132: Chapter 132 Humans are not systems; humans have feelings.

At 2 PM in the Singularity Technology office area, sunlight cut through the blinds into fragmented spots of light, falling on the aisle between workstations.

Usually at this time, one could always see Zhang Fan shuttling between various departments, either discussing algorithm optimization for "star dream workshop" with the Technology Department, or checking overseas pre-launch data for "star path: reboot" with the Marketing Department. But today, he was sitting at his own workstation; the "star dream workshop" test report spread out in front of him hadn't been turned past the third page, and his fingertips were unconsciously rubbing the rim of his cup—that was the Americano Song Zhiwei had casually placed on his desk in the morning, which was now completely cold.

On the way back from the airport, the car stereo was playing the children's songs that Lele used to like to listen to. Zhang Fan couldn't bear to turn it off and listened the whole way. Although the system prompted that the "CEO's White Moonlight Substitute" arc had ended, people are not systems; people have feelings.

At this moment, Zhang Fan's mind was filled with the image of the little girl hugging his neck and crying while saying she "didn't want to leave." He parked the car in the underground garage and sat in the car for ten minutes before coming up, but even after arriving at the company, that empty feeling in his heart still wouldn't dissipate.

"President Zhang, this is the user feedback from the second round of testing for 'star dream workshop'. The Technology Department has already organized it. Would you like to see if we should hold a meeting to discuss it today?" Assistant Xiao Xu walked over holding a stack of documents. Seeing that Zhang Fan didn't look up, she lowered her voice a bit more, "If you are busy right now, I'll leave it here and you can look at it when you have time?"

"Leave it here." Zhang Fan's voice was a bit hoarse, and the red bloodshot lines in his eyes hadn't faded when he looked up. Xiao Xu paused for a moment, not daring to ask more, gently placed the documents on the corner of the desk, and turned to walk away on tiptoe.

The surrounding colleagues also seemed to have noticed something was wrong with him. The usually lively office area had quieted down, and even the sound of typing had softened.

Zhou Yurou came out of the meeting room holding a localized translation draft for the overseas version. Just halfway there, she saw Zhang Fan looking so absent-minded. She stopped, gave Liu Ruyan, who was beside her, a look, and the two walked towards Zhang Fan's workstation together.

"Why didn't you drink it? It won't taste good if it gets cold." Zhou Yurou picked up the cold coffee on the desk, frowned, turned and walked towards the pantry. Soon, she returned with a steaming cup of sugar-free latte and placed it in front of Zhang Fan, "I remember you like to drink this. It's freshly made, drink it while it's hot."

Zhang Fan looked up at her and twitched the corners of his mouth. He wanted to say "thank you," but his throat felt tight, so he ultimately just gave a soft "Mm."

Liu Ruyan sat in the empty seat next to him, holding a piece of scratch paper covered in doodles. On it were two little people playing a game, and the names "Lele" and "Uncle Zhang Fan" were written next to them.

That was what Lele drew yesterday while waiting at the police station to give her statement; she had specifically kept it. "President Zhang, look at this."

Liu Ruyan pushed the scratch paper in front of Zhang Fan and pointed to the little people on it, "Lele drew this yesterday. She said she wanted to play with you in 'star dream workshop', and also said she wanted to build a big castle, make you the king, and her the princess."

Zhang Fan's fingertips rested on the scratch paper. On the rough drawing paper, the little person's eyes were drawn round, and there was a smile on the corner of its mouth. The tense emotion in his heart suddenly relaxed a bit. He looked at the drawing, was silent for a few seconds, and his voice finally recovered a bit: "Has she... arrived at her hometown?"

"Ms. Xia just sent me a message saying they have arrived home. Lele is looking at the mountains outside the window and even took a picture for me." Zhou Yurou took out her phone and opened the photo to show Zhang Fan.

In the photo, Lele was standing in front of a wooden window, holding up that dinosaur pendant. The background was rolling green mountains, and the sky was as blue as a piece of washed cloth. "Ms. Xia said the air in her hometown is good, and the neighbors are very warm. Lele has already started playing with the children at the door and isn't as scared anymore."

Zhang Fan looked at Lele's smiling face in the photo, and the emptiness in his heart was finally filled a little. He picked up the latte on the desk and took a sip. The warm liquid slid down his throat, warming his heart until it trembled.

"Actually, Ms. Xia taking Lele away is also for the child's own good." Zhou Yurou sat opposite him, her tone gentle. "Jiangcheng has too many memories that frighten Lele. Changing to a new environment and meeting new friends will help her forget those bad things faster. Besides, transportation is so convenient now; it's not hard to meet. If you miss Lele, you can fly over to see her on the weekend; it's not like you'll never see her again."

"Exactly, exactly!" Liu Ruyan immediately chimed in, her eyes brightening. She took a notebook out of her bag and opened the planning proposal inside, "By the way, President Zhang, isn't 'star dream workshop' going to expand its testing scope? We can add a 'remote friend online co-op' feature! Players can enter a friend's ID, invite them to play together in their generated map, and even voice chat! This way, even if Lele is in her hometown, she can play games with you and talk to you, just like she's right by your side!"

Zhang Fan's eyes lit up instantly, and his previous low mood seemed to be swept away by this sudden idea. He grabbed the notebook and quickly flipped through the feature draft Liu Ruyan had written. It was marked with details like "real-time voice," "shared map permissions," and "co-op missions," and she had even drawn a simple interface diagram—two avatars connected together with an "online" indicator in the middle.

"This is a great idea!" Zhang Fan's tone finally had some vitality. He pointed to the "shared map permissions" on the draft, "We can also add an 'exclusive map' feature where players can grant map editing permissions to specific friends. For example, Lele can build a castle with me; she's responsible for drawing the garden, and I'm responsible for building the walls. This way, the interactivity will be even stronger."

"That's what I was thinking too!" Liu Ruyan clapped her hands excitedly, "The Technology Department mentioned before that the latency issue for real-time online play has been solved. Adding this feature isn't hard; it should be done in about a week. It will be just in time to launch before the second round of testing, and it can also serve as a new highlight to attract players."

Seeing the two discussing enthusiastically, Zhou Yurou also curled her lips into a smile, "That works out perfectly. We can have a short meeting this afternoon, call people from the Technology Department and the Planning Department over to confirm the feature details, and strive to implement it as soon as possible. Moreover, this feature isn't just for Lele; it's also good for 'star dream workshop' itself—many players now hope to play with friends. Adding an online feature will definitely boost retention and payment rates."

Zhang Fan nodded, and the gloom in his heart completely dissipated.

He looked at the scratch paper in front of him, and at the expectant eyes of Zhou Yurou and Liu Ruyan, and suddenly felt that the departure of Xia Qinyi and her daughter was not the end, but a new beginning.

Lele could live a stable life in her hometown, and he could turn this attachment into motivation, make "star dream workshop" even better, and let more people find happiness in the game.

"Let's go, meeting time!" Zhang Fan stood up, picked up the scratch paper and test report on the table, and his footsteps were much lighter than before, "We can just go over the progress of the 'star path: reboot' overseas pre-launch at the same time. We have to hurry; we can't delay the launch."

Liu Ruyan immediately followed, not forgetting to turn back and make an "OK" gesture at Zhou Yurou. Zhou Yurou looked at their backs, shook her head with a smile, picked up the translation draft on the desk, and followed.

The atmosphere in the office area gradually returned to its usual liveliness, with the sounds of typing and discussion ringing out again. Sunlight streamed through the windows, landing on the project board for "star dream workshop," which was covered with densely packed sticky notes. On one of the newly posted notes, it read "Remote friend online co-op feature—Priority: High," and next to it was a small smiley face, just like the one on Lele's scratch paper, warm and full of strength.

Zhang Fan stood at the door of the meeting room, watching his colleagues enter one after another, and his heart was suddenly filled with drive. He knew there were still many challenges ahead—the testing of "star dream workshop," the overseas expansion of "star path: reboot," and the selection of an overseas office location—but as long as he had such a group of comrades fighting side by side with him, and as long as he could still build castles with Lele in the game, there was no difficulty that could not be overcome.