Qin Lie glanced at Wanyou’s CEO and understood the situation clearly.

The inappropriate video of the model being exposed at this critical moment, whether real or not, was aimed at Dawn.

He sneered inwardly – such disgusting little schemes weren’t worth his attention.

He asked casually, “Mr. Wan, are you launching any new games this year?”

Wanyou’s CEO, having been rendered speechless by Qin Lie’s retort, decided to take up Qin Lie’s topic and use the opportunity to promote himself.

He smiled and said, “Of course. Wanyou’s specialty is making games, not selling gossip.”

“We’re bringing a brand new game this time, called Wilderness Dawn. It’s an open-world survival game.”

“It allows office workers and homebodies to experience all the challenges of extreme survival without leaving their homes.”

He directed the media’s attention to Wanyou Software’s booth, where the big screen was playing Wilderness Dawn’s preview video.

The image quality was superb and captivating.

He looked toward Qin Lie and asked with a smile, “Is Dawn still bringing Tunnel this year?”

His meaning was implicit but clear – mocking how Dawn had no second hit game besides Tunnel all these years.

Qin Lie smiled, “Yes.”

Wanyou’s CEO was just beginning to show a disdainful expression.

Then he heard Qin Lie add, “Tunnel’s new gameplay.”

After speaking, Qin Lie walked unhurriedly to the computer, pulled out a hard drive from his pocket, connected it to the host, and opened a video.

Everyone’s attention was drawn over, the focus gradually shifting away from Li Dahua and back to Dawn’s big screen.

As a serene Qiang flute melody began, the same desert appeared, the same endless yellow sand.

The preview video Qin Lie was playing seemed no different from the one shown earlier.

But somehow it felt different.

Footsteps sounded, stepping on sand – lonely, vast.

Someone in the crowd suddenly said, “This 3D is too realistic.”

Immediately someone understood what was different. The content of the preview hadn’t changed, but the perspective had.

In this video, the audience’s viewpoint merged with the male protagonist’s perspective.

As the male protagonist walked step by step through the desert, the audience felt as if they were walking through the desert.

The scorching sun, the coarse wind, and the sand seemed to truly exist.

Exclamations arose from the crowd.

“Holy shit, too realistic.”

“Is this naked-eye 3D?”

“I’m getting goosebumps.”

As the dialogue between the male and female characters in the video ended, majestic music began, and intense fighting commenced.

The audience experienced the entire battle from the male protagonist’s perspective, completely immersed in the combat.

Unlike previous naked-eye 3D, this video had frequent scene changes and intense action, yet there wasn’t the slightest dizziness or discomfort.

Every shot, every detail was perfectly presented, as if one had personally experienced a life-or-death struggle.

It made people’s hair stand on end, so tense they almost forgot to breathe.

As everyone held their breath watching, the preview reached its end.

The male protagonist walked step by step into the depths of the yellow sand amidst prolonged music.

The black silk ribbon covering his eyes fluttered lonely in the wind.

Every audience member had also experienced a lonely yet tragic curtain call.

When the video ended, there was complete silence in front of the big screen.

Qin Lie looked up, his voice calm yet carrying undeniable power.

“In the future, Dawn will be committed to creating the most perfect immersive experience.”

In the crowd, Wang Danyang stared at Qin Lie in a daze.

After a long moment, he suddenly burst into excited applause.

Dawn’s employees also came to their senses from the shock and excitedly joined in the applause.

The atmosphere at the scene instantly exploded.

No one paid attention to the internet celebrity’s gossip anymore, all crowding to the big screen to experience the shock brought by the immersive preview again.

The media also shifted their attention to the preview Qin Lie had brought.

Li Dahua stood in the crowd, looking at Qin Lie with gratitude.

When work ended in the evening, Wang Danyang invited everyone for late-night snacks.

Qin Lie had little interest and originally wanted to return directly to the hotel to rest, but was stopped by one sentence from Wang Danyang.

“Old Qin, everyone is eagerly waiting for you.”

He paused in his steps and ultimately stayed.

Li Guangwen from the Business Department ran over and said, “Mr. Wang, Li Dahua also wants to join.”

Wang Danyang was surprised and blurted out, “She’s still in the mood to eat?”

He looked toward Qin Lie with questioning eyes.

Qin Lie looked indifferent and said nothing.

Wang Danyang nodded to Li Guangwen, “If she wants to go, let her go.”

The evening breeze was gentle, carrying lingering summer heat.

Wang Danyang found an outdoor food stall near the hotel and told everyone to order whatever they wanted.

The employees cheerfully studied the menu, and the several models were also naturally sociable, quickly joking and laughing with the employees.

Li Dahua had a cigarette in her mouth, one arm draped over the back of her chair, sitting casually and smoking by herself.

In the pleasant evening breeze, she looked at the bustling street, her expression as calm as still water.

As if the events at the exhibition hall during the day had nothing to do with her.

In fact, as an internet celebrity with millions of fans, Li Dahua experienced all kinds of baseless abuse, slander, and rumors online every day.

She couldn’t achieve complete indifference, nor could she manage the arrogance of “even negative publicity is publicity.”

Most of the time, she was cruelly clear-headed.

Being innocent, she had to walk her path with even more determination.

Not for anything else, but because she was unwilling to give up.

This unwillingness came entirely from over three years of seriously pursuing something.

Li Dahua surveyed the bustling atmosphere of the food stall and the endless stream of lively people.

The gloom hidden in her heart was gently blown away by the wind.

Seeing so many people arrive, the food stall owner came over with a smile to chat.

Wang Danyang remembered something and asked the owner with a smile, “Last time I came to Xi’an, I drank a type of beer here that was quite strong. What was it called?”

The owner, with a Shaanxi accent, smiled and said, “That must be Hans’ dry beer. Let me get it for you to see.”

He went into the shop and brought out a bottle of beer to show Wang Danyang.

Wang Danyang saw the Northwest Wolf logo on the bottle and smiled, “That’s it, bring us more.”

The owner cheerfully agreed and called for people inside to bring out two cases.

Wang Danyang asked Qin Lie, “When we were in Dunhuang, you gave me a type of beer that I haven’t seen anywhere else.”

“Yellow River Beer?”

Qin Lie raised his eyebrows slightly.

Wang Danyang: “Yes, that’s right. That beer was strong enough. Too bad you can’t get it elsewhere.”

Qin Lie grunted and suddenly felt somewhat inexplicably smug.

Dishes were gradually served: gourd chicken, sesame sauce hot pot tripe, golden thread oil tower, oil-splashed spicy fish, water basin mutton.

All local specialties.

The employees chatted and laughed, eating with great enjoyment.

Wang Danyang, having finally caught Qin Lie, was in high spirits and kept pestering Qin Lie to drink one cup after another.

Li Dahua walked over carrying a bottle of beer.

In the city lights, she had shed her daytime disguise and gained a touch of carefree spirit.

Li Dahua wore a loose black work shirt on top and casual long pants below.

In the blazing summer heat, she wore a pair of Martin boots.

When Qin Lie looked up, his gaze fell on those Martin boots, and his mind wavered slightly.

“President Qin, cheers to you.”

By the time Qin Lie refocused, Li Dahua was already standing in front of him.

She clinked her beer bottle against his glass.

Then she tilted her head back and boldly drank straight from the bottle.

Seeing her drinking too intensely, Qin Lie reached out to press down on her bottle.

“Drink as much as you want, casually.”

Li Dahua smiled, her eyes completely clear.

“This little bit of alcohol is nothing.”

After speaking, she tilted her neck back and finished the remaining half bottle of beer in one go.

Wang Danyang was stunned watching from the side.

Qin Lie’s mind flashed to the image of Chen Xi drinking – also a reckless youth.

He suddenly spoke up, asking an inexplicable question: “Where are you from originally?”

Li Dahua put down the bottle, pulled over a chair, and sat down, “Anhui.”

Qin Lie grunted faintly, with no follow-up.

Li Dahua looked at Qin Lie in silence, then, after a long moment, said in a heavy voice, “President Qin, thank you for what happened during the day.”

Qin Lie’s eyes were calm. “Their target was Dawn, not you.”

Li Dahua smiled bitterly.

“Once rumors spread, a hundred mouths can’t explain it away. No one cares what the truth is.”

Wang Danyang looked over upon hearing this and realized that 21-year-old Li Dahua carried a maturity that didn’t belong to her age.

He put down his beer and asked her, “So what will you do in the future?”

Li Dahua lowered her head slightly and lit a cigarette.

“Do what needs to be done.”

She took a deep drag, as if swallowing all her grievances.

“I want to step on the rumors and walk cleanly toward higher ground.”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered sexual rumors, nor will it be the last. If I stop, then I lose.”

Li Dahua looked up at Wang Danyang, then fixed her gaze on Qin Lie.

“I don’t want to lose. I must win.”

Qin Lie: “The Business Department will help you handle the online matters.”

Li Dahua was stunned, and beneath her heavy makeup, a barely detectable trace of emotion appeared on her bright face.

But immediately, that trace of vulnerability disappeared.

She smiled, feigning nonchalance.

“It doesn’t matter. If I cared about those slanders, I would have been reduced to nothing long ago.”

Finally, she stood up and looked down at Qin Lie.

“If Dawn needs cosers in the future, call me anytime.”

She left the table directly without looking back.

She just waved at the table behind her and walked dashingly onto the brightly lit street under the night sky.

Qin Lie watched her retreating figure and smiled slightly.

A faint sense of familiarity rose in his heart, and he suddenly thought of Chen Xi again.

He imagined her walking confidently through the wind on unfamiliar streets.

There would always be troubles, but they could never do anything to her.

Wang Danyang watched Li Dahua’s figure disappear into the distance and suddenly said to Qin Lie, “Old Qin, we didn’t need to do so much for her situation.”

Qin Lie silently drank a sip of alcohol before slowly saying, “Other matters don’t need to be managed, but this matter.”

He paused and said flatly, “To destroy a woman’s reputation, one sexual rumor is enough.”

Wang Danyang stared at Qin Lie fixedly, and after a while, suddenly said, “You’re right. I’ll see this matter through to the end.”

Just as they were talking, Wang Danyang’s phone rang. He saw it was Zhou Ning calling.

He quickly answered.

Zhou Ning’s boisterous voice came through the phone: “Where are you?”

Wang Danyang leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile, “What for? Checking up on me?”

Zhou Ning: “That’s right. I took a flight to check up on you. Send me your location.”

Wang Danyang almost jumped out of his chair, “Really?”

His tone was anxious, but the smile on his face was like a small stone thrown into a lake, ripples spreading in circles.

An hour later, Zhou Ning jumped out of a taxi and caught the last moments of the gathering.

After dinner, Zhou Ning refused to return to the hotel to rest and insisted on dragging Wang Danyang and Qin Lie to accompany her to see Xi’an’s night scenery.

Wang Danyang couldn’t refuse her and had to let her drive Xiao Song’s car.

In the middle of the night, the three of them ran to the Tang Paradise Never Sleeps at the foot of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

In the early morning hours, the Never Sleeps district was still brilliantly lit, with many tourists on the streets.

Zhou Ning and Wang Danyang walked hand in hand in front, while Qin Lie walked behind them with his hands in his pockets.

Zhou Ning gazed with wonder at the Never Sleeps district outlined by lights.

Every street was like a tree of silver flowers, every building flowing with colorful light.

On both sides of the street, the imitation Tang buildings with red walls and golden roofs were tall and magnificent, full of ancient charm.

Being in the midst of it felt like traveling back to the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Zhou Ning suddenly stopped and crouched down to look at the ground, shaking Wang Danyang’s hand in surprise.

“Look quickly! There are tiny bits of light in the brick cracks.”

Wang Danyang stopped and looked down, smiling, “There are.”

Zhou Ning crouched on the ground, looking up with a grinning face, playfully shaking Wang Danyang’s hand.

“I love Xi’an so much, I don’t want to leave.”

Wang Danyang: “I’ll buy you a house here, you can come retire here in the future.”

Zhou Ning: “Really?”

Wang Danyang: “Mm.”

Zhou Ning giggled, “For me?”

Wang Danyang: “If not for you, then for whom?”

Qin Lie stood not far away, listening to the two of them being lovey-dovey, and suddenly felt like a third wheel.

He walked a few steps away and silently lit a cigarette, facing a tree full of brilliant lights.

Last time in Dunhuang, these two were also being clingy, but Qin Lie hadn’t felt anything.

Now, for some reason, he didn’t want to hear their mushy talk.

Across the street, a couple was kissing passionately against a wall.

Qin Lie looked elsewhere boredly and saw another couple walking toward him.

As they walked, the girl suddenly jumped onto the boy’s back, leaving a trail of laughter.

Qin Lie held his cigarette and looked up at the night sky, suddenly feeling that the lights were too bright.

Night didn’t feel like night, with pairs of night owls all over the street.

What was the point…

He exhaled smoke and thought listlessly.

“Qin Lie, let’s go!”

In the distance, Zhou Ning was holding Wang Danyang’s hand, bouncing and waving at Qin Lie.

Qin Lie raised his hand toward her and lazily followed.

Under the streetlights, the two people’s shadows snuggled together.

Qin Lie glanced at his own shadow and suddenly felt empty inside.