My capital is quite large.

Chapter 163 King of Glory

Late at night, in a private room at a high-end private club in downtown Nanjing.

Four male stars from Haofeng Film & Television, Yang Yang, Zhang Ruoyun, Chen Xiao, and Li Yifeng, were sitting around a table.

Compared to the dazzling stars on the Weibo Night stage, the atmosphere in the private room at this moment was filled with a sense of relief, as if they had survived a disaster.

"Brother Yang, Brother Ruoyun, this drink is for you both!"

Chen Xiao picked up a full glass of wine, stood up, and said with a tone full of lingering fear and gratitude, "If it weren't for you two pulling me back in time and persuading me to stop with that new contract the company issued that included a 200 million yuan penalty for breach of contract and compensation for bad conduct... I'd probably be blacklisted by the company today!"

Recalling the perilous situation when the contract was renewed a few days ago, Chen Xiao still breaks out in a cold sweat.

Faced with those unfair terms that were practically a contract of servitude, he, as a newcomer, was indeed quite apprehensive.

Just as he was hesitating about whether to consult a lawyer, Yang Yang and Zhang Ruoyun persuaded him to pull back from the brink and sign the document before the deadline.

"Hey, we're all brothers in the same company, it's only right that we help each other out."

Yang Yang raised his glass and clinked it against Chen Xiao's, then downed it in one gulp. He then said earnestly, "Chen Xiao, remember this: at Haofeng, you can only accept what the boss gives you. And if the boss tells you to sign something, just sign it with your eyes closed!"

"Han Geng thinks he's all grown up now because he's the number one of the four top celebrities, and he insists on going out and becoming his own boss."

"Just you wait, he'll be finished in less than six months!"

Zhang Ruoyun nodded in agreement: "Brother Yang is right. In this industry, survival instinct is paramount. Listening to the boss is always the right thing to do."

Li Yifeng and Chen Xiaolian, who were sitting opposite each other, nodded in agreement.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the atmosphere in the private room gradually became lively.

Li Yifeng's face was slightly flushed from drinking. He felt that since they were all Haofeng's good brothers, they should naturally share some of the pleasures of men.

He put down his wine glass, moved closer to the table, and a knowing smile appeared on his face:

"Yang-ge, Ruo-yun-ge. Just drinking is no fun. I know a good place around here. They just got a new batch of tea, the plates are shiny and the leaves are smooth, and the tea leaves are tight-lipped."

"It's still early, how about... I'll treat you, let's go have some fun and relax?"

Upon hearing this!

Yang Yang and Zhang Ruoyun, who were still a little drunk, suddenly sobered up!

Going to a place like that?! For tea tasting?!

The way Yang Yang looked at Li Yifeng was like he was looking at a madman strapped with explosives!

Are you out of your mind?!

The contract clearly states in black and white: [For misconduct such as soliciting prostitution or drug use, the responsible party shall fully compensate the production team for all losses, plus a staggering penalty of one to two hundred million yuan for breach of contract]!

Do you think the boss's temper is something to joke about? That guillotine is practically hanging over your neck, and you still dare to walk right into his trap?!

Seeing the change in their expressions, Li Yifeng assumed they were afraid of taking risks and waved his hand dismissively.

"Hey Yang, what are you guys afraid of? Which male celebrity in this industry doesn't have affairs? We'll go to those private places, and as long as the money's right, who can find out?"

"Besides, even if we were caught on camera by paparazzi, we can just insist it's a 'free love relationship' or 'having a girlfriend'! It's consensual, so it's not illegal, is it? Can the company control our relationships?"

Free love?! Going to a club to have a free love affair with an escort?!

Yang Yang and Zhang Ruoyun exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes!

This kid is hopeless! He's just courting death!

At a time like this, if he gets even the slightest bit involved in the mess, and if the truth comes out, given the methods of Haofeng's legal department, they could absolutely make him lose everything!

"Ahem... Well, Yifeng, I suddenly remembered that I have to go to the film set early tomorrow morning to do some additional shots, so I won't be able to keep you company tonight."

Yang Yang didn't want to stay in the private room for another second, so he picked up his coat.

"Yes, yes, I also have a physical education class tomorrow. Old Han is keeping a close eye on things, so I have to leave first." Zhang Ruoyun reacted just as quickly, standing up as well.

"Hey? Don't go, Yang-ge, Ruoyun-ge! Everything's arranged..." Li Yifeng still wanted to persuade them to stay.

But Yang Yang and Zhang Ruoyun didn't give him a chance to waste words, and pushed open the door to leave the private room as if they were escaping.

The moment the two walked out the door, they silently marked Li Yifeng with a big X in their hearts.

From now on, I absolutely must distance myself from this idiot who could cause trouble at any moment in the company!

Only Chen Xiao and Li Yifeng remained in the private room.

As Chen Xiao watched the two "big brothers" run away, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He may be young, but he's definitely not stupid!

Looking back, when he signed the contract, it was this Li Yifeng who stopped him and said, "Let's wait and see," which almost got him blacklisted!

Now, this kid wants to drag him across the line again?!

"Brother Feng, um... my stomach suddenly feels a bit upset, probably from the seafood I ate earlier. I... I'll head back first!"

Chen Xiao clutched her stomach, barely managing to hold onto her coat, and stumbled out of the private room, running away without looking back.

Looking at the empty private room, Li Yifeng picked up his wine glass and sneered disdainfully.

"Tch, a bunch of cowards. They have money but don't dare to take risks. They're a disgrace to men!"

Li Yifeng downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, and the scene of him being ordered to receive those two top celebrities returning from abroad some time ago involuntarily came to mind.

"Angkor Wat is the best."

Li Yifeng made the comparisons in his mind.

That Lu Ge is a complete brain-dead, love-struck idiot. He ignores all the other women in the world and insists on wanting to do pure love.

Trying to create pure love stories in this industry? Isn't that just foolish?

It had to be that Angkor Wat. The two hit it off immediately and were incredibly compatible at the drinking party. They were also very skilled at organizing the party.

"Once Wu Ge becomes famous in China, I'll have to work hard for him. With a coward like Yang Yang, his position as the top male star will inevitably be taken by someone else sooner or later!"

Li Yifeng straightened his suit, walked out of the club alone, and headed towards the "good place" he had been longing for.

......

The next morning, Nanjing.

Xianlin Science and Technology City, Haofeng Group Headquarters, President's Office.

Li Feng was sitting at his desk, flipping through the briefings from various departments.

The incident at last night's gala that displeased him was handled by Zhang Xinyu. Not only was the planner involved fired, but the brainless female host from Hunan TV was also blacklisted by Haofeng's faction.

"Boss."

Zhang Xinyu walked in and handed Li Feng a copy of the latest intelligence on the e-sports industry.

The list of competition events for the 2012 WCG World Cyber ​​Games World Finals has just been released.

Zhang Xinyu reported: "CrossFire (CF) from Tencent has been included as an official competition item in WCG this year."

"Tencent is moving very quickly in esports."

Li Feng took the list and glanced at it, but he wasn't surprised.

Now that Haofeng has already expanded the e-sports market, Tencent naturally wouldn't let go of WCG, the world's most famous e-sports stage.

They spent a lot of money to get CF into WCG, just to compete with LOL for the right to speak in the lower-tier esports market.

"Let them be. The competitive ceiling of CF is what it is." Li Feng casually put the document aside.

Zhang Xinyu then pulled out a second, even more important business briefing.

"Boss, this is Tencent's biggest move lately!"

Zhang Xinyu's tone became somewhat serious, "Tencent Games Group has just officially announced! They've secured the exclusive Chinese distribution rights for the top Korean MMORPG, Blade & Soul!"

"I've heard that to create this top-tier 'next-generation' online game, the developer, South Korean company NCsoft, invested a massive 500 billion won in research and development, breaking the record for development investment previously held by World of Warcraft!"

"Rumor has it that Tencent paid a staggering $8000 million to secure the rights to distribute this game in China!"

It cost 50 billion Korean won to develop! And the agency fee was a staggering 80 million US dollars!

This is absolutely a major earthquake that has shocked the entire Chinese and Korean gaming industry!

In the PC gaming arena where Tencent is suffering repeated defeats at the hands of League of Legends, it has unleashed a trump card in an attempt to deliver the final blow!

Upon hearing the name "Blade & Soul," which would become a household name in later generations, Li Feng felt a surge of emotion.

"Eighty million US dollars for the distribution rights? Pony Ma really has deep pockets."

"Is Blade & Soul a good game? It is indeed a good game. Its graphics, the cheesy female character, and the unique action combat system are absolutely top-notch in this day and age."

"However, penguins may not be good agents!"

Blade & Soul was indeed a huge hit when it first launched, with queues often lasting for hours.

However, in order to recoup the $80 million in agency fees, Tencent completely implanted their disgusting "Pay to Win" monetization logic into this game!

Especially that infamous [S1/S2/S3 Divine Weapon]!

They turned a skill-based action MMORPG into a "web game" where money is the deciding factor!

This is what turned this game, which was touted as a masterpiece surpassing Warcraft, into a relic of the past due to its own folly!

"Don't worry about this game."

Having figured out the crux of the matter, Li Feng set the tone: "Let Tencent do what it wants. Once their pay-to-win weapon upgrade system goes live, it'll just be feeding League of Legends all those heartbroken, ordinary players! The more popular Blade & Soul becomes, the faster it will self-destruct!"

……

After putting down the battle report from the PC game, Zhang Xinyu took out the last document.

"Boss, this is good news from the browser game department!"

"Our Xianxia turn-based web game, 'Immortal Tao,' which launched a few months ago, has achieved astonishing revenue figures!"

"Due to extremely low R&D costs, coupled with the integration of Weibo's web interface and mobile connectivity, 'Immortal Tao' achieved a monthly revenue exceeding 50 million RMB last month, thanks to its tower climbing, formation-based gameplay, and light social in-app purchases!"

"This profit margin is faster than robbery! The costs have already been recouped dozens of times over!"

The success of "Immortal Tao" once again proves Haofeng's strength in monetizing traffic.

"In his report, Lao Chen asked whether, since these low-cost, reskinned web games and micro-clients are so profitable, the game department should initiate more similar projects, such as those with martial arts or fantasy themes, to mass-produce this money-making model?"

Mass production? Making money by rebranding?

Upon hearing this suggestion, Li Feng's brows furrowed sharply.

"Tell Old Chen, this is the end of it!"

"Shenxiandao and Hulai Sanguo were merely transitional products created to complete the PC-based social ecosystem! Haofeng has now moved beyond the stage where it needs to rely on these low-quality web games to survive!"

Li Feng stood up and walked to the whiteboard.

"The group's current strategy is to build a strong reputation! To create a world-class IP that can dominate the next decade!"

"Continuing to make these reskinned, garbage games will only erode Haofeng's brand credibility in the eyes of players!"

Li Feng picked up a marker and started drawing on the whiteboard.

"Tell the mobile game department to shut down all those ridiculous reskinned projects!"

"Right now, the core genre revolves around only one category—[MOBA]!"

"League of Legends has already established itself on PC; now, we're bringing it to mobile!"

"Within three years, they need to develop two mobile MOBA games in parallel!"

"The first version aims to perfectly replicate the complex mechanics and four skills of the PC version of League of Legends, striving for an authentic mobile port!"

"And the second one..."

Li Feng wrote four large characters on the whiteboard with his pen.

"They need to simplify! Simplify the controls to the extreme, remove the penalty for last-hitting, speed up the game pace, and make it playable for anyone with hands! Their goal is to capture the lower-tier market and female players who have never even touched a computer before!"

"This simplified project will be tentatively named—[Honor of Kings]!"