Chapter 40
Ma Xingqi swallowed nervously, still hesitating to refresh and check the comments, afraid of being bombarded by negative feedback again. Half-closing his eyes, he finally steeled himself and clicked the refresh button. The comments quickly loaded and were now sorted by the number of likes, with the most popular ones at the top.
Top comment 1: 【Huh? Is this the boss of Ting Wan? Shocked face. This suit, this face, this body… Do all romance game CEOs look like paper dolls…?】
Top comment 2: 【What’s this little mouth babbling about? Can’t hear anything because I’m just looking at his face. This handsome CEO of Ting Wan, why didn’t you mention it earlier? I forgive you!】
Top comment 3: 【The boss is so generous!! Not only a ten-draw compensation but also in-game currency!! Way better than the XX company next door, who just gave out gold coins after their server crashed.】
Top comment 4: 【Can you take off your tie and slap me with it? Infatuated emoji】
—
Ma Xingqi was once again shocked by the rapid shift in netizens’ reactions. This damn, appearance-obsessed world!
After Shi Yu posted the video, he logged out of Weibo and didn’t look back. He didn’t want to speculate on the comments—it didn’t matter. He just wanted to let the buzz build a little longer, to let the heat reach its peak. The game already had a timely compensation plan in place, with a free hook dangling right in front of them, and netizens wouldn’t give up that easily.
The buzz continued to ferment, peaking that evening. #Ting WanHasResponded##DeepBlueLovePublicBetaIncreasedQuota#Ting WanCEOIsSoHandsome took over the trending list. The earlier flood of insults had completely shifted to discussions of Shi Yu’s personal popularity.
Netizens were digging deeper and becoming even more shocked.
Netizen 1: 【Oh my god, have you seen a CEO in their twenties? This is even more unbelievable than a novel. Wasn’t Wish Come True by their company also a huge hit? It was so popular that even my mom went on the site to post her wishes, and it really worked!】
Netizen 2: 【Just to add to the comment above, my sister goes to school with him… She’s seen him in person, and apparently, he looks like a 3D model. He’s from the Finance Department at Jiang University, and he hasn’t even graduated yet—should be graduating next year.】
Netizen 3: 【Wait, did you guys check the news? He was apparently the science top scorer in the college entrance exam in a certain county in Haishi in 20XX!】
Netizen 4: 【He looks highly intelligent, and in person, he’s even more intelligent 【doge face】. I’m not gonna say who’s happy about this.】
Netizen 5: 【Is that true? Someone like him developing a female-oriented game must be extraordinary.】
—
With it came a surge of traffic to Deep Blue Love, and the 50,000 spots that were opened were quickly taken up in a short period. The subsequent spots were also snapped up as soon as they were made available.
Beside Shi Yu’s desk was a metallic-colored picture frame, with a photo of Jiang Shangwan in a peaceful sleep. She appeared calm, wearing a soft sky-blue silk nightgown, her long black hair casually spread across the pillow. Her curled lashes hung down like fine brushes, and sometimes, when he leaned in to steal a kiss on her cheek, his lips would brush against her overgrown hair strands.
Her plump, pale pink lips would open and close with each breath, revealing a faint gap. When Shi Yu felt tired, he would glance at the photo, quietly staring with lowered eyes, as if he could feel her steady breathing in deep sleep, which would soothe him into relaxation.
He looked out the window at the dim sky, where only neon colors flickered in the dull light, and the thousands of lights from skyscrapers were overshadowed by the bright lights of the CBD, signaling that countless people were still working hard in their positions.
He didn’t look at the trending topics or the netizens’ comments, but he could feel the joy of his colleagues in the work group. The marketing department announced that Deep Blue Love had reached new heights in popularity.
“We can set the official launch date now,” Shi Yu said, removing his suit jacket and leaving on just a thin light gray shirt. He rolled up his sleeves, and his eyes inadvertently caught the sight of his empty left hand, which made him pause for a moment.
He quickly suppressed the fleeting daze and asked Ma Xingqi, “I think Deep Blue could add a few more features. For example, we could add some achievement-based giveaways, like getting limited edition items after reaching certain milestones—things like wedding rings, tattoos, and players could even design them. They could leave a personal mark with the person they’ve nurtured in the game.”
“That sounds great!” Ma Xingqi immediately started writing down the idea, preparing to have the programmers implement it. “We could also create a collectible catalog. For example, after collecting a certain percentage of items, players would get additional rewards.”
Shi Yu nodded. “Any ideas can be brought up with the planning department.”
Not long after the beta testing ended, Deep Blue Love officially launched. Behind its immense popularity was a huge amount of work. There were countless tasks to handle, big and small. Shi Yu worked overtime for half a month at the company, only managing to stay in touch with Jiang Shangwan via phone calls. Several times, he wanted to move back to his villa to work online, but he was firmly rejected.
Jiang Shangwan always just smiled. “Work is important. Right now is a crucial time. I’ve played your game, and it’s very fun. Come back once you’re done with this busy period.”
She even showed him her account. In just a few days, her spending had already reached over 100,000.
Shi Yu pursed his lips as he looked at the character on her screen. “What’s this character you’ve made?” White hair, black metal earrings, a chin sharp as a spike, exaggerated eight-pack abs, and a massive, refrigerator-like build—nothing like him at all.
“This is the character I made for my love interest,” Jiang Shangwan blinked innocently. “This hair color was the rare one I managed to pull. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Shi Yu: “…” The first person to fall for the love aspect of Deep Blue Love was none other than the person closest to his heart.
“You’ve done a really good job. It’s much better than the female-oriented games I’ve played before, and you don’t have to be online battling all the time—it gets really tiring,” Jiang Shangwan sincerely shared her game experience. “Not only can you customize the face, but you can also adjust the body. It would be even better if you could customize the… you know… size and length.”
Shi Yu rubbed his forehead. “That wouldn’t pass the review. Our company would be reported for inappropriate content and shut down immediately.”
“Ha,” Jiang Shangwan chuckled as she rested her chin on her hand. “That’s a bit of a shame. But overall, the experience is really great. The most interesting part for me is the painless childbirth system, but I can’t try it yet since my level isn’t high enough.”
“Do you like babies?” Shi Yu suddenly asked.
“I don’t know,” Jiang Shangwan replied honestly. She didn’t have much attachment to the idea of children. She wasn’t sure if she liked the idea or not. In her generation, most of the younger people from the Jiang family were only children, and there was no real concept of expanding the family.
After her parents passed away, sometimes she felt lonely and would imagine what life would be like if she had a daughter. Would having a child make her life warmer and fuller?
But then she quickly thought about the physical toll of pregnancy and the enormous responsibility of raising children, and realized the pressure was too great. She didn’t feel ready, so it wasn’t something she should rush into.
The reason Deep Blue Love gained such attention was because of its painless marriage and childbirth system, which addressed many people’s pain points. In the game, players could get married and have children without the constraints of the law, avoid the risks of asset division, not have to worry about the hardships of pregnancy, and even handcraft adorable virtual babies.
“So, what about you? Do you like babies?” Jiang Shangwan was asking about the real world for the first time since they started dating. She thought he was just talking about the game. “This baby is so cute, and you can even choose its gender.”
“I mean… in reality, do you want our baby?”
“You can’t have one,” Jiang Shangwan joked casually. “If you could, we’d have a pair of babies—preferably twins, one boy and one girl.”
Shi Yu’s jaw tightened, and his Adam’s apple slowly moved in his throat. He didn’t say anything else, and his hand outside the frame unconsciously clenched into a fist.
He knew he couldn’t rush things. It was still too early to think about such long-term things. So, he changed the subject. “The system in Deep Blue Love will gradually improve and expand. Right now, many of the private settings haven’t been fully integrated.”
“This is just the beginning. Don’t worry, take your time,” Jiang Shangwan said.
Another call kept coming through, and after hanging up, she said, “I’ve got to handle some things too. After I’m done, let’s take a break together, go for a walk, clear our heads.”
“Okay.”
Shi Yu held his phone, staring at the already-ended call in silence for a while. Then, he opened his WeChat profile, and with a slight flicker of thought, he decided to change the solid black avatar that he had never updated since he registered the account.
He replaced it with a full-body photo of a woman. The background was an endless, verdant grassland with a vast expanse of green covering the land, interspersed with overlapping mountain ranges and a low, distant horizon, all coming together to form a scene that looked like a vibrant oil painting.
Under the vast blue sky and white clouds, the tall woman stood with her arms crossed casually in front of her chest, wearing a slightly faded, washed-out denim jacket over her shoulders. A gentle breeze lifted the strands of her hair, and she tilted her head slightly upward, gazing into the distant, boundless horizon.
This photo was taken by Shi Yu during a vacation they had in western Sichuan. It was a simple shot, but it seemed to contain countless vitality and strength.
He also changed his nickname from the simple “.” to “Note: 留晚 = Liu Wan or “Lingering Evening” / “Staying Late”Liu Wan.” Perhaps those who didn’t know would think this was just a name extension from his company, but only he knew what it truly represented.
He realized he was beginning to crave a more definite future with her, yearning to share more vibrant, beautiful moments together. He was becoming increasingly greedy, his desires growing. He no longer just wanted her to stop for a moment in his world and leave a mark, he wanted her to stay.
—
Months passed by in a blur. By the end of December, Jiang Shangwan and Shi Yu finally had some free time together. The New Year was just around the corner, and though Shi Yu had moved in with Jiang Shangwan some time ago, they hadn’t actually had much time to spend together.
The popularity of Deep Blue Love remained stable, and even a collaboration with a well-known milk tea brand was in the works. Shi Yu finally found some time to waste with Jiang Shangwan.
Jiang Shangwan lazily leaned into Shi Yu’s embrace, her head resting gently against his chest. His chin lightly brushed against the soft top of her head as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. “What are you looking at?” he asked.
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