Though it's said one shouldn't strike a smiling face, the other person's grin was a bit too radiant.
Chao Musheng hesitated over whether to accept the steaming breakfast offered to him. Pulling a bread roll from his backpack, he said, "Thanks, but I brought my own." Better to stick with his own food—it felt more reliable.
"Oh." Xiaojuan didn't seem bothered. She casually handed him a box of milk instead. "Brother Chao, you must have a very disciplined routine. Eating breakfast on time is a good habit."
"Thanks." He accepted the milk, deciding not to reveal the one he already had in his bag. Instead, he took out a small container of cookies and offered some to Xiaojuan. "I brought some homemade biscuits. Want to try?"
Xiaojuan's eyes lit up at the sight of the bear-shaped cookies neatly packed in a transparent box. "These are adorable!"
Setting aside their differing backgrounds—native versus player—Chao Musheng wasn’t the kind of person people could easily dislike.
"The cookies are delicious." They were just the right size—crispy, not too sweet, perfect for popping whole into her mouth. Xiaojuan couldn’t resist having a couple more.
[Ding! Congratulations, Player! You have consumed food imbued with a blessing aura. Health Points +5. Today’s Luck +2.]
Xiaojuan froze. She quickly pulled up her status panel to double-check. Not only had the three Health Points deducted when she woke up been fully restored, but she’d also gained two extra.
Even more astonishing—her Luck stat had increased. After clearing so many dungeons, this was the first time something like this had happened.
"Brother Chao, where did you buy these?" Xiaojuan’s eyes sparkled. "They’re amazing!"
If something this good existed, she needed to stock up.
"You probably can’t buy them outside. My family made them." Seeing how much she enjoyed his parents’ handiwork, Chao Musheng smiled warmly and handed her another box. "Take more if you like them."
Last night, when he got home, his parents—upon hearing how kind his coworkers had been—had baked a huge batch of cookies for him to share at the office.
"So your family made these." Xiaojuan paused mid-chew. "No wonder store-bought ones can’t compare."
A distant memory surfaced—back before she’d been dragged into the Infinite World. A fresh graduate had joined her company as an intern and, within days, started bringing in homemade snacks to share.
The intern was talented, easygoing, and with the added bonus of delicious food, quickly became part of the team.
Later, Xiaojuan learned that the treats were prepared by the intern’s parents, who worried their child might face exclusion at work.
That was when she realized—children cherished by their parents would always be seen as kids, no matter how old they got.
No wonder these seemingly ordinary bear-shaped cookies boosted Health and Luck. They carried a parent’s love and blessings.
After popping two more into her mouth, Xiaojuan tucked away the unopened box.
"Sis?" Ze, who had rushed out of Happiness Residential Complex without even eating breakfast, spotted Xiaojuan and Chao Musheng chatting by the roadside and stared in confusion.
Hadn’t she sworn just last night not to become Brother Chao’s lackey? Yet here they were, talking like old friends—without him.
Avoiding his gaze, Xiaojuan shoved her breakfast into his hands. "Why are you up so late? Eat something."
"Thanks, sis. You’re the best." Ze happily accepted it—his stomach had been growling for a while.
Chao Musheng led the two to the office with ten minutes to spare before work.
The Customer Service Department was on the fourth floor. As Xiaojuan stepped out of the elevator, she waved at Chao Musheng inside. "See you this afternoon, Brother Chao."
"Sis," Ze asked once the doors closed, "since when did you and Brother Chao get so close?"
"Instead of worrying about that, focus on handling customer complaints." Xiaojuan shot back. "We’ve only got 29 days left in this internship."
"Sis, you know I’m not the sharpest." Ze scratched his head. "Sorry for dragging you down."
His blunt honesty made it hard for Xiaojuan to stay annoyed.
"I used to be quick-witted as a kid. But after a car accident, I was hospitalized for over half a year. Ever since, my brain just… doesn’t work right sometimes. So friends stopped sticking around. Aside from my mom and grandma, you’re the first person who’s helped me clean up my messes."
"What about your dad?"
"He left when I was little."
A long silence followed before Xiaojuan muttered, "Sorry."
"Why apologize?" Ze grinned, unfazed. "It’s not your fault. Besides, my mom’s incredible—she never let me suffer."
Xiaojuan didn’t reply. Back at her desk, she hesitated before pulling out the remaining box of cookies and placing it on Ze’s workstation. "Brother Chao gave these. We’ll split them."
Maybe the +2 Luck would help this fool survive the day’s barrage of difficult clients.
[Today’s Random Daily Task has been generated. Remaining 23 players, complete your tasks diligently to clear the dungeon.]
Out of the 25 players who’d entered this dungeon, only 23 remained—meaning two had been eliminated overnight.
Last night, she and Ze had been forced by the system onto a suspicious, driverless bus with passengers who might or might not have been human, bleeding from every orifice.
The others must’ve faced similar horrors.
No wonder the player forums warned that New Plane Exploration dungeons were near-impossible to survive.
She glanced back at Ze and sighed, pulling out a notebook from her drawer. On it, she wrote: Customer Service Guide for Handling Difficult Clients.
This was as much as she could do for him.
Chao Musheng’s cookies were a hit among the staff. Surrounded by the sweet aroma in the office, he opened his family group chat.
[ChaoChaoMuMu: Dear Mom and Dad, your cookies were so popular I barely got to eat two before they vanished.]
No reply from Mom—probably in a meeting.
Dad responded quickly.
[PeaceIsBlessing: Of course! Whose skills do you think these are? We’ll make more this weekend. (Laughing)]
Assured that his dad was in good spirits and no longer worried about workplace exclusion, Chao Musheng put away his phone and adjusted a line of code.
The Art Department’s requests were numerous and intricate. While their ideas were creative, implementing them risked clipping issues in-game. If not fixed properly, it’d be a disservice to players spending real money.
After staring at the screen for hours, he rubbed his eyes, grabbed his thermos, and stepped out to the break area for some air.
He was still young, but after seeing his senior’s thinning hairline, preserving his own locks had become a lifelong mission.
The platform was adorned with potted plants and tables and chairs for employees to rest. Chao Musheng walked over and sat down on a chair under the parasol, closing his eyes in contentment.
Footsteps rustled nearby. Chao Musheng opened his eyes and sat up, spotting Mr. Su in the sunlight, dressed in a white shirt. He wore a dark tie, and the blue gemstone on his tie clip shimmered with a dazzling, luxurious glow.
"Mr. Su." Chao Musheng stood up. Just stepping out for a breather and running into the boss—what rotten luck was this?
"Did I disturb you?" Seeing him rise, Mr. Su paused. "My apologies, I didn’t notice anyone here."
A cool breeze swept across the balcony, carrying a faint scent—something earthy, like the vitality of grass, trees, and flowing streams. It wasn’t particularly fragrant, but it was soothing, evoking the relaxation of being immersed in nature.
"Please, continue resting. Don’t mind me." Mr. Su rolled up his sleeves, bent down, and picked up a watering can from the corner to tend to the potted plants. "Our tech team faces a lot of pressure. This balcony was specially designed so you all have a place to unwind."
"Though it seems most employees prefer the indoor break room over coming out here." Mr. Su set down the watering can, washed his hands, and took a seat beside Chao Musheng. "I heard you just joined the company and already solved a major issue for the tech department. This morning, the tech manager requested HR to transfer you to the core tech team. What are your thoughts?"
"Mr. Su, I’ve only just arrived." From where he sat, Chao Musheng could see into the office of Tech Team Three through the window.
The technicians who remained at Kunlun’s headquarters were no ordinary talents. His colleagues in Team Three had been very supportive. Jumping to the core team so soon after joining would not only be ungrateful but also unwise. "The game team is currently tackling a technical hurdle for the new project. I’d like to stay and help my colleagues overcome it first."
Mr. Su gave a slight nod. "Rest assured, HR will fully respect your wishes."
Preferring to stay with his team rather than seize an opportunity for advancement—clearly, he got along well with his colleagues.
Chao Musheng noticed a wound on the back of Mr. Su’s left hand. "You’re injured?"
"A minor scratch from two days ago. Just a superficial wound." Mr. Su placed his left hand beneath the table. The silver chain on his glasses swayed slightly, drawing Chao Musheng’s gaze.
Perhaps it was because Mr. Su’s skin was so fair, but the silver chain suited him perfectly. There was an air of timeless elegance about him, untouched by trends or eras.
Kunlun Enterprises was a long-standing family business, its leaders always low-profile. Even in this age of instant communication, few ever spoke of the company’s owner. Compared to the flashy, internet-famous entrepreneurs with legions of fans, Mr. Su seemed almost invisible.
A phone rang. The moment Chao Musheng answered, his senior brother’s frantic voice blared through: "Chao! Get back here—we need you now!"
"Coming, coming! Right away!" He hung up. "Mr. Su, my colleagues need me. I should head back."
"Of course." Mr. Su stood, keeping his left hand behind his back. "Don’t push yourself too hard. Take care of your health."
Mr. Su, think before you speak—who benefits the most if I work myself to the bone? When the game blows up and rakes in millions in daily revenue, whose pockets will it fill?
"Even if it’s for my sake, the same applies." Mr. Su smiled. "Go ahead. I’ll return to my office shortly."
Chao Musheng nodded. "Understood, boss. Thank you, boss. Goodbye, boss."
He’d say it again—a boss this considerate deserved to make a fortune.
"Goodbye."
Standing alone on the empty balcony, the warmth in Mr. Su’s expression faded. He looked down at the wound on his hand.
It was unsightly. Would Chao Musheng find it ugly?
If he’d known they’d cross paths, he should’ve worn gloves.
Lowering his lashes, he remained still, then glanced at the forgotten thermos left on the table.
By the time Chao Musheng returned to the office, his senior brother was in the middle of a heated argument with the art department.
Papers flew like battlefield debris. Chao Musheng quietly took two steps back, pretending he’d just wandered in by accident.
"All you do is make demands! What the hell do you know about tech?!"
"If we didn’t push for quality, would you even know what artistic appeal is? Don’t give us that ‘too hard to implement’ crap—if players love it, you figure it out! Out of all departments, yours gets the highest bonuses. What more do you want?!"
"So you’re saying we’re just sitting on our hands?"
"If that’s how you see it, fine. Go explain it to the players yourself."
"Chao!" His senior brother, red-faced with fury, spotted him at the door. "Tell them how impossible their demands are!"
The art team turned in unison, their gazes locking onto Chao Musheng.
Chao Musheng: "..."
Senior brother, after all our years as brothers-in-arms, you couldn’t even pretend not to see me? Had to drag me into the warzone?
Truly, male friendship was like plastic—melted at the slightest heat.
"Chao?" The art director’s eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"
"Sister Jia?" He was equally surprised. Wasn’t this his upstairs neighbor?
Just how many acquaintances did Kunlun employ?
"I started my internship here yesterday."
Sister Jia: "Don’t tell me you’re in the game tech team?"
"Yeah." He bent to pick up a stray sheet of paper, feigning ignorance of the argument. "Sister Jia, here to discuss work with my senior brother?"
Sister Jia didn’t miss a beat. "Mhm."
They’d engaged in a ‘frank and constructive exchange of views’—technically, that counted as work.
With Chao Musheng present, Sister Jia softened her tone. "I know your team has constraints, but we can’t ignore player feedback. Can you try to find a way?"
The brewing conflict fizzled into awkward silence. His senior brother scratched his thinning hair. "Fine. Give us a week. We’ll see what we can do."
"Appreciate it." Sister Jia pulled out her phone and placed a group order. "I’ll treat everyone to bubble tea."
After a fight, you had to leave room for reconciliation—otherwise, the next argument would be even harder to start.
Once the art team left, his senior brother asked, "Chao, how do you know the art director?"
"Sister Jia’s my upstairs neighbor. She’s always looked out for me. When I was prepping for college entrance exams, she tiptoed around her apartment so I could study and even helped gather materials." He straightened the scattered papers. "Heard she got headhunted by a big company recently—didn’t realize it was ours."
The senior brother fell silent for a long moment before pulling out a chair and sitting in front of the computer. "Fine. For your sake, I won’t argue with the art planning team."
However, the furious clattering of his keyboard betrayed the lingering anger in his heart.
Chao Musheng didn’t dare make a sound.
Half an hour later, the milk tea arrived, and the sound of colleagues typing gradually returned to normal.
"Boss is Chao Musheng’s senior brother, Boss Wan who sells barbecue is his alumnus, Secretary Liu is his acquaintance, and the art planning team manager is his neighbor." Brother Li sipped his milk tea and joked, "Everywhere you look, it’s Chao Musheng’s circle of connections. If someone told me the CEO was his best friend, I’d believe it without hesitation."
"Brother Li guessed right—actually, the whole world is full of my acquaintances. But you know too much now, so I can’t keep you around." Chao Musheng raised his head with mock coldness. "Later, I’ll call up one of my good friends and have them dock your salary and cut your bonus."
"Chao Musheng, what you need most right now is to read fewer domineering CEO novels," the senior brother said with a grin. "Our Kunlun is a proper corporation. Salary deductions have to go through HR and finance for approval."
"If Chao Musheng really were best friends with the CEO, why would he need to intern in our tech department? He’d just go straight to the executive office," the colleagues chimed in, laughing. No one took it seriously. "Chao Musheng, your network isn’t wide enough yet—you’ve got to keep working at it."
Chao Musheng typed one-handed while holding his milk tea in the other, replying flippantly, "Alright, alright. I’ll do my best to win over the CEO in three days, become Kunlun’s second-in-command within a month, and then lead you all to the pinnacle of success, dominating the entire business world."
"No need to take that long. Just lie down in a comfortable position during lunch break—you can dream about all that," the senior brother sighed. "Alright, everyone, back to work."
At lunch, when Chao Musheng went to the cafeteria with his colleagues, he spotted Xiaojuan and Ze standing at the entrance from afar.
The moment they saw Chao Musheng, Xiaojuan and Ze immediately brightened up. "Brother Chao!"
Their smiles were dazzling.
Chao Musheng paused, then nodded. "Hello."
The two seemed to have come just to greet him. After receiving his response, they happily joined the queue to get their meals.
Ze whispered, "Sis Juan, why don’t we stay with Brother Chao and eat together? It’d help us get closer."
"Too much of a good thing is worse than none at all," Xiaojuan replied, eyeing the meat section. After a brief hesitation, she carefully took a small portion for herself.
Greeting him proactively was a friendly gesture, but forcing their way into his conversation with colleagues would just be annoying and tactless.
"Don’t take that," Xiaojuan stopped Ze’s hand as he reached for a chicken drumstick. "Let me test it first."
To check if the meat here was safe to eat, she had already prepared a sacrificial prop.
After all, they’d be stuck in this dungeon for a month—she couldn’t survive on greens and radishes every day.
Once the meal was over, no negative status effects appeared, and her health points remained intact. Xiaojuan relaxed. It seemed the dungeon wasn’t completely ruthless—at least it hadn’t tampered with the players’ daily necessities.
After returning their trays, she led Ze to greet Chao Musheng once more before leaving the employee cafeteria.
Familiarity breeds fondness. As long as they kept greeting Chao Musheng every day, good results would follow.
"Those two intern friends of yours are quite interesting," the senior brother remarked as he and Chao Musheng stepped out of the elevator. "Even during a short lunch break, they make sure to say hello—more punctual than my clock-in at work."
"What can I say? Our Chao Musheng is surrounded by connections everywhere..." The joking colleague’s voice abruptly cut off as he stared at the person standing outside their office door.
The thermos cup in the boss’s hand looked... vaguely familiar.
Holy crap!
Once the colleagues realized who was waiting at the door, they all whipped their heads around to gape at Chao Musheng in disbelief.
You little— We were just joking this morning, and you’re already making moves?!
