Chapter Thirty: Han Hai's Intentions

“...”

Watching Yu Jia, who had followed along and now stood there as stiffly as a lamppost, Han Hai’s face twitched. How could she be so oblivious? Couldn’t she tell he wanted to talk to Lin Xiaoxiao alone?

Lin Xiaoxiao also noticed Yu Jia’s presence, and for once, a rare smile flickered in her usually serene eyes. Seeing Han Hai’s displeasure, she quickly waved Yu Jia off, signaling her to return.

“Huh?” Only then did Yu Jia realize she’d been out of line. A flush crept up her ears. She’d grown so used to trailing after Lin Xiaoxiao these past days that she hadn’t thought much of it, leading to this awkward situation.

“Team Leader Han, Senior Lin, I’ll head back first then.” After a quick farewell, Yu Jia hurried off toward the office, nearly fleeing in embarrassment. She felt she’d truly lost face this time.

Han Hai watched her slender figure disappear, shook his head, but said nothing more. He turned his gaze back to Lin Xiaoxiao.

Today, Lin Xiaoxiao wasn’t dressed in her usual work attire, but a deep blue pleated dress that bared her fair arms. The fitted dress perfectly outlined her figure—though perhaps, it was just that beautiful people looked good in anything.

Though her allure was undeniable, Han Hai only allowed himself a fleeting glance before looking away. Lin Xiaoxiao held a special status at the Qiyou Baiqiao Branch—of the branch’s five star-level creators, she had signed two herself.

“What is it?” Lin Xiaoxiao asked when Han Hai remained silent, her brows gently pinched.

Snapped from his thoughts by her voice, Han Hai hurried to mask his unease. “A friend at headquarters said the company’s changes aren’t over yet. It seems they want to establish new groups to expand other business areas. If you’re interested, I could recommend you as the new group leader.”

He looked at Lin Xiaoxiao, waiting for her reply.

“Not interested.”

“I figured. If you wanted to be a group leader, you’d have been one already. Seems I’ve made myself look foolish.” Han Hai wasn’t surprised by her answer; in fact, his real motive wasn’t this at all.

A wry smile crossed his face, but as Lin Xiaoxiao was about to leave, he dropped the pretense. “Actually, Xiaoxiao, I came to talk to you about Yu Jia.”

“What about Yu Jia?” Lin Xiaoxiao paused, turning back to him.

“I heard from Xiao Shan that Yu Jia wants the work she’s signed to win the Sci-Fi Competition. Is that true?”

“It is. Any problem?” Lin Xiaoxiao nodded; Yu Jia hadn’t hidden this from her.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you mentor her,” Han Hai said, sounding helpless. “We’ve all been new once—you know how inflated people can get after passing their first evaluation. I just want you to prepare her mentally. Otherwise, if things don’t meet her expectations, she might get discouraged and give up. And honestly, as a man, it’s awkward for me to say this to her. If she misunderstands me, she might hold a grudge. You agree, don’t you?”

Lin Xiaoxiao considered his words, recalling her own first days on the job. On her first day, she signed the Sect Leader of Swordrise; by the next month, Swordrise’s game had stormed the Qiyou Universe regional homepage, racking up billions in sales on day one and making her a legend. Even then, she hadn’t felt particularly overconfident…

She couldn’t fully relate, but Han Hai’s point wasn’t lost on her. She nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

With that, she turned and headed back to the office. After passing the Swordrise “wait and see” crowd to Yu Jia, her workload had lightened, but she still had an even trickier star creator to manage.

As Lin Xiaoxiao departed, Han Hai’s smile faded to calm. A seasoned workplace veteran, he never acted without a purpose. His real aim wasn’t for Yu Jia’s benefit, but to curry favor with Lin Xiaoxiao. Of course, he didn’t know Yu Jia had been personally brought in by Director Wang Fafu before joining.

He had to look after this “little ancestor”—if she was mistreated, Wang Fafu would make his life miserable. But it wasn’t appropriate for him to talk to her directly—one wrong word and he’d be in trouble.

So he’d asked Lin Xiaoxiao to handle it instead. All that remained was to wait for Yu Jia’s signed game to miss out on the rankings, then step in to console her.

After all these manipulations, he felt his office skills had reached an unrivaled level. He was soaring in the stratosphere.

...

“BlueWhite: ‘Though you’ve advanced to the competitive zone this time, your results aren’t great. Only 4% of players keep playing. It’s nearly impossible for your game to debut as the top new release.’”

In his room, “Irritable Mantis” read the message from the Operations Team 3 leader, his expression unchanged. Results, to him, were just a matter of how much money was spent.

After thanking the operations manager, he opened his quantum computer and messaged the account that cost him 10 million last game.

Irritable Mantis: “This time, I want my game to take first in the Qiyou Sci-Fi Competition. How much will it cost?”

Popularity Booster: “Would you like the package deal or à la carte?”

Irritable Mantis: “What’s the difference?”

Popularity Booster: “The package is 20 million—you don’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll guarantee your work stays at number one. À la carte, you buy resources as needed—continued plays, positive reviews, recommendation quality, and so on.”

After a moment’s thought, Irritable Mantis chose the package. Twenty million wasn’t a small sum, but it was within his means.

But…

Irritable Mantis: “I’ll take the package. But what if you don’t get me first place?”

Popularity Booster: “We’re a century-old reputable shop—full refund if we don’t deliver! You can rest easy, boss.”

Satisfied, Irritable Mantis paid at once.

...

“Knock knock knock!”

At home, Yin Jian sat up from his bed at the sound of knocking. He got up and opened the door. Only Zhou Shun ever came looking for him here, so he rarely bothered checking the monitor.

Sure enough, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Zhou Shun—tanned a shade darker than before.

“Zhou, have you been sunbathing?” Yin Jian asked, ushering him in.

“Sunbathing, my ass. I got roasted collecting rent these past few days.”

Zhou Shun flopped onto the sofa, removing his green cap before answering.

Hearing yet another mention of rent, Yin Jian’s mouth twitched. Zhou Shun noticed his discomfort and realized he might be bragging, so he quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, I saw in the group chat that you entered the Sci-Fi Competition. How’s it going?”

“Not too well. I doubt I’ll win anything.”

Zhou Shun disagreed. “I tried your game—it’s great. I think you’ll win for sure.”

“If you keep praising me, Zhou, I’ll get cocky and you’ll have to take responsibility,” Yin Jian joked, then asked, “But you didn’t just come to ask about my results, did you?”

At this, Zhou Shun slapped his forehead. “See, I almost forgot again! Didn’t I say I’d treat you to Yunnan barbecue? I’m free today—let’s go to my place and I’ll take you.”

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