You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Everyone burst into laughter.

Only Lu Yu remained seated there, his expression unchanged.

He didn't rush to explain or refute, but simply waited quietly for the laughter to subside.

A few seconds later, he put down his teacup, and his voice was low and gentle:

"You find it boring because we've gotten used to 'using games as a tool to escape reality'."

"But is it possible that this time, we won't run away?"

He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, drew a small box next to "Main Couple" with a marker, and wrote a few words:
"Community living system"

“We have the two main characters living together, but it’s not a ‘two-person adventure’ in the traditional sense.”

Instead, one person cooks and the other washes the dishes.

"One person is watching the news, while the other is hanging clothes to dry on the balcony."

"They have no mission to save the world, nor are they given a divine mandate."

"They were just trying to survive, and at the same time, not let each other break down."

He wrote down the second word:
"Emotional Thermometer"

"Players need to learn to observe the other person's emotions."

"Not through UI, not through numbers, but through the details of life."

"For example, if your spouse suddenly stops talking, you need to figure out: Is it because they're in a bad mood? Are things not going well at work? Or did you not wash the dishes yesterday?"

"Do you want to apologize? Do you want to pretend nothing happened? Do you want me to cook you a bowl of noodles and hand it over?"

"We don't give standard answers."

"Because it doesn't exist in real life."

The meeting room fell silent once again.

At this moment, even Amos, who was usually sharp-tongued, fell silent.

Lu Yu's voice wasn't loud, but every word he spoke was like a pebble falling on water, stirring up ripples in their hearts that had long been dormant.

"You say the plot is too bland, the pacing too slow, and the main character too ordinary—"

"But have you ever thought about how many people's real lives are just this uneventful?"

"Not everyone can be a hero, a savior, or a chosen one."

"But everyone is trying to maintain some small, fragile, private, yet important relationships."

"And these relationships are the real story our game should tell."

Hua Wu lowered her head, biting her pen as she pondered.

Jian Xingzhou frowned, seemingly trying to reconstruct the couple's life trajectory in his mind.

Amos's eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything, though his fingers were already typing something on the keyboard.

Lu Yu took a deep breath.

He knew they still had doubts.

He also knew that it was precisely this skepticism that indicated—they were starting to take it seriously.

"You think this game won't sell and nobody will play it."

"But you can't say where it's wrong."

"You guys think it's not cool enough, not explosive enough, not exciting enough."

"But you can't say that it's not worth telling."

His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone calm yet revealing a stubborn gentleness.

"This time, I don't want to win."

"I only want to make a game for people who feel that they are just ordinary."

"Let them know that their lives also deserve a stage."

"It also deserves to be taken seriously."

"It's also worth saving."

He paused for a moment, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly:

"And don't underestimate this couple."

“I plan to let them get a talking cat.”

Everyone was stunned.

"A cat?" Hua Wu raised an eyebrow. "What kind of setting is that?"

“This cat is constantly complaining about their lives,” Lu Yu said with a smile. “It represents the player’s subconscious ‘escapist personality.’”

It will remind you: 'Have you forgotten that today is your wedding anniversary?'

"Did you take your anger out on your wife again?"

“‘You say you love her, but you don’t even know what laundry detergent she uses.’”

“This isn’t an NPC.” He paused. “This is the part of yourself deep down that’s unwilling to face life.”

Jian Xingzhou's eyes widened in shock: "...You're insane."

Amos finally laughed: "Crazy, that's interesting."

Hua Wu raised her head, her eyes shining: "Then I'll write the cat's dialogue."

"I want it to be so sarcastic that it will make players question their existence."

Lu Yu nodded: "Okay. Let it become the reason why players are most afraid to go home."

"That's also why they want to stay in this game the most."

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, illuminating the string of words on the whiteboard.

Cohabitation System

Emotional Thermometer

Tucao Cat

They initially thought it was just a boring, mediocre setup.

But now, they're starting to feel—

Perhaps, this really is a hero's story belonging to "every ordinary person who isn't cool".

This time, Lu Yu didn't use any grand visions or shout any slogans.

He only said one sentence:

"We're not here to help players win the world."

"We're here to accompany them and try to experience each adventure to the fullest."

……

On the day "Free Clinic: Sherlock the Unlicensed Healer" was released, G-chan's live stream was packed with viewers.

A catchy and thought-provoking title: [Isekai RPG Blockbuster in the Making? New Game Launch Livestream of Peach Blossom Paradise – The Protagonist is Actually an Unlicensed Healer?!]

"Hello everyone, I'm your blonde twin-tailed G-chan! Today we're going to try out the latest isekai adventure RPG game released by Peach Blossom Village—'Free Clinic: Sherlock the Unlicensed Healer'!"

She lightly clicked the mouse, and the moment the interface loaded, the live stream chat was already flooded with comments:
[Products from Taoyuan Township are guaranteed to be a hit?]

The protagonist doesn't have a license? This premise is hilarious!

[Hopefully it won't be another one of those laid-back, relaxing games; I'm looking for something more exciting.]

[G-chan, go go go!]

The game officially loads, and the scene slowly advances from a small town inn paved with stone bricks.

A metal chandelier cast a soft, yellowish light, and old-fashioned wooden wall panels revealed the marks of time. The camera gradually zooms in—in the hotel's lounge, five people sit around a table.

The four men looked proud, and the atmosphere was tense. Only the brown-haired youth sitting in the corner looked dejected and dressed simply, making him stand out from the others.

System subtitles appeared:

[Story Event Triggered: Team Meeting]

G-chan coughed lightly: "Yay, the plot is starting! Let's see what these people are up to."

In the scene, team captain Louis speaks first, his voice low and cold:
"Sherlock, you haven't contributed anything lately, the team doesn't need you anymore." Those few words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

Sherlock froze, his eyes dimming instantly, as if his soul had been ripped out. He looked up at the four people sitting around him—the archer Mary, the support mage Pierre, the attack mage Oliver, and his respected captain Louis.

Their eyes held no trace of sympathy.

The barrage of comments exploded:

[What? They kicked someone right off the bat?]

This plot is a bit harsh...

What's going on? Is the protagonist a slacker?

Isn't this exactly the feeling we working people get every day from being subjected to psychological manipulation (PUA)?

G-chan, biting her straw, muttered in a low voice, "I smell a strong stench of exclusion... This team is probably going to collapse."

As the game continued, Sherlock spoke in a trembling voice: "Louis, I haven't been without contribution. I should have helped everyone in some way."

As soon as he finished speaking, Louis sneered, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

"Ha, you don't even have a therapist's license, yet you have the nerve to say such things."

The camera slowly zooms in on Sherlock's face—a clean but slightly pale face with dark circles under his eyes and a slight crack at the corner of his mouth, as if from years of hardship. His gaze tries to remain calm, but hidden behind it is an unfathomable loneliness and repression.

G-chan wrinkled her nose: "What? This country doesn't allow poor people to get licenses? Isn't that discrimination?!"

Does being born into poverty preclude one from getting promoted, receiving a raise, and reaching the pinnacle of success?

This concept is so appealing, it seems so realistic in real life!

【Taoyuan Township is as sharp as ever】

Why didn't the protagonist resist?

“That’s because…” Sherlock tried to explain, his voice barely audible, “that whenever a companion is injured, I immediately cast healing magic. I also cast protective magic to make everyone less susceptible to injury, and I also cast ability-enhancing magic…”

However, Louis simply shrugged dramatically.

"Stop bragging. You might not know this, but to cast a healing spell, you have to chant a spell and draw a magic circle. You're not a saint, so there's no way you could heal someone the instant they're injured."

"We were not injured because of Pierre's protective magic, and also because of our own strength."

At this moment, Pierre revealed a smug smile, his gold-rimmed glasses gleaming slightly, like a victor's pronouncement to the loser.

Sherlock fell silent.

G-chan pointed at the screen: "He's not saying anything! This is so real! The feeling of being wronged and unable to refute it is just like the daily life of a corporate slave!"

The protagonist is so pitiful!

[As expected of a paradise, the game's opening lines immediately evoke pity.]

Why do I feel like crying...? Isn't this the reason I was kicked out of the group yesterday?

The protagonist didn't resist... It's so depressing.

Louis continued, "Sherlock, you should be realizing this by now. We still need to make a good impression on nobles and royalty. If there's someone from the slums in our group, people won't have a good impression of us, will they?"

"...But didn't you consider me a comrade back then?"

Sherlock's voice was weak, but carried an undeniable persistence.

Mary and Olivett couldn't help but laugh out loud, making no attempt to hide their contempt and mockery.

“Companion? Are you serious?” Mary spread her hands, her face full of mockery. “You’re too naive.”

"What we need are people who can bring value, not parasites who hold us back."

Olivet sneered, "We only let you join the team because we were short-handed. You didn't really think... you could fight alongside us, did you?"

G-chan whispered, "The scriptwriter wrote this dialogue so viciously... every sentence is like a knife."

The protagonist is so pitiful, I want to write him an appeal letter.

These teammates are the real parasites!

This isn't an RPG, it's a social anxiety simulator!

[I suddenly feel that the protagonist will definitely have a comeback later! Otherwise, it would be a waste of this start!]

Just then, in the game screen, Sherlock lowered his head, slowly stood up, his back slightly hunched.

He didn't argue, he didn't get angry, he just silently walked out of the hotel, his shadow stretching long in the afterglow of the setting sun.

A system notification sounded:
[Main Quest Update: Free Clinic Opens]

[Mission Objective: Establish your own therapy center.]

[Secondary goal: Gain the trust of your first patient.]

G-chan's eyes lit up: "It's here! The main storyline has finally begun! From being kicked out of the team to opening my own clinic, I love this plot twist!"

This is the true taste of Peach Blossom Spring!

[A remarkable rise from the bottom, a disastrous start, but a brilliant mid-game performance]

I want to work as an intern at this clinic.

Please, please give Sherlock a happy ending!

The atmosphere in the live stream became lively, and G-chan was visibly excited as well.

She said softly, "Have you noticed that although this game doesn't have grand scenes or a savior protagonist, it makes us truly feel the pain of being rejected by the world... and makes us even more eager to see how he gradually gets out of it?"

She smiled, a hint of seriousness creeping into her eyes.

"I think this game is more than just an RPG."

"It is the story of each and every one of us."

"It's a story about how we still want to believe in something even after we've been rejected."

I'm so moved...

I'm willing to complete this game.

【Peach Blossom Spring is awesome!】

[G-chan is absolutely right! Go Sherlock!]

Meanwhile, in the scene, Sherlock is silently wiping the clinic window. Sunlight shines through the glass onto his face, and his eyes remain calm, but with a glimmer of hope than before.

……

In the live broadcast, the air suddenly froze.

Louis clutched his stomach, seemingly trying to suppress a laugh, yet also appearing to deliberately humiliate him as he spoke:
"Idiot, haven't you realized it yet?"

He slowly stood up, deliberately making a loud drag on his feet, and walked up to Sherlock, looking down at him condescendingly.

“We—from the very beginning, were just looking for free workers.”

A casual remark struck me like a nail hammered into my chest.

“If there’s a poor person in the team, even if we don’t give him food and leave him to sleep alone in the wilderness, he wouldn’t dare to complain. He wouldn’t feel bad about using him as a shield in a crisis, understand? You are not our ‘comrade’ at all, you are just a tool.”

G-chan's voice paused for a moment, and then there was a brief silence on the other end of the screen.

"...Wow, this conversation is really toxic."

The barrage of comments exploded:

Damn... that's so hurtful!

I initially thought Louis was just foul-mouthed, but it turns out he's a scumbag.

[Sherlock, run! Run! Stop lingering with this lousy team!]

【Peach Blossom Village lives up to its reputation; each strike is more ruthless than the last.】

Sherlock in the picture seems to have had his soul ripped out.

He didn't refute, he just stood there blankly, as if he could hear those gentle, warm memories from the past, which he had mistakenly thought were "belonging," crumbling like rubble.

Those nights spent eating dry rations around the campfire, those silent walks side by side in the rain, those promises the captain made with a smile, "Follow me, and we'll make something of ourselves someday"—

It turns out, it was all fake.

He clenched his teeth, his fingertips trembling slightly.

That's just how it is; you're useless now.

Louis's tone was indifferent, but his face held an almost mocking, contemptuous smile. (End of Chapter)