Chapter 75: Frenzy!

Liu Ruohan played the game all the way until noon.

The midday sunlight streamed through the window.

Clutching a throw pillow, she stared at the handsome, gentle knight on the screen. She found herself unable to look away; there was even a baseless sense of longing deep within her heart.

She had intended to close the game and click the “X” long ago.

But!

In the end, she never clicked the mouse.

In truth…

The plot of this damn game was really annoying!

And wasn’t it way too childish?

Only an idiot would play this game!

And yet!

She had truly become that idiot!

The hero saving the damsel she had fantasized about as a child, the dreams of soaring through the sky on a unicorn, the scenes of being guarded by a knight under the gaze of a thousand eyes—it was all being presented one by one in the game!

The visuals were breathtakingly beautiful!

Accompanied by various soft, melodic tracks surrounding her, the atmosphere was filled with romance.

“Give me your hand!”

“Hold me tight, we’re going to fly very fast!”

Even now, her mind echoed with the image of the Prince Knight clad in armor, sitting atop a unicorn and firmly reaching out his hand toward her.

She stared, somewhat dazed.

Her hands moved involuntarily, clicking “Confirm.”

Then…

She saw the landscapes of the game world, the beautiful scenery, and the Prince Knight focused on riding the unicorn while looking toward the horizon.

Even though it was virtual, she felt an indescribable sense of security. She even found herself faintly looking forward to the future.

Without realizing it!

She began performing the conquest tasks.

“I love the milk tea unique to Ice and Snow World. Could you help me buy a cup? Thank you!”

“…”

“Sigh… after peace returns, I hope to go to the Great World Cinema to see a performance. I heard the shows there are wonderful!”

“…”

“I will definitely protect you!”

“…”

Each task was accompanied by various expressions from the Prince Knight.

There was excitement, regret, distress, and despair…

Every expression seemed to strike a chord in Liu Ruohan’s heart.

Seeing the Prince’s affection level for her drop…

She actually felt worried. Seeing his affection level increase, she actually felt happy.

When a day in the game ended and the world began to darken…

Liu Ruohan stared at the fading screen…

Even the knight’s sleeping posture seemed quite handsome?

She actually felt a bit reluctant to leave!

Then, she shook her head violently!

“How could I be obsessed with this kind of game!”

“I must be crazy!”

“When I think about it, this game is full of product placements and brainwashing advertisements!”

“Delete it!”

“I have to delete it!”

Liu Ruohan finally turned off the computer and lay down on her bed.

Exhausted, she finally drifted off to sleep.

Only, in her dreams…

She seemed to dream of Zhang Yang’s face…

And then…

It was inexplicably sweet!

When she woke up…

She turned on the computer, but suddenly she couldn’t bring herself to delete it.

A game…

Should at least have an ending, right?

………………………………

“This game is a bit brain-dead!”

“During the day, I am working in real life, and at night, I am working in the game…”

“Isn’t this torture?”

“But… what leaves me speechless is that I am actually enjoying it!”

“…”

As night fell.

Sun Jian was live-streaming his gameplay on Tieba using text and screenshots.

Halfway through the stream, staring at the workplace environment on the screen, he couldn’t help but voice his lamentations.

He felt like his brain had short-circuited.

But…

When he thought about how in reality, no matter how hard you worked, you would still just be where you are!

But in the game, after being able to pursue such a beautiful, overbearing CEO, he was full of drive!

Even if it was virtual, the virtual world could give him joy, a tiny bit of achievement, and a sense of anticipation.

When he saw the netizens on Tieba all following his stream, commenting things like “Hu Bingqing is so beautiful!”, “I love President Hu!”, and “I want to ask, what data should I fill in the questionnaire to be assigned to President Hu?”…

His sense of achievement peaked!

Although many people’s characters were low-level office clerks just like his.

But so far…

It seemed very few people had been assigned the icy female CEO, President Hu, as their conquest target!

Most were assigned coworker girls, hospital nurses, or the pure girl-next-door…

Even with the same questionnaire data, the assigned target wasn’t President Hu!

He felt like he was unique.

The number of characters in this game seemed immense, so many it shocked him!

Even for the “Overbearing Icy Female CEO” archetype, there were several different templates…

………………………………

The night grew deep.

At Shengteng Technology.

Xu Hailong, the head of the game department who had been busy all day, received a report.

After glancing at the data, he felt his head throb. He repeatedly verified the numbers several times in disbelief!

Two hundred and fifty thousand!

Was this for real?

The download count for Zhang Yang’s romance version of God of Conquest had reached two hundred and fifty thousand in less than a single day!

This was insane!

One had to realize that Human Killing Machine, backed by Shengteng Technology, had only sold one hundred and eighty thousand copies on its first day!

This wasn’t just breaking a record; this was a myth!

He felt nothing but shock!

Did the romance game market really have such huge potential?

He didn’t believe it.

He truly didn’t believe it.

Immediately, he called his assistant. Before long, there was a knock at the door.

“Is this game by Zhang Yang really completely free?” he asked, looking at his assistant.

“Yes, Mr. Xu, completely free!”

“No charges for items?”

“Items cost money, but it is in-game currency. The game has no top-up channel. Some players are actually complaining, saying they hope a top-up channel will be opened appropriately…”

“What?”

“…”

Xu Hailong was completely stunned when he heard the news.

His head was buzzing.

In his eyes, a man like Zhang Yang would never make a free game!

After all, Zhang Yang was a smart man, and smart men did not do charity like this…

But he had done exactly that, and it was entirely free!

Xu Hailong found it truly hard to believe.

Does this guy not want to make money?

“However, while Zhang Yang’s game is free, he is using a different method. He is playing the traffic game! According to the latest information I have received, Zhang Yang had already made a fortune before the game was even released. He pulled in dozens of merchants to pay for advertising. A preliminary estimate puts it at no less than five million yuan!”

“What!”

Xu Hailong looked up at his assistant in shock.

When he took the list of merchants the assistant had compiled, his spirit jolted!

In that moment, he understood everything!

“He didn’t fleece the players. He used the reputation of the previous education version of God of Conquest and used the free download as a gimmick to hype up traffic and download numbers. Then, leveraging that massive traffic and topicality, he pulled in capital and fleeced the investors for everything he could!”

“Capital trusts him. After all, investors have investigated his story. A man who built something from nothing is inherently convincing. Add to that the massive success of the education version of God of Conquest, and he becomes even more credible. I have heard that some capital groups, inspired by God of Conquest, have seen the massive potential in the parent market and are preparing to manufacture actual learning machines…”

“Zhang Yang is a master of hype. I even suspect that many of the internet trolls claiming it was impossible for his game to be free were actually hired by him to drive up traffic!”

“His goal was to lure capital into the game. Or rather, by the time he announced it was free, the capital was already in!”

“…”

Xu Hailong listened as his assistant told the story.

Even a battle-hardened veteran like Xu Hailong felt goosebumps rising!

It was a true feeling of the new generation surpassing the old¹!

“Fine!”

“As expected!”

“Zhang Yang is hyping up a download myth for his single-player game…”

The assistant glanced at his laptop, a complex expression flashing across his face.

Then, he showed the screen to Xu Hailong.

Xu Hailong saw a headline on Tieba.

“Shocking: An Unprecedented Revolution in Gaming!”

“…”

The title was sensational!

Clicking in, the article was written in a highly stirring style, reviewing the history of single-player games from their inception to the present day…

And then…

The following content focused on the myth created by God of Conquest!

It was written with incredible fervor!

It even used the global sales of the American hit single-player game, War Song, as a target!

The American game War Song sold 600,000 copies globally on its first day!

Huaxia sales were 179,000…

The article implied that God of Conquest was going to break War Song’s total record!

Though anyone in the industry could see it was pure bluster, the words between the lines were blood-pumping and highly persuasive!

The comment section below the post was filled with all sorts of messages!

Netizens were shouting that the springtime of single-player games had arrived!

Many netizens who did not even play games could not help but download it after seeing the news.

After all!

The game did not cost a cent. There was nothing to lose by downloading it for free.

Even Xu Hailong felt a sudden urge to download it!

This game had already moved beyond the single-player circle, and even beyond the gaming circle itself…

It had gone mainstream!

“Such aggressive marketing!”

“Isn’t he afraid of a backlash from the capital?”

“And… will this really work? Tell me the moment there is any new information.”

After calming down, Xu Hailong suddenly shook his head again.

The assistant nodded silently and left the room.

…………………………………………

September 3rd.

Ice and Snow World milk tea headquarters.

A young man was pacing nervously back and forth in his office.

Usually at this time, he would be taking a nap.

But right now, he had no desire for sleep; instead, he felt an indescribable sense of anxiety.

Occasionally, a look of uncertainty regarding gains and losses flashed between his brows.

His name was Chu Huan!

He was the founder of Ice and Snow World milk tea.

Although the title of “founder” sounded impressive, the Ice and Snow World brand had only been approved six months ago.

By 2005, milk tea was already quite popular.

At the entrance of every university, you could always see six or seven students crowded around a tiny storefront, with various sweet aromas wafting through the air.

Above those cramped storefronts hung signs for “Taiwan Pearl Milk Tea².”

Yes!

This was the era of Taiwan Pearl Milk Tea’s dominance.

This brand of milk tea could be found in almost every county town across the country, and celebrities were constantly endorsing it on television…

Chu Huan had inquired about the franchise fee. It was fifty thousand yuan. Combined with rent and various other expenses, it would take about a hundred thousand yuan to get started.

His family recommended this model, feeling that since it was his first business venture, he needed to be cautious. A guaranteed profit was the best path.

But…

He was not satisfied with that!

Especially when he saw that a single milk tea shop’s franchise fee was fifty thousand yuan, he was green with envy!

Fifty thousand in 2005!

What kind of concept was that?

It was an extortionate price!

Why can’t I create my own brand?

In his eyes, Taiwan Pearl Milk Tea did not actually require much technical skill. It was just powder mixed into tea and then sealed with a lid. The process was incredibly simple!

He felt he could do it too.

So…

After a period of constant testing and field research, he figured out his own recipe…

Ignoring his family’s objections, he applied for the “Ice and Snow World” brand and started out on his own.

However…

Unfortunately.

This was an era of temporary monopoly.

Perhaps it was a poor choice of location, or perhaps the brand effect was truly mediocre, or maybe it was because his pricing was even more expensive than Taiwan Pearl Milk Tea. In any case, the shop had been open for six months and had remained in a state of stagnation ever since.

The franchised store not far next door, however, was packed with customers every single day!

He had considered cutting prices…

He had considered relocating the shop…

He had considered everything there was to consider, but in the end, he still could not compete with the shop next door. Instead, he started to lose his own footing.

He decided to put all his eggs in one basket. He gathered all the financial support his family had given him and even mortgaged his house, finally scraping together over a million yuan. He planned to go to the television and radio stations to run advertisements.

He felt that as long as he could endure the most agonizing darkness, he would eventually see the dawn.

In the future, milk tea was destined to be the top choice for teenagers…

Just as he was heading out with the money to invest, he suddenly received a phone call.

“I don’t want your million. I only want five hundred thousand!”

“If you want to be famous, you have to listen to me…”

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that because of a single phone call, he would give up on the television station and head toward Universe Technology instead.

Even more unexpected was that by the time he came out, his head was spinning. His mind seemed to be filled with nothing but excitement and trust, everything else having vanished!

Yes!

The five hundred thousand was gone too.

He was stunned!

Looking back later, he felt immense regret…

Why had he been so impulsive?

A song!

And just one line of lyrics!

A virtual shop inside a game…

Was it worth five hundred thousand?

Everything else…

Everything else was gone!

When his family heard about it, they gave him a harsh tongue-lashing. If he had not stopped them, they would have called the police to arrest Zhang Yang.

Inside the office.

The midday sun was shining brightly.

Chu Huan felt incredibly oppressed!

“I am so stupid!”

“How could I have been swindled like that?”

“A single-player game, how could it possibly have such power? How could it be worth five hundred thousand?”

“And a song!”

“I’ve been cheated!”

The more he thought about it, the more desperate he became!

Finally, he picked up his phone, prepared to call the police.

But!

Sometimes life is just that dramatic.

Just as he was about to dial 110³, the door swung open!

Then…

“Boss, good news! Great news! Our shop is packed with customers! They are all asking if we have that ‘Love’ milk tea!”

“It’s selling like crazy!”

“Our first shop sold out of all its ingredients in just a few short hours!”

His assistant rushed into the room clutching data sheets, shouting without any regard for decorum.

His eyes widened.

“Really?”

“It’s true, Boss! I’ll take you to see!”

“…”

Chu Huan followed his assistant and ran out of the company. From a distance, he could already hear the sound of “You love me, I love you, Ice and Snow World is so sweet!” echoing from his first shop.

Then, he ran to the front of the store.

He watched in shock as a massive crowd surrounded the entrance.

At this moment, the idiom “the gate is like a marketplace⁴” was a perfect description!

Looking not far away…

Not far away!

The Taiwan Pearl Milk Tea shop, which used to be bustling and lively, was now incredibly deserted. The owner stood there in a daze, staring toward them.

He seemed unable to believe his eyes!

“Damn, this song is such a brainworm!”

“Yeah, it’s so catchy. I could hear it from a mile away…”

“This owner is something else. Buying milk tea in the game while listening to this song was one thing, but I didn’t expect the same song to be playing in real life…”

“What’s going on? Out of milk tea?”

“No way? You’re really out?”

“You have to restock?”

“How did this happen?”

“…”

“…”

Chu Huan heard bursts of discussion.

These people were not children; they were young men and women…

And!

They were not complaining that his milk tea was expensive!

He suddenly remembered what Zhang Yang had said.

“In the future, the customer base for milk tea definitely won’t just be kids!”

“It will include young men and women. In fact, they might become the main consumers!”

“…”

The moment he thought of this…

His heart pounded wildly!

Then…

He instinctively ran over to the Amayi suit shop nearby and saw that it was also crowded with people!

Many young people were even lining up to buy suits.

Could a single game really have this much power?

………………………………

September 3rd.

The night was still.

Liu Ruohan was drinking milk tea while playing the game.

“This is the first cup of milk tea of autumn⁵!”

“It’s wonderful. My dear Princess, I really like this milk tea. I feel like I have more strength now!”

“If only we could go see a performance at the Great World Cinema in the future, that would be even better!”

“Keep it up! Fight off those demons with me and save the world!”

“…”

Seeing the Prince Knight in the game holding his milk tea as if he wanted to toast with her, she reached out her hand as well.

She suddenly felt that this feeling was quite nice…

Mhm, the milk tea was great too. It tasted delicious.

It had a sweet quality, like the feeling of being in love!

After she finished drinking…

She suddenly realized something!

What Zhang Yang had created did not seem like an advertisement, but a concept!

“This game linked milk tea with affection levels!”

“And it linked Amayi’s clothes with charisma…”

“…”

Wait!

It seems!

It seems I’ve fallen for Zhang Yang’s trick?

Then, she instinctively opened her computer!

She saw new headlines appearing across various Tieba forums!

“A milk tea shop on the brink of bankruptcy finds a new lease on life; the owner weeps with joy! The brainwashing hit ‘You Love Me’ plays on loop…”

“Amayi Clothing experiences a sudden shopping craze; reporter interviewing on-site…”

“Great World Cinema sees a surge of tourists taking photos with the Silver Knight… many female cosplayers appearing on the scene, cosplaying as the Prince Knight!”

“…”

She even saw reporters from Yanjing Television⁶ reporting on these stories.

Amidst these news reports…

She realized that Zhang Yang was finding ways to drum up hype, and capital was also speculating…

Zhang Yang had tied the investors to his own boat!

Using the game as a catalyst, they were launching a coordinated bombardment!

This was a carnival of capital!

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes