There Was Light in Their Eyes!

[Question: Which game from the Qixi Game Festival was your favorite?]

The next day, someone posted that very question.

Qixi had released far too many games. Players weren't suckers; they couldn't possibly empty their wallets for a bunch of garbage games.

'Thanks for the invite. I think Black Star's Overcooked was the most fun. I played it with my girlfriend that night, we argued and broke up, then the next day she sent me the game link and we got back together.'

'That's way too real. This breakup was simply inevitable.'

'This is Qixi Festival! What the hell was that old thief thinking!!!'

'Is the highest-spec gaming setup really friends? I went to get back together with my ex just to play, and we broke up again that very day.'

'Hahaha, good thing I have my bros. Though my bros aren't talking to me anymore.'

Under that question, nearly everyone was discussing the game called Overcooked.

Every so often, one or two people mentioned how their eyes had teared up while playing other games.

'I haven't played the game you mentioned, but my eyes teared up playing Overcooked too, because I argued with my girlfriend over the game and we broke up.'

'Then we got back together not long after breaking up and kept playing.'

'I call it the best co-op game!'

[Ding! Sprout Studio has gone live! Come check it out!]

Shark Live pushed the notification to every user's phone.

Xiao Zhou sat awkwardly in front of the camera. Looking at the hundred thousand viewers flooding into the stream, he gave an embarrassed smile.

"H-Hello, everyone~~"

It wasn't even peak streaming hours, yet a hundred thousand viewers had poured in within seconds, shooting the stream straight to the top of the timeslot rankings.

'???'

'Don't you know what you did last night? How dare you stream today!'

'Give me back my girlfriend!'

'Answer me—what kind of person could design a game like this?'

'Where's that old thief? Tell him to come out and face death! Don't think I won't slap him just because he looks young!'

Watching the barrage of comments, Xiao Zhou felt like he had grievances he couldn't voice, but at the same time, he felt immensely proud.

After all, he had helped make this game too.

He could tell that although players talked about mailing knives, they absolutely loved the game in their hearts.

He could feel it in every word they wrote.

"First, let me answer everyone's first question: what part of the game was I responsible for? I was responsible for where the fire extinguisher was placed." Xiao Zhou looked at the comments, unable to stop smiling.

'Where's your face? Get it over here so I can slap it!'

'Are all the employees at that old thief's studio like this? (confused face)'

'The ancients truly did not deceive us. Where there is a Crouching Dragon, there is a Fledgling Phoenix.'

'Got to hand it to you, you bunch of bastards!'

Xiao Zhou laughed so hard he could barely contain himself. He hadn't originally been that wicked.

During the game's development, the old thief had only set the general framework. The details had all been left for the employees to arrange.

For example, where the fire extinguisher went, and where the sinks and chopping boards were placed.

At first, he had wanted to put the fire extinguisher closer to the fire source, because that way, when the kitchen caught fire, players could grab it immediately and put out the flames.

But when the old thief saw where he had put it, he immediately said no.

The old thief had said, 'Why not put it farther away?'

"I actually know all the questions everyone wants to ask. Why make a game on Qixi Festival that causes everyone to argue and even break up?" Xiao Zhou composed his expression.

"Our original intention wasn't to make everyone break up. We wanted everyone to strengthen their relationships during the game."

The moment he finished speaking, he saw the comments rebutting him.

'The arguments happen way too often. We fight nonstop in every level.'

Xiao Zhou shook his head. "Don't people always say that you can tell whether a marriage is good by looking at the kitchen?"

"Complaints like, 'I've worked all day and I'm exhausted, so why do I still have to cook?' may not be spoken aloud, but they've already become one of the major sources of conflict in marriage."

As Xiao Zhou began explaining the reasons to everyone, the comments gradually quieted down.

Because they realized that the other side had genuinely studied this issue. They hadn't casually made a chaotic, conflict-inducing game just to tear couples apart.

"The kitchen has always been called a breakup holy ground and a touchstone for marriage. Based on the data we gathered, we discovered that the kitchen was actually the place where couples argued most, because deciding who handled the cleaning was the perfect reason to fight."

"The kitchen is considered the heart of the home. It's where relationships are maintained, but it's also filled with resentment and passive-aggressive behavior."

"I'm sure every family has bickered over all sorts of trivial matters: whether a dishcloth should be used to wipe down the kitchen counter, how long expired food can still be eaten, who cooks, who cleans up, and how to use the dishwasher properly."

"If the conflicts in the game come from unfamiliarity with the controls and poor coordination between two people, then we hope everyone can treat the game as an opportunity."

"An opportunity for honest communication, to promptly resolve the unspoken dissatisfaction that has quietly built up in daily life."

"Dating doesn't involve the daily necessities of life, but marriage must endure rough polishing before it can possibly become a pearl."

Xiao Zhou earnestly finished explaining the purpose behind making the game.

The stream fell silent. What Xiao Zhou had described seemed to be exactly what happened in everyday life.

The game was simple and fun. Just as many people had done, most would still eagerly run back to their lovers and start playing again after an argument.

Because the game was fun, and temporary unhappiness could be cast aside.

But what about life?

At that moment, gifts flooded the livestream, and the viewer count surged as well.

Xiao Zhou stared blankly at the gifts flashing across the screen and the livestream audience that had surpassed one million.

He had to know that this stream had been entirely the old thief's prank, a punishment-style lottery draw.

Making him stream had been nothing more than the old thief's twisted sense of humor.

Yet just now, he had merely repeated to the players what the old thief had said during a meeting.

He didn't even remember it all that clearly, and there had been some omissions in his retelling. Even so, he had still earned the players' approval.

Looking at the frenzied fans in the livestream, Xiao Zhou couldn't help raising his head. He felt the corners of his eyes grow damp.

Looking at the fans and players in the stream, he felt as though he were seeing himself.

That day, after the old thief accepted Shen Keke's challenge, he had gathered everyone in the meeting room.

He explained the design philosophy behind Overcooked, explaining why they had made such a game.

Back then, everyone at Sprout Studio had been just like the fans in the livestream now—

There was light in their eyes.