Yasmine opened the chat window with Ivan. Their conversation had remained unchanged from before.

She typed "Ivan Gate" into the search bar. There was very little information about him on the internet. The only thing she found was an interview from a few years ago by a media outlet that had asked him about the process of inventing the game. Most of the information was official statements, not very useful.

[Cow Milk, I remember you once participated in an offline event. Did you meet Ivan Gate—the genius behind the game?] Yasmine left a message asking for help.

Cow Milk and Yasmine were good friends who had met through a game a few years ago. They often teamed up for dungeons. Her nickname in the game and on other platforms was "Cow.” and her profile picture was of a milk bottle. Her teammates all called her "Cow Milk."

Yasmine thought she was quite interesting. She never spoke on the mic, led teams to explore new lands quickly and precisely, and typed quietly. Her character was always an assassin in black. At first, Yasmine guessed she was probably a proud beauty in real life.

But when they started talking, she realized that Cow Milk was actually a very gentle and warm big sister. Once, Yasmine told her she had cramps during her period, and Cow Milk immediately ordered ginger tea with brown sugar and had it delivered to her downstairs. Yasmine sighed, saying that even her roommate wasn’t this thoughtful.

Since then, the two became "online best friends"—they had never met in person, but they shared everything with each other. Most of the time, it was Yasmine sharing and confiding in her about life, and they exchanged gifts during holidays.

Two minutes later, Cow Milk replied: [It’s me! Ivan Gate? I met him a long time ago. Why are you suddenly asking about him?]

Yasmine sent an emoji of a hug: [He’s now a partner investor in my project... and also the product manager of Demonic Chronicles. I don’t even know if the promotional plan we’re working on is what he wants…]

Yasmine initially wanted to say that she and Ivan had another kind of relationship before, but then she thought it was better not to mention it. The beginning between her and Ivan wasn’t exactly something she’d want to share with others. She didn’t want Cow Milk to think she was careless or had an easy personal life.

Cow Milk replied with a hug emoji, comforting her: [That sounds tough. When I met him at the offline event, he seemed really strict. His product ideas always emphasized addressing the needs of the players.]

Yasmine nodded in understanding and briefly shared her ideas and plan with her: [If you were an experienced player, what do you think of the structure of this promotional plan?]

Cow Milk: [Huh!? I don’t work in this industry. What if I give the wrong advice?]

Yasmine: [It’s okay, just give your opinion from the perspective of a player.]

Cow Milk quickly responded to her request, listing the key points Yasmine had mentioned: [Everything else seems great, but the offline integration idea would work best if it can reflect the benefits of the game.]

Yasmine smiled, sending three heart kisses: [Yes, yes, I was careless, my mind isn’t sharp enough. I should have thought of that earlier. Thanks, Cow Milk! Kiss~]

Cow Milk asked: [You stayed up all night, didn’t you? Have you eaten anything?]

Yasmine: [I had no choice. I need to submit the report tomorrow. Hopefully, CEO Gate will be satisfied. Why is life so hard today?]

Cow Milk: [Praying, good luck!]

Yasmine: [Well, I've been to Eclipse already, and we’ve been avoiding meeting each other for so long. Can we finally meet this time?]

On the Cow Milk side, the message was still showing as "typing." Yasmine guessed she was coming up with some long-winded excuse, just like all the other times she had invited her. So, she said: [If you turn me down again, I swear I’ll cut ties with you.]

Cow Milk stopped typing and agreed with Yasmine: [Alright, if you're putting it this seriously, I'll wait for you to make the first move!]

[Ok, bye-bye!] Yasmine ended the conversation with a kiss emoji.

At 9 AM on Friday, Yasmine arrived at Aurora Moonlit to report on the plan.

Rebecca waved at her, pointing to the empty seat across from her: “Director Nichols, from now on, you can sit there whenever you come to Aurora Moonlit."

The desk was spacious, clean, and equipped with a brand-new computer.

Yasmine complimented: “You guys are really kind to your partners."

Rebecca replied: “Not always, it depends on the project team. Our benefits are quite good here, much more human than the previous team I worked with." She lowered her voice and chuckled: “It was CEO Gate who asked the higher-ups for this."

Yasmine just smiled and said nothing, putting her handbag down and heading toward Ivan’s office with the documents.

She knocked on the door, and Ivan's voice came through, sounding a bit hoarse: “Come in!"

Ivan’s office was as simple as his Lochat profile picture. A gray carpet, white walls, a dark brown desk and chair, and even the guest sofa was a black leather couch. The only color in the room came from a few potted plants near the window.

If not for the glass cabinet on the left wall, filled with game characters, and the posters of "Demonic Chronicles" on the walls adding a youthful vibe, Yasmine might have thought she was in the office of a private business owner over 50 years old.

Ivan spoke: “Let’s start."

Yasmine recalled the first time they met at her place, when they both exchanged shy glances. She had also said "Let’s start.” and Ivan had smiled, holding her waist tightly, slowly kissing his way up her body.

Every time they succumbed to the rhythm, she felt her primal instincts awakening. But wasn’t that what people who were extremely close to each other did? They didn’t have feelings for each other, so why did she still indulge in the pleasure?

The masculinity wasn’t strong enough to make her dizzy until now, but she despised her own debasement, sinking into such a pleasurable state. She couldn’t deny it—it was the pleasure of conquest.

Wasn't it better to be an animal? Do whatever they want without worrying about the future, without the complicated chains of human relationships. Even a stray dog, with no home to return to, had more freedom and comfort than she did.

As they neared the climax, Ivan leaned down to kiss her shoulder and asked: “Am I hurting you?" Yasmine shook her head, turning gently.

On this front, she had to thank Ivan. At least since starting her relationship with him, she no longer needed to take medication for depression.

"Director Nichols?"

Yasmine snapped back to attention, locking eyes with him. In Ivan’s eyes, there was only confusion and curiosity, no trace of personal feelings.