The next morning, dawn.
Su Chen sat expressionlessly on the sofa in the coffee shop.
The deep dark circles under his eyes told everyone he hadn't slept all night.
"Hey!" March 7th gently poked Silver Wolf, who was trying hard not to laugh. "What's up with the boss? Why's he like this so early in the morning? Doesn't seem like him."
"Hehe, let me tell you, yesterday was absolutely hilarious!
Too bad I didn't record it just my retelling alone cuts the excitement by at least half!
But I'll tell you anyway. Yesterday, Su Chen and Firefly…"
March 7th listened while covering her mouth to stifle giggles.
Dan Heng made a shushing gesture. "Enough, March. Look at Su Chen he seems like he's suffered a huge blow. Let it go."
"Oh? Cold Dragon Young, didn't expect you to be so perceptive. You're not hiding some secret identity, are you?"
Dan Heng's nose twitched. "D-don't talk nonsense."
Before long,
The chime of the coffee shop's door rang repeatedly.
Kafka and Himeko returned to the shop carrying large bags,
followed by Welt Yang and others gathering one after another.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Su Chen slowly spoke up.
"Sorry for calling everyone in during your time off. There are a few things I'd like to say.
Yingxing I gave him a task, so he probably won't be around for a while.
Most importantly, aside from filming, our company rarely interacts much otherwise.
So, I've decided to designate every Thursday as our company's team-building day,
to strengthen bonds and get to know each other better.
What do you all think?"
"Then, what kind of activities? Eating? Singing? How about a game!" Silver Wolf grew increasingly excited at Su Chen's suggestion.
Suddenly, Su Chen regained his usual smile. "Actually, there are lots of interesting creators on Bilibili who've made tons of derivative works based on 'Honkai: Star Rail' meaning you guys.
I think watching these fan creations together for inspiration sounds pretty good, right?"
Everyone exchanged glances at Su Chen's words.
Welt Yang frowned slightly. "All of us watching fan content together… might be a bit too monotonous? Not every fan work will suit everyone's tastes."
"Yeah, it's just watching videos. How's that any different from scrolling on our phones?" Even March 7th, who loved joining in on the fun, found it a little boring.
"It definitely won't be boring. You've probably all heard about what happened to me yesterday. Quite entertaining." Su Chen's gaze slowly turned to Silver Wolf. "Right, Silver Wolf?"
"Wow, Kafka, new clothes? An evening gown?! Looks so pretty!" Silver Wolf glanced around before finally focusing on Kafka.
Kafka maintained a smile but didn't take the bait.
"One creator posted a Silver Wolf fan creation that I found really interesting. And Silver Wolf is super strong in it! I think it's worth watching."
"I'm super strong?" Silver Wolf immediately stood up, hands on her hips. "Alright then, let's all watch that today! Oh, what's the creator's name? I'll send them a tip."
"I'm the cat in the middle!"
——
Meanwhile.
In a room, a man sat with one hand propping up his forehead,
asleep in broad daylight.
He had white hair and a teardrop mole under his left eye.
"Knock, knock, knock…"
The sound of knocking startled the white-haired man awake.
He yawned unbelievably, two small birds hopped out from his hair.
"Ahhh~, come in!"
"Boss, still sleeping here?" A pink-haired girl, slightly below average height, pushed the door open.
"Sorry, sorry. How's it going now?"
"The suspect still refuses to reveal where the goods are hidden,
but don't worry. I'm well-versed in logical deduction and behavioral profiling.
With the 'Heavenly Eye System' (surveillance system), we'll have results soon."
"Fu Xuan, you're handling it well, but dragging it out too long
will only make things worse for the victim." The white-haired man folded the city map in front of him.
"Let me talk to him."
——
Before long,
Inside a sealed room—bare walls, no windows, the only exit a heavy iron door.
The white-haired man stood with Fu Xuan on one side and a brown-haired youth on the other.
"Yanqing, Fu Xuan, you two step out first. Your presence is too intimidating—he'll get nervous."
Yanqing and Fu Xuan nodded and left the room.
With a clang, the door shut.
"Ahh" The white-haired man lazily yawned. "Hello, I'm Jing Yuan."
The suspect eyed him suspiciously. "Cop?"
"My apologies, my fault. Let me explain properly.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the scholar Su Shi passed by Jiaxing's Jingfu Temple
and, after a brief stay, left behind a relatively obscure poem Inscription on Li Jingyuan's Painting.
My name is taken from it."
"Why do you sound just like that 'underage' pink-haired girl? Can't you speak normally?"
Jing Yuan stretched. "Sorry, my bad.
Hope you can relax. Don't be too tense."
The suspect burst out laughing. "You're way better than that fierce pink-haired girl."
"Good. Then let's play a game. Same question where did you hide the goods?
Suburbs? Downtown?"
Noticing the suspect's gaze flick upward, Jing Yuan continued,
"Downtown! Which direction? East? West? South? North?"
Jing Yuan caught the twitch at the corner of the suspect's mouth.
"South. What's in the south? District A? B? C…
District C. What part of District C? Liufen Street? North City Street…
Public housing? Residential area? Urban village…
Residential area? Which one? Teyvat? New Eridu? New World? Great…
New World? Fancy place. Odd or even numbering? Even! 2, 4, 6, 8, 10."
At the last moment, the suspect shut his eyes and turned his head away.
Jing Yuan sighed. "South District C, North City Street, New World, No. 8."
The suspect stared at Jing Yuan in disbelief. "You… you… just who… who are you?"
Jing Yuan didn't answer, quietly opening the door and nodding at Fu Xuan. "The rest is up to you."
Fu Xuan smiled wryly. "Don't mock me, boss. Seems I'm still not quite ready for your seat."
"Nah, just luck." Jing Yuan patted her shoulder. "The future belongs to you youngsters."
"Oh, boss, someone named Yingxing is here to see you. He's waiting in the lounge."
Jing Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What does he want?"
——
Nighttime. The miHoYo crew had just finished dinner.
Now, everyone was squeezed onto the coffee shop's sofa.
Su Chen pressed play once he confirmed everyone was present.
Silver Wolf's 100-inch high-definition TV lit up with the video.
The opening shot showed Stelle, bruised and battered.
"Fall back, Silver Wolf. This enemy is beyond you!" Stelle collapsed to the ground, staring at Silver Wolf.
Silver Wolf smirked.
"Hmph, easy. I'll just carry the team."