Chapter 198 Theresa: Why can't the person by your side be me?
Falling for someone often happens in just an instant. Yet, the time it takes to realize that fleeting heart-feeling can be far longer than imagined. It is a long time indeed, yet paradoxically short beyond all expectation.
Theresa gazed at the man before her. she studied his face and listened to his words, clearly feeling the burning intensity of his will.
"To let Kiana become 'Kiana'... I can't believe you're the kind of guy to say something like that." she laughed in spite of herself. It was an answer she had never expected. But on second thought... yes. How had she always viewed Kiana? As a handful, a reckless, immature child. she and Siegfried both hoped Kiana would find a place to belong, and Su Mu was their ideal candidate. But they had never considered Kiana's own thoughts.
Elders habitually make choices for children, labeling it all as an expression of "love." They never stop to wonder if that "love" is what the child actually wants.
"Actually, since Kiana started working as customer service, I've been thinking," Su Mu began. "How is it that she's too lazy to even do housework, yet she's become a gold-star customer service rep? I finally understand why she likes that post so much. It's because she's recognized. The users who call her expect to hear her voice; the person they want to meet on the line is Kiana Kaslana. For perhaps the first time, Kiana feels truly needed."
Su Mu's words left Theresa silent for a long time. she felt ashamed. As Kiana's aunt, she thought she knew her niece well enough after watching her grow up for twenty years. Yet it seemed that in the end, her understanding didn't even match that of Su Mu, who had known her for less than two years.
But she also felt fortunate. Fortunate that Kiana had met Su Mu. If not for him, she might never have discovered this side of her niece.
she felt a tiny pang of envy toward Kiana. Theresa Apocalypse... since birth, she was destined to be an Apocalypse, destined to bear her duties and fate. The Kiana of the past had no choice, but when had Theresa ever had one? Aside from responding to the expectations of others, Theresa had no second option. It had always been so, and would likely remain so.
Theresa had many friends, acquaintances, and fans. But how many people truly understood her? At least Kiana had one person who did. One wasn't many, but it wasn't few either. One was enough.
"Since you understand her so well... it's a bit of a pity you two didn't end up together," she said in a half-joking tone. "I don't get it." After a pause, Theresa shook her head. "Since you don't intend to pursue her, why go to such lengths? In my eyes, you're doing all the hard work for zero reward."
"Wanting to be someone's strength and wanting to support them doesn't necessarily mean you have to be with them," Su Mu smiled. "Besides romantic love, there are many types of love in this world..."
"My, your love is quite expansive then. Dare I ask, does this 'love' of yours include me?"
"Of course. I love you too, Theresa."
Even though she knew he didn't mean it romantically, Theresa's heart skipped a beat in that moment.
"Save that talk for tricking little girls; it doesn't work on me," Theresa said, putting on a facade of nonchalance. "Talking about love to an elder so much older than you... I only feel like you're mocking me."
"Didn't you ask? How else was I supposed to answer?"
"Haven't you heard the saying? 'Silence is the Cambridge of tonight' (a Chinese literary meme about being speechless)."
"..."
"Why aren't you talking?"
"Didn't you tell me to be silent?"
Looking at him, Theresa couldn't help but chuckle. Chatting with this guy was genuinely fun; it was impossible to be bored. Heh... quite the lack of self-awareness. Coming to her and talking about how her niece should be this or that, saying cringe-worthy things like "becoming her strength." And yet he spoke so righteously about "Grand Love" versus "Small Love."
Theresa didn't care about the definitions. she only knew that if her dummy niece found out about everything Su Mu had done, she would absolutely fall for him head-over-heels.
...No. Theresa gave a bitter internal smile. she couldn't speak for Kiana; her prediction of Kiana's feelings came from her own heart. If a man were willing to do these things for her, she would fall for him regardless of everything. Ethics, morality, age... none of it would matter. she finally understood what the emotion surging in her chest was called.
I really envy you, Kiana, Theresa thought. Why couldn't that person... be me?
The absurd thought flashed by, only to be severed by the shackles of reason and morality. Theresa looked at him and smiled. But her heart was weeping.
Kiana naturally had no idea what Su Mu and Theresa discussed. As "Gold-Star Customer Service Xiao Qi," she was the symbol of the department's strength. The company staff had gone from being surprised at seeing their boss in the call center every day to finding it perfectly normal. No one questioned the reason anymore. The only certainty was that President Kiana was quite happy being a rep.
The users were happy, making them more willing to pay. President Kiana was happy; when the mascot smiled, the whole company felt better. This led many employees to privately give Su Mu a thumbs-up.
President Kiana is High, President Bronya is Tough! Director Su is both High and Tough! (A Chinese movie meme).
However, compared to the happy Kiana, Bronya's mood was delicate. Since returning from the New Year break, she had thrown herself into work. Yet, the events of New Year's Eve haunted her. she initially thought it was a dream, but the more she reflected, the more things felt "off." Once suspicion takes root, it is hard to displace.
Bronya knew she shouldn't doubt her sister, but her logic was losing to the honest impulses of her body. she began intentionally observing the details of Seele and Su Mu's interactions. though they seemed the same as before, Bronya felt a persistent sense of wrongness.
Su Mu and Seele had always been close, like siblings. Bronya had long since grown used to it. But then, she had a sudden epiphany.
Grown used to it. Why had she grown used to it? Since when? After all... when Seele first met Su Mu, they weren't this close, were they? Bronya realized that behind her back, the speed of their relationship's development had been far beyond imagination—so fast that by the time she noticed, she had already accepted their proximity as a given.
A cold sweat broke out on her back. she used to believe she understood Seele perfectly. But now... Seele was hiding something from her. Her perception of Seele was stuck in the past, ignoring the vital point that people change.
Now, clearing the mist from her eyes, Bronya realized the relationship between Su Mu and Seele was unusually good. In the entire firm, there wasn't a second "friend" as close to Su Mu. Even the outgoing Elysia maintained a clear boundary. Pardo admired him, but the distance was obvious. Carole reported to him often, but no one suspected a scandal. Even with Rita... Bronya hadn't felt anything wrong.
So why was it Seele? Why was it the sister she trusted most? Why did she feel Seele was the most unusual case?
The matter seemed shrouded in mystery. But Bronya knew it wasn't a mystery; she was just afraid to admit it—afraid to admit her dear sister was already involved with Su Mu. The thought stuck to her like a shadow. No, no, no. Impossible. How could I doubt Seele?
I have to find evidence, Bronya took several deep breaths. I must find proof that Seele and Su Mu are innocent. How could I slander my beloved sister? Bronya, it's just your imagination. It must be...
A storm was brewing. Su Mu had a vague premonition, but work matters arrived in a flood.
Following the experiments with Herta and Ruan Mei, the "Synesthesia Beacon" had made rapid progress. According to Asta, she could now communicate successfully with her dog, Peppy. But this communication brought a shock. Peppy had naturally told Asta about the experiments with Su Mu—including the detail about his owner hugging her blanket on the bed while playing Mahjong and constantly needing "Joy Beans."
"Please... forget those things..." Asta looked like she was breaking down, dark energy visibly radiating from her. "One million, ten million... no, how about fifty million? As long as you forget, money isn't an issue."
Su Mu insisted he didn't want the money.
"Are you planning to blackmail me? If people find out, my life as a young lady is over. In that case, I'll have to sink you in the river to feed the fish..."
Hey, hey, what is it with you people and sinking me in the river? After much convincing, Asta finally understood that Su Mu wouldn't tell anyone about her "secret" hobbies.
The progress on the Beacon allowed Herta's holographic tech to level up. Full-body motion capture suits and immersive VR were on the horizon. while not quite Sword Art Online levels of full-dive, Su Mu figured Herta would master it soon enough. Current tech was sufficient for new games, though.
Su Mu sent a collaboration invite to Herta's studio for a legendary title: Resident Evil.
Resident Evil was a survival horror series by Capcom. It was a timeless IP whose "remakes" still garnered critical acclaim. Su Mu planned to base his project on the RE Engine version of RE2 Remake for its visual fidelity. As for RE1, the story of the Mansion and Chris would be released as a DLC.
Of course, Resident Evil was still a shooter. All fear comes from a lack of firepower; once you have the gun, the fear fades. But what if Su Mu brought out Outlast?
Looking at the two proposals, Bronya's eyes widened, especially after seeing the level design and gameplay of Outlast.
"You... are you trying to drive the players insane?"
Su Mu looked innocent. "How could you say that? I'm not a demon... Bronya, you know humans need a balanced diet. I'm doing this for the players' well-rounded development!"
Looking at his righteous expression, Bronya almost believed his nonsense. Later, when the Outlast demo released and Pardo was reduced to sharp, screaming noises while testing it, Bronya saw Su Mu's wicked smile and understood instantly. This guy is the devil!!
Regardless of the future, Su Mu's current focus was the upcoming Honkai 3rd update. The new open world, A Post-Honkai Odyssey, was opening! To leave a lasting impression, Su Mu called for a special version stream.
The hosts: Carole, a featured character in APHO; Raiden Mei; and Su Mu himself. though he hadn't wanted to participate, he was the face model for the APHO protagonist. It was a reunion of the APHO "Trio"!
As update day arrived, the official channel of MiHoYo's #1 Idol, Ai-chan, went live!
END OF CHAPTER
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