"Actually, the reason we left the ancient background section for last is precisely because it's the hardest one to develop." Pei Cizhou called for Qiuyun to come out, not wanting to disturb the others who were absorbed in playing the game.
"..."
Glancing back at her young lady, who was thoroughly engrossed and unable to tear herself away, Qiuyun followed him out of the experience room.
Wait a minute.
Were they really that close? Why was he starting an unsolicited heart-to-heart about work?
Pei Cizhou led her to the counter in the break room. "Urban and campus scenarios have modern society as a standard template, while xianxia, post-apocalyptic, and cyberpunk are all imaginary worlds that don't need references."
He turned to face her. "Coffee or tea?"
Qiuyun rubbed her nose. "Milk tea."
Pei Cizhou gave her an amused look, then went to the fridge to grab an ice cup. "Instant—will that do?"
"Sure."
As he prepared the milk tea, he continued, "But ancient backgrounds are different. They're supported by a wealth of historical records, so the team has to do massive amounts of reading to solidify them. Even when we were deciding on the historical dynasty, it took us an entire week to finalize."
Qiuyun responded flatly, "Oh? Really? What a twist. Starting a business is tough, but you made it through. Hang in there—I believe in you."
She spoke each word deliberately, which made Pei Cizhou smirk. He leaned slightly forward as he handed over the iced milk tea and said in a low voice, "What's this? Not pretending with me anymore?"
Qiuyun took it, wearing an innocent expression. "Young Master Pei, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
"Hmph." Pei Cizhou didn't press her. "But for a quick-transmigration game that sends players into various small worlds to complete tasks, it can't leave out an ancient background."
His team had studied over eighty percent of quick-transmigration novels on the market—very few lacked an ancient setting, proving it had strong market demand.
So there was no way they'd let a mass-market game be missing this section.
Seeing the slight lift of his brow, Qiuyun took a sip of her milk tea and gave a thumbs-up. "Ambitious."
So what?
What did that have to do with her?
Pei Cizhou was momentarily speechless. "You know perfectly well what I'm trying to ask you."
Qiuyun played dumb. "Young Master Pei, what are you saying? How would I know what you're thinking?"
Remembering how she'd slashed his fee by a quarter at the Cheng Garden without batting an eye, Pei Cizhou cut straight to the point. "Five thousand—for a thirty-minute chat about the creative side."
"Five thousand?"
Now that she'd paid off her debt and had over three hundred thousand in savings, Qiuyun found this pocket change unimpressive.
Her expression was a bit flat.
Pei Cizhou sighed and pulled up his account balance, showing a meager 5,026.37.
"This is honestly the highest price I can offer you," he said, putting his phone away with a casual shrug. "Surely, Miss Qiu wouldn't leave me without enough for a meal, would she?"
"..."
Fine. Qiuyun accepted the offer. "But why spend your last savings on this? Do you really think I can give you any good advice?"
"Instinct." Pei Cizhou brewed himself a cup of coffee. "I just have a feeling you'll surprise me with something unexpected."
Just like every time he'd seen her before.
Qiuyun shuddered dramatically.
What a line.
"Alright." She pulled out her phone and set a timer. "You've got half an hour."
Time was tight, so Pei Cizhou got straight to it. "Our team finally settled on the Tang Dynasty as the backdrop—streetscape and architecture are based on historical records, roughly a one-to-one replica. Where does it feel fake to you?"
"It's fake everywhere," she said bluntly, since she was being paid. "First, the street layout. I saw the main road was labeled as the capital's central avenue, but after walking the whole length, I couldn't tell at all which direction led to the imperial city and which led out of town."
Pei Cizhou frowned, motioning for her to continue.
"Ancient architecture had a strict hierarchy. The outer buildings couldn't be taller than the inner ones. Other areas might have looser rules, but not the main avenue—that was the emperor's route out of the palace."
"And the street arrangement—everything I saw along the way was shops. Not a single residence's gate. I understand modern cities have zoning planned in advance, designating which areas are residential and which are commercial, taking only twenty years to take shape."
"But ancient towns formed gradually over years without planning—homes and businesses were mixed. Your shops are too neat and orderly; they lack the feel of everyday life. It's no different from a modern commercial street."
By the time she finished, Pei Cizhou was completely serious, his face full of concentration.
Qiuyun went on. "Then there's the background audio. All I could hear was street vendors hawking their wares, which reinforced the idea that this is a commercial street. But a real ancient street would have abacus clicking, mule and horse neighing, children playing, night watchmen's clappers—"
After her lengthy breakdown, Pei Cizhou finally understood why she said it was 'fake everywhere.'
Everywhere was flawed.
"And there's the issue of architectural overstepping. Since I'm not very familiar with Tang Dynasty ridge beast protocols, I can't offer advice there—you'd need to consult a Tang historian."
Hearing all this, Pei Cizhou stared blankly, completely stunned.
He muttered to himself, "You... are you sure you're not from ancient times?"
Like she'd actually lived back then.
"Ha, haha."
Qiuyun's internal alarm blared at full speed as she went on high alert. "Who knows? Maybe I am. But all this stuff—just read more of the Sanyan Erpai or ancient vernacular narratives, and you can imagine it, right?"
Luckily, Pei Cizhou was still reeling from his worldview being upended and didn't notice her slip.
"Ahem." Qiuyun quickly changed the subject, soothing him softly. "Actually, you don't need to perfect every detail. In games, missions are more important. The setting is secondary."
"No."
Pei Cizhou shook his head with firm determination. "If I do something, I'll only do it to the best I can."
Well.
At least he had ambition.
"So," he invited sincerely, "Miss Qiu, would you be willing to come serve as an advisor in our ancient background art department?"
"..."
You're a broke boss with only five thousand in reserve and you want to recruit talent?
Literally—save your money!
Qiuyun politely refused. "Sorry, Young Master Pei. I've only read a bit of vernacular and have a shallow understanding of ancient life. I don't know much about Tang Dynasty systems or regulations."
"Then we'll scrap everything," Pei Cizhou said, tapping his knuckles irregularly on the table as his mind wandered. "The Tang Dynasty was only a tentative setting. More accurately, we're creating something Tang-inspired. With strict cultural controls from the higher-ups—especially regarding history—we'll change the dynasty name to something else to ensure a smooth launch. Like Da Yong, Da Qi, Da Wei—something like that."
???
Hold on.
Da Qi?
