Vivian Frost leaned back in her chair, holding a stack of printed drafts in her hand. The fluorescent lights of the office reflected faintly off the glass walls, giving the entire space a cold, corporate glow. She skimmed through the pages again, her brows slowly knitting together.
"So," she said at last, looking up from the papers, "our new game is a card battle game based on fairy tales?"
Across from her desk, Ethan Reed sat casually, tablet resting on his knee. He nodded, his expression calm and confident.
"Yes. A fairy-tale-themed card game."
Vivian flipped to the next page, stopping at a character illustration. The image showed a man clutching a potion bottle, his chin unnaturally long, nose swollen and pitted with pustules. The name beneath the drawing read: The Alchemist.
She lifted the paper slightly, squinting at it.
"But isn't this art style a bit… dark?" she asked. "Look at this guy. He looks like he crawled out of a nightmare."
Then she shuffled through more sheets, her expression growing increasingly complicated.
"Honestly, Ethan," she continued, half-laughing and half-complaining, "except for Little Red Riding Hood and the Little Carpenter, every character you've drawn is uglier than the last. Some of them are straight-up grotesque."
Ethan didn't look offended. Instead, he leaned back slightly, folding his arms as he considered her words.
"Actually," he said after a moment, "fairy tales were never meant to be cute in the first place."
Vivian paused.
Ethan went on, his tone thoughtful. "There's been a lot of discussion online about how the original versions of fairy tales were dark, violent, even horrifying. Cannibalism, betrayal, murder—those stories weren't written to comfort children. They were warnings."
Vivian blinked, then slowly nodded.
"That's… true," she admitted.
"Our game borrows from those original tones," Ethan said. "We take familiar fairy tales and merge them into a single, twisted world. Players recognize the names, but the stories are no longer safe or predictable."
Vivian straightened a little.
"So it's not just Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf?"
"Not even close," Ethan replied with a faint smile. "We're pulling characters from multiple fairy tales. Heroes, villains, monsters—some famous, some obscure. They all exist in the same setting."
That got her attention.
Ethan leaned forward and began explaining in detail. He described the characters, the monster factions, and the structure of the game itself. As he spoke, the rough outline on paper transformed into something vivid and exciting.
The game—Night of the Full Moon—was a roguelike card battler at its core.
Players would choose one of nine distinct classes, each with unique abilities and playstyles. Decks would be built on the fly, with new cards earned after every battle. Shops would appear at random intervals, offering passive abilities, relics, or powerful upgrades. Every run would be different.
The goal was simple: climb the tower, survive the night, and reach the end.
As Ethan talked, Vivian felt a growing sense of excitement rising in her chest. Even without seeing the final visuals, she could already imagine the flow of the game.
Random rewards. Strategic deck-building. High replay value.
At least in the current market, she hadn't seen anything quite like this.
Most card games were either slow, long-term collection games or competitive PvP cash grabs. Roguelike games, on the other hand, focused on randomness and short, intense runs. Combining the two felt… fresh.
Vivian's gaze toward Ethan grew brighter with every sentence.
As expected of the Chief Planner she had personally chosen.
So talented.
But just as her excitement peaked, a troubling thought surfaced.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at him again.
"Wait a second," she said. "You mentioned earlier that the game needs around 140 monsters, plus skill card illustrations, background scenes, UI assets—Ethan, are you planning to draw all of this by yourself?"
Ethan stared at her for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"Boss," he said slowly, "are you trying to kill me?"
Vivian froze.
"Except for Little Red Riding Hood and the main bosses," Ethan continued, rubbing his temples, "everything else is obviously going to be outsourced. Do you really think I'm going to draw over a hundred characters on my own?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm also writing the code, you know."
For a brief second, Ethan genuinely wondered if Vivian's brain had short-circuited.
Even with his enhanced efficiency, drawing that many characters alone would take weeks. And that was assuming he didn't sleep.
Hearing his words, Vivian's face flushed red.
"I—I just forgot for a moment!" she said defensively. "Alright, alright. We'll outsource the art."
Then her tone softened slightly.
"But you know our situation," she added. "I'm kind of… broke right now. Honestly, my savings might even be less than yours."
Ethan stared at her in silence.
Then he spoke.
"You drive a car worth over six hundred thousand," he said flatly. "And you're telling me you have less savings than me?"
He looked her straight in the eyes.
"Boss, do you really think employees are that easy to fool?"
"Cash flow!" Vivian blurted out. "I mean cash flow!"
Ethan snorted.
"Fine," he said, waving it off. "I don't care. Outsourcing is your responsibility anyway. I'll send you the character drafts later. You just need to forward them to the studio and make sure they follow the written requirements."
Vivian nodded rapidly, relieved.
From Ethan's perspective, her claim of being poor was ridiculous.
The office alone—over two hundred square meters in a premium tech building—had to cost tens of thousands every month. Add her clothes, her car, her lifestyle… and she dared say she had no money?
Still, this wasn't his problem.
What mattered was speed.
Ethan wanted this game finished in one week—two at most.
If he had to draw everything himself, the project would drag on endlessly. That was unacceptable.
Vivian's expression shifted. For a brief moment, she looked genuinely wronged, as if recalling something unpleasant. But then she straightened, clenched her fist, and declared:
"Alright! I'll handle the outsourcing!"
She lifted her chin proudly.
"This is what a boss is supposed to do!"
Ethan fell silent.
She said it with such grandeur, as if she were leading a massive corporate operation. But in reality… she was just paying people.
Still.
The one who pays the money does seem impressive.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Boss~" Ethan said lightly, cupping his hands in mock respect.
Vivian nodded solemnly and turned toward her office.
Ethan watched her go, unable to see what was happening inside due to the one-way glass. But he could guess.
She was probably calling her parents for money.
---
That evening, Vivian walked out of her office and approached Ethan's desk. He was wearing headphones, focused on drawing.
She placed one hand on the desk, right below his keyboard.
Ethan removed his headphones and looked up.
Vivian raised her eyebrows triumphantly.
"It's done."
Ethan straightened.
"How much did it cost?"
"Two hundred thousand," she replied. "That includes scenes and minor revisions for every card."
He thought for a moment.
"That's a bit expensive. What about quality?"
"I contacted a major studio," Vivian said confidently. "Quality and speed are guaranteed. They promised delivery within a week."
"A week?" Ethan frowned. "That's not something a small team can do."
"They're not small," Vivian replied. "Meixing Studio. Big name in the industry. They worked on CG coloring for Stone Royals. Very reliable."
Ethan nodded.
"Alright, then."
He turned back to his screen and began sketching Little Red Riding Hood's new form—the Knight version.
A white-haired girl wielding sword and shield.
Cute, dangerous, and unforgettable.
Vivian watched quietly for a while before speaking again.
"Oh, by the way," she said, "should we release the new game's trailer first?"
Ethan didn't look up.
"Isn't that too fast?"
Vivian scoffed internally.
Fast?
You're the one who released one game and immediately demanded another—within two weeks.
And now you're talking about speed?
She glanced at his screen.
He had already drawn over a dozen illustrations.
If anything, he was terrifyingly fast.
"Not fast," she said aloud. "Definitely not as fast as a certain someone."
Ethan paused his pen.
"Then post an announcement on Weibo," he said after thinking it over. "Say our second game is nearly ready. Use the Little Red Riding Hood illustration as the promo image. Just tell players the game's name."
That seemed reasonable.
After all, Night of the Full Moon would be playable within two weeks.
Vivian nodded and pulled out her phone.
Then she remembered something.
She reached out and patted Ethan's arm.
"You should register a Weibo account too. You're the Chief Planner of Northstar Games now."
"I'll do it later."
"Remember to post. I'll @ you and give you some traffic."
Ethan glanced at her.
"With only twenty thousand followers on the company account," he said calmly, "and most of them inactive… what traffic are you planning to give me?"
Silence.
Vivian froze.
He was right.
How was she supposed to boost his popularity at all?
Wuwuwu.
Being a boss was hard.