Gu Sheng was momentarily stunned.

Then he stepped into the house and turned on the lights.

He glanced under the shoe cabinet, took a gentle sniff, and fought hard to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

He pushed his suitcase into the living room, then casually strolled over to the water dispenser to pour himself a glass of water. Raising his voice deliberately, he said:

“Ah! I’m exhausted! I’ve been wracking my brain for this company!”

“Out in the wind and rain every single day! Enduring hardship in Neon!”

“But when I come home, there’s not even anyone to welcome me back, not even a single meal… Wait a minute?”

At this point, Gu Sheng suddenly paused:

“Why do I suddenly smell the aroma of food?”

“Eh! Forget it! What am I thinking!”

“Well, I’ll just go take a nap first, and after waking up, I’ll order some takeout myself! Sigh!!!”

With that, Gu Sheng lifted his leg to head to his bedroom!

But the next second!

Behind the island counter in the open kitchen, a delicate figure with a bun hairstyle stood up, holding a bouquet of flowers, suppressing a smile:

“Why do you have to be so dramatic?”

It was Shen Miaomiao!

“Yo!”

Gu Sheng feigned surprise and turned to look at Little Nezha:

“Snail Girl! Quickly take a photo to remember this moment…”

With that, Gu Sheng seemed to perform a magic trick, pulling out an instant camera from behind his back.

He aimed the lens at Shen Miaomiao and clicked!

The photo developed, and Gu Sheng flicked the edges.

In the photo, the girl holding the bouquet stood behind the island counter, her expression one of surprise and delight, like a blooming daffodil—pure and charming.

“An instant camera!”

Shen Miaomiao’s eyes sparkled with delight!

“How did you know I wanted this?!”

Keep in mind, she had never told Gu Sheng before!

She had planned to buy one after Gu Sheng returned, to record their moments together.

But unexpectedly, Gu Sheng had brought one back from Neon!

“Ah? I didn’t know…”

Gu Sheng was surprised too.

He simply didn’t know what to gift Little Nezha.

After all, Little Nezha was a wealthy young lady born with a silver spoon, not exactly spoiled but certainly never lacking in riches.

Thinking about how many times they had traveled together without a single photo to keep, he bought the camera.

And it seemed like girls generally liked this kind of thing.

Originally, Gu Sheng was worried Little Nezha wouldn’t be interested since it wasn’t anything new.

But unexpectedly, it turned out to be a perfect hit!

Little Nezha stuck the bouquet on the island counter, bounced over, and reached for the instant camera in Gu Sheng’s hand.

Suddenly, Gu Sheng remembered something the emotional mentor Mr. Lu Bian had said—“You should be more proactive.”

So, he raised his hand high, teasing her to grab it, while gently pulling her in with the other hand!

The delicate daffodil was drawn into his embrace.

“A polite hug,”

Gu Sheng chuckled softly and whispered:

“…I miss you very much.”

Whoa whoa whoa?!

In an instant!

Shen Miaomiao’s mind went blank!

Feeling the fierce heartbeat burning in Gu Sheng’s chest and hearing his low yet gentle voice,

Shen Miaomiao’s face flushed bright red!

Like a boiling kettle, the redness spread from her neck all the way to her ears!

No no no!

What’s going on?

Ah?

What is happening?!

How did this guy suddenly get so proactive?

That’s cheating! Totally cheating!

Shen Miaomiao’s eyes trembled, her face a deep red.

In her impression, Gu Sheng had always been a reserved flirt.

Though usually joking around, when it came time to express himself, he acted like a wooden post, unsure if he genuinely didn’t understand or was just pretending not to.

Even though his behavior was filled with gentlemanly charm,

It always made Shen Miaomiao feel a barrier between them.

A wall full of distance and separation.

She had been worrying about how to break this invisible but real barrier.

But now, with Gu Sheng taking the initiative, she couldn’t help but shiver all over!

That surging heartbeat felt like a fiery, aggressive blaze—deadly yet enticing!

Usually the one in control in their relationship, Shen Miaomiao now felt like a cat with its scruff grabbed—suddenly meek and gentle!

Fortunately!

Gu Sheng’s embrace was brief, giving Shen Miaomiao some semblance of sanity.

“I… uh… um…”

Taking the instant camera, Shen Miaomiao froze, unsure where to put her hands. She pointed vaguely toward the kitchen and then the bathroom as if directing traffic:

“I… I’m going to wash my hands… and cook you some noodles…”

“And the dishes I ordered… are in the kitchen… you can bring them to the dining room…”

With that, Shen Miaomiao dashed off like a fugitive and rushed into the bathroom, turning on the faucet and washing her face frantically!

No way! No way! I can’t handle this! Really can’t!

In that brief moment just now, all kinds of censored and uncensored thoughts flashed through her mind!

Electronic succubus!

Which executive could survive such a test!

Turning the water to the coldest, Shen Miaomiao had to calm herself down.

That was close.

This welcoming feast almost didn’t happen…

…

Three days later!

Neon!

Higashitsu!

International Exhibition Center, West Building, Exhibition Hall 1!

A sea of people!

At this moment, the huge exhibition hall covering more than 160,000 square meters welcomed nearly 600 game developers from around the world, almost 1,000 booths, and over 200,000 visitors!

Game enthusiasts from every corner, with all skin tones and languages, gathered here to join the grand event!

Some were pure players, some dedicated reporters, some platform streamers, and some professional game reviewers!

Among all the exhibition halls, the most popular and busiest was naturally the Komera booth!

An international giant, plus the home advantage, made its presence formidable!

The largest booth, the best location, and the top spot in the venue introduction rankings!

For a moment, the Komera booth was buzzing with voices!

And in front of the experience area, a long line of visitors waited eagerly to try the games.

Swoosh—

As one of the motion-sensing pods in the Yakuza Frenzy experience zone opened,

A blond foreign young man stepped out.

He looked about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, youthful, with high cheekbones, deep eye sockets, and a stylishly groomed beard.

He wore a hoodie with the logo of one of the world’s largest comprehensive video platforms—UTube—printed on the chest.

Below the logo was a cartoon character resembling him: a big-headed, small-bodied figure wearing a headset and holding a game controller, looking up with a scared expression.

In theory, as an international gaming expo, the presence of any country’s representatives was no surprise.

But!

The moment this young man emerged from the pod, many players and media reviewers in the queue outside the experience zone expressed excited cheers!

“Pewdiepie?!”

“Oh my god, it really is Pew!”

“Can you sign for me, Pew? I’ve loved you forever and subscribed to your channel ages ago!”

“Did you just try Yakuza Frenzy? How was it?”

“…”

That’s right! This seemingly ordinary foreign young man was Pewdiepie, one of the world’s highest-earning gaming streamers with 89 million subscribers on UTube!

This 26-year-old from Sweden was a comprehensive game video blogger.

Due to his excellent streaming and video quality, he gained massive fan support.

Last year alone, his earnings from livestreams and UTube game video ads reached 15.5 million dollars, with a single promotion costing as much as 450,000!

In the gaming community, especially overseas, Pew’s influence was enormous.

There was even a saying: you might not know Taylor Swift’s songs or who Johnny Depp is, but if you play games, you definitely know Pewdiepie.

Calling him the world’s top game streamer was no exaggeration.

And today!

The Higashitsu Gaming Festival opened.

As one of the most influential players, Pew came partly on his own accord and partly as a special live streaming guest commissioned by UTube to try out the games on display.

Seeing many fans crowding around, Pew cheerfully signed autographs and said:

“Emmm, how to put it… Yakuza Frenzy pretty much met my expectations… or rather… my imagination?”

“Exciting gunfights, Neon’s yakuza culture, wild racing… that’s all I could think of, and it delivered,”

“At least that’s what I saw in the demo, pretty straightforward.”

Upon hearing this, a black female reporter asked: “If you had to score it, what would you give this demo version?”

“Well…”

Pew shrugged awkwardly:

“In theory, I shouldn’t judge or score an incomplete game too much,”

“But if I had to say… an 8 out of 10. At least it showed what I wanted to see,”

“Of course, this is just my personal opinion.”

No sooner had he finished than a player called out from the crowd: “Then Pew, how about Silent Hill PT? What score would you give it?!”

“PT, huh…”

Pew clicked his tongue, seeming hesitant:

“To be honest, it’s the game I’ve been most looking forward to at this expo, but also the one I have the least hope for.”

This contradictory statement reflected the sad reality of the global horror game decline.

Pew started with horror game videos.

As everyone knows, horror games are the best choice for streaming—no contest.

Because whether live or in videos, the platform demands short and intense content.

Horror games’ strong visual shocks and streamers’ startled screams perfectly satisfy viewers.

But!

As horror game gameplay creativity wanes, the genre is slowly fading.

One could even say the decline began back in the PC era.

The arrival of motion-sensing pods gave it a breath of life,

But only temporarily.

Once the impact fades, what remains is the outdated core and the numbing, uncreative scare tactics designed only to frighten.

Pew sounded somewhat sentimental.

Having started with horror games, he had a special feeling for the genre.

Over the years, he collected almost every new horror game, PC or motion-sensing, to play.

Every time, he hoped to find something fresh or eye-opening.

But every time, he was disappointed.

Eventually, even Pew had to admit horror games were beyond cure.

“This time is no different,”

Pew said:

“To be honest, I have absolute admiration and respect for Sam. His TitanFall is the best FPS I’ve ever seen,”

“An absolute masterpiece,”

“Oh my god, I even cried for two hours straight on my livestream the day I completed it,”

“If this time Sam led a collaboration with Komera on an FPS game, it would be my no-brainer pick,”

“But…”

At this point, Pew shrugged and glanced toward the Silent Hill PT motion-sensing area on the edge of the experience zone, his expression complicated.

“But this time Sam chose a horror game, and it’s a completely new IP I’ve never heard of,”

“…Although Sam’s previous Phasmophobia was excellent,”

“But obviously, if PT remains at that level, I don’t think it can compare to Yakuza Frenzy.”

Pew’s evaluation was objective.

Despite PT’s hype, very few truly believed in the game.

The queue lengths at the event confirmed this.

Look at Yakuza Frenzy’s experience zone—it was at the core of the booth, Komera’s main game, with queues bending three times, like a dragon’s tail.

Now look at PT’s experience zone—at the edge of the booth, though the most popular among non-main games, it had only half as many people as Yakuza Frenzy.

Moreover, the PT queue moved especially fast.

Typically, a game demo lasts ten to fifteen minutes.

Yakuza Frenzy had thirty motion-sensing pods, yet the line moved slowly.

PT had fewer than ten pods, but the line surged forward rapidly!

Players seemed to have very little patience, usually leaving after three to five minutes.

How bad is this game?

Pew glanced at the PT zone while muttering to himself.

Not only did it fail to hold players, he even saw several clutching their chests being helped away by companions, looking pale and nauseated.

Yikes—

Pew grew more curious.

It shouldn’t be like this.

This was a game designed by Sam!

No matter how bad, it shouldn’t make people feel like vomiting!

Even if it lacked creativity, copying Phasmophobia wouldn’t cause such a reaction.

The more Pew thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

So he politely asked the crowd to make way:

“Alright, my dear friends, uh, I’m going to try PT now. Please let me through to the queue, thank you!”

Seeing this, fans and reporters parted to clear a path.

Some stayed to continue queuing for Yakuza Frenzy,

But many followed Pew in a grand procession to the PT experience zone.

The gaming festival lasted five days!

The queue could wait until tomorrow, but watching Pew’s live stream was a rare opportunity!

Most players queuing for PT were horror fans and very familiar with Pew!

So, you let me in, I let you in!

Pew barely queued at all!

In just three to five minutes, he was at the front, standing before the motion-sensing pod!

As the pod door opened, Pew took a deep breath, curious and excited, and sat down:

“Thank you all so much. Without further ado, let’s start the second game of the day—”

“Silent Hill PT,”

“Hope it doesn’t disappoint me too much,”

“Here we go!!!”

Swoosh—

The pod closed.

The game began.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com