Started as a comics editor

Chapter 333 Putting the Facts Away
"What should I do?"

Li Xue panicked for a moment, but finally couldn't help but ask.

In fact.

Even the eldest sister couldn't remain calm at this moment.

Strictly speaking, this was not a big deal at all. She and Kaoru were quite familiar with each other, and that trip to the hot spring hotel had made the three of them acquainted.

Occasionally, Li Xue would contact Xun in private to talk about Tang Yao.

But one code equals another.

obviously.

The older sister was still a little shy when faced with such a situation.

This subtle shift in identity and the accompanying sense of embarrassment are something few people could easily process instantly.

Tang Yao looked at Li Xue's flustered appearance, reached out and supported her fair cheek, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Actually, Tang Xun didn't ask any questions yesterday.

Because the girl herself wasn't sure.

After all, she had only graduated from high school... Although she knew that her sister was different from other women in some ways, she had only heard Tang Yao's half-joking, veiled admission yesterday, and she was not quite sure if her sister was just fooling her on a whim.

Tang Yao has been posing with his back straight and talking about being a macho man for quite some time now.

This makes it even more difficult to directly connect the dots with people around you.

Last night, Tang Xun only mentioned the name of someone the two sisters knew to test them.

Tang Yao managed to fool them.

of course.

This didn't stop Tang Yao from using this to tease Li Xue.

"What do you say?"

Tang Yao leisurely rested her snow-white cheek on her hand, enjoying the rare sight before her—the older sister who was in a panic and almost spun around on the spot. She asked with amusement.

She actually really liked seeing Li Xue like this, because this was the most authentic and touching part of Li Xue, like a pearl hidden in a hard oyster shell, which only she could easily pry open.

When the two met by chance at the Wenxin Pavilion editorial department, she was flustered and made a complete fool of herself... She was unfamiliar with her own body, unfamiliar with her own identity, and didn't even realize that she had pressed the space bar against her chest.

But now their roles have been reversed, and the passage of time has filled the scene before them with an indescribable sense of subtlety.

The time they spent together had passed by so quickly, long enough for them to know each other's truest selves.

Think of this.

Tang Yao couldn't help but smile softly, a hint of emotion barely perceptible in her expression.

"I……"

Upon hearing this, Li Xue finally snapped out of her daze, looked at Tang Yao, and then took a step forward in her high heels, her delicate face slightly flushed, and asked, "Is there anything I need to prepare?"

"what to prepare?"

"..."

"Why are not you talking?"

"..."

"Wait, you wouldn't be thinking of..."

"..."

Li Xue blinked her beautiful eyes, still not speaking, just looking at Tang Yao with a shy expression.

obviously.

Tang Yao guessed correctly.

Li Xue has already started thinking about the distant future, perhaps even more than ten years into the future.

Tang Yao was both amused and exasperated, her pretty face flushing slightly. She released her hand from her chin, straightened up, and gave Li Xue a light glare before saying, "Give me your hand!"

"..."

Li Xue was a little confused, but she still obediently stretched out her fair little hand.

Tang Yao opened a drawer and placed something in Li Xue's palm.

Li Xue was stunned for a moment, then looked down.

…That’s a bank card.

Li Xue was a little confused, and slowly looked up at Tang Yao's stunningly beautiful face: "This is..."

"bank card."

Tang Yao smiled brightly and joked, "A bank card with 1.7 million in it... you can think of it as a betrothal gift."

"Hire..."

Li Xue was a little confused, but after uttering just one word, she realized what was happening and looked at the bank card in her hand again, stunned.

At first.

When Tang Yao decided to leave Wenxin Pavilion to work in the game industry, she was troubled by money.

For this reason, she even asked Li Xue to help her make connections, and she found her cousin who worked at a venture capital fund.

Ultimately, Tang Yao failed to secure investment.

Just when Tang Yao was in despair, Li Xue placed the bank card in her hand and jokingly told her that it was her dowry.

It can be said.

Avalon was able to be established because of this bank card.

Without this bank card, let alone Avalon, FGO might not even be possible.

And later.

Tang Yao never returned the bank card to Li Xue.

Li Xue also thought that Tang Yao had forgotten about it.

But how could Tang Yao forget... She can still remember that day in the coffee shop when Li Xue smiled and handed her the bank card, saying it was part of her dowry.

After all, Li Xue had really gone all out at the time, putting all her savings on the line...

afterwards.

Tang Yao only found out then.

After giving the card to herself, Li Xue didn't even have a thousand yuan left on her.

Do you remember what I said back then?

Tang Yao looked at Li Xue and said softly, "More than a million, that's all your savings. No matter how confident I am in the game, I can't guarantee 100% success. If you fail, your savings will be wiped out, and you won't have anything left... It's too risky. Even if there's only a one percent chance of failure, I won't joke around with my friend's life."

But you said it was okay.

To be honest, I was really scared at the time, really scared of losing money... Luckily, I didn't lose any in the end.

"..."

Looking at the familiar bank card in her palm, Li Xue could almost feel the warmth of Tang Yao receiving it in the coffee shop years ago.

She looked up and met Tang Yao's beautiful, smiling eyes.

At that time, she put the card into Tang Yao's hand and said with a smile that it was part of her dowry.

At that time, she was only thinking about how to comfort the stubborn and talented girl in front of her, and how to prevent her dreams from being extinguished by the cold water of reality.

She never thought of asking for anything in return, and was even prepared for the money to disappear without a trace—simply because the other party was Tang Yao.

Now, the bank card that carried her desperate trust back then, and witnessed all the hardships and glories Tang Yao had gone through, was returned to her palm intact, in a more solemn and intimate way.

Li Xue was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Is this to pay off a debt...?"

"No."

"what is that?"

"What do you say?"

"..."

“I remember every word you said that day. You joked that this was your dowry, that money can always be earned back, but once you lose a friend, you can never get them back… Li Xue, you are the light that shines into my darkest moments, and the source of my confidence to stand tall and keep going. This card is the starting point of Avalon, and it is also the starting point of everything between us.”

"Now, I'm returning it to you, but this is by no means repaying a debt." Tang Yao reached out and gently grasped Li Xue's wrist, looking at the older sister who had just been in a panic.

Li Xue clutched the bank card tightly, gazing at Tang Yao with a rosy complexion.

"To be honest... I don't know what you were panicking about just now. Even if Kaoru knew, so what? Could I really abandon you?"

Tang Yao tilted her head and made a teasing remark.

In front of her, the mature and alluring older woman blushed deeply, her eyes darting around: "I..."

"Ok?"

"..."

"speak."

"..."

Li Xue glared at Tang Yao, who was still teasing her, and then, in a fit of desperation, took a step forward and plopped down on Tang Yao's shapely legs.

Before Tang Yao could react, she was forced to lean back in her chair.

"Eh eh eh..."

Tang Yao wanted to say something more.

But it was too late.

The sounds outside the window suddenly became indistinct.

This day is very special.

The whole morning.

Avalon's two absolute core players, Tang Yao and Li Xue, did not appear.

……

A few days later, a discreet black sedan pulled up right on time in front of the main building of the technology park where Avalon was located.

The car door opens.

Zhang Da, a senior reporter from GameFront, came downstairs, carrying his briefcase filled with notebooks and recording equipment.

He took a deep breath, looked up at the building in front of him that had risen to prominence in the industry and was known as a creative dream factory, his heart filled with professional curiosity and a hint of barely perceptible tension.

His goal today was clear: to interview Kang Ming, the producer of the "Vagabond" project.

Although he was quite disappointed that he couldn't get an appointment with the mysterious Avalon leader, Tang Yao, he was still fortunate to have met the key figure of the highly anticipated project, "Vagabond," which was a rare gain from the trip.

After all, the concept trailer for this sword and spear game, which blends Eastern aesthetics with sharp action, caused quite a stir among players when it was released.

Enter the door.

Registration.

Then, led by staff, we proceeded to Avalon's game development department.

Avalon has already moved once.

However, Tang Yao did not participate; it was mainly Li Xue who took the lead.

Following the relocation, Avalon experienced a significant expansion in scale.

I just joined Avalon's game development department.

Zhang Da excitedly looked around at his surroundings.

It was completely different from the cold, efficient, and even slightly oppressive atmosphere he had imagined (mainly because Avalon games were released too quickly).

Avalon's interior space is exceptionally spacious and bright, featuring a large number of open-plan designs.

Besides that, his first impression was that he was young.

Yes.

So young.

Looking around, Zhang Da saw faces brimming with youthful energy. Judging by their appearance, most of the staff were definitely under thirty years old, and many even looked under twenty-five. They dressed in different styles but all exuded a relaxed and comfortable vibe—T-shirts with pixelated patterns, loose hoodies, and even T-shirts with cartoon images of their own game characters.

Many others strolled among them, wearing comfortable slippers and carrying mugs printed with various game references.

The overall atmosphere was incredibly relaxed.

But it was relaxed, not lazy, because in addition to that, there were countless enthusiastic discussions, the sound of keyboards being typed, and the scratching of whiteboard markers across the whiteboard.

What's even more captivating are their workstations, which are practically flowing art gallery corridors! Almost every workstation is filled with colorful and diverse original concept art and hand-drawn storyboards: from vast landscapes and solitary swordsmen full of ink-wash painting aesthetics to cute and adorable cartoon character three-view drawings; from sharp line structure diagrams of sci-fi mechs to imaginative designs of fantasy creatures... Each one is visually striking, silently telling the story of fantasy worlds that are being conceived or have already been born.

He even saw several familiar early drafts belonging to Plants vs. Zombies and To the Moon.

to be frank.

This is really not normal.

This is a game company; not only the art department, but all other positions have so many artworks displayed...

Could this be related to Avalon's success in comics?

Just as Zhang Da was thinking this.

"Reporter Zhang?"

A gentle voice sounded beside him, interrupting Zhang Da's observation.

He turned his head and realized that he had entered a new area. At the same time, he saw a young man wearing a neat polo shirt with a gentle smile and an employee badge that read "Administrative Assistant - Li Xiang".

"Ah, yes, hello!" Zhang Da quickly replied.

"Professor Kang Ming is already waiting for you in the conference room. Please follow me."

Li Xiang greeted the staff member who brought Zhang Da, then gestured for him to follow, leading Zhang Da through the vibrant office area.

The scenery along the way further deepened Zhang Da's impression of Avalon's youth.

This new area doesn't have as many original concept art pieces and hand-drawn storyboards with different styles, but it's still spacious and comfortable. There are no rigid partitions; instead, there are flexible low screens, comfortable sofa discussion areas, and even a rest corner with beanbag chairs and game consoles.

The workstations were also bizarre, piled with all sorts of game figurines and models. Zhang Da recognized many of them as characters from Avalon's own works, an exaggeratedly designed mechanical keyboard, a huge digital screen, and even a small fish tank with a green turtle next to the screen.

In front of a whiteboard in a corner, a group of young people were having a heated discussion. One of them was gesturing excitedly with his hands, almost jumping up as if he was about to hit someone. The whiteboard next to him was covered with scribbles and lines.

"cough."

Seeing this, Li Xiang, who was leading the way, seemed a little embarrassed and explained, "Don't be offended, those are the engine team members. They've been working through the night for several days, and now... well, they're holding a ceremony to persuade the others."

"That's how it is here. The pressure is high, but it's also very direct when you want to release it. Teacher Kang Ming often jokes that when Avalon was first established, it didn't feel like a company, but more like a club made up of a group of like-minded players."

"A club that turns fantasy into reality?"

Zhang Da subconsciously replied.

Li Xiang smiled and said, "Ha! It's nothing to exaggerate."

Although it's said to be less than exaggerated.

But Li Xiang's tone was full of approval and pride.

Zhang Da glanced at the other party and said nothing more, but at this moment he understood why Avalon had been able to achieve what it had in such a short time.

From the moment he stepped into the building, from the young faces brimming with creative passion, and from everything he saw and heard along the way, he truly felt that fervent atmosphere.

It permeates the air, seeping into every corner...

so good……

Soon, the two arrived at the entrance of a conference room with a nameplate that read "Sword Bamboo".

Li Xiang took a step forward, just about to knock on the door.

But that's it.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from inside the door.

"Holy crap! Why am I the one doing the interview! Wouldn't Tang Yao be more suitable?! Is this reasonable? I'm a technically-trained manager, and I can barely speak in front of a camera! You want me to chat and laugh with a reporter? Talk about what? Talk about the six bugs in the code I wrote before?"
Besides, no matter how you look at it, any pretty young girl is better than a young, balding technician like me!

"Tang Yao doesn't want to! And she made it clear that you're not allowed to mention her... so you can talk about games."

"You're deliberately making things difficult for me! You won't let me talk about her, so we'll talk about games! You're completely ignoring the facts, aren't you? Which Avalon game isn't related to Tang Yao!"

"..."

Zhang Da, standing outside the door, suddenly widened his eyes.

Li Xiang's expression also became a little tense. He quickly knocked on the door and raised his voice: "Professor Kang Ming! Reporter Zhang from 'Game Frontier' has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)