuse terms like that."
Actually, Ye Ming had not intended to offer such generous terms. After all, the money had been borrowed by consuming power, and it had to be repaid.
But he had never expected Keqing to be a member of MiHoYo...
He had once reset the world itself to give them happiness. Would he care about this little bit of money?
"Since you agree, let's sign the contract."
"Huh? Um..."
Keqing was a little nervous. Ye Ming's terms were too favorable, making it difficult not to suspect there was some sort of trap.
Even so, Keqing could not view the man before her with any malice, as if he had never betrayed her trust...
"Even though this is our first meeting."
"Did you say something just now?"
"Ah! I meant... the contract can wait. Why don't you visit our studio first?"
"Sounds good. I'd like to see your working environment too."
The two drove to a sparsely populated neighborhood beyond the Third Ring Road, with Himeko and the others following behind in their own car.
After arriving, Keqing introduced the place with a trace of embarrassment:
"This is where we work."
"That's pretty rough."
It was a small three-story building, not even an office building. Judging by the peeling exterior walls, renting the entire place probably did not cost much.
The two went up to the second floor, where they primarily worked and held meetings. The moment the door opened, Ye Ming was startled by the sight before him.
"Keqing, welcome back~~"
A curvaceous young woman, whose every movement exuded gentleness, walked up with a smile and looked at Keqing and Ye Ming.
"So this is the person willing to provide funding... Oh?"
The girl tilted her head, her white hair cascading like a waterfall, her emerald eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Sir, have we met somewhere before?"
"Right? I thought Ye Ming looked familiar too!"
Keqing and the girl immediately hit it off, then Keqing introduced her:
"This is A-Tzu, our strategic consultant."
The girl called A-Tzu moved exactly like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata from back then.
If she was here, then little Nahida had to be here too.
"I didn't expect everyone to be back."
Ye Ming also spotted Ganyu dozing off in front of a computer, as well as Raiden Makoto handling documents.
"We're back~~"
When Himeko, Bronya, and the others returned, Ye Ming felt even more strongly that, when the world had been reshuffled, they had somehow remained together.
"I suddenly feel that thirty million isn't enough. Let's just double it."
"Huh?"
At that moment, time seemed to freeze. Every girl walking around stiffened in place, their faces filled with shock.
"Seriously?!"
Kiana was so excited that she nearly jumped up. Her restless little hand happened to smack Bronya in the face, making Bronya so angry that she bit her on the spot.
Ganyu, who had been dozing moments ago, was jolted awake by the number. She even pinched her soft cheek, hoping the pain would prove that this was not a dream.
"System, help me take out another thirty million loan."
Loan completed. Transferring funds to the studio.
"It really came through!"
The girls looked at the account in ecstatic delight. At the same time, Raiden Makoto stepped forward and said softly:
"Everyone, let's celebrate properly tonight~! Consider it a welcome party for Ye Ming."
"That's great..."
Before anyone else could react, Ganyu let out a long breath and revealed a weary smile.
"But now that we finally have enough operating capital in our account, we should get to work immediately. We can't slack off."
Keqing folded her arms, looking as decisive as ever. Upon hearing that, Ganyu's face turned pale again, as though her soul had left her body.
"Life always has more bitterness than sweetness. Every fleeting moment of happiness should be remembered. Keqing, aren't you happy?"
"I am happy... Fine, we'll do as Makoto says."
After even Keqing, the biggest workaholic, nodded, everyone else in the studio cheered.
"Fleeting happiness, huh? That really is your style."
Ye Ming looked at Makoto appreciatively while growing curious about where her younger sister Ei was.
Unlike A-Tzu and Nahida, Makoto and Ei had originally been nearly the same age. Could Ei be working somewhere else?
The Mind Forgot, but the Body Still Remembered
"Cheers~!"
After arriving at the restaurant, the group raised their glasses in celebration, then drained their drinks in one go.
"Ahh~~! It's been so long since I drank this freely."
Himeko looked thoroughly delighted, as if her body and soul had melted into the bubbles of the draft beer.
"Take it easy. Ye Ming is still here."
"It's fine, it's fine~~ I'm nowhere near drunk yet."
"But it'll be too late once you are."
As Himeko's drinking buddy, Makoto said with a smile:
"Do you want Ye Ming to see what you look like when you're drunk and causing trouble?"
"Pfft!"
Ye Ming nearly laughed out loud. After all, he knew Himeko's drunken antics far too well.
"Ganyu, go say hello to Ye Ming."
On the other side, A-Tzu was persuading Ganyu, who was buried in her food, to approach Ye Ming.
"I-I'll talk to him tomorrow..."
Ganyu secretly glanced at Ye Ming, only to meet his gaze at that exact moment.
Embarrassed, she immediately lowered her head and continued eating with flushed cheeks.
"Why are you so shy?"
"I don't want Ye Ming to see me eating."
"Then just don't eat for now."
"But I'm hungry, and the more nervous I get, the more I want to eat."
Ganyu's aggrieved expression looked just like a crying cat meme, but the more anxious she became, the harder it was for her little mouth to stop moving.
"Watch closely, A-Tzu. This is what you do at a time like this~! Heh~"
Himeko hugged Ganyu from behind, lifted her up in one motion, then carried her over to Ye Ming.
"Let me introduce you. She's our lead programmer. Her workload is huge every day, so she's always hungry."
"I've already quit sweets, and I don't drink anymore either. It's fine as long as I'm just eating normally!"
Ganyu waved her hands as she defended herself, her cheeks so hot they could have cooked the grains of rice at the corners of her mouth.
"You usually don't care that much about your figure. What's going on today?"
"Because... I don't want Ye Ming to know I've gotten fat..."
Before you continue