Chapter 133: Thoughts

After finishing their conversation, Yue Ren walked back to his seat. Seeing this, Yin Jian shifted his gaze away from him.

Sensing Bai Yan’s curious stare, Yin Jian gave a dry cough but offered no explanation. In Bai Yan’s eyes, however, this was the epitome of a big shot’s demeanor. It was incredibly cool.

The class reunion continued. Everyone chatted in small groups about their experiences since graduation. In this atmosphere, hotel staff began delivering dishes to the private room one by one.

Yin Jian tasted a few of the dishes. While the ingredients were clearly rare and expensive, it did nothing to change the fact that they tasted awful.

That was that.

Yin Jian decisively asked the waiter for a bowl of plain rice and a side of kimchi. Beside him, Lu Guo’s mouth twitched. "You’re really something, eating kimchi at a seven-star hotel."

"I have a poor man's stomach; I can't handle this fancy stuff," Yin Jian shrugged helplessly. He truly couldn’t understand how food that tasted this bad could be sold at such high prices.

"Speaking of which, do you think these dishes..." Yin Jian was about to say more, but he was interrupted by an incoming call notification on his optical computer.

"Mom? Why is she calling me now?" With a look of confusion, he told Lu Guo he needed to take the call and answered it.

On the screen, Lan Tiao appeared wearing a black silk nightgown that left nothing to the imagination. Yin Jian felt a vein throb in his temple. "Mom, I’m an adult now. Can you please be mindful of how you present yourself?"

Lan Tiao acted as if she hadn't heard him, her face beaming. "Son, your mother has found a wonderful girl for you. She might be a bit short and have a small chest, but she’s quite pretty. Her family background is a perfect match for ours, and your father and I..."

"Mom, please don't worry about this. I have my own plans," Yin Jian interrupted, feeling speechless. He really hadn't expected his mother to go out of her way to play matchmaker. It seemed her work on the front lines was far too leisurely.

"Don't give me that nonsense. Look at the photo first." Lan Tiao was slightly annoyed by the interruption. Her eyes narrowed, which immediately gave Yin Jian a sense of impending doom. He dared not push his luck any further.

After Lan Tiao sent the photo, he looked at it with a lack of interest, already thinking of how to decline.

However... the moment he saw the photo, Yin Jian froze. His eyes widened. He turned his head to look at Yu Jia, then back at the photo of the person his mother had "caught" in a compromising position. It wasn't just a resemblance; they were identical.

This was absolutely ridiculous.

Seeing his son’s stunned expression, Lan Tiao assumed he was love-struck. A beautiful curve appeared on her lips. "Alright, I’ll have a word with Uncle Yu and set up a time for you two to meet. Good luck! I’m rooting for you."

With that, she hung up before Yin Jian could even respond.

"..."

"Yin Jian, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should we skip the karaoke session later?" Lu Guo asked, noticing Yin Jian had turned into a statue.

"I actually am feeling a bit off, so I’ll head back now," Yin Jian said after regaining his senses and glancing at Yu Jia once more. Today’s events were truly cursed.

"Huh? Leaving already? Let me tell Zhang Hu for you."

"No need, I just want to leave quietly." After saying this, Yin Jian snuck another glance at Yu Jia. Seeing that no one at her table was paying attention to him, he bolted out of the private room.

Watching him zip away, Lu Guo was bewildered. "Wait, didn't he say he felt sick?" He felt like he had been fooled by Yin Jian again. Damn it, he was still too naive.

Yin Jian, unaware of Lu Guo’s thoughts, took the subway back to his apartment immediately after leaving the hotel. The news he received today had been too much of a shock.

"Let me process this." Back in his apartment, Yin Jian pulled out a notebook and sat on the sofa to think carefully.

"Yu Jia is my college classmate, became my operations manager, and because of her father, she knows my mom... and should also know my dad. So, back during that online class..."

"I’ve already been exposed!"

"And she’s been pretending not to know... *hiss*." Realizing this, Yin Jian’s eyes widened.

He had always considered himself clever, yet he had been exposed without even realizing it. His reputation was now entirely in Yu Jia’s hands.

"It's over." Yin Jian slumped back on the sofa, feeling that life was meaningless.

...

Yin Jian’s departure did not affect the reunion. Once the meal was finished, Zhang Hu stood up to address everyone. "Everyone, I’ve spent a fortune to invite the virtual idol 'Snow Peach Blossom.' The venue is at..."

Hearing that the party wasn't over, Yu Jia frowned and checked the time. It was already 10:30 PM.

"It’s getting a bit late, Zhang Hu. I’ll be heading back," she said.

Zhang Hu was about to agree, but before he could speak, Jin Shen cut in. "We’re just listening to a few songs; it won't take long, will it?"

Yu Jia shook her head at Jin Shen’s insistence. "The event has already gone beyond my expectations, and I have work tomorrow." She offered an apologetic smile to the group and walked quickly toward the door.

A few of the people who had arrived with Jin Shen, seeing Yu Jia’s lack of cooperation, moved to block her path. This sight made Zhang Hu’s blood run cold, and he quickly stepped forward to stop them. Jin Shen frowned at this, though he didn't say anything, deciding internally that he wouldn't be as close to Zhang Hu in the future.

Watching Yu Jia leave, Zhang Hu exhaled. He turned to Jin Shen, wanting to speak, but Jin Shen beat him to it. "Brother Zhang, I just remembered I have something to take care of. I won't be listening to the music." Without waiting for a response, he gestured to his companions and walked out, leaving a stunned Zhang Hu behind.

...

"That Zhang Hu really didn't give you any respect, Brother Jin."

"Exactly. He even implied that Yu Jia would accompany you, then flipped his attitude faster than a book."

As they stepped out of the Jiangling Hotel, Jin Shen’s followers voiced their grievances. Jin Shen remained silent, clearly agreeing with them.

"Brother Jin, look over there. Is that Yu Jia?" one of the sharp-eyed lackeys pointed out.

"Brother Jin, should I go make her talk to you privately? I’m sure with your talent, you’ll win her over."

Listening to the flattery, and with a bit of alcohol in his system, Jin Shen’s head grew hot. He nodded in agreement.

"That doesn't seem right," Yue Ren, who had followed them out, warned. However, Jin Shen and his group were already walking away and clearly didn't hear him—or wouldn't have cared if they had. When alcohol goes to one's head, foresight disappears.

Suddenly, Yue Ren witnessed a short figure jump out of a spaceship that had landed in front of Yu Jia, beat the group to the ground, and drag them onto the ship like dead dogs.

"..."

That was sudden.

...

"Reporting: At 10:34 PM last night, four men were arrested for harassing a young woman in public."

"This is the most severe crime on White Bridge Star in the last two years."

"Star Lord Yu has declared a zero-tolerance policy for such behavior."

The next morning, while eating star-snail noodles, Yin Jian looked at the mugshots on the morning news. He shook his head. "You really can't judge a book by its cover." Who would have thought that the people he had been dining with yesterday were such perverts?

*Slurp.*

Yin Jian finished his noodles, cleaned up, and opened the group chat. Yu Jia’s business was pushed to the back of his mind; his priority now was deciding what to create for the Reality Conquest gaming competition. The best way to find inspiration was to lurk in the chat.

*Egg-Egg-Egg:* Wuwuwu, Big Sister Qingzhu is gone.

*Divine Phoenix:* Third day without Big Sister Qingzhu. I miss her.

*Happy Afro:* If Stone saw you guys like this, he’d probably want to kill you.

*Sect Master of Sword-Rise:* They are too superficial. Unlike me, I love both.

*(‘Sect Master of Sword-Rise’ has been muted for ten minutes by moderator ‘Stone’)*

*Wolf-King who loves non-stick pans:* Ah, this.

*Green-Hat Landlord:* @Happy Afro, how’s the new game?

*Happy Afro:* Not bad, better than the others.

*Happy Afro:* @You Force Me, my recommendation!

*Egg-Egg-Egg:* @You Force Me, my recommendation!

...

Seeing Lu Guo tagging him, Yin Jian’s mouth twitched. To be honest, if Lu Guo hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten again. He quickly logged into the game assistant backend, posted a pinned tweet in the *Cultivation Family* review section, and returned to the chat.

*You Force Me:* @Happy Afro, done.

*Happy Afro:* Thanks, Big Boss!

*Divine Phoenix:* I want one too, big dog QWQ.

*Wolf-King who loves non-stick pans:* I want one too, big dog QWQ.

*You Force Me:* That can wait until next week. By the way, do you guys have any ideas for the Reality Conquest?

*Egg-Egg-Egg:* A loser only knows how to lie flat; I don't think.

*You Force Me:* ...

*Sect Master of Sword-Rise:* Idiot Stone!

*Sect Master of Sword-Rise:* Regarding that, I feel like Qi-You will prioritize games that can drive traffic to the other virtual games on their platform when adapting for the Reality Conquest.

"Driving traffic to other games..."

*You Force Me:* Are you participating, Sword-Rise?

*Sect Master of Sword-Rise:* Yes.

*Egg-Egg-Egg:* Holy crap! This time you didn't reply immediately! You aren't the real Sword-Rise. Tell me, where did you hide the real one?

*Sect Master of Sword-Rise:* You dog, Egg.

*Egg-Egg-Egg:* Idiot, Sword-Rise.

*Stone:* Stop messing around, or I’ll kick you both out of the group.

*Stone:* @All Members, I have some bad news to share today.

*Divine Phoenix:* Is Big Sister Qingzhu really not coming back?

*Stone:* ...

*(‘Divine Phoenix’ has been muted for ten minutes by moderator ‘Stone’)*

*Stone:* I just received news today that after June, once the Reality Conquest selection is over, I will be transferred to a new position at Qi-You.

*Stone:* The new role is in Reality Game Operations, so I will be handing over all my work regarding virtual games to Qingzhu.

*Stone:* So everyone should prepare themselves.

*Egg-Egg-Egg:* Brothers, this is good news!

*Wolf-King who loves non-stick pans:* Qingzhu is the forever god!

*Green-Hat Landlord:* You guys... Congratulations, Stone.

"Yu Jia is actually being transferred." Yin Jian frowned, then quickly relaxed. It made sense; the recent major moves by Qi-You had already foreshadowed this.

"Wait, doesn't that mean if my reality game adaptation succeeds... no, if it really succeeds, I won't even be at Qi-You anymore." Thinking this, he put the matter aside and began to reflect on his conversation with Sword-Rise.

"Benefiting the development of the Qi-You platform..."

As he pondered, Yin Jian opened the Qi-You platform and browsed through the various games. Idea after idea flashed through his mind.

"Game Development Simulator?"

"No, too niche, and someone has already made it. It’s not suitable for the Reality Conquest." Yin Jian shook his head and rejected the idea.

"If it’s a reality game, it has to be an MMO... what kind of interesting MMOs are there?" Yin Jian asked himself. Games from this world and his previous life flickered through his mind. *Crossfire*, *League of Legends*, *World of Warcraft*—none of them fit this era.

"I need to approach this from a different angle." Feeling that this path was a dead end, he quickly stopped dwelling on it. He tapped his fingers on the desk.

Ideas popped up one after another, only to be rejected one by one as he found flaws in them. Finally, a game concept settled in his mind. After repeatedly refining it, Yin Jian found the idea feasible.

However... there was one question he needed to clarify in advance.

Thinking of this, he opened the game assistant and sent a private message to Yu Jia.

*You Force Me:* Can one create a fan game based on the plot of an existing game on the Qi-You platform?

Far away in the Qi-You office, Yu Jia saw Yin Jian’s question and frowned. She couldn't quite figure out his motive, but she replied anyway.

*Stone:* You need the original game designer's consent, and ten percent of the fan game's revenue will go to the original designer.

*Stone:* Regarding fan games, other designers are quite open-minded. After all, it’s free income and increases the popularity of their own games.

*Stone:* Why do you ask? Are you planning to make a fan game for the Reality Conquest?

*You Force Me:* Guess.

Seeing those two words, Yu Jia took a deep breath. She kept reminding herself that he was an elder, but he was truly infuriating.