Seniority and Juniority

Regarding acts of kindness, Su Bai believed that judging by actions rather than intentions was the attitude he should adopt. As long as something truly benefits society, there's no need to overthink the original motivation behind it.

However, Su Bai found it relatively easy to guess Xu Xinran's thoughts.

Working as a journalist, it's easy to be exposed to the darker sides of society. It's similar to how doctors become accustomed to life and death. Over time, one's mindset is bound to change.

Some might completely fall, merging with the darkness, adopting the mentality that if I'm darker than you, then I'm invincible! Journalists who take bribes to do their work more smoothly and matter-of-factly than eating or drinking are examples of this.

The other extreme is the need to do some "good deeds" to achieve balance. It's like working too much overtime and then binging on video games on the weekend as a form of rebellion.

Su Bai felt that Xu Xinran wasn't bad at heart, so the latter scenario seemed more plausible.

By the time the two came out from the student's home, a light rain had begun to fall outside.

They bought umbrellas from a street-side store and walked towards where the super RV was parked.

The distant mountains were shrouded in misty rain, like a scene from a fairyland.

"If you ever want to go see some natural scenery, feel free to look me up," Xu Xinran said. "My travel experience is quite extensive. I can even accompany you on some niche, slightly risky activities."

"Is the great journalist really that free?"

"To be honest, I'm practically semi-retired already..."

"Retired at such a young age?"

"If I followed my family's wishes, I could have retired from the moment I was born. It's just that there were things I wanted to do. Now, I've tried most of those things and feel I should stop for a few years to think... well, and maybe have a child."

Bringing up this topic, Xu Xinran looked at Su Bai with a playful glint in her eye, licking the corner of her lips. "Whenever it rains, that kind of desire becomes even stronger..."

"With your financial means, buying a little toy shouldn't be a problem."

"It's nowhere near as fun as the real thing."

Xu Xinran closed her own umbrella and slipped under Su Bai's, pressing close to him.

Su Bai responded with a noncommittal smile.

At the super RV, the Wan sisters were loading a cage of live chickens onto the vehicle.

This action might seem a bit crazy at first glance—chickens have an odor—but since Su Bai wanted to bring them back to Jiangcheng, he didn't mind the trouble.

Anyway, the interior cleaning of the vehicle would be handled professionally by Driver Huang, either doing it himself or hiring professionals. It didn't matter; it wasn't something Su Bai needed to worry about.

As for Xu Xinran also getting on the RV to go with them, that was somewhat unexpected for Wan Xinyan.

Unexpected, yet understandable.

After all, it was quite obvious that this journalist lady wanted to get close to Su Bai.

"Reporter Xu, what about your car then?"

"A friend is driving it."

"Oh, I see... That's great. The journey back will be even livelier this way."

Wan Xinyan said with a giggle, occasionally giving Su Bai meaningful looks, which he pretended not to see.

The return trip was bound to be slightly faster than the journey there. Whether something would happen with Xu Xinran on the road... Su Bai wasn't entirely sure either.

He would just go with the flow.

In the end, Xu Xinran didn't take any special measures. She even proactively got off the RV before it returned to the parking lot at Yashigao, saying she had a meeting to attend...

Meetings are the perfect excuse for working professionals. Anytime you need to make a quick exit, you can always say you have a meeting.

Reporter Xu's father is a media mogul. If she wanted meetings, she could have endless ones.

But she had said she was in a rather leisurely state, so this move was definitely a display of emotional intelligence!

...

Bangbang Technology Game Company.

Since accepting investment from "Bai Ye," the entire company's morale had undergone a complete transformation.

Any endeavor requires sufficient funding. Relying solely on passionate idealism is not enough; passion can burn out, while cold, hard cash always retains its purchasing power!

The change in morale was most evident among the employees in the art team managing virtual assets.

Virtual assets refer to the various art resources developed or purchased by the company. When the company previously lacked funds, it could only use open-source, freely available public samples or try generating assets with AI—a common, reluctant expedient for many indie game studios. Products produced this way were often criticized as "poor quality," which negatively affected the game's launch.

Now, they actually had the means to hire skilled illustrators for original artwork. Wow, what a difference! Holding onto a big shot's coattails sure feels good!

The producer, who used to drink heavily every day, had also tossed away his Johnnie Walker.

"Little bro, do you think we're hiring too many cosplayers for our ads? Could it backfire?"

In the office, the producer was discussing with Wang Haoran.

Wang Haoran hadn't contributed much to the development of this particular game. Joining this company was really just about using their office space.

His mobile game studio was still in its infancy. Since he didn't have anything urgent going on lately, he came to Bangbang Tech to hang out.

There was clearly an age gap between Wang Haoran and the producer, but they communicated very smoothly. Perhaps this is the power of shared interests in anime and games... a case of the old-school guiding the new-school.

Addressing the producer's anxiety, Wang Haoran reassured him, "Boss Du, I don't think it's a big issue. Nowadays, any game with a bit of a profile goes all out on promotion. We're not that conspicuous in this area either. If the sky falls, the taller ones will hold it up."

"The taller ones?"

"Those mobile games that attract a lot of hate, like O..."

"Ahahaha!"

"Anyway, it's not a big problem. Even if there is an issue, Brother Bai will step in. He seems to be on good terms with that Reporter Xu lately..."

"That's true."

Hearing Wang Haoran say this, the producer immediately felt much more at ease.

His respect for Wang Haoran was essentially rooted in his respect for Su Bai—after all, the kid had money backing him.

Before truly entering the workforce or attempting to start a business, teenagers with otaku tendencies often regard money as dirty and scorn the many unsavory practices of the world of fame and fortune.

Once they encounter real difficulties, they mature instantly.

Boss Du was precisely "ripe." This niche, quality game he poured his heart into nearly shut down due to a broken funding chain. If Su Bai hadn't invested in the company, it would have been game over already!

Therefore, it was normal for him to be a bit paranoid.

The publicity help from Jiangcheng University's Anime Club had indeed been quite effective. What Boss Du worried about was that excessive promotion might spark doubts or opposition on several online platforms. After all, these days a segment of users are extremely averse to "marketing." When they encounter something heavily promoted, they start making sarcastic remarks. Seeing similar posts pop up in the comment sections made Boss Du feel a little nervous.