Chapter 37: Why Is It You (Part II)

Chapter 37: Why Is It You? (Part II)

There are many chance encounters in life. Some are just a fleeting glance; you do not know who they are, and they do not know who you are. You pass each other by, both continuing on your own separate paths. But some encounters… lead to a second meeting.

With her sleek, jet-black hair tied in a neat high ponytail and wearing round, black-rimmed glasses, she looked incredibly refined. Her appearance was pure, and her smile was radiant, yet the slender physique beneath her long dress, paired with a statuesque and curvaceous figure, was enough to make anyone stare. The cute way she held a lollipop made Zhang Yang feel as if he had just seen a beautiful "glasses girl" from an anime.

But… at this very moment, he was not captivated by her beauty. He felt only shock! The kind of shock that makes your heart stop. This was the exact image of his Q-Dog customer service persona, Xiao Wei! This was the profile picture he used to swindle and fool those internet geeks!

My profile picture—how the hell did it come to life?

"Mr. Zhang, is something wrong?" Liu Ruohan sat down opposite Zhang Yang and crossed her legs gracefully. She kept a serious expression, but her clear, bright eyes were filled with amusement.

"Ms… Ms. Liu!"

Usually, Zhang Yang could remain calm even if Mount Tai crumbled before him, and he could bluff his way through almost anything. But now, he felt as if he had turned into Zhong Chongwen. He stuttered inexplicably, his mind a terrifying blank. He was even starting to panic! He truly was flustered, his gaze involuntarily darting toward the floor.

Hmm… was that a pair of cute white sneakers he saw? And above the sneakers, those delicate legs…

"Mr. Zhang, are you stunned by my beauty? That’s normal; I’ve been used to it since I was a child…" Liu Ruohan’s eyes shimmered with mirth as she watched him. She noticed his gaze drop and then flicker back up.

"Ms. Liu, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Your arrival makes my place—oh, no, wait. My arrival makes your place… er… does it make your place 'shine with brilliance'?" Zhang Yang’s heart gradually calmed down, and he reached out a hand. But the words that came out made him want to slap himself. What is wrong with me? Is my tongue tied? Have I really been infected by old Zhong?

"Pfft! Yes, it does! Mr. Zhang, your presence here truly makes it shine with brilliance. Look, the whole office seems much brighter now…" This was the first time Liu Ruohan had seen Zhang Yang in such a state, and she couldn't help but stifle a laugh. If the occasion hadn't been so formal, she would have been laughing hysterically.

*Click.* She turned on the incandescent light in the meeting room, making it even brighter, and blinked at Zhang Yang.

"Well, now it’s officially shining," she teased. Last night, in her impression, this guy was holding forth on Mendeleev with an air of invincibility, as if nothing could stump him. And now, this same guy… seemed quite flustered.

"Ahem, ahem… Ms. Liu, my apologies. I come from a small town. Seeing how beautiful you are—like a painting—and with such a perfect figure, better than any model, especially… ahem… in short, for a moment there, I felt a sense of inferiority…" Zhang Yang took a deep breath, finally looking at Liu Ruohan, scanning her again with an expression of pure admiration. He was still clinging to a sliver of hope.

"So, is that why your company uses my photo to swindle people?" Liu Ruohan blinked again, staring at him while adorably licking her lollipop.

"This… Ms. Liu, I admit I was offensive, but to call it 'swindling'—I cannot accept that!"

"Oh? So you don't consider it copyright infringement?"

"Ms. Liu is so beautiful, she could be called the greatest beauty in three thousand years. As the saying goes, everyone appreciates beauty. When I saw your profile picture, I was shocked that such a beautiful, pure girl existed in the world. My heart raced, I was deeply captivated, and my mind was filled with your smile. My admiration for you is like a surging river, endless and overflowing like the Yellow River… Because I admired you so much, I wanted more people to see your beauty. How could that be considered infringement?" Zhang Yang stared at Liu Ruohan, firing off shameless flattery in waves.

"Stop, stop! Mr. Zhang…" Liu Ruohan was overwhelmed by the flattery, her face flushing slightly. She quickly waved for him to stop. How could this guy be like this? Where did that earlier embarrassment go? It was like talking to a completely different person!

"Ms. Liu, I hope you can understand us. I may have been disrespectful or slightly offensive, but we are a small startup team, and everything is difficult. Perhaps you have lived in luxury since childhood and don't understand our struggles. Games are our life, our everything. We rack our brains for a single game, we struggle over a single line of code, we…" After the flattery, Zhang Yang immediately shifted gears, his expression instantly transforming to one of hardship and sorrow, even hinting at the tragic plight of the poor, before he lowered his head with a soft sigh. It was a picture of complete desperation.

"Zhang Yang, can you stop acting?" Liu Ruohan was stunned by his change of face. She suspected that if needed, he could produce tears and snot on the spot!

"Ms. Liu, everything I said came from the bottom of my heart. And I never visit without a reason. Coming here, I truly hit the lowest, darkest moment of my life…" Zhang Yang showed no shame, keeping his bitter, emotional expression. This Ms. Liu looked so young and naive. Maybe… a tragic story would win her sympathy?

"It was caused by buying a cheap server, wasn't it?" Liu Ruohan pushed up her glasses, looking at him.

"You understand, a team like ours…"

"According to my information, you made quite a bit of money from *Desert Bicycle*, didn't you? Maybe not enough for other things, but surely enough to buy a server?" Liu Ruohan interrupted him.

"How can you call it 'making money'? We really are short on funds…" Zhang Yang shook his head quickly, continuing to play the victim, his voice sounding aggrieved.

"Zhang Yang, let’s get straight to the point. I can lease you a server for temporary use, but I have one condition…"

"What condition? Tell me…"

"Although I’ve always been skeptical of your character, I admire your ability. Our company is always thirsty for talent. If possible, I want your team to join us. I will set up a dedicated development group for you. With Wrangler as your backing, you can achieve great things without worrying about server crashes. Or, we could invest in your company…"

"Oh! Ms. Liu, you’re making me feel flattered… What have I done to deserve such favor from you? I feel like the ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious smoke…" Zhang Yang was instantly overjoyed!

"Ha, of course! Talented people can always shine in our company!"

"Oh my, how much would you pay my team? Or how much would you pay me?"

"One million a year, how does that sound? For your team, we'll pay them according to our internal salary standards…"

"My god, Ms. Liu! You are not only beautiful but also kind. You are like the Goddess of Mercy saving the suffering, like the reincarnation of Athena… Ms. Liu! I thank you on behalf of my team…"

"Haha, Mr. Zhang… you don't have to be like this." Liu Ruohan laughed as she watched him. She had thought signing Zhang Yang would be a hassle, but she hadn't expected him to fold the moment she mentioned a million. Then again, a million was definitely a top-tier offer right now! A startup team like his couldn't resist that!

"Ms. Liu, I am truly honored. But if you sign us, won't your company have objections?"

"There will be some, yes. But don't worry, those are minor matters. As long as you show results in the future, it won't be a problem…"

"No! Ms. Liu, the moment I saw you, I felt like I’d met a kindred spirit. At the same time, I see you as my goddess. I am a man of ambition, and I cannot accept your kindness for nothing. Wouldn't that be like being a 'kept man'? That won't do! How about this: wait until my new game proves itself, and then we'll discuss the contract. How does that sound? That way, even if we join, it won't be a stain on your brilliant eye for talent…"

"Agreed!" Looking at Zhang Yang, Liu Ruohan nodded with a smile. At this moment, she suddenly found herself admiring him.

"And about the server…"

"Take the server and use it for now!"

"Great! Thank you for your immense kindness, Ms. Liu… Ms. Liu, please let me look at you a bit longer. You are truly beautiful. If our status wasn't so different, I would definitely want to be your loyal knight and protect you for a lifetime…"

"You… Zhang Yang, stop saying such weird things. Go… take my note to get it approved." Liu Ruohan’s face flushed red, and she subconsciously waved him away.

"Understood, thank you, Ms. Liu! May you become more beautiful every day, may you always be happy, and may you stay forever young…"

"..."

"..."

After Zhang Yang left, Liu Ruohan, who had been trying to stay composed, felt her face burning. What is wrong with that guy's mouth! Why does he keep saying such strange things… "Forever young," "loyal knight." The knight of my dreams is supposed to be incredibly handsome and talented, okay! You're nowhere near that!

…………………………

A few minutes later, Shen Yi walked into Liu Ruohan’s office. Seeing her processing documents, he noticed the acquisition contract was still blank.

"Ms. Liu, the contract wasn't signed?"

"No. He thinks that if he joins now, it might cause controversy for our company. He wants to show some results first…"

"What? Not signed?" Shen Yi frowned. He didn't know why, but he felt something was wrong. Based on his understanding of Zhang Yang, he didn't seem like the type to care that much about self-esteem. Wait, could it be… He suddenly thought of a possibility and his eyes widened. "Ms. Liu, did he explicitly say he would come to our company after the game succeeds?"

"He was certain, but… wait, he didn't say it directly? Hold on, is that guy playing word games with me!"

……………………

Two hours later, the official website of Universe Technology finally returned to normal. Players flooded into the battlefield. Liu Ruohan downloaded *Beat the Grass-Mud Horse*. As she opened the game, Zhang Yang’s strange words echoed in her mind…

"The future world. The war between humans and alien creatures has reached a fever pitch."

"This is a prolonged, desperate campaign."

"In this campaign…"

"All of humanity's modern equipment has been destroyed. Once-countless oases have turned into deserts of flying sand. Everywhere is filled with nuclear radiation and monsters. Humans are trapped in safe zones, shivering in fear. Among them, the most terrifying desert is named Sahara…"

"..."

Huh? Isn't this the opening of *Desert Bicycle*?

Liu Ruohan watched the intro of *Desert Bicycle* in a daze. The protagonist, riding a bicycle, reached the finish line under the spotlight. Just after getting off the bike, the things in the back seat suddenly puffed out blue smoke. Then, she saw the protagonist mutate, his body turning purple, his muscles expanding… (referencing *Alien Hominid*).

"Our protagonist has mutated!"

Then… the game animation panned to the distance… She saw a grassland… And then! She saw a group of strange-looking creatures, half-dog, half-human, biting a mouse. The first creature seemed to be… Wait! This is…

"Is this meant to be 'a dog catching a mouse, meddling in other people's business'?"

And there was dialogue?

"You can't grab the cat's stuff!"

"Do you know this is copyright infringement?"

"Then why are you grabbing the cat's mouse? Don't you know this will cause trouble for the cat?"

"You…"

"..."

Looking at this dialogue! Liu Ruohan felt a sense of déjà vu… She subconsciously opened Q-Dog to look at the chat history between her and Zhang Yang… It wasn't just similar—it was identical! Her eyes widened! She gritted her teeth in anger!

"Zhang Yang!"