Monday, at Anxin’s home.
Anxin, on leave from school, hugged the clothes Ling Chen had worn last weekend, breathing in the lingering scent on the fabric again and again, her gaze locked on the image displayed on the computer screen.
The image on the computer came from a surveillance camera, and the main subject was none other than Ling Chen.
Every afternoon, Ling Chen worked on his game in this former tabletop club activity room.
This time was also Anxin’s break from drawing. She would peek at Ling Chen’s activities through a miniature camera secretly hidden in the clock on the back wall of the activity room.
Only by staring at Ling Chen, smelling his clothes, and imagining him by her side could Anxin calm down enough to work or rest.
She had been monitoring Ling Chen for over half a month now. Only by doing this could she feel a sense of security.
In the camera frame, Ling Chen opened the calculator beside him and was carefully tallying his income.
“Three thousand from the system’s full attendance bonus, plus ten thousand from the weekend. After deducting these months’ living expenses, the amount I can use is a solid eleven thousand.” Ling Chen sat in the activity room, crossing his legs with a relaxed expression.
‘Lin Wanfeng is really my lucky star,’ he couldn’t help but think inwardly.
With this funding, he could now move forward with buying professional recording equipment. He could also spend a few thousand to make a few sets of dynamic CGs.
As for voice actors… Ling Chen gently rubbed his chin, a few classmates from the broadcast station flashing through his mind.
But his friendship with those classmates wasn’t good enough to casually ask them to voice so much text. He’d definitely have to pay quite a bit.
The budget seemed tight again, but at least the problem of recording equipment for his game was solved, and the equipment could be used again later.
“Forget it, I won’t think too much. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll just have to cut down on some dynamic CGs.” Ling Chen stretched and looked up, meeting a timid gaze.
Standing in front of Ling Chen was none other than Chu Xiaoxiao, who was lowering her head and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
“Ling Chen, I heard you’re making a game. I’m a bit interested too. I can help you out.” Chu Xiaoxiao’s words seemed to burn her mouth as she blurted them out at lightning speed, her face instantly turning bright red.
‘Will this make it seem like I care too much about him? But working on a game together with him is probably the most effective way to get closer, right?’ Chu Xiaoxiao debated inwardly.
‘Besides, saying it so smoothly shouldn’t make me look nervous…’
That day, when Chu Xiaoxiao had returned home looking dejected, Su Qingwan, the maid who was always by her side, immediately sensed something wrong.
“What’s wrong, Miss? You can tell me anything if something’s on your mind.” Su Qingwan gently hugged Chu Xiaoxiao.
Chu Xiaoxiao buried her face in Su Qingwan’s chest and hugged her tightly. This was their unique way of relaxing.
“Qingwan, I have a friend. This friend has a suitor. He pursued my friend for three months, and now suddenly he’s stopped and is being unclear with another girl. What do you think that means?”
She paused, then hesitantly asked the last question: “Is it… because that girl isn’t attractive anymore, so the suitor doesn’t care?”
Su Qingwan immediately understood everything. Wasn’t this “friend” referring to the young lady herself? It was so obvious when she went out this morning.
And the so-called suitor was undoubtedly Ling Chen… But right now, the best thing to do was to comfort the young lady normally and not damage her confidence.
“It probably isn’t that your friend’s charm has decreased. It might be that the suitor has been rejected too many times. After all, the fact that he stuck it out for three months shows that your friend is quite attractive.” Su Qingwan tentatively offered a bit of advice.
“Why not try letting your friend and that suitor do something the other is interested in together? Maybe the relationship will improve quickly.”
“Something he’s interested in… then I’ll make a game with him… Ah, no, I mean my friend, my friend.” Chu Xiaoxiao quickly corrected herself.
As for what interested Ling Chen… naturally, it was making games. Ling Chen had mentioned it during his daily “harassment” of Chu Xiaoxiao earlier.
That was how Chu Xiaoxiao ended up at this “interview.”
Ling Chen thought for a moment. Images from those three months of serving Chu Xiaoxiao unconsciously surfaced in his mind: how he’d shared his daily life with her, talked about the game’s progress, and she’d shown absolutely no interest.
He’d excitedly shared character standing illustrations or ideas.
Chu Xiaoxiao had just replied with a flat “Oh.”
And now she came to find him? Could it be that the young lady was having another burst of spite and wanted to toy with him?
Even if she really wanted to participate, he didn’t want an outsider slowing down his game’s progress.
Ling Chen made up his mind: he wasn’t going to play house with the young lady. He’d throw a difficult question at her to end this “interview” farce.
“So, what can you do? Painting, programming, music, voice acting—is there anything you’re capable of in these areas?”
“Um…” Chu Xiaoxiao was momentarily at a loss. She wasn’t a professional in any of these fields.
She knew a little about music, but it wasn’t nearly enough to compose an independent piece.
“Voice acting. I’m pretty confident in my voice.” After hesitating for a while, Chu Xiaoxiao chose what she thought was the easiest option.
“I’m very picky about voice acting. Since this game is meant to be a product, and voice acting is an important part, it has to be at a professional level.” Ling Chen said mercilessly. He would use the strictest standards to make the young lady back down.
Chu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing her nervousness. “Go ahead. I’ll try my best to meet your standards.”
“Can you try reading this text?” Ling Chen pulled up the first section of the game’s text on his computer.
Chu Xiaoxiao walked behind Ling Chen, subconsciously resting her hand on his shoulder as she leaned in to read the text slowly.
“July. The cicadas singing in the shade of the trees remind that summer vacation is coming. The small TV in the school security booth is playing…”
Even though it was just narration, her voice was clear and melodious, her enunciation clean and crisp. Even Ling Chen was surprised—her level was almost indistinguishable from professional voice acting.
Especially when she reached the character’s lines, Chu Xiaoxiao’s delivery instantly brought out that girlish charm. Just listening to her voice painted a picture in his mind of high school first love and playful banter between classes.
Such an impressive performance made Ling Chen waver. If he wanted to save costs, finding classmates from the broadcast station would most likely not yield results as good as hers.
But this young lady’s usual behavior made him worry that cooperating with her would bring trouble later.
Chu Xiaoxiao noticed the hesitation on Ling Chen’s face. “If you use me, you can save a lot of costs.”
“And if you let me join, not only will I do the voice acting for free, but I can also provide the theme song. I know someone who’s very good at music.” Seeing that Ling Chen seemed swayed, Chu Xiaoxiao quickly pressed her advantage.
Ling Chen couldn’t help considering these points. For a student like him, the biggest problem in making a game was the cost.
If he didn’t choose Chu Xiaoxiao and instead hired a slightly more professional voice actor, the price might be calculated per character or per line.
With his text volume of several hundred thousand words, the text for a single character’s dialogue could easily exceed tens of thousands of characters…
Just hiring a voice actor would completely drain his budget. After all, this was his first game. With insufficient funding, naturally he had to save wherever possible and spend the money on essentials, like nice dynamic CGs.
After all, many players, including himself, would skip dialogue in certain games and jump straight into first-person shooting mode.
Not to mention that Chu Xiaoxiao could handle the theme song. A good piece of music would easily cost a few thousand to produce, which meant another big expense saved.
“Alright then, welcome aboard.” Driven by practical cost considerations and Chu Xiaoxiao’s excellent performance, Ling Chen gave in.
“I finally did it.” Chu Xiaoxiao let out a breath, speaking softly.
Only then did she realize how close she was to Ling Chen.
Her hand was resting on his shoulder, and her chest was only a few centimeters from the back of his head. If Ling Chen leaned back even a little…
Chu Xiaoxiao originally wanted to pull away, but then she thought: if she let Ling Chen touch her a little, would that make him fall for her again?
The moment she recalled Ling Chen holding hands with that unknown woman, an intense sense of failure engulfed her.
Clearly, Chu Xiaoxiao didn’t want physical contact with anyone other than Su Qingwan. But now, facing Ling Chen, she actually felt an urge to hug him.
While Chu Xiaoxiao was mentally preparing herself, considering whether to gently wrap her arms around Ling Chen, he suddenly stood up, startling her.
“Come on, let’s go buy some recording equipment.” Ling Chen had just been searching online for the best and most affordable recording gear near the university.
“Oh, okay.” Chu Xiaoxiao snapped out of her previous thoughts, her face instantly reddening because of what she’d been about to do.
‘Why was I about to hug him just now? I’ve always found him annoying. What’s so good about him… But if it could make him obsessed with me again…’
With her mind full of distracting thoughts, Chu Xiaoxiao followed Ling Chen step by step out of the activity room. Their “date” had begun.
Everything in the activity room was captured by Anxin’s eyes. She saw through Chu Xiaoxiao’s intentions at a glance—that eager moment when she almost hugged Ling Chen.
“I found you, you thieving cat.” Anxin clenched her fists so hard that her nails almost dug into her palms.
“Just watching A Chen isn’t enough anymore. I need to accompany A Chen too…” Anxin murmured to herself. She resolved to return to campus more often during Ling Chen’s club activities.
She had to teach that thieving cat a lesson.