Chapter 98: Useless? That Doesn't Exist

Lu Zhou and Qi Jiajia, as well as Li Jiayan and Wen Yiming, had already arrived at Post Airport at a brisk pace. Not long after, Chu Yao and Xu Junze also made it, while the last pair, Ye Fangfei and Zhang Chen, were still leisurely making their way there.

Neither of them was in a hurry, since neither cared much for the prize for best chemistry. On top of that, Zhang Chen was secretly hoping time would slow down; he didn’t even urge the driver to pick up the speed.

Ye Fangfei had planned to catch a quick beauty nap on the way to the airport, but Zhang Chen, seated next to her, was intent on conversation. He kept coming up with ways to draw her into a chat, leaving her not a single minute to close her eyes.

He started by probing her interests and hobbies, moved on to zodiac signs, then to favorite foods and everyday style, reminisced about childhood stories, recounted adult adventures, and finally landed on music, film, and games.

Ye Fangfei felt Zhang Chen seemed determined to uncover every detail of her twenty-one years of life during this short car ride.

Is this some kind of soul interview? she wondered.

Propping her chin in her hand, she gazed out the window. In the blind spot of the cameras and other people’s eyes, she gently massaged her temples. Ah, if only she could sleep.

“Do you play games?” The conversation had shifted to gaming, and Zhang Chen’s tone changed; this was his domain.

“Sometimes,” Ye Fangfei replied, turning to look at him, her answer succinct.

“What kind of games do you like?” Zhang Chen pressed further.

“I don’t really have a fixed preference,” she said. “I’m more curious than anything—if a game looks interesting, no matter what type, I’ll give it a try.”

“That’s great! As a game developer, players like you are our favorites. Every time we try out a new game, we hope to find curious players like you for beta testing, since you’re open to new things.”

Zhang Chen grinned at her, barely taking his eyes off her. Whenever she voiced an opinion he didn’t strongly disagree with, he reflexively complimented her.

Everyone likes to be acknowledged and praised; it builds good feelings, he thought.

Zhang Chen remembered a question Lu Zhou had asked him during an anonymous chat early in the show: what was his most attractive quality to Ye Fangfei? At the time, Zhang Chen had answered “wealth,” but Ye Fangfei wasn’t short on money herself.

On reflection, Zhang Chen was grateful to Lu Zhou. It was that question that made him realize he needed to showcase the appeal of his career if he wanted to truly interest Ye Fangfei.

Ye Fangfei was born into wealth and had a successful career of her own. Yet, during their brief three-day relationship, she hadn’t once glimpsed the brilliance of Zhang Chen’s professional life.

She knew little of his business capabilities and may even have picked up some negative rumors about him. From the start, she’d shown little interest—she might even have misunderstood him as an idle rich kid.

Now, after all this conversation, Zhang Chen smoothly steered the topic toward games, wanting her to see his professional achievements. He wanted her to know he was no slouch, no useless heir living off his family, but someone who was serious about his work.

“Really?” Ye Fangfei raised her eyebrows, her interest piqued as he talked about a world she wasn’t familiar with.

“Absolutely,” Zhang Chen replied.

He noticed a new light in her eyes and felt his chance had come! Before, when he forced conversation about film and music, he’d been out of his depth, and neither of them cared much. But now—games! She played, and so did he. This was his moment to shine!

“By the way, my studio’s main team is developing a new mobile game. We’ve invested heavily, especially in the map and art design. It’s nearly finished. When we launch the beta, would you like to try it first? I could send you early access.” Zhang Chen now brought the conversation directly to his company’s upcoming flagship game.

This way, he could both show Ye Fangfei his work and—thanks to the live broadcast—sneak in some free advertising for their soon-to-be-launched game.

Two birds with one stone!

“What kind is it?” Ye Fangfei asked.

“It’s a fantasy MOBA called Nightstorm. I think you’ll really like it,” Zhang Chen said, singing its praises.

“Sounds good,” Ye Fangfei replied, intrigued. After a moment, she added, “Does your company always make games like this?”

“No, not always.”

At this, Zhang Chen grew animated, leaning in closer to her. He habitually reached for his phone to show her something, only to remember it had been confiscated by the production team.

“If I had my phone, I could show you all the types of games we’ve made,” he said, regretful.

“I got into this business because I’d played MMORPGs for years, but I found it harder and harder to find a high-quality MMORPG to play. That’s what made me want to create my own.”

“I spent a lot of effort gathering professionals in the MMORPG field, recruiting them one by one. So, when my company first started, our main focus was MMORPGs. Unfortunately, our first big project, which cost us a fortune and a lot of effort, didn’t make much of a splash in the market.”

“If you’re a long-time MMORPG fan, you’ll have noticed the genre isn’t as hot as it once was. The player base is shrinking. Life moves quickly now, and MMORPGs are time-consuming. Most people prefer MOBA or STG games these days—few want to spend hours grinding. The genre is in decline.”

“To keep the company alive, we had to face reality. We axed our MMORPG project, even though we’d sunk billions into it, and started branching out into MOBA and STG games. That’s where we started seeing real results.”

Once on the subject of games, Zhang Chen became more and more animated, his confidence growing with every word. In this moment, he was different from the sometimes tactless, showy rich kid he appeared to be—he radiated a different kind of charisma.

Ye Fangfei watched him speak at length and thought: People really should do what interests them.

“Can I share my thoughts?” she interjected.

Zhang Chen nodded. “Of course.”

“I don’t think MMORPGs declined just because life got faster and people have less time to play. I think a big part of the problem is that game developers—especially here—are too focused on profits.”

“It’s not the genre that’s outdated; it’s that every new MMORPG lacks originality. After trying them once, there’s little desire to keep playing.”

“If MMORPGs are to make a comeback here, someone needs to break the mold and make something truly unique.”

Ye Fangfei offered her perspective. She’d played MMORPGs—some were genuinely fun, but most failed to capture her enthusiasm.

Zhang Chen pondered her words, nodding slightly. He smiled, “You’re not wrong, but it’s not easy to create an innovative, high-quality game. It’s a huge challenge that takes both money and time, not to mention creativity and a strong development team. It’s a tough road.”

Ye Fangfei, who had no experience in game development, smiled and said, “I’m sure it’s difficult—otherwise, there wouldn’t be so few truly great games.”

“Good luck. I’m rooting for you,” she encouraged him.

She was rooting for him!

Zhang Chen instantly straightened up, his heart soaring. “I will!”

Meanwhile, the live comment feed was ablaze—

[Wow, Zhang Chen is so impressive today!]
[Ahhh, I love Zhang Chen—now I love him even more!]
[Come on, you just love rich guys.]
[Dang, he cut a project worth billions just like that. 666!]
[Any internet sleuths know which game company he runs?]
[Zhang Chen is great—rich, good-looking for a second-gen heir, ambitious in his career. Sure, he’s a bit blunt sometimes, but nobody’s perfect. Why doesn’t Ye Fangfei like him? What kind of man does she want?]
[Let me dream—maybe she wants someone like Lu Zhou…]
[Lu Zhou? Honestly, his background can’t compare to Zhang Chen’s.]
[Maybe Ye Fangfei’s just out of her mind. If I met someone like Zhang Chen, I’d be all over him.]
[One man’s meat is another’s poison. Zhang Chen fans, don’t go overboard.]
[I think Ye Fangfei’s opinion of Zhang Chen has changed!]
…