Chapter 932: How About a Bet

Xu Shaochen had no clue about the underhanded tricks the Lin family was planning.

Otherwise, he would surely have been impressed.

What does it mean to be ruthless?

This is what true ruthlessness looks like! At the moment, he was having tea with the boss of Pig Farm Corporation.

The traditional-looking private room had only the two of them.

The boss of Pig Farm Corporation was surnamed Zhu, named Zhu Sitao.

He was around fifty, tall and thin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking quite refined.

Both were observing each other silently, neither speaking initially.

“Mr. Xu, your reputation precedes you. As expected, you’re a talented young man, even more impressive in person than in your photos online.”

After a while, Zhu Sitao broke the silence, smiling at Xu Shaochen as he spoke.

Starting with compliments is always a safe way to go.

“Mr. Zhu, you’re too kind. If I’m being honest, I do have some stake in your company after all.”

Xu Shaochen replied seriously.

Zhu Sitao was momentarily stunned: “Xu Corporation didn’t invest in our Pig Farm, did they?”

“Mr. Zhu, Xu Corporation didn’t invest, but I personally did. I spent a lot on in-game purchases when your Pig Farm developed that game.”

As soon as Xu Shaochen said this, Zhu Sitao burst into laughter: “Mr. Xu, you’re quite the joker. In that case, I really should be thanking you.”

“Mr. Zhu, verbal thanks aren’t enough. At least, you could have your tech department add 100,000 in-game currency to my account, right?”

As Xu Shaochen spoke, his hands moved methodically, boiling tea at a steady pace.

“100,000 isn’t enough. If this cooperation works out, I’ll have my employees add 10 million for you.”

Zhu Sitao took that moment to bring up the topic of collaboration.

Meanwhile, the tea had finished brewing.

Xu Shaochen poured a cup and slid it in front of Zhu Sitao, “Please, enjoy the tea.”

“Good tea. To have the privilege of tasting tea brewed by Mr. Xu, this trip to Jiangzhou is already worth it.”

Zhu Sitao took a sip, savoring the flavor, and complimented Xu Shaochen with a smile.

“Mr. Zhu, let’s talk about the cooperation. What kind of partnership did you have in mind?”

Xu Shaochen smiled lightly as he asked, tasting his own tea. The tea leaves were top-notch, but the brewing had been mediocre, so the flavor was average.

This showed that businessmen are quite skilled at flattery.

“Mr. Xu, currently the biggest game companies in the country are Penguin Corporation and our Pig Farm. We’re undoubtedly the two giants in the gaming industry.”

“But, let’s be real. Our market share at Pig Farm has been decreasing, and it’s all being taken by Penguin.”

“Xu Corporation has the capital, and we happen to have a few great projects in hand. But due to funding issues, we can’t fully develop them. If you, Mr. Xu, would join us, any one of these projects could shake the entire industry.”

Here, he paused, took another sip of tea, and continued: “I propose that we form a new company, with both our companies holding different shares. What do you think, Mr. Xu?”

Hearing this, Xu Shaochen smirked inwardly. You’re treating me like I’m just a rich fool, huh?

“Mr. Zhu, it’s true I’m not short on money, but that doesn’t mean I’m itching to throw it away. To be honest, I didn’t come here to discuss a partnership. I only came to meet you in person since you traveled all the way to Jiangzhou.”

Xu Shaochen straightforwardly rejected Zhu Sitao.

“Mr. Xu, the gaming industry is pretty deep. Xu Corporation might be great elsewhere, but in this field, you’re like a sitting duck. You might just drown.”

Zhu Sitao said, as he looked at Xu Shaochen meaningfully. He clearly didn’t think highly of Xu Shaochen’s ability to succeed in gaming.

In his mind, what would Xu Shaochen know about making good games? Especially a VR game? How laughable.

Making a game isn’t just about having money. The current VR technology on the market simply doesn’t support major VR projects.

What he didn’t know was that Xu Corporation had developed a brand-new VR headset.

One could say that his imagination was limited by his own experience.

Xu Shaochen didn’t bother explaining. Instead, he said, “In that case, how about a bet, Mr. Zhu?”

“What kind of bet?” Zhu Sitao asked.

Xu Shaochen smiled faintly: “Let’s bet on whether my company’s first game will be a huge success or get no attention.”

“Interesting. What’s the wager?” Zhu Sitao chuckled lightly, clearly confident that Xu Shaochen would lose.

Xu Shaochen pondered for a moment: “If I somehow win, all the websites and game login screens under your company will run ads for my game for one week.”

“And if I lose, your company can pick any game, and Xu Corporation will cover all the promotion costs.”

“Deal! Mr. Xu, you’re quite generous. Let’s make it official then!”

Zhu Sitao shouted his agreement, barely containing his excitement.

From his point of view, there was no doubt Xu Shaochen would lose.

Game promotion costs are always huge. Without promotion, where would the traffic and players come from? If Xu Corporation was covering the costs, Pig Farm could easily push one of their games worldwide.

In Zhu Sitao’s eyes, this was a fortune falling into his lap. He wouldn’t pass it up.

“Mr. Zhu, a gentleman’s word is his bond.”

As soon as Xu Shaochen finished speaking, Zhu Sitao interjected:

“Irrevocable!”

They toasted with tea instead of wine, both smiling brightly.

Zhu Sitao thought he had made an easy gain.

But Xu Shaochen knew that the happier he was now, the more sorrowful he would be later.

Since Pig Farm was also in the gaming business, all their games would eventually be promoting Xu Corporation’s first game.

At that point, all of Pig Farm’s accumulated players over the years might flock to Xu Corporation’s game.

The success of a game lies in the number of players it attracts.

If they lost their hard-earned player base, Zhu Sitao would have no one to cry to.

After a productive conversation, Xu Shaochen made his departure with his secretary.

No sooner had they left than Zhu Sitao’s secretary entered the room.

“Mr. Zhu, you seem very happy. Did the cooperation go through?”

The secretary asked curiously.

“Hahaha! The cooperation didn’t go through, but I still scored big this time!”

As he recounted the bet, his smile grew as bright as the sun outside.

“Really? Congratulations, Mr. Zhu. The promotion cost for the next major game won’t be a concern then.”

The secretary was equally pleased, already predicting how the bet would turn out.

“Exactly! I’m calling the company right now to tell them to pour all our reserved promotion funds into game development!”

Zhu Sitao said with gusto as he pulled out his phone.