In the end, Xia Zhiyi helped Lin Li finish his homework quickly. However, Xia Zhiyi also said, "Just this once. I've given you the answers. Take some time to review them carefully later. If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me."
Lin Li made a hand gesture. "OK."
The next day, Xia Zhiyi went to a large class with Lin Li in the morning and received a text message from Xu Chen on the way.
[ Xu Chen: Xu Zixu's new album is almost ready. The tentative title is "Jianghu Yi" (Jianghu Intent), and it should be released around December.]
[ Xia Zhiyi: Hmm? Didn't you say it would be at the end of November?]
[ Xu Chen: Xu Zixu's agent is amazing! There's a martial arts game called " Jianghu " that's getting a major update on December 28th. The original head planner of " Jianghu " got promoted and a new planner was brought in. New managers are always eager to make a splash, and they wanted to find a spokesperson for the game. The news had barely spread when Xu Zixu snatched the job.]
Xia Zhiyi saw the message just as she and Lin Li entered the classroom and sat down in the middle seats.
" Lin Li." Xia Zhiyi's memory was excellent; upon seeing Xu Chen mention " Jianghu," she reacted quickly, "The online game you play, is it called Jianghu?"
Lin Li didn't think much of it. "Yes, its full name Jianghu Online, because there's also a single-player game called Jianghu. But generally speaking, when people talk about the online game Jianghu, this is definitely the one."
"What's wrong? You've suddenly become interested in playing games?"
Xia Zhiyi hummed in agreement, "It's nothing, I just heard that the game is getting a major update in December."
Lin Li: "Yeah, it's an online game. Jianghu gets a major update every year and minor updates every few months. Because it follows a historical timeline, each major update is based on historical facts. If you're serious about it, it can be a decent historical entertainment game."
At this time, Lin Li had no idea that Jianghu, a domestic online game that claimed to be a historical martial arts game set in the Xia Country, would gradually develop into a fantasy historical game in the years after the change of planners.
It's not that they drastically altered history; it's just that... well, they gradually shifted from the art style of a martial arts game to that of a fantasy game.
Well, they've simply gone from releasing a paid skin every few months to releasing one or even several skins a month. It's a blatant shift from a game about nostalgia to a game about making money.
However, at present, " Jianghu " is still a very popular online game with a good reputation, because it claims to be creating an online game unique to the Xia Country, and it has done so very seriously and successfully.
Xia Zhiyi had an impression of " Jianghu " not only because people around her played it, but also because in the original storyline, the game company behind " Jianghu " used the game IP they created to select several stories to film into a TV series.
Then they all pounced.
The game's storyline is perfectly fine; in fact, its excellent writing has become one of the game's selling points.
But if it's made into a TV series...
The female lead, Song Zhen, has no problem with her acting skills, but she clashes head-on with Gu Miaomiao, the character who is the "favorite daughter" of the plot and truly has the Protagonist Halo. Naturally, she gets slapped in the face repeatedly, which indirectly affects the drama itself.
Then there's the male lead, Yan Xunzhen, a dazzling movie star, glamorous and successful, but... he's a villain, a two-faced scoundrel. Just as the promotion of his drama clashed with another idol drama starring Gu Miaomiao, Yan Xunzhen was also exposed for secretly being married, having a child, and cheating on his wife, causing his reputation to plummet.
In addition, there are internet celebrities who are forced into the production by investors, and with all these factors combined, it would be strange if the TV series didn't flop.
But honestly, this IP is really good.
Even though the popularity of " Jianghu " declined in the later stages due to various reasons, and the team made several questionable moves that caused players to go from liking it to hating it, the early game storyline was truly excellent.
Xia Zhiyi: "What do you think of the game's storyline?"
Lin Li: "It's pretty good, but sometimes it's too close to historical fact. When I first started playing, I followed the storyline Zhenzhen, and then I found that some tragedies... even in the game, it seems like they can't be changed no matter what, which made my heart ache. So later on, I stopped paying attention to the storyline."
Lin Li sighed, "Even I was torn to shreds by the plot. Thinking about it, a lot of those plot points are based on historical facts, no wonder those young girls cry their eyes out playing the game."
Xia Zhiyi: "..."
So, this game IP is really good.
It was ruined.
What a pity.
Xia Zhiyi lost in thought.
Lin Li asked Xia Zhiyi, "So why are you suddenly asking this? Do you want to play? I can teach you, and you can even become my apprentice. There's an experience bonus between master and apprentice, so I guarantee you'll level up fast!"
"I don't need it," Xia Zhiyi declined with a smile. "I was just asking casually."
If Xu Zixu becomes the game's spokesperson, and the album release date is already set, it seems the promotion will be tied to the game. What about the previously filmed music video...?
As expected, Xia Zhiyi received a message at noon that Xu Zixu was asking him if he was interested in recording another game music video.
The idea was to have Xia Zhiyi play an NPC in the game and then film a music video based on the game's storyline. This was the opportunity that Xu Zixu's side secured for Xia Zhiyi to appear on screen.
Xu Chen's opinion is that it's okay to accept the call, but whether or not Xia Zhiyi her own decision.
Xia Zhiyi did not answer immediately.
After the morning classes ended, Xia Zhiyi returned to her dormitory and ate lunch while using a search program she had created on her computer to collect relevant information online.
" Teacher Xia," came Li Jing's slightly tired voice from the other end of the phone, "How did you do that? They really couldn't find you at all. If I hadn't told them, did they really not know you?"
Xia Zhiyi hummed in response.
Li Jing didn't necessarily need Xia Zhiyi's answer, nor did he mention his work in the past few days. He was still under review. Although he had been "recruited," it wasn't like the government would automatically trust someone like him just because he joined. A basic security review process was still necessary.
Especially hackers like Li Jing, who once went abroad and let loose online.
This wasn't about distrusting Li Jing, but rather about being responsible to the country.
That's why Xia Zhiyi isn't in a hurry to push this matter forward. This time also allows Xia Zhiyi to disguise himself and make his computer skills seem less conspicuous—after all, he learned them on his own after entering university.
Although somewhat surprising, this situation is actually quite common; talent can sometimes be just that extraordinary.
However, this was also because when Xia Zhiyi returned, it was not long after the start of the university semester.
Xia Zhiyi didn't have enough time to develop his character, nor was he foolish enough to believe that anyone would believe he was just an ordinary student one day and had reached max level skills the next.