Chapter 78: New Game Plan!

Qian Liang was forty years old this year.

He had lived through the era of watching movies together at the village entrance, the excitement of the whole village when someone bought a black-and-white television, and the days of strolling around with a radio on his shoulder. He had also experienced the era of getting into university, which was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate¹. In fact, he was that very carp; he had gone abroad to study, experienced various cultural clashes, and his thinking had always evolved with the times.

He always felt that every era would produce its own unique stories and marks.

The post-80s generation, the post-90s…

With the gradual rise of the Huaxia economy, he saw the Subor game console become the main theme of childhood.

This trend had lasted for a long, long time, and even now, the wind was still blowing.

Back then, if a child had a Subor at home, they were a veritable “rich second generation.”

After the millennium, arcades became popular…

Then, he witnessed the rise of the home computer.

Walking into an internet cafe, you would always see Legend taking over, sounding the call to go out and grind monsters.

A new era seemed to be sounding its horn!

He keenly realized that the future computer game market would be massive.

And in such an era, what new stories would be born?

As one of the heads of BMW Huaxia, he was actually looking forward to witnessing the start of this era. If he could participate in it, that would be even better.

“Hello… we’re from Universe Technology. My name is Wu Zhuang. If possible, I hope we can cooperate. This is my business card. I’d like to speak with your leadership if it’s convenient. Could you introduce me?”

This happened just a few days ago.

He had just gotten out of his car, considering the Huaxia policies and promotional issues handed down from headquarters…

He happened to see a tall young man with a backpack and an honest smile handing out business cards in front of the Huaxia headquarters.

The sun was scorching, and the face of that young man in a suit was covered in sweat.

The security guards were actually quite annoyed with him. Although they politely accepted the card, it was clear from their expressions that they wanted him to leave quickly.

At first!

Qian Liang wasn’t interested.

After all…

Every day, many people came to the Huaxia headquarters under the guise of cooperation to meet with management and talk business.

Management was busy every day.

Where would they find the time?

So…

He had simply brushed past the young man.

That evening, he happened to go online and saw all sorts of messy news stories.

He clicked on one to take a look…

When he saw the words “Universe Technology,” he instinctively clicked the link.

Was that tall guy from the Northeast he saw earlier today from Universe Technology?

He actually remembered him.

That man from the Northeast looked very honest and was also very tall, nearly two meters.

Someone like that certainly left an impression.

Then…

He stared blankly as he read about Universe Technology’s clever maneuvers, as well as the various interesting stories about the dating version of God of Conquest collaborating with businesses.

As he kept reading!

He keenly realized that Zhang Yang of Universe Technology was a damn marketing genius!

He definitely had to talk to someone like this, someone with a modest education who had built everything from scratch!

So, he found the contact information online and dialed Universe Technology’s number.

…………………………………………

The decor at Universe Technology was very simple.

When he walked into Zhang Yang’s office, what caught his eye wasn’t brand-new furniture or computers, but the words “Purple Qi from the East” written in crooked brushstrokes on the wall.

Qian Liang stared at it for a long time but still couldn’t figure out what kind of brushwork had been used.

It seemed to be cursive script²…

However, it was completely different from formal cursive. It seemed to have no technique at all, yet if you called it graffiti, it was framed and hung right in the center of the office.

If it hadn’t been written by someone of importance, why would it be framed in the center?

“President Qian, hello!”

“President Zhang, hello, hello. President Zhang, are you… are you twenty-five yet?”

“Cough, cough, you could say I’m twenty-one.”

“Ah…”

Qian Liang stared at Zhang Yang, truly astonished.

Although he knew from the internet that Zhang Yang might be young, seeing him in person still left him absolutely stunned.

This was just too young.

In his early twenties…

He should still be in university!

“President Qian, actually, I just started my business a bit early. Many people abroad start even earlier than I did. President Qian, please, have a seat.”

“President Zhang is too modest.”

Qian Liang noticed that although Zhang Yang looked young, his eyes and voice gave off a sense of maturity, even making him feel like a peer.

Having met countless people, he was a bit confused by the situation.

Going through certain experiences can indeed make a person mature, but that’s a maturity of character. The kind of maturity required to navigate the business world with ease absolutely requires age and experience.

At Zhang Yang’s age, it should be impossible…

He even had the feeling that Zhang Yang had a thirty-year-old soul hidden beneath a twenty-year-old exterior.

As their conversation deepened, Qian Liang became even more surprised.

It even felt somewhat unbelievable.

This young man had very unique insights into everything. He even had his own theories about BMW. From the aerodynamics of the cars to future development plans, Zhang Yang could speak with authority.

And the points he mentioned were many of the same strategic policies that had been proposed after layer upon layer of branch and headquarters meetings!

Qian Liang was truly shocked.

Even if Zhang Yang had done extensive homework beforehand, it shouldn’t be this exaggerated, right?

“President Zhang’s insights are very unique. We can certainly learn from your opinions, haha…” Of course, on the surface, he remained calm as he sipped his tea, appearing completely unaffected, and ended with a hearty laugh.

“I was just speaking off the cuff…” Seeing Qian Liang laughing, Zhang Yang followed suit.

He felt this President Qian was quite charismatic. He seemed to radiate a golden glow, and his plump figure made him look like a living Maitreya Buddha³.

“President Zhang, to be honest, I’ve been interested in games since I was a kid. Your Manager Wu came to our company before to discuss a partnership, but I still have some doubts about it. I’m not sure how exactly you’re hoping to collaborate with us?” Qian Liang looked at Zhang Yang with a smile. “Our BMW company and game companies… we rarely have anything to do with each other, do we?”

“We do indeed rarely interact. In fact, we never have before,” Zhang Yang nodded with a smile.

“So, what can you offer us? Fame? we aren’t lacking in that. Profits? It seems you can’t provide much of that either…”

“Based on a market survey and my own personal speculation, BMW’s consumer base will increasingly target the younger generation, right?”

“Yes.”

“The future belongs to the internet era of the youth. In this digital age, the one thing we can’t avoid is computer games. Future computer games will have a massive, even staggering, population of young people. This is a trend that no one can stop…” Zhang Yang looked at Qian Liang.

“Go on…” Qian Liang stopped smiling, his expression becoming serious.

“It’s far too early to talk about virtual worlds, but the pressure in the real world is truly immense. Many people need a way to release the stress in their hearts. And we provide these young people with a second world to do just that,” Zhang Yang said with a smile.

“Then… what does that have to do with BMW?”

“We can customize a game specifically for you. In the virtual world, we can let young people experience the true performance of your BMWs, thereby rooting the concept of your brand as their first choice. We can even include your rival companies in the game…”

“Continue!” Hearing this, Qian Liang became even more interested. “What if we want to sell motorcycles in Huaxia? How can you use motorcycles to open the market? Or rather, how can you ensure your game is more effective than television commercials?”

“That would be by capitalizing on the dividend of the pre-installation era. I want to turn the concept of motorcycles into a competitive one. As I’ve said before, games are competition – a type of competition just like sporting events…”

“…”

“…”

…………………………

Liu Ruohan was hopelessly addicted to the online game.

The moment she got off work at noon, she rushed home and logged into God of Conquest, unconsciously starting her quest tasks.

The aesthetic art style…

The romantic music…

And the voices that occasionally tugged at her heartstrings, making her feel sweet inside.

Who could possibly resist this!

At this moment.

She looked exactly like a girl with an internet addiction, staring at the screen all day.

Soon!

Several more hours passed.

Once she had nearly finished her tasks, she fell back into her usual cycle of emotions!

“Ahhh! Why did I start playing again!”

“Definitely not playing next time!”

“…”

After turning off the computer, she kept running her fingers through her hair, her heart surging with regret and self-reproach.

She wasn’t usually someone who obsessed over looks.

But…

She had somehow turned into a sucker for a handsome face!

Opening the internet…

When she saw that Prince Knight’s ranking had dropped out of the top fifteen, her mood was affected once again.

“Why does everyone like the cold, genius seniors and overbearing CEOs? And those cute little boys?”

“What about the Knight!”

“Why does nobody like the Knight!”

“…”

Liu Ruohan felt miserable.

She felt like all these people were blind.

After casting a vote for her beloved Knight, she hesitated for a while before finally being unable to resist posting a selfie!

After hesitating for a long time…

She finally gritted her teeth and hit the send button.

This kind of behavior was actually very stupid!

She knew that everything on the internet was virtual and not worth it!

But…

She just wasn’t happy about the situation!

Anyway, the whole company felt the same way!

She might as well just…

Go for it!

She posted an at-home selfie of herself in the most popular “Game Bar⁴.”

She made a pitiful expression, looking both dazed and cute with her lips pouted, her eyes slightly red as if she were about to cry.

“Um… brothers and sisters, could you please vote for Prince Knight? I think he’s so pitiful…”

After posting a few photos, she added those few lines in the comments below.

She felt like she was going to vomit!

Ugh!

This was deathly embarrassing!

But…

The management of Mumaen Company wanted her to be the spokesperson anyway…

And this was her family’s own company to begin with…

Better to keep the benefits within the family!⁵

She would just treat it as testing the waters in advance to see her online influence…

…………………………

Qian Liang walked out of the office.

As he came out, he saw Manager Wu making a phone call not far away.

“Is this the Mercedes-Benz company?”

“Hello, hello, I’m Wu Zhuang from Universe Technology…”

“Yes, I’d very much like to talk to you about a collaboration…”

“…”

Wu Zhuang was standing nearby, shouting at the top of his lungs as he conducted telemarketing.

Wu Zhuang was different from the marketing departments of other companies…

Compared to other managers who sat in their offices, Wu Zhuang’s daily work seemed to consist of carrying a stack of business cards and looking for businesses to collaborate with everywhere.

Whether it was food or daily necessities, as long as a business caught his eye even slightly, Wu Zhuang would personally and shamelessly approach them…

Many of Universe Technology’s previous business partnerships had been brought in by Wu Zhuang running around every day.

He seemed even more proactive than an insurance salesman.

As soon as a client came through the door, Wu Zhuang would push them to Zhang Yang to talk…

Zhang Yang really had a knack for it…

He could easily analyze the other party’s situation and figure out exactly what they needed…

Qian Liang narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the office.

Deep down, he felt a genuine sense of admiration for Zhang Yang.

Just thinking about the game they had discussed…

Qian Liang suddenly felt a surge of pressure!

Regarding Mercedes-Benz…

Although they didn’t have motorcycles, according to Zhang Yang’s idea, it was entirely possible he could create a concept where Mercedes-Benz cars could crash into BMWs at will…

Shortly after, he hurried out of Zhang Yang’s company.

He needed to report the current situation to headquarters and request funding.

Once Qian Liang had left…

Zhang Yang finally stepped out and looked at Wu Zhuang.

“Old Wu… you can stop acting now. He’s gone…”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. That’s a big fish…”

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes, staring in the direction Qian Liang had departed.

“President Zhang, can you really handle their game?”

“I can.”

“Then if I bring in other clients, can you handle them too?”

“No matter the industry, as long as you can bring them in, I’ll find a way to handle it. Even if I don’t design a full game for them, we can always release patches for God of Conquest!”

“I understand!” Wu Zhuang’s eyes lit up.

“Good. Keep up the hard work.”

“Right… I’ve already sent my marketing team out to look for clients everywhere…”

Zhang Yang nodded and glanced over the market data again.

In this world…

At least for now, single-player games were mostly narrative-driven. Competitive racing games existed, but none had really taken off.

From Zhang Yang’s perspective, their playability was quite low.

As for motorcycle games, they were non-existent in this world.

No one had even attempted to make one.

Just as Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes and prepared to start drafting the framework for a motorcycle game…

He suddenly saw Wu Zhuang scrolling through a news feed.

“President Zhang, you’ve reached the top!”

“What?”

“President Zhang, the knight character based on you is about to hit number one. Heavens… is someone cheating? How could they close such a huge gap?”

“What’s this? Based on me? You guys put me in the game too?” Zhang Yang was bewildered.

There were simply too many characters in the dating version of God of Conquest. He had only reviewed a few before giving his approval…

He hadn’t bothered looking at the rest…

“Yeah!”

“Huh?”

Dazed, Zhang Yang picked up the laptop beside him…

(End of chapter)

Translator’s Notes