The online discussions were a frenzy, and overwhelmingly positive, which opened Feng Jie's eyes.
So this was what young people liked nowadays?
He was out of touch, engrossed only in work day after day, left far behind by the times.
He had been somewhat apprehensive before, as while he excelled at management, he lacked game development experience. But now, it seemed he just needed to follow Ye Zhi; he didn't need to worry about anything else. Ye Zhi's market acumen was far superior to his.
However, now that he knew the general direction, the rest was his forte. Since Ye Zhi told him to spend money freely, he wouldn't hold back!
Feng Jie immediately maxed out the game's budget. When collaborating with artists, he was incredibly generous with his payments, fully demonstrating what it meant to be rich and powerful. The art community was soon buzzing, saying Taoxun people were foolish with money, and encouraging artists to come quickly.
But while the money was generous, Feng Jie was also very strict about quality control. He was indeed liberal, but to get money from him, one had to prove their capability.
With ample funds, Feng Jie witnessed firsthand the saying, "Generous rewards lead brave men."
Three days later, Taoxun Games' official account on WeChat released new artwork. This time, the card featured the famous demoness from Journey to the West, the White Bone Demon.
The White Bone Demon was covered from head to toe, but her delicate feet were exposed. Her gaze was bewitchingly alluring yet not seductive, and a faint, disdainful smile played on her lips.
This artwork ignited another wave of intense discussion.
"Sister... no, Your Majesty, step on me! I declare, I am Queen White Bone Demon's dog!"
"Such a beautiful and regal sister, how could the Great Sage have managed to strike you! You live up to your reputation, I hate you for being a stone!"
"Taoxun, is this really necessary? All you do is tease me with leaks. If you have the guts, release the game. Isn't it just about money? I'll spend, is that not enough?"
...
Feng Jie scrolled through the comments, feeling immense satisfaction. This feeling was something he had never experienced in Qianbai, yet he found it in Taoxun's newly formed game department.
Suddenly, Feng Jie's phone buzzed.
He picked up his phone and was somewhat surprised. The number calling him was the one Ou Minghan privately used to contact him.
However, Ou Minghan usually only contacted him in the evenings and rarely during his work hours. Could it be something urgent?
Feng Jie didn't dare to delay. Under the pretense of buying coffee and pastries for the game department employees, he went to the coffee shop downstairs.
After buying all the coffee and pastries the employees wanted and instructing the barista to deliver them upstairs, he sat in a corner of the coffee shop and called Ou Minghan.
As soon as the call connected, he heard Ou Minghan's impatient voice, "Feng Jie, what have you been busy with lately?!"
"President, I am following your orders and spending Ye Zhi's money like crazy!" Feng Jie replied righteously.
There was silence on the other end, clearly his answer had thrown Ou Minghan off.
When Ou Minghan didn't respond, Feng Jie continued to boast about his achievements, "President, you must have seen it too, right? The discussion about Taoxun Games online is extremely high! This is all because I maxed out the budget, and..."
"Alright, alright, who wants to hear you talk about that?" Ou Minghan interrupted impatiently.
Feng Jie shrugged. Ou Minghan didn't want to hear it, not that he hadn't said it. He glanced around, then asked in a low voice, "President, you called so urgently, is there something wrong?"
Ou Minghan regained his composure and said, "Qianbai's promotional event ended yesterday. I received news that they plan to target Taoxun through express delivery. What's Ye Zhi's move?"
"Express delivery?!" Feng Jie was shocked. If they attacked through express delivery, it would truly cripple Taoxun. He couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.
"These investors' move is truly malicious, Feng Jie," Ou Minghan said with schadenfreude. "Hasn't Ye Zhi prepared anything at all? Does she just sit in the office and enjoy herself all day?"
His words made Feng Jie feel uncomfortable. He couldn't help but retort, "President, no. I rarely see Ye Zhi in the company. She's always running around, seemingly busier than me..."
"Heh, busier than you?" Ou Minghan scoffed. "She's handed over Taoxun's most valued game development entirely to you, how busy can she be? I think she's just running around for fun every day!"
Feng Jie fell silent. He saw no point in explaining to someone like Ou Minghan.
Suddenly, a woman's crying could be heard from the phone receiver again.
Ou Minghan said with some annoyance, "Alright, keep a close eye on Ye Zhi. If Taoxun falls this easily, it won't be beneficial for me either!"
With that, Ou Minghan hung up the phone. Clearly, he had to go deal with family matters.
Feng Jie took a deep breath. He had to find Ye Zhi immediately and tell her what he knew. Without delay, Feng Jie stood up and headed straight for Taoxun.
He called Ye Zhi and, upon learning she was in her office, went directly to her office. When he arrived, he found Chen Wei was also there.
Chen Wei nodded at him, and Feng Jie's expression was somewhat awkward.
"Find a chair and sit down," Ye Zhi nodded at him.
Feng Jie pulled over a chair and sat down opposite the desk. The situation was urgent, so he couldn't afford to hold back.
"Ms. Ye, I've received information that Qianbai is preparing to target Taoxun through express delivery."
"Mm," Ye Zhi nodded. "The company has also received feedback from many merchants that the express delivery companies under Feitong Holdings are charging full price for all express deliveries from Taoxun."
"Isn't that equivalent to a de facto price increase?" Feng Jie exclaimed in shock.
Express delivery companies and merchants usually have agreements and don't charge full price; they typically charge based on shipping volume, with more shipments leading to lower prices.
If all shipments were charged at full price, the express delivery cost for merchants would be three to five times higher per item than before. This would be a significant burden for merchants. Even if Taoxun didn't charge merchants, such a large expenditure would be unsustainable for many.
"Their move is too ruthless!" Feng Jie said indignantly. "Most express delivery companies now have Feitong Holdings as a parent company, or have some connection to Feitong. This is simply forcing those merchants to leave Taoxun! Ms. Ye, should we contact the owner of Feitong and try to negotiate again..."
"No need," Ye Zhi suddenly smiled. "This is good as it is."
"Ah?" Feng Jie looked at her with complete confusion.