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That's easy to say, but Evan also understood that if he maintained this state for even ten hours, let alone a hundred, he'd be making headlines: "Unknown Man Dies Horribly Indoors, Weighing Less Than XX Pounds, Suspected Exhaustion." The image was simply too vivid.
Evan couldn't help but shiver. The effects were powerful, but the consequences were equally potent. He decided to take it easy from now on. After all, he was the boss now. If he kept pushing himself like this, how would his subordinates survive?
After a hearty dinner, Evan felt truly alive again. Lying in his room, he quietly listened to his parents in the living room clearing the table, bickering, teasing each other, and chatting about daily life. A sense of fulfillment suddenly swelled in Evan's heart, accompanied by an indescribable feeling of loneliness. After a moment's thought, he raised his phone, found Emily's number, hesitated, and then dialed.
After two rings, the call connected. Emily's voice on the other end was soft, clearly lowered as she spoke: "Boss, why are you calling so late? Are you going to wish me a Happy New Year?"
Evan, who had been feeling a little awkward, couldn't help but chuckle at her words. He also whispered, "Yes," and added, "Not only to wish you an early New Year, but also to ask for a gift."
Emily covered the receiver and whispered, "Wait for me."
Then she said loudly, "I'm going to the balcony to take a call."
"Oh, it's not Evan."
"Just a regular colleague, Mom. You watch TV, it's getting exciting. I'm just talking about work."
...Evan listened quietly to Emily's everyday chatter on the other end, feeling a sense of peace.
Ever since he came to this world, Evan had realized that while transmigration was exciting, it also had its downsides.
Transmigration itself was like shackles, making him vividly remember everything from his previous life and causing him to waver between the two sets of memories—his past and present.
Therefore, every New Year was Evan's most painful time. The Evan of this life yearned to embrace the warmth of this family, but the memories of his previous life reminded him that he was merely an outsider in this world. The conflict between the two made him feel even lonelier.
A moment later, Emily's voice sounded in the receiver again: "Okay, I'm on the balcony now. My mom is too scary during the holidays."
Evan smiled knowingly and blurted out, "She's just concerned about you."
Emily on the other end sounded a little suspicious: "Evan, did something happen to you? That's not something you'd usually say."
"What could happen to me?" Evan feigned composure. "I just thought I'd call and chat with you."
"Mm." Emily responded softly, then fell silent.
For a moment, a strange silence fell between them.
After a full ten seconds, it was Emily who broke the silence with a soft laugh: "I'm going back to my room."
"Mm."
Listening to the beeping of the phone, Evan looked up at the ceiling, momentarily losing interest in talking.
Although the official annual leave now started from New Year's Day, rules were rigid, and people were flexible. More humane companies generally extended their annual leave to about ten days, and Evan did the same. From late December, only a few people were left on duty at the company. Evan had already arranged the Swallowing Heaven and Earth New Year activities half a month ago. During the holidays, the only thing the company needed was people on duty. However, due to the generous holiday, those who needed time off took it, and those who were on rotation rotated, ensuring that there were always people in the company every day. This was probably one of the advantages of having a company in a small city—most of the staff were locals.
As for the retention of Swallowing Heaven and Earth during the holidays, Evan wasn't too worried. One reason was that there were few similar games on the market right now, and players' novelty hadn't worn off. Another was that Evan had referenced many classic cases from his previous life for the New Year event. By maintaining relevance during the holidays and using activities to boost player engagement, there was almost no chance of failure.
With this game stabilized, Evan was also considering when to return to Harborview City.
His previous conversation with Frank had given Evan some ideas regarding Redbird's current talent predicament, but these ideas were currently just thoughts. Their feasibility would only be known after a trip to Harborview City.
However, during this time, Mason also told Evan a piece of news:
Richard Lin had partnered with Apex Games!
Evan had been so busy in Northfield City for the past two months that he had almost forgotten about Richard Lin until Mason brought him up in conversation, and Evan suddenly remembered such a person existed.
Before the graduation competition at Harborview University, Richard Lin had ostentatiously held a reception, not only showcasing the talent he had poached from Apex Games but also announcing that his Lin Corporation had partnered with Harborview University to enter the gaming industry in Harborview.
However, after being decisively crushed by Evan and losing the championship in the competition, the partnership between Lin Corporation and Harborview University seemed to have fallen through. No further news emerged from either party, so it was likely dead.
At the time, countless people mocked him, saying he had offended Apex Games and broken off the partnership with Harborview University. The Lin Corporation, which had just announced its foray into Harborview, suddenly found itself in turmoil, and many were waiting to see the spectacle unfold.
The surprising twist was that after a month of stagnation, Apex Games announced its partnership with Lin Corporation. This almost made everyone's jaws drop. Even Mason was perplexed when he told Evan about it:
"Quinn Shaw, whom Richard Lin poached, was a special recruit intern at Apex Games. At this point, shouldn't Apex Games have stepped in to completely crush Lin Corporation as a warning to others? Why are they partners now?"
Regarding this matter, Evan thought for a while and came to his own conclusion: Apex Games also wanted to expand into the Harborview City market.
Apex Games itself was based in Crown City, the capital. It sounded impressive, but insiders knew how many constraints there were in Crown City.
This was also why, despite Crown City possessing the resources of the capital, after several years, the only notable gaming company was Apex Games.
Therefore, in this situation, Apex Games actually hoped to expand into other cities. During this process, Lin Corporation appeared. The Lin Corporation, originally an enemy, transformed into a partner. Something unknown to the outside world must have happened. It was just unclear who facilitated this cooperation. The most likely candidate was Quinn Shaw, and if it truly was Quinn Shaw, then his abilities were truly exceptional.
Evan pondered for a moment, then chuckled dismissively: Why think so much? Evan had won against Richard Lin fairly and squarely in the last competition, so he couldn't say anything. From the current perspective, the two were unlikely to have any future interactions. What was there to worry about?