Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 432: Single Blade Meeting · Zadkiel
This interview had been published on February 24th—just yesterday.
After its release, it was widely reposted and quickly gained massive attention on platforms like Weibo.
The number of comments below had already reached tens of thousands, showing just how influential the interview was.
"Lu Zhiyao's acting in this film is beyond criticism!"
"Yeah, the movie is clearly a hit now. Calling him 'box office poison' doesn't make sense anymore!"
"When I first saw Lu Zhiyao as the lead, I almost didn't want to watch it. But after that opening beer-drinking scene, I was completely stunned—I couldn't believe my eyes!"
"I think Lu Zhiyao really hasn't had it easy. Unlike some idols who keep talking about how hard they work but never improve, he's been quietly putting in effort all along. Now it's finally paying off!"
"I'm a fan now—going to watch it again just to appreciate his acting!"
"I really want to know—this 'benefactor' he mentioned, who is it? Since he already thanked Zhang Zuting before, it shouldn't be him, right?"
"Maybe it's Director Zhu Xiaoce?"
"Doesn't seem like it. If it were the director, he could've just said so. Why call him a 'benefactor'?"
"Not only guiding his acting but also his life philosophy… this person must be extraordinary!"
"I wonder if Lu Zhiyao can win Best Actor with this performance? Maybe not internationally, but domestically he should have a good chance, right?"
"Hard to say, this movie might actually appeal more to international judges!"
…
After skimming a few comments, Pei Qian's face darkened, his lips twitching slightly.
"'Normal acting is the hardest'?"
"'Play the character exactly as they are'?"
Did I really say it like that?
What I actually said was: "Just act normally," and "The male lead is basically a slacker—just play him like one"!
This Lu Zhiyao—not only did he twist my words, he even turned my casual remarks into philosophical insights…
Obviously, Lu Zhiyao didn't remember exactly what Pei Qian had said. Based on vague recollections, he filled in the gaps with his own interpretation—resulting in those polished lines in the interview.
And this so-called "benefactor"… was clearly none other than Pei Qian himself!
"Lu Zhiyao, oh Lu Zhiyao… I don't mind you shedding the 'box office poison' label. I don't mind your acting breakthrough either. But did it really have to happen with my movie…?"
Pei Qian realized that his earlier worry about "Lu Zhiyao drinking beer" trending had indeed come true—just not in the way he had expected.
…
Knock knock knock
Pei Qian had been leaning back in his chair, lost in thought, when a sudden knock came from the door.
He froze. "A delivery? No… I don't think I ordered anything recently."
He opened the door—and it was Ma Yang.
"You? What are you doing here?" Pei Qian asked, slightly surprised.
It was still a while before school started. Although the company had resumed work, He Desheng could handle things at Dream Fulfillment Ventures. Pei Qian himself was overseeing the major investment projects, so whether Ma Yang was around or not didn't make much difference.
Pei Qian had originally thought Ma Yang would stay home and enjoy his entire vacation before coming back to work.
Ma Yang sat down on the sofa, looking concerned. "I heard from He Desheng that you haven't been to the company these past few days, so I came to check on you."
His gaze swept over the pile of snack wrappers on the coffee table—evidence of Pei Qian's boredom over the past few days.
Ma Yang's expression turned serious. "Brother Qian, I have to criticize you. You're the chairman now—you can't keep taking everything onto yourself anymore!"
"Take Dream Fulfillment Ventures for example. I really didn't have much time before because I was preparing for finals—but you can't just take all the investment work onto yourself just because you care about my studies!"
"Look at how much pressure you're under now! You've eaten so much junk food—it's terrible for your health!"
As he spoke, Ma Yang grabbed the half-eaten bag of chips on the table and started crunching away. "Now that the holidays are over and I'm back, I'm ready to help share your burden!"
"Brother Qian, just give me the assignment!"
Pei Qian looked troubled.
I am worried right now—but not about something you can help with…
Old Ma, I used to trust you. But how do you explain that 20 million investment in IOI?
If not for your completely unreasonable 20 million investment, would I have taken over Dream Fulfillment Ventures myself? I would've happily left it to you to lose money!
But then Pei Qian thought about it again and realized he didn't really have the right to blame Ma Yang.
Although Ma Yang spent 20 million to buy shares in Finger Company, IOI hadn't even launched domestically yet…
Meanwhile, the projects Pei Qian had personally invested in—Shared Phone Booth, Top Student, Come Quickly App…
Well… he didn't exactly have the moral high ground to criticize Ma Yang.
If anything, after taking over, he seemed to be doing even worse than Ma Yang.
Pei Qian sat down on the sofa, considering whether to give Ma Yang a second chance.
After a moment, he probed, "Old Ma, if Dream Fulfillment Ventures suddenly had another 50 million, where would you invest it?"
Ma Yang had already finished the half bag of chips and was eyeing an unopened bag of shrimp crackers. "Fifty million, huh…"
"The last investment in Finger Company seemed pretty successful. Why not just keep investing in them?"
Pei Qian: "…"
Hopelessly stubborn!
Pei Qian felt a surge of frustration. "Old Ma, stop eating and stand up!"
Startled, Ma Yang quickly got to his feet—but still stuffed the shrimp crackers in his hand into his mouth out of reflex.
Pei Qian was exasperated. "Wait, didn't you eat before coming here?"
Ma Yang nodded. "Nope. Want to order some takeout? Do you want fried chicken?"
Pei Qian: "…"
"What was I about to say again?"
"Oh right—I'm very dissatisfied with that answer!"
"What's the name of our investment company?"
Ma Yang hurriedly replied, "Dream Fulfillment Ventures, Brother Qian!"
Pei Qian nodded. "Then what is the mission of Dream Fulfillment Ventures?"
Ma Yang hesitated. "Uh… investing in dreams?"
Pei Qian spoke earnestly, "Does Finger Company look like a company that needs its dreams funded right now? They're not short on money at all! What's more important is to invest in dreams that actually need to be realized!"
"For example…"
"…Forget it. Think about it yourself."
Pei Qian had originally wanted to say "projects like Shared Phone Booth," but on second thought, that project had already become profitable—so he swallowed the words.
Ma Yang fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Halfway through thinking, he quietly picked up two shrimp crackers and slipped them into his mouth, chewing softly.
Pei Qian: "…"
"Alright. Go find some dreams first. Once you've found them, show me—then we'll decide how to invest."
Ma Yang quickly nodded. "Got it, Brother Qian! I'll definitely help share your burden! …So, are we not ordering takeout?"
Pei Qian was speechless. "What time is it? If you're hungry, go eat at Moyu Internet Café yourself—I still have work to do."
"Oh, okay, got it. I'll get going then, Brother Qian." Ma Yang turned to leave, but suddenly thought of something and grabbed the unopened bag of shrimp crackers from the table.
"These shrimp crackers are pretty good."
"I'm off, Brother Qian!"
Watching Ma Yang leave, Pei Qian felt a mix of emotions.
"Old Ma, you've got to pull yourself together! I'm counting on you!"
…
…
That afternoon, at Tengda Group's game department.
"In short, after Bao Xu and I leave, GOG will be in your hands."
"Make sure to push forward cross-platform compatibility as soon as possible, and also speed up the design of skins for existing heroes."
"You've all been handling your responsibilities well lately. Even if something unexpected happens, don't panic—think carefully about what President Pei has said, and you'll definitely find a solution."
Li Yada was assigning tasks to Hu Xianbin and the others.
On March 1st, she and Bao Xu would be heading abroad for a trip. Over the past few days, they had already finalized visas, flights, accommodations, and their itinerary. At the same time, they had completed the full handover of work to Hu Xianbin and the others.
Today was Friday—their last day at work before leaving—and everything had now been fully handed over.
After finishing all arrangements, Li Yada checked her phone. Earlier, she had messaged President Pei to inform him that the handover was complete and that she was about to leave for her trip. His reply had been simple: "Go ahead."
At first, Li Yada had been a bit worried. But thinking about how President Pei was still overseeing things, she felt reassured. Those two simple words—"Go ahead"—felt like a calming anchor, instantly putting her mind at ease.
Zhang Nan returned to her workstation and saw that Ruan Guangjian's studio had already sent over new concept art. She quickly downloaded it.
Zhang Nan was mainly responsible for designing hero skins. With her background in fashion design, she had many unique ideas that translated perfectly into game aesthetics.
The newly delivered concept was titled "Single Blade Meeting · Zadkiel", the first legendary skin for the hero Zadkiel.
In the artwork, Zadkiel was dressed entirely in traditional Peking Opera costume—a red-faced warrior role. With an added long flowing beard that exuded authority, and multiple flags were mounted behind him.
As a legendary skin, it would feature a custom recall animation, unique voice lines, and special skill effects—definitely making players feel it was worth the price.
This skin was a collaboration with traditional Chinese opera. In the famous opera segment Single Blade Meeting, Guan Yu guards Jingzhou and attends a banquet alone with only his blade—an act that became legendary.
In the minds of the employees, Zadkiel's prototype—President Pei—shared similar traits: fearless in the face of powerful enemies, calm under pressure, bold yet wise, much like Guan Yu himself.
The flags on the skin, originally part of Peking Opera costume design, also perfectly matched the weapons mounted on Zadkiel's back—making the overall design feel exceptionally fitting.
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