Feng Jie was taken aback, and upon careful consideration, realized it was indeed the case!
In Ou Minghan's view, Qianbai was receiving countless pieces of good news daily and expanding rapidly, while Taoxun was also continuously launching new businesses, fully suppressing Qianbai's momentum. Wasn't this precisely the prelude to a decisive battle, a fight to the death between the two sides?
Ye Zhi continued, "Since we've entered the 'decisive battle,' no matter who wins or loses in the end, both sides will be severely weakened. At that time, he, the cicada, can reap the benefits of the oriole. In such a situation, he naturally has to keep a close eye on me—or rather, on Taoxun—lest he miss a good opportunity."
Feng Jie nodded, acknowledging that this was precisely the kind of action Ou Minghan would take.
"President Ye, is there anything we need to do?" he asked.
"No need," Ye Zhi said with a slight smile. "Let Ou Minghan watch if he wants to. We're making such a big splash that it's impossible to hide it from him. Chairman Su will likely make his move soon too; they are also waiting for a good opportunity."
Feng Jie understood. It seemed if Ou Minghan contacted him again, he just needed to find a way to stall.
A few days later, Taoxun Chat officially launched its "Collect Good Fortune" event. The activity was simple and highly interactive, attracting a large influx of new users.
Concurrently, Taoxun's free game "Encountering the Westward Journey" was updated with a new version, launching a collaboration event. Sweet Aroma milk tea shops were packed, with queues stretching long. Online, there were widespread complaints about Sweet Aroma's insufficient preparation for the event.
However, the new version was very successful in driving traffic to the new game, Encountering the Westward Journey. The gacha pool for the new game had been somewhat sluggish, but the influx of new users brought its revenue to a new small peak.
Taoxun's personal map navigation also went live, but due to the complete lack of publicity, the personal map app was launched rather quietly.
Ou Minghan had been keeping a close eye on Taoxun's movements. The popularity of Taoxun Chat and Taoxun Games filled him with rage, yet he was powerless.
He had also tried to hire online trolls to smear Taoxun, but the narrative simply couldn't gain traction.
Fortunately, Taoxun Maps' lukewarm reception provided him with some solace. He even felt a touch of sentiment, thinking Feng Jie was truly a reliable and loyal mole!
After another day of vexing and busy work, Ou Minghan drove back to the Ou residence and saw a package delivered to the door.
As he watched the servant take the package, Ou Minghan walked over and asked coldly, "What is this?"
The servant replied truthfully, "It's a New Year gift box from Taoxun Games..."
The word "Taoxun" deeply pricked Ou Minghan's nerves. Enraged, he snatched the gift box, raised it high, and was about to smash it on the ground.
"Young Master, this is Miss's package!" the servant said urgently.
Ou Minghan's movements froze abruptly. This package was for Ou Tiantian?
No, why would Taoxun Games send a package to Ou Tiantian? It must be Ye Zhi. This woman must be trying to win over Ou Tiantian with these cheap gifts!
He would not give Ye Zhi that chance!
Ou Minghan's expression darkened. After much deliberation, he finally lowered his arm and carried the gift box into the villa.
Inside the villa, Ou Tiantian was playing a game on her phone.
"Tiantian, your package," Ou Minghan said with a dark expression.
Ou Tiantian put down her phone and turned to look, accepting the package with a hint of happiness. "I was waiting for this package, thank you, brother..."
"Tiantian!" Ou Minghan shouted coldly, "Why did Taoxun Games send you a package?!"
"Because I'm one of their high-spending players!" Ou Tiantian replied. "Their customer service called me a couple of days ago to say they were sending me a New Year gift package, so I gave them my address. I'm going to record an unboxing video and post it online; everyone online will be so envious..."
Ou Minghan felt a dizzying sensation. Ou Tiantian played Taoxun's games, and moreover, was a high-spending player of Taoxun Games?!
So, Ou Tiantian was also contributing to Taoxun Games' high revenue?!
He took a deep breath and asked with displeasure, "How much did you spend?"
Ou Tiantian set up her camera, adjusting the lens as she spoke, "Not much, just about thirty thousand yuan to complete the outfits! I heard there's also a Spring Festival gacha, so I put in another twenty thousand..."
Ou Minghan felt a surge of hot blood rush to his throat. He said indignantly, "Tiantian! How could you spend fifty thousand yuan on it?!"
Ou Tiantian was taken aback. She stopped what she was doing and said indignantly, "Why can't I spend money?! My monthly allowance is hundreds of thousands. What's wrong with spending fifty thousand on a game? Is that a lot? When you were pursuing Ye Qin Ya, you gave her millions worth of jewelry, and I never said anything! You can spend money on her, but I can't spend my own money?!"
"Tiantian, I didn't mean it that way..." Seeing Ou Tiantian getting angry, he said with a headache, "I don't object to you spending money, nor do I object to you playing games, but this is Taoxun's game! Taoxun is Ye Qin Ya's sister, Ye Zhi's company!"
"So what?" Ou Tiantian said unhappily. "If I eat an egg, do I have to understand the hen that laid it?"
Ou Minghan was quite choked by her words. His face fell, and he said forcefully, "If I say no, then it's no! You are not allowed to play Taoxun's games anymore!"
"Then you might as well let me die! If I die, you'll be at peace!" Ou Tiantian picked up the camera and threw it to the ground.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ou Minghan's face darkened further.
"What nonsense am I talking about?" she said with a face full of grief and indignation. "Brother, Mom and Dad are gone, and you don't love me anymore, do you? I'm sick now, I can't go anywhere, and I don't have any friends around me. You're always out busy and don't spend time with me!
What else can I do besides playing games to pass the time and waiting for you to come home? Are you going to take away my last hobby too? If you don't let me play games, do you want me to keep that woman in the basement company, to anger me to death?"
Ou Minghan felt both wronged and annoyed. "Tiantian, this is sophistry..."
Before he could finish, Ou Tiantian's face suddenly turned pale. She clutched her chest, appearing to be struggling to breathe.
"Quick, get the young lady's medicine!" Ou Minghan's expression changed, and he said urgently.
The servant quickly handed over the medicine. Ou Minghan gave Ou Tiantian the medicine, and after a while, Ou Tiantian burst into tears. She leaned into Ou Minghan's arms, crying and wailing, "Why did you save me? If you don't even let me play games, aren't you just trying to force me to die?"
Ou Minghan was getting a headache from her fussing. He could only say, "Alright, alright, don't be angry. Play if you want to! Is that okay now?"
"Then you have to compensate me for the camera!" Ou Tiantian said, wiping her tears aggrievedly.
Ou Minghan almost spat out blood in anger. He didn't break the camera!
However, seeing Ou Tiantian still angry, he could only force a smile and say, "Okay, brother will buy you a new one."