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"Lu Chen, this time I really have to thank you!" Wang Xiaoling's eyes were shining as she spoke to Lu Chen with genuine emotion. "I never even imagined you'd come."
Earlier at home, she had been kept in the bedroom by the bridesmaids, while Gao He was blocked outside and not allowed in. She'd actually been extremely anxious, afraid that Gao He might lose his temper and cause a scene that would leave both sides with wounded pride.
Trouble breaking out during the groom's attempt to fetch the bride was hardly rare; there had even been cases where couples demanded a divorce on the spot.
Fortunately, Lu Chen descended like a divine weapon from the heavens and effortlessly dealt with her relatives and close girlfriends, allowing her to smoothly complete this crucial step in her life. Naturally, she felt deeply grateful.
Lu Chen laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, that's being too polite. What kind of relationship do I have with Boss?"
Gao He held Wang Xiaoling's hand and smiled honestly.
Wang Xiaoling pressed her lips together in a smile and said, "Anyway, I still have to thank you. I heard your girlfriend Chen Fei'er came too?"
Lu Chen nodded. "I'll bring her over tomorrow to meet the bride."
Wang Xiaoling was delighted. "That's wonderful! I'm her fan!"
Lu Chen asked Gao He, "Boss, how's your work going now?"
Before graduating, Gao He had already secured a job back in his hometown of Jicheng, but in the end, he chose to stay in Hangzhou for love. Zhou Rui had mentioned that he and Xiaoling worked at a game company together.
Zhou Rui had been vague about it. Lu Chen figured the job was probably just average, certainly incomparable to the Feiteng Company where Fourth Brother worked.
So he asked with particular concern.
Gao He didn't hide anything. The company he and Xiaoling worked at wasn't big, an indie game studio founded only two years ago. It mainly made web games and mobile games, and so far had released just two small games that hadn't sold particularly well.
"The salary's just enough to get by," Gao He said. "But small companies have their advantages. At least I get exposed to a lot more. For now, I'm mainly focused on learning and gaining experience. Once I've accumulated enough, I can jump ship or start my own thing."
He added, "Mobile games are really popular right now. Even a small game can bring in several million in monthly revenue. Of course, competition is extremely fierce."
Gao He had ambitions. He couldn't let Wang Xiaoling keep suffering alongside him forever. Housing prices in Hangzhou were outrageously high; there was no way they could ever afford a place on their current income. If he got the chance, he still wanted to start his own business.
Starting a business carries huge risks, but without risk, how could there ever be substantial returns?
Jokingly, Gao He said to Lu Chen, "If I make a mobile game someday, I'll definitely ask you to be the spokesperson. You'd better give me a huge discount, haha!"
By now, smartphones had long entered a phase of rapid development, and mobile games had flourished along with them. The market size kept expanding, reaching truly astonishing levels.
Celebrity endorsements for mobile games were already commonplace. Lu Chen himself had received endorsement offers from several companies, but he'd turned them all down, not because the pay was low, but because the level just wasn't high enough.
But right now, he was thinking about something else entirely.
Lu Chen had majored in computer applications in college. Naturally, he understood the trends toward intelligence and entertainment in mobile devices, and he knew that for mobile games today, setting aside production quality, creativity was the most important factor.
A mobile game with outstanding creativity could still become hugely popular even if it had simple visuals and ordinary 2D graphics, while lavishly funded, beautifully produced 3D mobile games flopped left and right.
And in Lu Chen's dream world, there existed countless classic games, including many mobile games that had once exploded in popularity, like treasure troves waiting to be unearthed.
If he hadn't embarked on his current path, there was a high chance he would've ended up just like Gao He: first working at a game company to accumulate experience and initial capital, then striking out on his own. With the wealth of creative ideas from his dream world, he believed he could have built a truly successful career that way as well.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen said, "Boss, finish out this year, then come out and do it. I'll invest in you to make mobile games."
Gao He was stunned. "Old Third, I was just joking."
He didn't doubt Lu Chen's financial strength, but he wasn't confident enough in his own abilities yet. After all, he hadn't been in the industry very long. Doing his own technical work was no problem, but independently running a company and managing projects was a completely different matter.
Lu Chen might not care if an investment failed, but Gao He wouldn't be able to live with it himself.
Lu Chen shook his head. "I'm not joking. I really have this plan. You know I can't personally run a game development company. If you're the one doing it, I'd feel completely at ease."
Lu Chen had already thought it through. Rather than letting others benefit, he might as well let Gao He do it. This was also part of laying out his own big-IP strategy in advance, after all, the interests involved in game copyrights were enormous.
Right now, in order to firmly establish himself, Lu Chen was networking everywhere and sharing profits widely. But the core interests of his big-IP plan were something he intended to keep firmly in his own hands.
For example, the novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer he was currently serializing on Langchao Literature. If the book sold well in the future and ultimately became a high-quality IP, film and TV adaptations would be inevitable, and game adaptations would be indispensable.
Rather than selling off the relevant rights in a one-time deal, why not fully leverage those copyrights to pursue even greater benefits?
Lu Chen himself didn't have the time or energy to do all this, but he could invest, and he could acquire related companies, eventually building an entertainment empire of his own.
This, this was the ultimate ambition behind Lu Chen's path toward becoming a perfect superstar!
Gao He was about to say something more, but Wang Xiaoling secretly stepped on his foot.
The bride shot the groom a "I can't believe you're this dense" look, 'Are you stupid? Such a great opportunity is right in front of you and you don't cherish it? Do you really think you can build a career entirely on your own in the future?'
Relying on brothers and friends, relying on connections and support, was nothing shameful. As long as he worked hard and wholeheartedly, living up to Lu Chen's investment and trust, then his conscience would be clear!
Gao He felt embarrassed. "Then… I'll think it over carefully."
His mind was a complete mess, both delighted and anxious at the same time, a classic tech-nerd reaction.
Lu Chen laughed. "Don't think about it today. Today, your only task is to be the most qualified groom possible!"
Gao He nodded shyly.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, dusk had arrived.
Gao He and Wang Xiaoling's wedding banquet was held on the second floor of the hotel. Accompanied by the best man and bridesmaids, the newlyweds went to the hotel entrance to welcome arriving guests.
Because of his special status, Lu Chen didn't go with them. Instead, he sat at the main table, and still became the focus of everyone's attention!
The ones who felt the most proud, however, were probably Wang Xiaoling's parents and family.
Gao He's in-laws had originally been firmly opposed to the relationship. They didn't want their beautiful daughter marrying a penniless outsider, seeing her only a few times a year at best, unless he bought a house locally in Hangzhou.
But Wang Xiaoling's determination was too strong. She had directly gone and registered the marriage. No matter how unwilling her parents were, they had no choice but to accept it. Otherwise, not only would they lose their daughter, they'd also become the laughingstock among relatives and friends.
Naturally, expecting them to enthusiastically organize the wedding was unrealistic.
Yet they never imagined that Lu Chen, a major celebrity, would actually come to be Gao He's best man, and even personally show up to fetch the bride. The Wang family instantly became the hottest topic among the neighbors, this was incredibly prideful for them.
Wang Xiaoling's parents had heard her mention before that among her classmates and friends there was someone very impressive. They just hadn't known that Lu Chen and Gao He were this close. If that were the case, why had they needed to play the villain and try to break the couple up in the first place?
With just a little help from Lu Chen, Gao He might very well rise rapidly.
It wasn't that the two elders were overly mercenary. Earlier, the hotel's general manager had personally come over, respectfully asked Lu Chen for a photo and a message, and after Lu Chen said a few words, the rather expensive banquet received a hefty discount, saving them at least tens of thousands of yuan.
At the end of the day, Wang Xiaoling's parents simply didn't want their precious daughter to suffer. With Gao He having such an incredible friend, they naturally felt much more at ease.
They were also glad they hadn't cheapened out on the banquet's standard and had hired a professional wedding host. Otherwise, they really would have lost their pride in front of relatives and friends.
As time passed, most of the guests had arrived. The bride and groom returned to the banquet hall, and the wedding ceremony officially began.
"On an auspicious day under golden skies, purple swallows dance with joy. A pair of mandarin ducks form a beautiful couple; red plum blossoms bloom as one, orchids and angelica forever entwined in matrimony!"
"Today is June 18, 2016. On this joyous, vibrant, and auspicious day, we gather together with wedding wine in hand to jointly celebrate the marriage ceremony of Mr. Gao He and Miss Wang Xiaoling!"
"The wedding overture is about to gently resound. The hearts of lovers will collide here in the most brilliant sparks, and a new couple will soon walk hand in hand into the sacred hall!"
Amid the impassioned recitation of the wedding host, the wedding march began to play, filling the entire hall with a festive and joyful atmosphere.
The elegantly dressed newlyweds made their grand entrance. Wang Xiaoling, in her pure white wedding gown, beamed with happiness. She had never been as beautiful as she was at this moment. Gao He, too, looked confident and radiant.
The couple firmly captured everyone's attention, so much so that even Lu Chen had to step back into a supporting role.
"A hundred years of cultivation for crossing the same boat, a thousand years of destiny to share the same pillow. Life is a flower, and love is its honey. When love ripens, and bears fruit, and a man and a woman become husband and wife through lawful means, the most moving chapter of life begins."
"Here, we congratulate the two of you, hearts united, bound for a lifetime! We sincerely wish the newlyweds a hundred years together, growing old side by side, accompanied by harmony and love for eternity. Let us give them a round of warm applause to celebrate their blissful union!"
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the banquet hall as relatives and friends offered their most heartfelt blessings.
Wang Xiaoling was so moved that crystalline tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
And in that very moment, a strange and wonderful feeling stirred within Lu Chen's heart.
Happiness, it turned out, was actually that simple.
(End of Chapter)