“Covering game news and spotlighting what players love—hello everyone, I’m Tian Tian, a reporter from Daily Game Report!”
Wednesday.
Zhongjing.
Outside Hall 5 of the Zhongjing International Convention Center.
Facing the camera, a sweet-looking young woman held up a microphone.
“Welcome to this special episode,”
she said, gesturing behind her.
“As you can see, I’m currently standing at the scene of this year’s YiYou Development Festival exchange conference.”
“Today, representatives from over 400 game studios will be gathering inside this convention center behind me.”
“Alright, enough talk. Let’s head inside!”
With that, Tian Tian nodded as the camera cut off.
She turned around to look.
The entrance of the convention center was already buzzing with excitement. Game developers were arriving in droves.
About a dozen reporters like Tian Tian were also posted outside, covering the event.
“This is one hell of a setup,”
the cameraman said as he coiled up the cords.
“I don’t remember the YiYou Development Festival being this big before.”
“They didn’t use to do in-person events,”
Tian Tian replied, clearly familiar with the scene as a seasoned game media pro.
“It used to be a purely online thing. They’d just hand out a few symbolic awards, post the winners online, and call it a day.”
“So what’s the deal this year?”
The cameraman hoisted the camera onto his shoulder.
“Renting out an international convention center? That’s a big move.”
“President Yan reformed everything after taking over,”
Tian Tian tucked away her mic, flipped her press badge forward, and stepped toward the entrance.
“YiYou Platform wants to build legends and help domestic game designers break out into the mainstream.”
“Damn, that’s a big shift. Might shake up the whole industry.” The cameraman raised a brow and followed Tian Tian inside.
“Exactly,”
Tian Tian shrugged and glanced back as they walked.
“That’s why our editor-in-chief sent us—to see what this ‘Supernova’ is really made of.”
“…Why do I feel like we totally don’t belong here?”
Inside the venue.
The place was packed. Groups of developers mingled, chatting and laughing.
The whole exchange event was styled more like a Western-style cocktail party, giving the room a very open, casual atmosphere.
Shen Miaomiao and Gu Sheng were standing off to the side of the stage in a quiet corner.
Both were dressed super casually.
Shen Miaomiao had on an off-white hoodie and sweatpants, with a pair of chunky sneakers on her feet.
Gu Sheng wore his signature black Mickey Mouse hoodie, casual pants, and skate shoes.
If they were out on the street or a college campus, they would’ve looked bright and youthful—completely normal.
But here…
Looking at the crowd of attendees dressed in sharp business suits, Shen Miaomiao couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. She instinctively scooted closer to Gu Sheng.
The two of them looked like a couple of clueless students who had stumbled into some elite networking event.
Correction: they didn’t look like students—they were students.
Both were young, and dressed like this, no one wanted to approach them.
Worse yet, a few impolite guests even gave them odd, judgmental looks as they passed by.
“Sigh…”
Shen Miaomiao felt incredibly out of place.
She had been hoping to chat with some of their competitors and learn from their failures.
Yeah, right.
Forget chatting—people didn’t even want to look their way.
With a frustrated sigh, Shen Miaomiao muttered, “If I’d known, I’d have dressed more formally.”
Gu Sheng looked at her. “Then why didn’t you dress more formally?”
Shen Miaomiao gawked. “Dude, you’re calling me out? You look even more childish than I do!”
“It’s not that bad,” Gu Sheng said, glancing down at the Mickey Mouse on his hoodie. “Don’t you think it’s cute?”
Shen Miaomiao paused, then said, “…No. Honestly, the more I look at it, the more that face feels kinda sarcastic.”
“Then let it mock our competitors a little. May they all fail to recognize greatness when it’s right in front of them,”
Gu Sheng shrugged with a relaxed grin.
That made Shen Miaomiao snort with laughter.
Gu Sheng really knew how to play the unassuming genius.
And you know what? Now that he mentioned it, Shen Miaomiao was actually kind of curious—what kind of faces would these competitors make once they saw her on stage?
Before long, the host stepped up and announced the event’s opening.
The crowd burst into applause.
Media reporters aimed their cameras, and the room lit up with constant flashes.
Next up, as the event’s organizer and President of YiYou Platform, Yan Sheng took the stage to deliver the opening speech.
He spoke passionately about his hopes and confidence in the future of domestic game development.
His words were so rousing that the crowd of studio reps erupted into nonstop applause.
“…I firmly believe that with our joint effort, the game development scene in Huaxia will only get better,”
“And today, we’ve already taken our very first step!”
Yan Sheng’s voice echoed powerfully across the hall.
“And now, allow me the honor of inviting the CEO of Golden Wind Game Technology Co., Ltd.—Ms. Shen Miaomiao, whose game sold an astonishing 43,775 copies in a single day and took the crown at this year’s festival—”
“—to the stage for her speech!”
WHOOOSH——
Instantly, the entire venue exploded in applause!
The press went wild, their cameras firing nonstop.
Meanwhile, the crowd of game reps stirred into a frenzy, looking around for the mysterious figure.
“Where is she?”
“Who is it?”
“Yeah, I haven’t seen anyone from Golden Wind. I was hoping to chat and learn a thing or two.”
“You? Learn from them? Come on, with our level?”
“Fair point…”
“Probably coming out from backstage.”
“Yeah, with sales that crazy, President Yan’s definitely treating them with VIP status.”
“Still not seeing anyone…”
“Didn’t he say she was giving a speech? Where is she?”
“…”
The crowd buzzed with speculation.
Every camera, every gaze, scanned the room, eager to catch a glimpse of the woman behind those legendary numbers.
And just then—
A young girl in a white tracksuit, sporting a pair of chunky sneakers and two high buns, walked confidently onto the stage, her round face beaming with cheer.
In an instant—
The room fell dead silent.
Everyone watched in stunned silence as she approached the podium, shook hands with Yan Sheng, then pulled the mic slightly lower and—with a barely contained smile—gave a polite nod to the sea of dumbfounded competitors:
“Good morning, everyone,”
“I’m Shen Miaomiao, CEO of Golden Wind Game Technology Co., Ltd.”
“It’s an honor to be here today.”
The next second—the whole venue exploded.