"Sorry that neither my sister nor I are any good at cooking."
After that little farce, everyone else got off work, while Mei followed Ye Ming to the office.
It was funny, really. Ye Ming's investment contract only said that he wanted to become part of the studio, yet he had now become the actual boss. Big or small, every decision was Ye Ming's to make.
"Are you Ye Ming?"
Mei wore an office-lady uniform, and beneath her tight skirt, her black stockings revealed a rosy hue... Wait, perhaps they were more than just stockings.
At the neckline stretched open by Mei's ample chest, a layer of sheer black fabric could be seen. She was probably wearing a black skintight bodysuit beneath her jacket.
"Um... Mr. Ye Ming, is there something strange about me?"
Noticing Ye Ming's heated gaze, Mei's pretty face also flushed red.
"Oh, I just thought it was already quite late. Let's hurry up and discuss your compensation, then sign the contract."
"Huh? You don't need to assess me first?"
"It's fine. Since Kiana introduced you, there definitely won't be any problem."
Hearing Ye Ming's assurance, Mei asked in surprise:
"Does Kiana hold a high position in the company?"
"Hmm..."
Ye Ming tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering:
"When Himeko is under a lot of pressure, Kiana can serve as a punching bag for her to vent on. She's quite useful."
"Is Miss Himeko under that much pressure? Does she need someone specifically assigned to help her relieve stress?"
"That's right. Himeko's stress is actually all caused by Kiana, so in that case..."
Ye Ming said with a smile:
"How about we fire Kiana?"
"Please don't do that!"
That night, after completing her onboarding procedures, Mei returned home. Kiana, who had been watching TV, immediately ran over and asked happily:
"Mei~! What are we having for dinner?"
"..."
Seeing Mei's worried expression, Kiana asked curiously:
"What's wrong? Did the interview not go well?"
"Kiana, work harder at the company from now on."
"Huh? Why are you suddenly lecturing me?"
"I want to work with you, so..."
Mei held Kiana by the shoulders and said seriously:
"Don't get fired."
"Mei, you... Did Ye Ming threaten you?"
A thought suddenly struck Kiana:
"Did he covet your beauty and tell you, 'Miss Mei, you wouldn't want Kiana to get fired, would you?'"
"Huh? Of course not."
"Really? Then nothing happened between you and Ye Ming?"
"Of course not!"
Mei said somewhat aggrievedly:
"Although Ye Ming is a very charming person, and he gives off such a strong sense of familiarity, as if I had known him a long time ago..."
The more Mei spoke, the less confident she became. In the end, she could only turn her face away.
She was not even sure she could tell Kiana:
Ye Ming and I only met for the first time. Nothing strange will happen between us.
"Then... did you and Ye Ming do motion capture?"
Kiana suddenly remembered the important matter she wanted to ask about. Today, she was going to clear herself of the accusation of having a bad figure.
"We did."
Mei nodded.
"How did it feel?"
"Huh? Wh-why would you ask that?"
Although Mei did not answer, her face had reddened all the way to her ears, already revealing the answer.
"Did you feel something strange too? Just like Auntie Himeko and the others?"
"Not, not that strange. It was just..."
Perhaps remembering that bone-deep pleasure, Mei immediately covered her burning face.
"So you did feel something!"
Kiana completely broke down. Bronya had been right, but she still refused to accept it.
Kiana abruptly hugged Mei and kneaded her curvaceous body with both hands, then exclaimed:
"When did you develop so well?"
"How am I supposed to answer that?"
"Damn it, I always thought we were in the same league! Looks like I was too careless!"
Though Kiana felt deeply betrayed, she did not stay depressed for long. Soon, she began asking questions on all the major knowledge-sharing platforms:
"Can girls still develop after turning eighteen?"
A moment later, Kiana actually received a reply:
"Definitely. Just drink more milk and eat more papaya."
The person who gave that answer had the ID: "Houmu is never enough."
Kiana followed up with, "How do you know? Personal experience?"
And this HOMU user replied:
"A reliable person told me that I would develop very well over the next few years. I'm already seventeen, so that must mean it'll happen after I turn eighteen."
.
.
The Joy of Success, Nahida
After that, Ye Ming released a trailer every day, cleverly incorporating the element of "time" into them.
The time in the subtitle, "The Third Honkai Eruption, 2 years and 5 months ago..." changed every day.
This was no longer merely building anticipation. It was practically hooking the players' souls.
As a result, on launch day, the number of concurrent players exceeded everyone's expectations, placing enormous pressure on the servers.
"Bronya, how is it on your end? Can you hold on?"
"I'm trying."
Activating backup servers and improving the database architecture, Bronya's fingers moved like a swarm of dancing hornets.
"I'll dynamically neuter the server regions."
"I'll guide the players to other servers!"
"I'm heading to the server room to find a way to cool it down."
For the game's stability, everyone worked without pause. They seemed to have forgotten time and exhaustion, focused only on giving their efforts from this period a good ending.
"The servers are gradually stabilizing, and there aren't any bugs in the game!"
"We... succeeded..."
By ten at night, everyone's sweat had been dried by the evening breeze. Looking at the stable data and gratifying revenue, they all began to cheer.
"Results like this feel like a dream."
The girls opened the windows and shouted toward the empty streets... They had suppressed their feelings for far too long.
Every failed game had been their blood and sweat, and every failure had left the girls deeply saddened.
But this time, they had finally succeeded once. Moreover, the story they showed the world had themselves as its protagonists.
"Ye Ming! We really have you to thank this time!"
Himeko was the first to hug Ye Ming. Then, like a human pile-up, all the girls pounced on him.
Bronya watched everyone lose control with an expressionless face. Then she walked over to the immobilized Ye Ming and secretly took his hand.
Then... a joyful curve appeared on that face that seemed to have forgotten how to smile.
"It's my first time seeing Bronya smile."
"Is this another miracle Ye Ming brought about?"
"Huh? Bronya smiled? Where? I want to take a picture!"
After Kiana's fussing, Bronya's expression returned to its "???" state.
"You jerk, can't you let me see it?"
"No. If an idiot sees it, Bronya will become an idiot too."
Although Bronya was no longer smiling, she did not let go of Ye Ming's hand for a long time.
Even after the girls moved away from Ye Ming one by one, Bronya still did not release his hand.
"The atmosphere at this workplace is so nice~~"
A petite girl who looked as though she had been made from the same mold as A-Tzu, only much smaller overall, said:
"It's just like a family."
"Nahida! Sorry! We were so busy today that I completely forgot about you."
Only then did A-Tzu realize that her younger sister had also been at the company and had stayed with everyone until late at night.
"It's okay. I'm also very happy to experience the joy of seeing hard work rewarded."
Sitting in a chair and swinging her chubby little feet, Nahida smiled obediently.
"Nahida handled everyone's logistical support just now."
Ye Ming stroked Nahida's head. Perhaps it felt too comfortable, but Nahida became so immersed in it that she actually burrowed into Ye Ming's arms like a cat, asking to be petted.
"Ah! Nahida has never acted this spoiled with me!"
A-Tzu looked at the two of them enviously, yet for a moment, she did not know which one she should be jealous of.
"Ye Ming! Let's go celebrate!"
"This time, we need to drink to our hearts' content!"
Kiana and Himeko's suggestion immediately won everyone's approval. Only A-Tzu said apologetically:
"You all go ahead. I need to take Nahida home first."
"There's no need. I want to go with everyone too."
Nahida said softly:
"I understand the effects of alcohol very well. Everyone's behavior will not have a negative influence on me, and staying up late once in a while will not do much harm to my body. I'm still full of energy."
Before you continue