As a rising star in the gaming industry, Taoyuan had entered the interstellar gaming scene with a completely unconventional approach.
When “Taoyuan Restaurant” was released, its unique art style, counterintuitive casual gameplay, and the once-viral crop-stealing craze took the industry by surprise. Every major update brought new and unexpected delights.
Many of the big gaming companies initially dismissed Taoyuan, but over time, their attitude shifted to one of serious attention.
Just as people assumed Taoyuan’s next game might be a horror title, and companies began to prepare their own horror projects to ride the wave, Taoyuan unexpectedly announced a brand-new dress-up game alongside the grand finale of “Bei Xing’s Necklace”.
“A dress-up game? This…”
What was supposed to be fun about that?
Wasn’t it just swapping out textures? What kind of gameplay could it possibly offer?
To be honest, when the news first dropped, many developers in large gaming companies were dumbfounded.
But before they could voice their skepticism, another shocking revelation surfaced.
“The twenty-four solar term outfits have already surpassed a million pre-orders…wait, how long has the pre-sale even been open?!”
Due to the exquisite and intricate craftsmanship, the solar term outfits from “Bei Xing’s Necklace” were priced quite high.
Yet, despite the cost, fans’ purchasing power remained crazy. It was clear that the love for beautiful clothes was a massive market in itself.
“Just like before, none of us expected a low-budget farming game to become such a phenomenon.”
During an emergency meeting between major gaming companies, a manager from a traditional combat game company couldn’t help but analyze the situation.
“But changing clothes is different, right? If the entire game revolves around dress-up, won’t it be too monotonous? The audience might also be quite limited.”
Another manager was clearly unconvinced.
This sentence seemed to imply that the main audience for dress-up games may still be girls who like beautiful clothes.
“If you ask me, it’s just that Taoyuan is a small company with a tight budget, so they…”
“But then how do you explain my son begging me to buy the outfits from ‘Bei Xing’s Necklace’?”
A senior executive wiped his sweat and sighed deeply. Fortunately, the collection included menswear as well, otherwise, he might have had to start “raising a daughter” instead.
Of course, it wasn’t that he was against boys wearing dresses, but was the magic of Fish Soup Noodles really this terrifying?
“Also, the animation was originally targeted at young female viewers, yet in the end, it proved that as long as the content is engaging enough, it appeals to all genders and even different age groups.”
“So, are we about to witness another low-budget, high-output sensation from Taoyuan, despite it being such a newly established company?”
The room fell silent again.
Once again, no one had expected that a novel by Fish Soup Noodles would turn out to be such an ideal candidate for game adaptations.
“The main thing is, their game scripts are just too solid. We can’t exactly demand our own writers to suddenly become the next Fish Soup Noodles.”
A work by Fish Soup Noodles naturally brought in a built-in reader base, making these original fans the game’s first loyal players with extremely high engagement.
On top of that, the author’s personal involvement in expanding the original story ensured that the game’s setting, script, and worldbuilding carried the feel of an official side story. The quality was high, and the narrative flowed seamlessly.
If only they had bought the copyrights earlier, they wouldn’t be in this predicament now.
A headache, this was truly a headache.
Meanwhile, Derqin and the Taoyuan Studios staff had no idea that their little company was now being taken so seriously by the gaming industry.
At this moment, the employees of Taoyuan were enthusiastically decorating the office, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Fish Soup Noodles.
Since expanding, Taoyuan had acquired several floors in a prime office building at the heart of Central Star.
The company prided itself on being small yet refined, with an excellent work environment. After all, nearly everyone there was a hardcore fan of Fish Soup Noodles.
“Welcome, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles!”
“Hehehe, we finally get to meet!”
The moment Yu Mian stepped through the company’s doors, countless handheld confetti cannons were pulled, and golden paper flakes fluttered through the air.
Yu Mian looked around in surprise. He hadn’t expected Derqin and Lina to organize such a little ceremony.
“You really didn’t need to go all out. I was just dropping by to see everyone. After all, it’s been so long since the company was founded, and I haven’t visited once.”
Holding a bouquet in his arms, Yu Mian suddenly felt like a celebrity making a public appearance, but he still couldn’t help but smile.
“No, no, this was all arranged voluntarily! You have no idea how long we’ve been looking forward to this.”
Lina, an outgoing and straightforward elf, perfectly complemented Derqin’s social anxiety when it came to managing the company.
After greeting Yu Mian and Huo Ting, she enthusiastically began introducing the company’s internal affairs.
After all, Taoyuan had essentially become a game company personally invested in by Fish Soup Noodles.
It was just that Yu Mian had never interfered in the company’s operations.
Now that Yu Mian was here, every department eagerly showcased their work results in a serious and enthusiastic manner.
“’Taoyuan Restaurant’ has been running steadily. While the crop-stealing craze has passed its peak, player engagement remains high. In addition, we’re even considering holding an offline Master Chef Showdown for the latest ‘Taoyuan Food Festival’.”
The “Taoyuan Restaurant” team could be regarded as the backbone of the company.
Even after the conclusion of “God of Cooking”, the game “Taoyuan Restaurant” didn’t decline as many had predicted. Instead, it took on the role of promoting and sustaining the original novel’s popularity, continuously drawing in new audiences.
Among Yu Mian’s novels, the follow-up subscription revenue for “God of Cooking” had indeed become the strongest example of the long-tail effect.
Every day, a significant number of players, after experiencing the storyline of the game, would go back to subscribe for the original novel. This has opened up a new path for game-to-novel adaptations in the publishing world.
However, as of now, the most successful game adaptation remains “God of Cooking”.
“A Master Chef Showdown?”
Yu Mian was also intrigued by some of the new ideas proposed by the planning team.
“But actually, I’ve also considered collaborating with the Food Research Institute to film some gourmet documentaries, either for in-game distribution or for major platforms. I’ve always felt that food culture could become an exceptionally brilliant element.”
The atmosphere grew lively, and even Derqin, who had been trying to remain unnoticed, couldn’t help but share his latest thoughts.
“Hey, wouldn’t that basically be “The Universe On The Tip Of Your Tongue”?”
Yu Mian took the latest project proposal handed over by Derqin. After flipping through a few pages, he could tell that this elf had a keen sense for both nature and cuisine.
It sought to unearth and document food cultures that were on the verge of being lost or had been neglected across different star systems.
If they really made this happen, it would undoubtedly be meaningful. In a way, it also seemed to extend the lifespan of the original novel “God of Cooking”.
“The Universe On The Tip Of Your Tongue”?”
Derqin was caught off guard by Yu Mian’s murmuring.
“Wait, that’s not my idea. I just saw a similar concept in ancient Blue Star literature.”
Yu Mian quickly explained.
“It looks like I really need to read more books… though traditional characters are really hard to recognize.”
Hearing this, Derqin’s interest in learning ancient Blue Star language grew, though his expression turned a bit sour.
Meanwhile, Fish Soup Noodles’ visit to the company seemed to have sparked a brainstorming frenzy, and everyone was voicing their ideas freely.
The “Bei Xing’s Necklace” team, of course, refused to be outdone. After all, “they” were the next rising star, right?
“For example, this outfit customization system in “Bei Xing’s Necklace” isn’t just playable on the light brain; in holographic projection mode, you can even try on the virtual clothes yourself. Would you like to test it out?”
Guided by the team, Yu Mian curiously tried out the beta version. In an instant, he saw his in-game avatar change into a formal suit matching the current solar term.
“This is really amazing, and it can even adjust to the body shapes of players of all age groups.”
Rather than purchasing the solar term outfits offline, players could now also experience them virtually.
Yu Mian was indeed surprised. Without him even realizing it, the company he had invested his royalties into had transformed into something completely different.
And as everyone watched the original author of “Bei Xing’s Necklace” trying on cosplay outfits, their eyes lit up.
“Why do I feel like if we made Teacher Fish Soup Noodles our spokesperson or model, the clothes would sell out instantly?”
Lina, in particular, was itching to secretly take hundreds of screenshots for her personal collection.
As an elf, she had been completely defenseless against Fish Soup Noodles from the moment they first met.
But when Yu Mian looked up and realized everyone was staring at him, he felt a bit embarrassed and called out, “Why don’t we all try it out? We could take a group photo as a souvenir.”
The atmosphere instantly became even more enthusiastic.
“Really? We can take a picture together?”
A group photo with Fish Soup Noodles? Everyone immediately started selecting and matching their outfits.
“Where do you think you’re going? Join us!”
Yu Mian saw that Huo Ting was trying to slip away, and grabbed him immediately.
Before coming to Taoyuan, Yu Mian had debated for a long time whether to inform Huo Ting. But then he remembered Huo Ting’s question, “is considering it just another excuse to keep avoiding me?”, and immediately decided it was better not to keep it a secret.
That would make him seem guilty, right?
Especially since every time he was writing, the dark blue bracelet on his wrist was always in sight. It made Yu Mian feel like Huo Ting was cheating, his presence could always be felt as soon as he lifted his hand.
In the end, he had Secretary Hals schedule a time when both of them were free so they could go out together.
Come to think of it, this was probably their first going out together since that day.
After being caught by Yu Mian, Huo Ting stayed silent for several seconds before finally, with Yu Mian’s amused grin, being dragged into the group photo.
And outfit customization for the dress-up game was indeed very well made. When Lina put on the “Lixia” solar term outfit, she looked as if Lixia herself had come to the scene.
As soon as this precious full-holographic cosplay photo was taken, everyone was completely captivated. They couldn’t shake the feeling that, in the future, this picture might become one of Taoyuan Studios’ legendary founding images.
Yu Mian, on the other hand, was struggling to hold back laughter as he looked at Huo Ting in the photo. After forcing him into taking a photo, Yu Mian was surprised to find that Huo Ting actually suited the outfit ridiculously well.
There was even a strange urge to make him try on all the other styles, just to see.
“Hey, hey, stop staring at the photo! The tea break is ready, who wants to try the latest rice wine developed by the Food Research Institute?”
Lina finally brought out the pre-prepared refreshments, which had originally been meant to welcome Fish Soup Noodles.
But the unexpected group photo had everyone so excited that they almost forgot to enjoy the food.
One of the major reasons Lina was willing to stay in Central Star and help Derqin manage Taoyuan was, without a doubt, the food.
“Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, would you like to try this rice wine? The taste is absolutely amazing.”
Just as Lina handed over a freshly poured cup, Yu Mian hesitated for a second before promptly intercepting the one in Huo Ting’s hand.
“No, he won’t be drinking this. He’ll have juice instead. Thanks, Lina!”
Lina looked at him suspiciously.
“But last time, he drank it just fine, he was even having a great time! Well, except for Derqin, who got completely wasted.”
Yu Mian’s face darkened.
“I’ll have the rice wine. He’ll have juice. Because today, he’s the driver.”
Actually, neither Derqin nor Huo Ting could handle alcohol. The only difference was that when Huo Ting was drunk, he was way too good at pretending otherwise.
