Since he had already told his brother that he was the designer of Underworld Maze, Xie Yunfan wanted to properly discuss the negotiation with Wings of Dream with him. He said directly, “Brother, VP Ye from Wings of Dream also approached me.”

Xie Xinghe was stunned but quickly reacted, “He approached you? Does he want to discuss a copyright partnership for Underworld Maze?”

“Yeah, he wants to adapt Underworld Maze into a holographic game.”

“What terms did he offer? How much for a buyout?” Xie Xinghe looked at his younger brother worriedly. Given Wings of Dream’s stinginess and arrogance, they definitely wouldn’t be too generous to a newly established studio, right?

Xie Yunfan said, “We haven’t discussed the specific partnership format yet. He scheduled a face-to-face meeting with me for Thursday afternoon.”

Xie Xinghe frowned. “He scheduled me for Thursday morning. It seems his business trip to Rongcheng this time is very likely just to negotiate our game copyrights.”

Xie Yunfan said, “Let’s go together then. We’ll discuss Fighting Master in the morning and Underworld Maze in the afternoon. What do you think?”

Xie Xinghe scratched his head with mixed feelings. If Xie Yunfan had suggested this before today, he definitely would have refused without hesitation and strictly scolded his brother: “What is a kid like you coming along for? Don’t cause trouble for me!”

But now, knowing his brother was the chief designer of the recent dark horse hit Underworld Maze, he suddenly felt that bringing his brother along would actually be a powerful asset. After all, his badass brother had taken a little over a million in development costs and earned over twenty million in profit.

His brother’s business acumen was far superior to his own. Thinking of this, Xie Xinghe nodded decisively. “Alright, let’s go together.”

Xie Yunfan then asked, “Brother, I don’t know much about holographic games. I only know that currently, the domestic companies making holographic gaming cabins are Wings of Dream, Cool Play, and Qihang, right? What’s the specific situation with them?”

He hadn’t been in this world long, and recently he had been entirely focused on mobile games, so he didn’t know much about holographic games. His older brother, after all, had developed a holographic game and definitely had a more comprehensive understanding.

Xie Xinghe took a sip of water to moisten his throat and introduced them, “Of the three companies you mentioned, Wings of Dream and Cool Play are both domestic gaming giants, handling both mobile and holographic games. As for Qihang, they currently only make holographic games.”

“Wings of Dream really likes to develop and operate their own games. They acquire game copyrights from many small companies to adapt them. Great Player is their signature holographic game. It’s similar to a holographic amusement park, with a rich variety of mini-games like roller coasters and drop towers. Every round of a game requires a fee. It’s especially popular with kids and perennially sits in the top three of the holographic game best-sellers list.”

In this alternate world, if kids had a gaming cabin at home, they could experience all sorts of fun games without lining up at amusement parks. Parents with the means were naturally willing to buy one for their children.

Xie Yunfan asked curiously, “How much does a round of a holographic roller coaster cost?”

Xie Xinghe said, “A round of a mini-game costs two yuan. It doesn’t sound expensive, but Wings of Dream has a massive user base, so the cumulative amount is terrifying. This game easily breaks a hundred million in monthly revenue.”

Xie Yunfan nodded in understanding. “It seems this company’s operational capability is indeed very strong. By capturing children as their primary consumer group, Wings of Dream can practically lie down and count their money.”

Xie Xinghe nodded in agreement and continued, “They also have several classic games. For example, Pet Paradise where you raise small animals online and players can adopt their own holographic cats and dogs; My City, where players can role-play as teachers, doctors, etc., and experience a day in different professions… Anyway, Wings of Dream’s holographic games are all entertainment and casual-oriented.”

Xie Yunfan thought for a moment and guessed, “They’re interested in Fighting Master and Underworld Maze because they want to expand their product line? Because their previous product style was too monotonous?”

Xie Xinghe said, “I think so too. Fighting games and horror games are both weak points for Wings of Dream—but they are Cool Play’s strong points.”

Cool Play, one of the domestic gaming giants, had a very broad range of business.

In mobile games, they had the enduring shooter game Wilderness Crisis and the recently second-ranked best-selling RPG group exploration online game Age of Discovery.

In holographic games, they had the single-player adventure game Jungle Parkour, the classic versus game Mecha Apprentice, and the slightly terrifying single-player RPG horror escape game Zombie Siege.

This company’s style was completely different from Wings of Dream, featuring “hot-blooded combat” as its main characteristic. If Wings of Dream captured the “children” consumer group, Cool Play was more popular with adults.

Xie Yunfan asked, “Is Cool Play’s strength in the holographic field greater than Wings of Dream’s?”

“That’s right. Cool Play is the pioneer of combat games. Not only do they develop games themselves, but they also act as agents for numerous foreign classics. Currently, Cool Play gaming cabins have the most exclusive games and the highest market share.”

“What about Qihang?” Xie Yunfan was quite curious about this company.

Among the three companies, “Qihang Games” was the most low-key.

During this winter break release window, competition between Wings of Dream and Cool Play was white-hot, with endless promotional events, but Qihang had actually gone completely invisible at a critical moment. This company was very strange; they didn’t touch mobile games at all and only made holographic games, yet they only had one famous holographic game.

Xie Xinghe said, “Speaking of Qihang, it’s quite a pity. The world’s first holographic game, Starry Sky Walk, was produced by them.”

Starry Sky Walk was the foundational masterpiece of holographic games.

It was a single-player adventure game based on the starry universe and astronomical exploration. Players rode starships to roam the universe and could see many beautiful nebulas and planets.

This game was full of romantic fantasy, presenting the mysterious universe and starry sky to players through a holographic medium. Every player could become an “astronaut.” For players who loved sci-fi, space, and astronomy, this game was truly a god-tier classic.

Xie Xinghe said, “This game has a unique style and won countless awards after its release. Its most badass aspect is that it went global, selling agency rights worldwide, bringing a lot of glory to our country. Therefore, Qihang Games has a super large number of die-hard fans. The quality of their gaming cabins is also excellent; their hardware strength is the best among the big three.”

Xie Yunfan asked curiously, “What happened later? Why is it a pity for this company?”

Xie Xinghe sighed. “They started with a royal flush, but then went downhill.”

Xie Yunfan was stunned. “They didn’t just make that one game, Starry Sky Walk, did they?”

Xie Xinghe nodded. “Yes. I don’t know the specifics either. This company is quite mysterious, but since they only do holographic games, their profitability is definitely not as good as Wings of Dream and Cool Play.”

Xie Yunfan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

From his brother’s description, the domestic holographic game market was currently divided into three factions.

Cool Play had a solid position and the most classic hit games; Wings of Dream was developing rapidly, very ambitious, and wanted to expand its product line to seize more market share; Qihang had the classic, critically acclaimed game Starry Sky Walk and strong hardware, but unfortunately, their follow-up games couldn’t keep up, so they could only coast on a group of nostalgic die-hard fans.

The three companies all had their pros and cons.

After a comprehensive analysis, Xie Yunfan believed that partnering with Cool Play for Fighting Master would be the optimal choice.

Cool Play had operated multiple combat games, was highly experienced, could definitely handle the stat balancing well, had no worries about servers, and had ample experience in hosting tournaments. However, Cool Play already had a massive hit combat game like Mecha Apprentice, so they might not necessarily be interested in Fighting Master.

Wings of Dream’s strength was, of course, very robust. They had several large games with monthly revenues exceeding a hundred million. The company didn’t lack money, wanted to expand its market, and had their eyes on the brothers’ games. Originally, this was a very good partnership opportunity, but unfortunately, their opening offer was very low, exhibiting the arrogance of “a big shop bullying its customers.”

As for Qihang, this company didn’t sound very reliable. Living off one Starry Sky Walk for a lifetime with weak follow-ups made it hard to believe they had the strength to successfully operate a fighting game.

Xie Yunfan pondered for a moment and said, “Brother, the most critical part of a game is creativity and design. The copyrights are in our hands. If Wings of Dream is sincere, we’ll partner with them. If they lack sincerity, we’d rather not sell than swallow this loss quietly. What do you think?”

Xie Xinghe nodded readily. “Yeah, I think so too!”

Previously, owing the bank a lot of money, he didn’t actually have the confidence to say these words. He had even hesitated over whether to sell the game at a low price just to pay off a portion of the loan first.

But things were different now.

His younger brother was a little money-making expert, significantly alleviating Xie Xinghe’s pressure. This Fighting Master was the culmination of his blood, sweat, and tears over two years. Why should he sell it cheap?

Who cares about your 30 million? Our Xiao Fan can earn that back in a week!

Thinking of this, Xie Xinghe instantly straightened his back.

---

[Three-in-One Chapter: Negotiation]

Over the next two days, Xie Yunfan took the time to organize the character data for the Underworld NPCs.

When he initially designed the game, he had the concept artist draw nine characters: one for the player, and the remaining eight were Black Impermanence, White Impermanence, Meng Po, the Four Great Judges, and King Yama.

There were actually a vast number of characters in the Underworld, but the single-player maze game had limited capacity, and time was tight, so the initial version of Underworld Maze didn’t completely present the entire Underworld.

Xie Yunfan thought that if he ever had the chance to develop a “holographic version of the Underworld,” he could add in all the figures like Ox-Head and Horse-Face, the Ten Kings of Hell, the Five Ghost Emperors, and so on.

He would give it his all to create the “most realistic Underworld in history,” the kind that would scare people to death.

If this game could go global and be released worldwide, then players from other countries could also properly learn about China’s interesting legends regarding the “Underworld.”

Of course, to achieve this, he still had a long way to go.

Because Underworld Maze had climbed onto Mobile Game Hub’s best-sellers list, coupled with tons of organic positive recommendations from players, its popularity had remained very high over the past few days.

The 20% commission fee taken by Mobile Game Hub finally wasn’t in vain. The massive traffic from the homepage recommendation benefited Xie Yunfan greatly. Every time he opened the backend, the download numbers were skyrocketing…

The feeling of lying down and counting money was truly awesome!

Aside from fleshing out the Underworld character settings, Xie Yunfan also took the time to find the demo of the Fighting Master game his brother had developed and playtested it himself.

This game was developed based on the “Xingyun Gaming Cabin.” His older brother’s study happened to have a gaming cabin he’d kept for himself. They could no longer be bought on the market, making this an out-of-print edition.

Lying in the gaming cabin, Xie Yunfan felt the shock holographic games brought him for the first time.

It was very realistic, as if he had personally arrived at a boxing arena.

The cheers of the surrounding audience were also vividly reproduced.

Actually, his brother had high market acumen. Two years ago, when he entered the holographic game sector, holographic games had just started, and there were only two or three domestic games. It was a very suitable time to enter the market.

If his Fighting Master and Xingyun Gaming Cabin had succeeded, the current Xie Xinghe would also be a big shot in the gaming industry.

Unfortunately, the ending of the story was the bankruptcy of the Xingyun Group, the game being pulled off the shelves, and the backlog of gaming cabins in the warehouse failing to sell, turning into a pile of scrap metal.

Using this out-of-print gaming cabin, Xie Yunfan seriously played different characters in Fighting Master and quickly discovered the game’s fatal flaws—the combat wasn’t smooth, the skill balancing was terribly done, and powerful characters could instantly kill opponents with one move, offering zero competitive experience.

After exiting the gaming cabin, Xie Yunfan asked helplessly, “Brother, is your favorite character the ‘King of Fighters’?”

Xie Xinghe said excitedly, “Yes, I think the King of Fighters is the coolest. His punching speed is as fast as the wind! He was my favorite anime character when I was a kid, hehe.”

Xie Yunfan ruthlessly roasted him, “So, you designed him to be super overpowered, killing kids with one punch?”

Xie Xinghe: “…Ahem.”

Xie Yunfan said seriously, “Brother, a designer can’t have selfish motives. In a competitive game, an imbalance in combat stats is fatal. Moreover, the pacing of this game is too fast. You enter the boxing arena directly upon logging in; players don’t have a smooth transition period, making it hard to develop a sense of belonging to the game.”

Xie Xinghe scratched his head hard. He didn’t really understand how to control “game pacing” either. The pacing of Fighting Master had indeed collapsed. They had calculated back then that 70% of players abandoned the game within a day.

Seeing his brother’s dejected expression, Xie Yunfan patted his shoulder and encouraged him, “Brother, the core gameplay of your game is actually very good, the art style is excellent, and the designs are quite interesting. If we take it back to the drawing board and remake it, I think it can be a hit.”

Xie Xinghe jerked his head up. “Do you really think this game can still be saved?”

He had suffered too many blows recently. Ever since the company went bankrupt, he had fallen into deep self-doubt and hadn’t heard anyone affirm Fighting Master in a long time.

Xie Xinghe embarrassedly touched his nose. “You’re not just comforting me, are you?”

Xie Yunfan said, “I’m telling the truth. Holographic fighting games definitely have an audience. If combat games like Mecha Apprentice can become popular worldwide, your live-action fighting game will definitely be welcomed if done right.”

Holding back the soreness in his nose, Xie Xinghe said softly, “I hope so. I also want to see this game relaunched. This is the result of two whole years of my hard work…”

Xie Yunfan could understand this feeling.

This game was a crystallization of his brother’s blood, sweat, and tears. He would help his brother fulfill his wish.

**

Two days passed quickly.

On Thursday morning, fully prepared, Xie Yunfan and Xie Xinghe drove together to the location VP Ye had arranged—an office building in the center of Rongcheng, which was also the Southern Branch of “Wings of Dream Games.”

Inviting them directly to the company showed that VP Ye considered himself the dominant party in the negotiations.

Xie Xinghe wore a very formal suit today, looking sharp and quite handsome.

Xie Yunfan originally hadn’t wanted to wear a suit, but his older brother said that dressing too casually when visiting the other party’s company would make them look weak. So, he went out overnight to buy Xie Yunfan a suit and forced him to wear it.

Both brothers were very good-looking. Walking into the company in formal attire, they attracted the attention of quite a few staff members.

The two arrived at the front desk.

Xie Xinghe said, “Hello, I’m Xie Xinghe. I have an appointment to meet VP Ye this morning.”

The beautiful receptionist smiled politely. “Mr. Xie, hello. VP Ye is in an emergency meeting, so he might need you to wait a moment. This way, please.”

The two brothers followed her into the elevator to the 30th floor of the building.

This building had 33 floors in total and was located in the center of Rongcheng. Being able to buy an entire building as a southern office base showed just how deep Wings of Dream’s pockets were.

The office building was decorated very luxuriously. The spacious, bright floor-to-ceiling windows offered a bird’s-eye view of the city’s most beautiful night scenery. It was said that the lights in this building never went out all night because their employees were on call 24 hours a day, and there were always people staying behind to work overtime at night.

Xie Yunfan thought of his own Yangfan Studio, where he was currently a lone commander without an army…

It was time to get an office space and start recruiting.

Otherwise, how could he compete with these big companies relying purely on his own strength?

The elevator arrived, and the receptionist led the two of them to the adjacent lounge, poured them tea, and smiled, “Please wait a moment, gentlemen. VP Ye will come over immediately after his meeting.”

Xie Xinghe said, “Alright, go on with your work.”

After the receptionist left, he couldn’t help but complain, “The appointment was for 9 o’clock, and he’s not punctual, making us wait. Is this a show of dominance? Does he think we’re here to beg him for a partnership?”

Xie Yunfan squeezed his brother’s hand. “It’s fine, let’s just wait.”

Good thing he accompanied his brother. Otherwise, making him wait here alone would be quite pitiful to think about.

The two waited until 9:30 AM. Just as they were about to lose their patience, Ye Teng pushed the door open and came in.

The man had a slightly chubby build, wore silver-rimmed glasses, and was smiling, looking quite easy to talk to. As soon as he entered, he walked over quickly and reached out his hand, saying, “Mr. Xie, I’m really sorry. The company suddenly had an emergency meeting. I made you wait.”

Xie Xinghe forced a smile and said, “It’s alright, I’m free anyway. Please have a seat, VP Ye.”

Ye Teng motioned to the assistant who had followed him in. “Go pour two cups of tea for them.”

The assistant immediately turned around, went out, and brought back hot tea.

Ye Teng looked at the young man sitting beside Xie Xinghe and asked in confusion, “And this is…?”

Xie Xinghe: “Forgot to introduce him. This is my younger brother.”

Xie Yunfan smiled in greeting, “Hello, VP Ye. My name is Xie Yunfan.”

Ye Teng froze for a moment, unable to help but complain inwardly—discussing business, what are you doing bringing a kid along to join the fun?

However, on the surface, he still maintained his amiability and smiled, “Little brother is still in college, right? How about you go play in the holographic gaming cabin experience room next door for a while?”

Xie Yunfan: “No thanks, VP Ye. I also participated in the development of the game Fighting Master. So, I also want to hear your thoughts on it.”

Xie Xinghe hurriedly followed his brother’s lead, “That’s right, my brother’s opinion is also very important. VP Ye, let’s get down to business. Regarding the partnership format, are you still insisting on a 30 million buyout?”

Ye Teng sighed, “Ah, as you know, after Fighting Master was released, its reputation collapsed. The player rating is less than 6/10, and it was scolded onto the trending topics by netizens. For Wings of Dream to acquire its copyright, we are also taking on considerable risks.”

“Moreover, this game has many problems and bugs. After we buy it back, we need to completely overhaul it, which requires another large sum of development funding.”

Xie Yunfan listened to him without changing his expression.

Suppressing the opponent before negotiating was a typical workplace PUA tactic—making you feel like you’re terrible, and that their willingness to partner with you is an honor, thereby driving down the price.

“A 30 million buyout is already not low. Mr. Xie, Wings of Dream is the largest holographic game developer in the country. Relying on our platform is the only way your game might be brought back to life, right? Holding onto a bunch of data without selling it is useless to you anyway!”

“…” Xie Xinghe forcefully clenched his fists under the table. Ye Teng’s words continuously belittled the game, as if him coming to talk partnership was some kind of “charity” to Xie Xinghe.

This made Xie Xinghe feel exceptionally humiliated. The game he had poured his blood, sweat, and tears into was being described by the other party as worthless.

Just as he wanted to lose his temper, his hand under the table was suddenly grabbed gently. Xie Xinghe looked back and met his brother’s calm and gentle eyes.

His anger dissipated instantly.

I can’t be impulsive today. Keep steady and listen to what Yunfan says.

Sure enough, the next moment he heard Xie Yunfan say with a smile, “VP Ye, we naturally know that Fighting Master isn’t perfect, but many problems can be fixed through stat adjustments. The fact that Mecha Apprentice became a global hit proves that fighting games still have very promising prospects, right?”

He looked at Ye Teng, his gaze sincere and gentle.

Ye Teng was unconsciously led along by him. “Of course!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt he had misspoken and hurriedly tried to save face. “Fighting games do have prospects, ahem, but overhauling Fighting Master means our development costs will be very high! Whether it can turn a profit after launch is still an unknown. Therefore, we need to bear a massive amount of risk.”

Xie Yunfan said, “As far as I know, Mecha Apprentice breaks a hundred million in monthly revenue. If Fighting Master is successfully launched and the previous bugs are fixed, this game’s profitability definitely won’t be poor. Even if halved, tens of millions a month wouldn’t be a problem.”

“So, we cannot accept the 30 million buyout price.”

“If VP Ye is truly sincere about a partnership, we can co-develop it. My brother and I will be responsible for the game’s design and supervision, and Wings of Dream will provide the holographic gaming cabin platform. We will develop Fighting Master into a Wings of Dream exclusive game. As for the profits, how about a 50-50 split?”

Hearing his brother calmly state this, Xie Xinghe was dumbfounded.

Ye Teng almost spat out the tea in his mouth.

A 50-50 split? Are you kidding me?! Wings of Dream provides the holographic platform, and you get 50% of the profits for free? Do you think Wings of Dream is working for you?

Ye Teng put down his cup and smiled without reaching his eyes. “Little friend, don’t joke around. You’re still in college, are you unfamiliar with industry norms? Um… Mr. Xie, what is your opinion?”

He looked at Xie Xinghe.

Xie Xinghe straightened his back and said seriously, “My brother’s intention is my intention.”

Ye Teng: “????”

Are you brothers messing with me?!

Xie Yunfan glanced at his brother and continued, “I’m not joking. The competition for holographic games is fierce. Wings of Dream’s current holographic games, Great Player and Pet Paradise, are both entertainment and casual-oriented. Fighting games are actually your company’s weak point, right?”

Ye Teng: “…”

Xie Yunfan’s gaze was earnest. “Buying Fighting Master is currently your optimal choice. After all, all the art, music, and even programming assets for Fighting Master are ready-made. Buy it back, tweak the data, and it can be launched in the short term. Compared to making a new game, the investment would be 90% less, right?”

Ye Teng: “…”

“We need Wings of Dream to assist in completing the game’s development, and your company also needs our game to expand the market. Our relationship is mutually beneficial. Since that’s the case, why can’t we cooperate fairly?”

It’s obvious your company also badly needs Fighting Master, which is why you’re eager to acquire it!

Why can’t you give the other party the most basic respect and fairness?

Hearing this, Xie Xinghe’s eyes couldn’t help but sting a little. He was very glad his brother had come with him to negotiate. If it were him, he wouldn’t have had the confidence to say these things.

Ye Teng’s smile gradually faded.

Because Xie Yunfan had indeed hit the nail on the head with just a few words.

In previous negotiations, the peers he met had all treated him with respect. As the Vice President in charge of copyright for the Wings of Dream group, he was flattered wherever he went.

Suddenly encountering a tough nut to crack like Xie Yunfan, he was somewhat speechless for a moment.

Someone daring to ask Wings of Dream for a 50-50 split hadn’t appeared in the country yet.

Ye Teng’s face darkened, and he said patiently, “A 50-50 split is impossible. If you must discuss a revenue split, the bottom line Wings of Dream can accept is an 80-20 split, with us taking 80%. You need to know that Wings of Dream is the largest domestic game distributor, and our holographic gaming cabins have already sold over 20 million units!”

The number of holographic gaming cabins owned domestically was currently only in the tens of millions; Wings of Dream’s user base was indeed second to none.

Xie Yunfan said, “I know Wings of Dream’s strength, but VP Ye, the gameplay and creativity of our game are currently unique on the market. If Wings of Dream is willing to promote it across all platforms and coordinate marketing, a 60-40 split—40% of the pure profits for us—is our bottom line. We cannot go any lower.”

“…” Ye Teng suppressed his anger and smiled. “Given Wings of Dream’s status, if we want to make a fighting game, there are plenty of choices for partners. I only sought you out to talk out of respect for Mr. Xie. The Xingyun Group has already gone bankrupt. If you don’t sell this game’s data, you don’t have the ability to develop it yourselves anyway, right? It’s better to sell it to us, and you can earn a good reputation.”

Xie Yunfan said lightly, “If VP Ye harbors such thoughts, then there’s really no way to continue the discussion.”

Seeing his brother’s resolute expression, Xie Xinghe immediately stood up and said, “VP Ye, let’s leave it at that for today. We can cooperate if there’s an opportunity in the future.”

Ye Teng said, “You should go back and think it over carefully. Contact me anytime you figure things out. Your brother is still young and lacks experience and worldly wisdom. For major matters like this, the older brother should make the decisions, right?”

Xie Xinghe nodded and said, “VP Ye, if you figure things out, you can also contact me anytime.”

Ye Teng: “…”

Xie Xinghe and Xie Yunfan turned around and left the Wings of Dream group.

As soon as they walked out the main doors, Xie Xinghe cursed in a low voice, “Good thing you were here today to bite back at him. That bastard Ye Teng used this exact same condescending tone during our previous negotiations. I’ve been annoyed with him for a long time!”

Xie Yunfan said, “Brother, big companies are used to being arrogant and looking down on us. We don’t need to swallow this anger. Fighting Master‘s profitability won’t be poor. If they don’t partner with us, it’s their loss.”

Xie Xinghe felt much better. “Yeah, let brother treat you to a meal! What do you want to eat?”

Xie Yunfan said, “Let’s get hotpot. Winter is perfect for hotpot.”

The two brothers had lunch, then drove directly to a high-end restaurant nearby.

At 2:00 PM, Ye Teng pushed the door open and walked into VIP Private Room 1.

As soon as he entered, he saw two familiar faces.

Xie Xinghe and Xie Yunfan? Why were these two brothers here?!

Ye Teng froze, thinking he had walked into the wrong room. He turned back and checked the room number… He wasn’t mistaken?

Xie Yunfan stood up with a smile, extending his hand. “Hello, VP Ye. I am the head of Yangfan Studio. We meet again.”

Ye Teng: “…”

They had just had a falling out in the morning, and now they were continuing negotiations in the afternoon?

Wasn’t this incredibly awkward?!

---

[Three-in-One: End of Negotiations]

From the different meeting locations, it was evident that Ye Teng treated Fighting Master and Underworld Maze differently.

Fighting Master was a failed work, and Xie Xinghe was an insignificant “loser” in his eyes. Therefore, he didn’t have much respect for Xie Xinghe. He approached acquiring this game with a “you’re already bankrupt, why aren’t you hurrying to sell” mentality, acting superior during the negotiations.

Yangfan Studio was different. A newly established studio that created a dark horse minor hit during the winter break—highly creative, with boundless prospects. He couldn’t figure out this studio’s bottom line, so for their first meeting, he booked a private room in a restaurant, figuring that chatting outside would be more relaxed.

He never expected that the boss of Yangfan Studio was actually Xie Xinghe’s younger brother?

This was too surprising.

Ye Teng was an old fox, after all. He was only embarrassed for two seconds before quickly adjusting his mindset, reaching out his hand with a hearty smile. “What a coincidence! I never expected that at such a young age, you could actually develop a hit game like Underworld Maze. I was just saying, listening to you talk confidently this morning, you sure know a lot.”

Xie Xinghe really wanted to roll his eyes. You just said this morning that “kids have no social experience,” and now you change your tune so quickly.

Xie Yunfan’s expression didn’t change. He pointed to a seat and said, “Please sit down, VP Ye.”

Ye Teng and his assistant sat down together. He asked curiously, “Where are the other members of your studio? I was previously saying I wanted to treat you all to a meal.”

Xie Yunfan said, “Yangfan Studio currently only consists of me.”

Ye Teng’s expression changed slightly.

What did he just say? The studio only had him? The game ranking seventh on Mobile Game Hub’s best-sellers list was actually a solo project?

Xie Yunfan explained, “Assets like art and music were purchased with money. They aren’t official employees of Yangfan Studio. I’m the sole chief designer, and I wrote the code.”

Ye Teng fell silent for a moment. He couldn’t believe that the young man in front of him could actually produce a hit game like Underworld Maze. To be able to create a best-selling single-player mobile game with a unique style—this was a rare genius.

Xie Xinghe looks pretty useless, but this younger brother actually has some skills?

Ye Teng completely changed his previous attitude and said in a friendly tone, “Regarding Fighting Master, I’m truly sorry. I just called headquarters at noon, and a 60-40 split simply cannot be approved by headquarters. After all, it’s a major project, and the startup capital will be over a hundred million. It’s not something I can decide on my own.”

He definitely hadn’t called; he was just looking for a way out to save face.

Xie Yunfan didn’t expose him, smoothly changing the subject. “It’s fine. Let’s talk about Underworld Maze. VP Ye, what kind of partnership format do you think would be best?”

Ye Teng smiled gently. “I can tell you really hate buyouts and prefer co-development, right? This game is your concept, so I can accept a co-development format. The profit split can be discussed slowly, and I can give you the maximum concessions within my authority.”

Xie Yunfan said, “My idea is for Wings of Dream to allocate some personnel to me to establish an exclusive Underworld Maze game team, solely responsible for developing the holographic version of the Underworld. I will add more gameplay mechanics and NPCs to the holographic version and perfect the design of the entire Underworld. Therefore, I must serve as the chief designer for this game.”

Ye Teng was stunned—meaning Wings of Dream provides the manpower and resources, and Xie Yunfan becomes the project’s chief designer? Everyone in the newly formed game development team has to listen to him?

Parachuting in a chief designer? Are you kidding?

The production team would probably turn the place upside down!

Ye Teng was completely speechless. “Very few companies would be willing to accept this condition of yours. Our internal company structure is quite complex. Different teams are in charge of different games, and there’s an internal competition system. You parachuting in as the project designer and having everyone listen to you, how is that possible?”

Xie Yunfan said, “But I’m the only one who can make Underworld Maze. If I hand the game over to you, can you finish it? Do you know how many Underworld NPCs haven’t appeared yet? Do you know the origins of each level of Hell?”

Ye Teng: “This…”

He indeed didn’t know.

However, parachuting in a project designer was unprecedented at Wings of Dream.

Wings of Dream’s promotion system was based on seniority. If Xie Yunfan was parachuted in, what would the heads of other projects think? They had grinded in the company for years to attain their status, yet Xie Yunfan, a college student in his early twenties, becomes a project head straight away?

Would they be happy? They could write a basketful of complaint letters.

Not to mention, if Wings of Dream’s artists, engineers, writers, and other talents were transferred to work under Xie Yunfan, these people wouldn’t submit to him either.

Ye Teng thought for a moment and said, “How about this: you tell our designers your game design concepts, and then you join Wings of Dream as a Deputy Project Director to assist them in completing it?”

Xie Yunfan shook his head. “No. I must have the final say on this game. How Underworld Maze will be modified, and how it will be monetized, must be decided by me personally. This is my bottom line. I can compromise on profits, but I cannot compromise on authority.”

This game was very special; it was a legend from an alternate world, and the people of this world couldn’t finish it. He didn’t want to put Underworld Maze into someone else’s hands, as that would absolutely destroy the game.

Ye Teng’s face grew increasingly ugly.

This was undoubtedly the most infuriating negotiation he had ever experienced.

In the morning, they discussed Fighting Master, shamelessly demanding a 60-40 profit split. In the afternoon, they discussed Underworld Maze, and he actually wanted to parachute into Wings of Dream as the project designer and have Wings of Dream’s employees listen to him?

Why should our company’s people listen to you? Have you not woken up from your dream yet?

Ye Teng was a bit angry, but also found it somewhat funny. He felt this Xie Yunfan carried the stupidity and naivety of someone who had just entered society.

Ye Teng said helplessly, “Our company cannot agree to this condition.”

Xie Yunfan said, “I can understand. It seems a partnership isn’t possible?”

Ye Teng stood up. “Yes. If you have new games in the future and want to develop holographic versions, you’re welcome to contact me again.”

Xie Yunfan stood up and shook his hand. “Alright, VP Ye. See you around if the opportunity arises.”

…

The negotiations broke down on bad terms, and both projects fell through.

Xie Xinghe also felt his brother’s conditions were too hard for people to accept, but he understood his brother’s persistence—he’d rather not sell than destroy the game.

Perhaps, this was the only thing the two brothers had in common.

Strangely, on the way home, neither of them felt the depression of a “failed negotiation”; instead, they felt very relaxed. After all, Wings of Dream wasn’t a very sincere partner. If talks broke down, so be it.

Xie Xinghe patted his brother’s shoulder. “You’ve earned more than ten times your profit now. That’s already a very good start. Take it slow.”

Xie Yunfan looked calm, as if he had expected this outcome all along. “I’m not in a hurry. I plan to withdraw the profits from Underworld Maze first. I previously only rented an apartment for work, but after going to Wings of Dream today, I really envy their working environment.”

Xie Xinghe understood. “Do you want to rent an office building?”

Xie Yunfan said, “The studio will definitely need to recruit people in the future. That bachelor apartment of mine is too small. I want to rent a floor in an office building, over 500 square meters, able to accommodate a team of around a hundred people working together. Once it’s rented, we’ll renovate it to prepare for opening a company in the future.”

Xie Xinghe said readily, “That’s easy to handle. Brother has experience. Leave the renting and renovating to me!”

The two brothers smiled at each other.

The Xingyun Group’s office building had long been empty, and even the trademark had been taken down. The moment the company announced bankruptcy, many people thought the Xie family was done for.

Probably no one expected that the brothers would start from scratch and start over again, right? Xie Xinghe took a deep breath, his gaze towards his younger brother uncharacteristically gentle.

Starting a business again this time, their starting capital was only a few tens of millions, unlike back then when he threw hundreds of millions into it.

Precisely because they had failed once, starting over meant every step they took had to be more cautious and careful.

This time, Xie Yunfan was the one taking the lead.

He was willing to listen to his brother’s arrangements and do his best to help him.

Whether it was business acumen or game development ideas, Xie Yunfan was far superior to him. He was willing to be this assistant.

Not having to use his own brain and being carried by his younger brother actually felt pretty damn good!