In this alternate world, the vast majority of gaming companies placed a far higher premium on male players.

For instance, Coolplay’s massive blockbuster hit, Mecha Apprentice, was notoriously pandering toward men. The mechas inside were entirely narrow-waisted, long-legged, large-breasted beauties in skimpy clothing. Male players fondly referred to them as their “mecha wives” and poured countless amounts of money into the game just to nurture them.

Of course, all-ages games like Wing of Dreams’ Elf Kingdom and Monster Paradise also boasted a significant female player base. However, gaming companies still paid very little attention to the demands of female players. Wing of Dreams even maintained a haughty, elitist attitude, believing that female players possessed weak purchasing power and weren’t as worth courting as young children. Consequently, they had spent the past few years aggressively rolling out events explicitly designed to harvest the wallets of kids.

The female-oriented gaming market in this alternate world was currently a complete blank slate.

There were many genres within female-oriented games, such as dress-up, Otome, BL (Boys’ Love), anime-style narrative-driven games, and more.

As for dress-up games, what Xie Yunfan really wanted to make was a Hanfu dress-up game. This required recruiting a professional clothing design team, and the studio currently lacked that specific caliber of talent. He planned to tackle that down the line. With holographic dress-up, players would be able to see themselves wearing gorgeous Hanfu outfits inside a holographic game environment.

When it came to BL games, he hadn’t read BL novels or watched BL anime in his past life, leaving him entirely unfamiliar with the domain. Naturally, he didn’t dare to rashly experiment with something he knew nothing about.

For his first attempt at a dual-platform cross-compatible game, he needed to choose a genre he felt reasonably confident about.

Otome games had a wealth of highly successful case studies from his past life and were relatively simple to develop. He could use an Otome game to break open the female-oriented gaming market first.

After listening to Xie Yunfan’s explanation, Luo Hang fell into serious thought.

Currently, no manufacturer in the industry had developed cross-platform data synchronization technology. The code for mobile games and holographic games was entirely different. Migrating a player’s data from a mobile game to a holographic game didn’t just double the workload; it also involved complex technical hurdles spanning different game engines, server ports, and more.

Even The Age of Sail, a game that was a global phenomenon, was strictly divided into a “Mobile Version” and a “Holographic Version.” A player’s data from the mobile version could not be directly migrated over; in the holographic version, everyone had to start from scratch at level one.

Nevertheless, since Yunfan had proposed such a concept, he undoubtedly had his reasons.

Instead of rejecting the idea outright, Luo Hang asked, “Does this game require multiplayer online combat? If there are multiplayer online stages where mobile players and holographic gaming capsule players fight in the same instance, it will be incredibly difficult to settle the real-time data.”

Xie Yunfan replied, “Otome games don’t require co-op combat. Dating is more about the narrative plotlines of daily companionship. This time it will be a single-player game, which is exactly why I want cross-platform data synchronization.”

Luo Hang said, “A single-player game might actually be feasible. We can process the data on the mobile end through a relay and port it to the holographic end to achieve cloud data synchronization. However, doing this will incur exceptionally high operational maintenance costs, and the research and development costs will inevitably double. Are you certain you want to try?”

Developing exclusively for mobile or exclusively for holographic would cut the costs in half.

However, Xie Yunfan felt that while traditional mobile Otome games were convenient, they lacked a sense of “reality.” Players could only romance “paper husbands” across a flat smartphone screen. On the flip side, if it were made as a purely holographic game, the current market penetration of holographic gaming capsules wasn’t high enough yet, and logging in constantly would be highly inconvenient for many players.

Daily-life romance games placed a heavier premium on a sense of continuous companionship.

Whenever players felt bored, they should be able to open the game and take a look at any time. If it were purely holographic, one couldn’t possibly lie down in a gaming capsule every single day just for a few minutes of conversation and a quick date, right?

The absolute best solution was cross-platform data synchronization.

The mobile client would be used for daily chatting and interactions, allowing players to see their favorite male leads anytime, anywhere. The holographic client would be utilized during leisure time for proper dates with the male leads. Within the holographic game, players could see the male leads truly “come to life” in a far more realistic setting, offering an experiential immersion that was completely different from looking through a phone screen.

Xie Yunfan said decisively, “It doesn’t matter if the costs double. I have ample funds on hand, so let’s give it a shot.”

Luo Hang deeply admired Xie Yunfan’s courage. Yunfan was always willing to try new things and take the industry’s very first step forward.

If cross-platform data synchronization could truly be executed smoothly, it would spark a monumental revolution in the gaming world.

The mobile gaming demographic in China alone numbered in the hundreds of millions, representing a colossal market potential. Once data synchronization was successfully implemented, it could also funnel a portion of mobile players into trying out holographic gaming capsules.

In the long run, this was highly beneficial for the development of holographic gaming. It was just that the initial R&D costs would indeed multiply several times over.

Since Xie Yunfan had the audacity to take the leap, how could he, as a partner, drag him down?

With this thought, Luo Hang said cleanly, “Alright, I’ll have the finance department put together a project budget later and pull a few more engineers over from headquarters to break through the technical bottlenecks as quickly as possible.”

A wave of warmth filled Xie Yunfan’s heart. “Thank you.”

Any other boss would definitely feel that the investment and return were disproportionate; they would hesitate or even oppose it. Yet Luo Hang supported his decision without a shred of hesitation. Such a partner was truly a rare find.

In truth, once the technical hurdles of cross-platform data synchronization were broken through, many more games could be developed based on this underlying platform. For instance, dress-up, management, or infrastructure-building games could utilize the phone as a control port, allowing players to change clothes, harvest crops, or build houses whenever they pleased. When they had more time, they could log into the holographic game to see themselves wearing Hanfu, stroll through the shops they operated, or reside in the houses they had personally built…

This kind of dual-platform cross-compatibility perfectly fused the convenience of mobile gaming with the absolute immersion of holographic gaming, allowing the player base to expand even further.

Naturally, the specific details regarding how a dual-platform game would charge and operate had no precedents among other manufacturers, so they would still have to grope their way forward through continuous discussion.

But at the very least, the two had reached a consensus and were willing to take that crucial first step.

Xie Yunfan suddenly recalled something and said, “By the way, that smart AI doll you mentioned wanting to make earlier needs to be put on the agenda as soon as possible. Once the game hits the market, it will make it easier for us to produce subsequent physical merchandise.”

Luo Hang smiled. “Alright, I’ll find people to start R&D on it within the next few days.”

Xie Yunfan felt reassured. “Then I’ll head back first to write the project proposal and prepare to initiate the project. It’s best if the project leader for the Otome game is a woman; I feel that only women understand women best. I already have a candidate in mind, but I don’t know if you’re willing to let her go?”

Luo Hang asked, “Is it Shen Xingye?”

Xie Yunfan: “You guessed it just like that?”

Luo Hang curled his lips into a smile. “If it were someone from your own company, you certainly wouldn’t ask me before appointing them as a project leader. Only Shen Xingye was seconded over from my side.”

Xie Yunfan explained, “She was previously in charge of a narrative-driven game and served as a project vice-leader. She writes romantic subplots exceptionally well and has several years of work experience. I feel it’s highly appropriate to let her lead this project.”

Luo Hang said directly, “No problem. Since you want to place her in an important position, I am naturally willing to let her go.”

Upon exiting the office building, Xie Yunfan inhaled the fresh air of the tech park, feeling exceptionally cheerful.

In his past life, he was always the sole decision-maker during the later stages of his game production. Coming to this world, he was actually incredibly fortunate to encounter Luo Hang.

It was hard to imagine—if it had been Wing of Dreams or Coolplay partnering with him instead of Luo Hang, how much bickering would he have to endure with those bosses and shareholders every single time he wanted to create a new game? Those bosses only had profits on their minds. High-investment, highly risky ventures like the one he was proposing would absolutely be vetoed on the spot.

Luo Hang’s philosophy aligned perfectly with his own. They did not place profits as their absolute highest priority; instead, they viewed the development of holographic gaming from a long-term perspective, remaining willing to break conventions and make bold new attempts.

Luo Hang even dreamed of achieving a globally connected online game in the future. It could be said that the two were truly “like-minded” partners.

With Luo Hang’s unwavering support, Xie Yunfan felt incredibly at ease. The combined strength of two people was far greater than one working in isolation. Whenever technical difficulties arose, Luo Hang would proactively resolve them. Xie Yunfan only needed to focus on making the game well, comfortably leaving the rest of the operational details to Qihang to execute, leaving him with absolutely no “lingering anxieties.”

Such a producer and operator pairing could be considered a perfect match.

Amused, Xie Yunfan’s lips curved upward as he turned and walked toward Building A with a light step.

Next, while Luo Hang tackled the technical hurdles, he would concentrate on producing the game. He firmly believed that the first Otome game forged by their joint forces would undoubtedly cause a massive sensation in the market.

When Xie Yunfan arrived back at his office, Liu Muyao was already waiting for him.

Seeing her boss sporting a smile and looking in high spirits, Liu Muyao quickly stepped forward and said, “Boss, the resumes have all been screened. Would you like to take a look?”

Xie Yunfan replied, “Alright, leave them on my desk, and prepare for the interviews.”

This time, Yangfan Studio’s practice of “only hiring women” had triggered a wave of heated discussions online. Some individuals had even tagged @LittleSailboat with cynical, sarcastic remarks, berating Yangfan Studio for gender discrimination and even baselessly claiming their motives for hiring only women “were impure,” using incredibly foul language.

It was plain to see that quite a few male compatriots had directly suffered an emotional meltdown over their inability to even submit a resume.

The public relations department promptly issued an explanation on Weibo:

“Our company’s small-scale recruitment drive this time is restricted to female applicants solely because the research and development of this specific game requires more female talent. Please refrain from over-interpreting the situation. Future recruitment cycles will continue to be open to all genders regardless of sex. Everyone is welcome to keep following Yangfan Studio’s recruitment plans.”

The PR department handled the public sentiment very dynamically. Consequently, netizens began to grow immensely curious: just what kind of game was Yangfan Studio making that required them to hire so many girls?

A week later, Xie Yunfan brought along several core pillars from the art and copywriting departments to interview the batch of applicants together, ultimately hiring a few exceptionally talented women.

The art department brought on several illustrators who were brilliant at drawing character art, while the copywriting department gained a few new women with excellent writing skills, some of whom had even worked in other small studios before. Everyone was thrilled to be able to join Yangfan.

Once the HR department finalized all the onboarding paperwork, Xie Yunfan’s game proposal was finally complete.

On April 6th, he called a specific group of people to gather in the small conference room for a meeting. Within the twenty-three-person team, there were only three males; the remaining twenty were entirely female.

A brief moment later, Xie Yunfan walked into the conference room, cleared his throat, and said, “The individuals called here today will form a brand-new working group to jointly develop our next game.”

The moment everyone heard this, they immediately pricked up their ears.

Sure enough, a new game was on the horizon. The employees whom the boss had recently recruited were also present at today’s meeting. Being able to directly participate in a new game right after joining the company left everyone thoroughly thrilled.

Xie Yunfan continued, “What we are going to make this time is a specific genre within female-oriented games—an Otome game.”

The group stared at one another in mutual bewilderment—an Otome game? What on earth did that mean?

Xie Yunfan explained, “To put it simply, it is a romance game where female players comprise the core audience. Therefore, the proportion of female staff in this working group exceeds 90%. Our male colleagues will primarily handle the coding, level design, and numerical values. The intricate details of the game’s design, production, art, and copywriting will be entirely managed by our female staff.”

He looked toward the seats below the stage and announced, “Shen Xingye will be serving as the project leader for this new game.”

Enthusiastic applause erupted across the room.

Shen Xingye stood up gracefully, nodding and smiling toward everyone.

CEO Luo had spoken with her privately, mentioning that Director Xie highly appreciated her talent and wanted her to resign from Qihang to officially onboard at Yangfan Studio, even promising to let her lead the project. Shen Xingye was truly overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.

Her previous studio had been tiny. Although the narrative-driven game she had been responsible for received stellar reviews, its download numbers were limited. Ultimately, due to abysmal revenues, the studio went bankrupt, leaving her unemployed.

Qihang’s headhunter had originally invited her to write side stories for The Ghost Realm. Later, she had inexplicably accompanied CEO Luo to Rongcheng on a business trip, seconded to Yangfan Studio to help draft copy.

Never did she expect that she would ultimately transition from Qihang to Yangfan so smoothly, with both bosses pulling strings to swiftly finalize her onboarding paperwork… To change companies this seamlessly made her the envy of the gaming industry.

Xie Yunfan continued, “Of course, none of you have experience making Otome games. During the initial stages, I will act as the project director, guiding you all to forge the game’s prototype.”

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the majority of those present were female, when it came to a romance game tailored explicitly around women, everyone still felt completely out of their depth… Could this actually work?

After all, making games wasn’t an act of charity; one always had to factor in profitability. Would people actually spend money just to fall in love inside a game?

No one quite understood the concept, as they had simply never encountered this specific genre before. Some even wondered out of sheer curiosity: why did the boss suddenly want to make a romance game?

Could it be… that the boss had secretly started dating someone?

The Author has something to say:

Xie Yunfan is making an Otome game because he understands the genre and has successful references to draw upon. He didn’t play BL games in his past life and doesn’t understand them, so he won’t be doing that for now, though he will tackle it later.

There are many sub-genres within female-oriented games. The first will be an Otome game, the second will be a Hanfu dress-up game (which was written into the synopsis long ago), and the third will be a Xianxia game where all characters can be romanced—supporting both BL and GL options. Players can choose their own gender, and the game will feature an abundance of handsome men and beautiful women; whichever NPC you want to romance, you can go ahead and romance them, or you can ship the bromance between various NPCs. This kind of open-world game with a massive pool of romanceable NPCs will have to wait until the later stages of development.

An Otome game appearing in a Danmei novel is simply because the protagonist is a game designer who will try his hand at all kinds of game genres.

The Love of a Millennium arc is very short—around 50,000 words—accounting for less than 5% of the entire novel. Readers who don’t care for it can skip this arc and start reading from the Spring and Autumn Annals of a Troubled World arc without it affecting the reading experience.