Chapter 144: The Scheming Boy—Jiang Yun
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Early the next morning, Jiang Yun rose before dawn. He changed into a black casual outfit and set off for work.
“Mengya, breakfast is ready. It’s in the insulated box!”
“Mm... all right!” Li Mengya murmured sleepily.
Jiang Yun smiled. After going downstairs, he hailed a taxi.
“Driver, Shengshi Office Building!”
“Got it!”
The driver started the car and carried Jiang Yun away.
“Ring, ring!”
Jiang Yun answered the phone. “Hello, Mom!”
Shen Hua’s voice came through the receiver. “Son, New Year’s is almost here. Are you coming home for the holiday?”
Jiang Yun thought for a moment. He had to attend the gala on New Year’s Eve, but he could take a high-speed train home overnight.
“Mom, I’ll come home for New Year’s. I may arrive a little late.”
“That’s fine. However late you are, it doesn’t matter—as long as you come back!”
“Mm, then it’s settled.” Jiang Yun hung up and walked into the company.
“Good morning, Boss!”
“Mm.” Jiang Yun nodded.
“Good morning, Boss!”
“Good morning!” Jiang Yun replied.
The employees of Canghai Manor kept greeting Jiang Yun as he passed. It was not until he returned to his office that he finally found some peace and quiet.
Jiang Yun leaned back in his chair. After a while, Li Lulu entered the office.
“Boss, regarding the acquisition of a game company, I’ve narrowed it down to three options. Please take a look.” Li Lulu handed him the documents.
Jiang Yun lounged against the back of his chair. “You read them to me.”
Li Lulu rolled her eyes. “Boss, the three companies are Lightning Games, Vanguard Games, and Dynamic Games.”
She continued in one breath, “Lightning Games develops turn-based online games. When online games first became popular, they followed the trend and made a great deal of money. But turn-based games have fallen out of favor now, and Lightning Games is barely surviving. We estimate that the acquisition could be completed for around eight million.”
Jiang Yun nodded.
“As for Vanguard Games and Dynamic Games, they develop browser games. Their situation is much the same as Lightning Games’. They failed to keep up with the times and are on the verge of being eliminated. The estimated purchase price for each is around five million.”
Jiang Yun tapped his fingers against the desk, thinking carefully.
Money was not a problem. He did not even know how much money he had now. The fees he had received for The Life I Long For and The Voice of Huaguo were merely a fraction of his total income.
Jiang Yun had already been paid sixty million for starring in Battle Through the Heavens, and he would receive a share of the profits after it aired.
Including his compensation for Battle Through the Heavens, his share of the music-platform revenue, and his novel royalties, Jiang Yun’s preliminary estimate was that he had earned around one hundred million.
And that was only his personal wealth. The company itself had several tens of millions in its accounts.
All of it had been earned by Mao Yi and Jiang Yun together.
“Lulu, call the three game companies and ask them to come by this afternoon. Preferably, have them come over right now.”
Li Lulu froze. “Boss, are you going to negotiate with them personally?”
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“Mm!” Jiang Yun nodded.
“All right. I’ll contact them right away!”
Li Lulu left the office and began contacting the owners of the three game companies.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Come in!”
The door opened from outside, revealing Mao Yi.
“Teacher, I finally get to see you!”
“Mao Yi, what is it?” Jiang Yun asked with a smile.
Mao Yi scratched his head. “Nothing much. I just wanted to see you! You’re always so busy that I can hardly catch sight of you.”
Jiang Yun rolled his eyes. How could he not be busy? An entire crowd depended on him for their food and livelihood.
Mao Yi rubbed his hands together. “Teacher, um... do you have any more songs?”
Jiang Yun paused. So that was Mao Yi’s real purpose.
“Mao Yi, you’re a singer-songwriter. You shouldn’t always be asking other people to write songs for you.”
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yun continued, “Your fans remember you precisely because you’re a singer-songwriter with plenty of original work.”
Mao Yi rubbed his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed. “All right.”
Jiang Yun was silent for a moment before taking out a sheet of paper and writing down a song’s lyrics and melody.
“Here. Take it and sing it.”
Mao Yi’s eyes lit up as he accepted the sheet.
“Thank you, Teacher! Thank you, Teacher!”
He thanked Jiang Yun repeatedly.
“Mm.” Jiang Yun nodded and added, “Don’t neglect your own talent for songwriting.”
“I understand, Teacher! I’ll work hard and keep writing!”
“Mm.” Jiang Yun nodded and waved him away.
Ring, ring!
The telephone in Jiang Yun’s office rang.
Jiang Yun picked it up. “Hello?”
“Hello, Boss! The general manager of Lightning Games has arrived. He’s waiting in the reception room.”
“All right. I’ll be there now.”
“Understood!”
Jiang Yun rose and walked toward the reception room.
When he arrived, a middle-aged man in a suit was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea.
“May I ask your name?” Jiang Yun said.
The middle-aged man hurriedly stood and extended his right hand.
“Mr. Jiang Yun, I’ve heard so much about you! My name is Feng Tian.”
Jiang Yun shook his hand.
“Good to meet you, Mr. Feng. Please, have a seat.”
“Of course!”
Feng Tian sat back down on the sofa, and Jiang Yun took the seat beside him.
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“Mr. Feng, the gaming industry hasn’t been doing very well lately, has it?”
Feng Tian froze for a moment. Jiang Yun was so young, yet his words were anything but simple. With one sentence, he had identified Feng Tian’s predicament, placing him at a disadvantage in the negotiations to come.
Feng Tian smiled awkwardly. “It’s all right. We can still make enough to get by.”
“Mr. Feng, merely getting by isn’t enough. Don’t you have greater ambitions?”
Feng Tian secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead. Wasn’t Jiang Yun a celebrity? Why did he sound so much like a businessman?
Li Lulu sat to the side, watching as Jiang Yun’s every word concealed a sharp edge. She secretly gave him a thumbs-up in her mind.
Her boss was practically a master schemer, she thought.
“How much do you estimate your company is worth?” Jiang Yun asked bluntly, getting straight to the point.
When money was brought up, Feng Tian became serious. He straightened his suit.
“Mr. Jiang Yun, to be perfectly honest, if the offer is below fifteen million, I’ll have no choice but to leave.”
“Ha!”
Jiang Yun let out a mocking laugh.
“Oh, Mr. Feng, you’re being rather unrealistic.”
Feng Tian frowned.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Come in!” Jiang Yun called.
Xiaolu from the reception desk pushed open the door.
“Boss, the general managers of Vanguard Games and Dynamic Games have arrived!”
“Oh? Have them both come in at once!”
Xiaolu stepped aside. Two men stood outside the door. One was in his thirties; the other was in his forties and somewhat overweight.
The heavier man in his forties extended his right hand.
“Hello, Mr. Jiang Yun. I’m Zheng Tong, general manager of Dynamic Games!”
Jiang Yun extended his hand and shook his.
“Good to meet you, Mr. Zheng!”
“I’m Wang Ze, general manager of Vanguard Games!” said the younger man in his thirties, extending his right hand.
Jiang Yun shook it.
“Good to meet you, Mr. Wang!”
“Please, come in.” Jiang Yun stepped aside.
Zheng Tong and Wang Ze entered the reception room and sat down on the sofa.
“You must be General Manager Li, correct?” Zheng Tong said, turning toward Li Lulu.
Li Lulu smiled and nodded.
Zheng Tong displayed the smooth, polished manner of a businessman to perfection.
“And this gentleman is?” Zheng Tong asked, looking at Feng Tian.
“Feng Tian, general manager of Lightning Games,” Feng Tian introduced himself.
“Oh...” Zheng Tong looked as though he had suddenly realized something. “So you’re a fellow member of the industry. Pleased to meet you, pleased to meet you!”
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