Chapter 20: The Price of Fate
Every single thing in the world has a price tag secretly attached, and every experience in a person’s life will eventually be cashed in at some point in the future. Lu Li never believed that hard work would necessarily lead to success, but he believed that all his efforts would eventually condense into some kind of result – whether good or bad.
Chu Jingyi clasped her hands nervously. The sales figures on the screen might not even be comparable to her monthly allowance, but they tugged at her heartstrings, manipulating her emotions. Silly Goose didn’t usually play games and had no concept of game releases. She didn’t dare to ask Lu Li whether the number was good or bad, afraid of discouraging him if the data was too low.
She tugged at An Baili’s sleeve and winked, as if asking, “Baili, how is it?”
An Baili looked at the number 55 on the screen and shook her head slightly. As of 8:30 a.m., only fifty-five copies had been sold. This was a terrible result, especially for Lu Li.
Silly Goose was already mentally preparing words of comfort for Lu Li. She didn’t care how many copies were sold, she only cared about whether he was happy. Just then, Wen Hupo snorted coldly. “They have no taste.” She was referring to the users of the Valve platform.
Lu Li was the calmest among them. With his mentality, he had long learned to take the ups and downs of his career in stride. He didn’t want the girls to be pessimistic, so he slapped his thigh, stood up with a smile, and said, “Okay, let’s let time prove our team’s worth.”
“Lu Li…” An Baili pouted and looked at him with a pitiful expression. She wanted to say that if he was unhappy, he could do whatever he wanted to her tonight.
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” Lu Li chuckled, seeing the girls’ disappointed expressions. They didn’t even care about the game, yet they were more upset than he was. He had already anticipated the low initial sales. Without much publicity or reputation, most players would adopt a wait-and-see attitude. After all, no one’s money grew on trees. He had made some preparations, but the strategies were too complicated to explain, and it would seem like he was making excuses. So Lu Li decided to just laugh it off and let fate take its course.
“Is it really okay?” Silly Goose asked foolishly, “Are you unhappy, Lu Li?”
This girl was truly silly. How was he supposed to answer such a direct question? Lu Li took Silly Goose’s soft hand, his face beaming with a smile. “Yes, I need a sweet hug from my girlfriend to cheer me up.”
“Oh.” Silly Goose obediently leaned in and hugged Lu Li gently. The girl’s body was warm as always, with a faint floral fragrance. What Lu Li loved most about girls was their body temperature, so soft, warm, and sweet. He never wanted to let go once he held them in his arms.
This girl was truly both infuriating and endearing. Lu Li saw An Baili drawing circles on the floor with the tip of her shoe and knew that she was probably thinking about how to comfort him. His heart warmed. Just a small setback, and these girls were already trying their best to cheer him up. He usually coaxed and pampered them, but now they were working together to pamper him. What more could he ask for in life?
Wen Hupo said with a straight face, “It’s the netizens who have no taste. Your game combined with my art should be a priceless masterpiece.” Was this Hupo’s unique way of showing concern? Lu Li chuckled.
“I’ll treat everyone to dinner after school today. We have to celebrate the game’s release.” Lu Li announced, pinching Silly Goose’s earlobe.
“Okay~ I’ll listen to you~” An Baili was the first to raise her hand.
“I, I need to call my mom.” The good girl said.
“Whatever.” This was Wen Hupo.
Back in the classroom, Lu Li attended class as usual. The two girls behind him kept trying to find excuses to talk to him. Silly Goose was the most amusing. She would ask if he was thirsty, if he wanted snacks, if his hand was tired from taking notes, and if she should help him. Lu Li’s unknown female deskmate almost burst out laughing, clenching her fists to suppress her amusement.
Lu Li felt like he had suddenly become a national treasure in their eyes, like a baby panda being cared for with every sip of water and every bite of food.
If he were any weaker, he would be spoiled rotten by these girls. No wonder they said that the land of gentleness was the most enchanting and debilitating. How many heroes had fallen into the arms of beauties and never picked up their swords again?
Lu Li, you have to stay strong, you can’t just be a kept man! He told himself.
During lunch, as soon as Lu Li sat down in the cafeteria, Chu Jingyi came over with two lunch trays and served him soup obediently, not saying a word, like a virtuous wife sitting by his side. An Baili arranged his chopsticks and spoon and sat quietly on his other side. The passing students couldn’t help but point and whisper. Lu Li vaguely heard them saying:
“That’s Lu Li…”
“…Damn it…”
“…Kill that dog Lu… Steal our goddess…”
Just then, Lu Li’s phone vibrated. He checked it and a smug smile appeared on his face.
An Baili peeked at his phone and saw a message from someone whose contact name was “Annoying Girl.” Jealousy flared, and she couldn’t help but mutter, “That homewrecker is useless.” She was complaining about Chen Jianing not being able to contribute.
Lu Li quickly finished his food. “Hurry up and eat, we’re going to the activity classroom later. I have good news.”
Silly Goose eagerly agreed and imitated Lu Li, eating quickly, but her big eyes were fixed on him, her mind completely occupied by him. This was both her misfortune and her fortune. Her misfortune was that people who lacked certain qualities tended to be overly invested in their first relationships, to the point of losing themselves. And these relationships often ended in heartbreak and failure. Chu Jingyi was this type of person. Her fortune was that the other person was Lu Li.
She followed Lu Li with small, quick steps. Silly Goose used to walk with a decisive and confident stride, but at some point, she started paying extra attention to her image in front of Lu Li. She would ask her classmates for advice on how to be more likable, ask her mother what gifts boys liked, and carefully choose her socks and scarf for the day.
She just wanted him to notice her.
Lu Li arrived at the activity classroom and opened the game’s page. The number of units sold had soared to over 2300 and was still increasing rapidly.
Silly Goose looked at the number blankly, not understanding if it was good or bad. Seeing An Baili jumping up and down excitedly, she also started jumping, mimicking her. She just wanted Lu Li to be happy, she didn’t care about the mysteries of the world.
Lu Li was touched by Silly Goose’s clumsy and stiff movements. He pulled her into a hug and said affectionately, “Silly girl.” The moment these gentle words left his lips, Silly Goose’s body melted in his arms. She felt like everything was worth it.
“…I’m not silly…” She clung to his clothes, inhaling his scent, feeling like a small insect trapped in a spiderweb, sinking deeper and deeper.
March 17th. Eternal Joy Studio’s first game was released. As of 1 p.m., over 3,000 copies had been sold.
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