Dawn Game.
Li Yu'an got up and poured himself a glass of warm water, then sat back at his desk, with the computer webpage still on the chat box of the "Youtu" forum.
As China's largest game website so far, "Youtu" is an integrated forum for game exchanges, copyright sales, production and promotion.
Many independent game producers will publish their own creative ideas for sale or cooperation. At the same time, there will be many game "Party A" like Li Yu'an who will bid or bid according to their own needs.
In the past three years, Li Yu'an has relied on purchasing small copyrights of games, producing and launching them online, and using short-term popularity to reap results, so that Dawn Game can be supported until now.
But now, this method is almost unworkable.
Without a hit game project and sufficient working capital, there will eventually be an end.
Li Yu'an took a sip of warm water, his eyes still on the chat page of Youtu.
Ten days ago, he searched for two good small game creative IDs on the Youtu website, and immediately contacted its anonymous creator "Will", expressing his idea and invitation to purchase the copyright.
Unfortunately, the two games were still sold to two other game companies by the architect Will.
Just when Li Yu'an was secretly feeling lost, a turning point appeared -
the game architect named "Will" sent him the architectural idea of a large game called "End of Fog", and wanted to cooperate with him directly.
Such acquisition cooperation naturally requires time to think about.
Li Yu'an had seen the overall game background and future plans of "The Last Fog". He knew very well that Dawn Games under his control was not capable of taking on the task, so it was better to let go of such a good project than to let it rot in his hands.
Half an hour ago, he sent a tactful refusal to Will on the Youtu forum, but has not received a reply from the other party yet.
"..."
Li Yu'an stared at the "The Last Fog" folder on the desktop. Out of moral constraints, he put it into the Recycle Bin.
——Ding Dong.
The computer received a message notification sound.
"Mr. Li, I appreciate and respect your honesty, but I think giving up a good opportunity is definitely not the choice of a smart person. If there are no conditions, then create them. If there is no money, then find a way to attract investment."
Li Yu'an saw the text sent by Will and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
How could he not know the importance of a good opportunity? How could he not see that "Last Mist" might be a great project to bring Dawn Games back on track? If
there is no funding, then get investment? But this is definitely not an easy thing to say.
There are almost no investors in the investment circle of the Imperial Capital who are optimistic about their "Dawn" game, and "Last Mist" is definitely not a small game project that can be completed with a small amount of money.
Li Yu'an's rejection of this game is more of helplessness and unwillingness.
He was thinking about how to explain this clearly, when Will on the other side of the screen sent a simple line of words:
"GM Capital, try their company."
When Li Yu'an saw the company name, he immediately chose to search for corporate news. After reading a few lines, his eyes suddenly fixed on a name -
Executive Director, Yan Cen.
"..."
Li Yu'an unconsciously held his breath. He had not seen Yan Cen since the last accidental encounter at the Bo family banquet.
The wound on the fingertip had healed, but the blood-stained Band-Aid was eventually thrown into the trash can by him, erasing the brief interaction between the two.
Li Yu'an came back to his senses half a beat slowly, and quickly glanced through the basic introduction of GM Capital -
this investment company has been developing overseas since its establishment. Although it has not been established for a long time, the projects it participated in in the first year of investment have become newcomers in the industry with absolute development advantages, and the results are considerable.
Therefore, GM Capital has also taken advantage of this favorable situation to become a dark horse in the overseas investment circle, and its expansion scale in recent years has been unstoppable.
Come to think of it, it is indeed in line with the consistent excellence that Yan Cen showed in college.
Li Yu'an took a deep breath and forced himself to return to the chat page, "Mr. Will, this company has been developing overseas. Can it accept investment in domestic projects?"
The other end replied confidently, "Yes, they have also established a venture capital branch in China."
Li Yu'an did not doubt Will's news.
He took out the last cigarette from the cigarette box, but did not light it. He just bit it between his lips and teeth to concentrate.
Time passed by minute by minute.
The ticking of the alarm clock on the table urged Li Yu'an's heart. His eyes stayed on GM's official website for a long time. After hesitating for a long time, he chose to reply -
"Mr. Will, the current scale of Dawn Games does not meet their investment target standards. It can be said that the difference is very far."
"Sorry, I'm not sure."
When typing the last line of words, Li Yu'an bit the cigarette butt hard, his eyes dim.
If it were any other company or any other person, he would be willing to give it a try no matter how difficult it was, but GM happened to be Yan Cen's company, and Li Yu'an's useless pride would not allow himself to lose face in front of the other party.
"Ding Dong!"
The private message reminder sound came again, interrupting Li Yu'an's wandering thoughts.
"I heard that Mr. Li took investment-related courses while in school?"
"In that case, why not switch to the perspective of an 'investor' to explain the advantages of our game? Also, you should find out where your own advantages are."
"..."
Li Yu'an stared at the two reminders closely, silently pondering for a long time.
GM Capital, Yan Cen.
I should find out where my own advantages are?
If he hadn't changed his major, maybe he would have a different life now.
Back to reality, what could be worse than the current situation? Give up this ray of hope for the sake of your own face? It's better to give it a try.
Even if you fail, at least you won't regret it in the future.
The fog that had been lingering in his heart for a long time seemed to have found an exit, and finally it was clear. He sighed and chose to type a reply on the keyboard -
"Thank you, I'll try."
"I wish you success, and you can contact me anytime if you need anything."
--
GM Business Investment, Imperial Capital Branch.
Yan Cen stepped into the company gate on time at nine o'clock, and the assistant came up, "Mr. Yan, good morning."
"Morning."
Yan Cen nodded slightly and unlocked the door of the independent office with his fingerprint.
The assistant followed closely, "Do you need a cup of coffee for you?"
"No."
Yan Cen sat down and asked directly, "Have you found a suitable project for the remaining investment quota? The company's promotion plan cannot be delayed."
In fact, GM is a business investment company founded by Yan Cen and his good friend Bo Yueming, which has made a lot of headlines overseas in the past few years.
At present, the overseas headquarters is operating stably, so the two of them are thinking about returning to China to establish a branch to get a share of the pie again, and then slowly transfer the assets back.
They initially plan to find five new projects in China for investment, and the first round of cycle is two years.
The first four investment projects have been decided early, and only the last position is vacant, and they have not found the most suitable project for investment.
The assistant was stuck for a moment, "Yes, as of yesterday, we have received eight new investment applications, but we haven't had time to screen them yet."
Yan Cen smiled and replied, "I didn't ask you to work overtime on Sunday. How about this, you send the application documents directly to me, I will read them myself, and you can assist in the screening."
It's just the beginning of Monday, and he is anxious.
The assistant is relieved, "Okay, President Yan, right away!"
...
In the office, the working atmosphere is strong.
Yan Cen finished reading the new investment application, and smiled slightly, "The game plan of Youming Studio looks good."
"Add the previous application for Fun Games... I didn't expect that game-related projects accounted for a quarter of the total this time?"
"Mr. Yan, it's more than that."
The assistant turned his tablet over and indicated, "There is also a letter from 'Dawn Games', but their market trends in the past three years and future development assessments do not meet our company's investment standards."
Yan Cen glanced casually, and his eyes suddenly fixed on a familiar name.
Project Application Person in Charge: Li Yu'an.
The assistant was mistaken, "Mr. Yan, just pass it directly?"
"Wait, let me take a look."
Yan Cen took the tablet from the assistant and read it from beginning to end, "Dawn Games, how much do you know?"
The assistant has been working in the investment circle of Dijing for almost five years, so he is relatively familiar with it.
She told him the details she knew about Dawn Games, and the last sentence was, "...The current CEO, Mr. Li, has only graduated from college for two years. It's not easy for him to stick with a company that is doomed to fail for five years."
Yan Cen's slender fingers returned to the column of the project application person in charge. He stared at the three words "Li Yu'an" and said, "Give him a chance to stay."
The assistant was confused, "Huh?"
"I've looked at almost all of them. The other reported items are more or less similar, so let's leave the last spot for the game project."
Yan Cen still spoke in a businesslike tone, "Invite the heads of these three companies to conduct the first round of interviews next Wednesday."
The assistant nodded, and asked uncertainly, "Are you also coming from Dawn Games?"
Yan Cen replied calmly, "Yes."
He seemed to see the assistant's doubts, and explained with a chuckle, "He took over a company on the verge of bankruptcy before graduating from college, and he held on for five years. The forecast of Dawn Games is not good, but it does not mean that this young Mr. Li is incompetent."
"Who knows, the project he has in his hands is the magic stroke that can 'revive' it. Since it's just the initial screening, why can't we give them a chance?"
From a public perspective, this approach will not harm the interests of their GMs.
Personally, since Li Yu'an is his junior who graduated from the same school, Yan Cen is willing to give him such an opportunity. Whether he has the ability and ability to grasp it well depends on him and the project he has on hand.
The assistant naturally obeyed his boss's instructions, "Okay."
Yan Cen glanced at the time, "It's almost lunch time, you should go back to your workstation first, and remember to organize the replies in the afternoon and send them to the corresponding companies."
The assistant agreed and simply left.
The incoming call seemed to have been timed accurately, and suddenly vibrated.
Yan Cen lowered his eyes slightly and answered the phone, "Hello."
It was Yan Cen's college classmate Shen Xiang on the other end of the phone. The two of them had formed a team to participate in provincial competitions together. "You are so busy, how can you be willing to answer the phone? We said we would have a dinner party last night, but you didn't come."
"I finally returned to China to develop, and I couldn't come out several times."
Yan Cen took off his glasses, chuckled and rubbed the top of his nose, "The company's focus has just shifted back, and the other partner has been in poor health recently, so I have to take on more of the responsibility alone."
"After you are done with this busy period, you can organize another party and I'll treat you, okay?"
"That's better."
Yan Cen glanced at the computer work interface that had not been closed yet. Somehow, the person named Li Yu'an appeared in his mind again, "... Shen Xiang, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead."
"Have you ever heard of 'Li Yu'an' when you were in college?" Yan Cen told the little information he knew, "He's in the same major, two years younger than us."
Yan Cen always felt that Li Yu'an looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had met him for a while.
He and Shen Xiang were classmates and roommates in college. They spent a lot of time together, so maybe he could remember some clues from each other.
"Li Yu'an?"
Shen Xiang on the other end of the phone pondered seriously for a while, and replied uncertainly, "No, no?"
"You know how big our college is. Let alone the difference of two years, even if you are in the same department and the same grade, you may not recognize all the people."
"Besides, not everyone is as famous as you, Yan Cen." Shen Xiang joked a few times, and then asked seriously, "Why are you asking about this person? Do you need me to ask around for you?"
Compared to Yan Cen, who flew abroad right after graduation, Shen Xiang has a wider network of alumni in China.
Yan Cen immediately refused, "No, it's not a big deal, don't spread it."
The word "inquire" may involve privacy if you are not careful, which is also disrespectful to Li Yu'an.
Besides, it is possible that he just remembered it wrong.
The two chatted briefly for a few more sentences before hanging up the phone.
Yan Cen put on his glasses again, turned off the computer interface, and hid the remaining curiosity in his mind.
--Li
Yu'an originally thought that his project application would most likely be rejected, but he didn't expect a completely different result this time -
Will's "End of the Mist" plus his operation application not only successfully passed the initial mail screening, but also passed the first round of face-to-face screening in the "choose two from three" and successfully entered the final round of "choose one from two" competition.
In a fairly tidy room, Li Yu'an stood in front of the mirror in the cloakroom, carefully examining his appearance.
After graduation, he got used to keeping a wolf tail.
Last night, he went to the barber shop on purpose to shorten his overly long wolf tail. Now the soft ends of his hair are just at the back of his neck, and the upper part of his hair is still tied into a small and curly round bun.
As for the new suit with a blue background and gray patterns, he also spent a few thousand dollars to buy it yesterday.
Since the incident at home, Li Yu'an has almost restrained all his temper. When he was in the most difficult time, he sold all his expensive brand-name suits second-hand.
Last time at the Bo family banquet, his cheap suit was messed up and Yan Cen saw his most wicked side. It can be
said that it was a business matter or a personal matter -
I heard that all the senior executives of GM will attend the final bidding this time, and Li Yu'an wants to gain a good reputation for himself and his company.
Li Yu'an walked back to the room, took out a book from his bedside table, and turned to page 219 with ease. In the intervening pages was a piece of candy wrapper that was pressed very flat.
Although it had been preserved for a long time, the wrapper had become somewhat brittle and yellowed.
Li Yu'an took it out carefully, rubbed it lightly with his fingertips twice, and a fleeting smile appeared on his brows.
- Ding Ding.
The alarm clock that was set on time rang.
Li Yu'an collected his wandering thoughts, put the candy wrapper back into the book, and put it back in place again.
When leaving the room, Li Yu'an happened to meet An Yang who was coming back from outside. He showed a smile that he wanted to share and asked, "Mom, do you think I look good today?"
An Yang walked around him calmly and said casually, "You are so old, and you still need to ask me about dressing?"
Between the lines, he didn't notice that his son, who was with him day and night, had a short haircut and bought a new suit.
"..."
Li Yu'an smiled slightly and put on his shoes, "Then I'll go out first. Remember to eat well at noon, don't neglect it again, or I can order takeout for you when the time comes?"
"No need."
An Yang poured himself a glass of warm water.
She seemed to remember something, and looked at Li Yu'an with a slightly serious look, "Why did you go out at this time today? You are the boss of Dawn Games now, you should pay more attention to everything and don't let your father down."
Li Yu'an's brows showed a trace of grievance, but he forced a smile, "Okay, I know." "
I have already told the company about it. There is a more important project funding opportunity outside this afternoon, and I..."
She spoke in an inaudible voice, "I told you two days ago."
Since her husband passed away, Anyang could not bear the blow and had some mental problems. It took her two years of treatment to get back to a relatively stable state.
As a son, Li Yu'an tried his best to go along with An Yang and meet her requirements, but he had forgotten how long it had been -
he seemed to no longer be able to feel the slightest bit of family love from the other party.
An Yang didn't hear the second half of his muttering, "What?"
Li Yu'an smiled, "Nothing, Mom, I'll go first."
"Well."
The door clicked shut, blocking the gaze from inside the door.
Li Yu'an's mouth corners quickly fell, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and went downstairs without looking back.
-
As a partner, Will was not convenient to show up due to his identity, but he still found a hidden helper for Li Yu'an, the central building.
The other party is a particularly outstanding art special effects artist who has been working overseas for many years. Not long ago, he had the idea of returning to China for development, and Will recruited him first.
Li Yu'an was picked up from the airport and taken to the center of the checkpoint to return to China. The two of them went to GM's branch in Imperial Capital together.
It was just past 1:30 when they arrived at the office building where the company was located.
Louyang had been staying overseas for many years and was very outgoing. "Does the competition officially start at 2 o'clock?"
Li Yu'an nodded, "Yes, I brought all the information, you can get familiar with it later."
"Yes."
Louyang looked at the waiting elevator floors starting from the negative one floor and asked casually, "I heard from Will that all the senior executives of GM will participate this time? Who are they?"
The moment the question came into his ears, the figure of Yan Cen emerged first in Li Yu'an's mind.
He was just about to answer when the elevator door to the first floor opened.
The moment he looked up and saw Yan Cen, Li Yu'an was suddenly stuck and rolled his Adam's apple a little unnaturally.
Even though I had convinced myself to prepare myself mentally, the fact is that when I meet someone I have been secretly in love with for many years, I can't help but feel nervous no matter how hard I try to hide it.
Li Yu'an subconsciously tugged at the hem of his clothes and quickly let go.
Louyang Minrui, who was standing next to him, noticed Li Yu'an's mood and didn't rush into the elevator.
Yan Cen, who was standing in the elevator, took a small step forward and pressed the elevator door opening button.
He looked at Li Yu'an who was obviously a little dazed outside the elevator, and his heart seemed to be touched by a secret cute spot. He chuckled, "Mr. Li, aren't you coming in? It's about to close."
It's no secret that "The Last Fog" by Dawn Games has been selected for the final round of competition. As an investor, Yan Cen must know that he is coming.
Thinking of this, Li Yu'an forced himself to calm down and nodded, "Hello, Mr. Yan."
The center probably confirmed Yan Cen's identity and nodded politely.
The two entered the elevator room and stood a little distance away from Yan Cen.
The button for the floor where the GM was located had already lit up, and the time it took for the elevator to rise was indescribably slow.
Li Yu'an didn't dare to look at Yan Cen, so he had to half-lower his eyes. Even so, he was able to use the few seconds of staring at each other before entering the elevator to recall the other person's dress today -
as elegant and graceful as ever, and with the bearing of a superior he had never seen before.
"Mr. Li, how are you preparing? Are you nervous?"
The sudden question interrupted the silence in the elevator.
Li Yu'an didn't expect Yan Cen to take the initiative to answer him. He was a little surprised and a little nervous, but more of a pretense that he didn't want to show off.
He was half a beat late before answering, "...Don't be nervous, just do your best."
He would definitely do his best to the end within his ability. As for the GM's final choice, that was indeed not something he could control.
Yan Cen caught the complex emotions that flashed across Li Yu'an's eyes, and the feeling of déjà vu came back again.
Having seen countless people, he had long seen the deep tension in Li Yu'an, but he did not say it out loud, and just changed the subject involuntarily.
"Mr. Li, I feel that your hair is shorter than the last time I saw you? With the clothes you are wearing today, it is very..."
Yan Cen paused imperceptibly, and replaced the word "good-looking" that he was about to say with a more polite statement, "You look very energetic."
"Ah?"
Li Yu'an's eyes lit up, and it took him a few seconds to confirm that he was not hallucinating.
Being, being praised?
This should also be considered a compliment, right?
Li Yu'an's mouth curled up halfway, but he still tried his best to calm down and added awkwardly and vaguely, "Thank you."