The interactive feature went live—zero votes.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwQlEROXzP
Crew scrambled into emergency review meeting.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCb7iDWsRY
The boss proposed casting a vote as self-rescue,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnqbyuW1NM
successfully stepping back into the audience.
145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qRskIStcc
The meeting room lights were stark white.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCTUj6GQt1
Cold-toned light reflected off the ceiling,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTTNsCjJr0
yet never reached the hearts of those seated inside.
The director was seated at the long table,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoMp92ifr3
holding the freshly printed reports in his hands.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gKEB4SAk8
He flipped through them in silence for a moment,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPR1XefNNQh
then, only then, slowly lifted his gaze.
“Today is already the day after the interactive mode went live.”
“Nearly a day and a half has passed…”
“We haven’t received a single audience vote.”
The air stilled for a moment.
“Although the interaction was designed from the outset145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaW2P3SRieK
to enhance immersion and not to require voting—”
“since it was also meant to give the audience a low-barrier way145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkGTHkbXf5
to take part in the creation,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWAbgIcYH2
we still need to talk about this phenomenon.”
As he finished speaking, the manager opened a laptop145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcarO5EjyX9
and added calmly,
“I’ve already gone back over the interaction flow with the tech team.”
"Across the platforms we’ve enabled,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡep42GKPEXF
the form links on Penana and Vocus are set in blue,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xXg2cO7iu
in line with the common visual expectation for hyperlinks."
He pulled it up on the screen and displayed it for everyone to see.
“But on CxC, the text is displayed in gray.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaYixJvguj
The system doesn’t support color changes.”
“For now, all we can do is emphasize it in bold.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZ8Q68mG0k
That limitation could be why some readers may have missed it.”
The art lead crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“So there’s nothing we can do on the technical side?”
“At the moment, that appears to be the case.”
The director let his gaze fall from the projection back to the table,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5oiHMQLHI
a faint furrow forming between his brows.
“Then, looking at the content itself—145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetoUzyqRSz
did we set the timing of the vote in a way that was too hard to ease into?”
At that, the screenwriter adjusted his glasses145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHyEhXBFwG
and flipped open a draft of the script.
“In Episode Fifteen of The Hidden Moon and the Sea of Dawn,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nVw2IeIhX
Father Liu leads a rescue operation,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcpJ9jcVAN
and despite being gravely injured, the rabbit insists on coming along.”
“The sequence builds to its final moments,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw9ji5GjZY
where the enemy resorts to a do-or-die gambit,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsk8DGfFCH1
launching a covert strike against Liu Xiyu145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2MhqVWzvk
just before the rescue succeeds.”
“At the moment the rabbit senses something is wrong,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidhACyWHN7
the line appears in the story—‘Her heartbeat cuts out for a beat.’”
“That’s the trigger point we designed for the interactive option.”
He then shifted his tone,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjRVTS8GdW
and read the passage aloud in a lower voice:
145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWt9JZu8ayc
“Xiyu! No—!”
“Uhh…”
The wind cuts like a blade.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSkLPRJltx
Her claws can barely hold,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyQRYY1SqJ
yet her eyes remain fixed on the raised cuff—
Option A: I can’t let her get hurt… I can do this… I’ll make it to her… I can…!145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01IchCeZqj
Option B: My claws… really are almost out of strength… but if I don’t try… I’ll hate myself for the rest of my life.
145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkKirxF1jM
After hearing the passage, the art lead gave a small nod.
“Shifting into the character’s perspective at the peak of emotional tension,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5p2bStwW2
then using choices to push the story into branching paths of fate…”
“There’s nothing wrong with the story itself.”
The director swept his gaze around the room, his tone easing.
“It seems we had the script, the platform, and the timing all arranged in advance.
The audience may simply not be used to this kind of format yet.”
“But we never really discussed what to do145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPem65ondCC
if no one votes at all.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ppN5LwnNQ
the boss, who had spent the entire meeting tucked into the corner,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgCQ2ueJoU
radiating low pressure and near-total invisibility—145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthxChHBheq
suddenly looked up, as if a keyword had switched him on,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDg1u97Fiom
and sprang to his feet.
“Wait!”
He seized everyone’s attention,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrXwNOr6nK
his expression uncharacteristically serious.
“Listen to me, everyone!”
He took a deep breath first,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCgPFKCKrx
as if carefully weighing his words,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEZ0l5GN9I
before speaking cautiously.
“What I mean is…”
“Is there any chance that…”
“—if no audience members vote,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXw5zdgnMy
does that mean I could… regain my voting eligibility?”
His words started coming faster,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOWxypwiVx
his emotions rising with them.
“I wasn’t allowed to vote before, for the sake of fairness, right?145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoEXynQtFH
But—”
“If nobody’s voting,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyi05HnZ2ET
what fairness is there to protect?!”
He thumped his chest,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmMDyJvtLG
as if rediscovering the meaning of life.
“And to avoid spoilers,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2O7onHcZF
I didn’t take part in the story design at all!145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbfPncMjZn
I have no idea what any of the choices actually lead to!”
“I am an audience member!145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPju9Tihr0g
You can’t take even this chance away from me!”
As he said this,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3H7y22pX4q
his voice began to waver,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33WF31BV9U
a clear sheen of moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes.
The entire meeting room fell into silence.
The screenwriter was the first to agree.
“Actually… that does make sense.”
The art lead bit down on the end of her pen and muttered under her breath,
“True. At this point, the only person in the entire crew who doesn’t know what happens next145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxMOEtUhZQ
is the boss.”
The director propped his chin on one hand and looked toward the manager.
“We’ll need to check with the marketing team to see if this is feasible.”
“I’ll contact them right away.”
The manager lowered his head and sent a message.
The boss sat tensely,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZefRvVPb4
his hands clasped and pressed tight to his forehead,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlZakMcq1h
as if waiting for a verdict to be read aloud.
Ten minutes later, the manager looked up.
“The marketing team said it was possible—but on one condition:145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhXsALnBur
only if there are truly no audience votes145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKAfPmCOyP
may the boss cast a vote as a supplement.”
At this, the boss reacted as if he had hit the jackpot.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhYycRZ4nt
He bolted toward the conference table in a single bound145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4owr55cHOc
and ran three full laps around it.
“I! CAN! VOTE! NOW!”
The director watched his back, a smile in his voice.
“Then tell me which option you want to vote for first.”
“If voting closes and there are still no audience votes,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqDwSj7bcy
we’ll go with your choice.”
The boss made his decision without a second’s hesitation.
“B! I choose B!”
His voice trembled, emotion running high.
“Snff… A-Yue is hurt that badly—145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbyQi6a1XG
how could it not hurt…?”
Emotion surging, he squatted back into the corner mid-rant,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpWWP7mOpt
his face flushed, knees hugged to his chest,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWgRcZxVkW
plunging into his own CP-fueled imagination,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqPhCvnUz3
muttering the characters’ inner monologues to himself.
The others ignored his usual meltdown mode,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpBiUJL1mH
lowering their heads to handle the next set of assignments,145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MxCyntUZh
as if this interruption were just another part of the routine—
because to them,
it truly was.”
ns216.73.216.253da2
and then Add to home screen.