Everyone was utterly baffled by this turn of events.
"No way, I thought I'd finally see little brother take a loss, but he pulled off a comeback?"
Stelle's brows furrowed slightly, her tone laced with frustration.
"Big sis Stelle, you seem pretty disappointed." Billy, finally free from the hydraulic cutters around his neck, sidled up to Stelle and Yunli.
"Wanna know why?" Firefly grinned mischievously at the group.
"Then spill it already." Yunli raised an eyebrow at Firefly.
"Here's how it went down…"
So, after Su Chen got the info he wanted from Argenti,
he had a clear memory of that username—or rather, a vivid one.
It was from the offline event, where one player stood out as the only one to fully complete the "Reject Kafka" mission.
If he wasn't mistaken, that person was Boothill's daughter.
So,
Su Chen had Kafka show Boothill's daughter parts of his script in advance.
And thus,
the scene where Boothill took the call happened,
filled with a daughter's admiration for her father.
Boothill had no angle to refuse Su Chen!
Boothill gave Su Chen a wry smile. "Tch, you're one sly genius, roasting me over a fire and sprinkling some cumin on top. You win."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Let's go sign the contract. It's Thursday—company team-building day. Wanna feel miHoYo's corporate culture?"
"Corporate culture?" Boothill eyed Su Chen's half-smiling expression. "Why's it giving me the creeps?"
With everything settled, the group dispersed. To keep the coffee shop owner in business, Su Chen dragged Himeko away.
"Big sis Himeko, don't you have your own coffee shop? Let the interactive city's fans have a normal place to drink coffee."
Himeko propped her chin, pondering. "My coffee skills have improved a lot. Look, Ellen drank it and was fine."
"Sigh, I know, I know. But…" Su Chen leaned in, whispering, "You and Kafka don't have to show up for today's team-building. Go have fun wherever. Aren't you gonna prep?"
Himeko nodded thoughtfully, then flashed Su Chen a knowing smile, as if to say, You're a good kid.
"I do need to prepare."
…
Soon, night fell, and those who got the text gradually gathered at Himeko's Coffee Shop.
Aventurine strolled in leisurely,
spotting two familiar figures nearby.
He approached. "Yo? Professor, Topaz? What're you two doing on a bench? Why not head inside the coffee shop?"
Topaz and Dr. Ratio maintained composed postures, staying silent.
"Hey, say something! What's up?"
Topaz raised an eyebrow. "You really wanna know?"
"Yeah!"
"Then sit down, and I'll tell you."
Aventurine's brows knit together, sensing something off, but he sat next to Topaz.
"Can you tell me now?"
"The bench's paint isn't dry. We're both stuck here."
"What?" Aventurine stood and touched behind him. "Mine's dry!"
Topaz: ???
Dr. Ratio: ???
Immediately,
they decided they didn't want to say another word to Aventurine.
Luckily,
Aventurine called Su Chen, who hauled the bench—people and all—into the coffee shop.
By now, the coffee shop was packed with onlookers, most wearing grimaces of sheer agony.
"Hey, Sampo, why's everyone looking like they invested in stocks?" Firefly sidled up to Sampo, handing him a juice.
Sampo glanced at it and tossed it into the trash. "Firefly, you came in late, so let ol' Sampo fill you in.
Ever since the Star Rail web drama blew up, tons of content creators have been posting fan-made videos about us.
No idea where Boss Su Chen found so many of these, but basically, every video leads to someone's social death."
"Oh, something this fun, and you didn't call me sooner?"
"You think it's fun 'cause it's not your fan-made video. Every Thursday, it's got everyone on edge. Ugh, ol' Sampo's heart can't take it."
Just then,
Su Chen stood in his usual spot. "It's everyone's favorite Thursday again, and we're here for another team-building day."
Most people shuddered, clasping their hands in prayer.
Su Chen flashed a harmonious smile. "No need to stress. I'd already picked today's theme, but an elegant knight stepped up. Let's give him a warm round of applause."
Clap, clap, clap…
Amid the enthusiastic applause, Argenti took the stage.
He bowed to the crowd.
"Everyone, a question: do you acknowledge beauty as unparalleled in the universe?"
Silver Wolf shot up, standing ramrod straight. "Acknowledge!"
March 7th chimed in instantly. "Acknowledge!"
"Exactly, the most beautiful!"
Argenti, heartened by the crowd's resolute gazes, nodded to Su Chen. "Alright, play my fan-made video!"
Hearing this, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Jing Yuan gave Argenti a thumbs-up. "As expected of Sir Argenti, what a bold choice!"
"Totally, totally!" Baiheng whistled at Argenti.
Yanqing clutched his chest. "Sir Argenti, you're the real deal."
Fu Xuan crossed her arms, smiling faintly. "As expected of Argenti, even a profiler like me can't see through him! We've finally dodged a bullet."
Seeing this harmonious scene, Su Chen felt gratified.
He pressed play on his phone,
and three large words appeared on the screen—Experiencing Pure Beauty.