Chapter 166: Brand-New Event [Sanka Saga]! Livestreaming with the Goose!
The voice sounding as if it came from the nine layers of hell made one's blood run cold.
Su Mu realized Theresa's state of mind was slightly off: "That's not it. You are truly charming, Ms. Theresa."
Theresa let out a laugh, but it was a chilling sound that made the hair on his arms stand up.
"Hehe.... You're just saying that to make me happy! I'm just an old, single maiden! I've lived this long and haven't even held a boy's hand! Cecilia already has children, and here I am, bouncing around like an idiot dressed as Magical Girl TeRiRi...."
Watching the resentment almost materialize around Theresa, Su Mu felt a cold sweat break out. God, does Theresa care that much about being a single woman of a certain age? No, it's not just 'caring' anymore—she's obsessed!
"You shouldn't think that way, Ms. Theresa. I'm actually a fan of Magical Girl TeRiRi! I saw your world tour; it was wonderful." Su Mu weighed his words carefully, trying to comfort the woman before him.
"But those fans don't know the real me! I'm just a coward hiding behind the Magical Girl TeRiRi costume! I'm nothing like the cute TeRiRi!"
"No, even without the TeRiRi persona, Ms. Theresa is still a charming woman."
"Call me Theresa!"
"Alright, alright... Theresa...."
Su Mu managed to stabilize her emotions. He hadn't expected Theresa to become so... desolate? She was starting to give off the same vibes as Auntie Himeko!
Theresa's mood seemed to soften considerably. She looked up at him: "Those things you just said... you aren't lying to me, are you?"
Su Mu saw that her cheeks were pink, and her sapphire eyes were clouded with a hazy mist. Her breathing seemed to grow heavy. Theresa pressed her legs together, her thighs rubbing against each other, and her tone suddenly took on a flirtatious edge.
"Of course not."
"You think I'm charming, right?"
"Mhm...."
"And your affection for me is real, right?"
Theresa stood up and sat right next to Su Mu, linking her arm with his right one. Su Mu felt his arm sink into an incredible softness; the sheer volume of it made his body stiffen. Then, a startling heat radiated from her to him. At such close range, Su Mu could clearly smell her scent—a mix of feminine fragrance and a hint of coffee. This mature aura was entirely different from Seele's.
"Theresa, you...?"
At this distance, Su Mu could even feel her warm breath grazing his ear. It was itchy and tingling.
"I said it during our first meeting, didn't I? Since you and Kiana aren't boyfriend and girlfriend, that means I have a chance to pursue you too, right?"
Looking at the Theresa who was mere inches away, her curvaceous figure—reminiscent of the older Luna Kindred—carried a powerful visual pressure. A dazed Theresa slowly closed her eyes, her posture practically telling Su Mu that he could do whatever he wanted.
Su Mu sighed. But before he could speak, Theresa suddenly let go of his arm.
"Hmph. Congratulations on passing my test, Su Mu."
She sat back in her original spot and smoothed out her long white hair. She looked entirely different from her bashful self a moment ago; it was as if she had swapped souls.
"If you had succumbed to your desires just now, the test would have been a failure. I would have told Seele everything so she could see what kind of man you really are."
"So it was a test....?" Su Mu exhaled in relief. Theresa's act had been too convincing; he had almost thought she was being serious.
"It seems you are indeed a reliable man. Now, I have a request for you." Theresa looked at Su Mu solemnly, acting as if she had completely forgotten her behavior from a minute ago.
"I want to ask you to teach Bianca how to interact with people. My niece seems strict and eccentric on the surface, but she's actually a total dummy. She's the complete opposite of Kiana.... I know it might be a burden, but you are the first male friend Bianca has ever made. I feel that if it's you, you might actually be able to change her."
So that was Theresa's true objective.
"Of course, I won't let your efforts go unrewarded. Here is a token of appreciation from the Kaslana family—the deed to a skyscraper in the city center. It's yours now. I know MiHoYo is currently expanding, and your current space must be insufficient."
Seeing the deed Theresa pulled out, Su Mu was startled. To be honest, he had been feeling cramped at the Arc Commercial Building lately. Even renting other units on the same floor was becoming inadequate for the growing MiHoYo. He was already preparing to establish the Honkai: Star Rail team and continue developing various games; a single floor was definitely not enough.
However, he hadn't expected the Kaslanas to be so lavish as to hand over a downtown office building. In this part of the city center, money alone didn't guarantee you could buy a large plot of land or a building. Furthermore, MiHoYo was currently burning through cash on multiple projects. Theresa's deed had solved his biggest headache.
"I know your concerns, so there are two names on this deed: yours and Kiana's. The Kaslana family will not restrict your freedom, nor will we use this to force you to do anything you don't want to do."
Su Mu gave a wry smile. It seemed after his last refusal of a reward, Theresa and the others had given it deep thought. Indeed, they had handled this perfectly; there was no reason to refuse.
"I understand. I'll accept the deed. As for Bianca, I will do my best."
Theresa nodded and took a sip of her bitter gourd coffee. "Then I'm counting on you. Please look after Bianca."
After a short conversation, Su Mu didn't linger and left the cafe. Once he was gone, the composed Theresa instantly slumped over.
"Ha... ha.... What—what was I doing just now...."
She clutched her chest, her heart hammering as if it were about to explode. Thinking back to how she had pressed against Su Mu and closed her eyes to solicit a kiss, she felt like she was about to start emitting steam!
"Theresa, it was just a test. Right, right, just a test!"
Theresa slapped her cheeks with both hands to clear her head, but her gaze fell on a cup on the table. It was the glass of warm water Su Mu had been drinking; the condensation had left a distinct lip print on the rim. In a daze, Theresa picked up the glass and stared at the print, her mind a complete blank.
By the time she snapped out of it, she had drained the water in the glass. Her lipstick now covered the original lip print.
"What... what am I doing!!"
She clutched her head, feeling as if the sky were falling. "What if Seele finds out? Why did I do that? Why!!"
After receiving the deed from Theresa, Su Mu called a meeting and informed the staff about the move. The employees were ecstatic. However, since the second half of the Honkai 3rd version was about to start with the new event [Sanka Saga], everyone was busy. They channeled that joy into their work.
Su Mu toured the new office building. The basic renovations were done, but some modifications were needed before MiHoYo could officially move in. Under Theresa's arrangement, a construction firm partnered with Schicksal reviewed Su Mu's design drafts. They estimated that based on the existing structure, the work would take about a month.
Su Mu calculated that in a month, which would be around the middle of the next version, it would be the perfect time for the relocation. Since the server migration involved vital core data, he decided to schedule a long maintenance period for Honkai 3rd. To compensate the players, he decided to give everyone a free S-rank Valkyrie of their choice.
The exact date was set for about a month later. The announcement immediately blew up the comments.
[Holy crap? A free S-rank Valkyrie?]
[The Old Thief is so generous! Even an S-rank!]
[My assessment is: as long as Honkai 3rd doesn't shut down, I'm playing until the end!]
[Wait, MiHoYo is moving to a new building? Is any brother in Arc City going to solo the Old Thief offline?]
[That task has to go to Little Gui; she's a professional! Keep it real!]
[Alright brothers, let's have Little Gui assassinate Old Thief Su then!]
[ROGER THAT!]
The news of the move also reached Welt Yang at Anti-Entropy. He stated he would definitely attend the opening day and bring a grand gift. Kevin also immediately expressed that no matter how busy he was, he would find time to congratulate them. Schicksal dispatched Theresa as their representative; as the candidate for the next President, her presence was required for such an occasion.
The move also involved Firefly's Glamoth Studio and Boothill's Ranger Studio, both of which would move into the new building—which would now be called the MiHoYo Commercial Tower.
"Son of a nice lady! You pulled off something this big without a word! You're the man!" Boothill couldn't help but curse over the phone. "You've been at MiHoYo for a year and now you have a whole tower! I'm basking in your glory, haha!"
Su Mu laughed and scolded him: "Stop being cheeky. You need to recruit new staff for your company. You don't want the Ranger Studio to have only one game to its name, do you?"
Boothill roared with laughter: "By my Wubbaboo! Old Su, you're a real pal! Don't you worry! From now on, whether it's through fire or over knives, I'm your man!"
The renovation work wasn't easy; everything for the new building had to be procured. People from the Golden Courtyard came to help. Griseo would rush over after school to help Elysia arrange small ornaments and her own paintings to decorate the offices. Asta led a team from Herta Space Station's studio to assist as well. Senti, after negotiating with Fu Hua, even brought over the Taixu Sect disciples, claiming she was "training" them. Su Mu naturally wouldn't let them work for free; providing meals was a given, and he issued extra pay for their help.
Bianca, ever diligent, also offered to help. However, Su Mu stopped her, telling her she had a more important task.
On the day the [Sanka Saga]event opened, which was four days before Sirin's award ceremony, Su Mu and Bianca went to Theresa's villa together. Bianca looked suspiciously at Su Mu and Theresa as they talked; to her, they seemed very familiar with each other. Su Mu had told her she would be a guest for a Honkai 3rd game livestream today.
Bianca had promised to help Su Mu with work as much as possible, but livestreaming... she had zero experience with that.
"Is this really okay? I think Bianca would be better suited starting in the customer service department like Kiana."
"That method worked for Kiana, but it doesn't suit Bianca.... If she worked customer service, the complaints department would be flooded."
Theresa imagined Bianca as a customer service rep and immediately nodded; that scenario was too terrifying.
"We need to take it step by step. Right now, we need to help Bianca get used to talking to 'normal people'."
"What do you mean by normal people?"
"You know Bianca's status. In reality, people who talk to her almost always have an attitude of reverence. This prevents her from communicating as an equal, which in turn stops her from finding a proper way to converse." Su Mu paused. "But netizens are different. They're all 'talented' and 'speak so well'.... Ahem, they won't hold back or feel intimidated when talking to her. To them, she isn't the eldest lady of the Kaslana family; she's just the 'Goose' in the game...."
Theresa reached a sudden realization and gave Su Mu a thumbs up. Only this guy could come up with such a plan! Without further delay, she logged into her account and began the preparations for the [Sanka Saga]livestream.
END OF CHAPTER
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