Chapter Seventy: Tomboy

"Uh..." Gu Mengyan and Fan Yirou spoke at the same time, "Come in, please!"

With that, the two of them welcomed Dong Xin into the room. Fortunately, before leaving, Chen Hao had tidied up all the luggage inside. Earlier, the two women had ransacked the place searching for swimsuits, turning the luggage upside down. If Dong Xin had seen that, both Gu Mengyan and Fan Yirou would have been rather embarrassed.

After inviting Dong Xin in, she showed no sign of restraint and simply found an empty spot on the sofa and sat down. Accepting the glass of water Fan Yirou handed her, she thanked her politely.

For a moment, the three women fell into silence, none of them speaking.

After a long pause, it was the lively Gu Mengyan who couldn’t stand the quiet any longer and took the initiative, "Miss Dong..."

"Just call me Dong Xin; no need to be so formal. We're not in a superior-subordinate relationship now, so you can use my name. If you don’t mind, you can even call me Axin—my friends all do."

"Well... Dong Xin," Gu Mengyan still didn’t call her Axin directly, since they had only just met. "Dong Xin, there’s something I don’t quite understand."

"Go ahead."

Gu Mengyan cleared her throat. "I understood what you said before, and I agree you made a good point. At the company, you do have to follow the rules. You didn’t do anything wrong. On behalf of Chen Hao and myself, I want to apologize for being late that day."

Dong Xin waved her hand. "No need to mention the past; I never took it to heart. Now we're just two people who’ve just met—let’s just be casual."

Since Dong Xin said so, and Gu Mengyan wasn’t one for unnecessary formality, she nodded generously. Her outgoing nature made her press on with her question, "Since that's the case, Dong Xin, I have something to ask. You’re new to the company’s tech department, right? The new supervisor. You mentioned how a new official always shakes things up, and that’s right—those who don’t follow the rules should be disciplined. But as the supervisor, shouldn’t you lead by example and set a standard for the staff? Yet after only a few days, you’ve run off to Kestel. Judging from your demeanor and your words, it doesn’t seem like you’re here on a business trip for the company—instead, you’re here for leisure. Why do you have time to travel? Don’t you have department obligations?"

Gu Mengyan’s question was blunt. Fan Yirou kept sending her frantic glances, but Gu Mengyan ignored her.

Faced with such directness, Dong Xin wasn’t the least bit embarrassed or flustered. She remained calm and explained with a smile, "Actually, the reason I’m traveling here is somewhat related to you two."

"Related to us?" Gu Mengyan was taken aback, puzzled. "Did you come here specifically to find us? Is the company refusing to process our resignation, or is there some unfinished paperwork?"

Dong Xin shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, nothing like that. Since the company has already accepted your resignations, there’s no going back. And all the paperwork has been completed, thanks to Chen Hao."

"I said that it’s because of you two that I came traveling here, but not for any company business."

"Then why?"

Dong Xin spread her hands. "How should I put it... My assignment as supervisor in the tech department wasn’t my decision. I never intended to join the tech department—my original responsibilities were elsewhere in the company. I can’t really disclose which department."

Gu Mengyan nodded in understanding. Their company, unlike most small firms, had a vast number of departments, and many of them were highly confidential, staffed by handpicked employees privy to the company’s core secrets—like game development and so on. These departments weren’t just hidden from outsiders but were strictly off-limits even within the company, while the tech department where Chen Hao worked was just a minor, external branch, with no access to any internal affairs.

Seeing Gu Mengyan nod, Dong Xin continued, "I originally worked in one of those internal departments and was in charge there. My transfer to your tech department was a temporary upper management decision. The company had actually planned to have someone else fill the role, but that person was suddenly caught up with something and couldn’t make it. He asked me to fill in for a few days as the acting supervisor until he was free to take over again.

He also told me not to overmanage the department—just hold an initial meeting, deliver the plans he’d set out, and let the staff follow those plans. The rest of the time was mine to use as I saw fit."

"But what about the work from your original department? Are you just leaving it behind?" Gu Mengyan pressed.

"Oh, that work is already finished. Since you don’t know about my department, you wouldn’t be familiar with the specifics. I can’t tell you the details, but I can say that my department is different from ordinary ones—it doesn’t require daily work. Usually, we receive a task and have to work intensely for a period. Once the task is done, the entire department gets a long vacation, and I have all the free time I want.

So, after finishing both departments’ work, I chose to travel."

Gu Mengyan’s face lit with realization. "So you’re basically on vacation now!"

"Exactly," Dong Xin confirmed.

Gu Mengyan tugged at her hair, looking puzzled. "But if you’re on vacation, why come to Kestel? As far as I know, there’s nothing here worth seeing. Tourism here is underdeveloped—no famous landmarks, no scenic spots, just a vast forest and nothing else. Honestly, that forest hasn’t been developed at all—it’s completely wild, and it’s hard for most people to even get in. If you did, you could easily get lost. I just don’t get why you’d choose Kestel for a holiday. Do you have relatives or friends here?"

Dong Xin laughed, her eyes bright as she looked at Gu Mengyan. "I know all that, and I can assure you, I have no relatives or friends here. But, since you asked me, let me ask you: why did you come here? You just said there’s nothing of interest—so why did you come?"

"Uh..." Gu Mengyan was caught off guard and started to act coy. "You tell me your reason first, then I’ll tell you mine!"

Dong Xin burst out laughing, clearly delighted. "Mengyan, you really are an interesting person!"

She even used a nickname, showing just how pleased she was.

"It’s no secret. While I don’t have company work right now, my next assignment has already been outlined, and it’s game-related. I’m responsible for designing a vast, dense primeval forest environment. To make the game more immersive and realistic for players, I need to seek out real-world models and references.

And in our country, where else is there a forest as vast and untouched as Kestel’s? So, besides traveling, I’m here to gather inspiration and material."

Dong Xin’s words, in a roundabout way, revealed her department and work to Gu Mengyan. But since Gu Mengyan had been an internal employee, she knew the rules and Dong Xin wasn’t worried about her spilling secrets. Besides, the work content wasn’t particularly confidential—revealing it wouldn’t matter. After all, Dong Xin hadn’t leaked any images or details from the unreleased game itself.

Gu Mengyan pursed her lips, not quite satisfied. It seemed Dong Xin’s reason didn’t meet her expectations. "So it’s just for research? That’s so dull. I thought there might be a special reason!"

"A special reason?" Fan Yirou was taken aback. "What were you expecting? What did you think it was?"

Gu Mengyan, startled, quickly shook her head. "Nothing, nothing, I was just saying!"

"Really?" Fan Yirou, who knew her well, could tell she was hiding something—probably the real reason she wanted to travel to Kestel.

She’d originally thought Kestel would be a fun place, and eagerly followed Chen Hao here, but after reading up on it during the flight, realized there was nothing to do. Even the tourist guides only gave a brief mention of the vast forest—nothing else at all.

Just as Fan Yirou and Dong Xin were about to press Mengyan for her true reason for coming, the door opened and Chen Hao walked in. "Hey? Why’s there an extra person in the room? Who is she?"

Dong Xin turned to greet him, and Chen Hao jumped in surprise. "Whoa! It’s you, you tomboy!"