Cai Haoyu went home buzzing with excitement.
Within a week, Lu Chen's game company was up and running, still carrying the same name—Mi Ho Yo.
The office wasn't large, but it was in the heart of the busiest commercial district. Taking the elevator up, Lu Chen stepped out to see a floor full of young faces hard at work, and couldn't help but marvel at Cai Haoyu's efficiency.
That was fast—it already looked like a proper studio.
Then again, Cai Haoyu did have years of experience making games. Even if that experience included going bankrupt, it was still experience. As long as the money was there, most problems could be solved.
The real difficulty lay in the technical side—something money alone couldn't fix. That required patience and careful, steady work.
"Mr. Lu, why the rush? A game isn't something you can finish in a short time." The newly appointed general manager, Cai Haoyu, wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking worn out. He'd been pulling all-nighters for a week, his dark circles as heavy as a panda's.
Seeing Lu Chen remain silent, he hesitated, then added, "Especially with a game of this scale. It's not some cheap, reskinned browser game you can slap together in a week or two…"
Compared to those investors who knew nothing about games but still barked orders, Lu Chen was a dream to work with—no communication barriers, and even able to propose ideas that made Cai Haoyu's eyes light up. Ideas that felt like they were tailor-made for Genshin Impact. It made him wonder if this young investor really had no game development experience, like he claimed…
Still, there was one thing about this investor that weighed heavily on him.
Lu Chen had laid down a hard order: Genshin Impact had to release as soon as possible—and with full quality. For him, that was a nightmare.
If it weren't for the fact that Lu Chen had already transferred the funding and sent out generous bonuses—pulling him out of his 20-square-meter room and a diet of instant noodles—he'd think the man was just toying with him.
"We can't slow down. Really, we can't." Lu Chen shook his head decisively. "If you need funds, equipment, even talent poached from other companies, just say the word. Money isn't the problem. But the game must launch as soon as possible."
"Why?" Cai Haoyu lifted his thin, sleep-deprived face, full of puzzlement.
Lu Chen looked at him helplessly. He couldn't exactly say, Because making this game will help me save the world.
The Withering crisis was getting worse by the day. He was already stretched thin—clear one location, and several more sprang up. Whatever was happening in Sumeru was turning into a serious problem.
Returning to Sumeru was becoming urgent.
"Hmm…" Lu Chen thought for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder with a grave expression.
"Cai Haoyu—no, Little Cai. The Teyvat Universe is huge right now. If we want to ride that wave, we have to strike while the iron is hot and launch Genshin Impact quickly. If we wait until my serialization is over, the hype will drop. Now is the perfect moment."
"Oh… I hadn't thought of it that way."
Lu Chen leaned into his "visionary boss" tone, painting the grand picture.
"When this game launches, players will be blown away by its quality. You won't be an unknown developer scraping by—you'll be the rising star of the industry, a name people speak with respect!"
"You've always dreamed of fulfilling that original vision, haven't you? This is your chance to wipe away past failures and make those who looked down on you regret it. So what are you waiting for?"
"Go for it! I'm counting on you!"
By the time Lu Chen finished, Cai Haoyu looked completely fired up.
He was right—Cai Haoyu hadn't gotten into this industry just for the money. Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept fighting with his friends through loss after loss.
And now, the chance to realize that dream was right in front of him. How could he not give it everything he had?
"Just watch, Mr. Lu!" he declared, throwing himself back into work with the energy of a man possessed.
Lu Chen smiled to himself.
For people with ideals, money alone wasn't enough. You had to give them chicken soup for the soul—and a vision to chase.
He'd completely got Cai Haoyu dancing to his tune now.
…Was he starting to sound like a black-hearted capitalist?
Lu Chen chuckled inwardly.
After making a round of the office, he beckoned over his new secretary.
"Mr. Lu, do you need something?" she asked, eyes shining at her young, rich, and handsome boss.
"Yeah… these supplements are for the staff. Make sure Cai Haoyu gets them regularly—our whole company's riding on him."
"Ah? …Oh!" She glanced curiously at the odd mix of herbs on the table.
They were all premium items from the system—the same kind that had helped Xiao recover. Looking at Cai Haoyu's panda-like eyes from constant all-nighters, Lu Chen worried the man would collapse before the game even launched.
...
When he got home, he happened to see Nahida arriving with Scaramouche.
"Where were you two?" Lu Chen asked. Both of them had traces of elemental energy on them, their clothes dirty as if they'd just been in a fight.
"I was going to take him out to do some good deeds…" Nahida sighed. "But then we saw a large stretch of withered street trees. A new Withering zone had appeared in the city."
Lu Chen nodded. He knew Nahida could restore areas affected by the Withering. "So you dealt with it?"
"Yes, but this time…" Nahida's gaze darkened. "Along with the Withering came aggressive monsters."
"What?" Lu Chen was surprised. Until now, the Withering had only harmed plants and crops—never brought dangerous monsters with it. This was bad news.
"What kind of monsters?"
Scaramouche answered for her. "Rift Hounds. Lots of them."
"You're both alright?" Lu Chen asked, concerned. He knew Nahida's current strength—and that Scaramouche was still recovering from serious injuries. Abyss monsters like those were dangerous.
"If we weren't, you wouldn't be seeing us now," Scaramouche said with a scoff. "What's the point of worrying after the fact?"
Nahida gave a helpless smile at his reflexive barbs, but still explained for him. "We owe him for this one. Scaramouche knows Abyss creatures very well. It was risky, but in the end we got through without a scratch."
"That's good." Lu Chen exhaled in relief.
Nahida smiled. "His attitude toward everyone has been changing lately. He's really helped a lot—and helped many people."
"Oh?" Lu Chen hadn't expected such a glowing review. He turned to Scaramouche with a grin. "Is that true?"
"Hmph…"
Scaramouche turned his head away and muttered, "I just want to get out of this awful place. It's not like I care about helping those idiots."