The office of the Tulip Security Company wasn't large, but it was quiet, making it a good place to space out.
Yue Shi placed the snow leopard on the desk, and the leopard covered its nose with its tail.
Outside the window, the sky was a dull grey. Sunlight couldn't pierce through, yet it wasn't dark either; it was the kind of dimness that sapped one's motivation.
The employees, however, were all working diligently.
The company's business was more varied than the players had expected. Besides normal security work, there were occasional miscellaneous commissions, such as maintaining order at commercial events.
Of course, the most frequent cases involved catching cheaters.
Usually, a client would walk in with bloodshot eyes, slam a stack of photos onto the front desk, and ask the company to help track and investigate evidence of their spouse's infidelity.
The players were extremely enthusiastic about these missions. For one, they could openly engage in stalking and secret photography, and for another, they got to enjoy first-hand gossip.
A gay client once came to the company to commission a case to catch a cheater. While tracking the target, the players unexpectedly captured footage of the target cheating with three perky-butt young men simultaneously.
The players didn't care about client privacy at all; they only wanted to share the juicy gossip, so they immediately leaked the matter to other players.
The chat channel exploded instantly, with hundreds of stickers being sent.
“I have to say, the realism of this game has shocked me once again.”
“Sisters, come quick! This is the multi-male lead drama you love most.”
“Doesn't the game need to watch its boundaries? It doesn't care about the players' mental health at all.”
“The private lives of these NPCs are just too explosive, aren't they?”
Although the players loved watching the drama and gossiping, their efficiency was decent. When you treat work as a game, it becomes very interesting.
Some players were considering whether to jump ship and apply to the Investigation Bureau.
There were already many threads on the forum discussing how the Liming City Investigation Bureau was continuing its mass recruitment. Some called it a god-given opportunity, while others claimed it was a trap.
Players who had already joined the Bureau replied in the threads: “The treatment for temporary workers at the Bureau is mediocre. They're always making empty promises, and the missions are high-risk. It seems the Bureau is using them as cannon fodder to scout the way.”
The players who were still on the fence read this information several times and decided to stay at the security company for the time being.
At least the work here was leisurely, there was no danger to their lives, and they could observe the boss from a close distance.
【Ever-Crying Vine】 was a very active player. After joining the Tulip Security Company, his professional ability was average, but he had one special talent: he was incredibly thick-skinned.
He could always find various excuses to run into Yue Shi's office. Sometimes it was to ask for instructions, sometimes to report on mission progress, sometimes to deliver documents, and sometimes just to come in and ask, “Boss, have you eaten today?”
Yue Shi marveled at his thick skin and felt that this youth had great potential.
He just found him a bit annoying.
【Ever-Crying Vine】 knew when to stop. Whenever he saw Yue Shi getting impatient, he would immediately retreat with a grin.
The ghost in the corner of the office was attempting to hack into the players' game system. After 【Ever-Crying Vine】 was kicked out once again, the ghost floated to Yue Shi's ear and lowered its voice: “That guy is livestreaming.”
Yue Shi's hand, which was stroking the leopard, paused. “Livestreaming?”
“A handsome streamer, but he's streaming your handsomeness,” the ghost teased.
“Players have always been bold.” Yue Shi wasn't angry. If he wanted to stream, let him. There was a price to pay for looking at his face too much; in the end, it would be others who suffered.
...
【Ever-Crying Vine】 was indeed livestreaming.
After returning from the office to his workstation, he immediately exported the screen recording and used the game system's built-in functions to edit it.
In the footage, Yue Shi leaned back in his chair, his fingers rubbing the snow leopard's ears as he engaged in a meaningless conversation with 【Ever-Crying Vine】.
【Ever-Crying Vine】 posted this video to his social media account with the caption: “The boss is very handsome today as well.”
Since this virtual reality game opened its streaming function, 【Ever-Crying Vine】 had registered an account with the ID “Deep Red Continent Observer.” His follower count had already grown significantly.
Most were attracted by Yue Shi's face. Netizens praised his looks in the comments, while some obsessive fans insisted that this face was modeled after their favorite idols.
Looking at the constantly ticking likes and comments, 【Ever-Crying Vine】’s smile stretched from ear to ear.
This was the benefit of being close to the source and having a thick skin. Joining the Tulip Security Company made it easier to get in front of the boss.
However, he also had a small problem. Perhaps his streaming technique was mediocre, as the image was sometimes very blurry.
Especially when he first started streaming, the scenery and background were fine, but the boss's face was dark and blurry.
He thought it was a lighting issue and changed angles several times, but it remained the same.
Fortunately, even if the image was blurry, one could still see that the boss's looks were breathtaking.
Recently, the image had been gradually becoming clearer. Yue Shi's face in the camera was getting sharper day by day, and it seemed to be getting even more handsome every day.
【Ever-Crying Vine】 didn't think too deeply about this. He only knew that his view count was rising, donations were increasing, and he was making more and more money. That was enough.
In the comments, some people did notice the blurriness and asked about it.
【Ever-Crying Vine】 didn't reply. He didn't know how to. Regardless, it was just a minor issue as long as it continued to attract traffic.
Someone in the comments also asked: “Is this long-haired man an important NPC in the game? Can he trigger a hidden mission?”
【Ever-Crying Vine】 thought for a moment and replied: “I'm still testing the waters.”
He wasn't lying; he really was testing the waters. Every time he went into the office for awkward small talk, he was observing the boss's reactions, trying to find something unusual in his expressions, tone, and subtle movements—ideally something that could trigger a hidden plot.
But Yue Shi's reactions were always stable. If he got impatient, he just kicked him out, without leaking any extra information.
【Ever-Crying Vine】 wasn't in a hurry; he had plenty of time. After all, the company didn't require overtime, he had weekends off, his salary was paid on time, and the boss was decent. This job was much easier than being a delivery driver in reality.
He scrolled through the comments again and began to ponder what excuse to use to enter the office next time.
Delivering documents was too cliché. He had already used asking for instructions once today.
Reporting on a mission?
But he didn't have a mission today.
【Ever-Crying Vine】 rested his chin on his hand and thought for a long time before suddenly having a flash of inspiration.
‘I can suggest the boss organize a team-building activity!’
It didn't matter if the boss disagreed; that would give him a reason to go back in and ask a second time. Thinking of this, he let out a chuckle.
Yue Shi stood before the glass window, observing the group of bored players. The snow leopard had woken up at some point and was crouching at his feet, pawing at his pant leg.
Yue Shi bent down to pick up the snow leopard, and the ghost floated beside him. “I have made preliminary contact with the game system on the players. Although I haven't truly hacked in yet, I can already peek at their public chat channel.”
Rate on N.U.
