Super Princess Storm

Not long after Xiang Kun his hotel room, Chang Bin also came back—because Wang Han hadn't come along, Chang Bin and he shared a standard room during their stay in Peng City.

"I never would have guessed. Lao Xia's brother seems so straightforward and honest, but when he plays cards, he's a master of disguise, a real cunning old fox!" Chang Bin said with a shake of his head as he entered the room.

He had just returned to the hotel and went to Xia Tianhuo's room to play cards with Zicheng and Yang Zhuo. They had just finished playing.

"Looks like you've lost big?" Xiang Kun laughed.

"It's alright, I only lost a little over 80 Genesis Coin. Zicheng was in a worse situation, losing over 400 Genesis Coin. His card skills are even worse than in college, hahaha," Chang Bin replied with a laugh.

The so-called "Genesis Coin" are in-game exchange items recently introduced in their game <Voice Genesis>. They can be used to purchase services such as modifying and saving the entire game process, and automatically editing the saved materials to remove blank waiting sections, eliminate unnecessary noise, and make the sounds of the same scene sound more like they are in the same space, giving the whole game a more radio drama feel.

After the new version update next week, users will be able to make some minor adjustments to their in-game voice, but for the time being, there won't be any major changes—not that it's impossible, but it's deliberately restricted. In fact, if someone is using a voice changer or other voice-changing methods while playing the game, they will be suspended from the game if detected.

The exchange rate between "Genesis Coin" and RMB is 1:1. Chang Bin and the other three are all players in this game, so they can naturally use "Genesis Coin" as chips for playing cards.

Seeing that most of the gifts piled up in the room were still unopened, Chang Bin couldn't help but urge him to open them out of curiosity, "Hurry up, see what gift Zicheng gave you. We agreed not to give you any gifts, but this kid actually gave you one himself."

Xiang Kun, Chang Bin, and Zi Cheng, a group of close friends, have never had the habit of exchanging birthday gifts. In college, they would always go out for a nice meal together on whoever's birthday, with the birthday person treating. After graduation, they would just announce someone's birthday in the WeChat group, and if they had time, they would go out for a meal together, with the birthday person still paying. However, in recent years, Zi Cheng has mostly been abroad, so it's usually just Xiang Kun and Chang Bin eating together. Of course, most of the time either Chang Bin is busy or Xiang Kun is working overtime.

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "I guess his fiancée asked him to deliver it."

Chang Bin nodded, "Yeah, probably. Girls are generally quite polite. Knowing I came to Peng City to surprise you for your birthday, Wang Han asked if I had prepared a gift, and I casually told her I had. But what I didn't tell her was that my gift was an empty stomach—I came to eat cake!"

Xiang Kun laughed, "Your waist is 36cm, isn't it? Eat less, Lao Chang... Hey, Zicheng's gift is pretty good."

After unwrapping the gift, he took out the contents, which was a Switch computer.

In fact, thanks to his extraordinary sensory abilities, Xiang Kun already knew what gifts most people gave him, including the Switch that Zi Cheng had given him, even without deliberately searching. However, knowing was one thing, but he still had to show some surprise.

"Looks like he chose it himself. Without his fiancée's advice, it's not original at all." Chang Bin shook his head in disappointment, then urged Xiang Kun to continue unpacking the gifts, "Come on, look at what the others gave. What's in that JD.com delivery box? It's wrapped in a supermarket plastic bag. This style is definitely Lao Xia's. Take a look, I'm really curious what gift Lao Xia will give you."

Xiang Kun picked up the cardboard box, opened it, took out the wads of paper used for cushioning, and took out a human skeleton model.

Chang Bin stared at the exquisitely crafted human skeleton model, which resembled a medical device, his mouth slightly agape. He remained stunned for several seconds before muttering to himself:

"Lao Xia's gift is so... unique..."

Xiang Kun chuckled and fiddled with the model's movable chin, saying, "I think it's quite cute, haha, just kidding. I visited Lao Xia's house before, and she has several of these medical-grade human models. I casually mentioned that I wanted one too."

Indeed, during the dinner at Lao Xia's house when Nana and Lao Xia mistakenly thought it was his birthday, he praised the several 1:1 scale models of human skeletons, internal organs, and muscles that Lao Xia displayed in his study. At that time, Lao Xia said that he would give them to him if he wanted them.

He was indeed studying human anatomy at the time, and having a physical model for reference would have been helpful. However, it's no longer necessary now, and Lao Xia knows he doesn't need it; the model isn't meant to be used.

This model is far smaller than the 1:1 scale model in Lao Xia's study, only about 40 centimeters tall, but it looks very exquisite and is quite different from ordinary medical skeletal models.

Xiang Kun knew that this birthday gift wasn't just from Lao Xia himself; it was something she and Alice had put together. The human skeleton was actually a 3D model that Alice created based on his skeletal proportions, which was then custom-made by a specialized service provider. Of course, Lao Xia was the one who paid for it.

Xiang Kun continued unwrapping gifts. Little Apple's gift was a palm-sized, sealed leaf specimen.

The veins on the leaf were very intricate, and at first glance they might even seem chaotic, but Xiang Kun could tell at a glance that the veins formed the characters for "birthday".

Xiang Kun knew that the leaves were created by Little Apple through "Little Radish," and it took a lot of effort.

He only glanced at it before putting it away. Chang Bin, who was next to him, didn't notice that the chaotic veins on the leaf contained two simplified Chinese characters. He assumed it was just some rare leaf and didn't pay any attention to it.

Xiang Kun opened the gift Tang Baona had given him. It was an 87-key red switch keyboard. Underneath the keyboard was a box containing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, similar in style to his old ones, but the quality was clearly a cut above the rest.

The glasses didn't come with lenses, so Xiang Kun was obviously supposed to find his own. However, Nana didn't know that the glasses Xiang Kun was currently wearing were all without prescription lenses.

Chang Bin opened the keyboard case, picked up the keyboard and played with it for a while, then said enviously, "Nana really knows how to choose gifts."

Xiang Kun smiled and nodded, tried on his glasses, and then unwrapped another gift—this one was from Yang Zhen'er.

Upon opening the box, even though he already knew what was going on, he was still somewhat dumbfounded when he saw the actual item.

Chang Bin, standing nearby, craned his neck to look, exclaimed "Huh?", then reached into the box and picked up two bottles, unable to suppress a laugh, "Shampoo and conditioner? Holy crap... Yang the Third's got guts! Hahahaha! What's that box down there? It's not hairspray, a comb, or something, is it? Hahahaha."

Xiang Kun picked up the box below, which contained a "normal" gift—a pair of sneakers.

Previously, everyone lived together in Chongyun Village, so it was quite easy for Yang Zhen'er to find out his shoe size.

Then came the gift from the Little Chubby Girl, which, like the gift she gave to Lao Xia, was a crayon drawing she had made herself.

Looking at the figure in the drawing, who seemed to have spotted an enemy and was preparing for battle, with only his back visible, Chang Bin couldn't stop laughing, "Even though we can't see his face, this bald guy... Little Bell, is that you in the drawing? Wearing armor, carrying a shield and bow and arrow, holding a magic wand in his left hand and a greatsword in his right, is this bald giant an archer, a greatswordsman, or a magician? Wait, isn't that a shield? That's Frying Pan, hahahaha."

Xiang Kun was quite pleased, because the painting had improved significantly. Whether it was the body proportions of the figures, the perspective structure, the color matching, or the outlines of various objects, it was already quite professional and had a professional feel to it.

Moreover, he knew that the Little Chubby Girl hadn't cheated by borrowing Alice's help; she had genuinely drawn it herself, stroke by stroke. She had listened to and learned from the teachings of Alice, Nana, and the Da Lu.

Compared to the painting that Little Chubby Girl and her mother placed at Xiang Kun's doorstep along with the rice cooker when they moved out of apartment 706, this painting is five or six levels better. No one would guess that it was painted by the same kindergarten child in less than a year.

Xiang Kun looked at the gift Zhang Qian had given him. It was a limited-edition souvenir specially made by Soaring Dragon Interactive Entertainment for the game <Voice Genesis>. This was a special, unfinished edition, number 001, with the words "<Voice Genesis> Father Xiang Kun's 31st Birthday: 2020.07.02" engraved on it.

The next morning, after Zhang Qian's introduction, they toured the company and tried out their game products in the company's dedicated experience room. Then, Mom Xiang Dad Xiang the "large group" to a restaurant next to the company for lunch.

In the afternoon Xiang Kun took his parents to a shopping mall in Peng City and bought them a lot of clothes, shoes, and accessories.

He didn't buy any expensive brands, but his Dad Xiang Mom Xiang used to being frugal and were quite averse to clothes priced over 200 yuan, believing it was a waste of money and unnecessary.

If it were the Xiang Kun of the past, he definitely wouldn't have been able to go against his parents' wishes and would have had no choice but to give up.

But now Xiang Kun can clearly grasp his parents' thoughts and knows from which angle to approach them.

So he used certain rhetoric, such as:

"This brand is actually very cost-effective, Mom. Do you know that celebrity whose last name is... you know, the one who's always advertising on TV? Yes, that one. The same jacket from that brand costs six figures, but this brand only costs five hundred. The quality is actually about the same, and it's all made of good materials. It's on sale now, so it's worth it."

"Mom, you look so beautiful in this dress! Xia, Nana, don't you think so? Even Yang the Third says so. Our third young lady is a rich heiress, and if she thinks so, it must be gorgeous. Mom, when you wear this to visit your relatives, everyone will compliment you! Haha, Mom, you don't look old at all. Don't you remember when you went to the company today, that girl from the administration department called you 'sister'? This dress makes you look young and elegant."

"The mall is having a promotion, 1000 off for every 8000 spent. Dad, if you buy these leather shoes, you'll just reach that amount. If you don't buy them, Mom won't be able to bring herself to buy them since they're so expensive. You look so imposing in them, like a leader, haha. I'm not just flattering you, you can ask Nana and Xia Xia, they're very honest."

Xiang Kun went to great lengths to finally convince his parents to accept the pile of things he had bought.

While paying by card, Tang Baona whispered with a laugh, "Xiang Kun, the way you acted in front of Auntie and Uncle just now was just like Yang the Third."

"My performance was much better than Yang the Third's, wasn't it?" Xiang Kun laughed.

The people in the mall complimented him, saying, "Handsome, you must have a sales background too. Your eloquence is amazing. If you had the time, I'd love to invite you to give our sales team a lesson."

"I've gone to so much trouble to talk this through, aren't you going to give me another 20% discount?" Xiang Kun replied with a smile.

The mall staff chuckled dryly, "Our promotion is already very generous..."

Yang Zhen'er leaned over and overheard this, then laughed and said, "That's a negative answer! You should have said: 'I'll definitely do it next time!'"

The people in the mall were confused, but Tang Baona found it funny and couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

Seeing this from not far away, Dad Xiang nodded with satisfaction and whispered to Mom Xiang, "Our son has indeed changed a lot. Look how well he knows how to please girls now."

Mom Xiang glanced at Xia Libing, who was talking to Little Apple, and sighed, "I'm just afraid she's too good at pleasing girls, sigh..."

After dinner in the evening, Xiang Kun saw his parents off at the airport and returned to Citong.

After staying in Peng City for a few more days, Xiang Kun also left, but this time he left alone, ostensibly for an inspection tour, and traveled to several cities across the country.

After perceiving John's multiple mutations and evolutions, the disintegration and devouring of multiple "Mutated Creature" in a "Hyper-Sensory State," and Mr. Liang's mutation and evolution process, Xiang Kun, although he has not yet fully found the origin of the mutations or completely determined the supersensory information pattern of the so-called "High-Dimensional Factor" or "Consciousness-Entangled Particle," has already created many applicable models with Alice.

For example, he has now found a way to postpone his blood-drinking cycle, from about once a week to a month or even longer.

This also gave him more time and space to operate, allowing him to go to farther places and handle things for longer periods of time.

This time, he spent nearly a month traveling all over the country with Alice's help to complete some "Super-Linked Object" that could not be achieved remotely.

Although he only has a month to prepare, he doesn't have many directly associated items, and the association won't be officially completed until he finishes the next blood-drinking event.

But he knew that once these connections were made, the quantitative change would lead to a qualitative change, Alice's speed of connecting with "Super-Linked Object" would increase exponentially.

September arrived in the blink of an eye.

In Chongyun Village, after Xiang Kun completed his first blood-drinking slumber in over a month, a large number of Super-Linked Object across the country and even the world began to establish connections.

Then, following the established pattern, under Alice's guidance, a large-scale "automated" association process began.

Among these, Tang Baona's songs, which were widely circulated online, became an excellent "catalyst." With Alice's assistance and the presence of "Super-Linked Object" in the vicinity, those who heard Tang Baona's singing and were slightly emotionally affected would become temporary "secondary Emotion-Infused Object," serving as an important springboard for Alice to "automatically" establish connections with "Super-Linked Object."

Under Alice's guidance, Nana's singing has become popular not only on the Chinese internet, but also in English-speaking countries and other countries around the world.

As the "Super-Linked Object" spreads, the songs of "Sugar Bean Princess" also spread, and these songs in turn help Alice to establish connections for the spread of the "Super-Linked Object," acting as catalysts for each other.

Initially, the "Sugar Bean Princess" was called "Sugar Princess" abroad, but over time, it became "Super Princess".

Many foreign media professionals and music critics couldn't understand why those few simply produced Chinese songs could become popular worldwide. Some called it the "Super Princess Virus," while others called it the "Super Princess Storm."

Many people want to find out the real identity of "Sugar Bean Princess". Many media outlets, video platforms and MCNs want to contact her and cooperate with her. However, after discussing with Xiang Kun Tang Baona and confirming her own ideas, Zhang Qian asked Zhang Qian to find someone to help Tang Baona contact Bilibili and other platforms, so that she would not cooperate with any individual or organization and would not be allowed to disclose her personal information.

There are all sorts of rumors about the identity of "Sugar Bean Princess" on the internet, but apart from people close to Tang Baona like Yang Zhen'er who already knew, there is no reliable truth online.

This was not entirely due to Zhang Qian's connections, but rather to Alice's mastery of online public opinion.

Any attempt to uncover the identity of "Sugar Bean Princess" will be misled or warned by Alice. If anyone who knows the identity and contact information of "Sugar Bean Princess" wants to profit from it, Alice will even remotely project the emotions of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" onto them.

In order to establish a global "super-sensory item matrix" as quickly as possible, Xiang Kun must rely on Tang Baona's "development" capabilities.

Therefore, Xiang Kun paid close attention to and attached great importance to any possible impact or interference on Nana, and Alice, who was in charge of execution, did the same, never allowing anything that might affect Nana to happen.

As a result, the mysterious super internet celebrity "Sugar Bean Princess" dominated the discussion for a long time across the country, giving rise to all sorts of legends and stories, and her songs were played everywhere.

Globally, a "super princess storm" is raging, a phenomenon that defies comprehension by all analysts.