Xie Yunfan failed to notice the complex expressions on the two women’s faces as they stared at the shrunken-down version of CEO Luo. He simply grabbed two glasses of water, handed them over, and asked, “Go ahead. What brings you here?”

Shen Xingye cleared her throat softly, pulling her gaze away from Little CEO Luo, and said in a serious tone, “Boss, I’ve organized the first few chapters of the main storyline outline along with the branching paths for the four male leads. I brought them over for you to look at.”

Xie Yunfan sat back down at his desk and took the documents from her to review.

The game was titled Millennial Love. Since it was a romance spanning a thousand years, the copywriting team had given names to the four male leads: the young villa master of Famous Sword Villa was named Qin Zhou; the top assassin of Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was Ling Yue; the primary disciple of Medicine King Valley was Ye Qinghe; and the protector of the Nether Sect was Situ Yu.

The main storyline moved at a brisk pace, with the four male leads appearing one after another. Because all four of them had traveled to “Mount Qingqiong” to investigate the whereabouts of the secret sword manual, their introductions and initial encounters with the player felt remarkably natural. Some of the player’s internal monologue lines after transmigrating were also highly relatable, perfectly capturing the mental shift of a modern person suddenly dropped into an alternate world.

In just a few brief chapters of dialogue, the core personas of the male leads were successfully established.

Shen Xingye was incredibly skilled at pacing narrative progression, and Xie Yunfan was highly satisfied with the main plot outline she had produced. Of course, she had only written the initial segment so far; the entire story was far from complete.

Xie Yunfan remarked, “After the game launches, we’ll update the main storyline on a monthly basis, taking roughly a year to tell this complete tale. Therefore, you still need to carefully calculate the narrative length and the screen time allocated to each male lead. Let’s make sure we don’t end up top-heavy and deliver a rushed, lackluster ending.”

Shen Xingye nodded. “Understood. Currently, we’ve only written the outline for the first four chapters. We will discuss the subsequent plot development in much greater detail.”

Xie Yunfan also gave the branching subplots of the individual male leads a meticulous review.

The copywriting team had added a poignant trait to Ye Qinghe of Medicine King Valley: despite his extraordinary medical talent, he had been afflicted with a profound, incurable poison since childhood. He could only sustain his life through precious spiritual herbs and had a maximum lifespan of thirty years. He could heal anyone under heaven, yet he alone was beyond his own cure.

Knowing his days were strictly numbered, he treated everyone with exceptional warmth and courtesy, never sweating the small stuff because he simply didn’t have the time to waste on petty conflicts.

This tragic trait would undoubtedly be a massive tearjerker for players down the line.

Ling Yue of Heavenly Secrets Pavilion possessed an equally harrowing backstory. As a young child, he had watched his entire clan of over a hundred people perish horribly in a catastrophic fire. He was later adopted by the Pavilion Master and trained to become a cold-blooded, ruthless assassin. He spent his life investigating the truth behind that fateful night, only to ultimately discover that the mastermind who slaughtered his family was the very “master” who raised him.

Ling Yue was taciturn and ruthless, yet he would silently guard the person he loved from the shadows. Even when severely injured, he wouldn’t utter a single complaint, choosing instead to hide away in secret to lick his wounds.

This “lone wolf” archetype was bound to evoke a deep sense of protective heartache from players.

The male leads Ye and Ling leaned heavily into the popular “tragic yet powerful beauty” aesthetic. On the other hand, Qin Zhou offered a sweet, comforting, and heartwarming dynamic. He was humorous, lively, and incredibly endearing, always finding ways to make the player smile; romancing him promised an abundance of pure joy.

As for Situ Yu, the copywriting team had penned him as a captivating, enigmatic beauty who never played by the rules—a textbook “male fox spirit” archetype who aggressively used his charms on others. A massive portion of the player base would undoubtedly eat that right up.

Xie Yunfan handed the manuscript back to Shen Xingye and said, “Continue enriching the branching paths based on these core traits. For the backstories that occurred before the player arrived, you can unveil them through dreamscapes or flashbacks to let players gradually understand them. Once you’ve organized these narrative sequences, hand them over to the art department to begin drawing the card illustrations.”

The draft was approved just like that? Shen Xingye took the manuscript back, speaking with pure delight, “Awesome!”

Xie Yunfan then turned his attention to Ning Sha. “Regarding the art department, have the character designs been finalized?”

Ning Sha handed him several printed sheets. “Boss, we’ve drawn four distinct design iterations for each male lead. We wanted you to make the final executive decision. If you’re unsatisfied with any of them, we can head back to the drawing board and redraw them.”

Xie Yunfan chuckled softly and said, “It’s better to let the girls in the company decide. My masculine perspective might not necessarily align with a female audience’s tastes. Take these four iterations and set up a company-wide vote among all our female staff, then go with whichever design secures the highest tally.”

Ning Sha asked, “Is it alright to introduce traits like white hair or violet eyes? Personally, I feel that varying the eye and hair colors across the four male leads will make them far more memorable for the players.”

If every single male lead possessed standard black hair and black eyes, it would indeed look a bit monotonous.

Furthermore, once the narrative transitioned into fantasy and cultivation worlds in the later updates, factions like the spirit clans and demon clans would naturally emerge. Equipping the male leads with distinct eye colors and unique hair traits would help players differentiate them much better.

With this thought in mind, Xie Yunfan nodded and agreed, “As long as it looks stunning, go right ahead. Just make sure to exercise restraint regarding the overall aesthetic. Our game needs a premium, high-quality texture; we can’t have a kaleidoscope of wild colors that makes them look like a cheesy visual-kei boyband.”

A cheesy visual-kei boyband? The two women burst into laughter at the vivid description. An over-the-top, non-mainstream style featuring bright red, yellow, blue, and green hair would indeed be a complete eyesore. Elegant silver-white or deep auburn, however, were excellent directions to consider.

Not long after the two departed, Ling Xiao from the finance department came to find Xie Yunfan. Just as she was about to knock, Luo Hang’s voice suddenly echoed from within the office: “If you’re exhausted from work, take a short break. Would you like me to play some music for you?”

Xie Yunfan replied, “I’m fine, no need for a break.”

Ling Xiao immediately withdrew her outstretched hand, hesitating for a few seconds. Only after confirming there was no unusual noise coming from inside the room did she gently knock again.

Xie Yunfan called out, “Come in.”

Ling Xiao stepped into the office, casting a glance around the room. “Where is CEO Luo? I could have sworn I heard his voice just now.”

Xie Yunfan gestured toward the miniature doll resting on his desk. “Are you talking about him?”

Ling Xiao: “…”

Xie Yunfan explained with a smile, “It’s an intelligent AI doll Luo Hang gave me.”

Ling Xiao stared at the doll for a brief second before pulling her gaze away, handing him a financial folder. “Boss, this is the comprehensive investment budget I compiled alongside Qihang’s financial director. Developing the mobile and holographic clients simultaneously places our projected investment at roughly 500 million yuan.”

Xie Yunfan took the report, reviewed the figures meticulously, and said, “Looks solid. Once you guys finalize the formal paperwork, just bring it over to me and CEO Luo for our signatures.”

Ling Xiao nodded, sneaked another quick glance at the doll on the desk, and turned to take her leave.

Why on earth would the boss keep a miniature doll of CEO Luo on his desk? Usually, only couples exchange gifts that carry such highly personalized traits, don’t they?

Ling Xiao shook her head, dismissing the stray thought as she made her way back into the financial director’s office.

By that afternoon, the news that “the boss has a mini-CEO Luo sitting on his desk” spread like wildfire throughout the company.

Everyone already knew the two bosses shared a phenomenal relationship, but no one expected them to be this close.

To show affection, some people would place photos of their significant other on their desks so they could look up and see them at any moment. Now, Xie Yunfan kept a mini-Luo Hang on his desk, looking up to see him constantly and casually chatting with him throughout the workday… Boss, how is this any different from marking your territory?

Countless employees were whispering about it in private, and the gossip quickly drifted across to Qihang’s offices.

The staff at Qihang were actively discussing it as well: “Yesterday, our boss was literally carrying a mini-Sailboat in his coat pocket!” “I heard about that! They literally custom-made miniature dolls of themselves to swap as gifts.”

“A one-of-a-kind token of love? Holy crap, that’s actually pretty romantic.”

“For real? Are the two bosses seriously dating?”

“Otherwise, why would they suddenly greenlight a romance game out of nowhere?”

“Ah, that explains it.”

Xie Yunfan had absolutely no inkling that his actions were causing such a massive misunderstanding. After all, from his perspective, this doll was purely a merchandise prototype that he was testing out.

What did it matter if it looked like Luo Hang?

Come lunchtime, Ning Sha posted an announcement in the company-wide chat group: “Forwarding a notice from the boss: Could all female employees please gather at the convention center after lunch to vote on the character illustrations for our new game?”

The women across the studio were thoroughly surprised. This was especially true for the female staff in HR, finance, marketing, and customer service; normally, core game development had absolutely nothing to do with their daily duties, so what was the occasion today? They were actually needed for a vote?

Driven by immense curiosity, the women made their way into the conference room one after another after finishing their lunches.

Sure enough, they spotted their boss and Ning Sha conversing in low tones at the front of the room. Once everyone was seated, Xie Yunfan spoke up, “Thank you all for taking a few minutes out of your day to assist us with a vote. Ning Sha, go ahead and display the design concepts.”

Ning Sha nodded, bringing up the first image on the projector screen as she introduced, “This character is a brilliant, sunny, and cheerful young genius swordsman who boasts incredible combat prowess. Our art department has drafted four distinct design iterations for him. We’d love to see which one you find the most visually appealing, so please cast your votes.”

The four design variations featured subtle differences in eye color, hair color, and hairstyles—ranging from a high ponytail to loose cascading locks and medium-length hair—with distinct facial features for each.

The audience immediately erupted into murmurs: “I think Version A is incredibly handsome.” “Version B looks way better, it’s absolutely bursting with energy!”

Xie Yunfan announced, “There are four buttons labeled A, B, C, and D at your seats. Please select the version you find the most striking.”

Before long, the voting concluded. The compiled results flashed onto the screen, and Ning Sha immediately noted down the data.

The official illustrations for the remaining male leads were selected using the exact same democratic process. A collective vote cast by over a hundred women could, to a significant extent, accurately reflect the real preferences of the female gaming audience.

A woman’s aesthetic sensibilities often differed quite sharply from a man’s. Xie Yunfan had personally found Version C highly appealing, yet the female staff overwhelmingly threw their support behind Version A.

Ultimately, Qin Zhou’s design was locked down with amber eyes and a high chestnut ponytail. His dashing, unbridled, and high-energy young swordsman aesthetic aligned flawlessly with his persona.

Ling Yue was chosen with deep grey eyes and pitch-black hair. An assassin’s hair was typically tied up tightly to facilitate swift, unrestricted movement; his entire aura exuded a cold, razor-sharp edge, completely devoid of stray emotion.

Ye Qinghe’s finalized illustration featured a gentle, warm smile, making him look exceptionally approachable. He sported pure silver-white hair coupled with emerald-green eyes, looking like an ethereal immortal stepping out from the deepest recesses of Medicine King Valley.

Situ Yu, a master of Gu (poisonous insect) sorcery, was equipped with a pair of mesmerizing, deep crimson eyes that carried a distinctly wicked charm. Since the Nether Sect was located in the Western Regions, his intricate braided hair possessed a striking exotic flair, complemented by incredibly sharp, striking facial features.

Xie Yunfan chose to fully respect the collective voice of the female staff regarding the finalized illustrations.

With the art direction for the characters firmly locked down, the art department immediately transitioned into rendering the official character cards while simultaneously drafting environmental concept art and NPC portraits. The sheer volume of work was monumental. Xie Yunfan instructed Ning Sha to pull more artists into her group, suggesting she recruit a few male landscape artists to help shoulder the environmental workloads.

The 3D modeling group plunged into a frantic rhythm as well. They didn’t just have to construct low-poly models for the mobile client; they simultaneously needed to render intricate high-fidelity 3D assets for the holographic platform. Xie Yunfan summoned Qihang’s holographic modelers, launching development across both platforms simultaneously.

Meanwhile, the data and balance groups were meticulously running calculations to ensure a healthy equilibrium between gacha drop probabilities and free-to-play resource rewards.

In the initial stages, the game’s progress felt deliberately slow. Creating an entirely brand-new universe meant starting completely from scratch; during this “foundation-laying” phase, every minute detail required absolute precision to prevent catastrophic reworks down the line.

Xie Yunfan refrained from rushing his teams. This was their very first foray into the Otome genre, and he was more than willing to give the production crew the time needed to deliver a masterpiece through patient, meticulous craftsmanship.

Time flew by in a flash, and June arrived in the blink of an eye. Two months had slipped past since Millennial Love was officially greenlit. With the main and branching outlines fully drafted, the copywriting team began penning the intimate “card dating” storylines.

On the artistic side, an immense volume of card illustrations had been drawn, though a significant portion was ruthlessly rejected by Xie Yunfan.

Some of the illustrations featured character proportions that had visibly warped, prompting Xie Yunfan to enforce strict quality control: “The artwork for a gacha game can absolutely never warp. Every single card must be polished to perfection, particularly the facial features and expressions of the male leads. If you find yourselves lacking inspiration, hire professional models to strike poses and hold specific angles for your reference.”

Since this was a first-person romance game, the physical appearance of the player was left undefined; every player was a unique individual, meaning the protagonist lacked a specific concrete character design.

Consequently, for all double-character card illustrations, the player character could only ever appear as a faint silhouette, a profile angle, or from behind. The entire composition had to center squarely on the male lead, which severely constrained the artistic freedom of the illustration team.

Taking her boss’s advice, Ning Sha directly brought in several professional models. The models struck a wide array of dynamic poses according to her precise directions, allowing the illustrators to draw fresh inspiration from real-world anatomy, which instantly unlocked a wealth of creative ideas.

The sheer volume of cards required kept the art department utterly snowed under.

At the same time, the numerical designers were on the verge of a mental breakdown. This was their first time balancing a hybrid gacha-and-stage-clear progression loop, and the first few balance models they formulated were promptly sent back by the boss. The underlying issues were numerous, and the numerical team was practically pulling their hair out.

The employees tasked with crafting stages and missions were enduring an equally massive headache. The sect secret realms for the four male leads had to be designed completely independently while remaining thoroughly fresh and innovative. Furthermore, the weekly bounty quests had to feature four distinct mechanical paths to victory, because players would bring different male leads to clear them.

How should this bounty be cleared if a player brought Qin Zhou along? And how should the strategy shift if they brought Ye Qinghe instead?

It was an immense challenge.

If this were any other gaming studio, who would ever bother implementing such a convoluted gameplay loop? Standard daily dungeons were typically cleared with a simple “one-tap sweep.” Yet, their boss insisted on meticulously crafting individual male lead secret realms and dynamic Jianghu bounties.

Of course, their boss’s spirit of “treating every single component with absolute seriousness” was something every game designer deeply respected and strove to learn from. It was just an absolute torment for the frontline workers, whose brain cells were burning out at a catastrophic rate.

Fortunately, Yangfan Studio’s year-end bonuses had always been incredibly generous.

For this specific project, everyone involved in production would receive a cut of the year-end dividends… Everyone silently prayed the game would become an absolute blockbuster so their bonuses would be massive, making the grueling agony of the R&D phase entirely worth it.

On a particular day toward the end of June, an excellent piece of news finally arrived from Luo Hang’s side: “The cloud server architecture is officially complete. The dual-end data conversion between the mobile client and the holographic client should run flawlessly now.”

Xie Yunfan let out a long sigh of relief, a bright smile gracing his features. “Thank you for the hard work. Dinner is on me tonight.”

Luo Hang replied, “Sounds good. I’ll come over to pick you up; let’s grab a bite somewhere nearby.”

When the clock struck closing time, Luo Hang arrived downstairs at Building A to wait for Xie Yunfan.

Countless Yangfan Studio employees passing through the lobby spotted him and enthusiastically stepped forward to greet him: “Hello, CEO Luo!” “CEO Luo, are you here to find our Director Xie?”

Luo Hang smiled gently, “Mm, picking him up for dinner.”

The employees all wore expressions of instant, knowing enlightenment.

Luo Hang felt a faint wave of confusion ripple through him—What’s with that look? I’m just picking Yunfan up for a casual dinner, so why do you all look like you completely expected this, showing zero surprise whatsoever?

A moment later, Xie Yunfan made his way downstairs. Spotting Luo Hang, he quickened his pace to approach the man, speaking with a warm smile, “Let’s go. I’ve already booked a table; we can chat over our meal.”

The two walked out of the office park shoulder-to-shoulder.

Any employees they encountered along the path instinctively veered away to give them a wide berth, carefully ensuring they didn’t disturb the duo. However, the two bosses failed to notice anything amiss; after all, their entire focus remained squarely locked on the game.

Luo Hang noted, “The core data processing issues have been resolved. However, the server’s computational capacity has an upper ceiling. Since our final player count remains up in the air, it’s difficult to gauge exactly how many server blades we’ll need to deploy to keep things running smoothly.”

Xie Yunfan replied, “This is the very first female-oriented romance game on the market, not to mention the pioneering title featuring seamless data synchronization between mobile and holographic platforms. It is bound to draw an immense crowd of players.” He paused, turning his eyes toward Luo Hang as he added, “We can prepare a generous number of server clusters in advance. Once the game launches, we can dynamically spin up additional servers based on the live player influx.”

Luo Hang nodded. “Mm. I’ll go ahead and prepare our baseline capacity to accommodate 20 million players first.”