Lu Xiaoping took the phone and saw that Tenda Group’s official account had posted a clarification announcement.
The content of the announcement was simple. It collected the false information and debunked the rumors, stating that the film “The Future You Choose” did not maliciously attack or smear any other domestic companies, asking people not to take it personally and to patiently wait for the film’s official release.
Lu Xiaoping was stunned for a moment. He looked at Nie Yunsheng and asked, “Director Nie, why do you think this is them giving themselves away?”
“It’s also possible that Tenda Group really didn’t allude to us in this film, right?”
“I think this clarification announcement sounds quite sincere.”
Nie Yunsheng chuckled: “How could that be possible?”
“If we had really guessed wrong, and Tenda Group hadn’t alluded to us in this film, why would Mr. Pei rush to clarify so urgently? Wouldn’t it be better to watch us jump into the pit?”
“If you were Mr. Pei, what would you do?”
Lu Xiaoping thought for a moment: “I would probably deliberately tolerate or even intentionally fan the flames, letting the rumor spread more widely. After all, the bigger the rumor, the harder we would fall.”
Nie Yunsheng nodded. “Exactly. If Mr. Pei really had confidence, that choice would be the best strategy.”
“The middle strategy would be to not comment on it, make no statement, and wait for the heat to slowly dissipate.”
“An official clarification, on the other hand, is giving themselves away without being forced.”
Lu Xiaoping frowned slightly: “But Director Nie, according to this reasoning, hasn’t Mr. Pei made a terrible move? Mr. Pei has always been calculating and forward-thinking. How could he do something so foolish? Could it be a trap to lure us in?”
Nie Yunsheng shook his head: “I don’t think Mr. Pei has lost his mind. Rather, he’s in a dilemma with no good options left.”
“Because we’ve precisely pinched his vital point.”
“If ‘The Future You Choose’ hadn’t alluded to us, Mr. Pei would certainly have many ways to respond. Whether staying put or fanning the flames, both would be excellent choices for Mr. Pei.”
“But if ‘The Future You Choose’ did allude to us, then whatever Mr. Pei does would be wrong.”
“Staying put would be nurturing a tiger to invite future calamity. Fanning the flames would be courting self-destruction.”
“So Mr. Pei’s clarification now has two purposes. First, to debunk the rumors and minimize the impact as much as possible. Second, possibly to bluff and mislead us, making us think this film doesn’t allude to us, forcing us to abandon this public opinion war strategy.”
“That’s why we must not fall for his trick and must execute this strategy even more firmly.”
Lu Xiaoping felt a bit dizzy from all the mind games, not knowing how many layers of strategy they were now engaged in.
His first reaction was that Mr. Pei shouldn’t make such a mindless move—there must be something more to it.
But Nie Yunsheng thought that Mr. Pei might be using their psychology against them, deliberately making a move that appeared mindless on the surface to mislead them.
And judging from various indications, if Tenda hadn’t alluded to the anti-Tenda alliance companies in this film, then who were they alluding to? It didn’t make sense.
The film had a cyberpunk theme and had won awards, so it must have a rather profound connotation and must satirize something.
Thinking about it over and over, there really wasn’t anything else it could satirize.
Lu Xiaoping thought for a moment: “Alright, Director Nie, I trust your judgment.”
If what Nie Yunsheng said was true, then Mr. Pei’s current behavior was like playing the Empty Fort Strategy. If they retreated out of fear, it would be a huge loss. If they continued to advance, they might achieve a great victory.
Moreover, they had the qualifications to continue the attack.
The anti-Tenda alliance’s real trump card was “My Property.” Even if they suffered a setback in the public opinion war now, being outmaneuvered by Mr. Pei, they could still turn the situation around after “My Property” was released.
Since that was the case, why not take a shot?
…
…
Friday, September 13th.
Pei Qian paced back and forth anxiously in his office, anxiously waiting for Mr. Li’s reply.
A week had passed since the announcement was made, and Pei Qian found that not only had the other side not shown any restraint, but they had become even more aggressive.
This was really frustrating.
He had already hinted so obviously, how could these people still not get it?
After issuing the announcement on Monday, Pei Qian had patiently waited for three days until Wednesday afternoon when he realized something was wrong. The other side showed no signs of backing down, which made him anxious.
With the game officially releasing next week, the truth would be revealed, and everything would be irreversible.
So on Wednesday night, Pei Qian privately approached Li Shi, hoping he could convey a message to the anti-Tenda alliance on his behalf. He wanted Li Shi to tell Nie Yunsheng that “The Future You Choose” had no intention of alluding to the anti-Tenda alliance, and all the antagonist roles were portrayed by Tenda Group’s own departments.
The reason he didn’t call personally was mainly because he was afraid Nie Yunsheng would misunderstand.
If Nie Yunsheng thought Pei Qian was taunting him, that would be problematic.
Having Mr. Li as an intermediary should help foster mutual understanding between the two sides.
But after waiting until Friday, there was still no response from Mr. Li.
And online discussions about this issue were intensifying, with the other side seemingly persistent, continuing to fan the flames.
As he was pacing, the phone rang.
Pei Qian saw it was Li Shi calling and quickly answered.
“Hello, how’s the situation? What did Nie Yunsheng say?”
Li Shi spoke with some difficulty: “Mr. Pei, as you instructed, I explained the situation to him earnestly. I called him three or four times over the past two days to clarify the situation.”
“At the beginning, he pretended to be innocent, saying he knew nothing about this matter, that I had found the wrong person—basically playing dumb.”
“Later, perhaps because I kept bothering him, he became visibly angry and said some honest words.”
Pei Qian was taken aback: “Honest words? What did he say?”
Li Shi coughed lightly and imitated Nie Yunsheng’s tone: “Although this matter has nothing to do with me, I still want to say that Mr. Pei’s behavior is like protesting too much, isn’t it?”
“If this film really doesn’t allude to our companies, why go to such lengths to explain so ostentatiously?”
“The more excessive the explanation, the more it proves there’s definitely something wrong here.”
“Mr. Li, you don’t need to pretend to be good. Everyone knows you and Mr. Pei are in the same boat. Coming here to persuade me is certainly under Mr. Pei’s instructions. Go back and tell Mr. Pei that I absolutely won’t fall for his trick.”
“Even if you have a silver tongue and speak eloquently, I absolutely won’t believe a single word from your mouth.”
“Mr. Pei is suddenly so kind, concerned about our companies’ fate? Who was it that ruthlessly attacked our several companies before, so mighty and invincible?”
“Now it’s clearly your Tenda encountering problems and coming to ask us for help, yet still with an attitude of doing us a favor. It’s really quite fake. Go back and tell Mr. Pei there’s nothing to discuss. If there’s anything to say, let’s meet on the battlefield and talk with real swords and spears!”
It must be said that Li Shi had a talent for imitation, mimicking Nie Yunsheng’s tone vividly.
This speech seemed to contain three parts mockery, three parts ridicule, three parts satisfaction, and as for the final part, it revealed a hint of determination.
Pei Qian silently sighed.
Good advice is really wasted on those who won’t listen.
It could only be said that people ultimately cannot understand each other. His good intentions were treated as worthless. Neither the clarification announcement nor the private friendly reminder could make Nie Yunsheng pull back from the precipice. Instead, they made him more determined to step on the gas and drive straight toward the cliff.
“Alright, Mr. Li, thank you for your efforts.”
“Since that’s the case, we’ll just wait for the film’s official release.”
Pei Qian silently hung up the phone, feeling that his fragile self had endured too much.
…
…
Tuesday, September 17th.
The “pigeon spirit” Qiao Liang, contrary to his usual behavior, started his livestream very early. Fans were waiting together for the official release of the brand-new AAA title “The Future You Choose.”
During this period, the game and film “The Future You Choose” were hot topics of discussion online.
Initially, it was because the film had won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. Then some opinions began to appear online, speculating that the film was satirizing those companies in the anti-Tenda alliance, which led to Tenda Group’s rumor-debunking.
But this debunking did not dispel people’s doubts; instead, it triggered even wider attention.
Viewers were all eagerly awaiting the film’s official release, but the film wouldn’t be released until this Saturday, while the game was releasing four days earlier.
This timing choice was quite peculiar.
The film wasn’t releasing during a regular season, and the game wasn’t even releasing on a weekend.
However, everyone had become accustomed to this, since with Tenda’s current size, they no longer needed to worry about release timing—they could release whenever they wanted, and there would always be high interest.
Many people had even asked their bosses for time off in advance just to play “The Future You Choose” at the earliest opportunity.
Qiao Liang also wanted to know if this game really criticized the anti-Tenda alliance companies and how this cyberpunk theme would be executed.
The same theme was split into two parts, one game and one film. Would it be like “Mission and Choice” with the same plot, or would it use the same background story with two sets of plots?
In any case, it was quite anticipated.
While waiting for the game’s release, Qiao Liang chatted with fans in the livestream.
“Should I play the console version or the PC version? Of course, I’ll get one of each. Is that even a question?”
“The PC version is more convenient for livestreaming and better graphics. The console version is for faith, for collection—neither can be missing.”
“I have a feeling! This game will definitely become a milestone for Tenda games, just like ‘Turn Back to Shore,’ ‘Struggle,’ and others!”