Chapter 20: Kiana: My Little Money! (Raven-Style Rolling)
?
Su Mu typed out a question mark.
When I type out a question mark, it's not that I have a problem; it's that *you* have a problem.
"Sister Kiana, Brother Su Mu's game has hit number one on the HOMU Game Platform's bestseller list! The data was just updated!"
Pardofelis took out her phone, opened the app, and displayed the HOMU bestseller list to Kiana.
Looking at *Getting Over It* sitting at the top of the list, Kiana looked at Su Mu with three parts shock and seven parts utter confusion.
"Our game... didn't it flop?"
"Uh, if this counts as flopping, then Boss, your standards are way too high, aren't they?"
"No... no, no!"
Kiana seemed to cling to a shred of hope. She started gesturing wildly, her words becoming incoherent.
"Shouldn't our game be notorious? How could so many people buy it? It's fake; it must be fake!"
Seeing Kiana start to act like a certain "Ignited One" who couldn't tell reality from fantasy, Su Mu found it even more amusing. But then, as if realizing something, he asked tentatively:
"Didn't Bronya tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"..."
Su Mu suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air. No wonder things felt so strange along the way...
"So, Boss, you called me out today not to reward me with paid leave?"
"Of course not! I was just afraid you'd be disheartened by the game flopping, so I wanted to bring you out to clear your head!"
Hit by the painful reality, Kiana gave up on thinking and blurted everything out!
"I was afraid you'd be crushed, feel like you had no talent, and leave miHoYo... that's why I called you out!"
Everything clicked. Everything was connected.
At this moment, Su Mu didn't know what kind of face to make. He was truly caught between laughter and tears. As it turned out, Bronya hadn't told Kiana about the game's massive success at all. This led Kiana to misunderstand that the game had flopped, prompting her to take him out for comfort...
No wonder she said those things in the car; it wasn't a recognition of success at all. She was comforting him because she thought he was a failure!
But it also made Su Mu feel a warmth in his heart. Even though the "Tuna" had misunderstood, the fact that she went through so much trouble showed how much she cared. Having a boss who cared so much about her employees really moved Su Mu!
Of course, being moved was one thing, but he couldn't help stifling a laugh.
"So, Boss, we're a hit! We made money! Lots of money!"
Su Mu informed Kiana that Bronya was about to sign a contract with a streaming platform and that the company would soon have a significant amount of capital coming in.
"Boss, we have money! Aren't you happy?"
Looking at Su Mu's smile, Kiana felt a tightness in her chest, and her head began to buzz!
So...
From the very beginning, she had been acting like a total idiot!
She went through all that effort...
In the end, Su Mu wasn't depressed at all, the game hadn't flopped, and she hadn't lost those 820,000 yuan to get the rebate!
"No wonder there was no notification..."
Kiana leaned against the table, feeling genuinely dizzy. No wonder her system hadn't given her a single prompt! Because her bound manager, Su Mu, hadn't lost any money; on the contrary, he had earned a fortune!
Recalling her series of actions, Kiana felt like Gotham City's number one enemy—the Joker!
She had been happy for herself, worried for Su Mu, and had formulated a series of plans to encourage him just to prevent her "money tree" from running away...
And the result? The result!!
"Kiana, what's wrong? You don't look well." Pardofelis looked at Kiana with concern.
"No, I... I might just be a bit tired..."
Kiana finally realized that when a person is extremely sad, they can't even cry... no, rather, she was so calm now that she just wanted to lie down and never wake up.
"Is that so... Then why don't you go back and rest? Let Brother Su Mu take you home."
Kiana shook her head and forced a smile. "I'm fine. Aren't you two having a good time? Don't worry about me, I'm going to the restroom first..."
Like a person who had lost their soul, Kiana walked ahead while her spirit seemed to lag behind. Watching Kiana head to the restroom like a walking corpse, Su Mu and Pardo looked at each other in confusion.
"The boss suddenly felt unwell? She was fine just a moment ago."
"Yeah, maybe it's because she's too happy?"
"But she doesn't look like someone who's happy."
"I guess you're right..."
Su Mu was worried about Kiana. He said to Pardo with a bit of apology, "When Kiana comes out, I'll take her home first. Sorry, Pardo, why don't you pack these dishes for a late-night snack?"
Pardo nodded. "No problem! Since Sister Kiana isn't feeling well, let's meet up next time! Brother Su Mu, let's add each other on WeChat first!"
After adding him, Pardo said with a giggle, "Hehe, if Brother Su Mu has time in the future, you can come visit me at the Golden Courtyard! Sister Eden said that since you're the benefactor who helped me gain so many followers, she wants to invite you over for a meal to show her gratitude!"
*Eden? Is it the Eden he knew? And the Golden Courtyard?*
Although Su Mu had his suspicions, it seemed Pardo really did live with the other Flame-Chasers. Su Mu's curiosity was piqued; he definitely wanted to see the Golden Courtyard! He wondered if Griseo in this world was a "legal loli" or the adult version. And Mobius—was she the little snake or the big snake?
He was really looking forward to it!
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Because Kiana wasn't feeling well, Su Mu drove her car and took her home. After watching her go upstairs, Su Mu walked out of the high-end residential complex, marveling that the security guards in wealthy neighborhoods were different—they were strong young men, not old men who spent all day listening to the radio.
He didn't know that as soon as Kiana got home, she locked herself in her room. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved and miserable she felt.
"Waaaaah! My money! My little money!!"
Kiana started throwing a tantrum and rolling around on her bed. If Miss Raven saw her now, she would probably wonder how many islands this child had to lose to cry so heart-wrenchingly!
END OF CHAPTER