Actor: Thank you.

At this moment, in miHoYo's office, the way the founders looked at Zhang Yuan was like an ear cleaner meeting a severely hearing-impaired customer who hadn't had their ears cleaned in 20 years.

How come you keep finding more and more as you dig!

"I'm not joking." Zhang Yuan raised his hand, revealing an innocent look in his eyes.

After all, the eyes of those people opposite them almost popped out of their sockets.

The floor is also quite dirty; it's not suitable.

"By some chance, I met the founder of Bilibili, so I invested some money in them."

“Bilibili was just like you are now, struggling to survive.”

"This is not shameful; most small and medium-sized enterprises face this situation."

Zhang Yuan chuckled awkwardly.

"I usually don't tell others, for fear of being ridiculed by my peers."

"Actually, I'm also a long-time anime fan. I've watched everything from 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' to 'A Certain Scientific Railgun' and 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'."

"I also really like EVA."

Mentioning "EVA" energized these individuals, and they all perked up.

Because they are all long-time fans.

Traces of EVA can be seen in any of miHoYo's future works.

Both the character designs and the world-building that is in ruins are largely derived from the famous anime "EVA".

"After all, most of those actors are Stanislavski and Shakespeare all the time."

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to say I like Hideaki Anno," Zhang Yuan said, wiping his forehead as if he were in a difficult position.

"In short, whether it's sponsoring esports, investing in esports teams or Bilibili, it's all driven by my personal interests."

He remained sincere because he was telling the truth.

My interest is making money; how can it not be driven by interest?

Even when I was put on a lie detector, it didn't register a jump.

"If you have any publicity needs in the future, I can help you contact Bilibili."

drop by drop...

When his phone rang, Zhang Yuan greeted it.

"Alright, you all need to get to work and get busy soon."

"I won't bother you any longer."

"It's good to go back to the hotel and catch up on some sleep."

He stood up to say goodbye.

Give the other person some space and time.

"I'll treat everyone to a meal tonight; it would be impolite not to reciprocate."

"You don't need to refuse."

"In this vast world, among billions of people, it is not easy to meet someone."

He made the deal without giving the other party a chance to refuse.

However, he felt that the other party didn't seem to want to refuse.

"Hey."

After leaving the house, he answered the phone first; it was Ms. Lin calling him.

"Angela said she would come to Shanghai to meet you first."

"Then I'll go to work in the capital."

"She's very sincere." As a native of Taiwan, Sister Lin naturally spoke up for her.

"OK, just have her contact my assistant when she arrives."

"I met with her and we talked."

Zhang Yuan came with his assistant, but he specifically asked her to wait at the hotel and not show herself.

He even dragged his suitcase around, looking travel-worn, just to minimize the distance between himself and the other group.

In human society, personal relationships between people are very important.

Regardless of the size of the company, ultimately, decisions are made by people.

If you can handle the people, you can handle the company.

He wasn't wearing an expensive watch, and his clothes were the cheapest kind available.

He even specifically asked his assistant to buy him several Baleno items...

I went upstairs to take a shower, and then lay down on the big bed to rest.

But I don't know if it's because I've been jet-lagged or because I'm too excited about things on my mind, but I'm having trouble sleeping.

He began to consider the company's situation in his mind.

First of all, Honkai Impact 3rd was definitely a commercial failure, and there is no need to argue about that.

The advantage of science students is their pragmatism, a fact they themselves acknowledge.

Only by admitting mistakes can we make progress.

So after Zhang Yuan left, they discussed this meeting.

Both sides are thinking about what to do in the future.

The founders were deeply impressed, both by Zhang Yuan's identity and by the series of suggestions he made.

The group acknowledged his love for games and his status as a long-time anime/manga enthusiast.

That's so rare!

It's not easy to have a like-minded friend, especially one whose status is different from yours and far superior to yours.

Seeing the other party's sincere attitude will definitely make things much easier for them.

His words also solidified their resolve.

They denied their previous idea of ​​changing course, ceasing production of anime-style games, and instead focusing on making money through low-quality online games.

Look, we have supporters!
And since it's not in our industry, it shows that there's a market for anime-style games!

In fact, it's not just that there's a market, the market is huge.

Furthermore, Eryou is one of the few domestic game companies that has managed to bypass the acquisition and suppression by giants like Fujiko F. Inc.

Because giants like Tencent initially didn't pay any attention to the secondary gaming market.

By the time they realized what was happening, several later second-tier gaming giants had already established themselves and were not short of money.

Large companies like Fujiko are completely incapable of making sequels; they simply lack the DNA for it.

It's the kind of copying that you can't even understand.

In addition, since they have other ways to make money, then so be it.

The money that Honor of Kings makes from selling skins every year is much more than running a secondary game, and it's much easier. Why would I bother with this?

At this time, miHoYo himself had no idea that he would one day grow as thick as the World Tree.

After the failure of Honkai Impact 3rd, they changed their strategy, launched an in-app purchase model, and created Honkai Impact 2nd.

It has the same foundation, but the content is much richer.

The aim is to retain existing players while developing new markets.

These guys wrote all the code and created the engine themselves.

But it must be admitted that it relied on "borrowing" from the very beginning.

The gameplay of Honkai Impact 3rd is inspired by the side-scrolling shooter Zombie Town.

Honkai Impact 2, on the other hand, draws inspiration from the Japanese mobile game Puzzle & Dragons.

It imitates the other party's battle drops, gacha, event rewards and other modes.

It's quite impressive that this small team managed to create an engine by hand following a template.

Before producing Honkai Impact 2, the company was already in dire straits and was facing the departure of its partners.

But the group decided to grit their teeth and give it their all.

So, reluctantly, he sought 100 million yuan in funding from a technology company in Yuhang.

The price was a 15% equity stake.

So Zhang Yuan knew they would definitely raise funds, so why couldn't it be me?

That tech company in Yuhang only ever did one thing right: it raised funds for miHoYo.

The return on that 1 million is over 10,000 times!
I'm so broke from making so much money!

The reason why it was able to earn so much money is primarily due to the small success of "Honkai Impact 2" after the change in the charging model.

Although it is only well-known within the anime and manga community, it is enough to ensure the company's normal operation and has funds to develop new works.

Furthermore, Honkai Impact 2 has an innovative feature: it is the first sequel game in China to use Chinese voice acting.

Because in earlier years, the second-time traveler group valued Japanese!

All the second games were dubbed in Japanese, but miHoYo felt that since their main market was China, they had to fully localize the game.

The group members have very strong ideas and a keen sensitivity to market changes.

Then came Honkai Impact 3, which was jokingly referred to by players as "Honkai Impact 3rd".

This game "borrows" the combat systems of several famous Japanese action games, such as Devil May Cry and Bayonetta.

There's also the art style of the famous small workshop FALCON.

This company may be small, but it has produced a lot of great talents. For example, the famous Japanese manga artist Makoto Shinkai came from this small workshop.

Honkai Impact 3rd was a very advanced game at the time, using a 3D engine to create an anime-style art style and featuring real-time combat in a miniature world.

At the same time, the other two games were turn-based card games, but Honkai Impact 3rd crushed all its competitors in terms of graphics, technology, and gameplay.

In addition, its strong emphasis on plot and character development led to its immense popularity upon release.

At this time, the company had only been established for 6 years, and its revenue had already reached the billion-dollar level every year.

Even at this point, major companies like Tencent still didn't take it seriously.

However, not long after, Nintendo launched a new game console, the famous Switch! To coincide with the launch of the Switch, Nintendo also released a large number of supporting titles.

Such as "Mario Odyssey" and "Mario Kart 8".

Nintendo's elite troops are known as Red Hat, Green Hat, Pink Fatty, and Yellow Mouse.

The red-hatted character is Mario, the pink-haired guy is Kirby, and the yellow mouse is Pikachu, which is Pokémon.

But that last green hat changed everything.

A groundbreaking work in gaming history has emerged.

It's Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is affectionately known as "Breakfast in the Wild" by players!
Through this game, Nintendo showed the world how to create an open-world game with an anime art style.

The team at miHoYo was also greatly impressed and inspired.

How about we develop a sequel to an open-world game?

Moreover, the previous development of Honkai Impact 3rd had already provided technical expertise in 3D engines.

A group of tech enthusiasts are setting sail again.

Then...

Genshin Impact, activate!
The game *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*, which changed the history of gaming, spawned another game that changed the history of gaming.

Genshin Impact is China's first national-level ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) game that has not only gone global but also influenced the gaming culture of the world.

In the Western gaming industry, it is generally defined as a AAA title, rather than simply a 3D game.

At this point, the company had undergone a qualitative change.

How influential is it?
Many Western anime and manga enthusiasts in later generations went to Akihabara in Japan specifically to pay homage to Genshin Impact.

They thought Genshin Impact was a Japanese game!

The Japanese devils have broken through our defenses.

The center of the world's anime and manga culture is gradually shifting as a result!

Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Demon Slayer—these things have a huge influence.

However, a large number of games, including Genshin Impact, and their derivative products have broken the island nation's monopoly on anime culture.

The export of anime and manga culture was a crucial part of Japan's cultural strategy, but it has quietly crumbled at this moment.

This has led a group of veteran Japanese game developers to lament why a game of Genshin Impact's caliber would appear in China instead of Japan.

Then we have to ask you established manufacturers why you cling to your old ways, only knowing how to make a living from slack products, and never innovating.

In the mobile game era, Japanese manufacturers were as complacent as Toyota in their attitude towards vehicle interiors and features.

If you spend 20 yuan and they still give you a hard plastic manual seat, who can stand that?

The global success of Genshin Impact perfectly aligns with the strategic needs of China's top leadership for cultural export, setting it aboard the train of the times.

By this time, tech giants like Tencent had already noticed the company's rapid rise, but it was too late to intervene.

Because the Shanghai government acted first!

They were protected as key enterprises and provided with a host of policy supports.

They even enjoyed the same legal support that Tencent provides in Nanshan District.

No matter how powerful the major players are, they're just playing tricks in front of the Shanghai municipal government.

So it's not a matter of whether we want to stop it or not, it's that we can't stop it anymore.

At this stage, miHoYo's annual profit has reached tens of billions!
It's not about revenue of tens of billions; it's about net profit in the tens of billions after deducting costs, taxes, and dividends!
The subsequent release of masterpieces such as "Honkai Impact 3rd" and "Zone Zero" further boosted annual profits to nearly 50 billion!
These tech geeks, who claimed to "change the world through geeks," have actually lived up to their past boasts.

Furthermore, the advantage of being a tech geek is that you understand and respect technology.

After making money, these people didn't indulge in extravagance, buy luxury homes, acquire land, or invest in art.

Instead, it's all in on AI and cutting-edge technology!

We'll invest 1000 billion in the future. If we lose, we'll accept it; we'll treat it as a spectacular fireworks display.

These are the words Liu Wei said later, when he was still struggling to pay for his meal.

It ranks among the top 20 unicorn companies globally without being publicly listed.

Conservative estimate: 2000 billion.

If it goes public, it will at least increase fivefold on the spot.

These individuals insisted on not going public, did not want to share shares and power, and repeatedly regretted their decision to raise funds and sell shares back then.

miHoYo's annual revenue is higher than the total box office revenue of the entire Chinese film market.

Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "Still filming?"
What kind of movie are you filming?

How can you make a good movie with that bunch of bastards?!
The right way is to leverage one's accumulated capital and connections in the film and television industry to expand asset boundaries.

You should invest in real industries, buy land, build cinema chains, construct film studios, and purchase famous paintings.

I'm not playing this game!

Only when you have enough capital can you turn around this industry that is full of scoundrels and despicable people.

It's not easy to stay unscathed and make a little more money right now.

He couldn't sleep, and the other person was also unable to concentrate on work.

They were contemplating how to deal with the crisis at hand and how to make the most of this opportunity.

In their eyes, Zhang Yuan's arrival was like a windfall; God was kind to us and gave us a chance.

Where can you find an investor who understands games, knows anime and manga, has money, and can provide resources...?

Hey, there really is one!

When you're out in the world, you create your own identity; it all comes down to acting skills.

Only by coming as a friend can you gain access.

Otherwise, given the wariness of these tech geeks and their prejudice against the humanities and arts circles, they might not be willing to pay attention to you.

Science students have their own pride.

As the other person pondered, his assistant knocked on the door and entered the room.

"Zhang Shaohan called me. She has already left the airport and will arrive soon."

“Okay, you let her…” Zhang Yuan thought for a moment.

It's best to operate covertly.

Smartisan Technology deliberately leaked information to attract enemies.

Luo thought he was a thoroughbred horse, but Zhang Yuan was Shang Yang.

Both sides have differing understandings of their own roles.

Now that I genuinely want to be a talent scout and the other party is a true genius, I must remain humble.

What if someone tries to steal it?

Although it was a small, run-down company at the time, and not many people would take it seriously, there was no guarantee.

If something goes wrong, there won't even be time for you to pound the ground in frustration.

I had planned to meet Zhang Shaohan at the hotel restaurant or coffee shop.

But then I thought, I'm already conspicuous enough, if I add Zhang Shaohan on top of that, wouldn't I become a spotlight?
It might attract paparazzi, who might think the two of them are having an affair.

It would immediately become known throughout the country, and the industry would find out in no time.

Another unexpected incident occurred...

He then changed his words.

"Have her come directly to my room."

"it is good!"

The assistant answered decisively and immediately went to call back.

"Huh?" Zhang Shaohan's heart skipped a beat when he received the call.

They called me from afar, only to arrange to meet me in a hotel room.

We went to the hotel for our first meeting!
Zhang Shaohan is an artist from Taiwan, where the social atmosphere is even more extreme than on the mainland.

Cases of harassment of celebrities are rampant.

After all, it's a place where even gangs operate openly, so messing with female celebrities isn't a big deal.

This girl is very worried.

"Could we choose another public setting?"

"No, it can only be done in private," the assistant replied after being asked.

"I see..."

Zhang Shaohan's hands trembled.

Am I just escaping one tiger's den only to fall into another?

Because of the betrayal by her parents and friends, she is now in a state of extreme distrust towards the "human" community.

It's hard not to think the worst.

At this moment, I feel scared and think that the other party has ill intentions.

If Zhang Yuan were there, he would have slapped her hard and handed her a mirror.

Pooh!
Do you think I can force you?

Although I'm not ugly, and I do have some unique features, with my looks and wealth, I wouldn't be so desperate for your taste.

I just want to buy at the bottom, not to buy you.

But people tend to act from their own perspective, and when they're stressed, facts have to take a backseat.

This girl was terrified.

And the more I think about it, the more scared I get!
I also have a heart condition. If I play something really weird and it triggers my attack, I could easily die!
The music sprite was so frightened it turned into a music quail.

After biting his nails and thinking for a while, he decisively spoke.

"Master!" he said to the taxi driver.

"Turn around and head back to the airport!" (End of Chapter)