"So what are you guys investigating?" Kevin and the other two had already entered the server room.
At this moment, Sparkle pouted, constantly observing Kevin's physical features. "Hey! These colored contact lenses will do the trick."
"What are you talking about? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Kevin furrowed his brows slightly, looking at Sparkle.
"Oh, don't get mad! I mean, we're going to be colleagues from now on, right?"
"I… I didn't say I agreed to anything."
Sparkle patted Jiaoqiu's shoulder. "You handle this one on your own." Before her words even settled, she darted out of the room in a flash.
Kevin shook his head as he watched Sparkle's retreating figure. "Letting her run wild like that, won't it cause trouble?"
Jiaoqiu looked somewhat helpless. "This kind of behavior is already tame compared to usual. We'd be burning incense to celebrate."
Kevin: "Fine. She's gone, so it's quieter now. I have a question for you. How do you know about Mei?"
"Some other employees at the company visited a school and probably had contact with your people, so we learned everything related to you."
"Sigh, I told them to find a new clan leader themselves, but they keep insisting I stay in that position. Whatever, just tell me, what are you investigating?"
Jiaoqiu's gaze sharpened. "I'm looking into financial reports."
In the hotel's basement level, inside the bar.
"Let me tell you, back in the day, my ol' Sampo was a total heartthrob~" Sampo flicked his bangs lightly. "No kidding, I'm not scared of you guys!"
"Sampo, I really couldn't tell." A blonde woman wiped a glass.
Sampo grinned. "By the way, Siobhan! You only told half the story about this hotel's origins. Come on, don't leave me hanging—my bile's practically rising from suspense!"
Siobhan paused her glass-wiping. "You really want to know?"
"Absolutely."
Siobhan lowered her head, leaning close to Sampo's ear. "Let me ask you, in that web drama, can Tingyun win the revival match? And what's the deal with Tail and Huohuo?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Sampo replied, "She's got it in the bag. As for Tail, that's a voice actor. In real life, they're pretty tight with Huohuo."
"Hiss…" Siobhan half-opened her eyes, staring at Sampo. "You just spilled all that so casually? That's not like you!"
At this moment, Sampo's gaze was so resolute it was as if he were swearing loyalty. "I'm not lying one bit."
"Oh. Spilling spoilers like that, won't your boss chew you out?"
"What's there to fear? I'll just gobble you up!"
"Huh? What did you say?"
Sampo's tone carried a hint of playful whining. "I said, sister, why don't you just gobble me up? Stop teasing me!"
"Alright, alright." Siobhan let out a small sigh and began to recount.
In truth, Dreamscape Grand Hotel was originally founded by Mikhail. Later, due to some unavoidable circumstances, he gradually stepped back, leaving only his grandson to manage the hotel.
Speaking of that kid named Misha, he's pretty pitiful—hotel bellboy, bartender, security guard, you name it, he's done it all. Dreamscape Grand Hotel was glorious for a time, but now it's hit a bottleneck. In other words, it's facing a massive financial deficit crisis.
"If that's the case, is it really necessary to be so secretive just because of a lack of money? Why not just openly seek funding?"
"Easier said than done." Siobhan brought out a bottle of wine and poured a bit for Sampo. "Finding someone willing to invest is a problem in itself. With consumption downgrading so severely, Dreamscape Grand Hotel's revenue is dropping day by day. If they don't find a proper solution, no amount of funding will help. It's just a matter of waiting for the end. If Mikhail were still around, maybe he'd have a solution. But after he was ousted from the board, he stopped caring about worldly affairs. I don't even know what to do now. Relying on tying ourselves to Miss Robin is barely keeping us afloat."
"No wonder. Robin's been going all out, appearing on every show and variety program like her life depends on it." Sampo stood up to leave.
"Hey! You haven't paid yet!" Siobhan called out to stop him.
Sampo turned back with a sly smile. "My friend already covered it for me. Keep the change as wine credit for me. Oh, and you should pick up that call from your little bartender~"
Siobhan looked puzzled. "What?"
The next moment, she received a call. "Sister Siobhan, it's Misha. Today I met this amazing guy who won a ton of money and promised to split half with me. Hehe, I've already transferred it all to you. Pretty smart, right?"
"Misha, you finally made up for that '82 Lafite you smashed."
Sampo: "Hey, boss, have you figured out the whole situation now?"
Jiaoqiu: "I've verified it too. The finances are indeed in the red, and I found another issue."
Su Chen paused. "Go on."
"Mr. Kevin found that most of the system upgrades were for the entertainment room's systems. So, Sima Zhao's intentions—you get it, right?"
"Hm?" Su Chen tapped his nose lightly with his index finger. "That's not right. I can understand the shareholders not acting like others and wanting to protect themselves, but relying solely on the entertainment room's tactics to make money doesn't add up. After all, one Aventurine alone is enough to turn the place upside down."
"No," Jiaoqiu continued. "I checked the guest records for the past few days. There's been a surge in wealthy patrons recently."
"Oh, I see. So Aventurine's become the hotel's number one public enemy now, huh?"
"Alright, proceed with the plan." Su Chen hung up and turned to Sparkle. "Big sis, why do my eyes hurt so much?!"
"No way! My makeup skills are top-notch, trust me."
Su Chen glanced at himself in the mirror. "Who told us to look so alike? I'm off to find Sunday."
miHoYo Interactive Film City.
"Phew, finally here!" A white-haired girl with twin braids stretched her body. "Stelle, I'm here for our last duel—we haven't settled the score yet! Let's go, Acheron!"
The girl turned to look around, only to freeze in a scream-like expression. "Where is she? How'd she get lost again?"
The next moment, she dialed a number, sobbing. "Mei, my Mei, Sister Acheron got lost again."
"Don't cry, Kiana! We'll figure it out. By the way, isn't today your birthday?"