Chapter 16: Fast-Paced Romance

Inside the elevator.

Su Cheng held Shen Manman’s hand.

Shen Manman made no move to pull away.

Neither of them spoke, nor did they dare look directly at each other, stealing glances instead through the reflection on the elevator doors.

Su Cheng was actually pondering a question, having completely pushed the present situation out of his mind.

Shen Manman wouldn’t let Shi Xiaoqiang hold her hand, yet she let him?

What was that supposed to mean?

Things seemed a little different from what Su Cheng had imagined.

It was Shen Manman who broke the silence first once more.

“Do you guys all like things fast-paced?”

You guys?

Was she referring to him, Shi Xiaoqiang, and other guys like them?

Su Cheng denied it immediately.

“Not necessarily.”

“It’s mainly because society moves faster and faster these days, so slow-burn romances have become rare.”

“It’s not just dating, either. Even the gaming industry is like that.”

“Pay money to get stronger, and you immediately feel superior.”

“A lot of grinders aren’t grinding because they love it; they’re forced to.”

“Those who are both whales and hardcore grinders are exceedingly rare.”

“Personally, I prefer the slow-burn kind, whether it’s dating or gaming.”

Su Cheng’s favorite game was Red Dead Redemption.

It was a very slow-paced game.

Supposedly, only a third of the players ever finished it.

Many dropped it right after coming down from the snowy mountain, unable to keep going.

Su Cheng, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it, getting more addicted the more he played.

Slow-burn things were always dull at first, only to become increasingly captivating later on.

Whether it was games, web novels, or dating, they were all like that.

Ding.

The elevator reached the thirty-fourth floor.

Su Cheng let go of her hand and took the initiative to introduce Shen Manman to his game studio.

Shen Manman listened attentively and asked, “What are your plans next?”

“Well, I’m preparing a game right now. It hasn’t reached the development stage yet.”

“King of Fighters 3?”

“No, but it’s the same genre, a 2D side-scroller.”

“Is your studio still hiring?”

“Yeah, I just posted the job listings. Interviews are tomorrow afternoon.”

“Can I join your game studio?”

“Uh… aren’t you on Shi Xiaoqiang’s team?” Su Cheng asked half-jokingly.

“It’s just a startup team, and Shi Xiaoqiang already handed 《Romance of the Three Kingdoms》 over to Chaoren Network.”

Shen Manman knew what Su Cheng meant: “If you’re talking about me hanging around Shi Xiaoqiang and his crowd… all I can say is that I’ve sorted things out in my head.”

“You’re cutting contact?” Su Cheng asked.

“Mm.” Shen Manman nodded firmly.

If Shen Manman truly could move past it, that would be quite rare.

After all, who hadn’t been a hopeless romantic at some point?

It meant Shen Manman had cleared a major hurdle in life.

Still.

It was hard to say for sure.

Shen Manman might be patting her chest and making bold promises right now, but countless simps^[1] couldn’t endure the withdrawal pangs after breaking things off, eventually wagging their tails right back to the other person.

There was one thing Su Cheng couldn’t understand.

Given Shen Manman’s looks and charm, she had plenty of pursuers. Why did she insist on sticking so close to Shi Xiaoqiang?

Wouldn’t it be great to just be an aloof goddess surrounded by doting guys?

“Actually… I guess I’m a pretty insecure girl.”

Shen Manman?

Insecure?

He couldn’t tell at all!

“My parents divorced when I was very young.”

Shen Manman began opening up to Su Cheng about her family.

“My dad suspected I wasn’t his biological daughter, and right when I started elementary school, he abandoned my mom and me.”

“When my mom went to find him with a paternity test, she found out he had already started a new family. His son was only a year younger than me.”

“Back then, my mom was so depressed she wanted to jump off a building.”

Shen Manman had only been seven or eight at the time. Unable to do anything, she could only stay by her mother’s side, pleading, “Mom, please don’t cry. Mom, please don’t be sad.”

“In the end, my mom gave up on ending her life for my sake. Half a year later, she found me a stepdad. But my stepdad didn’t want me around and forced my mom to send me to my grandmother’s.”

“Back then, I took the initiative to tell my mom that I wanted to live with Grandma, just so she could have a better life.”

“In reality, from third grade on, my grandmother was the one who raised me…”

Su Cheng listened attentively, focusing on just being a good listener.

He understood now.

With such a tragic past, seeing other people with happy families naturally left Shen Manman feeling deeply insecure.

She had lacked a certain kind of love since childhood.

A love that came from a man.

The more someone was deprived of something as a child, the more fiercely they craved to make up for it once they grew up.

A family background like that usually produced two kinds of people.

One kind was players.

They enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded and chased after.

The other kind was simps.

No matter how much the other person hurt them or trampled on their dignity, they didn’t care; all they wanted was care and attention.

Shen Manman was clearly the latter.

Combined with the natural human tendency to admire the strong, Shen Manman had ended up as a little lackey by Shi Xiaoqiang’s side.

When Shi Xiaoqiang openly flirted with Wang Yuting at the KTV and even shared a cup with her, Shen Manman hadn’t dared to utter a peep.

Her personality had its flaws, and her mental state wasn’t entirely healthy.

As for whether she would go back to Shi Xiaoqiang…

Su Cheng didn’t dare make that call.

Right now, Su Cheng happened to be short on hands.

Besides, Shen Manman’s art skills really were quite good.

“Then join me for the interviews tomorrow. Help me screen the applicants.”

Programming was meant to make art assets move, but in reality, they were two entirely different fields.

There were things Su Cheng wasn’t sure about, so he needed someone professional by his side.

“Okay!”

“Mm.”

“Come to this office at three tomorrow afternoon. I’m getting a bit sleepy.”

“Wait… are you kicking me out?”

“Huh?” Su Cheng didn’t understand.

“It’s almost one in the morning. The dorms are already locked…” Shen Manman explained.

“Wait, then where are you going to sleep?” Su Cheng thought for a moment. “How about getting a hotel nearby? I’ll pay for it.”

“I’m not going to a hotel. That’s a waste of money.”

“It’s just one night. Crashing here for the night will be fine.”

As she spoke, Shen Manman took off her little white jacket and walked straight into Su Cheng’s office.

She reclined the ergonomic chair, draped her jacket over herself, and settled in to sleep.

And so, the two of them made do at the office for the night.

Early the next morning.

A sharp clatter woke Su Cheng.

He stepped outside to see what happened.

Shen Manman had gone downstairs to buy toiletries.

On her way back up, she had accidentally shattered a ceramic mug, spilling half a cup of coffee across the desk and into a keyboard.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

Shen Manman was scrambling in a panic to clean up the desk.

Su Cheng got up, walked over, and flipped the soaked keyboard upside down first before helping Shen Manman wipe down the desk with tissues.

“Is this keyboard really expensive…?” Shen Manman asked, worried.

“It’s fine. It’ll work once it dries out.”

It took about ten minutes or so.

After going through half a box of tissues and filling the trash can to the brim, they finally got the desk cleaned up.

Still, a lingering smell of coffee filled the air.

“Um, I bought you some soap and a toothbrush.”

Right at that moment.

Li Lei arrived at the studio.

Seeing Su Cheng and Shen Manman, he was a little surprised at first.

Holy crap.

Did these two not go home at all last night?

A messy floor, chairs strewn about haphazardly.

And a trash can piled high with tissues.

This…

What did these two do at the company last night?

Li Lei’s mind instantly jumped to something scandalous.