My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 33 Allies?

The next morning, Chen Yan was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing.

Groggy, Chen Yan answered the call, "Hello? Who is this... who are you?"

The voice of the viral restaurant manager came through the phone, "Hello, Mr. Chen. I’m the manager of Amel’s. Do you remember me?"

Chen Yan gradually woke up, "Oh. I remember. What happened?"

The manager said, "Here’s the thing. Last evening, several men came to our restaurant and inquired about the cost of booking the entire venue."

"The receptionist didn’t think much of it at the time, after all, we’re open for business."

"But later, she started feeling that something was off."

"Because it’s a bit odd for a group of men to book the place."

"Plus, their tone didn’t seem like they were genuinely asking for details, but more like probing."

The manager paused, "She reported this to me last night, and I just took note of it, but didn’t take it too seriously."

"But this morning when I came in, a server said that there were three girls loitering around the area yesterday afternoon, looking like they were observing something."

"I asked about their appearance and realized... they resembled the friends you had brought over that night."

"So I immediately called you to let you know."

The manager had a lot to say, and Chen Yan was still half asleep, not catching everything at first, but when the manager mentioned the "three girls who looked like his friends," Chen Yan snapped to attention, fully awake.

Yu Qiao Qiao was inquiring about him?

No, that’s not right...

Yu Qiao Qiao had been with him all day yesterday, so it couldn’t be her.

Then... could it be Yu Qiao Qiao’s roommates?

Chen Yan sat up in bed and asked, "Zhang, Manager Zhang, is it?"

"I’d like to confirm the details again."

Then, the manager elaborated on the details of the inquiries the trio of girls and Zhao Ying’s family bodyguard made yesterday, which made Chen Yan even more certain that this must be Yu Qiao Qiao’s roommates’ doing.

After thanking the manager, Chen Yan hung up the phone, losing any desire to sleep.

He climbed out of bed, stroked his chin, and began to ponder.

These girls mean business.

Quietly, almost managed to steal from under his nose.

By now, the matter of booking the viral restaurant must have been exposed.

...And the Montblanc Pen issue probably won’t stay secret much longer either.

It might even be out in the open already.

So, what should he do?

After quietly reflecting for a while, Chen Yan, in his slippers, got out of bed, walked over to his desk, and opened up his "game strategy" notebook, beginning to jot down the personality traits of Yu Qiao Qiao’s roommates from memory.

Zhao Ying: More of a tomboy in personality, has unconventional thinking, bold and straightforward, and seems to like him a lot, supporting him getting together with Yu Qiao Qiao.

Yang Nuannuan: The soul of the dorm, warm-hearted big sister, responsible and dependable. Supports him and Yu Qiao Qiao getting to know each other.

Lu Lu, Nana, Pingping, the trio: Three funny little ones who like to fool around, always seen together. They’re curious about him and don’t reject the idea of him and Yu Qiao Qiao together.

After listing all this information, Chen Yan suddenly realized...

Eh?

These all seem like allies!

Then what was he worried about?

Besides, these five have a great relationship with Yu Qiao Qiao, and all feel very sorry for her.

In that case... they must be more afraid than him of revealing how much money they had spent, right?

A light bulb went on in Chen Yan’s head as he felt he had grasped the key point.

Since everyone’s "goals" were the same, why not have an open and honest chat with them?

Just yesterday, he was thinking of persuading them to encourage Yu Qiao Qiao to join his company.

Such a timely opportunity!

Let’s get this done together!

With this thought, all of Chen Yan’s previous worries vanished!

He decided to invite these girls out for a chat over lunch today.

After finalizing his plan, Chen Yan reviewed the details again and simulated some questions the girls might ask.

Once he was sure there were no issues, Chen Yan finally felt relieved.

He sent Zhao Ying a WeChat message, asking her to meet up with Yang Nuannuan and the trio at noon.

Then Chen Yan went to take care of his morning routine.

Coming back after freshening up, he saw Zhao Ying had replied to his WeChat, agreeing to his invitation.

Chen Yan, now at ease, started going through his daily agenda.

He first took out the Luxury Car Dream Card and chose "Withdraw."

Like before, the game compensated Chen Yan with 995,000 in special currency, completely offsetting his losses.

Afterward, Chen Yan checked the business registration website because during working days, it showed that his corporate registration had entered the approval stage and would probably be processed in a couple of days.

Next, Chen Yan reviewed the game draft for "Hidden Guardian" once more, and after confirming there were no issues, he opened up... entertainment news.

Chen Yan remembered that the "Xiao Ha’s Instant Camera" showed that the game had great potential. However, if he could get a hot celebrity or a controversial one to join and play a role, it could be even more successful.

Chen Yan had never followed entertainment news before and couldn’t recognize all the celebrities, so he had to do some quick learning.

Unexpectedly, refreshing the entertainment news brought up all sorts of gossip.

"Yang Yuze Gains Weight"

Yang Yuze, the king of Asian music, has written and sung countless popular songs, dominating the music scene for an era. He’s the eternal Chairman Yang in the hearts of many young people.

"Zhu Suo’s TV Drama from 15 Years Ago Begins Airing"

Zhu Suo is a frontline female celebrity, successfully transitioning from an actor to a capital investor, with many new-generation female stars under her wing, making her one of the towering figures in the entertainment industry.

"Wu Di Loses 25 Pounds for TV Drama Role"

Wu Di is a middle-aged actor who’s been in the industry for ten years, neither particularly famous nor obscure, until a supporting role suddenly made him famous.

"Lu Man Shares a Selfie"

Lu Man, a popular new-generation celebrity, also shot to fame because of a supporting role. She’s well-liked by many fans for her appealing personal branding.

"Yi Xiaoxi Eager for the Glorious Stage"

Yi Xiaoxi, another new-generation celebrity, is known for being controversial and often in the spotlight for polarizing reasons.

"Week...." ....

Looking through the news, Chen Yan realized he was getting carried away.

Could he really afford any of these celebrities for a game that would only earn a few million dollars?

Seemed absurd.

Being a person sensitive to numbers, Chen Yan quickly calculated his investment-to-return ratio.

Hiring a celebrity could potentially double the game’s performance, maxing at an additional 6 million in profit.

So, the celebrity’s performance fee, travel expenses, and the costs of their entourage had to be under 6 million to make it worth it.

From this view, it was almost impossible...

Well, just get to know the landscape.

If there’s a good match, he’ll go for it; if not, let it be.

No pressure...

....

The morning flew by in the blink of an eye.

At noon, Yan Family BBQ.

Chen Yan and Zhao Ying came back here again.

This time, it wasn’t Yu Qiao Qiao by their side, but Yu Qiao Qiao’s four roommates and close friends...