Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

The screenshot of their conversation was quickly sent to the group chat of 'Eternal Reincarnation' and Teacher Qiao's group chat.

"Verified! Verified!"

"Look at the lousy author's choice of words and attitude. Obviously, there is really something going on!"

"Wait a minute, how do you know that it is verified? Didn't the lousy author say that your guesses were wrong?"

"He said 'some guesses are wrong'! That means there's no problem with this general direction!"

"Ah, then what guesses are wrong?"

"Let me look at the chat records… Teacher Qiao's trial of Repent and be Saved should be real. This new work was developed based on the plot of 'Eternal Reincarnation' should also be real… Then there's only one last sentence left! 'A new game would be made for every batch of the inspiration class' is wrong!"

"In other words, there's more than one work?"

"That's right! It's definitely not just 'Eternal Reincarnation'. Aren't there still a few books undergoing major edits? In other words, the books undergoing major edits might have plans to develop copyrights?"

"I just came back from the group chat with the no-show! He did not reply to me directly, but he looks like there's definitely something going on!"

"Everyone, stop asking. Obviously, this matter has to be kept a secret. What's more, the copyright development is definitely not just this one work. All the authors in the inspiration class know about it!"

"I finally understand why these authors seem to be on steroids. They might not be excited if only 'Eternal Reincarnation' was adapted into a game. However, so many works have plans to develop copyrights. The other authors must be especially agitated!"

"Yes, yes, they all coincide!"

"Sigh, now that you mention it, did Zhongdian Chinese Network's promotional poster have a deeper meaning?"

"What deeper meaning? Didn't that poster simply list the results of some books in the inspiration class? What's more, the results were not good. It exposed its own shortcomings."

"Your thinking is only on the first level. What if it were to rise by one level? Actually, this poster is a display. Look, the results of these books in the inspiration class are indeed trash, but they can be copyrighted and made into games or other forms. Isn't that awesome?"

"Huh? You can understand it that way?"

"Of course, that's the only way to understand it! That advertisement was everywhere on the internet and offline. Think about it, the person-in-charge of Zhongdian Chinese Network's advertisement had to keep an eye on it. Even if the person in charge of publicity did not understand the data, how could the person-in-charge of Zhongdian Chinese Network not understand it? However, this poster was still released. It hung for more than half a month. Isn't that enough to explain the problem?"

"I see. This poster is to promote the inspiration class in advance!"

"Do you remember the content of the fake reviewers after the poster was published?"

"Oh, I remember. The content is similar. 'Inspiration class is the cradle of the gods, the source of inspiration, the Land of Dreams', and the like. The format is similar. It's very awkward."

"Now that I think about it, aren't these fake reviewers doing the right thing? Just say that the probability of the works being developed by copyrights, what else can be compared to the inspiration class? These fake reviewers repeatedly spam these content. On the surface, they are high-end haters, but in fact, every sentence is the truth!"

"Isn't this the 'performance art-style publicity' of Game Designer? It forms a fixed impression in netizens' minds through repeated exaggerated advertising slogans and has a very good spreading effect…"

"The most important thing is that these are not fake publicity. The content is real!"

The netizens' intelligence was limitless. After finding a breakthrough point, everyone worked together and quickly found more breakthrough points.

Many seemingly unrelated things were strung together like this, forming a very complete chain of logic!

Thus, the facts became very clear.

The works of Zhongdian Chinese Network's inspiration class did not do well, but they had a high chance of revising the copyrights. 'Eternal Reincarnation', which was written by the same person as an official novel, was a good example.

The publicity of the inspiration class was obviously focused on this aspect. On the surface, it was emphasizing that the statistics of these works were not good, but in fact, it was expressing that "they could still be copyrighted even if the data was not good", highlighting the special characteristics of the inspiration class.

On the other hand, the game was almost completed as the first batch of revised works. As a veteran player of Repent and be Saved, Teacher Qiao had already been invited to try it out!

In just one short afternoon, the netizens came up with all sorts of clues and pieced together what they thought was the truth.

This "truth" quickly spread like the wind.

Repent and be Saved had many hardcore fans.

It might be a game from two years ago but it was still very popular because there were very few difficult games. What's more, Repent and be Saved's Pudu and other content had left many memes for players.

Until now, Repent and be Saved's sales had not dropped below 20% of the sales volume of the month after its release. That was enough to show how popular it was.

All the new and old gamers were looking forward to the sequel.

Now that the sequel was out, how could they not be excited?

Of course, he had to share this good news with everyone immediately!

Once the netizens discussed, the various games media followed suit.

That was because the media knew that as long as the keyword "Tengda New Game" was involved, the number of views and reads would definitely be explosive. The discussion and popularity would definitely not be low!

Many unscrupulous media outlets were adding fuel to the fire. The titles were getting more and more ridiculous. They would do anything to attract people's attention.

This ridiculous content would fill the internet in a day or two, causing the news to spread to more netizens…

The situation suddenly spiraled out of control!

…

…

June 16th, Saturday…

Qiao Liang was at his own residence, clicking on his mouse to read the crazy reports online. His face was filled with question marks.

"Shocking news! UP Master Teacher Qiao with millions of fans unveils Tengda's New Game!"

"Repent and be Saved's sequel exposed! Eternal Reincarnation's original novel reads first!"

"The promotional poster of the inspiration class looks inconspicuous, but it hides such a huge secret…"

"The Most Difficult Domestic Game is about to release a sequel! Are you prepared to suffer?"

He was completely dumbfounded.

What was going on?

Who told you that I am trying out Repent and be Saved's new work?

I am trying out Slow Movement Studio's' Animal Island VR '!

Repent and be Saved had nothing to do with this!

However, he seemed to be the source of the news according to these media articles.

Qiao Liang even suspected himself. He thought that he had let it slip and specially went back to look at the chat records.

The chat records were very clear. Qiao Liang only said that he was trying out Tengda's new game. He did not say anything else.

He did not mention the inspiration class or Repent and be Saved!

However, as he scrolled down and saw the comments in the group, Qiao Liang understood.

What a mistake!

The group of people thought that he was trying Repent and be Saved's sequel to the novel, Eternal Reincarnation, after a series of complicated deductions!

They were all just a guess at first, but everyone felt that it was very reasonable. Thus, the rumors became true…

Who could he reason with?!

Qiao Liang was helpless but he had no choice.

If he stood up to clarify now, it would make people feel like he was trying to cover it up. What's more, there was no need!

After much consideration, Qiao Liang decided not to bother.

Let them discuss whatever they want…

What's more, this was not considered a leak, right? He did not even mention the name 'Animal Island VR'.

Meng Chang's request was for Qiao Liang to keep the 'Animal Island VR' project a secret. Qiao Liang felt that he had kept it a secret very well. The netizens did not even know about the existence of this project.

However, everyone mistakenly thought that Qiao Liang was playing Repent and be Saved's sequel.

The netizens were overthinking and misunderstood. He shouldn't be the one considered to be the source of the leak, right?

Qiao Liang thought for a while. Even if they had to blame this matter on someone, it should not be blamed on him. Thus, he continued playing the game with a peace of mind.

…

At the same time, Meng Chang was also checking these reports in his residence.

He was obviously not as calm as Qiao Liang. The hand holding the mouse trembled slightly.

Every report pierced his heart.

"What's happening? What the f*ck is happening?!"

"Where did this information come from?!"

"Damn it, I could have gotten the basic commission after this weekend. Why!"

"Calm down, calm down."

"There seems to be a chance for a turnaround."

"I've to find the source of the leak. Boss Pei has written a contract for me. If the company's internal leak caused the publicity effect to explode, I can get 30,000 yuan commission no matter the outcome!"

"This is even more worth it than the 2,000 yuan commission that we have for two weeks!"

At this critical moment, Meng Chang's mind became clear.

He first found the note that Boss Pei had written and carefully confirmed the contents.

That was indeed the case!

Next was to determine the source of the leak.

Meng Chang quickly found two key transmission nodes. One was a screenshot of Qiao Liang's chat in his fan group, saying that he was trying out Tengda's new game. The other was a screenshot of Yu Fei's private chat with him.

"This should be an internal leak, right?"

"Teacher Qiao might not be a Tengda employee but he is trying out the game! Yu Fei is a signed author of Zhongdian Chinese Network and a direct participant in the inspiration class. He must be considered an insider of Tengda!"

"Er… but Teacher Qiao did not try out 'Eternal Reincarnation'. He tried out 'Animal Island VR'. It's completely unrelated…"

"Forget it, I don't care anymore. It must be an internal leak!"

Meng Chang decided to talk to Boss Pei on Monday. He would take this note and ask for 30,000 yuan!

…

…

June 18th, Monday…

Meng Chang knocked on the door and entered the office just as Pei Qian arrived.

"Boss Pei!"

"Let me first clarify that this matter is 100% an internal leak. It is definitely not a problem with my publicity plan!"

"We have a contract!"

Meng Chang waved the little slip of paper in his hand like a creditor holding a debtor. He looked very righteous.

Pei Qian did not pay attention to this over the weekend. He was still a little sleepy in the morning. At that moment, he could not synchronize his emotions with Meng Chang's.

He made a cup of tea and said, "Don't rush. Tell me slowly. If it really is a leak, I will definitely keep my promise."

Meng Chang told him what had happened this weekend. He emphasized that Qiao Liang and Yu Fei had leaked the secret, causing a chain reaction and causing the publicity of the inspiration class to fail.

After a weekend of fermenting, the matter of the works of the authors in the inspiration class being developed by the copyright had already become a hot topic. Especially since "Eternal Reincarnation" was developed as an official sequel to a game, countless authors were jealous and wanted to enter the inspiration class.

The accumulated popularity of Meng Chang's ugly poster exploded.

According to the current standards, the publicity plan would definitely fail this time. It did not even last two weeks. There was not a single cent commission.

However, if it was a leak, Boss Pei would have to give Meng Chang 30,000 yuan according to the contract.

This was Meng Chang's last hope.

Pei Qian sipped his tea quietly. "You said that the two of them leaked the secret. How exactly did they leak it? Do you have evidence?"

Meng Chang nodded immediately. "Yes! I have a screenshot!"

Meng Chang handed his cell phone over and showed the two screenshots to Pei Qian.

Pei Qian took a look and fell into deep thought.

However, these two pictures were obviously not enough to reveal the truth.

"Sit here for a moment and have some tea. I'll make two calls to investigate this thoroughly! If it really is an internal leak, I'll definitely clear your name!"

Pei Qian spoke so righteously that Meng Chang was a little touched.

"Alright, Boss Pei! I'll wait here!"

Pei Qian pushed the door open and left.

He planned to give Qiao Liang and Yu Fei a call each before asking those who knew the inside story to find out the truth.

He could not possibly listen to Meng Chang's side of the story, right? After all, Meng Chang was now doing everything possible to earn commission. It was normal for him to exaggerate.

It was not that Boss Pei could not bear to part with the 30,000 yuan. The key was that he would not be able to give the money out if it was not leaked.

The agreement between Pei Qian and Meng Chang was regarded by the system as a "special employment agreement". The money that he gave Meng Chang had to be recognized by the system. In this "special employment agreement", money could be distributed in a different way, but it had to meet the terms of the agreement itself.

In other words, the System had a special standard in this aspect. It had a higher degree of freedom than other employment agreements. Pei Qian could do many tricks, but these tricks were not absolutely free. They had to be limited.

It would also be the case now. He could only give him the commission if there was really a leak. He could not turn a blind eye.

Pei Qian sympathized with Meng Chang, but he had no choice. Rules were rules.

…

Meng Chang waited anxiously in Boss Pei's office.

Boss Pei only returned after about half an hour.

"How is it, Boss Pei?" Meng Chang immediately stood up, looking very concerned.

Pei Qian cleared his throat and gestured for him to calm down and sit down.

"I confirmed it from many sources, including the two parties involved and finally confirmed that… regrettably this is not considered a leak."

"Teacher Qiao only said that he was testing the new game. He did not mention 'Animal Island', nor did he mention the inspiration class and Repent and be Saved. That was not considered a leak. It was even less so for Yu Fei. Not only did he not leak the secret, but he also hinted that the netizens were wrong. Teacher Qiao was not testing 'Eternal Reincarnation'."

"The problem this time was mainly because the netizens misunderstood and made some wrong associations. They used the wrong known conditions to derive the right conclusion…"

"So… unfortunately, according to the rules, this commission cannot be given because it is not considered a leak."

Pei Qian looked at Meng Chang with a sorrowful expression.

"However, on the bright side, your basic salary this month is 5,000 yuan…"