News that Jiang Rong would compete with a new game spread, and her fans couldn’t hide their worries.
“Compared to the proven Slime Match-3, the new game carries much more risk.”
“If the new game’s performance doesn’t surpass Slime Match-3, that would be such a shame.”
“True, it looks that way on the surface. Jiang Rong’s choice to use a new game means the results are uncertain. But the new game also has an advantage that Slime Match-3 doesn’t—it can help Jiang Rong reach a broader community of gamers and fans.”
“Exactly. If she entered with an old game, the player base would overlap a lot. Veteran players’ engagement doesn’t weigh as much as gaining new players.”
Liang Man and others had calmed down and realized that while using an unknown new game to compete had drawbacks, it also presented opportunities.
“Right, if we fans just play Slime Match-3, we’re old players. But if we try the new game, we count as new players.”
“This way, Jiang Rong’s new game gains a solid foundation,” Liang Man and the others felt pleased for themselves.
Jiang Rong didn’t yet know of her fans’ efforts; she was busy developing her game.
After settling on the game style, she began organizing the game’s content.
The money earned from Slime Match-3, apart from buying a house, still left her with a good sum—all of which she was now investing into the new game.
There are ways to develop frugally and ways to spend lavishly. Although the budget for this game wasn’t small, for the standards of game production, it was barely sufficient.
As time passed and the Carnival Annual Tournament approached, Jiang Rong’s game became increasingly polished.
Finally, before the competition started, Jiang Rong completed and uploaded her game.
To ensure fairness, the games wouldn’t be revealed immediately upon uploading but would wait until all entries were in, then be showcased together when the competition officially began.
Soon, the Carnival Annual Tournament kicked off. Both developers and players eagerly awaited the start. Once underway, they rushed into the game interface.
Some players had clear goals from the outset, immediately searching for games they wanted to play.
Qu Yuan was one such player. She played Slime Match-3 and was also a fan of Jiang Rong.
This time, with Jiang Rong entering the Carnival Annual Tournament, the fans were eager to support her.
So, Qu Yuan and other fans downloaded Jiang Rong’s new game together.
“Jiang Rong’s new game is called Home of Adorable Pets—quite in the same vein as Slime Match-3.”
Qu Yuan noticed the game’s name but couldn’t guess its contents just from that.
That was because Jiang Rong’s new game was a type never before seen in the Star Network.
After registering an account, Qu Yuan entered the game.
At first glance, she saw a large group of fluffy, soft cats and dogs and couldn’t help but squeal in delight before lunging toward the furry creatures.
Surprisingly, she missed.
The game prompted: 【Please choose your staff members, limited to two.】
“Only two pets?!” Qu Yuan’s eyes widened.
She then looked at the pets’ pained expressions. “I want them all.”
With so many adorable creatures, she wished she could take them all but sadly couldn’t.
Reluctantly, Qu Yuan had to give up many furry ones and choose carefully.
“Only two? Then one cat and one dog it is.”
“As for color…”
With a clearer goal, she quickly picked her pair—one cat and one dog.
The other pets vanished, leaving only the selected cat and dog. The dog greeted her enthusiastically; the cat was graceful.
Just as Qu Yuan bent down to hold them, when she stood up, the surroundings suddenly changed.
She found herself holding the cat and dog inside a modest shop.
The shop was square-shaped with transparent glass walls on all sides, letting her watch passersby outside.
Near the door sat the counter; further inside stood two light-colored tables with matching chairs in a simple, elegant style.
On the same side as the counter, four small bowls sat on the floor—two for food, two for water.
Qu Yuan looked down at the two little companions and saw four green bars floating beside them, indicating: Fullness, Hydration, Mood, and Health.
Her own four main stats were: Funds, Store, Renovation, and Pet Shop.
“Renovation lets me move furniture around and rearrange the shop. Funds can be spent in the store and pet shop to buy items and pets. But… where do the funds come from?” Qu Yuan wondered.
Just then, the two pets in her arms struggled, and before she could react, they landed firmly on the floor.
Before Qu Yuan moved, two girls entered the shop from outside—they were fellow players.
With practiced ease, each picked up one cat and one dog, then sat down and began petting their animals.
Qu Yuan was stunned, about to speak, when a notification sounded indicating income credited.
She quickly checked her funds and saw they came from the two customers.
Indeed, Qu Yuan had grasped the gameplay: players earn money through their pets serving customers. The longer the customers stay, the more the player earns.
The first group of customers reluctantly stood to leave and said, “Boss, we’ll come again next time.”
“…Sure.” Qu Yuan watched them exit, then hurried to check on her two little pets.
Though lively as before, their stats had shifted: health remained steady, but fullness, hydration, and mood had dropped.
Qu Yuan understood clearly that hosting customers took a toll on the pets.
Luckily, she hadn’t been idle and browsed the store to find various foods, drinks, toys, and furniture.
Food raised fullness, water boosted hydration, toys lifted mood, and furniture allowed pets to relax and play.
She wished she could buy everything, but her funds were limited.
The money she had barely covered the most basic food, water, and toys; pet furniture was beyond her current means.
“Little ones, once we earn more, I’ll get you better food and water,” Qu Yuan said affectionately to her pet employees.
Customers came one after another but always stayed in groups of two—never three at once.
Time passed unnoticed, the sky darkened, and customers stopped coming.
Sitting on a chair, petting her cat and dog, Qu Yuan tallied her earnings.
“Earning and spending at the same time—it’s hard to save up much.”
In one day, she earned several thousand units, but pet food, water, and toys consumed a large portion, so profits were modest.
At this rate, when could she improve conditions for her little ones?
With no better ideas, Qu Yuan checked the game’s forum.
Being a new game, Home of Adorable Pets had only a few posts so far.
But whenever players did post, it was usually high-quality advice.
【Regarding Home of Adorable Pets, how do players quickly increase their funds early on?】
Qu Yuan saw the title and clicked in without hesitation.
The host didn’t bother with pleasantries and jumped straight to the key points.
【Players looking to boost their funds should start with the furniture—more precisely, the shop’s layout improvements.】
【For example, replacing the two sets of tables and chairs with more expensive ones. Once players enter, their spending will be higher than with the basic furniture. The host personally tested this and it works.】
“More expensive furniture, but I don’t have that much money,” Qu Yuan looked at her game account. She didn’t have enough to buy pricier tables and chairs.
【Of course, in the early stages of the game, funds are limited—you can’t afford better furniture. Another approach is to increase the number of tables and chairs, which can attract more customers.】
【Two methods—one depends on quality, the other on quantity.】
【Oh, and one more thing to remind everyone: at the start, you only have two pet staff. If a third customer comes and you don’t manage to pet their animal, just standing in line earns no money.】
“Scared me! Luckily, I was slow,” Qu Yuan quickly retracted her finger, patting her chest in relief.
“Meaning, it’s all about quality then.”
While increasing seating can get customers to queue earlier, the effect is limited—after all, sitting idle without earning money isn’t sustainable.
“If you don’t want customers waiting around idly, wanting to make money right away, you can add more pet staff.”
“But the problem is, a pet costs quite a bit—definitely not something a beginner can manage,” Qu Yuan murmured.
The second day, Qu Yuan checked her funds. She had enough to buy a new set of tables and chairs, but she hesitated—should she deduct the expenses for her pet staff?
“The little pets’ green bars turned red, roughly needing about ten customers,” she thought. “I hope after changing the furniture, I can earn enough to cover their expenses.”
After deducting her funds, Qu Yuan bought a new set of tables and chairs.
And as expected, customer spending increased.
“Excellent! With today’s earnings, I can even replace the second set of initial furniture, and I can buy better food and water for the little pets.” She was thrilled as she calculated her profits.
By evening, her shop had swapped out both sets of tables and chairs. The little pets, after a day’s work, also enjoyed better food and drinks.
They had new toys, making them happier.
Qu Yuan held her two little companions in her arms, feeling full of warmth. “Don’t worry. Mommy will work hard to make our home better and better.”
As she spoke, her eyes turned moist. She couldn’t help but bury her head in the furry bodies of her pets.
Because of various reasons, life in the Interstellar era had seen nearly all other species die out—except humanity, which was now under strict protection.
Wealthy individuals could buy pet robots for companionship, but for most people, that was an unaffordable luxury.
Qu Yuan still remembered seeing ads for pet robots when she was a child and begging her parents to buy one. The pain of their difficult refusal still lingered in her heart.
Growing up, she got a job, earned her own money, yet her childhood dream felt far away.
She’d given up hope that her wish could come true, until these adorable little creatures unexpectedly appeared beside her.
At that moment, her childhood wounds, which had grown even deeper over time, suddenly vanished.
Such players like Qu Yuan weren’t rare in the Interstellar era. In the game, many others loved pets dearly but couldn’t have them.
Now, “Home of Adorable Pets” was like a gift of healing, a remnant of her own past regret.
Surprised but grateful, they cherished it immensely.
“Besides furniture, it seems other parts of the shop can be upgraded too, like installing new flooring and adding decorations by the windows,” Qu Yuan observed.
Soon, the flooring was replaced, and small decorations decorated the window area. The shop still looked the same, but it felt much warmer.
Of course, customers’ spending also grew more generous.
【Upgrade the furnishings, save money, and I finally arranged a little nest for my two little pets!】
On the day she achieved this small goal, ecstatic, Qu Yuan went to the forum and made a post—she even shared pictures of her two pets in their new little nest.
The response was full of envy, since few players at this stage could give their pet staff such a cozy home.
“Jealous! I hope my little ones can have their own nests soon.”
“Looking for tips. We all play at the same time, so why is there such a huge gap? I’m just barely getting by, but I definitely don’t want my little ones to suffer like I do.”
Seeing this, Qu Yuan shared her own gaming advice.
After writing it, she returned to the game. “Next target: increase the number of tables and chairs.”
Things she couldn’t do before, she now could.
Because increasing the furniture meant she would have enough funds to buy her third pet staff.