The full moon hung high, its silver glow bathing the land.
Lu Li returned to the hotel at eleven o'clock that night.
As the saying goes, the moon is roundest on the sixteenth day of the fifteenth month.
Perhaps it was because he had just walked under the moon with someone, but Lu Li felt that tonight’s moon was bigger, rounder, and whiter than any other night!
His lips were practically turned up to the sky the entire way. As soon as he entered the hotel, Lu Li’s expression instantly turned cold.
“Wanwei Games, I’ll see what you’re capable of.”
Opening the laptop he carried with him, Lu Li murmured, his tone extremely icy.
Dragons have scales that, if touched, lead to death!
He had not let go of the day’s events.
On the contrary, the phrase ‘dog and bitch’ had deeply pricked the most sensitive part of his soul.
Even after punching the gap-toothed man and breaking two of his teeth, his anger had not diminished by even half.
Even though he had appeared gentle and refined during the day, showing no emotion.
Lu Li preferred to release his truest self when he was alone.
This applied to his excitement as much as his anger.
Crackling!
His fingertips danced across the keyboard, and large swathes of news about Wanwei Games leaped onto the screen.
He scanned, his eyes fixed, for all information pertaining to Wanwei Games.
First, they held the title of uncrowned king, ranking third among the two major domestic game giants.
In its early days, Wanwei Games was on par with Pig Factory.
Later, Pig Factory chose to venture into the international market and pursue a path of independent, high-quality games, while Wanwei Games chose to go head-to-head with Goose Factory in the online gaming arena.
Ultimately, Pig Factory became one of the two major domestic giants due to its success in the international market and its acquisition of numerous overseas game distribution rights.
Wanwei Games gradually fell behind as Goose Factory continuously squeezed its market share.
However, a starved camel is still larger than a horse. Wanwei Games, relying on its unique early accumulation, still managed to defeat Old Fourth Perfect Games and become the ace third player.
There was a chasm above, but it was more than enough compared to those below.
It could be said that a leader's temperament determined a company's development potential and future.
Wanwei Games' founder, Li Chao, whose lack of discernment was a hallmark of his temperament, had inadvertently shaped the company’s corporate culture.
Thus, Chen Nan (the gap-toothed man), responsible for the VR game sector, was no different, and his envy was even more pronounced.
For years, Wanwei Games’ perennial third-place position had been a frequent subject of industry jest.
Originally, Wanwei Games rather enjoyed being teased.
After all,
Losing to the two major domestic giants, Pig and Goose, was nothing to be ashamed of.
Until…
The malevolent Lingjing suddenly appeared, and within a mere two and a half years, it had become one of the three dominant giants, standing shoulder to shoulder with Pig and Goose as a dark horse.
Two and a half years, 138 Reading Network.
In less than three years, it had directly accomplished what Wanwei Games had failed to achieve in over a decade.
From then on, the talk of the perennial third place in the industry vanished, and the fourth place disappeared entirely.
Market corners were filled with expressions of awe, amazement, confusion, and doubt regarding Lingjing’s rise… but not a single mention of Wanwei Games, once a celebrated name.
No matter how much promotional budget they poured in, they were invariably crushed and driven out by Lingjing’s game releases at various stages.
Do not underestimate the power of brand effect; sometimes, precisely because of this brand effect, it can form the final psychological defense for players to ‘ignore risks and continue installing’… or rather, ‘confirm purchase’.
How could Wanwei Games not be angry? Unable to establish a brand effect, game sales continued to decline, player loyalty dwindled, and a vicious cycle began, leading the company downhill…
Lu Li understood all of this.
He even suspected that Wanwei Games’ chairman, Li Chao, had cursed Lingjing in internal company meetings, even calling him a clown.
“Achoo!”
Thousands of miles away, Li Chao sneezed. He rubbed his nose and grumbled, “Who is this clown insulting me?”
He looked eastward. “I wonder if Chen Nan’s meeting will bring any good news. We absolutely must ensure a relaxed review system, my one and a half years of breaking the boat and sinking the ships!”
Lu Li’s guess was correct.
Li Chao had repeatedly cursed Lingjing in internal meetings for using tactics to buy trending searches and Lu Li for being a clown who performed for attention.
As a veteran of established game manufacturers, he naturally looked down upon the newcomers.
Moreover, these newcomers were now defecating on his head.
If the chairman was like this,
Then the leadership of Wanwei Games was naturally no better.
To put it plainly,
The arrogance of an old, declining game giant looking down on later climbers prevented them from treating them as equals.
Li Chao was like this, and so was Chen Nan.
Especially Chen Nan, who participated in the seminar and felt nothing but contempt and disdain upon seeing Lingjing’s representative’s unique style.
But when Bai Zhiyuan appeared.
This exceptionally beautiful, aloof ice mountain, who could shame the moon and eclipse the flowers, walked directly towards the person he most disdained.
His arrogant heart shattered.
His contempt and disdain transformed into deep jealousy.
Lu Li’s confrontation with the research personnel at the venue had created a commotion, even nearly leading to unprecedentedly strict reviews, jeopardizing the company’s future.
He was enraged.
By extension, that peerless beauty, who captivated with a single glance, had become tainted by association with that vulgar rabble.
Therefore, Chen Nan exploded!
Ding ding ding!
As he was muttering, Li Chao’s phone rang.
“Moshi moshi?”
“Old darua, would you prefer good news or bad news first?”
Chen Nan’s voice, slightly slurred, came from the other end of the phone.
“Speak properly, are your teeth loose?”
“Boss rua, you guessed right, but there’s no prize.”
Chen Nan briefly recounted the day’s conflict with embellishments.
Li Chao listened with a mixture of emotions, finally asking curiously, “Just how beautiful is this Bai Zhiyuan you speak of? Did you take any photos?”
“Boss rua!” Chen Nan was almost crying with frustration, “I’m still stuck in the Jiudaogou police station, hurry and get me out!”
“Duang duang!! Time is running out, Chen Nan, hurry up.” The voice of the beat cop came from the phone.
Li Chao finally remembered the important matter and quickly asked, “The bad news is that you were beaten and are in custody. So what’s the good news? How are the VR game review policies?”
“The online game department has been abolished, and the review policies are now the same as PC. However, the control over player age and physical condition is stricter,” replied the gap-toothed boy Chen Nan.
“I knew it!”
Li Chao slammed the table, his face flushed with excitement. “Hahaha, I knew it, my gamble paid off this time!”
“Me, me, me, boss rua, get me out…”
Beep!
The call ended.
Putting down the phone, Li Chao immediately picked up the office phone and dialed the front desk of the publicity department. “Call your minister to my office, quickly!”
Two minutes later, the head of publicity arrived, breathless.
“Boss!”
“Quick! Without delay! With the highest intensity! Bombard our first VR post-apocalyptic survival FPS game with advertising! Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
He then dialed the head of the development department. ““To the New World” can proceed to the final testing phase. The testing department needs to put in some overtime for these two months. Once testing is complete, we aim to launch in May, coinciding with Goose Factory’s new VR game. Are there any problems?”
“There are… oh no, no, no problems.”
“Are there or are there not?”
“No…”
“To the New World” was Wanwei Games’ flagship VR masterpiece, developed over a year and a half.
It was a post-apocalyptic, zombie-invasion, wasteland survival FPS shooter VR game.
Previously, they had been restrained by the Sword of Nasdaq hanging over their heads – the regulatory measures. Now that regulations had eased, if not now, then when!
Ten years ago, after losing the company’s fortune, Li Chao had learned from his mistakes and finally welcomed the VR era. This time, he was going all in.
He was betting on “To the New World” in the VR gaming sector, where Pig Factory, Goose Factory, and Lingjing were already deeply involved, risking the company’s future.
Even though Pig Factory and Goose Factory had already developed two VR games, he was still determined to bet and win back everything he had lost a decade ago!
As for Lingjing, Li Chao genuinely looked down on this small workshop, not taking it seriously at all.
Sometimes, it must be said,
Weakness is not an obstacle to survival; ignorance is.
Beep!
Li Chao hung up the phone and glanced at the head of the publicity department, noticing he was still standing there. His anger flared. “What are you standing around for? Go deploy advertisements for pre-heating!”
“Oh, oh, yes.”
…
Beep beep beep!!
Lu Li, who was searching for news related to Wanwei Games, immediately received several new game advertisements placed by Wanwei Games.
““To the New World,” apocalypse, zombies, wasteland, FPS…”
The more he read, the wider Lu Li’s smile grew.
He had been wondering what theme of game to choose, and here came the inspiration.
“Let me think, let me think…”
Lu Li stroked his chin, his thoughts racing. Familiar post-apocalyptic game scenarios flashed through his mind like a slideshow.
Finally, the image settled on a scene of an uncle holding a little loli.
…
(I’ve gone back to my hometown and am typing on my phone. It’s less than three thousand characters. Still a thousand short. I’ll make it up when I get back tomorrow. I won’t split the paragraphs.)
(I gained nothing today and even lost several hundred yuan to a professional matchmaker. I shouldn’t have come back for this damn blind date. Damn it!)