"Oh dear, oh dear! Where is the great Brother Su Chen?"
Scott arrived right on time, not a minute late, stepping into the café.
By his side sat two professionals—seasoned film critics, frequent attendees of web series and movie previews.
Behind his sunglasses, Scott's gaze grew increasingly perverse.
I specially brought two experts for commentary.
Not only are they highly skilled, but they also have solid reputations in the industry.
Having them as witnesses is perfect.
I even struck a deal with them—even if Su Chen somehow meets expectations,
all they need to do is bend the truth slightly, and I'll reward them handsomely.
With their expertise, whatever they say will sound convincing, leaving Su Chen no room to argue.
I'm guaranteed to win!
Hahahaha!
With this, Su Chen… let's see how you fight back!
"Miss Himeko, it's been so long. Could it be that Su Chen is just a stooge you hired to take the fall?"
"Now that I think about it, it's very possible. You all escaped the contract scot-free,"
"while Su Chen bears all the consequences alone. So if he doesn't show up…"
"wouldn't I be the one suffering a huge loss?"
"Don't worry, he'll come. He's not as shameless as you."
"Oh-ho? Miss Himeko, that's outright slander! I could sue you for defamation, you know!"
At this moment, everyone except Silver Wolf was in the café.
March 7th felt an overwhelming urge to transform—she wanted nothing more than to slap Scott hundreds of times.
"Miss Himeko, can I hit him?"
"Miss Himeko, I'd really like to too!" Firefly clenched her fists.
"Relax, there's no need." Kafka handed Scott the coffee Himeko had brewed.
"Our boss, Su Chen, will be here soon. Mr. Scott, surely you can wait a few more minutes?"
"Tch. Fine! For Miss Kafka's sake, I'll wait a little longer!"
With that, Scott took a sip of coffee. "Tastes a bit weird…"
Just then.
The door slowly creaked open.
Su Chen walked in, holding a laptop, a smile on his face.
"Sorry for the wait, Mr. Scott! Let's take a look at our finished product."
——
Su Chen projected the video onto Silver Wolf's 100-inch high-definition TV.
He glanced at everyone and pressed play.
The screen instantly lit up.
A faint, melodious tune could be heard.
Then.
A massive space station floated in the cosmos.
Everyone's pupils constricted sharply.
At that moment, the camera was briefly blocked by a passing meteor—
further proving the setting was in outer space.
It also served as a smooth transition.
As the meteor drifted away, the space station came into clearer focus.
Though only ten seconds had passed, everyone was deeply impressed.
"This is leagues ahead of the shoddy web series being made today!"
"Those ten seconds alone would take most people a lifetime to replicate!"
Professional critic Wang spoke up.
The video continued.
Next, Kafka's silhouette appeared.
The background music gradually swelled.
Her figure grew clearer.
In the video, Kafka was poised, elegant—
as if holding a violin on her shoulder,
her hands moving in sync with the music.
Then.
Unidentifiable monsters materialized out of nowhere.
They were called "monsters" because they only vaguely resembled human forms.
They had a more technical name—the Antimatter Legion!
Simultaneously, a massive black hole appeared inside the space station.
Panic ensued.
Yet Kafka remained unshaken, continuing to "play" her violin with grace.
From this point on.
The shots began switching rapidly.
Monsters invading, people fleeing, a giant red exclamation mark flashing on screen.
Asta appeared briefly, directing the evacuation.
Arlan stayed behind to hold the line.
March 7th and Dan Heng fought their way through enemy attacks.
But.
The focus kept returning to Kafka's perspective.
From start to finish, she maintained her refinement, utterly devoted to her "violin."
"Elegant! Truly elegant!" Professional critic Lai couldn't help but exclaim.
The scariest part? Kafka's friends knew her performance in the video was actually toned down compared to real life.
Suddenly, the camera cut back to March 7th and Dan Heng.
An inexplicable explosion rocked the elevator area.
The soothing strains of "Canon" finally faded.
Kafka's surroundings were bathed in red light.
Reluctantly, she set down her "violin" and spoke softly to the camera.
"It seems I've come at a bad time."
"No!"
A screen materialized before Kafka, Silver Wolf's voice ringing out.
"You've come at just the right time!"
Yet.
The video ended abruptly.
Against a white backdrop,
the logo of the Astral Express and the words Honkai: Star Rail appeared.
Clap, clap, clap…
Critics Wang and Lai applauded enthusiastically.
"Excellent! Absolutely excellent! The tension, the special effects, the costumes—flawless! And it leaves you wanting more!"
Their eyes lingered on Kafka.
They felt the role was tailor-made for her—
as if no one else in the world could possibly replace her.
It didn't seem like Kafka was acting.
Rather.
It was as if she had stepped straight out of the screen into the real world!
"Though only a minute long, this video is packed with sincerity and promise!"
"We've seen countless films. In an era flooded with web series, it's refreshing to see young people like you"
"taking the time to craft something unique instead of following tired formulas."
"We're genuinely moved!"
"Hey! This wasn't the deal! What's the meaning of this?" Scott sensed something was off from their praise.
"Humph! It's because of unscrupulous people like you"
"that so many poorly made web series exist today."
"A one-minute video like this would require a team of dozens at Tenghua,"
"working who knows how many days and nights to complete!"
"You have no idea how much effort they've poured into this!"
"If 60 is passing, I'd give it a 95."
Wang and Lai turned to Su Chen. "Brother Su Chen, if you don't mind, could we get a copy?"
"We'd love to help promote it. We're eager to see more!"
Su Chen bowed gratefully. "Of course! It'd be our honor!"
...
Before long.
With Wang and Lai as witnesses, Scott transferred the web series license to Su Chen's company.
Su Chen saw the two critics off as they left the café.
Now, only Scott remained, thoroughly surrounded.
Su Chen flashed a wholesome smile.
"Oh dear, oh dear, great Brother Scott?"
"Shall we settle our accounts now?"