My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 163

Chapter 163: I Need Answers

Following the Non-Dream studio’s directions, the three quickly found their booth, led by Yin Yuan.

Although it was a well-known and established studio, Non-Dream‘s scale was still small, and not all the staff and participants worked on the game full-time. Having seen the other booths along the way, the three found that Non-Dream‘s was the most unassuming and low-key.

However, as soon as they approached, they saw that all the staff were cosplaying as female characters from the game, their costumes and makeup meticulously prepared, a true embodiment of “using resources wisely.”

The head of the Non-Dream studio, whose surname was Liu, looked to be around the same age as Jiang Xue’s mothers. Dressed in the blue and white crane-patterned official robe of the female chancellor in the game, she greeted Xiao Luohan politely as soon as she saw her.

Xiao Luohan instinctively returned the greeting in the ancient style, then hurriedly said, “There’s no need for such formalities! I’m only here as a supporter and collaborator of Non-Dream…”

“You deserve it,” Ms. Liu said with a bright smile. “It’s a great honor for Non-Dream to have a supporter and collaborator like you.”

Due to their wording and manners, the atmosphere of their conversation suddenly felt like they were back in ancient times.

Jiang Xue stared, dumbfounded, while Yin Yuan, who was used to this, even patted her shoulder, signaling her to step back with her and give Xiao Luo and Ms. Liu some space.

The sound director of Non-Dream was also present, dressed as a musician, but she didn’t participate in the conversation for now, just sitting nearby and listening quietly.

Ms. Liu invited Xiao Luohan to sit inside the booth and explained the studio’s main ideas and opinions.

There were many technical terms, which Jiang Xue didn’t quite understand, so she kept looking at Yin Yuan for help.

“Non-Dream wants to replace the traveler’s theme song with the one Xiao Luo submitted, but it needs some polishing and a proper recording in a professional studio,” Yin Yuan whispered, listening to the rest of the conversation while explaining to Jiang Xue. “They also plan to invite Xiao Luo to compose music for other characters. The sound director feels that Xiao Luo’s music has a unique ‘spiritual quality that’s difficult for modern people to replicate’… those were her exact words, just understand it as her liking Xiao Luo’s style.”

“But there’s another problem. Although ‘talent doesn’t discriminate’ and ‘the work speaks for itself,’ some netizens and long-time fans will inevitably dig into the background of the people involved, including their education and any ‘dark history.’ You know Xiao Luo’s situation, without a convincing degree or achievements in a specialized field, she might face widespread criticism after the game’s release.”

She paused. “Even if Xiao Luo doesn’t care about these external opinions, no one can guarantee that they won’t affect her real life.”

Jiang Xue immediately understood what she meant.

For example, Xiao Luo would be admitted to N University’s guqin program through the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Special Enrollment” next year, but precisely because the circle was so small, her fame might attract some malicious people who would try to sabotage her.

And these people wouldn’t be tolerant or kind just because they were more accomplished. They would nitpick Xiao Luo’s shortcomings, even using their connections to smear her reputation.

“Destroying” the future of newcomers like Xiao Luo would make them feel better, as if bringing down a talented person could secure their own “high position.” Their logic and values were twisted.

“I understand, thank you for the reminder, Yin Jiejie,” Jiang Xue said seriously, nodding. “I’ll discuss this with my family when I get back.”

As one of Ms. Silin’s most trusted subordinates, Yin Yuan had a general understanding of the Jiang family’s situation, so she was relieved and comforted Jiang Xue, “Don’t worry too much, the adults are very experienced, they won’t let those clowns succeed.”

She had only said those things to give the inexperienced young girls a heads-up, so they wouldn’t blame themselves if they encountered such situations.

The next topic was payment, and this was where Yin Yuan took over.

Jiang Xue remembered that Xiao Luo had originally planned to give the music to the Non-Dream studio for free as a fan, but after some discussion, she had finally agreed to let Yin Yuan handle the payment negotiations and receive the compensation she deserved.

She could understand Xiao Luo’s initial intention, it was pure support. Non-Dream had shown Xiao Luo, who had traveled from a real ancient world to the modern era, the many possibilities for women, and she was very grateful for encountering this game.

However, regardless of the type of work, once it involved commercial use, things would become more complicated. To be safe, it was best to follow the “rules” of the business world for compensation.

While waiting for the two to finish their discussion, Jiang Xue tried the demo of the Non-Dream remake on the booth’s computer.

The original Non-Dream, due to the limitations of technology at the time, had pixelated graphics. The remake had been upgraded to 3D models, but the special cutscenes still used 2D animation, preserving the impact of the original CGs.

Jiang Xue hadn’t played Non-Dream for long, but based on her years of gaming experience, the remake demo was indeed “low-cost, high-quality.” She just didn’t know how many years it would take for the official release. Many small studios disbanded before finishing their projects.

Although she was at their booth, she couldn’t express this concern to the staff, and verbal promises weren’t reliable, so Jiang Xue continued playing the demo, buying a few copies before leaving, to support the Non-Dream studio.

“Ms. Liu invited me to join the Non-Dream studio,” Xiao Luohan said to Jiang Xue in the resting area. “I can be affiliated as a part-timer, like the other part-time staff at the studio. They’ll inform me at least half a month in advance if they need me to participate in any projects.”

“Where’s the workplace?” Jiang Xue asked.

“The Non-Dream studio is in this province. I’ll have to go there in person to record the guqin audio for the official version, but I can provide recordings for new compositions at home, which is more convenient for them to make demos,” Xiao Luohan replied. “However, the studio can’t guarantee there won’t be any overtime.”

“They’ve already explained the pros and cons, it’s up to Xiao Luo,” Yin Yuan added. “I personally think it’s a good opportunity, but Xiao Luo will need to focus on her studies for at least the next four years, and the ‘intangible cultural heritage’ field requires a strong foundation. As a graduate who’s already working, it’s hard for me to say if this part-time job with an unstable schedule will affect her opportunities in her field.”

She rarely spoke so much when she wasn’t working. After finishing, she felt a little uneasy and hurriedly added, “This is just my personal, subjective opinion, for your reference only.”

Xiao Luohan smiled at her kindly, then said softly, “I plan to focus on my studies first. If I have time, I’ll explore related fields and spend more time with A-Xue.”

She was happy to be recognized by her favorite game studio, but she hadn’t forgotten her original plan and her reason for supporting Non-Dream.

She felt that her understanding of this world was still limited, so she didn’t want to tie herself down to a job with so many rules and regulations too early.

Because of this, none of the three were in the mood to continue exploring the exhibition and planned to sign the collaboration contract with the Non-Dream studio and record the required audio as soon as possible.

Non-Dream was also very efficient. They sent the draft contract to Ms. Silin’s studio’s legal department that night, and the next morning, the online contract was already on Xiao Luohan’s computer.

The speed made Yin Yuan wonder if Ms. Silin had secretly invested in Non-Dream.

After the contract was signed, the final revisions for the traveler’s theme song began.

This would probably take about a week. Xiao Luohan also had an intermediate-level exam during this time, so after Non-Dream confirmed that the contract was correct, Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan checked out of the hotel and canceled their travel plans.

Yin Yuan, who had been following the progress, even suggested driving them home, so Xiao Luo could start reviewing for her exam.

Jiang Xue actually wanted to take this opportunity to experience the high-speed rail with Xiao Luo, but noticing that Xiao Luohan wanted to go home and practice immediately, she canceled their return tickets in front of Yin Yuan.

She didn’t say anything more, just went about her usual routine after returning home, even buying a gift for Yin Yuan as a thank you.

Three days later, after a full day of practice, Xiao Luohan approached her.

“What do you want me to do to compensate you?” Xiao Luohan asked.

Her thoughts seen through, Jiang Xue shivered, but still pretended to be oblivious. “Huh? Compensate for what?”

Xiao Luohan didn’t continue asking, but simply leaned in and kissed her, leaving her breathless, then murmured, “This isn’t enough.”

Jiang Xue didn’t dare ask what she meant by “not enough,” neither responding nor moving, just maintaining her current position.

“Even if you don’t want to say it, I’ll still guess what you’re thinking and what you want,” Xiao Luohan said, gazing at her. “But I need an answer, A-Xue. You have to tell me if my guess is correct, and if not, or if it’s completely wrong, I need to know the right direction.”

She paused. “I don’t like you being so quiet at times like this.”

Jiang Xue wasn’t sure why she always retreated when it came to Xiao Luo, instead of speaking her mind.

She was the one who had taught Xiao Luo to be direct in the first place…

But since Xiao Luo had already said this, and she realized that her attempts to hide her feelings had only hurt Xiao Luo, she said seriously, “I do mind not being able to have that two-person trip, and not being able to ride the high-speed rail with you… but those are just time-wasting trifles…”

“They’re not time-wasting trifles,” Xiao Luohan corrected her. “To me, at least those two things are very important, and it was because of me that they had to be canceled.”

“I’ll find a way to make it up to you for these regrets, and if once isn’t enough, we’ll find more opportunities.” She looked at Jiang Xue intently, until her cheeks and eyes were flushed. “I don’t want us to sacrifice our own needs for each other’s sake.”