The full moon hung high, its silver glow spilling across the land.
Within the deep, secluded chamber, moonlight bathed the floor, and a subtle fragrance wafted through the air.
"Yes!"
A delicate voice emanated from Room 302, its owner clutching her fists, brimming with excitement.
Bai Zhiyuan's cheeks were flushed, the pure white skin of her neck tinged with a faint pink from the lingering intensity of her emotions.
In her life, aside from games, there were few people or events that could stir such strong emotions within her, Lu Li being the exception.
She had never imagined she would take such a bold first step, and to receive an affirmative reply!
"He's going!"
Clutching the phone she had just received the message on to her chest, the usually stern and aloof senior executive, who maintained a professional demeanor at work, was now in a state of delightful disarray, like a schoolgirl receiving her first love letter.
It was all because of Lu Li.
Her long-dormant heartstrings had once again vibrated with life and vitality.
The two had exchanged private contact information after Bai Zhiyuan posted a video, which Lu Li described as a commemoration of "being the first to discover the secret of the Jackal helmet's easter egg."
How meaningful!
Bai Zhiyuan had been happy for months because of this special commemoration, and the gloom of her frenzied overtime during that period had been completely swept away.
However,
Regrettably, both were busy individuals and extremely socially anxious.
This resulted in no further contact for over a month, despite having each other's information, beyond a brief greeting after they were connected.
On many nights, Bai Zhiyuan had wanted to break free from her inhibitions and initiate a conversation, but she had repeatedly dismissed the idea due to the lack of a suitable reason.
She wanted to leave a good impression on him.
It wasn't until a meeting today, when she learned that the Shencheng government intended to take the lead in organizing a seminar on the future direction of VR games, and that Lingjing, a strong dark horse in the past two years, was notably listed, that Bai Zhiyuan's thoughts began to stir.
As Lingjing's most prominent game designer, and having led the development of two blockbuster VR games, Lu Li might also be among the invited guests.
However, whether the other party would be willing to come was uncertain. Similar seminars were held daily in various corners of the world, and while official initiatives were few, they were not mandatory.
After all, Lingjing, as such a large company, could not possibly have only Lu Li as its core backbone.
Therefore, it was now that she found the opportunity to gather her courage and take that historic step.
Whether he went or not was irrelevant; the important thing was that she had found a reason to communicate with him, making future contact more convenient, and that was the most crucial aspect.
Of course,
If Lu Li were to attend, she wouldn't want to miss this opportunity either.
After much deliberation, the slightly reserved Bai Zhiyuan finally typed a few words on her phone and sent them: " (^o^)/ Mhm, I'm going too."
Then, she skipped over to the dressing table, meticulously selecting an outfit.
"Work attire: black suit, OL style with black stockings. How should I dress for personal time..."
...
*Ding dong!!*
Bai: " (^o^)/ Mhm, I'm going too."
"Heh~"
Upon receiving the reply, Lu Li smiled faintly and rubbed his nose, "This tech-savvy up has a bit of a girlish heart."
It wasn't a preconceived notion; in his understanding, anyone who enjoyed using emoticons had a girlish/boyish heart.
Like him, such a pure, manly, steel-like man never used emoticons, nor did he send stickers. Simple, concise text messages were the mark of a mature man.
Bai Zhiyuan, the up, had left a deep impression on him, after all, her contribution was part of the reason why many of Lingjing's games had become hits.
Although they were mutually beneficial and complementary, in the end, it was the larger entity, Lingjing, that profited more.
However, what impressed Lu Li the most was this up's almost obsessive masochistic tendency towards gaming.
This point had sparked a strong interest in Lu Li, who enjoyed witnessing players being "hurt" and "tortured." He felt it would be more rewarding to make players who could endure such "pain" and "torture" break down.
Now, simply experiencing the streamer's breakdown no longer held strong appeal for Lu Li.
Too much excitement had numbed his senses, raising his threshold.
Having everything, Lu Li's only hobby was this, but because it was too niche, he hadn't been happy for a long time.
"But I'm going to the seminar to discuss technology and understand the future development path of the industry. What is she going for?"
Lu Li pondered for a moment and came to a conclusion: Bai Zhiyuan's home was near Shencheng, and this so-called seminar might be held concurrently with an event similar to a comic or game exhibition.
The industry leaders participating in the discussions from all directions could simultaneously experience the charm of the more open Shencheng exhibition while completing their research tasks.
In short: a trip funded by the company.
A high-EQ statement: promoting urban development, showcasing the city's cultural charm, and driving industry progress.
And Bai Zhiyuan was probably planning to... ambush me at the game exhibition?
Lu Li's expression changed slightly. As a professional game designer, he had a keen sense for the recent influx of challenging content in VR games, the high difficulty of Sekiro, and how no player had yet unlocked all endings, making resentment normal.
"But thinking about ambushing a designer offline is impolite, student Bai Zhiyuan."
With a wry smile, Lu Li set his phone aside and got back to business.
Lu Li was somewhat curious about this "online friend" he had never met, but not overly so. More than anything else, he preferred her to stream games and then be broken down by the game.
Making players with such a disposition break down might bring him a sense of accomplishment.
He didn't consider anything more profound.
He wouldn't be so narcissistic as to believe that all the beautiful girls in the world fell for him, a manly designer. He considered it a blessing that they didn't ambush him offline.
Organizing the emotions he had collected over the past few months, Lu Li was somewhat surprised.
After spending 5 billion in emotional value, he had managed to accumulate nearly 8 billion again. He had to admit, Sekiro's ability to torment players was truly remarkable.
"Another eight billion emotional points. What VR game should I work on next?"
With too many game ideas coming to mind, Lu Li was momentarily stumped. "Should I add some horror elements? Would incorporating horror elements in VR games scare players into developing issues?"
Images of "P.T.", "Dead Space", and "Outlast" flashed through his mind, many of which had been hugely popular on PC in his previous life.
Considering the finished product, the degree of horror, and safety concerns, Lu Li felt "Dead Space" was more suitable for adaptation into the VR world among the three.
"P.T." was an unfinished product, and he feared that the "Qingshan Mental Hospital" would cause problems for players who got too scared by "Outlast." It was one of the games that had genuinely terrified him in his previous life, and he hadn't dared to play it a second time.
"Or perhaps, create something post-apocalyptic?"
"At worst, how about something high-quality and critically acclaimed?"
...