My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 62

Yin Peilan nodded. “That’s right. Many games operate this way—if one design plan isn’t working, they’ll switch to another. And if the scrapped plan is too similar to the original, they usually won’t bring it back.”

She analyzed logically, “If you still want to find the original Sky City, it’s best to get them to release it before the new version goes public. Otherwise, you’ll never have another chance.”

She seemed quite knowledgeable about game mechanics. Xiao Nianyuan didn’t have the energy to dwell on it, but she had to admit Yin Peilan was right.

If the new version was completely different, there might still be a chance for the original to return someday—after all, Sky City was a major project requiring significant resources.

But if the designs were too similar, the game developers wouldn’t make such an obvious mistake. It would only frustrate the players.

“When are you going to the game company? I can help you.”

“How do you plan to help?”

Yin Peilan smirked mysteriously. “Just listen to me when the time comes, and you’ll find out.”

“Tell me first. What if we can’t coordinate later?” Xiao Nianyuan wasn’t entirely convinced.

But Yin Peilan refused to explain. “If you trust me, I’ll help. If not, forget it.”

That phrasing sounded oddly familiar—wasn’t it exactly what she herself had said before?

Yin Peilan glanced at Lian Qiushui and suddenly added, “Sincerity goes both ways. It’s not fair if only one person is being genuine.”

She had thought it over. Lian Qiushui had a point, but she couldn’t bring herself to be completely open from the start.

Still, she could at least be honest about it—she was willing to be sincere, but she expected the same in return.

Xiao Nianyuan studied Yin Peilan for a long moment before nodding. “Fine, I’ll trust you.”

She didn’t have any other options right now. If Yin Peilan claimed she could help, it was worth a shot—desperate times called for desperate measures.

A smile spread across Yin Peilan’s face. “That’s more like it. So, when are you going to add me back as a contact?”

Lian Qiushui immediately tensed. “You want her contact info?”

“How else am I supposed to talk to her later? Through the game? She won’t be able to log in when she’s at the company,” Yin Peilan explained.

She knew Lian Qiushui was worried she’d “steal” Xiao Nianyuan away and couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “You don’t have to guard her so tightly. You two are so close—even if I tried, I couldn’t take her from you.”

Lian Qiushui frowned. “Even if you couldn’t, you still shouldn’t try.”

Who knew if it was really impossible? Lian Qiushui wasn’t about to take that gamble.

Yin Peilan blinked, then scoffed. “Honestly, you—anyone would think I’m trying to steal your wife.”

“So if she were my wife, you wouldn’t try?” Lian Qiushui’s tone grew even more serious.

Yin Peilan burst out laughing at her intensity. “If you want her to be your wife, think about whether that even makes sense.”

“Wait, what are you two even talking about?” Xiao Nianyuan stared at them, baffled by their sudden bickering and the whole “wife” nonsense.

Lian Qiushui and Yin Peilan spoke in unison: “Nothing.”

Yin Peilan instinctively helped Lian Qiushui, muttering to herself, “Still saying there’s nothing going on? I’d sooner believe I’m Qin Shi Huang than believe that.”

Lian Qiushui decided not to engage with Yin Peilan to avoid her saying something inappropriate that might make Xiao Nianyuan dislike her.

Though unsure how Yin Peilan planned to assist, since she had offered help, Xiao Nianyuan could only choose to trust her somewhat. Even if nothing came of it in the end, at least they had tried. Because Yin Peilan had volunteered to help, Xiao Nianyuan began to see her as merely willful but fundamentally good-hearted.

When Yin Peilan expressed a desire to visit the lantern festival, Xiao Nianyuan and Lian Qiushui accompanied her.

The festival was crowded, and Xiao Nianyuan, worried about getting separated, stayed close to Lian Qiushui.

Yin Peilan wasn’t too concerned about being left behind. She had tested it before—if she strayed too far from Xiao Nianyuan and the others, they would either call her back or catch up. This was a treatment she had never experienced before; in the past, when she went out with others, she might suddenly find herself abandoned.

Occasionally glancing back at Xiao Nianyuan and Lian Qiushui, Yin Peilan felt a growing sense of contentment.

Though they weren’t friends yet, their relationship was decent. If they truly became friends, they would probably treat her even better.

As she thought this, Yin Peilan couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation—though not too much. She was accustomed to giving only after receiving; for her, giving first was too difficult.

After logging off, Xiao Nianyuan and Yin Peilan exchanged contact information. They agreed that the next day, when Xiao Nianyuan went to the company, she would wear headphones so Yin Peilan could listen in and guide her on what to do.

Xiao Nianyuan didn’t have a good pair of headphones, so she went out to buy some.

The next morning, as she was leaving, Ji Rongxue stopped her. “Are you going out today?”

Xiao Nianyuan replied, “I have some business to take care of. I’ll be back soon.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Ji Rongxue stood up, ready to follow.

“No, it’s easier if I go alone. Bringing you would be inconvenient.”

Hearing this, Ji Rongxue had no choice but to sit back down.

After leaving, Xiao Nianyuan took the bus straight to the gaming company.

She had been there the day before, and the security guard recognized her.

This time, Xiao Nianyuan came alone, without any colleagues to escort her.

The guard asked proactively, “Who called you here? Have them call down to let you in.”

“No, I came on my own today.” Xiao Nianyuan handed over the invitation letter. “This is my invitation to visit.”

The guard glanced at it and remembered his superiors mentioning that someone would be visiting the company, so he let her in.

Once inside, Xiao Nianyuan headed straight for the target floor, whispering into her headphones to Yin Peilan as she walked, “I came here yesterday, but I only asked about Sky City. They were very cautious and didn’t reveal anything.”

Yin Peilan said matter-of-factly, “Of course they wouldn’t tell you. Beating around the bush won’t help. Just follow my lead later.”

Even now, Yin Peilan still hadn’t told Xiao Nianyuan what she actually planned to do.

Determined to keep her secret, Yin Peilan left Xiao Nianyuan anxious but unable to press further.

When she reached the upper floor, Xiao Nianyuan hoped to discreetly observe what the company employees were doing. But as soon as she arrived, she ran into Pu Pengdan’s colleague.

The colleague, startled to see her, immediately asked, “Are you here to see your mom?”

Xiao Nianyuan paused for a moment before replying, “No, I’m here today to tour the company.”

“Tour the company?” The colleague thought for a while before remembering, “Did you start playing the game too?”

Xiao Nianyuan nodded, “Yes, I’m playing now.”

The colleague looked puzzled, “But aren’t the visitor slots all taken by now? I remember the registration for company tours closed days ago. You only said yesterday you’d try the game—how did you get a spot?”

“Someone gave it to me,” Xiao Nianyuan answered vaguely.

The colleague seemed surprised, “You made friends that quickly?”

Xiao Nianyuan said calmly, “I never said I just started playing yesterday.”

The colleague froze. If Xiao Nianyuan wasn’t a new player, then all those exaggerated claims she made yesterday… had Xiao Nianyuan known all along?

Her face flushed slightly, unsure whether to feel grateful that Xiao Nianyuan hadn’t exposed her lies.

Just then, Yin Peilan’s voice came through the earpiece: “Tell her many players are now questioning whether Sky City was a scam.”

Xiao Nianyuan relayed the message, and the colleague immediately grew defensive, “How could it be a scam? We never deceived anyone!”

Xiao Nianyuan countered coolly, “During the beta test, weren’t players supposed to visit Sky City? But now it’s gone.”

“It’s not gone—there were just bugs, so we took it offline for fixes.”

“If it’s just being fixed, why does the new version look completely different?” Yin Peilan’s voice grew agitated through the earpiece. “And what about that NPC that impersonated you back then?”

Xiao Nianyuan now understood Yin Peilan’s intention. She stared at the colleague and demanded coldly, “I encountered an NPC that looked exactly like me in Sky City. Did you steal players’ private data to create NPCs?”

“Absolutely not!” The colleague’s voice rose sharply.

The commotion drew attention from others in the department. Glancing around, the colleague suddenly remembered Xiao Nianyuan’s mother worked here and added threateningly, “If you spread baseless accusations, your mother will face consequences too.”

“Are you threatening me?” Xiao Nianyuan frowned.