TNSFC – Chapter 64

Everyone in the company was a bit curious about the boss bringing a little girl. When Xie Yanhuai came to deliver documents, he also gave the little girl a piece of candy.

Xiaoxiao sat obediently in Que Yining’s office, playing with a Rubik’s Cube in her hands.

Que Yining touched the little girl’s face and asked, “Xiaoxiao, are you bored?”

Xiaoxiao shook her head. She was wearing a new dress, like a quiet, pretty doll.

“Then Youngest Aunt will go to a meeting first. You sit here and wait for me, okay? If you want to eat something, just go find the big sister outside. If Mom and Dad call and ask, you have to remember what I told you before, okay?”

Que Yining bent down and wiggled her pinky finger at Xiaoxiao.

“Mhm! It’s a secret.”

Xiaoxiao put her finger up and made a pinky promise with Que Yining.

Que Yining walked out and went to the conference room for a meeting.

Since Galaxy Watch was launched on the trial server, it had sparked a heated discussion among teenagers. Many players who couldn’t get into the closed beta were urging for the official server to open. Numerous posts discussing strategies and tutorials had appeared on major game forums.

“We’ve already coordinated with the partnered streaming platforms. They’ve created a dedicated section, arranged for traffic promotion, and some streamers have already started broadcasting related content.”

Li Suyin briefly presented the details, and the various work groups also began to report their respective progress.

“We’ve collected relevant player feedback and plan to start balance optimizations. The heroes for the official server launch are ready…”

The planning team leader introduced their upcoming new characters, and the concept art team and the modeling team started their daily bickering again.

The concept art team said, “My drawings are so beautiful, why do your models look so… indescribable?” The modeling team retorted, “You make it sound easy, why don’t you try modeling it then!”

“You can take your time, but don’t be sloppy. I’ve seen the new models that are about to be released. That face… is that a design preference of yours?”

Que Yining tapped the table, looking at Xie Yanhuai with a slight frown.

“I think it’s okay, it has a rather youthful feel…”

Xie Yanhuai, unexpectedly called out, cleared his throat and said.

“Optimize it further.”

Que Yining looked at the cosmetic surgery-like face with apple cheeks that looked like they were about to explode, and frowned.

Que Yining’s phone vibrated. She picked it up and looked at it, then gestured for everyone to be quiet as she answered the call.

“Okay, thank you.”

Que Yining exchanged a few words with the person on the other end and hung up.

“There’s good news,” her gaze swept over the members in the conference room, her lips curved into a smile. “The approval went through, the publication number has been issued, and it’s going through the procedures.”

“Yes!”

Xie Yanhuai excitedly pounded the table, and everyone cheered together.

Having the publication number meant the game’s official server could be launched. This also meant they would become even busier.

Que Yining’s meeting lasted for an hour and a half. Unlike other bosses, Que Yining paid close attention to the game’s details. She understood everything, so her subordinates didn’t dare to deceive her. After thoroughly discussing and finalizing the details, Que Yining announced the end of the meeting.

When she returned to her office, Que Yining found that the skewb cube Xiaoxiao had been holding was now solved and placed on the table. Xiaoxiao was looking down, playing on a phone, and familiar music was coming from it.

“Xiaoxiao, how did you start playing a game?”

“Youngest Aunt’s phone, which was left here, had this on it, so I got curious and picked it up to play for a bit.”

Xiaoxiao looked up and replied, politely looking into Que Yining’s eyes as she answered.

Xiaoxiao was, of course, playing Galaxy Watch. Que Yining glanced at the screen. She had chosen the Empire faction and was controlling ‘Empire Rose’ Afra.

This was an assassin-type female hero with high burst damage and high kill potential, but very low health. However, her ultimate ability had a damage immunity effect, often allowing her to escape death. Since her release, she had been dubbed an overpowered hero. Because of her exquisite model and concept art, her high price in the store, and being the only hero currently with two skins, she was jokingly called ‘Qingyun’s own daughter’ by players.

In fact, this hero was indeed favored by Qingyun Studio. Because when the planners and Xie Yanhuai were designing her, they used Que Yining as a prototype. Even for the promotional art, they couldn’t help but draw her based on Que Yining’s face, though it was eventually modified to only bear a slight resemblance.

Of course, Xie Yanhuai and the others hadn’t told Que Yining when they did this. When the final product was ready, Xie Yanhuai had nervously explained that they used her likeness because her temperament was a perfect fit, hoping she wouldn’t feel offended. Que Yining didn’t mind such things. She only cared about the game’s playability and balance. She trusted the planners with character creation, only checking the results later.

“This hero is quite difficult, Xiaoxiao. Do you know how to play her?”

Que Yining didn’t directly criticize the child for playing games. She sat beside her, watching and asked curiously.

Xiaoxiao didn’t speak, maneuvering her character into the bushes.

A Federation android walked in unsuspectingly. Afra closed in and unleashed her skills, sending it back to its base.

“Xiaoxiao, you’re amazing.”

Que Yining watched her little niece’s gameplay, then looked at her own hands in doubt.

When she played this character, her combos weren’t even this smooth. And Xiaoxiao had probably just started playing this game, right?

“Youngest Aunt, did you guys make this game? Just now, when I was standing here, I clipped through this spot.”

Faced with praise, Xiaoxiao gave a shy smile. Then, she dragged the camera view with her finger, indicating where she had just clipped through the model.

“Okay, I’ll have someone fix it. Let me know when you finish this match, okay? Youngest Aunt will take you to eat something.”

Xiaoxiao nodded and continued playing the game with her head down.

Que Yining sent a message to Xie Yanhuai asking him to check it. She herself looked at some reports for a while, then browsed the game section. After getting a general understanding, she went to watch some livestreams.

She had only approved the project to collaborate with streaming platforms; Li Suyin had handled the negotiations. After entering the platform, she indeed found a dedicated section for her own game. However, it still seemed relatively unpopular. There weren’t many streamers live, and it was quite deserted compared to other dedicated game sections.

Que Yining knew this was only temporary. Once the official server was launched and more players joined, this place would definitely be bustling.

She clicked on the most popular stream at the top of the list. The streamer was playing Frost Woman. This female hero was somewhat special to Que Yining, so she didn’t click away and watched her play.

Frost Woman was just a nickname for the character. The hero’s name was ‘Frost Moon’ Hillary. In the game, she belonged to the Federation faction.

“I don’t know if you guys have read the background story, Frost Woman and Little Rose know each other. But the background information is very limited, it just says they know each other. However, when I was playing with He Ran in the training camp earlier, I discovered there’s an Easter egg between them. There’s an Afra in this match, I’ll see if I can negotiate with them not to fight, and try to trigger it.”

The streamer’s voice was very gentle, but Que Yining only focused on the content of what she was saying.

【What Easter egg? Let me hear it!】

【Background story research fanatic here. It does say they know each other, but it’s just one sentence. I think there will definitely be more to their story later!】

【Isn’t Empire Rose from the Empire? How did she get involved with a girl from the Federation? Before the dark matter appeared, these two were considered enemy factions, right?】

【They’re both human, so not exactly enemies. More like frenemies, I guess. After all, in the Galactic Era, the two nations also cooperated to repel the Zerg.】

【Do you guys research games in such detail…? I just go in and fight. I play whichever character looks good, I don’t care about the story…】

“Okay, the other player agreed! Let’s go over and see.”

Even though Que Yining knew what those Easter eggs were, she couldn’t help but sit up straight in front of her computer.

On the screen, the two characters met and walked back and forth a few times. Afra’s cheerful voice suddenly sounded.

Afra: Hi, long time no see.

Hillary: Mm.

【Frost Woman lives up to her name, so cold! If I hadn’t turned up the volume to max, I wouldn’t have even heard that ‘Mm’!】

【What, what? I thought Frost Woman completely ignored Little Rose…】

“Did it only trigger this one line? Looks like my luck isn’t very good today.”

The streamer said regretfully. Just as she was about to maneuver Frost Woman away, the opposing Afra launched a surprise attack on her.

【Wow, a sneak attack! Mengmeng, run!】

【It’s over. Frost Woman is a mage DPS, how can she beat an assassin? She’s definitely going to get reaped!】

The screen went black. Frost Woman had indeed fallen to the ground.

Hillary: Rest eternally in this field of roses.

Afra: I will accompany you.

“Huh, it triggered again! I didn’t try this yesterday because He Ran and I didn’t kill each other.”

【Why do I feel like this is a bit… gay… When my Frost Woman was killed, she clearly said ‘The Frost Moon still guards the galaxy’!】

【I sense things are not simple!】

【The way Little Rose said ‘accompany you’ sounded so sad.】

【Mengmeng, quickly kill Afra once, let me see what she’ll say!】

Que Yining, watching from outside the screen, couldn’t help but cough lightly. She picked up her cup and took a sip of water.

When she found out she was the prototype for Afra, and while participating in the design of Hillary, Que Yining had told the planners the background story. She also told them not to reveal this background directly, but to let it be pieced together through other characters. Then she had them design small Easter eggs for these two characters.

Although Miss Gu was unlikely to play this game, and would never know about this little thought of hers, being able to let others discover this small Easter egg still made her feel a little happy.

The game on the screen was still being streamed. Chu Meng, urged by the barrage comments, had her teammates set up an ambush and killed Afra.

Hillary: Little Rose, I’m sorry…

Afra: If it’s you, it’s okay.

【I’m sure of it, I’m shipping this CP hard! I’m going to play Afra later and target the enemy Frost Woman to kill!】

【Mengmeng, try taunting Afra’s corpse!】

【The taunt shouldn’t change, right?】

In Galaxy Watch, there was a taunt button in the dialogue options. Each character had their own unique taunt lines.

Hillary’s taunt line was ‘This moonlight cannot reach you.’ Chu Meng stood to the side and pressed it, and indeed, it was that line. But when she walked over to Afra’s corpse and pressed taunt, she found the voice line had actually changed.

Hillary: This moon came for you.

【Is this fucking taunt?】

【Confirmed! Confirmed! This is definitely not ordinary!】

The taunted enemy Afra saw the ‘Well played’ message and also pressed the taunt key.

Afra: Miss Moon, you must always be happy, okay?

【Someone who’s gotten a quadra kill with Afra here, I swear Afra’s taunt line is ‘Your soul is unworthy of touching the rose.’ What the heck is this?】

【This is definitely not mutual taunting, this is fucking flirting!】

【A deeply moving sisterly bond!】

【I feel like this is quite shippable.】

Que Yining concealed the smile at the corners of her mouth when Xiaoxiao tugged at the hem of her clothes.

“Youngest Aunt, here.”

Xiaoxiao had finished her game and obediently handed the phone to Que Yining.

“Okay, I’ll take you to eat something.”

Que Yining took the little girl’s hand and led her out of the office.

It wasn’t early anymore; it was already past eleven ten, time for lunch.

Hou Manni had just sent Que Yining a message, saying she would go to Que Yining’s house at twelve o’clock to pick Xiaoxiao up.

After taking Xiaoxiao for lunch, Que Yining waited at home for Hou Manni to arrive.

Exactly twelve o’clock, not a minute early, not a minute late, Que Yining’s door was knocked on.

Que Yining opened the door and beckoned to Xiaoxiao.

“Sorry to trouble you, Ningning. This child usually isn’t willing to get close to relatives; I didn’t expect her to get along so well with you.”

Hou Manni had a gentle smile on her graceful face and waved at Xiaoxiao.

“Perhaps it’s hereditary. Big Brother and I have a good relationship, so by extension, Xiaoxiao is also very close to me, her Youngest Aunt.”

Que Yining also wore an impeccable smile, looking into Hou Manni’s eyes.

There was a fleeting subtlety in Hou Manni’s eyes, but it quickly passed. If Que Yining hadn’t been staring at her, she might not have noticed this strangeness.

“Xiaoxiao, come say goodbye to Youngest Aunt.”

“Goodbye, Youngest Aunt.”

Xiaoxiao said goodbye somewhat reluctantly, waving at Que Yining.

“Goodbye, I’ll come play with you again next time, okay?”

Xiaoxiao nodded. The door closed softly in front of Que Yining.

Hou Manni led Xiaoxiao into the elevator, her smile fading slightly.

“Xiaoxiao, next time the lights at home are broken, if you’re scared, call Mom, okay? Don’t bother Youngest Aunt. Youngest Aunt doesn’t like to be disturbed.”

Xiaoxiao tugged at the hem of her dress and nodded, silently refuting it in her heart.

Youngest Aunt clearly said she liked her very much, would hold her while she slept, and buy her delicious things to eat.

“You didn’t have class this morning, right? Where did you go to play with Youngest Aunt?”

“I went to play at Youngest Aunt’s company.”

“Then, was Youngest Aunt very busy?”

Hou Manni watched as the elevator arrived and led Xiaoxiao out.

Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “Not busy. Youngest Aunt was in the office playing games with me the whole time.”

Hou Manni put on a surprised expression: “Really?”

Xiaoxiao nodded affirmatively.

“Then, did anyone go to talk to Youngest Aunt?”

“Yes, but Youngest Aunt told them not to be noisy because she was playing a game.”

Hou Manni sneered. Indeed, a good-for-nothing was still a good-for-nothing. She had thought Que Yining was going to do something promising. Now it seemed she was just pretending to understand when she didn’t, merely lucky enough to have recruited talented people.

Watching the car drive away, Que Yining retracted her gaze. She sat down at her computer and sent a message to Gu Shanxue, asking about the situation from yesterday.

【Gu Rejected】: There are some leads, it’s being handled.

The day after Que Yining was politely rejected, Que Yining had quickly changed Gu Shanxue’s contact name.

She used this contact name to remind herself not to rush things, otherwise, tragedy might repeat itself.

【Que Yining】: That’s good. What about the two bodyguards you had with you last night? Any news on their whereabouts? Which security company are they from? They must be held accountable, right?

【Gu Rejected】: Found them. They were knocked unconscious. Accountability has been assigned.

【Que Yining】: Then you must be careful when you go out recently.

The other party was clearly premeditated in infiltrating Gu Shanxue’s life, and their methods were sophisticated.

【Gu Rejected】: Mm, don’t worry, I have a plan.

Gu Shanxue was taking this matter very seriously. After all, it wasn’t just about her life and safety. She didn’t know how much the other party knew about her secretly. If they failed to target her and instead targeted those close to her, thereby implicating Que Yining… Gu Shanxue’s eyes turned cold. She would never allow such a thing to happen.

【Que Yining】: By the way… Shanxue, are you busy in the middle of next month?

【Gu Rejected】: Hmm?

【Que Yining】: We haven’t relaxed and gone out to play for a long time. In the middle of next month, there’s an annual celebratory fireworks display in Tongxiang Town. I heard it’s very lively and interesting, so I want to go see it.

【Que Yining】: But going alone doesn’t seem as fun, and it’s hard to take photos by myself. If you’re free, I’d like you to go with me.

【Que Yining】: If you can’t make it, I can ask Qiao Yuchu or Jiang Xiaowan to go with me. I just wanted you to relax a bit too.

Que Yining was always someone who gave people options, directly offering them an easy way to refuse. Even if the other person didn’t agree, neither would feel awkward.

Gu Shanxue looked at the last message Que Yining sent, deleted the ‘I might not have time’ from her own chat box, and typed a single word.

She hadn’t intentionally inquired about Que Yining’s friends. It was just that Miss Jiang Xiaowan had done her a favor, so Gu Shanxue planned to learn a bit about her before sending a thank-you gift.

The thank-you gift had been sent today, and Gu Shanxue had also learned a few things about Jiang Xiaowan.

Thus, she learned things like Jiang Xiaowan had come out publicly years ago, had openly fled her own wedding, had many lovers and was quite promiscuous, and preferred glamorous women. Gu Shanxue didn’t want Que Yining to have a chance to interact with her, because she felt Jiang Xiaowan was definitely not sincere.

【Gu Rejected】: Okay.

Que Yining was a little surprised to see that word, then the corners of her mouth turned up.

【Que Yining】: Great! Then I’ll message you before we leave!

Que Yining sent a happy cat sticker. Gu Shanxue replied, her eyes softening.

It’s nothing just to go out and play with a good friend, right? Miss Gu thought to herself.

She immediately sent a message to Anda, asking her to arrange next month’s schedule, to move work earlier or postpone it, and to free up those few days.

Que Yining had successfully invited Gu Shanxue, so her mood was naturally very cheerful. It even boosted her motivation for work.

The explosive popularity and buzz of the trial server made Qingyun Studio somewhat famous in the industry. Consequently, Que Yining became incredibly busy, but she didn’t forget to tell Gu Shanxue about the people she met and share her life with her.

Although they didn’t meet often, Que Yining was actively trying to involve the other person in her life, and was also quietly permeating the other’s life.

Time flew by, and it was early March. Besides the official launch of Galaxy Watch, Que Yining also learned about another matter.

Through Lin Zhen’s persistent investigation, he finally discovered something fishy about the golf course Que Linyang frequented.

Que Yining had previously speculated. She had thought the golf course might be some kind of trading place, hiding something unknown. After all, such underground pleasure dens were not uncommon. But the situation wasn’t as chaotic and dark as she had imagined. However, regarding Que Linyang’s situation, this news was even more explosive.

The person in charge of that golf course was Que Linyang’s mistress.

【Really?】

Que Yining immediately perked up. Sitting in front of the computer, her recent fatigue vanished.

【Of course, it’s true. He hid it very well. It took me so long to find out something was wrong.】

When Lin Zhen accepted the investigation job, he immediately re-investigated the golf course he had already checked once, including the owner, financial transactions, and internal structure. He hadn’t found anything amiss.

After patiently tailing Que Linyang for almost another month, he finally discovered something was wrong. When he first went in to investigate, he was shocked by this furtive, thief-like affair. It simply added another laughable story to his career.

【In Que Linyang’s private lounge, there’s a secret passage that leads directly to another place, the female owner’s private room. I snuck in several times before I found it. I installed a camera and got video footage. Afraid of being discovered, I only left it for a day. I have the complete video saved on a USB drive. I’ll courier it to you later.】

【Okay.】

Regarding the secret passage, Que Yining fell silent. It was truly well-hidden. More than just well-hidden, it was incredibly concealed.

If Lin Zhen hadn’t patiently investigated repeatedly, Que Yining might never have imagined that Que Linyang, a successful businessman, would be so secretive about his affairs with women.

This showed that Que Linyang was a very guarded person. Normally, who would suspect they were constantly being watched? Even while being watched, it took him a long time to slip up. Acting was probably ingrained in Que Linyang’s very bones.

【I’ve given you the information. Next, I’ll investigate that woman.】

Que Yining replied to him, transferred another sum of money, opened the email, and started looking at the information.

It contained several photos, a brief description of the situation, and information about the woman. The woman was named Deng Zhi, twenty-six years old. She didn’t just own a golf course; she also had several entertainment venues.

Que Yining noted all of this down, saved the information to her dedicated USB drive, and deleted it from her computer.

This golf course was built in Lu Su City three years ago. Que Linyang was a customer there back then and had invited many celebrities to play golf there. So, did Que Linyang get involved with her after spending a lot of time playing golf there, or had he been in a relationship with Deng Zhi for three years already? Perhaps he even had a hand in the operation of this golf course?

Que Yining leaned back in her chair, pondering. Hou Manni should know about this matter; otherwise, she wouldn’t have mentioned that place last night and argued with Que Linyang.

She mulled over everything about this so-called adoptive brother, feeling that it was truly a great loss to the entertainment industry that he wasn’t an actor.

His kindness to the original owner was an act. He had kept up the act for over twenty years, to the point where everyone around him believed it. What profound skill this was. Moreover, his loving relationship with his wife was also an act. If she hadn’t learned it from Xiaoxiao, she might not have been sure at first. He was truly an extremely hypocritical person.

Furthermore, Que Linyang was extremely suspicious. The purpose of his disguise was almost obvious: it must be to seize the Que family’s assets. However, Papa Que and Mom Que never intended for the original owner to inherit the family company. They doted on their biological youngest daughter and didn’t want her to suffer any hardship. But Que Linyang was still uneasy. He began to control the original owner from a young age, monitoring her life. A complete ingrate.

Que Yining reasonably suspected that his control wasn’t just aimed at the original owner, but also at others. She didn’t know the situation with Que Zixi yet, but she was sure about Que Chuling’s side; Jiao Shanyue was an example.

He seemed to enjoy targeting his sisters’ close friends, such as Qiao Yuchu back then, and Jiao Shanyue, who was close to Que Chuling.

Que Yining actually suspected that Que Linyang didn’t even know Que Chuling and Jiao Shanyue were a couple. After all, Que Linyang was such a cautious person; how could he directly steal his sister’s partner and make Que Chuling hate him?

Que Yining speculated that Que Linyang had probably used the same method on Jiao Shanyue as he did on Qiao Yuchu. No, according to the timeline, the incident with Que Linyang and Jiao Shanyue happened first.

Que Linyang approached Jiao Shanyue, inquiring about Que Chuling’s activities. And Jiao Shanyue might not have been a good person; while transitioning from being good friends with Que Chuling to being her lover, she was also Que Linyang’s lover at the same time. Eventually, she got pregnant, Hou Manni confronted her, and she had a miscarriage. During this period, or slightly before or after, she broke up with Que Chuling. Finally, the situation became what it is now.

Que Yining sighed softly, feeling very sorry for her little niece. With her parents having such a messy relationship, it would be strange if she weren’t introverted.

Que Yining was thinking of finding some time to take Xiaoxiao out to play. As she was thinking, a knock on the door brought her back to her senses.

Zhang Shiyu: “Boss, the press conference starts in half an hour. The formal attire is ready. Shall we go to the venue first?”

“Okay.”

Que Yining picked up her bag and closed the office door.

The car drove smoothly on the road. The red light turned green, and Zhang Shiyu started the car.

But at this moment, a car, as if out of control, rushed over, crossing the road, and slammed hard into their car.

The immense impact dented the car body. Que Yining’s world plunged into darkness.

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Sorry for the delay; I’ve been travelling due to work, and of all the times, my laptop decided to take a paid leave now. I’ll try my best to get the chapters out daily.

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