March 22nd, Friday.

Setting foot on Jingzhou soil, Nie Yunsheng was brimming with confidence.

This time, he came with an important mission—to bring Yan Qi’s “Shuli” team and the Morning Dew Gaming Platform under the banner of the anti-Tenda alliance!

Of course, this task had its challenges, considering Jingzhou was Tenda’s territory.

But it was precisely the thrill of carrying out these little schemes right under Mr. Pei’s nose that made it exciting!

Nie Yunsheng believed the chances of success were quite high.

On one hand, the anti-Tenda alliance had the backing of several game channels and investment companies—money was definitely not an issue.

For Yan Qi, developing a game like “Shuli” at this scale would certainly require substantial funds. The profits from his previous mobile game “Empire’s Blade” would hardly be enough to fully develop this AAA title.

Nie Yunsheng’s side was offering money without excessive interference in development. Who would turn down such an offer?

Of course, if Tenda stepped in, that would complicate matters. After all, Tenda was revered as a holy land by domestic game developers, and they weren’t short on funds either.

But the issue was, since Yan Qi’s team hadn’t made any grand announcements, it likely meant they hadn’t received investment from Tenda.

Perhaps it was a case of missing what’s right under your nose? Or maybe Tenda preferred to invest in their own game projects, looking down on those from other companies?

Whatever the reason, it presented Nie Yunsheng with an opportunity to steal a march!

Nie Yunsheng couldn’t help but think back to previous events.

If Lü Mingliang could secretly sneak off to Magic Capital, pull a switcheroo right under everyone’s noses, and catch Shengyun Group off guard during the livestream, why couldn’t he, Nie Yunsheng, turn the tables and give Tenda a taste of their own medicine in Jingzhou?

What they can do, I can do better!

With this fighting spirit, Nie Yunsheng arrived at the office building housing both the Morning Dew Gaming Platform and Yan Qi’s “Shuli” team.

If he could just bring Yan Qi’s team over, it would be a success. If he could also bring in the Morning Dew Gaming Platform, it would be a major victory.

Surely he couldn’t fail to attract either one? That seemed highly unlikely.

How could the power of money completely fail?

A vice president had accompanied him on this trip, and they had already established communication with Yan Qi’s side.

From what he heard, Yan Qi’s response seemed rather perfunctory, but he had agreed to meet and talk.

Nie Yunsheng thought this was normal. After all, Shengyun Group was primarily a logistics company, so it was natural for people to be skeptical when they claimed they wanted to invest in games.

The important thing was securing a meeting.

Because once they met, Nie Yunsheng would reveal the game channel partners and investors they had already established relationships with, showing Yan Qi their sincerity and formidable strength.

At that point, the chances of successful cooperation would naturally increase significantly.

Before meeting with Yan Qi, Nie Yunsheng first observed the condition of the “Shuli” team.

Indeed, just as rumors suggested, they were thriving, flourishing, and full of energy!

Although he couldn’t see the specific game results, this kind of positive morale couldn’t be faked.

A positive, upward-looking team might not always create successful products, but a team with low morale and severe internal friction could never create successful products.

However, after seeing the office area, Nie Yunsheng had new concerns.

He discovered that Yan Qi’s team didn’t seem… particularly short on money?

A cash-strapped startup team would surely keep everything minimal, with an office environment that couldn’t be too impressive.

Yet Yan Qi’s team clearly had a decent office environment.

Of course, whether a team lacks money can’t be judged solely by the state of their office. Some bosses like to put on a show—even if they’re poor, they must maintain face. Others are more practical—even if the company has money, they won’t spend much improving the office environment, calling it “maintaining the spirit of hard work and struggle.”

This varied from person to person. To determine if they truly lacked money, he’d have to ask directly.

After passing through the office area, Nie Yunsheng met Yan Qi in the reception room.

“Nice to meet you, CEO Yan!”

Yan Qi stood up and very politely said: “Nice to meet you, CEO Nie.”

The two shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, then each took a seat.

Nie Yunsheng cleverly began by chatting about the game’s situation and development progress, then asked: “CEO Yan, approximately how much have you invested in this game?”

Yan Qi hesitated slightly: “Umm… a lot.”

He didn’t want to give specific numbers. While development funds weren’t exactly top secret, it also wasn’t appropriate to go around telling everyone they’d poured over a hundred million into the game.

Whether to publicize those details would depend on the marketing strategy after the game’s launch.

Nie Yunsheng probed: “Fifty million?”

Yan Qi coughed lightly but said nothing.

Surprised, Nie Yunsheng asked: “A hundred million?”

Yan Qi reluctantly replied: “I can’t disclose the exact amount, but… that’s about right.”

Nie Yunsheng couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath, thinking this guy was truly daring.

Converting the currency, this was equivalent to a major overseas production costing over ten million dollars. For a mobile game team to pivot so decisively was incredibly bold.

But for Nie Yunsheng, this was potentially good news.

It meant Yan Qi’s team definitely didn’t have enough money!

Perhaps Yan Qi had used up all the profits from “Empire’s Blade” and still needed more, finding a few investors, but he must still be short on funds.

Since they needed money, this would be easier.

Nie Yunsheng smiled: “CEO Yan’s ambition is truly admirable! Actually, I’m here representing not just Shengyun Group but also several well-known domestic game channels and investors. We’re willing to provide financial assistance without excessively interfering with the creative process…”

Nie Yunsheng first described their powerful resources, then appealed to both reason and emotion, painting a picture of a bright future.

In short, the first step was to bring Yan Qi’s team on board, and they could slowly discuss dealing with Tenda later.

Revealing their true intentions now would likely scare them away.

Nie Yunsheng felt his offer should be quite attractive, right?

For game developers who needed money, they surely wouldn’t turn down funding if it meant completing their game properly.

Yan Qi silently sipped his tea, his expression somewhat awkward.

Several times he tried to interject, but Nie Yunsheng was speaking so passionately that Yan Qi ultimately held back.

Only after Nie Yunsheng had finished his eloquent speech did Yan Qi somewhat embarrassedly say: “CEO Nie, I’m truly sorry, but our team… actually doesn’t lack money.”

Honestly, the situation was rather awkward.

In fact, Yan Qi had politely declined when he first received the call.

He wanted to say the project had already been funded by Mr. Pei, but Mr. Pei’s only requirement was confidentiality—not revealing their relationship with Tenda to the outside world—so Yan Qi had held his tongue.

As a result, Shengyun Group misunderstood, thinking Yan Qi was just being polite, and insisted on meeting.

Yan Qi didn’t want to meet, but since Nie Yunsheng had personally traveled all the way to Jingzhou, refusing to see him wouldn’t be right.

Thus, the current awkward situation arose.

Nie Yunsheng was stunned: “Don’t lack money?”

What nonsense is this? An investment of over a hundred million! How could a small team that had only made mobile games before raise so much money?

“CEO Yan, do you have other requirements? You can bring them up, and we can discuss them.”

Yan Qi said very sincerely: “I’m sorry, CEO Nie, we really… don’t lack money.”

Nie Yunsheng blinked, the expression on his face bewildered.

This script seemed off somewhere!

…

Even after leaving the office building, Nie Yunsheng still couldn’t figure out what was going on.

No matter what he said, Yan Qi insisted they didn’t lack money!

But when asked where the investment came from and exactly how much they received, Yan Qi became vague and evasive, which was highly suspicious.

Feeling quite dejected after his unsuccessful attempt, Nie Yunsheng had no choice but to leave for now.

He also made a detour to the Morning Dew Gaming Platform, but the result was even more disappointing—he couldn’t even meet their person in charge.

He was turned away at the reception desk.

Don’t ask why, they just wouldn’t meet!

The whole affair was quite ridiculous. Nie Yunsheng had never experienced such a rebuff before.

He was the CEO of a listed company, coming all this way, and they wouldn’t even meet him?

What nonsense!

The vice president quietly asked: “CEO Nie, what do we do next?”

They never expected to come all the way to Jingzhou for a meeting only to end up with nothing.

Nie Yunsheng’s face darkened, clearly losing face. But as the decision-maker, he couldn’t give up in this situation and needed to find a solution.

“Yan Qi kept saying they had enough money but absolutely refused to say which company invested. That’s very strange.”

“It feels like an excuse.”

“I think he must still be short on money, but he might have good feelings toward Tenda, maybe even be a fan of Tenda, so he has some prejudice against us and doesn’t want our money.”

“Judging from his attitude, our chances of investing are slim. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use this project!”

The vice president asked: “Oh? Does CEO Nie have another plan?”

Nie Yunsheng laughed coldly and said: “This company is in Jingzhou. Yan Qi has probably approached Tenda for investment, but Tenda didn’t invest.”

“We can work with this angle. First, we’ll release some news about ‘Shuli,’ saying the game lacks development funds and can’t achieve its best quality. Then, several investment companies and game channel partners will step forward, saying they’re willing to invest in the game.”

“Afterward, we’ll widely publicize that this company is right in Jingzhou, yet Tenda remains indifferent to it. Tenda claims to want to revitalize the domestic game industry, but in the end, aren’t they just sweeping snow from their own doorstep?”

“At the very least, this will damage Tenda’s reputation in the gaming circle!”

The vice president asked again: “What if Tenda sees this news and decides to invest to save face?”

Nie Yunsheng shook his head slightly: “Yan Qi’s team is right in Jingzhou. If Tenda wanted to invest, they would have done so already. Since they haven’t invested, they must not think highly of this game.”

“Would they invest several hundred million or a billion in a game they don’t believe in just because of some public pressure? I think that’s unlikely.”

“Even if Tenda does invest, we can say they were forced to do so by public opinion, compelled to maintain their image.”

“As for Yan Qi’s team, they must still be short on money. If this matter becomes widely known, both the team internally and the players will hope they accept our investment to ensure the game’s completion.”

“If the situation escalates and Tenda still doesn’t invest, Yan Qi might reconsider accepting our investment due to internal pressure.”

“In short, Tenda has already lost by not investing in ‘Shuli’! No matter which scenario plays out, we won’t lose!”