Chapter 300: Theresa: "I've Come to the Offline World to Solo-Kill You, Su Mu!"
Su Mu let out a huge sneeze, rubbing his nose and wondering who was badmouthing him behind his back again. He looked at his phone; after sending the image of the ticket, Theresa had followed up with an "Elysia Smiling" JPG sticker. So, she really was coming to solo-kill him offline?
[Su Mu: Let's be clear beforehand—I surrender.]
[Theresa: ?]
[Theresa: Knowing your mistakes now?]
[Su Mu: Shh, can we settle this peacefully?]
[Theresa: At this moment, are you perhaps joking?]
Seeing her firm attitude, Su Mu covered his face and sighed. "In the future, if you cause trouble, remember not to mention your master's name"—for some reason, this line popped into his head. Hadn't he already taken far too much blame for Big Wei and the "Roasted Chicken" writers? The problem was, even if he spoke out, nobody would believe him! Su Mu had already become a fusion of Big Wei and the writers in this world, a literal collection of "All the World's Evil."
Fortunately, Theresa wasn't actually just there to kill him. Flying to Canghai City was for a commercial performance, specifically to perform alongside the currently trending "Vodka Girls." As for who the Vodka Girls were... with a name like that, Su Mu didn't even need to ask. Rozaliya and Liliya had originally been idol trainees, but they hadn't debuted for various reasons. However, since Honkai Impact 3rd introduced the "Erguotou Girls" duo, their popularity had skyrocketed. They had successfully passed their evaluations and officially debuted as the "Vodka Girls" idol duo.
Of course... while they had debuted, an idol's career was never easy. Rozaliya and Liliya weren't exactly top-tier in singing or dancing. Their only real weapons were their cuteness and their ability to perform cross-talk comedy... But Su Mu felt those two weapons were enough. In this era, traffic was king; with enough traffic, even a pig could fly. As long as they had a foundation and managed their online personas well, it was hard not to be famous.
[Su Mu: Oh, so you're participating in the Vodka Girls' performance too?]
[Theresa: Yes. Are you coming to watch?]
[Su Mu: Can I stay at work?]
[Theresa: What do you think?]
[Theresa: (Elysia Smiling JPG)]
[Su Mu: Fine, I'll be there.]
Su Mu sighed. He had no doubt that if he didn't show up, Theresa would definitely track him down and kill him.
[Theresa: Susannah will be coming along as well. Is it convenient on your end?]
[Su Mu: What's there to be 'convenient' or 'inconvenient' about?]
[Theresa: Heh, who knows if you've found another little lover in Canghai City.]
[Su Mu: Don't go slandering people. I just want to focus on making games.]
[Theresa: You... is your head full of nothing but games?]
After bickering with Theresa for a while, Su Mu thought the crisis of being "solo-killed" had been somewhat mitigated. After all, Theresa was coming to Canghai City for work; she couldn't possibly be planning to use it as a cover for a personal vendetta... right?
Su Mu checked the time on his phone. The July night was hotter than expected. Even at this hour, the Canghai City airport was packed. As a modern super-metropolis, Canghai City had always been a legendary existence in Shenzhou. The entertainment industry here was more prosperous than in other cities, and it served as the economic center of the nation. Under the neon lights, scenes of extravagance and high society played out constantly.
"Boss Su Mu, is it really true? Can we really see Academy Principal Theresa!" Songque hadn't stopped chirping in the back seat. Su Mu thought she might as well rename herself "Sparrow." Since Su Mu didn't have a car in Canghai City, he borrowed Songque's car for transportation. Upon hearing they were picking up the famous Magical Girl Teriri, Songque got excited and insisted on coming along.
"I'm telling you, back when I was in school, the Principal's reputation was loud! Rumor has it that twenty years ago, the cute Magical Girl Teriri was also just an ordinary student at St. Freya Academy! But one day, the academy faced a closure crisis. To save it, the Principal stood up and became an idol..."
Hearing the strikingly familiar plot, Su Mu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Are you sure that's a "local rumor" and not some anime plot imported from Japan?
"You really admire Theresa?"
"As the saying goes, 'He who excels is a master'... Ahem, what I mean is, for the Principal to go that far for the academy proves she is a kind, sincere, and magnanimous person with a heart of gold!"
"That's not wrong..."
"Hmm? But I'm quite curious, Boss Su Mu—how exactly do you know the Principal?"
"That... you could say it's another 'ill-fated' relationship." Su Mu chuckled. He couldn't exactly say their first meeting was because Theresa tried to play matchmaker for him and Kiana, said a bunch of nonsense, and nearly caused him to be "drained" by a jealous Seele when he got back.
"Well, it's not surprising. Since Boss Su Mu is a magical person, it's only natural to have a special relationship with the Principal!" Songque nodded repeatedly, her words dripping with praise. It had to be said, Songque was an expert at providing emotional value. While Su Mu didn't necessarily love flattery... who in the world truly hates it? As they say, you don't hit a person who is smiling at you, especially when a beautiful girl is praising you every day.
In terms of providing emotional value, she was truly top-tier. But to be fair, Su Mu's abilities were indeed outstanding. Most importantly, the benefit system at Songque Studio was synchronized with MiHoYo headquarters. This meant all the basics, like social security and insurance, were fully covered. Su Mu believed benefits had to be visible; drawing "blueprints" for the future only worked a few times before people realized it was nonsense.
The food, the computers, even the desks and chairs—these were things employees touched and saw every day. Ultimately, benefits aren't just about salary. Some jobs pay high wages but involve constant verbal abuse from bosses and endless overtime. In those cases, employees don't see the money as a reward, but as "compensation" for their suffering. That's why pay cuts lead to such explosive conflict: after sacrificing youth and sweat, being told "profits are down" feels like a betrayal.
Having experienced these subtle and overt workplace horrors in his past life, Su Mu knew exactly how disgusting the corporate world could be. Fortunately, while he couldn't change that "dog-eat-dog" environment in his previous life, he could at least "hold the umbrella" for others in this one. Bosses always talked about making the company "feel like home," but how could a home be so lifeless, full of suspicion among colleagues, and strictly hierarchical? Was it a workplace or a royal court? Was this a modern society or a feudal one?
Therefore, when discussing benefits, Su Mu made "giving employees a sense of happiness like being at home" his primary goal. It was also lucky that he had Kiana's "precious example" to follow, allowing him to easily summarize and transplant the system, transforming Songque Studio in a short time. Now, the studio members were so happy they called out "Long live Director Su" whenever they saw him, making Su Mu feel like he had traveled back to ancient times and was about to be proclaimed king by a fox's cry.
Before long, two familiar figures appeared at the gate: Theresa and Susannah.
"Yo." Su Mu stepped out and leaned against the car window, waving at Theresa.
"Yo your head! You don't even know how to help a lady with her luggage?" Theresa glared at him and pushed her suitcase toward him without hesitation.
Su Mu grabbed the handle, looked at her doubtfully, and asked, "A lady? Where? I don't see one."
"Go to hell!" Theresa's small fist hit Su Mu's shoulder. It looked aggressive, but it carried no real force.
"Alright, alright, get in the car first, great Ms. Magical Girl Teriri~" Su Mu opened the trunk and helped them load their luggage, not forgetting to tease her.
Theresa was reminded of her public embarrassment during the livestream. Her face turned bright red as she rushed behind Su Mu, unleashing a barrage of punches on his back.
"You love exposing my dark history, don't you? You love mocking me? You love making me look like a fool in front of everyone?"
"Die, you big villain! Today, I shall eliminate this evil for the people!"
Theresa's fists fell like raindrops. Su Mu raised his hands, crying out in mock pain. "Great Ms. Teriri, as a public figure, committing an assault on an innocent man in broad daylight... isn't this bad for your reputation?"
"Innocent man? You are 'All the World's Evil'! Watch me exorcise this demon today!"
Beside them, Susannah watched the two flirting with a look of pure bewilderment. Her gaze met Songque's, who was also watching the show. Though they had just met, the confusion in their eyes was identical.
"Hello, I'm Songque. People around me call me Little Que!"
"I'm Susannah, Lord Theresa's assistant..."
After a few brief pleasantries, Songque leaned in close to Susannah and whispered, "Is... is that really the Principal? She feels so different from what I imagined..."
"You mean Lord Theresa? Well, she's not usually like this at the office..."
"Could the rumors be true? Did Boss Su Mu really confess to her using The Day You Vanished with the Stars? But aren't idols strictly forbidden from dating? Usually, in manga, the idol gets 'stabbed' by fans the next day if a plot like this happens."
"Wh-What kind of manga are you reading? But if it's the Great Su Mu, there's no need to worry; he can definitely protect Lord Theresa!"
"Eh?" Songque's eyes widened as she looked at Susannah. There was no trace of doubt in the girl's eyes as she looked at Su Mu—only deep admiration.
It was over! Songque felt a bolt from the blue and took a step back. Was this girl... was she a hardcore fan of Boss Su Mu? Her pure, undisguised look of worship was as bright as a radiant crystal! Compared to her, Songque felt like a candle next to the moon. Was her title as Boss Su Mu's number one "loyal follower" under threat? For the first time, Songque felt her status being seriously challenged!
Su Mu looked back at the struggling Songque. Her solemn face looked like she was pondering the origins of the Big Bang, which made him tilt his head in confusion. Forget it, better not dig deeper; she was probably thinking about something trivial.
The meeting with Rozaliya and Liliya was scheduled for the following afternoon. To set the stage for the first collaboration between the Vodka Girls and Magical Girl Teriri, a warm-up event would be held on Theresa's livestream. And what better warm-up than a round of Honkai Impact 3rd?
As it happened, Honkai Impact 3rd had just updated with its latest event: The Twins: Invasion of the Sea of Quanta Amusement Park.
"Another journey to an alternate world by the rising idols, the Vodka Girls, has unexpectedly pushed countless worlds to the brink of destruction. To protect the peace and tranquility of the Sea of Quanta, our protagonist—Dr. Tesla—will once again embark on a journey..."
This event story featured a certain red-haired, twin-tailed "beautiful girl" as the protagonist, embarking on a thrilling adventure with the "Erguotou Girls." In this story, Rozaliya and Liliya's summer outfits would make their debut and be available for exchange using event tokens. Seeing that the game was giving away character skins again, the Captains were overjoyed.
Of course, Su Mu wouldn't appear in this stream. He didn't attend every single one. While the summer event was fun, for Su Mu, not being able to see players suffering in "hell" from a tragic story felt worse than death.
Sigh! If he didn't raise the players' threshold by making them laugh occasionally, how could he get a good reaction when he eventually broke their hearts? Thinking back to how Big Wei and the writers in his previous life probably had the same idea, Su Mu cursed them internally for being absolute monsters!
Sigh! Su Mu sighed. Enjoy the laughter during this event while you can. He was bringing out Delta's story in the next version, hehe! Then, it would be his turn to laugh.
...What? Someone called Su Mu a monster too? Su Mu would like to clarify: that's not a rumor. He intends to be the world's number one monster! You think those words are insults? No, they are badges of honor!
Facing such a "deranged" Su Mu, the people at MiHoYo could only sigh. — "This man is truly beyond saving," Bronya evaluated. — "Su Mu-gege is just like that," Seele evaluated. — "Su Mu, I'll see you in hell!" This was a sincere expression from Senti. — "Is it possible—I mean, just maybe—that Su Mu awakened a 'System' where he gets stronger the more he is insulted?" This was the evaluation from Pardo, who had recently been reading web novels.
END OF CHAPTER
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