Wan Tong held evidence in her hand that the Sou Ben Company had hired paid trolls to smear Lou Yan. As soon as she made the evidence public, Sou Ben was immediately condemned by the masses.
Ironically, Lou Yan’s image as a vulnerable underdog garnered sympathy from bystanders.
Major gaming companies began covertly undermining Sou Ben, and several of its games faced player boycotts, leading to a severe credibility crisis.
To mitigate the situation and repair its image, Sou ben quickly agreed to transfer the copyright of <Palm Pet> back to Lou Yan.
For half a month, Sou Ben kept a low profile, staying as discreet as possible.
After all, due to that livestream incident, the police were secretly investigating the company’s ties to criminal organizations, and its social reputation was in shambles.
At the employee dormitory of Ruili Games, three figures gathered in front of the only bathroom door, exchanging glances.
“Come on, let me finish my shower first…” From behind the door, Lou Yan’s voice was soft, yet clear enough to reach the three people outside.
Qin Yang, the last to speak, cleared his throat. “Lou Yan, were you just talking to us?”
“No.” This time, Lou Yan’s voice was serious and steady.
“Oh…” The three men outside looked baffled and left the bathroom door.
That was strange.
Ever since Lou Yan had entered the bathroom, he had been talking continuously. It even seemed like there was another faint voice, though they couldn’t quite make it out.
Maybe he was on a call with a friend…?
Still, something felt off. His tone was unusually gentle, and there were… some rather questionable sounds mixed in.
They were just a little curious about Lou Yan.
Nowadays, everyone called him a genius game developer.
Ruili hadn’t even announced their collaboration with him yet.
That’s right—it was just a collaboration.
It was hard to say whether Lou Yan was too arrogant or simply too proud. He refused to sign an exclusive contract with any company and had only agreed to a single project deal.
The boss liked him and fully acknowledged his talent. Apart from <Forest Elves>, Ruili had no other standout games, so they pinned all their hopes on the project they were developing with Lou Yan.
Inside the bathroom, Lou Yan’s clothes were slightly disheveled, but his breathing was even more erratic.
Between his chest and the cold gray wall, Wan Tong blinked innocently and raised her hands, her voice soft and sweet. “Master, I didn’t do anything~”
The sensory suit and advanced smart wristbands weren’t waterproof. If Lou Yan wanted to shower, he had to take them off.
Yet, he kept his eyes fixed on her, as if unwilling to look away for even a second.
So, she jokingly suggested that she would watch over him instead. Who knew he’d take her seriously? He even blushed and looked a little shy, which she found adorable.
So, she hugged him and rubbed against him a little.
Things quickly spiraled out of control. He held her tightly, kissed her for a long time, and even suggested that they shower together.
That, of course, was impossible.
He was simply burning with frustration, with no outlet for release.
“Wanwan, be good and wait for me.” His husky voice brushed against her ear, laced with a suppressed, irresistible desire.
This time, Wan Tong obediently nodded. “Okay…”
Lou Yan hadn’t turned off his smart wristband.
Now, Wan Tong regretted it. At first, she crouched in the corner, back facing the man.
But as the sounds grew increasingly… off, she finally fled back into the optical computer.
Sensing something, Lou Yan suddenly glanced over and let out a low chuckle.
“Don’t laugh!” A delicate, sulking voice came from the optical computer.
Lou Yan pressed his lips together, actually holding back his laughter. But from Wan Tong’s perspective, she could still see the upward curve of his lips.
As the view shifted lower, she even caught sight of his, uh… ‘excited’ state.
So, she shut up.
About five or six minutes later, Lou Yan, now damp, grabbed his optical computer and stepped out of the bathroom.
Strangely, in the nearby living room, three young men were staring at him with baffled expressions.
One of them, a slender guy, blinked at him and asked, “Lou Yan, were you… watching something in there?”
Watching something while showering? Wouldn’t that be inconvenient? And wasn’t that time… a little too short? Could he really finish in just one round…?
Lou Yan : “…”
His mouth twitched. Having roommates was so annoying.
Suppressing his irritation, he remained silent, until he noticed the tiny figure on his optical computer screen, covering her mouth, trying hard not to laugh.
From the way her eyes curved into crescents, he could tell how much she was enjoying his embarrassment.
His expression softened. His fingertips traced over her image, as if he could actually touch her.
“Lou Yan, sorry about that… It’s just that, um, the door isn’t very soundproof, and we kind of heard… things,” Qin Yang explained awkwardly. They usually joked around a lot, but since they weren’t that close with Lou Yan yet, he realized his words might have been embarrassing.
“It’s fine.” Lou Yan took a few steps forward and added, “I wasn’t watching anything.”
The last sentence feels a bit light, as if explaining something to someone.
The three young men left behind were momentarily stunned before shoving each other lightly.
“You should learn to keep your mouth shut…”
“I was just saying it casually, I didn’t think much about it…”
“Alright, alright. Luo Yan doesn’t seem like a petty person, but it’s best not to joke around like that in the future.”
After entering the room, Wan Tong came running out. She had recently figured out how to emerge from the super wristband on her own, so she never waited for Luo Yan to summon her anymore.
“Master, you’re lying. I’ve seen your viewing history. One of the movies is tagged as 18+ —” Restricted!
Before she could finish the last word, Luo Yan reached out and covered her mouth.
Wan Tong tilted her head back, trying to avoid his hand, but he firmly held her by the waist.
“I clicked on it by mistake.” Luo Yan’s tone was slightly rushed.
Back then, his mind had been entirely occupied by games, and he had never thought about anything else. The movies he watched were all game-related.
It was just that he had once been misled by a movie title, accidentally clicked on an 18+ film, and exited shortly after realizing the content.
Wan Tong, her mouth still covered by his hand, simply blinked her big, clear eyes.
Honestly, what’s the big deal about taking a look?
At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Luo Yan glanced toward the entrance before turning back to Wan Tong. “I’ll go talk to them first. You can go play on your own.”
“…” Always telling her to go play by herself.
Wan Tong nodded, and only then did he release her and walk toward the door.
She followed closely behind him.
Luo Yan looked at their two overlapping shadows on the floor, suddenly stopped, sighed lightly, and pulled her into his arms. “Forget it, from now on, you’ll stay with me.”
He didn’t want others to see her, but the thought of her being alone inside the AI system made his heart ache. He couldn’t bear to leave her waiting all the time.
Wan Tong looked down at his hand holding hers, and her face lit up with a bright smile. “Okay~”
The more time she spent with Luo Yan, the duller her time in the AI system seemed.
Sure, the internet was full of entertainment, but doing the same things every day got boring. Besides, she had a feeling that Luo Yan needed her company right now.
Two minutes later, the living room was engulfed in an eerie silence.
Luo Yan sat on the couch, while Wan Tong, unable to sit on the couch, had shrunk her form and was now cradled in his palm.
On the opposite couch sat three young men with identical buzz cuts—Ai Rui, Qin Yang, and Fang Jie.
They were about the same age as Luo Yan. Perhaps because they spent so much time coding in front of screens, they all had a slightly shy demeanor.
Qin Yang, with his sharp and well-defined features, pointed at Wan Tong and hesitated before speaking. “Uh… Luo Yan, can we… maybe…” borrow her for research?
“No.” Luo Yan cut him off before he could even finish.
This apartment had four bedrooms and a living room. The other three men were all from the development team. Since they knew Luo Yan was moving in, they had stayed up late waiting for him and even cleaned the place meticulously. It was nothing like the stereotype of messy, disorganized programmers.
“Alright, different question then. Luo Yan, your wristband and sensory suit are produced by a subsidiary of Sou Ben, and they’re supposed to be exclusively compatible with <Palm Pet>. So how are you able to project Wanwan?”
They had tried connecting the device to other games before, but all attempts had failed. They had no idea how Luo Yan had managed it.
“I already had my own connection method,” Luo Yan answered briefly.
“So basically, you’re just borrowing their hardware parts, right?” Ai Rui rephrased it in simpler terms.
Luo Yan glanced at him and nodded.
The three men nodded back, their expressions gradually settling. Since Luo Yan had developed <Palm Pet> himself, it made sense that the super wristband and sensory suit were also his ideas.
But…
They couldn’t help but sneak glances at the adorable little girl in Luo Yan’s palm. They seriously considered whether begging on their knees might make Luo Yan let them borrow her for research.
Qin Yang was about to speak again when he met Luo Yan’s slightly narrowed gaze and swallowed his words.
Forget it. Luo Yan’s possessiveness and jealousy were practically oozing out.
Wan Tong also studied the three young men and suddenly asked, “Why do you all have the same hairstyle? Is it a company rule?”
Luo Yan’s hair had grown out a bit again, and his bangs were back. She thought it looked better than a buzz cut and didn’t want him to cut it short again.
“W-What?” Fang Jie stammered, caught off guard by the AI girl taking the initiative to speak.
“It’s not a company rule…” Ai Rui awkwardly scratched his head. “It’s just that our boss grabs a clipper and shaves our heads every once in a while. This is actually our hair growing back…”
At first, they had been too lazy to get haircuts, and everyone had ended up with messy, bird’s-nest-like hair. Their boss finally had enough and took matters into his own hands.
“Oh…” Wan Tong dragged out the sound in response.
Her soft, milky voice made the three young men’s hearts itch.
They had studied <Palm Pet> before, but the AI companions they had raised didn’t seem nearly as lively and adorable!
Luo Yan pursed his lips and curled his fingers around Wan Tong, shielding her completely from view.
“…” Tch, stingy.
The three young men simultaneously rolled their eyes.
Wan Tong looked up at Luo Yan and flashed him a toothy grin.
In the storyline, Ruili Corporation’s power kept growing because they had a forward-thinking and innovative boss. Later, when Luo Yan’s company faced suppression from various industries, Ruili maintained a competitive but fair stance.
Right now, Luo Yan wasn’t yet capable of starting his own company, but by working with Ruili step by step, he could get there.
Lin Jielin was already struggling to protect herself, and the luck she had stolen had returned to Luo Yan. If she wanted to continue using Sou Ben to suppress him, it was no longer possible.