I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Tech geeks save the world!

This is miHoYo's motto etched into its very core, and also the spiritual totem that runs through the company throughout its history.

In fact, Jiang Chen had been paying attention to this team since January.

miHoYo's original founding team consisted of four people: Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, Luo Yuhao, who later became well-known, and Jin Zhicheng.

This guy received an offer from Cisco in February of this year. After weighing the options, he chose to leave the startup team and transferred his 13% equity stake to Liu Wei and Luo Yuhao for 13,000 yuan.

I'll probably have a hard time falling asleep from now on...

Since then, miHoYo has only given a hint once, in 2012.

Their first game, "Fly Me 2 The Moon," was such a flop that the company almost went out of business, and they barely managed to secure a lifeline.

The investor was Song Tao, CEO of Hangzhou Sky Network, who invested one million yuan in his personal capacity in exchange for 15% of the shares.

This was miHoYo's only angel round, and Song Tao became miHoYo's only external investor.

Since then, no matter if Tencent or other giants extend an olive branch, even if they offer investment plans without any conditions attached, they have all rejected them outright, and have never given anyone the opportunity to join the game again.

For Jiang Chen, this was his only chance to squeeze in.

Of course, even if you successfully invest now, you can't expect to become rich overnight.

miHoYo's explosive growth is still far in the future and requires a long wait.

But this could also be one of his biggest trump cards in the future.

Jiang Chen was thinking about miHoYo and didn't pay attention to the road ahead. When he turned around, he bumped into someone.

It's soft and fluffy, with a hint of citrus scent.

"Ouch!"

Jiang Chen subconsciously reached out to help her, his palm touching her slender wrist, which was as smooth and warm as jade.

He looked up and was completely stunned.

The girl in front of me is dressed in a cosplay outfit of Ranka Lee from Macross Frontier, performing the classic red and white military song.

With her bright green gradient short hair, a white military-style top cap, a red and white short uniform shirt, a huge and eye-catching red bow on the back of her skirt, and a matching pleated skirt paired with clean and crisp pure white over-the-knee socks, she was sure to stand out in the bustling comic convention.

"Sorry," Jiang Chen let go of his hand, "I wasn't watching where I was going."

The girl raised her head, revealing a plain face.

Her face was clean and clear, her skin was so white it almost glowed, she had delicate and slender almond-shaped eyes, a small and pretty nose, soft and full lips, and her eyebrows and eyes had a refined yet youthful shape.

She was pursing her lips, rubbing her shoulder where she had been bumped, and glaring at him angrily.

Why does it look so familiar?

"You…" he blurted out, "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

The girl paused for a moment, then wrinkled her nose, her expression changing from confusion to disdain: "Uncle, isn't your way of picking up girls so outdated?"

middle-aged man?

Jiang Chen felt as if he had been struck by lightning...

Three days of unshaven stubble, and hair that I deliberately didn't wash to look like a couch potato... indeed...

He looks a bit weathered.

"No," he pointed to her cosplay outfit, "Lanca Lee, from episode 12 of Macross Frontier, the one at the military song concert. Your hat is crooked, and the bow should be tilted 15 degrees to the left; that's Lanca's signature angle."

The girl froze, instinctively reaching for the bow on her back: "You...you watch Macross Frontier too?"

"I started watching this anime in 2008," Jiang Chen said. "When Lanka sang 'Interstellar Flight,' I almost smashed my keyboard."

The girl became visibly excited. "I knew there were too few people who understood Lanka! I've been listening to 'Interstellar Flight' on repeat for years! This costume from the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) military song was a meticulously crafted cosplay, meticulously recreating every detail of the anime. I've collected all the character's OSTs and limited edition albums online! I never expected to meet a fellow enthusiast at a comic convention!"

Just as the two were engrossed in discussing anime series.

"Your Highness!"

A loud shout came from the side, "Are you alright?"

Three boys dressed in cosplay outfits rushed over: one dressed as Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, one as Sasuke from Naruto, and another...

Jiang Chen didn't recognize him; he guessed he was a character from some obscure anime.

"How dare you!" Kurosaki Ichigo pointed at Jiang Chen, "How dare you offend our Prince Child!"

"Exactly!" Sasuke chimed in. "Do you know your crime?"

Jiang Chen: "..."

The girl called "Prince Child" rolled her eyes. "Can you guys tone down your chuunibyou? It's so embarrassing."

She turned to Jiang Chen, her expression instantly changing, her eyes curving into crescents: "Sorry, one of my club members isn't quite right in the head."

"Your Highness..." Kurosaki Ichigo said, looking aggrieved.

"Shut up," she glared at him, "If you shout that again, I'm quitting the club tomorrow."

The three boys immediately wilted.

Jiang Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Your Highness?"

"My online name," the girl said a little embarrassedly, "is something I randomly picked when I registered on Tieba in junior high school, and they've been calling me that ever since... My name is Chen Duling, but my friends call me Dudu."

She paused, then looked Jiang Chen up and down: "You...you're also a cosplayer? Or a photographer?"

"Neither," Jiang Chen said. "I came to browse the exhibition and was looking for someone along the way."

Looking for someone?

"Found them," he pointed towards the side door, "those three from earlier, the ones talking about games."

Chen Duling's eyes lit up: "You play games too?"

"I'll play," Jiang Chen said, "but I'm clumsy, so I only play visual novels that don't require any manual controls."

"A visual novel!" Her voice rose again. "Have you played Clannad? What about Steins;Gate?"

"I finished it all," Jiang Chen said. "I cried all night playing the Anzu route in Clannad, and I didn't dare to sleep until I got the true ending in Steins;Gate."

Chen Duling covered her mouth, her eyes wide: "Me too! That...that hug in the rain, on the Xingxian line, I..."

As she spoke, her eyes actually started to redden.

"Your Highness Child..." the three boys called out weakly from the side.

"Quiet down!" she said without turning around. "We're talking about serious business!"

She turned to Jiang Chen, her expression serious as if they were discussing some profound issue: "So, who do you think Okazaki Tomoya ultimately chose was the right one?"

"There's no right or wrong," Jiang Chen said, "but the apricot line is most like youth. You've liked someone, missed them, and in the end, you can't even be friends anymore. That's the norm."

Chen Duling paused for a moment, then lowered her head, her voice softening: "...That's what I thought too. So even though I like Anzu, when playing the Furukawa Nagisa route, I felt that this was fine too."

"The Furukawa Nagisa Line is a fairy tale," Jiang Chen said. "The Anzu Line is reality. Adults make choices, but we..."

He smiled and said, "We can have them all."

Chen Duling burst out laughing, covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

The bright green wig trembled, like a little bird with its feathers standing on end.

"You're such a strange person..." She laughed until tears streamed down her face, "You talk like an old man, but also..."