Chapter 026: Can't One Even Enjoy Noodles Anymore?
As the sun set in the west, after lunch and a short nap, Chi Shen began reviewing the proposal Li Xun had given him.
The focus of Li Xun's content wasn’t the victims but rather the statue of the God of Wealth. The entire game revolved around it.
Chi Shen checked netizens' opinions and found a theory suggesting that the statue had been tainted by so much blood that it had turned malevolent. Li Xun's inspiration also stemmed from here. His preliminary idea was that the God of Wealth's statue trapped the souls of its victims. Players would need to rescue these souls, confront and defeat the statue, and then lead everyone to safety.
Such a concept carried forward the features of Li Xun's previous pixel horror game, combining elements of suspense, unexpected twists, warmth, and finally, a climactic ending.
Chi Shen, having appreciated Li Xun's previous game, didn't have any critiques. Since the main storyline hadn't emerged and Li Xun's task for him was to provide ideas, Chi Shen boldly began to draft his thoughts.
He created a new folder and a Word document, naming it "Main Plot for 'God of Wealth'".
……
Half an hour later, Chi Shen glanced at the time on the bottom right. It was already five o'clock!
Picking up his phone and putting on his coat, he prepared to leave work.
Looking around the office, Chi Shen noticed that only a few colleagues had left, and everyone else was busy with their own activities. Some were watching dramas, others watering plants, a few were meticulously removing and replacing keyboard keys, and there was even someone playing Spider Solitaire.
Ma Cai Jin had just returned from the pantry. Noticing Chi Shen ready to leave, he exclaimed, "You're heading out?"
Glancing at his phone, Chi Shen replied, "It's five. Time to go home."
Ma Cai Jin asked, "Finished reviewing the materials?"
Chi Shen: "I've finished."
Ma Caijin: "Any ideas for the main storyline?"
Chi Shen closed the blank document and nodded seriously, "I have an idea."
Seeing Chi Shen's earnest expression, Ma Caijin sighed and advised him patiently, "You're new to this field, so you might not understand. Even if there isn't much to do and you've completed your tasks, you should still put on a professional front. If the boss hasn't left, how can we? In the gaming industry, who finishes work at 5 p.m.?"
Li Xu indeed stays late at the company, always working alone with a constantly troubled expression. Ma Caijin once speculated to Chi Shen that perhaps the salaries had been maxed out and Li Xu was stressed because he couldn’t hire more staff.
"The company is going through tough times. As employees, we should at least make an effort," Ma Caijin urged. "We should look busy and stay till... what, 7, 8, or 9 o'clock?"
Chi Shen resonated with the notion of maxed-out salaries; otherwise, he wouldn't be working overtime to improve the work environment.
But today, he was genuinely exhausted.
Chi Shen placed two sets of documents into his bag and told Ma Caijin, "I'll work from home. I believe Brother Li will understand."
Despite Ma Caijin's repeated attempts to persuade him, Chi Shen left.
Ma Caijin sighed as he watched him leave. After packing up his things, he stared at Liu Huangqiang's house blueprints on his desk, contemplating, "Perhaps I can leave half an hour early today?"
Who doesn't want to leave work early?
Although Chi Shen left the office early, he didn’t head straight home.
After all, the old house was deserted and there was nothing to eat. He decided to have dinner first and then head back, also conveniently avoiding the rush hour.
At a corner noodle shop, Chi Shen ordered the cheapest bowl of noodles. He chose a seat by the side and ate quietly.
Winter was approaching, and the nights grew darker earlier. By the time he finished, it was pitch black outside. The street lights lit up one by one. Occasionally, curious and shy glances were thrown in his direction. Chi Shen looked out at the bustling street, and felt warmth and happiness from just a bowl of noodles.
In the past, he felt the world was noisy and irritating. Everyone had to exert all their energy just to live the life they desired. Being in this world felt like a punishment.
But now, things were different.
He had grown fond of this world, so full of life's everyday warmth.
At that moment, his phone rang. Chi Shen leisurely took the last bite of his noodles before checking his phone.
——Unknown number.
Without any hesitation, Chi Shen answered the call: "Hello?"
"People... so many people..."
An ethereal female voice on the other end, accompanied by the rustling of paper, spoke with an eerie excitement: "So many, they smell delightful, they look so tempting to devour..."
The small noodle shop where Chi Shen sat was rather old and crowded. Business was good, patrons practically sat shoulder to shoulder. Being somewhat frugal, Chi Shen's old, worn-out phone had a tendency to leak sound. At that moment, the older gentleman sitting next to him shot a brief glance at the young man with lustrous lips and gleaming teeth, discreetly moving his bowl further away.
"Stay calm, take it slow, you can't eat people," Chi Shen responded with a composed tone.
The older man cast an alarmed look at Chi Shen, likely deeming him mad. He quickly shifted his stool further away, increasing the distance between them.
"Such a foul stench, it's unbearable!" The voice from the phone belonged to the Red-Dressed Ghost. To the average person, it would send shivers down the spine. But to Chi Shen, he overlooked this slight quirk of his friend.
After noticing someone had been at the old mansion yesterday, Chi Shen left his phone number for the Red-Dressed Ghost, instructing her to call him if anything happened. He hadn't expected she'd need it so soon.
"What kind of stench?" inquired Chi Shen, "From a corpse or from ritual incense?"
The older man next to him: ……
"From the incense," replied the excited voice of the Red-Dressed Ghost. "There are so many talismans pasted outside the door."
Chi Shen rose from his seat and exited the noodle shop.
The older man glanced at his half-finished bowl, then at the departing young man. He couldn't shake the feeling that the ambient temperature had dropped a few degrees during that unsettling phone call. After some contemplation, he decided to leave his meal and hastily departed.
Over the phone, the Red-Dressed Ghost continued with a mix of fear and glee in her voice, "Someone is calling out to me, I can hear him. He's asking about the call from last night. It was me!"
"If you want to confront them, go ahead," Chi Shen said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "but only act after they initiate. It'll be self-defense then."
Inside the Bai family's ancient mansion, Bai Hengqing stood at the center of the ritual arena. In his left hand, he ignited a spirit-summoning talisman, its ashes falling upon a shattered phone. In his right hand, he shook a soul bell fervently.
The atmosphere suddenly grew dense, a cold wind gusted from the north. The young assistants in the ritual arena huddled together, whispering among themselves, "Has she arrived?"
The Red-Dressed Ghost now stood at the entrance, clutching the paper phone, itching to confront the caller. But then, an overpowering chill permeated the mansion, causing her to shrink back and stealthily retreat under a bed.
Amidst the chilling wind, ashes swirled. Bai Hengqing, standing defiantly, ignited another spirit-summoning talisman. As the soul bell in his hand hastened its chime and the talisman turned to ash, he suddenly focused his gaze in a specific direction, declaring, "She's here!"
The portrait of the ancestral master placed outside the mansion's side chamber suddenly bore scratch marks, as if clawed by nails. An overwhelmingly cold aura emanated from the rift, and a chilling voice that would terrify any mortal echoed, "Why have you summoned me?"
Red candles were arrayed in layers behind the annex. The portrait of the ancestral master suddenly ignited. As the talismans and portrait burned to ash, only the two spirit tablets remained unaltered, rooted in place. Amidst the candles stood a ghost in bridal attire, her face obscured by a red veil. Through that veil, it seemed she was gazing at them from afar. Blood, eerily crimson, dripped from the veil onto the ground.
An overwhelmingly cold and eerie aura emanated from the ghost bride. None of the younger members of the Bai family had ever encountered such a terrifying specter. All except Bai Ran retreated behind Bai Hengqing.
Suppressing a groan, Bai Hengqing took a step back, then addressed the bride with due reverence, “Ancestral spirit, please rest. We are currently investigating the malevolent ghost that disturbed the Bai residence last night.”
“No need for that; it was me,” came a chilly chuckle from beneath the bride's veil, “So, placing my parents' spirit tablets here, it was for this purpose, was it?”
*
Author's Note:
The next chapter will be premium content, thank you all for your support. bows deeply.
After switching to premium, to ensure quality updates, I might not have much time to check the comments. Please understand.
Chapter 026: Can't One Even Enjoy Noodles Anymore?
As the sun set in the west, after lunch and a short nap, Chi Shen began reviewing the proposal Li Xun had given him.
The focus of Li Xun's content wasn’t the victims but rather the statue of the God of Wealth. The entire game revolved around it.
Chi Shen checked netizens' opinions and found a theory suggesting that the statue had been tainted by so much blood that it had turned malevolent. Li Xun's inspiration also stemmed from here. His preliminary idea was that the God of Wealth's statue trapped the souls of its victims. Players would need to rescue these souls, confront and defeat the statue, and then lead everyone to safety.
Such a concept carried forward the features of Li Xun's previous pixel horror game, combining elements of suspense, unexpected twists, warmth, and finally, a climactic ending.
Chi Shen, having appreciated Li Xun's previous game, didn't have any critiques. Since the main storyline hadn't emerged and Li Xun's task for him was to provide ideas, Chi Shen boldly began to draft his thoughts.
He created a new folder and a Word document, naming it "Main Plot for 'God of Wealth'".
……
Half an hour later, Chi Shen glanced at the time on the bottom right. It was already five o'clock!
Picking up his phone and putting on his coat, he prepared to leave work.
Looking around the office, Chi Shen noticed that only a few colleagues had left, and everyone else was busy with their own activities. Some were watching dramas, others watering plants, a few were meticulously removing and replacing keyboard keys, and there was even someone playing Spider Solitaire.
Ma Cai Jin had just returned from the pantry. Noticing Chi Shen ready to leave, he exclaimed, "You're heading out?"
Glancing at his phone, Chi Shen replied, "It's five. Time to go home."
Ma Cai Jin asked, "Finished reviewing the materials?"
Chi Shen: "I've finished."
Ma Caijin: "Any ideas for the main storyline?"
Chi Shen closed the blank document and nodded seriously, "I have an idea."
Seeing Chi Shen's earnest expression, Ma Caijin sighed and advised him patiently, "You're new to this field, so you might not understand. Even if there isn't much to do and you've completed your tasks, you should still put on a professional front. If the boss hasn't left, how can we? In the gaming industry, who finishes work at 5 p.m.?"
Li Xu indeed stays late at the company, always working alone with a constantly troubled expression. Ma Caijin once speculated to Chi Shen that perhaps the salaries had been maxed out and Li Xu was stressed because he couldn’t hire more staff.
"The company is going through tough times. As employees, we should at least make an effort," Ma Caijin urged. "We should look busy and stay till... what, 7, 8, or 9 o'clock?"
Chi Shen resonated with the notion of maxed-out salaries; otherwise, he wouldn't be working overtime to improve the work environment.
But today, he was genuinely exhausted.
Chi Shen placed two sets of documents into his bag and told Ma Caijin, "I'll work from home. I believe Brother Li will understand."
Despite Ma Caijin's repeated attempts to persuade him, Chi Shen left.
Ma Caijin sighed as he watched him leave. After packing up his things, he stared at Liu Huangqiang's house blueprints on his desk, contemplating, "Perhaps I can leave half an hour early today?"
Who doesn't want to leave work early?
Although Chi Shen left the office early, he didn’t head straight home.
After all, the old house was deserted and there was nothing to eat. He decided to have dinner first and then head back, also conveniently avoiding the rush hour.
At a corner noodle shop, Chi Shen ordered the cheapest bowl of noodles. He chose a seat by the side and ate quietly.
Winter was approaching, and the nights grew darker earlier. By the time he finished, it was pitch black outside. The street lights lit up one by one. Occasionally, curious and shy glances were thrown in his direction. Chi Shen looked out at the bustling street, and felt warmth and happiness from just a bowl of noodles.
In the past, he felt the world was noisy and irritating. Everyone had to exert all their energy just to live the life they desired. Being in this world felt like a punishment.
But now, things were different.
He had grown fond of this world, so full of life's everyday warmth.
At that moment, his phone rang. Chi Shen leisurely took the last bite of his noodles before checking his phone.
——Unknown number.
Without any hesitation, Chi Shen answered the call: "Hello?"
"People... so many people..."
An ethereal female voice on the other end, accompanied by the rustling of paper, spoke with an eerie excitement: "So many, they smell delightful, they look so tempting to devour..."
The small noodle shop where Chi Shen sat was rather old and crowded. Business was good, patrons practically sat shoulder to shoulder. Being somewhat frugal, Chi Shen's old, worn-out phone had a tendency to leak sound. At that moment, the older gentleman sitting next to him shot a brief glance at the young man with lustrous lips and gleaming teeth, discreetly moving his bowl further away.
"Stay calm, take it slow, you can't eat people," Chi Shen responded with a composed tone.
The older man cast an alarmed look at Chi Shen, likely deeming him mad. He quickly shifted his stool further away, increasing the distance between them.
"Such a foul stench, it's unbearable!" The voice from the phone belonged to the Red-Dressed Ghost. To the average person, it would send shivers down the spine. But to Chi Shen, he overlooked this slight quirk of his friend.
After noticing someone had been at the old mansion yesterday, Chi Shen left his phone number for the Red-Dressed Ghost, instructing her to call him if anything happened. He hadn't expected she'd need it so soon.
"What kind of stench?" inquired Chi Shen, "From a corpse or from ritual incense?"
The older man next to him: ……
"From the incense," replied the excited voice of the Red-Dressed Ghost. "There are so many talismans pasted outside the door."
Chi Shen rose from his seat and exited the noodle shop.
The older man glanced at his half-finished bowl, then at the departing young man. He couldn't shake the feeling that the ambient temperature had dropped a few degrees during that unsettling phone call. After some contemplation, he decided to leave his meal and hastily departed.
Over the phone, the Red-Dressed Ghost continued with a mix of fear and glee in her voice, "Someone is calling out to me, I can hear him. He's asking about the call from last night. It was me!"
"If you want to confront them, go ahead," Chi Shen said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "but only act after they initiate. It'll be self-defense then."
Inside the Bai family's ancient mansion, Bai Hengqing stood at the center of the ritual arena. In his left hand, he ignited a spirit-summoning talisman, its ashes falling upon a shattered phone. In his right hand, he shook a soul bell fervently.
The atmosphere suddenly grew dense, a cold wind gusted from the north. The young assistants in the ritual arena huddled together, whispering among themselves, "Has she arrived?"
The Red-Dressed Ghost now stood at the entrance, clutching the paper phone, itching to confront the caller. But then, an overpowering chill permeated the mansion, causing her to shrink back and stealthily retreat under a bed.
Amidst the chilling wind, ashes swirled. Bai Hengqing, standing defiantly, ignited another spirit-summoning talisman. As the soul bell in his hand hastened its chime and the talisman turned to ash, he suddenly focused his gaze in a specific direction, declaring, "She's here!"
The portrait of the ancestral master placed outside the mansion's side chamber suddenly bore scratch marks, as if clawed by nails. An overwhelmingly cold aura emanated from the rift, and a chilling voice that would terrify any mortal echoed, "Why have you summoned me?"
Red candles were arrayed in layers behind the annex. The portrait of the ancestral master suddenly ignited. As the talismans and portrait burned to ash, only the two spirit tablets remained unaltered, rooted in place. Amidst the candles stood a ghost in bridal attire, her face obscured by a red veil. Through that veil, it seemed she was gazing at them from afar. Blood, eerily crimson, dripped from the veil onto the ground.
An overwhelmingly cold and eerie aura emanated from the ghost bride. None of the younger members of the Bai family had ever encountered such a terrifying specter. All except Bai Ran retreated behind Bai Hengqing.
Suppressing a groan, Bai Hengqing took a step back, then addressed the bride with due reverence, “Ancestral spirit, please rest. We are currently investigating the malevolent ghost that disturbed the Bai residence last night.”
“No need for that; it was me,” came a chilly chuckle from beneath the bride's veil, “So, placing my parents' spirit tablets here, it was for this purpose, was it?”
*
Author's Note:
The next chapter will be premium content, thank you all for your support. bows deeply.
After switching to premium, to ensure quality updates, I might not have much time to check the comments. Please understand.
