September 23rd, Friday.

Pei Qian felt that after avoiding the spotlight for several days, it was about time he could go out for a walk.

After Huang Sibo released that video last Sunday, Pei Qian hadn’t dared to strut about on the streets, let alone visit his regular hangout at Slackin’ Internet Café. Instead, he had been keeping an eye on the changing online trends.

So far, people who knew Pei Qian in real life—whether they were Tenda employees or “friends” like Qiao Liang, Ruan Guangjian, or Li Shi—had essentially established a consensus to keep Mr. Pei’s secret.

And most of the overly curious fans, because of that video, no longer pursued Mr. Pei’s real identity. Instead, they chose to treat the character from “Mr. Pei’s Daily Life” as a symbol of Mr. Pei.

People’s interest in Mr. Pei’s true identity seemed to have been successfully diverted.

Of course, going out now would still cause some trouble for Pei Qian. Most likely, some people would want to take photos with him, thinking he was Mr. Pei’s actor, but at most, it would just be photos—no other troubles.

So Pei Qian felt he could go out for a walk and embrace his “new identity.”

First, he would sit at Slackin’ Internet Café near Handong University, have a cup of coffee, and then decide what to do next.

However, considering that it would be crowded at noon, Pei Qian thought it would be better to arrive around three or four in the afternoon, when he might not attract as much attention.

…

Meanwhile, Ruan Guangjian had just finished his Slackin’ takeout lunch. He stretched lazily, preparing to stand up and walk around to aid digestion, check on the plants in the studio, and relax a bit.

After “Struggle” had launched, his only remaining work was designing hero concept art for GOG, which had lightened his workload considerably and given him more free time.

Just then, he saw a middle-aged man in his forties walk into Halo Studio.

Ruan Guangjian was taken aback—it was quite rare for strangers to come knocking.

Although Halo Studio rented a street-facing commercial space opposite Slackin’ Internet Café, they received all their work from either Tenda Games or the official ESRO platform. This place functioned as an office rather than a shop, so they rarely had visitors.

Looking more carefully, Ruan Guangjian thought this middle-aged man looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t immediately recall where he had seen him before.

“Hello?” Ruan Guangjian stepped forward with a polite greeting.

The middle-aged man smiled. “Hello, I’m He An from Alliance Fruit Games. I was just passing by when I noticed Halo Studio’s sign and thought I’d come in to take a look.”

Ruan Guangjian suddenly realized who he was.

This was the big shot who had posted that Weibo analysis of “Struggle”!

He An was a veteran in China’s single-player game industry. Of course, Ruan Guangjian had seen his photos before, but photos and real people always had some differences. That, coupled with his fuzzy memory, was why he hadn’t recognized him immediately.

“Mr. He is a senior in the industry! Please come in, please come in. I’m Ruan Guangjian, the person in charge of Halo Studio.”

He An was somewhat surprised. “You’re the person in charge of Halo Studio? The artist who’s been working with Mr. Pei all this time? Nice to meet you!”

He was surprised by how young Ruan Guangjian was.

The two had heard about each other, and after a brief introduction, they immediately hit it off.

Professionals often share a common trait: they respect other professionals.

Ruan Guangjian knew that He An was a top-tier veteran producer in China’s single-player game circle, and He An knew that Ruan Guangjian was currently one of China’s top artists and concept designers. They had much to discuss.

After sitting down in the studio, Ruan Guangjian asked an employee to buy coffee from across the street, and the two chatted while drinking.

“Is this Mr. He An’s first time in Jingzhou?” Ruan Guangjian asked.

He An smiled slightly and shook his head. “No, actually, I’ve been here many times.”

“I’ve been giving lectures to Mr. Ma of Tenda Group recently, at a small coffee shop nearby. The course had already ended, but Qiao Laoshi’s video made me interested in Jingzhou again, so I suddenly wanted to come back this weekend.”

“I was just walking around the area when I happened to see Halo Studio’s name. I was curious, so I came in.”

Ruan Guangjian looked confused. “Mr. Ma from Tenda Group?”

He An nodded. “Yes, Mr. Ma Yang from Dream Fulfillment Venture Capital.”

Ruan Guangjian tried hard to recall. He vaguely knew there was such a person and knew that this Mr. Ma had made five hundred million for Tenda with one move, but he had never actually met him.

But why would Mr. Ma ask the big shot, He An, to give lectures?

Could it be that he found investing too simple, too boring, so he wanted to switch to making games?

Then why not ask Mr. Pei to teach him?

Hmm… perhaps because Mr. Pei was too busy and didn’t have time?

That was possible.

Ruan Guangjian didn’t think too much about it and casually asked, “Has Mr. He met Mr. Pei yet? Mr. Ma is asking you to lecture—Mr. Pei should know about this, right?”

He An said with some regret, “I’ve yet to have the honor of meeting Mr. Pei. The tuition fee was paid by Mr. Pei after Mr. Ma became an outstanding employee, so Mr. Pei definitely knows about it.”

Ruan Guangjian frowned slightly. “That seems a bit unusual. Mr. Pei is always warm and hospitable, providing high-standard treatment to all friends who come to Jingzhou. There’s no reason he wouldn’t meet a senior like you.”

He An wasn’t particularly concerned. “Perhaps Mr. Pei is too busy. After all, Tenda has been developing rapidly lately, and Mr. Pei has spent who knows how much energy on developing ‘Struggle.’ Normally, he can’t be everywhere at once.”

“However, I am indeed very curious about Mr. Pei. You must see Mr. Pei often, right? Could you tell me a bit about him?”

Ruan Guangjian nodded. “Of course!”

“Mr. Pei is very sincere with his friends and is also an excellent game producer with a precise grasp of game details. The art style of ‘Struggle’ was his decision…”

Ruan Guangjian described the scene back then, his face full of admiration.

At that time, the first batch of concept art for “Struggle” had just come out. Ruan Guangjian had designed them entirely in an ultra-realistic style, but Mr. Pei immediately recognized the problem upon seeing them and suggested changing all characters to a stylized design that emphasized their typical features.

Sure enough, after the game launched, this style was a huge success.

Afterward, Ruan Guangjian talked about his other collaborative experiences with Mr. Pei, including “Ghost General” and GOG.

He An listened and nodded frequently, occasionally slapping the table in excitement.

The collaboration between designers and artists had always been a challenging issue. Once communication faltered or cooperation failed, they could easily hold each other back.

But the collaboration between Mr. Pei and Ruan Guangjian seemed to be entirely free of such problems, always working together seamlessly. It was truly amazing!

He An listened with surging emotions and also talked about teaching game design theory to Mr. Ma in Jingzhou, especially emphasizing how he used Mr. Pei’s games as teaching cases, which greatly inspired Mr. Ma and made the teaching twice as effective with half the effort.

The two became increasingly engrossed in their conversation.

Ruan Guangjian was Mr. Pei’s friend, He An was Mr. Ma’s friend, and Mr. Pei and Mr. Ma were friends, so they rounded up, and these two could also become good friends!

Moreover, they were both prominent figures in China’s game industry. There might be opportunities for collaboration in the future, making it even more worthwhile to get acquainted.

The two became more and more engaged in their conversation, and before they realized it, two hours had passed.

He An looked at the time and said, “Oh my, I didn’t notice the time. Have I been interrupting your work?”

Ruan Guangjian shook his head. “Not at all, my work hours are very flexible, it’s no interruption.”

He An still stood up. “I won’t disturb you anymore. How about this—tomorrow is the weekend, if you have time, I’d like to treat you to dinner, and we can continue our conversation over the meal. How does that sound?”

Ruan Guangjian also quickly stood up. “No problem! But I should be the one treating you, since we’re in Jingzhou.”

He An smiled. “There’s no need to be so formal. Well, I’ll be going now. Let’s stay in touch.”

The two exchanged contact information, and Ruan Guangjian escorted He An out of Halo Studio.

Just as they stepped outside, they spotted a familiar figure passing by.

Ruan Guangjian’s eyes lit up—speak of the devil!

What a coincidence!

“Mr. Pei!” Ruan Guangjian exclaimed happily, “We were just talking about you!”

Pei Qian, who had just prepared himself mentally to go out, had barely reached the entrance of Slackin’ Internet Café when he saw He An and Ruan Guangjian walk out of Halo Studio.

Then, Pei Qian, frozen in place, witnessed the full range of expressions on He An’s face—from delight to surprise, then to bewilderment and shock.

Everything became awkward at once.

Countless question marks floated above Pei Qian’s head. This turn of events was completely unexpected!

Why was He An here?

Hadn’t he left Jingzhou already? When did he come back?

And when did he get to know Ruan Guangjian?

How should he explain this…

The question marks above He An’s head were no fewer than those above Pei Qian’s.

At first, seeing “Mr. Ma,” he was quite happy, thinking their connection was wonderfully fateful.

But when Ruan Guangjian shouted “Mr. Pei,” He An’s smile instantly froze.

Mr. Pei? Ruan Guangjian called Mr. Ma “Mr. Pei”?

Mistaking Pei for Ma?

No, it should be mistaken Ma for Pei?

That didn’t seem right either.

Had Ruan Guangjian made a mistake?

That couldn’t be—Ruan Guangjian had collaborated with Mr. Pei so many times, he definitely wouldn’t be wrong!

There was a major issue here!

Both men stood awkwardly in place, not knowing what to say.

Ruan Guangjian looked at He An, then at Mr. Pei, puzzled about why neither was speaking.

But after a moment’s thought, he understood. For such a historic meeting, both men were a bit excited—that was understandable!

Better not disturb them and let them enjoy this moment.

With this in mind, Ruan Guangjian smiled gently. “You two must have a lot to talk about. I’ll get back to work now. See you later!”

Ruan Guangjian returned to Halo Studio.

A breeze blew by, stirring up a fallen leaf on the ground. Everything seemed frozen in time.

Pei Qian and He An stared at each other, their expressions varied, but both were utterly speechless.