I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

In late October in Yanjing, most of the leaves on the old locust trees had turned yellow.

In his rented room in Huangtingzi Community, Jiang Chen, wrapped in a light jacket, sat huddled in front of his computer.

On the screen, the backend page of Yinshang Times was loading.

He picked up the cup beside him and took a sip. The can of Jingzhou Bijian tea that Li Xian had given him was long gone, and now he was brewing Lipton tea bags from the supermarket, which tasted bland.

This guy only offered himself once and then stopped. Jiang Chen was quite disappointed in him...

The page refreshed.

Jiang Chen put down his cup and took a closer look.

It's been almost half a year since "The Power of Love" was released online.

He was very clear about the song's popularity curve. It peaked at the beginning of the year when "Palace" was a hit, and then gradually declined, but it had a solid foundation and had been steadily climbing.

Ringtone downloads have increased again compared to last month.

As the number of views accumulates, the price per view is slowly increasing.

A string of numbers popped up on the page.

Settlement received: ¥412,500.00.

Data covering July to September.

He did some mental calculations.

The first payment was 48.875 at the end of April, the second was 32 in June, and this time it's 41.25.

The total revenue from "The Power of Love" over nine months was 122 million, plus the 3 from selling "Anhe Bridge" to Chen Sicheng, bringing the total income to just over 125 million.

However, the investment in Zhengwu Sunshine cost 30 yuan, and the registration of the studio cost 10 yuan. The expenses in the past few months have been less than 2 yuan.

1,250,000 - 400,000 - 20,000 = 830,000

830,000.

Jiang Chen stared at that number for a while.

There will still be revenue sharing for "The Power of Love", but the peak has passed. It will be good if we can get 100,000 to 200,000 per month from now on.

To raise one million, you either have to wait another two or three months, or...

He thought for a moment, picked up his phone, found Yang Zi's number, and dialed it.

It rang five or six times before the other end answered.

"Feed?" Yang Zi's voice was lazy, with a hint of morning grumpiness. "What? So early in the morning..."

"Zi Mei, lend me some money."

Purple Sister was rendered silent after being violated...

"Huh? What did you say? My signal is bad!"

Yang Zi's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, "Say that again?"

"Lend me some money, 170,000."

"Jiang Chen, have you been kidnapped? If you've been kidnapped, blink... no, make a sound?"

"No kidnapping, it's for serious business, I need it urgently, I'll return it to you in a few months."

There was another silence on the other end of the phone.

Then came a series of curses and swears.

"Damn you, Jiang Chen! You're a top student from Beijing Film Academy, you could easily earn more than this just by selling your face, right? You want to borrow money from me? Don't you have any shame? You... do you think I'm rich and stupid?"

"No, no, Zi Mei is the smartest."

"Stop flattering me! Let me tell you, it wasn't easy for me to save this money. I've been acting since I was a kid, braving wind and rain. Do you know how hard it was for me...?"

Jiang Chen listened to her rambling on the other end of the phone without interrupting.

Don't underestimate Yang Zi.

She started acting at a young age; when "Home with Kids" became a nationwide hit, she was only twelve or thirteen.

Although the pay wasn't high back then, it added up over time.

Over the years, this girl must have saved at least several million.

She's definitely a little rich woman.

"Fine, fine, if you won't lend it to me, I'll find someone else..."

"Who said I wouldn't lend it?"

This girl is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Although she took the opportunity to retaliate and cursed for a long time, she transferred 20 yuan as soon as she hung up the phone.

There's an extra 30,000.

One million, that's it.

He booked a train ticket to Shanghai.

Jiang Chen stopped in front of a three-story building in Caohejing.

The mailbox by the door has an A4 sheet of paper on it that reads: miHoYo.

Who would have thought that a company valued at hundreds of billions ten years later would have grown out of this dilapidated building?

Pushing open the door, you see electrical wires crawling all over the floor like a spider web in the large open space, with instant noodles and Red Bull cans piled up in the corner.

"Jiang Chen!" Liu Wei ran down from the second floor, his hair a mess, followed by Cai Haoyu and Luo Yuhao.

The second floor was even more chaotic, with several desks pushed together and screens filled with code and art assets.

The four of them have chatted a lot on QQ over the past few months.

After finishing work in the evening, Jiang Chen would always pop up in the group chat, talking about games, anime, and entrepreneurship.

Cai Haoyu once said, "I want to make games that touch people's hearts." Jiang Chen replied, "The prerequisite for touching people's hearts is that you yourselves must first be touched. In the world of anime and manga, outsiders can't understand it, and insiders can't do it well. Only those who are truly passionate about it can survive."

Cai Haoyu took a screenshot and saved it, saying he would include it in the company culture.

When discussing user operations, Luo Yuhao struggled with whether or not to build a community.

Jiang Chen said, "We must do it. Your users aren't here to play games; they're here to find a sense of belonging. Games are the medium, but the community is the soul. If you build a good community, you won't be able to get rid of your users."

"...How do you understand us better than we understand ourselves?"

When discussing the dismal results of "Fly Me 2 The Moon," Jiang Chen said, "Failure is not the mother of success; reflection is. You survived not because of good luck, but because you seriously considered why you failed each time. Most people die because they don't think about it; you are different."

Speaking of the future, Jiang Chen said, "What you lack now is not technology, but direction. Mobile games are the future, but you can't just make single-player games. You need online connectivity, social interaction, and a sense of belonging for players. Don't focus on the buy-to-play model either; free-to-play plus in-app purchases is the right solution."

"Players aren't unwilling to spend money, they're unwilling to spend money on things they don't know if they'll have fun. Let them have fun first, and they'll naturally spend money."

When discussing the value of IP, Jiang Chen said, "It's right for you to create original IPs now, but you need to think clearly: IP isn't a story, it's an emotional anchor. Players remember not the plot, but the characters. When you create characters in the future, you need to make sure that people can immediately recognize them as their wives, and that's it."

Liu Wei sent over a dozen crying emojis in the group chat: "Jiang Chen, quit being an actor, come work for us, we'll make you a co-founder!"

Jiang Chen replied, "Isn't investment dividends appealing?"

Liu Wei: "Smells good, my foot! You come and make the game, and the four of us will change the world together!"

The purpose of this visit is to discuss the angel round.

Liu Wei cut to the chase: "The investment, is it true?"

"Really. One million, angel round, 20%."

The three people fell silent.

It wasn't that I was dissatisfied; I was stunned.

Fly Me 2 The Moon only has a few thousand daily active users, so the money in the account won't last long.

They contacted several investors, who immediately started giving unsolicited advice on "user profiles" and "monetization paths."

But Jiang Chen understands them.

It's not feigned understanding; it's a resonance on a soul level!

Aren't you afraid we'll fail?

"You won't fail," Jiang Chen said confidently. "The three of you—one understands technology, one understands operations, and one understands planning. You're not making a copycat product; you're making something you love. You yourselves are the target users, so you know what users want. Ninety-nine percent of game companies in the world can't do that."

"And what you lack isn't money, it's time. I'll give you three years to make a game that can support you. I'll give you another five years to make a game that players will remember your name. Ten years from now, this building will be an office building, and the name miHoYo will be worth more than Blizzard."

Liu Wei's eyes reddened: "Damn it, stop talking, or I'll start crying."

Cai Haoyu picked up the pen and signed the agreement.

One million, twenty percent.

We will not interfere with operations, but will only distribute profits.

When Liu Wei later recalled that day, he always said, "We weren't signing with investors, we were signing with our ancestors."

From this moment on, miHoYo's fourth major player, the "mascot," has officially taken office.

Jiang Chen boarded the train back to Yanjing, watching the fields rushing past the window, feeling a sense of peace.

After two years of hard work since being reborn, I only have 30,000 left.

There is also an external debt of 200,000.

However, the shares of Zhengwu Sunshine, the shares of miHoYo, and the upcoming broadcast of "Gu Jian Qi Tan"!

Everything is ready.

With this 30,000 yuan, let's see if we can first get an assistant, and then find an agent...

After all, he'll be busy soon...

……