One month after the release of the game Palace Storm, 70% of the players had successfully cleared it. Naturally, top-tier players had played through all six characters, while average players could only figure out one or two.

As more and more players cleared the single-player mode, a massive number of strategy guides began flooding the forums.

In a thread titled “Summary of Character Relationships in Palace Storm,” a prominent player mapped out a “relationship web” of every single NPC in the game. Looking at this spiderweb-like diagram, players felt their heads spin. To beat the game, some players resorted to pure rote memorization.

Noble Consort Xiao’s brother is General Xiao, and she gave birth to the Second Prince; Noble Consort Shu’s father is the Minister of Revenue, Liu Bo, who controls the national treasury, and she gave birth to the Third Prince; Consort Xian is the mother of the Fourth Prince and Princess Mingde…

Memorizing these mother-son and relative dynamics was already enough of a task for players.

On top of that, the intricate family ties, love-hate entanglements, and political feuds between the court officials and the imperial harem were complicated enough to cause a massive headache.

There were even hidden relationships.

For instance, certain harem concubines shared a “sisterly bond that transcends all else.” In the court, some officials served as mentors or lifelong best friends to others, while some court officials and harem concubines were childhood sweethearts who harbored deep, secret affections for each other.

These relationships took precedence over the NPC’s favorability rating toward the player. If a player accidentally stepped on one of these hidden landmines, they wouldn’t even know how they died.

To be able to construct such a massive character relationship network and a rich, gripping storyline, Yangfan Studio was truly formidable.

Over the past few days, discussion threads on the forum popped up one after another, and the game’s popularity remained exceptionally high, constantly drawing in new players.

On September 3, Yangfan Studio’s official Weibo account dropped another update—

“The countdown to the launch of the Palace Storm DLC is down to just two days!

This DLC will introduce a new two-player co-op mode and expand the roster of playable characters, bringing the total number of male and female main characters to 7 each.

From September 5 to September 15, Qihang Games will launch its Autumn Appreciation Event. All players will enjoy a 40% discount on top-ups during the event.

In the two-player co-op mode, veteran players who invite new players to register and log in will reward both parties with 10 hours of free game time.

An online lucky draw will open on September 5 for all players who have topped up. The grand prize is the latest edition of the Qihang Gaming Capsule worth 12,888 yuan. Additionally, tons of exclusive merchandise prizes are waiting for you.

See you at 12:00 PM on September 5.”

Since the operations of this game had been fully handed over to Luo Hang, Xie Yunfan paid little attention to these top-up discounts and prize giveaways.

He trusted Luo Hang’s operational capabilities completely. When it was time to offer discounts, Luo Hang would naturally launch events to attract players.

The launch of the co-op mode was an excellent opportunity. With the “veterans bring rookies” system offering free game time, old players were more than willing to bring more friends into the game.

On the afternoon of September 4, Yangfan Studio posted another Weibo: “The two bosses @LittleSailboat and @VastStarrySea will be connecting via voice chat to demonstrate the two-player co-op gameplay. Tonight at 8:00 PM, we look forward to seeing you in Blue Fish Room 8864!”

Seeing this news, countless players excitedly opened Blue Fish TV, searched for Room 8864, and waited in advance.

At 8:00 PM, the live stream finally lit up, and Xie Yunfan’s face appeared on the screen.

“Holy crap, he’s here, he’s here!”

“Is this Little Sailboat? Why is he actually kind of handsome?!”

“A close-up visual attack~”

Many players in the stream were already familiar with “Little Sailboat’s” appearance, but some were seeing this legendary dark-horse planner for the first time.

Even with the camera right in his face, it didn’t detract from his looks.

Today, Little Sailboat looked to be in great spirits with flawless skin. When he smiled, he looked bright, handsome, and full of vitality.

A moment later, the screen split into two. The other half revealed Luo Hang’s face. Compared to Xie Yunfan’s bright smile, Luo Hang looked much more serious, with sharp, chiseled features.

These two were truly the visual pillars of the gaming industry.

Young, talented, handsome, and incredibly wealthy. Every game they developed became an instant hit—no wonder their competitors broke down in envy every single day…

Facing such rivals was simply too brutal.

Now, with the two bosses broadcasting together, they had pioneered a new marketing model for the gaming world. Tonight’s stream was bound to be incredibly lively.

Within just one minute of going live, more and more players flooded in, quickly pushing the stream to the front page of Blue Fish TV and drawing the attention of passersby.

Xie Yunfan smiled and asked, “President Luo, can you hear me?”

Luo Hang replied in a low voice, “Yes, I can.”

Xie Yunfan: “Hold on a moment while I adjust the stream settings… Everyone, please don’t send gifts. I’ve turned off the gifting function. Thank you all.”

After disabling the gift feature, Xie Yunfan opened the game, quickly entered his account credentials, and said, “Let’s begin.”

Luo Hang: “Alright.”

The two entered the game together. After logging in, two option boxes appeared: [Single-Player Mode] [Co-Op Mode].

Xie Yunfan selected the latter.

System: Co-op mode activated. Your co-op serial number is 0680342.

Xie Yunfan explained, “This serial number is a uniquely generated random code. You can save it and give it to your teammate. Once your teammate enters it, both of you can share the game progress.”

With that said, he read out the serial number to Luo Hang. Luo Hang typed it into his interface, and the two were automatically matched as teammates.

Xie Yunfan added, “Co-op mode processes data via a cloud server. This means that two players do not need to be lying in the same holographic experience center. Even if you are in different locations, you can still play together seamlessly.”

This design came as a pleasant surprise to many players.

Currently, most holographic games on the market were either single-player or 1V1 competitive matches; two-player co-op was exceptionally rare.

There was a foreign holographic game that allowed co-op play, but both players had to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to share data locally.

The data processing requirements for holographic games were vastly greater than those for mobile games. Not only did they have to ensure the game ran smoothly, but they also had to process the players’ sensory systems and neurological data. If handled poorly, the player’s immersion would be completely ruined.

By utilizing a cloud server to handle the data, friends in long-distance locations could play together. Yafan and Qihang had once again pushed the boundaries of the industry.

Now that two-player co-op was here, were multi-player co-op, or even large-scale multiplayer online holographic RPGs, really that far off?

The players in the live chat were ecstatic.

“The collaboration between Yafan and Qihang delivers a definitive masterclass every single time!”

“First to introduce intelligent NPCs, now the first to use cloud servers for holographic co-op data—regardless of how the game plays, their technology is insane!”

“My boyfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship, so being able to play together is amazing.”

“Manifesting a massive multiplayer co-op game next!”

The live stream screen then switched to the game, and the faces of the two men were automatically hidden.

The left side of the screen showed Xie Yunfan’s control interface, while the right side showed Luo Hang’s. At this point, the top right corner of both screens displayed their teammate’s information. The green microphone icon next to their avatars was lit up, indicating they were in a “connected voice” state.

System: Please select your character.

This DLC update had significantly expanded the roster of playable characters.

Male characters, in addition to the original Crown Prince, Seventh Prince, and Male Pet, now included four new options: New Top Scholar, Fourth Prince, Sixth Prince, and Chief Eunuch.

Female characters, in addition to the original Selected Draft, Consort De, and Princess Qingping, now included four new options: Consort Xian, Consort Hui, Princess Ning’an, and Managing Palace Maid.

Looking at the massive array of new characters, the players rubbed their eyes in anticipation—not only did the co-op mode offer far more replayability, but players who preferred single-player could also choose entirely different roles to start a brand-new run!

“I thought the co-op mode would still be limited to the original 6 characters. I didn’t expect so many new ones?”

“This update is full of surprises!”

“I just finished mapping out the relationships, and now my head is spinning again looking at these names.”

“I’m so excited for the new characters!”

Xie Yunfan gave a serious introduction: “In co-op mode, the two players can choose any two of these 14 characters to enter the game. The remaining characters that aren’t chosen will automatically become intelligent NPCs.”

“Co-op mode focuses heavily on coordination. You can choose a double-court storyline, a double-harem storyline, or combine one court character with one harem character to work together. You can play as sisters, brothers, mother and son, or husband and wife—there are many combinations to choose from.”

He paused, then asked, “What are you choosing, President Luo?”

Luo Hang’s voice was gentle: “Anything is fine with me. You choose first.”

“Wait, didn’t you guys rehearse this beforehand?”

“Wow, picking live on the spot? How thrilling!”

“Looks like it’s a real live stream, not a pre-written script?”

Xie Yunfan laughed: “Of course it’s a real stream. We aren’t acting, and there’s no script. In fact, neither President Luo nor I have cleared the game with all of these characters. How about this? You guys make suggestions in the chat. What should I pick?”

The live chat flooded with all sorts of requests.

The most popular choice was “Princess,” as many wanted to see him crossplay.

Xie Yunfan accepted it gracefully: “You want to see a crossplay? Alright. You guys are already familiar with Princess Qingping, so I’ll pick a newly released character—Princess Ning’an.”

Luo Hang considered for a moment, then said: “Then I will choose the New Top Scholar.”

The audience couldn’t quite follow President Luo’s line of thought.

Anyone who had played the single-player mode knew that Princess Ning’an was the daughter of Zhou Jieyu. Zhou Jieyu held a very low status in the harem, though she did have one hidden connection—she was best friends with Li Pin. However, both were women of humble origins whose parents had long passed away. With no one to rely on, they simply looked out for each other in the palace.

Since Xie Yunfan had chosen Princess Ning’an, wouldn’t it be easier for President Luo to pick a prince to back her up? Why choose a New Top Scholar who had absolutely nothing to do with her?

In the first version of the single-player game, the Top Scholar had virtually zero presence; only a few players on the Prince path had ever bothered to recruit him.

The two finalized their characters.

System: Player [LittleSailboat] has selected [Princess Ning’an], Player [VastStarrySea] has selected [New Top Scholar]. Confirm entry into the game?

A prompt popped up on both screens simultaneously.

Xie Yunfan and Luo Hang pressed “Confirm” together, and the game officially began.

In the two-player co-op mode, because unchosen characters automatically became intelligent NPCs, every unique combination of choices resulted in a completely different storyline and gameplay experience.

When Xie Yunfan entered the game as Princess Ning’an, his opening storyline began with the Emperor intending to arrange a marriage between her and General Xiao’s son.

Luo Hang entered the game as the New Top Scholar, and his opening scene featured him riding a horse down the street, adorned with a red rosette, enjoying his triumphal parade after topping the imperial examinations.

Both had to converse with NPCs to progress their respective storylines. To prevent the audience from getting confused, Xie Yunfan split the live stream interface into two viewports.

Viewers could choose to watch Princess Ning’an or the New Top Scholar; those who liked chaos could also open both windows to watch both sides simultaneously.

Upon hearing rumors of the arranged marriage, Xie Yunfan immediately went into the palace to seek an audience with Zhou Jieyu.

Zhou Jieyu was the top visual beauty of the harem and Princess Ning’an’s biological mother. The mother-daughter favorability started at 200 points.

Xie Yunfan asked: “Mother, did you know that Imperial Father intends to bestow a marriage upon me?”

Zhou Jieyu smiled faintly and replied: “Of course. Your Imperial Father chose meticulously. The consort he found for you is General Xiao’s son. I hear Young Master Xiao is highly skilled in martial arts. I am very happy that you have found such a good match.”

Xie Yunfan said calmly: “Young Master Xiao is General Xiao’s son and Noble Consort Xiao’s nephew. Once I marry him, you will be forced to obey Noble Consort Xiao’s whims in the future—don’t you know that this was entirely Noble Consort Xiao’s idea?”

Zhou Jieyu froze, appearing to hesitate.

Xie Yunfan continued: “The Empress and Noble Consort Xiao have been locked in a fierce battle for favor. We are weak and isolated; if we get dragged into their conflict, we will likely become collateral damage. Are you absolutely certain that Noble Consort Xiao will emerge victorious in the end?”

Xie Yunfan added: “Mother, I do not want an alliance with the Xiao family, and I certainly don’t want you to be forced to submit to Noble Consort Xiao because of me.”

As an intelligent NPC, Zhou Jieyu began to frown and fret upon hearing her “daughter’s” analysis.

If the Emperor wanted Princess Ning’an to marry General Xiao’s son, Noble Consort Xiao was undoubtedly pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Noble Consort Xiao clearly detested her, yet wanted her daughter to marry her nephew—wasn’t this just a ploy to control her daughter and force her into submission?

Zhou Jieyu wiped away her smile and asked softly: “What ideas do you have? We cannot simply defy an imperial decree.”

Xie Yunfan countered: “The decree hasn’t been officially issued yet, so it doesn’t count as defiance.”

Zhou Jieyu was stunned: “Do you want me to plead with His Majesty to cancel the betrothal?”

Xie Yunfan had a sudden stroke of genius: “Just say that I already harbor feelings for someone else. Beg Imperial Father to bestow the New Top Scholar to me as my consort.”

“…”

“Hahaha”

“Little Sailboat, you are brilliant!”

“Holy crap, I did not see this plot twist coming.”

In the adjacent viewport, Luo Hang, who had become the Top Scholar, was still diligently waving to the NPCs on the street, performing his role very seriously.

Suddenly, a massive wall of text flooded the chat.

“LMAO, a princess wife just dropped out of thin air!”

“Next door, Little Sailboat said he wants you to be his consort. Does President Luo know about this?”

“Did you guys plan this beforehand?”

Luo Hang blinked in confusion: “I have no idea. Did he really say that? The plot developed like this?”

“Hahaha, President Luo is completely bewildered.”

The next moment, Xie Yunfan sent a voice connection request.

During the narrative scene, Xie Yunfan had temporarily muted his chat to speak with the NPC. Now that his conversation with Zhou Jieyu was over, he enabled the voice chat and told Luo Hang: “The Emperor wants to arrange a marriage between me and General Xiao’s son, so I had no choice but to use you as a shield.”

“If I actually marry into the Xiao family, I’ll be forced to side with Noble Consort Xiao, and I don’t want to play that route.”

“I’m about to go see the Emperor with Zhou Jieyu. If all goes well, I’ll convince him to decree the New Top Scholar as my consort. Get ready to receive the imperial decree!”

Luo Hang rubbed his nose and let out a soft laugh: “Alright.”

Yunfan truly had a wild imagination; even he hadn’t anticipated this development.

“I am going to die laughing in this stream.”

“So you guys are playing the power-couple route?”

“Both bosses are just pure legends, incredible!”

Luo Hang was naturally low-key and reserved, so Xie Yunfan did most of the explaining and introducing during the stream. After all, Yunfan was the chief planner and knew the game inside out.

Luo Hang hadn’t actually cleared the game yet; he had chosen the Top Scholar simply because he hadn’t played the role before and wanted to experience it.

In truth, even if Xie Yunfan had accepted the Emperor’s arranged marriage, he could have pretended to side with Noble Consort Xiao early on and defected later—the game was flexible enough to support that playstyle.

No one expected him to reject the marriage outright and drag the New Top Scholar into it.

A moment later, Xie Yunfan and Zhou Jieyu found the Emperor. After Zhou Jieyu wept and pleaded for a while, Xie Yunfan firmly declared: “Your daughter already has a beloved. I beg Imperial Father to fulfill our wish.”

The Emperor eventually relented and changed his mind, decreeing the New Top Scholar as the princess’s consort.

System: Noble Consort Xiao’s favorability toward you has decreased by 30.

System: The Empress’s favorability toward you has increased by 30.

Xie Yunfan analyzed calmly: “Noble Consort Xiao has always hated my mother, Zhou Jieyu, so a drop in her favorability doesn’t matter. In the early game, we will ally ourselves with the Empress.”

On Luo Hang’s side, an imperial decree suddenly arrived out of nowhere—the Emperor praised his refined bearing and issued a marriage decree, naming him the consort of Princess Ning’an.

Luo Hang replied solemnly: “This subject accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for his boundless grace.”

The audience was highly entertained.

“President Luo’s face says it all: a princess wife literally just dropped from heaven.”

“Little Sailboat is already having the time of his life, while President Luo is still a bit lost.”

“Is the co-op mode always this fun?”

“Your teammate’s choices directly alter your destiny. This is brilliant!”

What made it even more entertaining was that the game featured an actual wedding ceremony.

Xie Yunfan’s character, Princess Ning’an, wore a grand crimson bridal gown, while Luo Hang’s Top Scholar donned his groom’s attire. The system played the cinematic cutscene as the two held a grand wedding, after which the Top Scholar officially moved into the Princess’s Manor.

Luo Hang felt an inexplicable awkwardness. What kind of storyline trajectory was this?

Xie Yunfan, however, was completely unfazed. It was just a game, and the characters didn’t look like them anyway. It was no different from acting in a play, so he felt zero psychological burden.

What to do next? The audience was looking forward to the rest of the plot.

Shortly after the marriage between Princess Ning’an and the New Top Scholar, a sudden crisis hit the imperial court—a massive flood struck Jiangzhou, causing severe casualties among the populace, and urgent disaster relief was required.

Luo Hang consulted with Xie Yunfan: “I should probably go handle this disaster relief, right? Jiangzhou is my character’s hometown, and the Prefect of Jiangzhou has some ties with my father.”

Xie Yunfan nodded: “Absolutely. This is the perfect chance to dig up dirt on the Minister of Revenue, Liu Bo. He’s been embezzling disaster relief funds for a long time. Use your background as a Jiangzhou native as a reason to tag along with him.”

Since both were currently staying in the Princess’s Manor, Xie Yunfan dismissed all the maids and servants, allowing the two to speak directly.

Luo Hang asked: “What about you?”

Xie Yunfan replied: “I’ll stay in the capital and frequent the imperial harem to see what leverage I can find on the other concubines.”

Luo Hang asked: “What is our ultimate goal? Are we throwing our weight behind the Crown Prince and the Empress’s faction to overthrow Noble Consort Xiao? Or are you planning to take the throne yourself?”

Xie Yunfan mused: “As a princess whose mother has no living relatives and zero factional backing, a rebellion path to the throne will be brutally difficult. What kind of network do you have on your side?”

Luo Hang: “The Prime Minister is my mentor, the Prefect of Jiangzhou is a close friend of my father, and I have a few other acquaintances in court, though their loyalty isn’t guaranteed.”

Xie Yunfan thought about it and said: “The Prime Minister has the backing of a vast faction of civil officials. My mother is best friends with Li Pin, and Li Pin’s son, the Eighth Prince, is the Emperor’s most beloved youngest son. We can definitely try a path to the throne.”

“Incredible!”

“Princess Ning’an ascending the throne seems even harder than Princess Qingping’s route!”

“Princess Qingping’s mother, Consort Hui, is incredibly powerful with a formidable maiden family. Princess Ning’an is truly weak and isolated. Can’t wait to see how Little Sailboat pulls this off!”

For a princess with absolutely no background to claim the throne was an uphill battle.

Luo Hang traveled to Jiangzhou to investigate the flood case. However, before he could gather sufficient evidence of the Minister of Revenue’s embezzlement, he was blindsided by assassins.

Xie Yunfan received a prompt—

System: Your consort has been assassinated and killed. Would you like to continue the game in single-player mode?

Xie Yunfan opened his microphone, asking: “What happened?”

Luo Hang sighed: “The situation in Jiangzhou is far too complex. Just as I was about to look into the distribution of the relief funds, I was taken out by assassins.”

Xie Yunfan felt helpless: “Let’s use a rebirth card and try again.”

The two reloaded back to the day after their grand wedding and resumed the game.

A few moments later, Luo Hang received a prompt—

System: The Princess has succumbed to severe injuries and passed away. Would you like to continue the game in single-player mode?

Luo Hang asked out of concern: “What happened?”

Xie Yunfan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Someone tampered with my horse when I went out. The horse went wild and threw me off a cliff. I died, cough.”

“Hahaha, love to see the game planner getting wrecked by his own game!”

“I thought Little Sailboat knew the plot inside out, but he still failed?”

“This DLC must have tons of brand-new hidden plots.”

“The two bosses are taking turns dying, but why am I laughing so hard~”

To see the two creators getting obliterated so abruptly provided maximum comedic effect. Many players gloated in the chat.

Xie Yunfan explained: “The plot lines in this game are not fixed; the player’s choices dynamically alter how the story unfolds. For example, if the consort didn’t go to Jiangzhou, he wouldn’t have been assassinated. The NPCs are incredibly intelligent!”

Luo Hang smiled softly: “This is the first time Yunfan and I are coordinating in co-op mode, so please forgive our minor mistakes.”

Xie Yunfan immediately followed up: “Today’s stream is primarily to demonstrate how the co-op mode works. Rebirth cards have a strict limit in co-op mode; you can only respawn a maximum of 15 times per game, so players must manage them wisely.”

Luo Hang asked: “Shall we try again?”

Xie Yunfan said: “Yes. This time, let’s respawn on our wedding day. I’ll try inviting the Minister of Revenue, Liu Bo, to attend our wedding as a guest.”

On their third attempt, Xie Yunfan pretended to court the corrupt Minister of Revenue to lower his guard, allowing Luo Hang to launch a secret, covert investigation in Jiangzhou.

This time, the two maintained constant communication, discussing every event as it arose.

Luo Hang successfully secured airtight evidence of Liu Bo’s embezzlement of the relief silver, while Xie Yunfan caught Noble Consort Shu red-handed in the harem.

The Minister of Revenue was Noble Consort Shu’s biological father; if the Liu family fell, they would all fall together. Upon Luo Hang’s return to the capital, the two joined forces to completely dismantle Noble Consort Shu’s faction.

Next, they turned their sights onto Noble Consort Xiao.

They fueled the Emperor’s growing suspicion toward the Xiao family. Ultimately, due to General Xiao’s “suspected armed rebellion,” the paranoid Emperor ruthlessly wiped out the entire Xiao clan.

With the most powerful figures in the harem—Noble Consort Shu and Noble Consort Xiao—falling one after another, Xie Yunfan used a brilliant scheme to allow his character’s mother, Zhou Jieyu, to step into the vacuum. Zhou Jieyu was officially promoted to Principal Consort.

Simultaneously, Luo Hang’s consort character performed exceptionally well, racking up military and civil achievements that caused his official rank to skyrocket. His character’s father replaced Lord Liu as the new Minister of Revenue, and Luo Hang brought his favorability with the Prime Minister to well over 300.

In a short two-hour live stream, the plot progressed at breakneck speed. The “Princess and Consort” duo completely carried their respective families to power.

From starting out completely weak and helpless, the Princess’s mother had become the most favored consort in the harem, the Consort’s father controlled the national treasury, and the duo had successfully aligned themselves with the Prime Minister’s civil faction.

The viewers were left utterly dumbfounded.

“This playstyle is so incredibly satisfying!”

“The players are literally carrying the NPCs. The NPCs must be thinking: you two are absolute geniuses!”

“The two bosses have incredible chemistry~”

“They died a couple of times at the start, but once they adjusted, their teamwork took off! The husband-and-wife route is truly top-tier.”

“The Princess handles the harem while the Consort handles the court—progressing both sides simultaneously is a flawless strategy!”

By 10:30 PM, Xie Yunfan addressed the audience: “We’ll call it a night for now. If you have any questions regarding the co-op mode, feel free to drop them in the chat.”

The viewers were highly reluctant to see them go.

“Streaming off so early? I haven’t watched enough!”

“Little Sailboat, if you switch careers to become a full-time streamer, I will watch you play games every single day.”

“I have a good grasp of how the co-op mode works now. Thank you both for your hard work!”

“Excuse me, is the co-op progress saved together? For example, if my teammate goes offline, can I log in and play by myself?”

Xie Yunfan answered: “The game progress is saved directly to the cloud server. In co-op mode, you can play by yourself when your teammate is offline, but if there are specific story nodes that require both players to be present, you won’t be able to trigger them without your partner.”

“Please continue tomorrow! I want to see the ending for the Princess and the Consort!”

“Want to see the ending +1!”

“Continue tomorrow + national ID number!”

The number of players demanding a continuation tomorrow was overwhelming.

At this point, the concurrent viewership of the stream had crossed one million. Countless players had flocked to the channel just to see the two bosses showcase the co-op mode firsthand.

Xie Yunfan asked Luo Hang softly: “Since everyone is so supportive, when you have some time, shall we play through to the end of this Princess and Top Scholar run?”

Luo Hang smiled slightly: “Sure. You decide on the time.”

Xie Yunfan asked: “How about tomorrow after work? Come over to the gaming center to find me, and we’ll continue?”

Luo Hang replied: “No problem.”

Hearing the exchange between the two bosses, the viewers in the chat were incredibly excited—they had asked for a continuation, and the bosses actually agreed on the spot!

It was rare to see such approachable and accommodating game company owners.

It was no wonder that every game Yafan and Qihang collaborated on became a massive hit; both bosses were highly creative individuals who genuinely respected their player base.

The gaming community eagerly looked forward to the ending they would achieve together.