Random Chapters of MTL Novel

April 11th, Wednesday...

Meng Chang slept soundly at his residence yesterday in order to avoid being interviewed. He did not pick up any calls or send any messages in the department's group chat for the entire day, afraid that he would be caught if he accidentally revealed himself.

The good thing was that his colleagues in the advertising and marketing department were very cooperative and did not take the initiative to look for him.

Meng Chang felt that there shouldn't be any major problems after hanging around for a day.

He had specially asked that this was not a very important interview. The standard was not high.

It must be a total if the interviewee was Boss Pei. It was possible for him to be interviewed for three to five full days. However, Meng Chang was only the person-in-charge of the marketing department after all. He did not have such a reputation.

Since the standard was not high, it would be done in a day. There should be no danger then.

However, to be safe, Meng Chang continued to stay there until the afternoon before going to work.

When he arrived at the marketing department, his colleagues were all working hard to implement Meng Chang's marketing plan. Everything seemed to be normal.

Meng Chang was like a student who had just skipped class but was lucky not to be caught. He came to his desk and sat down. He asked Yu Yao, who was sitting opposite him as he switched on his computer. "Have you finished the interview?"

Yu Yao nodded. "Yes, the interview is over!"

"The interview duration for the entire process was very short. It was only three hours, and three or four people were interviewed. The entire process was scripted, and there was very little video information."

Meng Chang felt more at ease.

If it was just a script, nothing would go wrong.

However, to be safe, he still had to ask a few more questions. "What's the theme of the interview?"

Yu Yao said, "Actually, it's nothing much. I just want to understand your working experience in Tengda, Brother Meng."

Meng Chang's heart skipped a beat. "How did you answer that?"

Yu Yao: "Of course I spoke the truth. The Tengda spirit has always been based on integrity. I'm just them about how Brother Meng you go about your work in a simple manner without any subjective judgment."

Meng Chang nodded. "Very good!"

Meng Chang trusted his colleagues in the advertising and marketing department very much. Since Yu Yao said that he was speaking the truth, there shouldn't be too much deviation.

"However..." Yu Yao added," Chief Editor Xia thinks that I might have spoken too plainly. That's why she said that she wanted to do some 'artistic processing'. That's why I'm not sure what the final interview would be like. "

Meng Chang :"..."

'Artistic Processing'?!

Meng Chang instinctively panicked. However, on further thought, Xia Jiang was the chief editor of the official platform. She had to have some integrity, right? She couldn't possibly make up stories out of nothing, right?

Yes, it shouldn't be a problem.

Meng Chang thought about it and felt that there was no need to scare himself. He would naturally know the details after the interview.

Thus, he calmed down, turned on his computer, and continued playing DEMO for Mission and Choice.

The entire advertising and marketing department became quiet. Everyone was working seriously, leaving only the sound of typing on the keyboard and clicking on the mouse.

This continued for more than two hours until four in the afternoon.

Yu Yao received a message and said in surprise, "Eh? So efficient? The interview is out!"

The timing was a little unexpected.

Obviously, Xia Jiang had submitted the interview after the interview yesterday. It was published on the official platform in just one day.

"So fast? Send me the link!"

Meng Chang was shocked as well. He quickly opened the website address sent by Yu Yao.

The interview was not long. There were only a few hundred words. There were not many comments below as it had just been released. It looked slightly deserted.

Meng Chang scanned the contents of the article and his expression quickly changed from calm to puzzled and shocked.

"...Why would Meng Chang realize the error of his ways and turn back if it wasn't for Boss Pei?"

"Obviously, Tengda's working environment infected him. It was Boss Pei's style that affected him..."

Meng Chang's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. He fell into a daze.

What the hell was this!

Nonsense!

Since when have I been influenced by Tengda's working environment? Since when have I followed Boss Pei's lead?

There was no such thing!

I'm only staying under someone else's roof now to pay off my debt. Once I get the commission to pay off my debt, I'll leave Tengda and make a comeback!

Why did the interview make it sound like I've decided to work like a slave in Tengda for the rest of my life?

It was ridiculous! It was all so ridiculous!

Meng Chang was like a heinous criminal in the interview. He was willing to serve under the saint and spend the rest of his life atoning for his sins because he had been enlightened by the saint.

However, Meng Chang knew very well that that was not the case at all!

Strictly speaking, his relationship with Boss Pei should be a struggle! Why did it seem like he had become Boss Pei's bootlicker?

Meng Chang was furious. He originally wanted to argue with Yu Yao on this matter, but he gave up after struggling for a while.

Forget it, forget it. There was no need for that.

On one hand, outsiders did not know about the agreement between Meng Chang and Boss Pei, and this agreement could not be spread. In the eyes of outsiders, Meng Chang's current behavior was indeed very in line with what was written in the interview. This matter was like yellow mud falling into his pants. It could not be explained clearly.

On the other hand, Meng Chang was still hoping that the people from the advertising and marketing department would help him implement marketing plans and earn commission. What if these people realized that Meng Chang and Boss Pei were not on the same page and started to not cooperate? Wouldn't they be finished?

What's more, this was most likely not what Yu Yao had said, but Chief Editor Xia's free play.

Meng Chang couldn't possibly find the official platform, right?

Therefore, even though Meng Chang was very dissatisfied with the content of the interview, he could only force himself to accept it for the sake of the overall situation and swallow his anger.

"Forget it, forget it, forget it. I'll treat it as I'm enduring hardships while planning my retaliation. So what if people misunderstand me, belittle me, and mock me? Once the ten years are up, I'll definitely make a comeback and let these people who mock me see what it means to be a man who can bow and submit!"

The content of the interview was about the same. It made him very angry. It was unbearable to watch.

Meng Chang did not take a closer look and scanned all the pictures.

There were indeed a small number of pictures just as Yu Yao had said. There were a total of four pictures. They were the promotional pictures for Tengda's physical industry, the promotional pictures for Bunny Tail live-stream, the working environment of the advertising marketing department, and Meng Chang's back view.

Meng Chang subconsciously shivered when he saw the back view.

I was not even here, where did this picture come from?

However, the back view did not seem to be much after a rough scan.

Meng Chang didn't think too much and skipped to the last comment section.

It had to be said that the popularity from the official platform was still very high. Many players would scroll through the official platform's information when they had nothing to do. This interview might have only been released for a few minutes but there were already players leaving messages. What's more, the number of messages was still increasing rapidly. There would be a few more every time it was refreshed.

"Huh? Meng Chang is now the person-in-charge of Tengda's marketing department?"

"Impossible!"

"These advertisement plans were actually made by Meng Chang? That's not right. This plan is too different from the one Meng Chang made previously. It smells like Tengda."

"It looks like Tengda is really a place of reform. Anyone who enters would be assimilated. How can someone like Meng Chang be perfectly integrated? Moreover, can he really be utilized by Boss Pei?"

"I feel like Meng Chang is about to become Boss Pei's lackey in this interview. Could this be Boss Pei's charm?"

"It would be a good thing if Meng Chang can really turn over a new leaf. He's still capable. He can still contribute to society as long as he focuses all his energy on official business."

"Don't talk nonsense. I don't believe it. Meng Chang is obviously unreliable. He will do humane things only if Boss Pei puts a yoke on his shoulders. I hope that Meng Chang will be locked up in Tengda in the future and be modified under Boss Pei. Don't let him out again!"

"That's right. I hope Boss Pei can take good care of him and not come out to harm others."

Meng Chang was furious after reading these discussions.

What the hell!

These comments were basically saying two things: First, even though Meng Chang seemed to be doing some humane things now, it could not change his nature of being a scammer. Everyone must not believe him! Second, Boss Pei was awesome!

Meng Chang was speechless. The interview had been misinterpreted very well. In the end, the gamers misinterpreted it even more and went one level higher!

However, they were worlds apart from the truth and essence of the matter!

Meng Chang was so angry that he almost vomited blood. His mentality that he had finally calmed down was showing signs of breaking down again.

"Forget it, forget it. A real man knows when to bow and submit..."

Meng Chang adjusted his mentality again and continued flipping.

Suddenly, he saw a strange comment.

"Eh, did everyone notice a detail? In this interview, it said that Meng Chang specially asked Tengda Games for the DEMO of the game in order to publicize the promotional plan for the 'classic domestically-produced game collection'. He plays it every day? However, I looked at this compilation and it's filled with old games?"

Many players replied to this comment.

"Eh, that's right. This episode is filled with old games. Even if you want to play them, you should download them from the official platform, right? What do you mean by 'DEMO'?"

"Only undeveloped new games would have DEMOs."

"Did they write wrongly?"

"How is that possible! Look at the author of the article. It's Chief Editor Xia! Chief Editor Xia is the most professional editor on the official platform. She knows the game very well. How could she make such a low-level mistake?"

"You guys are so stupid. Look at the picture! Isn't there a picture? You can see it with a magnification. The game on the computer is not one of the collections!"

"Holy sh*t, that's true! What game is this? I don't think I've seen it before."

"There are so many units, and it's from God's perspective. It looks like an RTS game."

"Could it be that... There is a special Easter egg in this interview? Is this a new game that Tengda is going to release?"

The netizens were practically possessed by Sherlock Holmes. At first, no one paid attention to it. However, the others would swarm forward like sharks that had smelled blood as long as any one of them noticed something amiss!

Someone downloaded the original picture and took a closer look. This picture might be taken from a distance but it was still quite clear. The game's graphics were completely different from any of the domestically-produced classic games combined!

What would that imply?

Meng Chang opened his mouth slightly and froze.

"Holy f*ck!"

"Sh*t's going to happen!"

Chapter 971: The Quick-Witted Meng Chang In The Desperate Situation

Meng Chang was dumbfounded.

It was just an ordinary interview. He did not expect to be caught by these Sherlock Holmes gamers!

It was only now that Meng Chang realized that even though the main content of the interview was nonsense, making unfounded guesses and even attacking him were only a small problem.

The real problem was that this interview leaked information about the DEMO of Mission and Choice!

The reason why Meng Chang used such a publicity method was ultimately to hide this information and make all the publicity funds go to waste.

However, Yu Yao and the other employees of the advertising and marketing department did not know Meng Chang's true intentions!

All of them thought that Meng Chang was deliberately hiding this information so that it would cause a greater uproar when it was revealed.

That way, it would be very difficult for Yu Yao and the others to maintain high vigilance regarding the 'confidential' matter. Something would happen if they relaxed slightly!

Even Yu Yao himself did not expect this picture to cause so much trouble.

Meng Chang was a little flustered. He quickly flipped through the players' discussions again.

There were more and more comments under the interview article. A large number of players were attracted to it. They saw the message on the DEMO and started speculating!

Netizens knew very well what 'bold hypothesis and careful verification' meant. They could not stop their imagination from running wild once they made the assumption that Tengda's new game was about to be completed. Many details that they had thought were unrelated began to string together!

Meng Chang could no longer sit still as the discussion became more and more heated.

The commission would disappear in minutes and leave him. That was even more unacceptable than slandering him in the interview!

"What should I do? I won't be able to hide it any longer!"

Meng Chang was burning with anxiety.

At the moment, the players were still in the speculation stage, but Meng Chang had no doubt that they would be able to piece the truth together very soon.

Meng Chang would never accept such an easy dog belt. The desperate situation only stimulated his fighting spirit!

"I've to think of a few marketing plans quickly or release some 'one-sided news' to divert the players' attention so that they don't keep staring at us..."

There was still more than half a month until the first of May. Meng Chang didn't know if he could distract the players for such a long time.

However, it was impossible for him to give up on this month's commission so easily!

Desperate situations always stimulated one's fighting spirit. Meng Chang's brain worked quickly and he immediately began to consider new plans.

Now, the players' curiosity was bursting. It was better to divert their attention than to deny it. If Meng Chang denied it forcefully, it would definitely trigger the players' reverse psychology and cause more serious consequences.

Therefore, Meng Chang felt that it was time to take risks!

As the saying went, only magic could defeat magic.

The best way to hide a piece of news was undoubtedly to release another piece of news.

It was just like how many companies would not delete their posts, blow up their accounts, or ban public relations when they were in a crisis. Suppressing public opinion would definitely cause a backlash and would only cause an even greater crisis.

The best way was to dig up more dirt on other competitors' companies and then hire fake reviewers to blow things up.

That way, most people would focus on the new hot topic, and the company's crisis would naturally slowly pass.

Meng Chang thought about it. This seemed to be the only way.

"I heard that Shang Yang Games is also developing new games. They are expected to be released in the second half of May."

"I'll check the internal information..."

"This game is called Fitness Battle? This... the game genre is quite different."

"However, it's not a big problem. It's not difficult for me."

"It looks like I'll have to abandon the car to protect myself!"

Meng Chang quickly came up with a bold plan.

He wanted to disclose a small portion of the game content regarding the Fitness Battle. He also hinted to gamers that this was Tengda's new game, which was also the DEMO that he was playing. In the future, it might be a "classic domestically-produced game compilation".

That way, players would discuss the revelations that Meng Chang released, and their thinking would deviate.

On the other hand, the Fitness Battle would only be released during the second half of May.

Meng Chang's publicity plan throughout April was targeted at Mission and Choice. It did not attract much attention to Mission and Choice.

Even if gamers paid more attention to the Fitness Battle, the game had not been released yet. There were very few details that were exposed, so the publicity effect would not be ideal.

That way, Meng Chang would be able to get at least seventy to eighty percent even if he did not get full commission by May.

That was still a lot for him!

Meng Chang thought of a plan very quickly. It was still hard to say whether he would be able to save himself in a desperate situation. However, it was much better than sitting back and waiting for death.

However, the only problem was that they did not have enough publicity funds.

The remaining twenty million yuan had already been thrown out in a panic. There was not much left of the advertising and marketing department's funds.

However, he had to spend money if he wanted to mislead them.

What's more, Meng Chang was not in charge of publicity for the Fitness Battle at the moment. Boss Pei did not say anything and that would be overstepping his boundaries.

At the end of the day, he had to look for Boss Pei again.

Things might change if he delayed. Meng Chang immediately got up and rushed to Boss Pei's office.

...

A few minutes later, Meng Chang came to Boss Pei's office and knocked lightly.

"Enter."

There was a hint of displeasure in Boss Pei's voice.

Meng Chang entered the office and before he could say anything, Boss Pei's question came at him.

"Why do I see many gamers discussing our new game online? Is there a problem with your publicity plan?"

Pei Qian looked to be more affected than Meng Chang.

Meng Chang could not figure out Boss Pei's intention.

What was going on? Shouldn't Boss Pei be secretly happy now?

Why does he look like he's more urgent than me?

Yes, Boss Pei is full of tricks. He must be bluffing me!

He deliberately showed such a hypocritical expression. It looked like he was on my side, but in fact, he was trying to make me break through his defense.

Impossible!

At that thought, Meng Chang immediately put on an indifferent expression. "No, everything went very smoothly. Everything is under my control."

Pei Qian was skeptical. "Really?"

Meng Chang nodded confidently. "Really, Boss Pei, you don't have to worry."

"However, I do have some small requests this time."

Pei Qian: "What request?"

Meng Chang still had a confident expression on his face. "I hope you can give me another ten million yuan for publicity. At the same time, allow me to use a portion of the contents of the Fitness Battle as publicity material."

Pei Qian's brows relaxed for a moment, and then furrowed.

"Ten million yuan for publicity is not a problem."

"But why do you want the publicity material for 'Fitness Battle'?"

Pei Qian was secretly puzzled. What was Meng Chang up to? Why was he taking the initiative to take on jobs?

Could it be that... one project was not enough to make me happy, but he had to work on the smart fitness drying rack as well?

That was impossible. Did he really think that commission was worthless?

Of course, Meng Chang did not want to say it out loud. He could only continue being stubborn. "Boss Pei, you don't have to worry about this. I know what to do. In short, this is part of the publicity plan."

Meng Chang was very apprehensive when he said that.

That would be a huge problem if Boss Pei was not happy and did not agree to both.

Meng Chang looked calm on the surface but he was actually very anxious.

Pei Qian looked at Meng Chang's expression and was confused.

Would it really work?

Pei Qian did not trust Meng Chang at all, but he trusted Meng Chang's desire to get a commission.

The publicity effect last month was indeed not bad. From Meng Chang's performance, it seemed like he had many backup plans for this month's publicity plan.

Pei Qian did not want to ask too much, for fear of triggering the observer effect again.

Pei Qian nodded after some consideration.

He should not suspect someone he was using. He could only choose to continue trusting Meng Chang since he had decided to let him be in charge of the publicity plan this time and the commission was spurring him on!

Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, I'll agree to both of your conditions."

"However, I have to remind you that I don't care if you can't get a commission. You're the one suffering."

"The publicity effect of 'Fitness Battle' will affect your commission in May. You're on your own."

Meng Chang chuckled inwardly.

May's commission?

How could I think so far ahead? It would be good enough if I could get tens of thousands in April!

Meng Chang did not say much. He just thanked Boss Pei and immediately rushed back to the advertising and marketing department to continue preparing the new plan.

Everything had happened so suddenly. He had to race against time.

He had to divert the gamers' attention before they dug out the truth. He had to use the news of the Fitness Battle to cover Mission and Choice and keep the April commission!

...

Meng Chang's remedial plan had been completed in only about an hour, not even time to knock off yet.

He had to admit that DEADLINE was the first productivity. Sometimes, people did not know how much potential they had unless they forced themselves.

Meng Chang quickly passed this plan over and immediately handed it to Yu Yao.

It was a little rushed, but he had no choice because he was about to knock off.

The advertising and marketing department would not have any overtime limit once they got off work. This plan could only be implemented tomorrow. However, the problem was that many things could happen in one night.

What if those netizens comparable to Sherlock Holmes solved the case tonight? Wouldn't that be a huge problem?

There was some content regarding the Fitness Battle in this plan. The guidance was also very clear. It was to mislead players as much as possible and divert their attention.

Meng Chang was in a hurry, so Yu Yao did not have time to take a closer look. He sent a message and a few photos using Tengda Games' official account directly.

"A game that would make internal employees addicted to it will be able to meet with you at the end of May!"

The accompanying picture was some publicity material for the Fitness Battle.

Of course, there was a very important problem. The game graphics of Fitness Battle and Mission and Choice were worlds apart. It was really not like that. The players were not blind and could not see the difference.

However, this was not a problem for Meng Chang. He studied it carefully. Even though he had taken a picture of the game during the interview, it was mainly the back view. The computer screen only took up a small portion of the picture.

They could only tell that this game was different from the mosaic games in the "classic domestically-produced collection" at most. It had a God's perspective and they could not see the specific units inside.

Therefore, Meng Chang asked Shang Yang Games to provide him with a graph of the chapter of the Fitness Battle, which had a similar background. It also happened to have a God's perspective.

The training for the Fitness Battle was done step by step.There were also some simple plots In order to guide players to better experience the different chapters and stages. This picture looked a little similar to the one in Mission and Choice at first glance.

Under the extremely blurry pixels, the backpack and cartridge could also be forcefully turned into a frying pan. Meng Chang felt that it shouldn't be a big problem to use this method to barely fool them for a while.

Apart from that, this publicity budget was also used to bribe some independent media and marketing accounts to repost it and then "analyze" it.

The so-called analysis was nothing more than drawing gamers' attention to the Fitness Battle.

That was because they were still promoting their own products and not faking it. Thus, it was not considered a violation.

Meng Chang finally relaxed after making all the arrangements.

He wanted to stay in the office for a while longer, but it was time to knock off.

He had no choice but to go home reluctantly and continue to pay attention to the developments at home.

Chapter 972: Godly Assistance By Vinci Media

Meng Chang immediately took out his cell phone impatiently and checked the public opinion online after returning to his residence.

Whether or not he could hide it would depend on tonight.

A large number of netizens left comments on the forums once Tengda Games released the news through its official identity. Many people reposted it on various forums.

"Huh? So the new game that Tengda is developing... is a fitness game?"

"What the heck! I was happy for nothing. I thought it was some big production."

"What the hell is a fitness game?"

"I've been looking forward to it for nothing. How disappointing!"

"Eh, does everyone find it boring? There's no need to come to a conclusion now. Fitness games sound quite novel. Tengda Games has always had the power to turn something rotten into something magical. I think we can still look forward to it!"

"Sigh, it's not that I don't trust Boss Pei. The main thing is that not many people like this type of game. At the end of the day, fitness games are also for fitness services. It's very difficult to be especially fun."

"The key is that Tengda Games has been holding back for more than half a year. I was still looking forward to a masterpiece like Repent and be Saved. In the end, it produced a very perfunctory fitness game? That's unacceptable!"

"Why is Boss Pei doing something like this? Is it because he's too busy with other industries?"

Meng Chang flipped through many netizens' comments and finally smiled.

Yes, he succeeded!

Everyone's attention had obviously been diverted.

Previously, many people had been guessing what type of game the new game would be. Some people had even guessed the RTS theme. However, the official statement had the effect of 'making the final decision'.

Some people raised the question of "the two pictures don't look like it", after all, neither Mission and Choice nor Fitness had been released yet. Who knew what the images inside looked like?

Moreover, most players did not expect the official platform to be so shameless as to spread the news to mislead everyone. They had been led astray by Meng Chang.

Meng Chang heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he was safe!

A huge crisis had appeared at first. Fortunately, he had managed to turn the situation around and return to the right track!

That way, he should be able to continue hiding the game until it was released. Even if he could not get a full commission, it should not be a problem to get seventy to eighty percent.

However, Meng Chang received a few new replies just as he relaxed.

"Something's not right! Everyone, look at this Weibo post!"

There was a screenshot in the comments. It was the official account of Vinci Media. The content of the Weibo post was: "Hollywood's sci-fi giant, Greyhound starring on the May 1st prime-time slot!"

"Two hundred million US dollars, famous directors, superstars, and many real ships!"

There were also various promotional pictures of 'Greyhound' on Weibo, which were presented in nine sections.

This Weibo post was nothing much. It was just normal publicity.

However, there was a problem with the first post under the post.

"I heard that a local sci-fi film was so scared that it changed its schedule on the spot? (Dog Head) (Dog Head) (Dog Head) (Dog Head) (Dog Head)."

Most of the hot comments below were filled with anticipation for the movie. The comment that was first in the Like seemed out of place but was hard to ignore.

Soon, there were hundreds of replies.

"So scared that they changed their schedule? Does anyone know which movie it is?"

"Changing the schedule might be normal but I still want to laugh. Hahahaha..."

"An insider revealed that it might be Tengda's movie!"

"Huh? Really? Tengda has released a new movie? What's its name?"

"Bullsh*t! Would Tengda film change its schedule because it's afraid of foreign blockbusters? There must be a limit to how much it can scam!"

"That's right. Tomorrow is Beautiful has a good reputation at the box office. That's only the first movie of Fei Huang Workspace. The second movie would summarize the experience. It would definitely be a better movie! I believe that other companies are afraid of Hollywood blockbusters, not Tengda. Don't disgust me!"

The comment section became extremely noisy in no time.

Obviously, this was the work of the fake reviewers. They would upload the likes of this comment and then start a war in it. Wouldn't the popularity come if everyone scolded each other?

What's more, this account was an account that was disguised as a passerby. It could cut ties with the official account of Vinci Media. It would not attract trouble even if there were any problems.

A large number of fake reviewers secretly released the relevant information bit by bit while everyone was arguing.

"Don't doubt it. You'll know once you check it out. 'Mission and Choice' is Tengda's new movie. It was originally scheduled for the May 1st slot, but it will be released urgently during this weekend."

"They're obviously a coward. Why would they give up on the May 1st prime-time slot and take the initiative to go to the rubbish slot for the weekend otherwise?"

"I think this is a wise move. They must know in their heart that they can't win even if they are in the May 1st slot. They might as well increase the grade and get more box office."

"I found it! It's actually true. Tengda made a new movie without anyone noticing? Why didn't I see any publicity? They are very far behind even on the ticketing software. I didn't notice it before!"

"What's more, Lu Zhiyao is the main lead! Eh, why is he the only one on the main cast list? Did they make a mistake?"

"I saw it before but I was disgusted by the name. I didn't even click on it. I didn't expect it to be from Tengda?"

Vinci Media's fake reviewers fanned the flames slightly and the popularity rose.

Many people did not believe it at first, but upon closer inspection, they realized that it was true!

Tengda had really produced a movie called 'Mission and Choice'. It had indeed gone from the May 1st Grade to this weekend. The high praise and hot comments were all true!

However, many Tengda fans could not accept it.

Fei Huang Workspace, which produced Tomorrow is Beautiful, was already famous. Greyhound might be a Hollywood blockbuster, but it did not seem to be the best.

Could such an enemy make Fei Huang Workspace admit defeat and change its schedule to avoid it?

That was illogical!

Tengda's fans, who had been mocked and ridiculed by the fake reviewers, were all furious. They looked for evidence unwillingly as they argued online.

It was definitely not because they were afraid that Tengda would not compete, but it just did not fit Tengda's style at all!

Finally, someone exposed the truth.

"Everyone, take a look at the title and story outline of this movie. Isn't this the 'Mission and Choice' the one that was named national shame? It's all about the Zergs' invasion plot. Why do I find it more and more similar?"

"Eh, that's right. I thought it was a coincidence. On closer look, the name is exactly the same?"

"A remake? Or did they buy the copyright?"

"Are you crazy! Even if they bought the copyright, you would definitely be making a game. Why did they turn it into a movie?"

"Hmm... have you considered a situation where they might have made both a game and made a movie?"

"Huh?"

"Do you still remember the picture in the official exclusive interview? Previously, many people guessed that it might be a RTS game. There are two reasons. First, that picture is from the God perspective. Second, Tengda rarely repeats games. They have not done RTS games before. After a comprehensive analysis, the possibility of it being a RTS game is actually very high!"

"That's not right. Didn't the official platform say that the new game is 'Fitness Battle'?"

"However, the official platform did not make it clear! Tengda is a marketing genius. What's so strange about playing the players? If they really wanted to publicize the movie, wouldn't it be even more strange if we don't see any publicity material even though it was about to be released?"

"Indeed, the more I look at the game graphics on these two pictures, the more I feel that they are completely different!"

"That's right. How could Tengda develop a fitness game for more than half a year with its efficiency?"

"Could it be that... the big one is coming?!"

"Could Tengda's new game really be Mission and Choice? Don't mess with me!"

The gamers were indeed possessed by Sherlock Holmes. They immediately swarmed forward once they found a breakthrough point!

Initially, Meng Chang's official post had already led the gamers astray for the time being. However, Vinci Media's Weibo post had led the flames of war to the movie 'Mission and Choice'. Therefore, the gamers' attention that had finally been diverted returned. What's more, it became even more intense. They were even more certain that this game was an RTS game!

Meng Chang's expression froze and his mind went blank.

To him, this was not the scariest thing.

The scariest thing was that from the information on the internet, Mission and Choice's movie was scheduled for April 14th, which was this weekend!

What would that imply?

Meng Chang might not know the specific plot of Mission and Choice, but he knew that the game and movie were conjoined twins. If the movie was going to be released, the game would definitely be released on the same day.

Otherwise, if the plot was thoroughly discussed after the movie was released and gamers were exposed, how could they play the game?

The release date of the game had to be brought forward.

"That's not right. Why didn't anyone tell me about such a huge matter?"

"I always thought that the movie would only be released on May 1st!"

"What a scam!"

"In that case, the game..."

Meng Chang did not dare to think further.

He had pulled a long face and asked Boss Pei for another ten million yuan. He had even done a lot of dirty work, but it had all been for nothing?

Wait a minute, he didn't work for nothing. He even exposed 'Fitness Battle'...

"Crazy!"

"What's the point of changing to the May 1st slot!"

"The release of the movie on the 14th and the release of the game. How can I possibly get a huge commission! It's impossible not to be discovered!"

It was not that Meng Chang had let his guard down. The key was that no one had told him about this. Moreover, it was impossible for Meng Chang to think that a movie that had such a huge investment would not go for the May 1st slot but would instead go for the trash slot on a weekend.

This was completely unreasonable!

Meng Chang's mentality completely collapsed. He could still pray that the sales would not be good after the game was released but he would not get much commission even if that happened.

The most important thing was that he did not even know that the timing had been changed. It was like he was fighting with the air.

If he had known earlier, he would not have struggled! He would have just laid flat!

Meng Chang slumped on the sofa as though he had lost his soul.

Finished. Everything was finished!

He was played by Boss Pei again!

Chapter 973: This Is An Unconventional Publicity Plan!

April 12th, Thursday...

Fei Huang Workspace's office.

A portion of the employees were editing the documentary for 'The Stalls'. The employees who were previously in charge of 'Mission and Choice' had already entered a sheep-herding state. They were browsing the internet, waiting for the official release of 'Mission and Choice' apart from playing games and watching movies every day.

The employees who were in charge of editing 'The Stalls' looked very motivated. That was because the series had been very successful so far. The popularity of every episode on Aili Island's website was constantly increasing. Netizens' reviews were also very high.

The Cold-Faced Lady had tried to release a few new dishes. The Cold-Faced Lady's reputation had not completely changed after the promotion of "The Stalls". However, it was much better than before when it had hit rock bottom.

The only problem was that editing this film made them very hungry. Once they were hungry, they would want to eat. The company's snacks were unlimited. Several editors had gained several kilograms.

After Huang Sibo discovered this problem, he requested for them to increase their exercise volume in the Deposit Fitness. The trainers were all his own people. Additional training was something that Huang Sibo could do with a single word. He wanted to train the editors until they were suffering.

On the other hand, the staff in charge of Mission and Choice were not in such good spirits. They were all very dispirited.

They did not even enjoy playing games or watching movies.

As for why this happened...

That was because these people were searching for news about 'Mission and Choice' on the internet every day. However, they could not wait for it to be released. It was about to be released this weekend, but there was not much news about it on the internet until now. It did not even become a hot topic for discussion. That was too ridiculous!

Everyone had been very excited when filming Mission and Choice.

This movie was a huge investment and a huge production. Boss Pei had personally decided on the script. The original production team of Tomorrow is Beautiful, Lu Zhiyao had even contributed the most perfect acting skills in history...

What's more, this movie had been in development with Tengda's new game for more than half a year.

It should not be too much to say that Mission and Choice was the most important project in the entire Tengda Corporation from 2011 to 2012.

All the employees felt honored to be able to participate in this project.

Everyone suddenly realized that something was amiss as the movie was about to be released.

First, it was the release date. They did not want the May 1st prime-time slot and had to choose a weekend that was not particular.

Of course, this could still be explained. After all, the game 'Mission and Choice' was going to clash with the 'Fantasy Battle Remake' game. It might still be a loss to change the movie's schedule but it was still acceptable.

However, the biggest problem now was that there was no publicity!

Not a single poster or display board of Mission and Choice could be seen in the cinema. The screening rate was not that high either. What's more, this was the result of the cinema chain taking into account Tomorrow is Beautiful's success.

In other words, Mission and Choice's publicity was basically zero. They did not do anything!

The publicity budget and filming budget were basically the same for other films. For example, three hundred million yuan for a movie and three hundred million yuan for global publicity was very normal.

What's more, celebrities' remuneration made up most of the expenses of these blockbusters.

It did not matter whether the capital ratio was healthy or not, but this was indeed the norm in the industry.

In the end, Mission and Choice had spent more than three hundred million yuan on the movie. Lu Zhiyao was the only lead actor. The remuneration was not high. All the money had been spent on props and special effects. There was not a single cent for publicity!

This was too strange!

Of course, spending money to employ limited resources where they are needed most could better ensure the quality of the movie. However, wasn't it too much to not spend a single cent on publicity?

Couldn't they just post something on their official Weibo account even if he did not have to spend money? Tengda had so much running water; any piece of news could generate popularity.

In the end, there was really nothing!

It was said that Boss Pei gave Meng Chang publicity funds. However, no one knew where the publicity funds went...

Many people even suspected that this movie was not brought forward, but postponed!

Otherwise, why was there no news at all?

Everyone had spent a lot of effort to produce this difficult script, and the content of the movie was extremely exciting. In the end, the publicity was so far apart. How could they not be discouraged?

Director Zhu Xiaoce could not sit still either. He sneaked into Huang Sibo's office and prepared for another secret meeting.

This matter could not be discussed openly because they were the department heads. If the employees knew that even they were panicking, this panic would quickly spread and affect the state of Fei Huang Workspace.

Many employees had secretly asked Zhu Xiaoce about the publicity of the movie in private. Zhu Xiaoce had comforted them all, saying that a professional department was in charge so that they did not have to worry.

However, Zhu Xiaoce himself did not believe this.

The movie was going to be released in two days. He did not even know what the people in the advertising and marketing department were doing. Why did Boss Pei not care?

Zhu Xiaoce slipped into Huang Sibo's office and saw Huang Sibo drinking tea while browsing the web.

"I can't take it anymore. Four people asked me about the movie just yesterday."

"What did Boss Pei say?"

"Boss Pei said that he had already made arrangements at the beginning of the month;"

"We went to ask last week. Boss Pei said that he had already handed it over to the Advertising and marketing department. There was a professional in charge of it. He told us not to worry."

"It's about to be released soon. Where's the publicity for our movie?"

"Other movies have to be advertised a few months in advance. We had originally set a May 1st time slot and left one or two months for publicity. It might be relatively short, but with Tomorrow is Beautiful as the foundation, the effect should not be too bad."

"In the end, it was advanced and the publicity time was reduced. Great, it's going to be released. There's not even a splash on the internet!"

"What should we do?!"

Zhu Xiaoce was almost speechless.

He had already promised his colleagues that he had consulted Boss Pei about the publicity. There was definitely no problem. However, how was there no problem in this situation? There were clearly problems everywhere!

The most awkward thing was that no one would think that this was Boss Pei's problem. They would only think that Zhu Xiaoce was faking the sacred decree and deceiving everyone.

That was very annoying!

Boss Pei did not ask too much about Tomorrow is Beautiful's publicity previously. Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce were the ones in charge. They basically did the publicity in the usual way. The initial publicity effect was not bad.

Of course, the key to Tomorrow is Beautiful becoming popular was that the film itself was too strong. Its box office was also increasing step by step.

However, Boss Pei had specifically instructed Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce not to bother with the publicity for Mission and Choice.

The two of them were quite happy at first. They felt that Boss Pei was taking this very seriously. If he personally took action, it meant that this matter would definitely be settled. It would be a good opportunity for them to be the handler.

Yet, this was the result after waiting for so long.

Huang Sibo was also a little worried. "Who knows what Boss Pei is up to?"

"Meng Chang should be in charge of the publicity this time according to what I know. Logically speaking, this person is a marketing genius. The proposal he gave should be very sensational."

"Why is there not even a splash now?"

Zhu Xiaoce was very dissatisfied. "Him? He can't do it. He was left behind by Boss Pei by a hundred streets! His marketing skills with the Cold-Faced Lady are not even a ten-thousandth of Boss Pei's."

"Meng Chang is burning money to buy fake popularity. Boss Pei can attract real popularity without spending money. Is that the same thing?"

"What's more, I think Meng Chang has a bad character. He probably didn't put much effort into the publicity plan."

"It's not that I'm wronging him. Based on the current situation, it's impossible for us to not create any ripple even if we use our legs to advertise, right?"

"There's only one possibility: He did it on purpose!"

Huang Sibo sipped his tea and gestured for Zhu Xiaoce to calm down. "There's no need to speculate about our colleagues like that."

"Whether Meng Chang is reliable or not, Boss Pei must have his reasons since he arranged for him to be in this position. Moreover, even if Meng Chang wants to play some tricks, do you think Boss Pei doesn't know?"

"Don't rush, wait a little longer."

Zhu Xiaoce had always been a very calm person, but this time, he could not remain calm. "Are we still waiting? The movie is going to be released on Saturday..."

"Even if the publicity plan is effective now, what can two days do?"

"Other movies would be promoted more than two months in advance, but we are doing publicity two days in advance..."

Huang Sibo scrolled through the webpage and said, "Two days might seem impossible, but we can only choose to trust Boss Pei."

They fell into a short period of silence.

Suddenly, Huang Sibo's eyes lit up.

"Look, things have changed! Since last night!"

Zhu Xiaoce was stunned. "There's a turnaround?"

Huang Sibo immediately turned the laptop around so that Zhu Xiaoce could see the contents on the screen.

What greeted his eyes were the heated discussions of the netizens on Weibo!

"Tengda's new movie is here! 'Mission and Choice' will be released on Saturday!"

"Greyhound's Weibo post had high praises for 'the domestically-produced movie pushing their schedule forward because they are scared', which is pointing at 'Mission and Choice'!"

"The information about this movie is out. Lu Zhiyao is the main actor. There's no mistake!"

"Why is it so far back! I thought that the number of screenings would at least reach 40%. Is there something wrong with such a small number of screenings?"

"Could it be that Fei Huang Workspace's name iis too lousy in the film industry?"

"Impossible. With Zhu Xiaoce as the director and Lu Zhiyao as the main actors. They are basically the original team of Tomorrow is Beautiful!"

Overnight, discussions about Mission and Choice exploded on Weibo and various forums!

On top of that, many people began to make reasonable guesses about Mission and Choice.

"'Mission and Choice' is known as a disgrace to the domestic games industry. Since Tengda has made a movie, they must make a game, right?"

"Why are you remaking this? Is this a mission given by the official platform?"

"April 14th, why is this date so familiar... I remember now, this is the release date of 'Fantasy Battle'! Is this purely a coincidence, or...?"

"That can't be. Other games would be popular a few months or a year or two in advance. They would have to skip the ticket before they were released. Tengda is going to release them without a word? Without even informing them?"

"What are you guys discussing? A void discussion? Tengda did not even say that it wanted to create a game called Mission and Choice... Can you stop imagining things?"

"It's not that we want to imagine. The key is that the clues are too suspicious. Old gamers know that Boss Pei likes riddles. You have to believe the revelations about Tengda. It might be true no matter how ridiculous it is..."

"By the way, did you notice something else? 'Domestic Classic Games Collection' also has' Mission and Choice '. This compilation has been promoted for so long, and it's been advertised online and offline. How much does it cost?"

"The official platform has confirmed that Tengda spent money to arrange this advertisement. Think about it carefully. Why would Tengda advertise a compilation that has nothing to do with itself? It must be related to their own new game!"

"The official interview arrangements are also quite strange. First, they interviewed the incubation base of the 'Destitution Plan', and then they interviewed Meng Chang, who was in charge of promoting the 'domestic classic games compilation'. These two manuscripts were released after more than a day. They were most likely done at the same time. Is this hinting at something?"

"That's right. I remember when Qiu Hong was interviewed, he said that there was a sponsor for the 'Destitution Plan'. He was just an executor. What's more, this sponsor had a deep influence on him. Considering the working environment of the incubation base and the treatment of independent game designers... this sponsor should be Boss Pei, right?"

"Now that I think about it, that's true. The official platform has made it clear!"

"A new game is definitely coming! Holy sh*t, this is too exciting! I knew that Tengda would not disappoint me!"

Chapter 974: Boss Pei's Last Trump Card!

Zhu Xiaoce was stunned.

He clearly remembered that there were not many similar discussions yesterday. They were only small-scale discussions and were not very popular.

However, after just one day, all sorts of discussions suddenly increased!

The release date of 'Mission and Choice' was already set. There were not many trailers released apart from some basic information. However, this did not affect the enthusiasm of netizens.

On the other hand, the game 'Mission and Choice' was not even complete yet. It was in a purely 'speculation' state. However, gamers had already guessed most of it based on their own intelligence. Some of them even connected it to the 'Fantasy Battle Remake' to be released on April 14th!

What's more, the discussion was still growing. It would be hard to say if this momentum could last for two days!

Zhu Xiaoce's expression quickly changed from frustration to surprise, and then from surprise to astonishment.

"It's only been a day. Why are there so many people discussing it?"

"If we only look at the effect of this one day, it's really not bad!"

Huang Sibo looked excited as well. "I understand!"

"This is the brilliance of Boss Pei. It looks like he did nothing on the surface, but he actually did a lot!"

"The reason why we feel that the advertising and marketing department did not do anything was because we subconsciously used traditional publicity methods. However, this publicity obviously did not use traditional methods!"

"The traditional advertising method might be simple and direct, but it would be difficult to arouse the players' sense of participation."

"Players who are interested would only understand it slightly. After that, they would patiently wait for the movie and the game to be released. They would not discuss it further."

"Those players who are not interested would probably not deliberately understand these problems. If you want them to pay attention to it, it means that you have to invest a huge amount of publicity. That's because the principle of diminishing marginal effects is actually very bad."

"Boss Pei's publicity plan is an 'interactive' publicity method!"

"It's just like how we solved the riddle for BE QUIET previously. This method can better stimulate players' sense of participation. It has a completely different effect from traditional advertising!"

"To put it in simpler terms, it is to set a trap through the 'riddle man' and wait for the attentive players to take the bait. Once these players take the bait, they will take the initiative to share it with others, thus achieving the effect of 'running water'!"

Zhu Xiaoce also looked enlightened.

"Activate the players' sense of participation?"

"Eh, that makes sense!"

He carefully recalled the promotional plan related to Mission and Choice and suddenly realized that all the seemingly unrelated content had been linked together!

The advertising and marketing department had to keep the related projects related to Mission and Choice strictly confidential. No information was allowed to leak from the company. The game's contents were not leaked at all.

The movie might have a fixed schedule and submitted information, it did not take the initiative to do large-scale publicity. Thus, most viewers did not notice it. Naturally, there was no widespread discussion.

Immediately after that, the advertising and marketing department began to spread the news bit by bit!

First, it was the large amount of resources to publicize the 'classic domestically-produced game compilation'. They had cleverly hidden 'Mission and Choice' in this compilation. On the surface, it looked like the money was not worth it and had no effect at all. However, it had actually played a scientific role.

The games in the "classic domestically-produced compilation" had become familiar to gamers. "Mission and Choice" was once again dragged out to be tortured. The more gamers discussed, the more gamers understood the inside story.

Once this feeling of humiliation was stirred up again, it would provide the best soil for the release of Mission and Choice!

The second was to use the official platform's exclusive interview to tie the concept of 'incubation base' and 'domestically-produced classic games compilation' onto Tengda Games. A casual photo would cause gamers to fantasize about Tengda's new game.

Immediately after, the Advertisement and marketing department made a feint and deliberately released fake news. They used "Fitness Battle" to cover "Mission and Choice", causing players to fall into confusion once again.

At the critical moment when the players were arguing non-stop, Vinci Media's godly assistance arrived. After the news of Mission and Choice was revealed, it was a decisive blow. All of the players' previous doubts had become reality!

Throughout the entire process, Boss Pei was like a beauty whose face was half hidden. He would always leave a handkerchief, a token to the gamers. Their expectations increased as the gamers argued and doubted themselves.

In the end, they found an invitation letter instead of a handkerchief, a token, and a small flower.

Who would be able to resist the temptation of a beauty that they had always suspected existed inviting players to a pavilion on the mountain?

Thus, the publicity that had been laid out for such a long time finally came to an end. All the players' eyes were on him!

What's more, it was different from traditional advertising methods. Interested players would try their best to guess the game and movie's content through various clues, while uninterested players would also be interested in the discussion of a large number of players.

The topic would continue to exist. In the next few days, there would be endless discussions about Mission and Choice. It would explode in a short period of time, forming a huge hot topic!

Compared to traditional advertising methods, the biggest advantage of this publicity method was that it was thrifty.

The gamers did not spend much money on publicity. They were willing to dig deeper and understand the information!

Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce's review immediately made him feel that Boss Pei's advertising was superb!

Meng Chang might be the one who made the proposal but anyone with eyes could tell that this was not Meng Chang's style. Boss Pei must have given him pointers!

It was not that Meng Chang was stupid. The key was that Meng Chang's brain circuit did not function that way. This idea was completely different from his habit.

It was just like what was written in some martial arts novels. The smarter a person was, the less they could learn.

Meng Chang was such a smart person. If not for Boss Pei's guidance, he would never have thought of such a brilliant plan!

Moreover, strictly speaking, Meng Chang was smart but Boss Pei was not only smarter than Meng Chang but also wiser than him!

"In that case, Boss Pei is very confident in 'Mission and Choice'. That's why he dared to use such a small and risky publicity plan."

"Even so, the problem of prenatal deficiencies in publicity still cannot be resolved very well."

"This is especially so for the movie. The number of screenings on the first day and the number of seats on the first day are too critical. What's more, it's not something that can be improved just by the quality of the movie. It's not like there haven't been cases of high-quality movies dying because of insufficient publicity. The risk is still very high!"

Zhu Xiaoce raised new concerns.

At the moment, this plan was not perfect. The problem was that it was too idealistic.

Games were easy to deal with. Good wine needs no bush. It would become popular after a period of time. It was alright to wait for a few months. However, movies were different. If the initial publicity was not enough and the number of seats was not high, the cinema chains would further cut the screening. Then, the daily box office would continue to fall. It would fall into a vicious cycle!

This method did not bring enough popularity compared to traditional advertising methods.

That was because traditional advertising proposals were very intuitive. They would advertise everywhere and brag whatever they should. The more money they spend, the better the effect.

However, the publicity plan that Boss Pei was using now might save money, but the initial effect would definitely not be as good as the traditional plan. Its characteristics were that the users were loyal, participative, and motivated. However, many passers-by would not be attracted to it from the beginning.

This discussion had to continue to spread and form a trend before it could spread to the passers-by.

If the game or movie did not achieve the desired effect, the chain of communication would break. That would be the end.

Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce were very smart. They understood the logic behind this after some thought.

"Therefore, the initial exposure is still necessary. Based on Boss Pei's current plan, everything is perfect. The only problem is that the current discussion has not broken out of the circle."

"If we let this discussion continue for three to five days, we might be able to break out of the circle. However, it's obviously too late now..."

Zhu Xiaoce frowned.

Initially, he thought that he had made a comeback. However, on further thought, he realized that he had missed a crucial point: the initial popularity.

This could very well affect the success or failure of the entire project!

Huang Sibo nodded. "Yes... this is indeed a very serious problem."

"However, there's nothing we can do now."

"I can only say that Boss Pei would definitely be able to think of the problem that we can think of. Boss Pei is probably already prepared."

"Let's do our job and wait patiently."

The two of them discussed for a while but could not figure out how to solve this problem. They could only give up helplessly.

He could only choose to trust Boss Pei now!

...

At the same time, Meng Chang was lying in his residence.

He did not go to work today because he had completely lost the motivation to go to work.

Until now, he still could not accept this painful fact.

This month's commission was probably going to be disastrous!

What difference would it make if he did not work for the next half a month? He would leave it to fate anyway.

If games and movies became popular, he would not get a single cent;

If the game and movie failed, how much commission he could get would depend on luck.

What's more, Meng Chang had been working at a high intensity for half a month. He had overdrawn his passion. Apart from being paralyzed in bed, he did not want to do anything else.

Buzz...

His phone rang just as he was lying on the bed.

Meng Chang stared blankly at the ceiling for a few seconds before reaching for his cell phone. He said weakly, "Hello?"

Yu Yao's voice came from the other end of the line. "Brother Meng, you didn't come to work today. Are you feeling unwell?"

Meng Chang: "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired and need to rest."

Yu Yao: "Yes, indeed. Brother Meng, you've worked hard this month. I have something to report to you. Didn't you ask me to communicate with the various departments previously to keep the 'Mission and Choice' matter a secret?"

"Min Jingchao called to ask me if I should continue to keep it a secret just now. They have a new hero coming out. It has been dragged on for a long time. The players are waiting anxiously. It's not good to drag on."

"What's more, the news about Mission and Choice has already spread. It shouldn't be a big deal for GOG to produce a new hero, right?"

Meng Chang fell silent.

If he had asked two days earlier, his answer would have been no.

However, Meng Chang was already in a state of despair.

Players were like Sherlock Holmes, guessing most of the information about Mission and Choice. The movie was also dug out.

What's more, the movie would be released this weekend. One or two more days wouldn't make a difference.

Meng Chang felt like his heart was dead. "Whatever."

Yu Yao nodded. "Alright, Brother Meng. Have a good rest. I'll hang up first."

...

After receiving an affirmative answer from the marketing department, Min Jingchao immediately arranged for his subordinates to update GOG.

"The new hero, 'Skylark' can be released!"

"Everyone, make the best use of your time. Don't waste a second!"

Min Jingchao was very anxious because he could feel that this new hero was very important to Boss Pei!

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Boss Pei's marketing plan was a product of accumulation. If other people's marketing plan was to light a fire and start fanning crazily, then Boss Pei's marketing plan was to first pile up a large amount of grass, bury the fuse, and wait for the sparks to quickly develop into a prairie fire!

However, there was a problem now. The fuse had been buried and sparks had been successfully wiped out. However, the fire was not enough and it was not burning fast enough.

If the fire could not be very big before Saturday, it might still fail.

It was time to test the various departments!

The role of "Skylark" was linked to "Mission and Choice". He had intended to be Captain Qin Yi but was rejected by Boss Pei.

Thus, the "Skylark" this time was a female character in combat uniform.

Now, this new hero was finally coming in handy!

The update this time would affect the hearts of countless GOG gamers. Min Jingchao could also use this opportunity to help promote Mission and Choice. He would be able to help!

"This should be a key trump card that Boss Pei left for me, right?"

"Yes, it's about time to show my hand!"