It was only from Qi Che that they learned he had a girlfriend of five years.
Upon hearing this, the others quickly joined in the teasing, "Exactly, how can such great joy happen without our sister-in-law present? Brother Che, we want to meet the boss lady!"
These were his companions for the past year. Infected by their enthusiasm, Qi Che smiled and picked up his phone. "Wait, I'll ask her if she has time."
"How could she not have time? This is Brother Che's celebration banquet. It would be improper if sister-in-law didn't come, haha."
"Exactly, exactly. Brother Che, you must assert your authority and command sister-in-law to come. Otherwise, if we go out to have fun and you take a fancy to another pretty girl, sister-in-law won't even know where to cry."
"Indeed, you are so handsome and capable, and you will have more glory in the future. Sister-in-law should keep a close eye on you; she's really too carefree. I must have a good talk with sister-in-law at tonight's dinner about paying more attention to you."
The smile on Qi Che's face faded slightly. He looked seriously at the teasing individuals and pursed his lips. "Firstly, I won't fancy other girls. Secondly, this isn't my glory, but hers. If she's willing to come, don't say too much in front of her. To me, nothing is more important than her."
Seeing that he was unhappy, they quickly changed their tune, "Alright, sister-in-law is the boss."
"Don't worry, I'll just eat and stay quiet. Whatever sister-in-law says goes."
"Seconded!!!"
Qi Che asked Qiao Ci if she wanted to come out for the celebration banquet that evening, and Qiao Ci readily agreed.
After setting the venue for the dinner, Qi Che told the studio staff to go ahead; he was going home to pick up his girlfriend. Everyone was envious again.
They were eager to see what kind of little fairy could make a genius handsome guy like Qi Che dote on her, paying no attention to any other beauties.
After all, there were girls in the studio. Pretty and young ones who actively pursued him would be fired the very next day if they confessed.
He said he had a girlfriend and didn't want to keep any girls with intentions towards him in the studio.
Later, when girls came for interviews, they would be specifically reminded that while work errors were manageable, confessing to Brother Che would inevitably lead to dismissal.
Some, not believing this, relied on their good looks to subtly flirt with Qi Che, but they were all dismissed. Currently, out of the studio's twenty-odd employees, there were only two women—Yu Shu and Yun Wanwan.
Both of them had a good impression of Qi Che, but they were very smart and never showed excessive emotions in front of him. Their work efficiency was also very high, which was why they were retained.
Qi Che returned home, and Qiao Ci was ready.
As they approached the dinner venue, Qi Che advised, "They can be quite boisterous. If you don't like it, you don't have to tolerate it. I'll take you home."
"Mhmm," Qiao Ci agreed.
When they arrived, everyone else was already there, and the dishes had been served. They were just waiting for the two of them.
Upon seeing Qiao Ci, the companions' eyes lit up. She truly was a woman worthy of Brother Che—beautiful and with a great figure, though her expression was calm, giving a distant impression.
Zheng Ping, the leading figure of the atmosphere-setting crew, quickly greeted them, "Brother Che, Sister-in-law, hello."
The others followed suit in a line.
Qi Che held Qiao Ci's hand, looked at her with a tender and captivating gaze, and then introduced her to everyone, "This is my girlfriend, Qiao Ci."
In fact, he wished he could say "my wife," but they hadn't gotten their marriage certificate yet. He had expected they could get married after graduation, but he had been too busy with game development.
He also wanted to spend time with Qiao Ci in the evenings, and he was basically in the studio during the day.
Qiao Ci had never complained about these things, nor had she ever proactively proposed marriage. Qi Che suddenly felt a little wronged.
He wanted to bring it up himself, but he felt he was neither here nor there, and he wanted to give her a grand wedding based on his own capabilities, so this matter had been delayed until now.
Facing everyone's enthusiasm and friendliness, Qiao Ci responded with a smile, and then they sat in the main seats.
After they sat down, seeing the atmosphere was a bit tense, Zheng Ping stood up again and said to Qi Che, "Sister-in-law is so beautiful! No wonder Brother Che is reluctant to let sister-in-law come out. He's keeping her hidden away like a treasure."
Qi Che glanced at him, "You're using the wrong words. Don't misuse them."
Zheng Ping quickly stood at attention, promising to be more careful next time.
Yun Wanwan looked at Qiao Ci and asked with a smile, "It's the first time I've met Brother Che's girlfriend after following him for so long. Hello, my name is Yun Wanwan. Please guide me in the future~"
Qiao Ci looked at Yun Wanwan, not showing too much enthusiasm, but replied, "Hello, my name is Qiao Ci."
Xiao Shaozi saw this scene through the system space and immediately felt indignant. It didn't show its displeasure too obviously, but instead subtly reminded Qiao Ci, "Host, Xiao Shaozi feels that this Yun Wanwan is acting all fake. What do you mean by 'following Brother Che for so long' and 'asking you to guide me in the future'? Her words are laced with barbs. Xiao Shaozi doesn't like her."
Qiao Ci knew very well that Xiao Shaozi was reminding her, but she wasn't worried at all. She just replied faintly, "Mhmm, I don't like her either."
Seeing that Qiao Ci seemed not to have understood the hidden meaning in her words, Yun Wanwan thought for a moment and asked again, "Sister-in-law, what kind of work are you doing now? Brother Che never tells us about your situation, so everyone is very curious~"
Seeing that she was still pushing it, Qiao Ci gave her a meaningful look and replied, "I'm unemployed. I eat, drink, and play all day, not having to worry about anything."
"Oh, this..." Yun Wanwan didn't expect Qiao Ci to reply like this. Not only was she not ashamed of being unemployed, but she seemed proud of it.
After thinking for a moment, she said to Qiao Ci like a caring elder sister, "Actually, I think it's leisurely to stay at home, but women should still have their own careers. Economically independent women have more confidence."
Qiao Ci remained noncommittal, merely giving her a faint smile without speaking.
At this moment, Qi Che spoke up, "She has been economically independent for a long time. The startup fund for my venture was provided by her. You could say she's supporting our entire studio by herself."
He wasn't stupid; he could tell that Yun Wanwan was mocking Qiao Ci for not having a job, being lazy, and relying on a man.
Yun Wanwan's eyes widened, not quite believing Qi Che's words. She smiled and said, "Brother Che, you're really joking."
"Not only was the startup fund provided by her, but the preliminary plan for the full-immersion game was also proposed by her. You could say that without her, there would be no me today, and no future for the full-immersion game."
After speaking, Qi Che took a ring out of his pocket and knelt on one knee. His deep eyes looked at her as if she were his entire world. "A'ci, actually, I've wanted to propose to you for a long time. Will you marry me?"