GTROAE Chapter 91: Visiting

Chapter 91: Visiting

Evening wasn’t the right time to work on soothing postcards. That kind of thing called for a lazy afternoon, sunlight streaming in, wind rustling outside, and the pen gliding across the paper.

William focused on wrapping up Journey. When he got bored, he worked on the backend code for Travel Frog. His schedule was packed.

00:00

Happy Match Mania: $28.221

Happy Mahjong: $69.179

Happy Landlord: $108.368

Another ordinary day. Maybe things would change once Craftsman Wood went live.

William was still struggling with the game’s pricing model. He originally thought about making it free to boost the show’s popularity. But considering how much money had been poured into the show—about a third of the company’s assets—if it flopped, they’d lose everything.

Charging for the game could help recover some of that money, but if it hurt the show’s reputation, that would be a disaster too.

He hadn’t talked to Cynthia about it yet, but now it seemed like he should get her opinion.

Sunday.

Even though the sun was shining in February, the air still felt chilly.

As usual, William was going to Aunt Lisa’s house today to help Jenny practice piano.

Just as he said goodbye to Cynthia and Aunt Oliver and was about to call a cab, Cynthia offered to drive him instead and said she wanted to meet this Aunt Lisa he kept mentioning.

William didn’t think it was necessary, but he didn’t refuse. After checking with Aunt Lisa, she was more than happy to meet Cynthia.

“No need to bring a gift.”

William tried to convince her again and again, but Cynthia insisted.

She didn’t buy anything expensive, just a fruit basket and some sweets.

Walking ahead with the gifts in his hands, William couldn’t help feeling like he was taking a girlfriend to meet the parents. Luckily, Cynthia wasn’t his girlfriend, or he’d be really nervous right now.

“You didn’t have to bring anything!” Aunt Lisa greeted them with a big smile.

Ever since Zach joined Earth Games, she had probably asked plenty about William, so Cynthia coming over wasn’t a big surprise. In fact, it was pretty much expected.

Whether William noticed or not, Aunt Lisa, as an observer, could see things very clearly. And being Tiffany’s best friend, there was no question about who she supported.

“Boss, Manager.”

Zach, who was playing with the kid, greeted them as soon as he saw them.

“Uncle Zach, just call me by my name when we’re at home.”

Hearing Zach call him that at Aunt Lisa’s place still made William get goosebumps.

“Yeah, no need to call me Manager outside of work, just use my name.”

“Uh, okay then.” Zach scratched his head.

Only four-year-old Jenny didn’t care about any of that. The moment she saw William, she ran over and hugged his leg tightly.

“Brother William!”

“Good girl.” William patted her head.

Cynthia squatted down, holding a bag of candy, and waved it in front of Jenny. “Look what we bought for you?”

Jenny gave Cynthia a cautious look and said in her soft little voice, “I’m not supposed to take things from strangers.”

“This isn’t just from anyone—it’s a reward for you. Brother William told me you play the piano really well, right? If you play something for me later, these snacks will be your reward, okay?” Cynthia coaxed her gently.

“Really?”

Jenny took the bait.

“Of course it’s real.” Cynthia smiled with satisfaction and patted Jenny’s head.

Aunt Lisa spoke up. “Sit down for now, let’s talk after lunch.”

Her words worked. Jenny calmed down, though her eyes kept drifting to the pile of snacks like she couldn’t let them go.

“Do you want some?” Cynthia picked up the snacks and waved them in front of Jenny again.

Jenny nodded sweetly. “Mm.”

“Then call me big sister, and I’ll give you some, okay?”

Without hesitation, Jenny said, “Big sister.”

“Good girl.” Cynthia was very pleased.

William and Zach just shook their heads. What a little foodie.

Jenny ate happily while Cynthia kept playing with her. William and Zach sat watching TV, barely paying attention.

“William, I think a few of the shots could use some changes,” Zach finally said, unable to hold back.

The moment work came up, William got excited. Ever since coming to Blue Star, he had become a real workaholic.

Just earlier, he had already been working in his private space.

“Study room?” William asked like it was second nature.

“Study room.”

The two of them went to the study. Zach synced his work to the home computer—it was clear he often worked overtime at home by choice. A great employee.

They spent the whole morning discussing until Aunt Lisa called them for lunch. Only then did they reluctantly leave the study.

Lunch was really rich at noon, clearly prepared specially to welcome Cynthia. When William came the last two times, he never got this treatment—at most, just one or two of his favorite dishes.

During the meal, Aunt Lisa once again thanked Cynthia for getting the live show tickets. She had always wanted to see a variety show recording in person, and now her dream had finally come true.

This time, the show “Craftsman Wood” had a strong partner. As one of the rare programs promoting traditional culture, it had official backing, and Riverdale TV even stepped in to help.

It was a pity Wendy wasn’t from the same department. The hosts were another man-and-woman pair. Though not as popular as Wendy, they were still considered the second most important hosts at Riverdale TV.

William thought, since you support this kind of show, then be real about it—give money!

As long as Riverdale TV was willing to invest, William was sure he could create even more collaborations between the game and the show.

But in the end, all they gave was naming rights and provided the hosts and guests.

That was still a huge help, saving a lot of trouble, otherwise the show’s schedule couldn’t have been arranged so quickly.

A professional team, trustworthy indeed.

There was another reason too—Merry’s influence. After hearing William’s thoughts from Cynthia, the first person she called was the station director of Riverdale TV. With just a few words, she secured the deal. Anyone else wouldn’t have even dared to try.

Even with Riverdale TV’s support, the show still chose to stream online instead of airing on TV, mainly for budget reasons.

Compared to mainstream film and TV, without enough money you wouldn’t even need to think about it—you’d just get stuck in a trash time slot.

By contrast, online streaming had almost no limits. Users could watch anytime, anywhere, with no so-called prime time. All it took was a bit of money to get on the front page recommendation.

And if the show got popular, the platform would even push it to the top spot on its own. After all, the better the show, the more traffic it brought to the platform. It was a win-win.