At this moment, both Hu Tao and Kiana had already put on their masks and hats.
"Alright, let's head to the school first," Mo Li said, turning his gaze toward the little girl beside them—Griseo.
Judging by her height and age, Griseo seemed a little younger than Hu Tao.
"Your name is… Griseo?"
Griseo gave a small nod. "Hello…"
"Are you and Hu Tao in the same class?"
Before Griseo could answer, Hu Tao giggled. "Nope~ Griseo's a year below us!"
"I see…"
Mo Li paused for a moment, then asked, "Have you played Honkai Impact 3rd?"
Griseo nodded. "Mm… I saw Kiana… and Sister Durandal… in the game."
"And what did you think?"
"Hmm?" Griseo tilted her head, not understanding what Mo Li meant.
"I mean, do you like the game?"
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head. "I don't know…"
Mo Li: "..."
A bit slow, but adorable nonetheless.
Just as Mo Li was wondering whether he should meet Griseo's parents, Hu Tao suddenly hugged his arm.
"Boss, don't tell me you're thinking of making a character based on Griseo?"
Mo Li raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think that?"
"Because Griseo's really cute~ You should totally consider it~"
"Oh~ so you'd like her to join too?"
Hu Tao and Kiana both nodded vigorously.
"Well, we'd need to ask her—and her family—first."
Mo Li was still troubled over how to bring it up, but it was clear that the three girls got along really well.
"Griseo, do you want to join MiHoYo Studio with us~?" Hu Tao asked excitedly.
"It's super fun there, and we don't even have to go to school every day~"
Mo Li: "..."
So that's the real reason they want to join the studio—to skip class?
Yeah… he really needed to have a word with Durandal about this.
After all, Durandal was Kiana's guardian. Their futures should be her decision.
He was, at best, an outsider. Forcing them to give up their studies would be… inappropriate.
Even if he could guarantee them stable jobs and income, education was not something he should meddle with.
If they regretted it later, he'd be the one to blame.
Meanwhile, after listening to Hu Tao and Kiana, Griseo thought for a while.
"If I go there… Can I still paint?"
Kiana and Hu Tao nodded like crazy.
"Of course! And Sister Bronya even takes us out sometimes—there's this amazing place for painting!"
"Then I want to go…"
Mo Li: "..."
That… was way too easy.
"Cough… Little Griseo, it's better if you talk to your guardian first. How about giving me their phone number so I can ask for their opinion?"
Griseo thought for a moment, then took out a pen and paper, writing down a number.
"This is… Sister Aponia's number?"
Griseo nodded, then shook her head. "It's Mama Aponia's…"
"Eh? But she's the same age as Sister Himeko—why call her 'Mama'?"
Hearing that name, Mo Li froze for a moment.
Aponia? She's here too?!
Well, perfect—he could discuss signing her as well.
"Aponia…"
Mo Li leaned closer to Kiana, whispering, "Was Griseo adopted?"
Kiana nodded. "Yup! Griseo grew up in Klee's orphanage. Aponia adopted her later."
Mo Li: "..."
What the hell—Teyvat's top arms dealer and one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers adopted her? That orphanage sounds anything but ordinary!
Looks like I'll have to pay that place a visit. Who knows how many more potential characters are hiding there…
While he was thinking that, they finally arrived at the school.
Griseo went to her exam room, while Mo Li led Hu Tao and Kiana to the principal's office.
By now, both girls were basically youth idols.
If they appeared openly at school, it would cause an uproar.
Plus, being in a shared exam hall would distract the other students.
So, the school arranged a private room for the two of them.
When Mo Li met the principal, the latter greeted him with overflowing enthusiasm—throwing out every "young and promising" compliment imaginable.
Mo Li couldn't help feeling embarrassed from all the praise.
After some polite small talk, the exam began, leaving Mo Li with nothing to do.
So, he took out the paper Griseo had given him and dialed the number.
After a few rings, a soft, gentle voice came through the speaker.
"Hello~"
Mo Li's eyes lit up. It really was her voice!
"Hello, my name's Mo Li. Is this Miss Aponia?"
"I am. What is this about?"
Mo Li hesitated briefly, then smiled. "Well, are you familiar with MiHoYo? The company behind the popular game Honkai Impact 3rd?"
"Honkai Impact 3rd…" she murmured softly, then replied, "Yes, my daughter plays it."
Mo Li sighed in relief. Good—this would make things easier to explain.
"Here's the thing—I'm Kiana's boss. I own MiHoYo Studio. You know Kiana and Hu Tao, right?"
"I do."
"Perfect. When I dropped them off at school today, I met Griseo. I found her personality very unique and wanted to design a character inspired by her."
"You don't need to worry about payment—it'll be very fair."
Then, Mo Li waited nervously.
There was silence on the other end for quite a while, which made him uneasy.
"I'll ask her after school what she thinks."
Mo Li finally exhaled in relief.
Looks like signing Griseo was a sure thing. Next up—Aponia herself.
He smiled. "Great. Maybe after she finishes her exam, we could meet to discuss it?"
"Are you free right now?"
"...Please wait a moment."
Aponia ended the call, then scrolled through her contacts and found Durandal's number.
Although they rarely talked, Aponia still knew her.
She wanted to confirm what kind of company this MiHoYo Studio was.
If she recalled correctly, Durandal's game studio went by that name too…
So naturally, she was skeptical of Mo Li's claims.
The call connected quickly, and Durandal soon cleared up her doubts.
To Aponia's surprise, MiHoYo really had been acquired by this man named Mo Li.
But upon hearing that Durandal still worked there—and that most of the staff were kind young women—Aponia's worries eased.
Finally, when Durandal reassured her that Mo Li was a trustworthy person, Aponia decided to meet him in person.
Soon, she called Mo Li back.
"Hello? Miss Aponia, have you decided?"
"Mm… should I go to the school now?"
"No rush. Let's wait until Griseo finishes her exam."
…
After hanging up, Mo Li finally felt a weight lift from his chest.
Signing Griseo was practically guaranteed.
Now all that was left was convincing Aponia—he'd leave that to fate.
Before long, the morning exams ended.
Kiana and Hu Tao walked out of the hall looking completely dejected.
Mo Li rubbed Hu Tao's head. "What's wrong? The questions too hard?"
"Didn't understand a thing…"
Kiana nodded gloomily. "Basically handed in a blank paper… I'm doomed. Sister Bronya's going to lecture me for sure."
Mo Li sympathized.
He had only just graduated from college himself—he knew that feeling all too well.
"Alright, don't think about it. I'll treat you to a big meal."
At those words, both girls instantly brightened up.
"But first, let's find Griseo…"
As soon as he said that, Griseo appeared before them.
It wasn't a coincidence—Kiana and Hu Tao had arranged to meet her.
"Kiana, Sister Hu Tao…" She paused, then looked at Mo Li and softly muttered two words:
"Otto…"
Mo Li: "..."
He wanted to correct her, but after a moment's thought, decided to just let it go.
"Griseo, come have lunch with us."
Griseo shook her head. "Mama Aponia's waiting at home…"
Mo Li smiled. "She'll be joining us too."
Upon hearing that, Kiana and Hu Tao's faces lit up with excitement.
Then Griseo's eyes sparkled as she suddenly ran toward a certain direction.
Mo Li followed her gaze and saw a tall, graceful woman standing quietly in the distance—Aponia.
Hu Tao and Kiana spotted her too and hurried after Griseo.
Mo Li followed at a steady pace.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Mo Li~"
Aponia gave him a calm once-over before nodding. "I'm Aponia."
"Shall we find somewhere to sit and talk over lunch?"
"Alright." She didn't refuse.
Soon, Mo Li brought the car around and took them to a pleasant restaurant, reserving a private room.
On the way, Aponia asked for Griseo's opinion.
With Hu Tao and Kiana there, Griseo was, of course, delighted to join MiHoYo Studio.
So during lunch, Mo Li carefully broached the topic with Aponia.
When she realized he wanted to sign her as well, she was quite surprised.
Initially, she planned to decline.
But after thinking about it—how the studio was mostly girls, and how she could keep an eye on Griseo—Aponia agreed to at least visit the studio.
Seeing her consent, Mo Li finally relaxed.
Everything had gone far more smoothly than expected.
He couldn't help but sigh. "Hu Tao and Kiana really are my lucky stars…"
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