"Bang —"
In the silent room, a gaming pod the size of a person made a slight noise. The pod door slowly slid open, revealing a man with his eyes closed.
He didn't open his eyes immediately. Under the dim light in the room, it was possible to see the faint droplets of water hanging from the corners of his eyes. He raised his hand to cover them.
After a long time, Xu Yuheng put down his hand and opened his eyes.
His pitch-black phoenix eyes carried a hint of malice, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot, making him look very fierce.
He wiped the water stains from the corners of his eyes and sat up in the gaming pod.
The painful and intense emotions were still in his heart, and he didn't know how to calm them down. Maybe he would never be able to calm them down, unless …
Xu Yuheng narrowed his eyes and got up from the gaming pod. He wanted to make a phone call, but then he remembered that his phone was smashed by him last time. He had been in the game for more than a week and hadn't changed it yet.
He took a deep breath and used the gaming pod's communication system to call his assistant and ask him to send his phone over.
The assistant nodded on the phone.
When Xu Yuheng was about to hang up, the assistant hurriedly stopped him.
"Mr. Xu, you've been on vacation for almost two weeks … Shouldn't you go back to the company?" The assistant said nervously.
Xu Yuheng raised his eyebrows. "What?"
"There have been some problems with a few projects recently …"
"Where's Xu Fengqing? Go to him if you have any problems. "
"Ahem, Mr. Xu …" The assistant hesitated. "Mr. Xu can't split himself up now …"
Xu Yuheng frowned. "What happened?"
"Sigh, it's … it's the Star Age holographic game project. It burns money too fast, and there hasn't been any profits for so many years, so the directors … want to force Mr. Xu to terminate this project."
"Are these people sick in the head?"
Hearing this, Xu Yuheng couldn't help but curse in a low voice.
Burning money was actually a very polite way of saying it. Star Age was a gold-swallowing beast, the kind that swallowed money.
For the past ten years, the Xu family had spared no effort in investing in this project.
Even during the few years when the economy was turbulent and their career suffered setbacks, the whole family would rather sell the original manor and move to the current residential building than stop investing.
All in all, it was definitely more than 100 billion, or even more. It could be said that he had truly gone bankrupt.
Now that the game was finally on the right track and was about to be released, this bunch of old fogeys actually wanted to terminate this project?
"Don't they know that the deposit for the second beta gaming cabin is 50 million?" Xu Yuheng said.
Fifty million was indeed not a lot compared to the investment cost. However, one should not forget that this was only for five thousand slots, and that was only the deposit. Moreover, the number of people who had paid the deposit was far more than five thousand.
This proved the game's potential. If they could develop a cheaper gaming helmet during the open beta, it would only be a matter of time before they recouped their costs.
"They know."
The assistant lowered his voice. "I think Director Lin said that unless Mr. Xu is willing to give up half of his shares …"
Xu Yuheng couldn't help but grit his teeth.
He understood that these old fellows weren't mentally ill. Instead, they were very astute, and now they wanted to reap the fruits of their labor.
"I got it. You can continue with your work. I'll go back to the company tomorrow."
After giving a few instructions, Xu Yuheng ended the call.
Looking at the gaming cabin in front of him, he clenched his fists. His eyes were full of viciousness. After a while, he gritted his teeth and dialed Xu Fengqing's number.
After a few rings, the call went through. A man's slightly tired and hoarse voice came from the other end.
"Hello?"
Since he was using the gaming cabin's communication system, Xu Fengqing's phone probably showed that it was an unknown number.
Xu Yuheng pursed his lips. He was still thinking about the last fight, but …
"It's me," he said in a low voice.
"Oh, Ah Heng." The man's voice became lighter. "You changed your number?"
Xu Yuheng didn't answer. Instead, he said bluntly, "I know about the company. What are you going to do about it?"
Xu Fengqing paused and didn't say anything.
"Do you need me to help you? Other than that old fox Lin Hua, who else can help you? "Xu Yuheng said.
"You don't need to worry about this."
Xu Fengqing said softly, "I won't let them dirty this project and ruin Xiao Li's dream."
"You should deal with your own things first."
Xu Yuheng frowned and felt a little irritated. He whispered, "Can you do it?"
Xu Fengqing on the other end of the phone laughed.
"I'm your elder brother. What do you think?"
"I've been wanting to dig out these malignant tumors for a long time. It's good that they jump out now. It saves me the trouble of dealing with them one by one."
"Don't play with fire!" Xu Yuheng said angrily.
"I know."
Xu Fengqing said lightly. It seemed that he really didn't care about the conspiracy of those directors. "You should spend more time with mom and dad. Play less games …"
Xu Yuheng didn't want to talk to him and hung up the phone. As for the fact that he had met Snow Roland, he didn't tell him.
Anyway, in his elder brother's eyes, no one could be Xiao Li's substitute, not even data.
But … was that really just data?
"Second brother, I'm not data!"
The sad face of the silver-haired young man appeared in front of him.
His sad eyes and the choking voice kept replaying in Xu Yuheng's mind.
Xu Yuheng's hands trembled again. He bit his lips until he tasted the taste of rust. He loosened his teeth and took a deep breath to calm his emotions.
What if … what if that was really Xiao Li?
He couldn't help but think.
Too similar …
Really too similar …
He had to admit that the AI of the Star Age games was very strong. The intelligence of the NPCs was almost to the point where they could pass off as real, but …
Was it really possible to completely copy a person? Xiao Li was a living person. How could he completely copy his behavior and speech?
He even found a way to come to see him from the Imperial City …
Was this really something an NPC would do? He even knew about the profession change …
NPCs didn't have the concept of profession change. When they were five years old, their talent would be tested and they would go to the Elementalist College to study.
Profession change was a player's term.
Of course, it could also be the game's design, but Xu Yuheng couldn't help but doubt.
Ten years ago, holographic games were still in their infancy.
When he was investigating the whereabouts of Xiao Li's funds, he also found out that Xiao Li only played the game for a very short period of time, only a few months.
In such a short period of time, could the game's team have collected enough data to completely simulate Xiao Li's voice and smile? Even he couldn't find anything wrong with it.
After all, ten years had passed.
His impression of Xiao Li had been improved a lot in his memory, but when he saw the silver-haired young man, his first impression was Xiao Li.
Xu Yuheng frowned.
He kept analyzing and trying to convince himself to believe that ridiculous thing.
After Xiao Li's plane crash, his soul traveled into the game.
But, he still lacked evidence.
Xu Yuheng looked at the game cabin's communication system. He reached out his hand, but hesitated.
He was afraid.
Yes, he was a little scared.
If he confirmed it, then … was it really a surprise designed by the game's team?
Xu Yuheng clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and pressed the communication button.
He couldn't lie to himself, otherwise, his brother's words wouldn't echo in his ears from time to time.
Could a piece of data really replace Xiao Li?
Of course not, how could it?
Xiao Li, his beloved brother, was one of a kind.
Maybe after he confirmed it, he could give up.
Just assume … Xiao Li was really reborn in the game, and he … as the son of the Xu family, he had his own responsibilities and other things to protect.
Throwing all his time into the game and ignoring the real world like he was doing now was definitely not going to work.
Finally, the call was connected.
Wang Lao's voice sounded from the other end with a hint of helplessness.
"Little Mr. Xu, I really can't interfere with the game's progress, and I can't open the backend for you. You have to use the game's gameplay to get to the Imperial City yourself."
Hearing his words, Xu Yuheng couldn't help but feel a little strange.
He also didn't tell him that he had already met Snow Roland. Instead, he asked, "Wang Lao, tell me honestly, are there any hidden settings for Snow Roland's character?"
"Little Mr. Xu, I've already passed on all of Snow's settings to you."
Wang Lao said.
After all, he was the original talent scout of the project, so the game team attached great importance to his will.
"You've already played the game, so you should be able to understand that the development of the game's story is completely uncontrollable. It has its own set of logic, and it can easily cause unpredictable changes due to the butterfly effect."
Wang Lao patiently explained to him.
"Although Snow Roland didn't have a very happy childhood, this way, he can be guaranteed to stay in the Imperial City forever.
"The background of the Roland Empire is very dangerous. If he's exposed from the beginning, he can easily die young, just like his royal siblings.
"But don't worry, the moment he ascends the throne, the road to counterattack will begin."
Wang Lao changed the topic and continued.
"Si Sheng is the highest level NPC in the game. When his data was transferred to the stars, it was written into the order to protect Roland.
"He's almost invincible at this stage, and he has super high intelligence. As long as he's around, the Roland Empire won't be destroyed. He's also absolutely loyal to the House of Roland, so with his protection, Snow won't be in trouble.
"Moreover, the Roland Empire has many special talented NPCs. Their skills were born from the gods' game. With them leading the way, the Roland Empire will quickly develop.
"At the beginning of the game, Snow's level may be lower, but as long as he stays in the Imperial City, he won't be in any danger.
"You know, he has a different leveling system from the players. Give him a little more time, and he'll grow up very quickly.
"That's right …"
Wang Lao's voice became hesitant, but in the end, he said truthfully, "His current personality may be a little different from Xiao Li's …
"But this can't be helped. Their growth environments are different, so their personalities can't be the same. It's too difficult to replicate perfectly."
He watched the game's live broadcast.
The Snow Roland in the live broadcast was actually different from the game's design. He seemed to …
Grow up a little too quickly?
His current appearance was very different from the young man they had tested before. After some research, they found that this was because Snow Roland's level had increased a lot.
And this was also due to the leveling system that relied on infrastructure to gain experience points. It seemed that this cheat was a little too generous.
But after some discussion, they also felt that this growth speed was within an acceptable range.
After all, Snow Roland had ascended to the throne.
He needed to grow up quickly — they had invested a lot of effort to create him, and they had such a special emotional bond, so they naturally didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
Moreover, his current appearance was closer to that of the person who had passed away. Perhaps this was a good thing for the Xu family.
"Little Mister Xu, I hope you and your parents can understand. We've done our best."
Wang Lao said finally.
"Also, you may need to do something for your mother. If … she behaves too strangely in the game, she may find something unpleasant."
Xu Yuheng understood what Wang Lao meant.
In his opinion, the Snow Roland in the game should only be an NPC with Xu Sili's appearance. He had his own logic and life.
If he suddenly ran in front of him to ask for his family, he might be treated as an assassin …
Xu Yuheng was a little speechless.
The problem now was that Snow Roland ran in front of him to ask for his family …
His heart beat quickly. He was a little excited, but he still couldn't believe it.
"Is there really no other hidden settings?" Xu Yuheng confirmed again.
Wang Lao was almost speechless.
He had said so much, but this person still didn't listen?
Snow Roland was actually a commemorative NPC. They could have made it simpler, or even created a "Xu Sili" in the game with the same experience.
After all, this was a game set in the galaxy. It wasn't impossible to create an environment similar to the blue planet.
However, the original character's wishes were special. He wanted to be an emperor, he wanted to be a tyrant, he wasn't interested in a perfect "clone" of himself.
Moreover, he died too early. The game team only collected data on his appearance and didn't have time to do a comprehensive investigation.
Therefore, when Xu Sili was alive, after consulting with his opinion, the game team unanimously decided to design him as the emperor of the novice planet.
Then, they added a little setting. They wanted him to be strong enough, but not break the game's balance.
In short, they put a lot of thought into this character, but the direction of the design was different from what the Xu family expected from the beginning.
Wang Lao was helpless, but he could understand Xu Yuheng's feelings, so he patiently explained to him.
After finally confirming, Xu Yuheng hung up the phone.
He sat on the sofa in a daze. Slowly, he revealed a smile, but there were tears in his eyes.
It seemed … to be true.
Of course, all of this had to wait until they met again. After confirming it, he would know if Wang Lao lied to him or not.
Although he didn't think Wang Lao had this kind of acting skills, he was used to being cautious. He didn't like people lying to him, even if it was for his own good.
There was one more thing that no one else besides him and Little Li knew about ….
Xu Yuheng slowly exhaled, silently wiped his tears, and then lay back in the game pod.
In the morning, when the sun shone through the colored glass, Xu Sili woke up from a dark dream.
He opened his eyes in a daze.
He looked at the sunlight coming in and grabbed the blanket to cover his head in annoyance. Then, he turned to his side and buried his head in the warmth source beside him.
Just as he was about to fall asleep again in a daze, his thoughts, which had been stagnant all night, suddenly became active.
Warmth source?
This thought flashed through his mind and finally chased away his sleepiness. He was ready to go on strike, but his consciousness was a little more awake.
He reached out his hand and touched the front of his body.
It was hard, flat, with some undulations. The surface was a little soft, so warm that it was a little scalding. And …
He felt a small bump.
What is this?
Xu Sili frowned. He felt it with his fingers and then pinched it with his fingertips.
Then …
He heard a man groan.
Xu Sili's hazy consciousness suddenly became completely awake. He opened his eyes and saw a man's chest in the dim light coming in through the blanket.
His whole body couldn't help but freeze.
Everything that had happened the day before was replaying in his mind.
After taking a shower in the afternoon and falling asleep, he remembered that he woke up because he was hungry. After eating dinner, he laid down again and slept until now.
And the man's body in front of him obviously belonged to Si Sheng.
He didn't know if it was because he slept restlessly or because of something else, but Si Sheng's belt loosened. And then he accidentally …
Xu Sili pursed his lips.
He gently pulled Si Sheng's robe, folded it, and carefully tied it for him.
He had just tied a bow when the blanket covering his head opened a little. Xu Sili looked up and Si Sheng's handsome face appeared in front of him.
He lowered his head and looked at him. His grayish-blue eyes were like the night sky.
The two of them didn't speak.
Xu Sili looked at him for a while. Although it was really an accident, at this moment, he felt like he was caught doing something bad and was caught red-handed.
He pursed his lips again and finally decided to …
Play dead.
The young man closed his eyes again. He raised his hand and grabbed the blanket that had been opened. After covering himself again, he turned over in bed.
With his back facing Si Sheng, he adjusted his sleeping position and prepared to go back to sleep.
Although he had slept for a long time yesterday and was now fully awake, he was still lazy and didn't want to get out of bed.
Ever since he came to this foreign world, he didn't have much time to really relax.
In fact, he didn't even laze in bed or sleep in.
Every day, he felt as if someone was whipping him from behind. He was constantly thinking about how to protect the empire, develop the economy, upgrade the teleportation array, and meet with his second brother earlier. There were also some other random things that he had to think about.
God knows how lazy he was before. He only worked a little when playing games and music.
Now, he didn't even have time to compose.
While building the Empire, he felt like he was playing a large-scale construction game, but the pressure was incomparable to that of a real life game.
Every decision he made affected countless people. They were living, tens of millions of people.
The burden on his shoulders was very heavy. If he could see his family earlier, they would know that he wasn't dead. They would become the chain that he turned on.
But now, he couldn't muster up any energy.
He wanted to slack off and not calculate anything. He didn't want to think about anything. He wanted to be a good-for-nothing emperor for a few days.
Anyway, there were so many outstanding talents. Even if this country didn't have him, it wouldn't make much of a difference, right?
There was Wen Jishan, Qiu Zheng, Ikeda, and many others who were working hard to make this country better.
It would be fine with them around, right?
It would be the same without him …
Yes, that was the truth.
Xu Sili convinced himself and prepared to be a salted fish with no desires. However, the man lying behind him obviously didn't think so.
Just as he closed his eyes and started to feel sleepy, he felt an extra arm around his waist. That strong iron arm hugged him and dragged him back.
He leaned into the man's embrace and felt the man's chin resting on his head and rubbing it gently.
He was happy to accept this kind of closeness.
Just as he was about to turn around and hug him, he felt the man's hand on his waist move slightly.
Then …
His belt loosened. Half of his silk robe fell gently because it was no longer restrained.
He felt the man's palm.
It was warm and wide. The skin on the palm was a little rough. It reminded him of the scars and calluses on the man's palm from weapons.
Xu Sili frowned and reached out to hold the man down.
"What are you doing?"
The young man's voice was a little hoarse, with the dryness and laziness of just waking up. It sounded inexplicably sexy and seductive.
There was a rustling sound.
Xu Sili felt the chin on his head slowly move to his shoulder. The man opened his mouth slightly. His breath gently blew on his earlobe, making him feel a little warm.
"Doing … what Your Majesty did to me just now."
It was a very formal and businesslike tone, but the content was a little …
Xu Sili's face heated up.
He looked around and said dryly, "That … that was an accident … you didn't wear proper clothes when you were sleeping …"
Before he could finish, he heard a muffled laugh.
It was very, very light, like the sound of air vibrating from one's chest. It was like the vibrations of the best cello. For Xu Sili, who was a Sound Elementalist and a Sound Elementalist, it was so good that it made his heart stop.
He was so stunned that he forgot to pursue the matter.
As for Si Sheng — —
He was actually testing the waters just now.
He wanted to know if Lord God would be angry with him. After all, there were some things that a subject could not do.
However, Lord God was more indulgent than he thought.
Thus, he could not be blamed for … … taking a mile when given an inch.
"It's my fault."
He obediently admitted his mistake and said, "I'm willing to make up for it."
Make up for it? Xu Sili was still mesmerized by his moving voice. When he heard what he said, his slow thinking made him unable to react.
After all, this was a little too confusing.
But soon, he knew what kind of compensation it was.
The man's arm exerted a little force, and he went from lying on his side to lying on his back. His head also popped out of the blanket.
Because of this movement, more of his robe slid down.
However, he did not feel cold under the blanket. It was just that … …
He lowered his eyes and looked at the bulging blanket in front of his chest.
Soon, his pupils constricted slightly, and he groaned from the bottom of his throat. His fair cheeks were soon stained with two crimson colors.
Si Sheng, this guy actually …?!
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