Gotta say, Childe's hands-on skills are pretty damn solid—probably thanks to that high combat talent of his.
After messing around with Getting Over It, he picked up the controls super fast—way quicker than Keqing.
And when it comes to dealing with setbacks? Childe's got grit. The more he struggles, the more fired up he gets.
Every time he gets yeeted back to the "Happy Home," he just comes back more determined to beat the challenge.
But, hey, he's still human.
Childe's personality means he doesn't play it safe. No slow and steady climbing for him—he's all about launching himself upwards with wild hammer swings. So, naturally, he ends up back at the bottom a lot.
And over time, even the most stubborn ones start feeling the burn.
That frustration only gets worse the higher you go before falling again.
"Gaia (＞д＜)!!"
Yup. My guy's broken. Childe's actually out here yelling like some over-the-top shounen protagonist.
It's been years since he's had this many setbacks.
At first, Getting Over It didn't seem too bad. But the longer you play, the more it feels like it was made just to piss you off.
The map design is brutal—one tiny mistake and boom, you're back to square one.
"Boss Rui Shen, is it even possible to beat these two games?"
Childe slumped over, totally defeated, not even sure he wanted to keep going. So he turned to Rui Shen behind the counter.
The rest of the onlookers were just as curious, waiting to hear what Rui Shen would say.
Rui Shen shot them a side-eye. "If you suck, don't blame the game. These two are old classics back in my world. Of course they're beatable."
"You young folks need to chill out. With the hammer, it's all about patience and technique. And when you're in the hallway, look around—every clue matters. Once you figure it out, you'll clear it in no time."
That little lecture left everyone feeling a bit sheepish.
Yeah... maybe they were rushing things.
The internet café's only been open two days, and these games are brand new to everyone. They haven't even spent that much time on them yet.
The day flew by. Rui Shen closed up shop at eight, since he was heading to Qunyu Pavilion for dinner.
Thanks to yesterday's buzz and today's crowd, he'd racked up over 7,000 emotional points.
Once he got back from dinner, he planned to upgrade the internet café.
Taking the "elevator" up from Yujing Terrace, Rui Shen arrived at the Qunyu Pavilion floating hundreds of meters in the sky.
It was way bigger than the in-game version—basically a palace in the clouds.
If Liyue ever ran into a serious threat, this place could definitely serve as an aerial fortress.
"Boss Rui Shen, welcome! Thank you for accepting the invitation to Qunyu Pavilion."
Ningguang was already waiting at the entrance, greeting him with her usual elegance.
"You're the busy one, Miss Ningguang. I'm the one crashing your dinner party," Rui Shen replied politely, following her inside.
Honestly, he kinda liked this girl.
Started from nothing, worked her way up from a small-time trader, and became one of the most powerful figures in Liyue.
She's a once-in-a-century business genius. Every merchant in Liyue dreams of catching a few tips from her.
Rich, powerful, influential, and drop-dead gorgeous. Rui Shen wasn't immune to that kind of charm.
It was just the two of them at dinner tonight. Ningguang expressed her gratitude for Rui Shen's presence.
From that, he figured it was probably Rex Lapis who'd filled them in about him.
If it weren't for Rex Lapis vouching for him, tonight's dinner might've been more of a test—maybe even a subtle attempt to squeeze something out of him for Liyue's safety.
But with the Geo Archon's endorsement, the whole evening was more about curiosity—especially about Rui Shen's world.
"You're asking about our business model? I mean, I know a little, but I'm no expert. Wouldn't want to give bad advice."
"Oh? Why's that? Please, I'd like to hear your perspective."
"Well… Teyvat's kinda small, and there are monsters all over the place. The actual livable land for people is super limited. If you want the economy to grow, you gotta solve the land issue first."
"That's true. Liyue Harbor expands a bit every year, but it's still kinda cramped."
…
After food and good conversation, it was already past ten.
Seeing it was getting late, Rui Shen got up to leave.
Ningguang walked him back to the elevator and watched as he left, thinking she might want to keep in touch with this guy.
Truth is, she wasn't exactly young anymore—probably around Beidou's age.
She'd spent all these years focused on business and protecting Liyue, not thinking much about her own future.
She had plenty of admirers, but none who truly impressed her.
Could Rui Shen—the man from another world and Rex Lapis' guest—be the right one?
Back at the café, Rui Shen was ready to start the upgrade.
There were only 20 computers—way too few. Even with time limits, people could end up waiting all day without a turn.
And if they couldn't actually play the games themselves, the emotional energy they provided was way less than that of active players.
So first thing's first—add more computers.
Spending 5,000 emotional points, Rui Shen initiated the upgrade.
The store didn't physically expand on the outside, but the space inside stretched like magic, and the computer count jumped from 20 to 50.
Thirty more machines—finally looking like a proper small-scale internet café.
With just over 2,000 points left, Rui Shen figured he'd try his luck at rolling for a new game or video.
The lottery system was a gamble—1,000 emotional points minimum, no upper limit.
The more you invested, the higher your chances of scoring a top-tier game or a full-length film.
But for all he knew, 2,000 points could land him another rage-inducing indie like Getting Over It.
Still, no risk, no reward.
He tossed in the first 1,000.
Congratulations, you've unlocked a video: "Boss Hu Tao Teases Employee Zhongli."
"Huh? Sounds like a fan-made video or meme edit or something."
Curious, Rui Shen opened the café's new media player to check it out.
Yup. A short, second-creation video alright.
"Tsk tsk tsk… this one's gold. Can't wait to see how Hu Tao and Zhongli react to this (*￣︶￣)."
Grinning, he closed the video and threw in his last 1,000 points.
Congratulations, you've unlocked the game: "Super Mario."
"No way—Mario? Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
He launched the game, and boom—waves of nostalgia hit him like a truck.
The classic pixel graphics from the original Super Mario Bros on the FC. That's the same one he used to play on the bootleg "Little Tyrant" console.
"Super Mario, man… the memories."
He hadn't owned one as a kid—parents didn't buy it for him even though they could afford it.
So he always had to sneak off to neighbors' houses to play, sometimes even kids from the next village over.
He got in trouble a lot for that.
Super Mario would be perfect for launching tomorrow. Way easier than Getting Over It, and it's not some horror trip like Silent Hill: PT.
With that done, Rui Shen kicked back and relaxed.
…(￣▽￣)~...
Next morning, the café opened at 8 a.m.
Even though he had more stamina than most, Rui Shen still wasn't immune to the temptation of sleeping in.
The early customers, already waiting at the door, grumbled a bit but quickly went quiet when they stepped inside.
And then—shock.
The store looked completely different overnight. It was twice the size, and there were dozens of new machines.
But weirdly, the store next door was still open. Nothing had changed on the outside.
"Am I still dreaming (′?ω?)? How'd the inside of the café get so big?"
"I checked outside. The fabric shop's still right there. What gives?"
"It's gotta be adepti magic! I heard some techniques can create entire small worlds!"
"This boss… Rui Shen's definitely not your average guy."
...
After the initial shock wore off, everyone rushed to claim their seats.
Today's time limit was upped to four hours per person—still not ideal, but better than nothing.
Once they logged in, the players spotted the new game and the shiny new video player.
Right on cue, Hu Tao, Zhongli, and Childe also walked in.
"Yo, now this is impressive," Hu Tao said, eyes wide as she took in the revamped store.
Childe looked just as surprised. Only Grandpa Zhongli stayed calm—this kind of thing was exactly what he expected from Rui Shen.
Childe, always eager to learn forbidden knowledge, had started chatting with Zhongli recently.
And when it comes to making connections fast, money talks.
As a Fatui Harbinger, Childe had plenty of that.
He slipped a bit of "pocket change" to secure some quality time with Zhongli and Hu Tao—today's mission: game time.
The moment they turned on the computers, the three of them spotted the new additions.
And right there in the video player… one title stood out:
"Boss Hu Tao Teases Employee Zhongli."
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she clicked on it right away.
Zhongli followed suit, wondering just what his chaotic boss had been up to this time...