Reborn to Make Games: My Girlfriend is a Game Streamer

"Please, please, please." Chen Bainian readily agreed, then looked troubled. "But... what kind of late-night snacks are available around here?"

He had just moved here and was not familiar with the surrounding area yet.

As for late-night snacks, ever since he developed that "HP System Optimization Plan," this activity has been completely eliminated from his life.

Jiang Yiting was speechless for a moment.

They live in Mingchun Garden, a resettlement community on the outer edge of Lin'an, where the residents are mainly local middle-aged and elderly people.

At this time of day, not only are the restaurants open, but even the streetlights seem unusually quiet.

"How about... we go to Hengtai Commercial Center?" Chen Bainian suggested tentatively. "There's a Haidilao hot pot restaurant there; it should still be open."

"You're asking a person from Sichuan or Chongqing to eat Haidilao hot pot in the middle of the night?" Jiang Yiting's eyes widened, her tone filled with offended shock. "What's the difference between that and asking an Italian to eat Pizza Hut?"

As she spoke, a sudden inspiration struck her: "Wait here, I have something to help in an emergency."

She shoved the "elder brother" in her arms into Chen Bainian's hands and turned back to 1202.

Through the door, I could hear the refrigerator opening and the rustling of plastic bags.

A short while later, she returned with a square plastic food storage container and a glass jar containing bright red chili oil.

"You know how to cook wontons, right?" She handed the food over.

Chen Bainian put "Big Brother" on the ground and silently accepted it.

Jiang Yiting followed them into 1201, stopped at the kitchen doorway, and leaned against the door frame to look around.

The kitchen was tidy, but not as clean and uncluttered as the show flat.

The basic seasonings were all there; the bottles of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar showed signs of use, and there was no dust on the cabinet countertop.

Jiang Yiting concluded that this person was someone who could cook for herself.

"Put it in cold water." She watched Chen Bainian boil water and, as if by professional habit, began to give remote instructions. "Add cold water once it boils, add it again once it boils again, and it's ready when it floats."

The "elder brother" circled around the two people's feet twice.

Finally, it rolled itself into a black ball of fur on Chen Bainian's slippers, rested its chin on its paws, half-closed its blue eyes, and made a contented purring sound.

As Jiang Yiting watched this scene, the frustration and resentment she felt from the game, mixed with exhaustion and resentment, inexplicably dissipated somewhat.

At least, he was impeccable in taking care of the little guy.

"How about... you do it yourself?" Chen Bainian asked half-jokingly.

"Producer Chen," Jiang Yiting crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow at him, and spoke with the efficiency of someone at work.

"You made the game, you dug the pit, and you tortured me with your livestreams. Now, you're trying to make excuses to cook me a make-up late-night snack?"

Chen Bainian laughed in exasperation, shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to open the food container.

Inside, twenty wontons were neatly arranged, with thin wrappers and generous fillings, their delicate pleats resembling snow-white ingots.

"How much?" he asked.

"Download them all."

Chen Bainian followed his instructions and slid his hands into the water.

The kitchen quieted down, with only the sound of the range hood and the soft snoring of "Big Brother".

The rising white steam, carrying the simple aroma of dough and meat filling, quietly dispelled the chill of the night and the tension that had been building up.

"Oh, right," Chen Bainian said, glancing at the wontons bobbing in the pot, remembering something, "'Big Brother' needs to get his first vaccination. Are you free tomorrow?"

"I'll be back this afternoon."

Chen Bainian nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Silence fell again, but this time it wasn't awkward.

He changed the subject: "Of the CD keys from the live stream giveaway, 46 have been redeemed, but there are still 4 people who haven't come to claim them yet."

After finalizing the cooperation details in the morning, Chen Bainian joined Jiang Yiting's fan group to handle the prize redemption.

"Why don't you create your own fan group?" Jiang Yiting asked casually.

"Not for now." Chen Bainian shook his head, half-jokingly saying, "You won't use me and then turn your back on me, will you? You won't stop me from posting 'GG' in the group chat, will you?"

"That depends on what you post," Jiang Yiting glanced at him, her tone casual but serious.

"If it's normal game content, no problem. But if it's anything weird—" she drawled, "I might kick you."

The subtle tension between the two eased considerably.

Jiang Yiting leaned back and asked, "Are game sales picking up?"

"Not bad. Not counting the 50 I sent, it's already over 100." Chen Bainian said calmly.

"There are countless indie games released on Steam every day. Before, you had no promotion or fame, so you couldn't even get a spot on the featured list. Tonight's live stream helped you get through the most difficult 'from zero to one' stage."

Jiang Yiting analyzed objectively, her tone carrying a hint of professional assessment: "However, whether word-of-mouth can spread remains to be seen in the next few days."

"Hmm," Chen Bainian responded, stirring the pan to prevent sticking, and then asked, "Where's your live stream?"

"Not bad." Jiang Yiting's lips curved slightly. She didn't say much, but the relaxation in her eyes revealed her satisfaction.

-----------------

Meanwhile, in Jiang Yiting's live stream fan group...

-Damn, watching Lou Ge play already made it seem difficult, but when I played it myself, I realized it was hell!

-Isn't this Mr. "Hard to Say"? What, are you digging the ground too?

I didn't win the lottery, but I bought it after Lou Ge's live stream ended. Now I'm stuck on the wall lamp that was the first time Lou Ge was depressed.

Get a refund now, before the two hours are up.

- Yes, hurry up and get a refund. This game is not for human beings. I feel like Lou Ge's friend is just messing with her.

- Refund? That's impossible. I just gave a positive review, and I want more people to see it so they can all come in and feel depressed.

-Good idea, I'll post it on a few other forums next door.

- It's too late. You only remembered to post this after the live stream was over. What were you doing all this time?

- Oh? Then I guess I'll just have to go farm experience points.

-Aaaaaah! My keyboard!

Oh no, one of them has gone mad.

- Game cost + a keyboard, hahaha.

The "digging for advancement" trend is quietly spreading from the "12th floor" livestream studio to more and more corners.

-----------------

The wontons were cooked, and Chen Bainian scooped them out, filled a large bowl, and was about to leave.

"Wait," Jiang Yiting stopped him, looking at the full bowl in his hand, both amused and exasperated, "Why did you put everything in one bowl? Aren't you going to eat it?"

"Me?" Chen Bainian glanced at the time, his tone matter-of-fact. "It's already this late..."

"Are you just going to watch me eat all by myself?" Jiang Yiting narrowed her eyes.

"Or... why don't you take it home and eat it yourself?" Chen Bainian offered another "reasonable" suggestion.

"Do you think I can finish all this by myself?" Jiang Yiting pointed to the full bowl.

"Didn't you say you'd already downloaded it?"

Jiang Yiting didn't argue with him anymore. She turned around, took out another empty bowl from the cupboard, and cut it in half without saying a word.

"Want some chili peppers?" she said, already unscrewing the can of chili oil.

A strong, assertive aroma of spiciness suddenly burst forth, instantly filling the kitchen.

The jar had no labels, indicating that it was homemade.

She skillfully scooped up a large spoonful of chili oil and was about to pour it into Chen Bainian's bowl.

"Less is fine! Less is fine!" Chen Bainian quickly raised his hand to stop him.

Jiang Yiting glanced at him sideways, flicked her wrist, and sent half a spoonful back before pouring it into his bowl.

That look clearly said: Is that all?

Chen Bainian braced himself and carried the bowl of wontons with red oil floating on top to the small dining table.

Jiang Yiting followed and sat down. She first stirred the chili oil in her bowl, then scooped up a spoonful.

The thin, translucent dough wrapped around a generous filling, soaked in a bright red broth. She blew on it and put it in her mouth.

"Ah, that's great!"

On this cold night, I was "tortured" by the game and "tricked" by my neighbor.

Only the wontons her father made by hand, two thousand kilometers away, paired with the red oil he personally stir-fried, carrying the flavor of their hometown, could warm her from her stomach to her heart.

On the other side, Chen Bainian, who has long lived in the Yangtze River Delta region and has a light diet, is waging an arduous "battle against spiciness".

He ate until his nose was sweating, and he needed to stop every now and then to catch his breath.

"Tsk," Jiang Yiting couldn't help but laugh as she looked at his slightly disheveled appearance, "Your fighting power is about the same as Xiao Yezi's."

"That's still different," Chen Bainian said, taking a deep breath and stubbornly maintaining his last shred of dignity. "She drinks milk when it's spicy, but I don't."

"Hahaha." Jiang Yiting finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Her smile dispelled the lingering fatigue between her brows, and she appeared lively and bright under the warm yellow light.

Late at night.

Jiang Yiting picked up her "big brother," who had somehow curled up at her feet and was dozing off again, patted his bottom, and got up.

"Let's go, you can clean up the dishes. Thanks, Producer Chen."

She walked to the door, turned back and waved to him, her eyes still holding a lingering smile.

The door closed gently.

Chen Bainian stood there, listening to the faint sound of a door closing and locking next door. He looked back at the two empty bowls on his dining table and the pots and pans waiting to be washed in the kitchen. He raised his hand to rub his temples and chuckled helplessly.

He walked to the whiteboard in the study, his gaze falling on the striking red title "HP System Optimization Solution 1.0".

Perhaps, at the end of this meticulous plan, we should add a supplementary clause that introduces some uncertainty:

Additional variable: Unplanned interpersonal interactions.

This is probably the most unpredictable and unavoidable X factor in all systems.

The emotional drain and energy replenishment it brings need to be dynamically assessed.

The current assessment result is:

Although it disrupted my sleep schedule, although I was quite burned by the spiciness, and although I still had to wash the dishes...

But it doesn't seem so bad.