Julian Grant hesitated for a moment before replying, “No.”

“Did you really cry?” The Vault asked again. “How long did you cry?”

Julian Grant: “Just a little while.”

The Vault gave a wry smile. “Sorry to trouble you again.”

“It’s really nothing.” Julian Grant said, every word full of pain, “From now on, you must never go near the kitchen again!”

The Vault: “That was just an accident.”

Julian Grant: “I don’t care if it was an accident or not, just don’t go there again!”

The Vault reflected on herself and replied, “Oh.”

Only then did Julian Grant feel at ease and asked, “What do you want for breakfast?”

The Vault felt her mouth was bland and tasteless, and after being too hungry, she didn’t have much appetite, so she said, “I want something with a strong flavor. Spicy crayfish or braised beef noodles.”

Julian Grant opened his phone and said with a straight face, “Plain congee with pickled vegetables or soy milk and buns?”

The Vault gave in: “Plain congee.”

“You sure think a lot.” Julian Grant muttered, “Spicy crayfish, really.”

The Vault: “……” How could you be like this?

Chapter 82: Persuasion

The Vault had always had poor sleep quality. Because she’d been sick, she’d rested well for a few days, and once the illness faded, she actually felt much more energetic.

She felt like she could now climb Mount Tai and scale the Five Great Mountains, and if she had wings, she could soar to the sky. But she also enjoyed Julian Grant’s attentive care, so she played the part of a delicate beauty recovering from illness at home.

As for Julian Grant, he was worried she’d get exhausted. Every day, he brought her meals home on time, but his mind was occupied by all sorts of trivial thoughts, which caused his report-writing efficiency to plummet and his job satisfaction to drop sharply.

That fool Susan Scott was always around him, going “beep beep beep,” as if afraid the world wasn’t chaotic enough. Every now and then, he’d raise his hand to apply to bring The Vault some fruit, snacks, or chat with her, and offer some extra care.

Julian Grant said angrily, “I pay you such a high salary just so you can deliver takeout?!”

Susan Scott retorted like a stubborn calf, “Can feelings be measured by money? Can they?!”

Julian Grant grabbed him by the back of his collar and threw him onto his own office chair, demanding, “Have you finished revising the instance, and you’re talking about feelings? When will our open beta finally launch?”

Susan Scott let out a wail.

The instance that had just finished the closed beta still needed multiple revisions. According to police requirements and player exploration, the plot needed minor adjustments: strengthening social guidance, controlling the difficulty, and deleting some unnecessary storylines to avoid distracting players. In addition, some incomplete features needed further improvement.

Julian Grant strongly demanded that the orange candies and other snacks in the drawer be removed, to prevent more players like The Vault from slacking off and just eating, drinking, and having fun in the game. Susan Scott and the others objected, but Julian Grant ruthlessly vetoed them.

However, once the plotline was confirmed to be error-free, they could release a teaser statement to the public. Players who wanted to participate could apply for open beta slots and wait for the instance to officially launch.

Julian Grant returned to his desk, found the already-edited statement text among the recently received folders, reviewed it to confirm there were no mistakes, and had the forum administrator prepare to post it at a set time.

Although it would be months from teaser to official open beta—sometimes even a year for the longest instance—the charm and popularity of [Case Analysis] had never been diminished by its production cycle. As soon as the statement was released, countless netizens flooded the forum, frantically reposting the original text and passionately discussing it, immediately pushing the topic to the top of online trends.

Official statements and media reports related to the instance were also thoroughly dug up by netizens. A group of veteran viewers used their imagination to deeply speculate about the empty plot, analyzing everything before and after with impressive logic—the scene was quite a sight.

“Let me see, which instance just finished its closed beta!”

“Hurry up with the new instance! [Case Analysis] team, stop dating and get back to work!”

“Is the prototype for this case the fifth witness in Harry Forrest’s case? Just how much material did Harry Forrest provide for the Sanyao instances?”

“After all, the officials got scolded so badly, and Harry Forrest is still missing. This case has nationwide attention and huge controversy. If they don’t clarify things, another group will start conspiracy theories. [So annoying]”

“It’s not ‘case,’ it’s a ‘series.’ There are just too many people involved.”

Soon, the topic started to drift, and the netizens’ wild imaginations jumped elsewhere.

“Look what I found! There’s an ID in the closed beta member list: QC1361, that’s definitely The Vault, right?”

“Oh my god! The nation’s favorite teacher! Did she really join [Case Live Broadcast] for Harry Forrest? What a deep teacher-student bond!”

“The world owes me a life mentor. [So jealous]”

“A friend of mine participated in this closed beta and even took several photos with the big shots. I feel like his whole social feed exudes wisdom. [Drooling]”

“You call that a life mentor? That’s a life navigator, thank you. I’m not jealous, because I believe I’ll never encounter such terrible things. [Clutching my chest]”

“Isn’t it too much of a coincidence? Of the five witnesses, two have already been announced: one died from drinking his mother’s poisoned wine, and one was killed by his son and wife. And all these accidents happened only after Harry Forrest was released from prison. I can’t shake my conspiracy theory.”

“Some wrongful cases are caused by unbelievable coincidences. When the facts are right in front of you, you can’t help but believe.”

“I remember that person who got struck by lightning three times. In a way, Harry Forrest has also been struck three times. I just don’t know if he’s really innocent. I hope the police will investigate thoroughly again.”

“According to procedure, Harry Forrest’s case is already closed. Without decisive evidence, the investigation won’t be reopened, let alone appealed. Judging by the current trend, he seems innocent, but that’s just ‘seems’—after all, all the witnesses are dead. I’m also curious what will happen next.”

“It’s obvious Sanyao is biting onto this. It’s definitely going to be a drama series. And they even invited The Vault to the closed beta, probably to collaborate with her?”

·

After the announcement was released, Julian Grant routinely checked the online public opinion, skimming through at lightning speed, and immediately noticed that the name “The Vault” was appearing very frequently.

He frowned, recalling the last time The Vault was doxxed and then targeted for revenge.

The group that came to splash paint on her door were just local thugs. Though they had no moral bottom line, they didn’t dare go too far, and after The Vault kicked them into the police station, they chickened out. But this time, the threat lurking online could very well be a psychopath.

The Vault was such a conspicuous presence, practically a brightly colored target. The mastermind behind the scenes, the real culprit who framed Harry Forrest back then, and anyone who knew the inside story could all be drawn to her. Who could predict what those people might do?

Susan Scott asked, “Should we delete her ID?”

Julian Grant said, “It’s already been posted. Wouldn’t that just make things more suspicious?”

Susan Scott found it ridiculous: “But the closed beta IDs have always been public. Are there really that many idiots who’d try to get revenge on players? This is just the closed beta—when it’s open beta, how would they even find the right person? Draw lots?”

Someone nearby chimed in, “With a big enough population, what kind of people won’t you get? You never know. The most famous one lately is The Vault, she’s the biggest target.”

Susan Scott asked, “Boss? What should we do?”

Julian Grant tapped his fingers, thought for a moment, then moved the mouse to close the page, saying, “Forget it. There shouldn’t be any major problems.”

The Vault was currently living at his place, and the security system in his neighborhood was robust. As long as The Vault didn’t wander off, she wouldn’t be in danger.

It just so happened she was sick recently, so she was already avoiding unnecessary outings. If Julian Grant was a bit more cautious, they should be able to safely get through this period.

Most importantly, they needed to catch the real culprit as soon as possible—after all, running away was useless.

Susan Scott egged him on, “Why don’t you go home and keep the lady company? A man should show up when his girlfriend needs him most—that’s what matters!”

Julian Grant almost choked on his own saliva and quickly said, “What nonsense are you talking about!”

The guy next to him mercilessly mocked, “At the rate the boss is going, nothing’s even started yet. You’re overestimating him.”

Susan Scott shouted, “Then all the more reason to go! Otherwise, where will you get the chance?”

“If you don’t seize the opportunity now, you’ll have to create one later.”

The group let out a few knowing, mischievous laughs.

Julian Grant was both amused and exasperated by this shameless bunch. He slapped the table hard and scolded, “What opportunity? The opportunity for you all to slack off? Get back to work! Chatting means a pay cut, harassing your boss means double the deduction. There won’t be a next time!”

Everyone sighed and dispersed regretfully.

Julian Grant straightened his face, tidied up his desk, pulled up the backend files, and put on a look of serious work, setting an example as a leader.

However, once your work mood is interrupted, it’s hard to get it back.