"We'll have someone draft the specific contract very soon, then bring it to your home. Once you've looked it over and confirmed there are no problems, we can sign it." Chen Xiao tapped the table. After saying this to Chu Lian, he sat up straight, propped his chin on one hand, and looked at her.
"No problem. By the way, when does your convention start?" She was rather curious. She had no idea how large an event Chen Xiao intended to hold this time. Naturally, the bigger the better as far as she was concerned.
Although she had wanted to rest for a while during this period, with her personality, she simply could not stay idle. Since the other party was holding an event, she wanted to drag the girls along as well. Whether they did cosplay or went onstage to perform, either would be fine.
"It'll be held on June 5th, only five days from now. The schedule is a little tight, so we hope you can think about how you'll help us promote it." Chen Xiao gave her an exact date, only for Chu Lian to freeze.
"Five days from now? Is today May 30th or May 31st?" Her sense of time had become somewhat muddled. She had also been much lazier lately and had not bothered checking the date, so she genuinely had no idea what day it was.
"Today's the last day of May. You've already been on vacation for several days. I'm really jealous." Seeing her reaction, Chen Xiao guessed that she had been having so much fun she had forgotten the date, so he reminded her.
"Ah! Tomorrow's Children's Day? I have to go back and prepare! Bye, Big Brother Chen Xiao!" The date made Chu Lian practically leap out of her chair. She suddenly became frantic, as though desperate to get home as quickly as possible.
Naturally, that single "Big Brother Chen Xiao" practically melted Chen Xiao's heart. Seeing the little loli in such a hurry, he immediately turned to Nan Xi and said, "Nan Xi, please take Chu Lian home. Don't make her family worry."
Hearing him, Nan Xi rolled her eyes and muttered inwardly, Damn Chen Xiao. You're obviously a rich second-generation heir, yet you're also a super otaku who's been single for twenty-seven years. If your family hadn't recently kicked you out and forced you to start your own business, you'd probably still be drowning in anime, manga, games, and novels. Now Chu Lian calls you Big Brother Chen Xiao once and you practically melt on the spot. You're seriously an otaku through and through.
Despite grumbling inwardly, Nan Xi was still an obedient subordinate and took Chu Lian away.
Of course, it was even more likely that she had seen how anxious Chu Lian looked and had been overwhelmed by her cuteness. She had already held a very favorable impression of the girl, and seeing this different side of Chu Lian only made her like her even more.
Since Chu Lian was in such a hurry, Nan Xi would have taken her back even without Chen Xiao saying anything.
"Phew, she's gone." Chen Xiao watched Chu Lian's departing figure and breathed a sigh of relief. Being around her placed some inexplicable pressure on him. Why exactly did that happen? He was not entirely sure. He only knew that if things continued this way, her presence alone would suppress him completely.
"Ten million yuan in endorsement fees. That's basically the highest level in the industry. But I believe it'll be worth it. Just look at the game she showed us earlier. The influence it could bring in the future will definitely be worth far more than however many tens of millions we spend. Although the contract only lasts one year, I think this year will be the crucial year in which we truly take off."
Chen Xiao took a sip of tea and spoke to the other directors seated around him. That was his view. Now he wanted to hear theirs.
"Indeed. Not many people know her background, but the old master happens to be one of them, which is why he told us to treat her this way. Still, if I hadn't known just how astonishing her background was, I really wouldn't have imagined that such an adorable girl could have such extraordinary backing." A young director removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes as he spoke.
"Lich, that's where you're wrong. Someone as adorable as her should have a good background. Otherwise, who's going to protect her? Still... that background really is a little too astonishing." Another chubby man removed his jacket. Even inside the air-conditioned room, he still felt hot.
"Look at yourself. You're only a few years older than she is, but... not only is she bursting with energy, she also handles everything in such an organized manner. Your family threw you out here, yet instead of fixing your bad habits, you're still lazy and stupid. When are you ever going to grow up..." The speaker was a somewhat older man. Everyone nodded in agreement with his criticism of the chubby man.
"None of your business..."
"I'm saying it for your own good, all right? If I didn't know you, you think I'd bother with you?"
"I can handle my own affairs..."
Listening as the directors started arguing again, Chen Xiao could not help worrying deeply about his company. These guys were capable, sure, but weren't they far too unreliable? He had no idea when they would finally understand that some things could not be accomplished through effort alone.
Chu Lian, I'm really looking forward to the day you grow up. I imagine you'll surprise everyone, won't you? Mm, and that game too. I'm looking forward to it. Lost in his own thoughts, Chen Xiao noticed the situation below growing increasingly chaotic and had no choice but to step in and settle things.
At that moment, Chu Lian was in the car chatting with Nan Xi. "Those directors really are all kinds of people."
As she started the car, Nan Xi replied, "They're not too bad. Most of them are young, after all. They're called directors, but really, they're just a bunch of people whose families threw them out to start businesses. Even if you combine all their shares, it actually isn't that much. The Boss is still the one who makes the decisions. But sometimes the Boss isn't very good at deciding how things should be handled, so he relies on all of them to come up with solutions together. Of course, the final decision still has to be made by the Boss himself."
"Oh, so he's afraid he'll make the wrong decision by himself, and that's why he gathers everyone's opinions?" Chu Lian nodded thoughtfully. If that was the case, then Chen Xiao was still a fairly qualified boss.
"More or less. Actually, our Boss can be pretty unreliable sometimes, but he really does put his heart into what he does. He takes every matter seriously and considers what will happen if he fails. Mm, most importantly, he's very enthusiastic about helping people, although sometimes he ends up making an even bigger mess..." As Nan Xi continued talking, she suddenly noticed that Chu Lian was looking at her strangely and immediately realized she had said too much.
Cough, cough. "So, Chu Lian, tell me about that game. Are you really confident you can make it that incredible?" Nan Xi immediately changed the subject. She had a feeling that if they kept talking about Chen Xiao, Chu Lian would end up asking about a lot of her personal affairs.
As for how Nan Xi addressed her, after Chu Lian's strong insistence, Chen Xiao had already agreed that she could call Chu Lian whatever she liked, so there were no longer so many restrictions. Besides, calling her "Mr. Chu Lian" or something like that felt far too distant.
"The game? It's basically a traditional ARPG created by combining all kinds of Eastern and Western myths and legends..." Chu Lian knew perfectly well that Nan Xi was changing the subject. That clumsy method of switching topics was practically identical to the way Chu Lian herself did it. Still, she did not mind. Asking any further would mean prying into private matters, and the two of them were not close enough for that. Better to leave it alone.
"Oh, so that's how it is..." Nan Xi focused on driving while the girl's soft, sweet voice drifted into her ears. She felt that making this trip today had truly been wonderful. Still, she seemed to have forgotten something. Whatever it was felt extremely important, yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember, leaving her somewhat troubled.
"The most important purpose of this game isn't actually playing it. It's about letting people personally come into contact with those monsters so they'll be prepared for the changes coming in the future." There was no need to hide this point. After all, it was also one of the game's promotional slogans.
"I see..." The more Nan Xi listened, the more she felt that this game would become incredibly popular once it was released. And the girl sitting beside her would be its spokesperson. Just imagining the influence this might bring to her company made her excited.
"We're here. Thanks." The car stopped in front of Chu Lian's house. Nan Xi stretched lazily, then smiled. "It's nothing. I had fun driving this car too. I used to drive a Maserati myself, but I've never driven this model before."
A Maserati? Did I have a car like that? Let me think...
The words had slipped out before she could stop herself, and Nan Xi immediately fell into confusion. She could not even remember whether she had actually driven that car before.
Seeing her like this, Chu Lian knew that the collision between her altered memories and her real ones had created a sense of unreality that was making her uncomfortable. So she said, "If you like it, you can come borrow it and drive it next time too."
"Oh, no need. It's yours, after all. Mm, and... goodbye. The contract will be drafted very soon. When it's ready, we'll personally visit your home to discuss it with you." The energy contained within Chu Lian's words pulled Nan Xi out of her confusion. Meeting the girl's gentle gaze, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief and found herself wanting to leave.
"See you next time, Big Sister Nan Xi." Chu Lian waved at Nan Xi through the car door. Only after watching her leave did she open the summoning space and release the puffed-up Yaya.
"Chu Lian! If you stuff Yaya in there like that again, Yaya's going to bite you!" The moment the girl appeared, she threw herself onto Chu Lian and rubbed against her. Feeling the almost completely flat curves of Chu Lian's chest, she raised her head and gave a strange smile. "Yaya's are much bigger than Chu Lian's. Want to touch them?"
"Go carry this car back into the garage!" Chu Lian had originally intended to soothe Yaya, but that single sentence landed a critical hit. She immediately raised a hand and gave Yaya a sharp smack on the head, then pointed at the car beneath them and ordered her to carry it back.
"Yaya was only telling the truth..." Yaya pouted as she jumped out of the car. After checking that no one was around, she immediately lifted one side of the vehicle with a single hand, ducked underneath it, then raised both hands and effortlessly hoisted the car into the air with Chu Lian still on top.
"Pfft..." A girl standing by an upstairs window could not help snickering when she saw Yaya carrying the car back like that. Like master, like doll. Were these two idiots?
"I feel like I just did something incredibly stupid..." After getting down from the car, Chu Lian rubbed her forehead. Fortunately, no one else had been around to see it, or it would have been far too embarrassing.
"Something like this is way too easy for Yaya. When will Yaya finally get to go slay a dragon~?" Yaya muttered as she walked behind Chu Lian. She felt that her talents were being completely wasted.
"I don't think the problem right now is what we should be doing. It's... how we're supposed to survive Mom's punishment..." Chu Lian suddenly stopped walking. Yaya, caught off guard, bumped into her from behind. After hearing those words, she poked her head out from behind Chu Lian and looked at Li Mingxue standing in front of the door, then swallowed with difficulty.
We're doomed...