Chapter 202 Otto: Theresa, You Don't Actually Like That Brat Su Mu, Do You?
The audience in the livestream was buzzing with discussion about the recording. Su Mu felt gratified by the players' enthusiasm for the plot. An excellent community atmosphere is built exactly like this: players spontaneously discussing game content, creating high-quality fan works, and writing guides. These are the most vital links in establishing a healthy gaming ecosystem.
Now, nearly a year and a half has passed since the official launch of Honkai Impact 3rd. During this time, many outstanding fan creators and guide-makers have emerged in the community. Su Mu did not neglect these passionate players; he established a department specifically to coordinate with these creators, providing generous rewards to those who produced excellent content. From time to time, he would also hold recruitment events for fan art and strategy videos.
It could be said that Honkai 3rd has become a game that supports the livelihoods of many content creators, which was exactly what Su Mu wanted to see. It was a simple principle: everyone is an adult, and while passion is important, a bond forged through mutual benefit is always the most stable. The fundamental reason MiHoYo was praised for its great company atmosphere was that the employees' interests were satisfied. Because of this, they spontaneously supported the company and worked hard to ensure its continued operation. You want the horse to run but won't let it graze? What a joke!
While things were lively in Su Mu's livestream, the situation over at Otto Apocalypse's end was a bit more delicate.
That day, Otto had opened Honkai 3rd early to wait for the update and play A Post-Honkai Odyssey. He was satisfied with the content; the large open world of St. Fountain was so well-made that it gave him an urge to visit the place in person. But as the plot progressed, Otto's expression turned peculiar. Especially upon hearing that he—this "nuisance"—had actually died, he wasn't quite sure what expression to make.
Uh. Honestly, as a Captain, seeing the big villain bite the dust should be a happy occasion. But I have a dual identity... Am I supposed to celebrate my own death? Thinking about it like that feels very strange.
But more than that, Otto wanted to know if his in-game self had fulfilled his wish and resurrected Kallen. And how exactly the Honkai had been resolved. With these thoughts, he sought answers in the story. When he reached the station segment and saw his granddaughter Theresa had become the Overseer, he felt immensely gratified.
"As expected of Theresa, my proudest granddaughter! With Schicksal in her hands, I can rest easy." Otto nodded with satisfaction. It was a pity APHO didn't show Theresa's appearance after becoming Overseer; otherwise, Otto would have loved to see her in her majestic glory! "And Schicksal seems to have transitioned into a charitable organization? That's quite nice. I knew Theresa was the most compassionate; she must have used the fortune I left behind to help many people displaced by the Honkai. Being able to help those who suffered is wonderful."
However, he also noticed that Theresa's tone was extremely weary, lacking all vitality. While it pained Otto to hear this, he understood that the position of Overseer was never an easy one. Even for Theresa, it would take a long, arduous journey to be worthy of that seat. Otto had great confidence in her; he believed his adorable granddaughter could become an outstanding Overseer.
"Mhm, speaking of which, I really should consider retiring." The game's content made Otto sentimental, thinking about how to hand the presidency over to Theresa so he could enjoy a peaceful life for two with Kallen. He had been in power for so long; it was time to step down and give the younger generation space to shine.
However... Otto still couldn't quite stop worrying about Theresa. Although he had secretly prepared many backups to help her, he was still fretting over his granddaughter's lifelong happiness. There's a saying: "A man and a woman together make work easier." Back when Otto wasn't yet president, he and Kallen were a perfect pair at Schicksal—one handling internal affairs, the other marketing. Calling them a legendary power couple wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Furthermore, the power of love truly makes one strong. It was this power that allowed Otto to successfully seize the presidency from his father's generation, defeat his elder brother, and become the head of the Apocalypse family. It was because of those early struggles that he had such a stable position today. Because of this, Otto was worried. Theresa didn't have anyone by her side worth entrusting her everything to—someone who would help her in times of trouble and be willing to stand against the world for her. Without such a person, Otto feared Theresa would feel lonely and helpless once she reached the top. It's lonely at the summit—and the heights are always cold.
Although he, her grandfather, was still around, Otto knew one thing clearly: no one can accompany another forever. He couldn't be Theresa's support for the rest of her life. He needed to find a man worthy of her for the long term.
Several names flashed through Otto's mind—young elites he knew, or juniors of business partners... but he vetoed them one by one. Ultimately, Otto knew that if he even breathed a word of this, he would receive hundreds of letters in an instant, many from top financial conglomerates. But Otto knew these families only cared that Theresa was the next CEO of Schicksal; to be more blunt, they only wanted Schicksal's money and status. Such people were numerous.
Schicksal was a top-tier conglomerate itself. Having been born into it, Otto knew that in such an environment, individual thoughts meant nothing; everything had to yield to the family interest. But Otto loathed this. Being unable to choose the one you love and becoming a victim of a political marriage... Otto absolutely did not want that to happen to Theresa.
Admittedly, a union between two powerhouses would benefit the family's strength. But Otto believed that if he couldn't even defend his granddaughter's right to love who she liked, he might as well be dead. Having gone through so much to reach his current position, Otto wasn't trying to prove anything or take anything back. He simply wanted to be able to protect those he cherished with his own hands.
Therefore, Otto's criteria for Theresa's partner weren't high, yet they were impossibly high at the same time. He wanted to hand her over to someone who didn't covet her wealth or care about her status, but someone who sincerely liked her and was willing to cherish her for the rest of his life. If he had decent ability and drive, that would be even better; after all, such a large family legacy would have to be managed by the couple. This person didn't need wealth or status, but the most important point—his love for Theresa had to be genuine.
But Otto's current headache was that no such person seemed to have appeared... ...Wait. There was one candidate.
The man's name surfaced in Otto's mind, but after a moment, his expression turned troubled. Suitable as he was, and despite the fact that he and Theresa seemed to get along well—and their private relationship seemed decent—there were complications. This was confirmed by Susannah; she had seen with her own eyes that Su Mu visited Theresa specially and gave her many gifts. Most crucially, Theresa had clearly shown her favor for Su Mu; after all, she didn't usually keep people for dinner.
But the problem was... he had already communicated with Siegfried. The Kaslanas had their eyes on Su Mu as a prospective son-in-law, and they had even asked Theresa to help match-make the two. And most importantly... it absolutely could not be that brat Su Mu. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
Otto would not forget how many times Kallen had kicked him out of bed because of Su Mu's game! If he let him be with Theresa, wouldn't he be irritated to death in the future!! Su Mu was indeed capable, hardworking, and a responsible good man; honestly, Otto admired the young man... But absolutely not! No means no!!
Being Su Mu's partner made Otto feel secure. Being Su Mu's friend was acceptable. But being Su Mu's grandfather... Otto felt the world collapsing at the mere thought of it! Yes, he had to make sure Theresa stayed far away from that guy!
Thinking of this, Otto temporarily set down his controller and dialed Theresa!
"Hello? Grandpa, I'm streaming right now. Can this wait until I'm finished?" "Grandpa has something very important to tell you. Mute your mic first." "Eh? Okay..."
Theresa switched her mic to mute and picked up the phone again. Although she didn't know why Otto was calling at this hour, his tone suggested the matter was serious.
"Theresa, Grandpa wants to ask you a question. Tell me the truth." It had been a long time since Theresa heard Otto sound so serious. In her memory, whenever Otto talked to her, he was a total granddaughter-con, and his voice would involuntarily become very gentle.
"What question?" she realized the situation might be grave, and her body tensed up.
"What do you think of Su Mu?" Otto's words left Theresa baffled. What did she think of Su Mu? Hadn't they already talked about this? she was the one who reported on Su Mu's character and history to Otto. Was Grandpa getting senile, needing to hear it all over again?
Despite her internal grumbling, Theresa repeated what she had said before. "I'm not asking about his life history. I want to know your opinion, Theresa."
Theresa was even more confused. Her opinion? Was her opinion of Su Mu important? Was Grandpa planning to play matchmaker again? Uh, she hadn't mentioned that Su Mu already had a girlfriend yet, because she really couldn't bring herself to say it... was Grandpa seeing that things between Kiana and Su Mu were stalled and calling to urge her to help?
"My opinion? I think he's a very interesting person." Theresa's words made Otto feel like the sky was falling! Starting with "interesting" meant she was already very interested in him!
"He's very humorous, and very serious and responsible... don't you know all this, Grandpa? You evaluated him the same way yourself." "Anything else? Theresa, I want to hear your honest truth." "C-Can I really speak the truth?" Theresa asked, somewhat startled.
Otto's heart skipped a beat. As if realizing something, he took several deep breaths. "Go ahead."
The next moment, Theresa's angry voice came through the phone. "He's a brat! Always acting all mature and showing zero respect to his elders! Seriously~ That guy, even though I'm the elder, he gives me red envelopes and New Year gifts! What's with that! Treating me like a child—it's so infuriating!!"
Eh? Otto froze, his expression turning strange. So, it turned out Theresa and Su Mu weren't actually as close as the rumors suggested. Hearing Theresa's dissatisfied complaining, Otto finally felt the heavy stone in his heart fall.
"I see, that's good... then there's nothing else. I'll hang up now." Having obtained the answer he wanted, Otto went back to playing APHO with a satisfied heart.
But he didn't know that Theresa was on a roll and hadn't noticed he had already hung up. Consequently, Otto didn't hear the words that followed.
"And he's a busybody and a lying jerk! He actually told me to my face that I'm very charming! He's definitely just making fun of an older woman like me... how could I be more charming than Kiana and the others? After all, from childhood until now, I've never been in a relationship, and no boy has ever confessed to me..." "But... even though he's a big jerk who always acts mature and says things I don't understand, talking about being the support for Kiana's rebellion against the world..." "I don't actually hate that jerk." "..." "W-What's wrong with me all of a sudden? Haha... Grandpa, I was just complaining, don't take it to heart. You called about Kiana, right? I'll work hard... yes, work hard..."
Theresa suddenly realized Otto hadn't replied in a long time. she looked at her phone and found he had hung up ages ago. In other words, she had just been talking to herself.
"W-What is wrong with me..." Theresa covered her face, feeling it get so red she felt it might actually start steaming. "What was I trying to say to Grandpa... luckily he didn't hear the rest, otherwise..."
While she felt fortunate, she couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness. Yes. What exactly was she trying to tell her grandfather? Would letting him know her feelings really be a good thing for her, for Su Mu, or for anyone else? As an aunt, she was actually thinking about competing with her niece for the same man? How could she do such a thing?
Perhaps these feelings should never have existed in the first place. Maturity is defined by whether one can keep their true feelings buried deep in their heart without showing them. she chose to bury it all.
However, humans ultimately cannot deceive themselves. Due to some catalyst or accident—the emotions buried deep inside would eventually resurface like a tidal wave, completely crushing her resolve. Theresa would never have imagined that such a future was not far away.
END OF CHAPTER
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