The Game Designer Got Shipped After Disguising Himself as an NPC

A seemingly proper but secretly sultry censor x a sly game designer who's shameless and talks a lot

To save revenue that's been declining for four weeks straight, designer Li Youran puts on an NPC secret identity and enters the full-dive game himself, hoping to interact with players directly and pinpoint what gives them a sense of satisfaction, drawing back the players who've stopped spending.

Li Youran pretends to be an NPC controlled by AI. He doesn't dare let the players know he's a real person, much less reveal that he's the game's designer.

If the players discovered that the damn designer they've been cursing with such enthusiasm was standing right in front of them, they'd grind him to dust on the spot.

[MMORPG "Echoes of the Sacred Realm"] A kind and beautiful gentle priest

He is a permanent NPC at the Xixiduer Church, spending every day in a tiny confessional. Sunlight streams through stained glass onto the face God has sculpted to perfection, making him seem even holier than the paintings on the ceiling.

As he listens to confessions, he gazes at the player with compassionate black eyes, clear and calm as a moonlit lake.

As he offers guidance, his shapely lips produce a songbird's voice, making even the soul ripple.

As he absolves sins, the pristine sleeve of his holy robe brushes the player's cheek, and grazes their heart...

Whispers about this beautiful priest have never stopped since he was introduced:

They say that if you buy enough "indulgences," you can have the priest give you a "close-up" blessing. At which point, he will undo the silver clasp at his holy robe's collar with his own hands.

[MOBA game "Glory League"] A mysterious merchant who treats people differently depending on their rank

After the S38 update, a mysterious merchant who appears at random in the brush is added to matches. He can offer players random buffs:

Twenty percent off equipment, vision of all enemy players for ten seconds, a shield that blocks a large amount of true damage...

Players notice a few strands of his dark hair falling beside his cheek as he lounges lazily in the grass, bits of grass caught in his fluffy, soft ends.

They notice his firm waist briefly revealed as he gets to his feet.

They also notice how he ignores the mid-laners and supports, yet fawns over the junglers and top-laners.

A few rumors are rampant among the players:

If you're strong and have equipped attack-speed and critical-hit gear, the mysterious merchant will let you trade "manual labor" for buffs.

When the mysterious merchant isn't visible, who knows which patch of brush he's fooling around in with someone.

The new hero due to launch next season is the child conceived after the mysterious merchant and some jungler spent a night together. Nobody knows who the father is...

[SLG "The Empire's Glory"] An unyielding enemy general held captive

The enemy general is gravely wounded in battle, captured, and locked in a dungeon. Players can raise his loyalty through interactions such as "comfort," "interrogate," "reward," and "chat."

The shadow cast by his crow-black lashes when he lowers his eyes, the marks on his wrists and ankles from the shackles, and his reddened eyes and the bite mark on his lower lip after torture all make players' hearts itch with desire.

A rumor runs rampant:

"Loyalty" is just a cover for getting the game approved. Whether this general submits to a player actually depends on a hidden "affection" stat.

When affection reaches 100, a "spend the night" interaction unlocks. Conquering this haughty beauty is far more thrilling than conquering an entire empire.

And affection isn't raised through comfort or rewards, but through humiliation and whipping...

[FPS game "Elite Battlefield"] A battlefield medic who uses "special methods" to provide emergency treatment

[Chinese-style horror mystery puzzle game "Old Dreams of the Ancient House"] A handsome young widower in a sprawling mansion

[Xianxia RPG "Tales of the Pure Abyss"] A cold Immortal Venerable who becomes a communal cultivation vessel after going blind

Recently, the games from HOLO have become abnormally popular: players use the filthiest language to insult newly introduced NPCs while spending money on every available way to interact with them.

The regulatory department suspects the game of false advertising and encouraging irrational spending, so they send Qi Niancheng into the game disguised as a player to investigate.

Qi Niancheng is the Culture Bureau's most impartial censor. He has always hated games that waste people's lives and game designers who are only out for profit.

At first, he thinks the new NPC is exactly what countless players claim: a tasteless gimmick introduced by the designers to rake in money.

But later, he finds that even when he's so angry his face turns red, he still wants to keep playing.

Even when an NPC mocks him to his face, saying "If you're bad, just practice more," he wants to spend a fortune for the chance to make the beauty smile.

He even begins to fantasize about those indecent rumors coming true...

When the NPC approaches him with dewy eyes, softly murmuring words he's said to who knows how many people before, "Won't you help me? I know you're different from the others," Qi Niancheng realizes that it's not just the game that's got him hooked. It's the sly designer disguised as an NPC, too.

"That's it. I'm going to say yes to temptation, too." Qi Niancheng catches Li Youran as he falls into his arms, thinking with utter despair.

Note:

1. This is a kink-focused story. Don't project it onto real life.

2. At first, the bottom only cares about his own KPIs and not the player experience. At first, the top is prejudiced against games and people who work in the industry. They will both gradually grow.

3. Top Qi Niancheng x bottom Li Youran, one-on-one, both are inexperienced. The couple stays together forever, no splitting up or switching roles.

4. The synopsis has been screenshotted.

Theme: If you're bad, just practice more.