At MiHoYo headquarters, a week later.
Everything was going smoothly. Several sets were running at the same time, with filming continuing nonstop.
The members of the Okhema theatre had finally fulfilled their modest wishes.
Inside the game room, a group of "washed-up" people with no scenes to film had gathered together.
Some were playing mahjong. Some were playing cards. Some were playing computer games.
Beside the mahjong table. Tingyun rested her cheek in her hand and played her tile. "Sigh… suddenly having nothing to do and no scenes to shoot… it's so lonely."
"Pon!"
Qingque grinned and claimed Tingyun's tile. "Isn't this the perfect time to slack off? Our mission's already done! Now it's time for us to enjoy ourselves."
"Well, that's true. But we're still young, and acting itself is what we love to do."
Tingyun shook her head and began counting on her fingers. "Even though the boss told us to shoot our personal stories, those stories were way too short. Now the acting itch is kicking in… it feels so empty…"
Personal stories. Everyone had more or less finished filming theirs.
The roles weren't very heavy. All that content was stored in Pom-Pom's collection folder and scheduled for release at fixed times.
It was basically a small bonus for fans outside the main storyline. At the same time, it kept earlier plots and characters popular, giving fans something to keep discussing.
But for such dedicated professionals… This level of work simply wasn't enough to satisfy their acting cravings!
"How about we ask the boss for some work to do? Otherwise we're just taking all this money every day without doing anything. I honestly feel bad about it." Tingyun said gloomily.
MiHoYo characters were worth a fortune. With the clothing brand connections now opened up, themed outfits for each character had gradually been released.
And the fans' enthusiasm was incredibly strong.
Because of that, everyone at MiHoYo could still earn a considerable income every day even without filming.
Achieving financial freedom at a young age. That wasn't just talk.
Meanwhile, Qingque, hearing Tingyun actually volunteer for work, quickly shook her head and tried to stop her.
"No way! Don't ask! Don't ask! Come on, Tingyun, can't you just rest honestly for a while?"
"Enough chatting." Fu Xuan, sitting to Qingque's right, sighed and stared at the mahjong tiles.
"If you ask me… With a project as big as Star Rail, there are scenes to shoot everywhere. After finishing one, there's always another. Sooner or later it'll be our turn again. There's no rush."
"So since things are like this… let's just keep playing cards."
After Fu Xuan played her tile, it was Sushang's turn.
This "great genius," wearing an expression of pure wisdom, scanned her hand carefully before pushing out a Two of Dots.
"Chance!" Qingque's eyes lit up as she flipped over her tiles.
The messy tile pattern and the random pairs all clearly showed that this so-called Mahjong goddess had won with a simple hand.
"So fast?"
Fu Xuan froze for a moment and said speechlessly, "Qingque, you boast every day about how skilled you are at mahjong. What kind of win is this?"
Qingque didn't mind at all. Rubbing her hands together, she laughed.
"Oh come on, Fu Xuan~ big money or small money, it's all money. Big wins or small wins are still wins. As long as I win, that's what matters!"
Seeing that Sushang had discarded the winning tile for Qingque, everyone lost the motivation to keep playing.
The topic soon returned to boredom.
"I think everyone's being way too cautious," Sushang said, shaking her head as she looked at the worried Tingyun and the completely lazy Qingque.
"Oh? What brilliant insight does the genius Sushang have?" Fu Xuan became interested.
She personally wasn't worried. After all, in the story she firmly occupied the position of the Master Diviner.
You could say she was already half a step into the ranks of the Arbiter-Generals. There would definitely be plenty of storylines about her later.
As for Tingyun wanting to film urgently, part of it was because the boss paid them extremely well, she felt guilty earning money without working.
But another reason was that Tingyun didn't know where the returned "Forgotten One" version of herself would be placed.
And Qingque… well, for her, being able to slack off for another day was already the greatest happiness.
"Think about it," Sushang continued. "When we filmed the Ghost-Hunting Squad before, actually… actually that story mainly introduced a few characters and showed some of everyday life in the Luofu."
"Even though the plot made it look very dangerous, according to the setting, there are plenty of beings imprisoned in the Shackling Prison that are much more terrifying than Phantylia."
At this point, Sushang suddenly realized she had gone off topic.
Then she continued naturally, "And the boss has filmed a lot of personal stories too. We could film some ourselves, maybe daily life in the Luofu, or stories told from our own perspectives."
"After all, the boss always says, 'You're not acting. You're just playing yourselves.'"
And surprisingly, this "great genius" Sushang had actually found the core point in one go.
Besides, the Star Rail universe was full of jokes and references, with plenty of little details that mirrored real life.
Even if the people here just filmed a few skits and uploaded them to Pom-Pom's collection folder, fans would only get even more excited.
"Oh~ that actually… actually might work!" Tingyun's eyes lit up.
"So what should we film?" Fu Xuan also became interested.
Only Qingque stared at her troublesome friend in shock, not expecting her to actually come up with an idea.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Sushang proudly puffed out her chest and pointed at the table.
"I think we should film a story about us playing mahjong!"
"If that doesn't work, I'll call Guinaifen over and we'll add some juggling for fun! That'll definitely be entertaining!"
After Sushang suggested these ideas, everyone except Qingque began to look more and more excited.
They had indeed found a method different from filming the main storyline, yet just as satisfying.
More ideas began popping into their heads. For example, they could create an account and film short videos from their characters' perspectives, using special effects.
Things like "The Mahjong Goddess teaches you how to play."
"Sushang's daily reading routine."
"Guinaifen's daily juggling."
And "A day touring the Sky-Faring Commission with Tingyun."
The more they talked, the more excited they became. Even the biggest issue, special effects for filming, wasn't really a problem.
Because most of the scenery already existed in real life. In MiHoYo's new headquarters, there was an entire Luofu park area.
Basically, there was hardly any need for special effects. As long as everyone finished their makeup and costumes, filming could start immediately.
And just as the group excitedly rushed out of the game room… The rest of the people who were still relaxing only glanced over once before withdrawing their gaze, continuing whatever they were doing, playing cards if they were playing cards, gaming if they were gaming.
Except for Sparkle in the corner... Recently, Director Sparkle's days had been both sweet and foul.
Sweet because her infiltration into the Anti-MiHoYo online group had been going extremely smoothly.
Foul because Rappa, that rapper, kept wanting to challenge her to one-on-one battles.
And Rappa was someone who had absolutely no sense. No matter how hard Sparkle tried, she simply couldn't make Rappa lose his composure.
But today... None of that mattered anymore.
After a long period of lurking, she had gradually gained a certain amount of fame in the online group.
She had even managed to figure out evidence of these people receiving dirty money through intermediaries!
But did you think Sparkle would stop here and wipe out all these paid trolls in one sweep?
No! She wanted to play something even more outrageous.
At this moment... Sparkle held her phone, fiercely chatting in the group.
This time it wasn't the big group, but a small one.
Everyone here was someone with a certain account status within the anti-fan circles.
Right now, these opinion leaders who took money to do things were in low spirits.
Super King: Sigh, what do we do? MiHoYo keeps crushing the Olympus. We can't smear them at all.
Karl Poly: Those talking points are useless. Whenever we post them, we just get mocked.
Celestial Dragon: If this keeps going and there's no result, the funding will be hard to secure.
Karl Poly: ...
Celestial Dragon: @Twin Rabbits, do you have any ideas?
Super King: Yeah, last time when we integrated our resources, @Twin Rabbits did most of the work. This time we'll probably have to rely on you again.
Seeing people in the group starting to @ her, Sparkle revealed a pleased smile.
Last time, it had taken her a lot of effort to gather this bunch of useless people together.
After integrating them, she had done another big thing. She created reports and fabricated data to prove that this group were influential opinion leaders, that as long as they spoke out, they could shake public opinion domestically.
Oh right. The reports and fake data were all made by Aventurine's group.
She didn't even know whether Aventurine understood her request, but they produced a dizzying set of reports and statistics, along with all the supporting evidence.
In short, it successfully fooled the reviewers' side.
The people there reacted strongly after seeing the data, even becoming extremely enthusiastic.
So Sparkle took the opportunity to connect these opinion leaders and started letting them receive 'help funds', and not a small amount either.
Of course, Sparkle herself didn't take any of it. This action made her status and authority in the group skyrocket.
The codename "Twin Rabbits" had already begun to feel somewhat transcendent.
At this moment, Sparkle looked at the messages in the group, smiled faintly, and began typing.
Codename Twin Rabbits: I think our direction has a problem.
Super King: Oh? How so?
Codename Twin Rabbits: Paid trolls are outdated in this era. The moment we speak, people can immediately tell it's organized manipulation.
Celestial Dragon: That's true. Every post we manipulate ends up with comments like "So triggered," "Dog food payment arrived," and so on...
Codename Twin Rabbits: We should change tactics. First cheer for MiHoYo and Amphoreus, pretend to be their fans, and specifically fight against other haters, especially in the most aggressive way possible.
Super King: ???
Karl Poly: ???
Celestial Dragon: @Twin Rabbits, have you gone crazy?
Codename Twin Rabbits: Hear me out. Right now, whose words carry weight? MiHoYo's fans. When they speak, bystanders believe them. Bystanders trust fans more! So we should lurk, and at the critical moment betray them, then the backlash will hit even harder!
Codename Twin Rabbits: Think about it. When everyone believes we're the most loyal fans, and even we start criticizing Amphoreus, won't that be far more effective than a few rotten troll accounts saying it?
The group fell silent.
Outside the screen, Sparkle was already happily swinging her legs. She could already imagine the expressions on those idiots' faces.
Sure enough...
...
Super King: Holy shit...
Karl Poly: Holy shit!!
Celestial Dragon: @Twin Rabbits, are you a fucking genius?!
Super King: This move is ruthless!
Karl Poly: Is this... Infernal Affairs?
Celestial Dragon: Right, right, Infernal Affairs!
...
Sparkle looked at these messages and burst out laughing.
After laughing for a while, she continued typing.
Codename Twin Rabbits: So from now on, we do the following. First: register new accounts. Avatars, profiles, posts, everything must disguise us as loyal fans. Praise Amphoreus like crazy!
Codename Twin Rabbits: Second! Whenever you see someone attacking MiHoYo, especially those that clearly look organized and paid, rush in and curse them out. The harsher the better. Beating them down will raise our value and earn us more money.
After she finished speaking, everyone responded enthusiastically.
...
Super King: Got it!
Celestial Dragon: Understood!
Karl Poly: But @Twin Rabbits, when do we betray them?
Codename Twin Rabbits: I'll give you advance notice. Before I send any message, keep pushing the plan. In short, as long as the money reaches your hands, it means everything is fine!
...
Outside the screen, Sparkle raised her eyebrows and giggled.
Betray? You idiots will never betray anyone. You'll just keep attacking other haters, keep cursing them nonstop.
Taking 'help funds' while actually helping MiHoYo eliminate their enemies. Is there anything more delightful than that?
...
Codename Twin Rabbits: Anyway, lie low and wait for my orders!
Super King: Don't worry, I'll act like an even bigger fan than MiHoYo's fans!
Karl Poly: Why do I suddenly feel a little excited?
Celestial Dragon: The few of us together are simply top-tier strategists!
Super King: When the truth comes out someday, I'm going to make a video about all this!
Celestial Dragon: And we can't forget Twin Rabbits. This guy is truly fighting for our cause, he doesn't even take money. When this is all done, I'll definitely treat you to a drink.
...
Sparkle knew the plan had succeeded. She put down her phone and stretched her shoulders.
Seeing the messages from this group of idiots made her laugh endlessly.
Treat her to a drink? Sure.
When the time comes, you'll be drinking tea in the police station while eating prison meals.
That will definitely be a very amusing scene. Now that is true joy.