Chapter 178: Lecture Canceled?
Chen Mo was stunned. "Her? A designer?"
Qiudaoyu crossed her legs. "What, can't I be a designer?"
Chen Mo said, "Aren't you the lead dancer for Dizhao Interactive?"
Qiudaoyu nodded. "Yeah, lead dancer, and also a game designer."
Chen Mo nearly spat out blood. "What the hell? That's the first time I've heard of such a combination."
Qiudaoyu smiled. "A game designer who just happens to know how to dance, what's so strange about that? Don't you also write songs?"
Chen Mo blinked a couple of times. "That actually makes sense... I have no comeback for that..."
Qiu Hengyang chuckled. "I say, Qiujiang, stop messing around here. You're an S-class designer at Dizhao Interactive, why aren't you eating with your own people? What are you doing hanging out with us?"
Chen Mo was confused again. "Qiujiang?"
Qiudaoyu nodded. "Yeah, my real name is Qiujiang. Qiudaoyu is my stage name."
Chen Mo was speechless. Damn it, why didn't you just say you were Qiujiang from the start? No wonder that staff member at the game expo was so obedient to you!
Of course, Chen Mo knew Qiujiang. She was an S-class designer at Dizhao Interactive, and she was the one who made *Oracle of the Moon Goddess*. It was basically a large-scale game on the same level as *Legend of the Sword Immortal*.
It could be said that within all of Dizhao Interactive, Qiujiang's status was among the top. Rumor had it she was even bold enough to go toe-to-toe with the CEO, Lin Zhaoxu.
But there were very few photos of Qiujiang, and Chen Mo had never specifically looked her up. Besides, at the expo, the name tag Qiujiang wore said "Qiudaoyu." How was Chen Mo supposed to know that was her stage name?
Qiujiang looked at Qiu Hengyang, picked up a piece of fruit with her fork, and put it in her mouth. "This is an awards ceremony. It's not like people from the same company have to stick together. I want to hang out with you two. Is that not allowed?"
Qiu Hengyang: "..."
Chen Mo: "..."
Qiujiang continued, "Or are you afraid I'll steal some trade secrets? You two are just little B-class nobodies. If anyone should be worried, it's me."
The corner of Qiu Hengyang's mouth twitched slightly. "We're both A-class now."
"Oh, A-class now, huh?" Qiujiang gave a meaningful smile. "Congratulations, congratulations."
Qiu Hengyang: "...I don't feel any congratulations at all!"
Qiujiang spread her hands. "Mainly, the people at Dizhao Interactive are all too boring. A bunch of wooden blocks. Talking to them too much feels like my IQ is being dragged down."
Chen Mo thought for a moment. "Alright, if you want to tag along, go ahead. Otherwise, it'll make us look like we're hiding something."
The three of them ate and chatted. Qiujiang was the type who listened more and talked less, occasionally throwing in a few words to liven up the atmosphere. Chen Mo could tell she was nothing like those ordinary B-class designers; she was sharp.
But Chen Mo wasn't worried about that. So what if she was an S-class designer? Give me a couple more years, and I'll be an S-class designer too!
Soon, the three of them finished eating. They had some coffee, and the afternoon activities continued.
Qiujiang said, "I happen to have a lecture. You guys want to come listen?"
Chen Mo nodded. "Sure."
Honestly, Chen Mo wasn't picky. None of these lectures meant much to him anyway. He'd just listen casually.
Qiujiang's lecture was titled *"How to Effectively Use Fantasy IPs in Large-Scale Games."* It mainly covered some insights from the development of *Oracle of the Moon Goddess*.
A lot of people came to listen. Every seat was full, and people were even standing in the aisles. Luckily, Qiujiang had arranged front-row seats for Chen Mo and Qiu Hengyang.
Fantasy IPs were currently a hot topic in the country, seemingly on the verge of surpassing the xianxia genre. Fantasy had more freedom, and the country's ability to produce its own fantasy IPs was relatively strong. Games like *Oracle of the Moon Goddess* and *Demon Slayer Calamity* were all adaptations of popular domestic fantasy novels.
Qiujiang was very calm and explained things thoroughly. She controlled the entire lecture with ease, timing it with extreme precision—not a minute over, not a minute under.
When the lecture ended, the entire audience erupted in thunderous applause.
"Amazing. No wonder she's a big shot. An S-class designer sees things from a completely different angle than we do."
"Yeah, even though I didn't understand a lot of it, I still feel like I gained a lot. I need to go back and digest it properly."
"Look at her. She's only 28, a woman, and already a top-tier designer in the country. What can you say? Comparing people just makes you feel inferior!"
Qiujiang seemed to have heard that. She glared in that direction, then sat down huffily in the seat next to Chen Mo.
Qiu Hengyang snorted with laughter. He leaned in close to Chen Mo and whispered, "She really hates it when people mention her age. Be careful."
"Oh, I see." Chen Mo turned to Qiujiang and said, "Don't be mad. You're so pretty, no one would ever guess you're 28 this year."
Qiujiang was stunned. She stood there, completely bewildered. Damn it, was that supposed to be comforting?!
The lecture was over, but most of the audience didn't leave. They stayed in their seats, chatting amongst themselves.
Chen Mo was a bit puzzled. "Why aren't they leaving?"
Qiu Hengyang checked the lecture schedule. "Oh, there's another lecture coming up. It's called *'Analysis of Profit Models for Card Mobile Games.'* These people are probably staying to listen to the next one."
"Oh?"
Chen Mo looked. Sure enough, the next lecture was *"Analysis of Profit Models for Card Mobile Games,"* and the speaker was Qiu Bin from Dizhao Interactive, the designer of *Demon Slayer Calamity 2*.
Chen Mo grinned. "This one's good. I've got to hear this."
Although Chen Mo himself knew the profit models for card mobile games inside and out, he had no idea how the designers in this world analyzed them. He could only guess.
This was a good chance for him to "learn" this world's perspective on card mobile games. Maybe he'd even gain a new angle.
The venue was packed. Many audience members were waiting for the lecture to start, but two staff members outside were in a panic.
"What? The lecture's been canceled? Why was it canceled?"
"Damn it, weren't we notified two days ago? Qiu Bin couldn't make it to this awards ceremony for personal reasons, so the lecture was canceled."
"No one told me!"
"Forget it. It's not a big deal. Go to the venue now and tell the designers. They can go listen to another lecture."
"Alright, I'll go tell them."
Chen Mo and the others were waiting when a staff member came in from the entrance, walked up to the stage, and spoke into the microphone. "We are very sorry to inform everyone that Mr. Qiu Bin has previously applied to the organizers to cancel his participation in this event due to personal reasons. Therefore, this lecture is canceled. You are free to attend other lectures."