As Ye Zhi spoke, she handed the plan drafted by the publicity department to Feng Jie.
Feng Jie read it carefully and couldn't help but gasp.
"President Ye, you're playing a big game!"
He finally understood why Ye Zhi hadn't told him about the grand publicity plan earlier, and why she had postponed the launch of her personal navigation until the Spring Festival.
"And," Ye Zhi continued, producing several more documents, "these are Taoxun's promotional plans for the new game, as well as Taoxun Shopping's activity plans for before the Spring Festival. Please read them thoroughly, familiarize yourself with them, and raise any issues promptly."
Feng Jie: ...
Could he apply to return to Taoxun Maps now?
Why was it that as soon as he came back, he had to start working like a slave again?
With so many departments all rushing for the Spring Festival, it was clearly to coordinate with the Spring Festival Gala's publicity. It seemed that Taoxun was really going to celebrate the new year this year!
Soon, New Year's Day arrived.
Taoxun Games' official Weibo posted an image and a promotional PV.
The image was just a silhouette, a dark human figure, making it impossible to tell who it was.
Yet, such a simple image sparked a high level of discussion online. Everyone was guessing whether the silhouette was male or female, who it was, and how many new cards would be released.
The other promotional PV was about "Meeting the Westward Journey," which caused even more excitement.
In this promotional PV, set to soaring music, game scenes flashed by, accompanied by vivid voices reciting lines. The comments below the PV exploded.
"Oh my god! A new game? It has voice acting? That's great! This is exactly the voice of Monkey King in my mind! Arrogant and unruly, yet inexplicably reassuring!"
"Taoxun, you are unforgivably wicked! Why are you releasing another PV like this to seduce me? If you have the guts, release the game, release the game!"
"I just want to ask, does this new game have a gacha system? My money is ready, hurry up and let me spend it!"
...
This exceptionally high level of discussion directly dominated the trending topics on various websites. Even Ye Zhi was surprised that a simple silhouette and a whole PV could generate such significant buzz.
Taoxun Games also immediately gave a definite answer: the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, "Meeting the Westward Journey," be there or be square!
This response immediately triggered a new wave of discussion, building everyone's anticipation to the fullest.
In comparison, Taoxun Shopping was much quieter, having merely released some coupons.
Because of this, some voices online complained that Taoxun had become stingy, not even having a decent event for the New Year.
Of course, these voices quickly disappeared from the internet, as most people were discussing Taoxun Games.
While Taoxun was quiet, Qianbai was quite active.
Qianbai's internal departments were flooded with "good news" daily: how many more partners the business department had secured, how many new users had flooded the website, how many new warehouses had been confirmed in various cities, and so on.
And on New Year's Day, Qianbai announced even better news: they had reached agreements with overseas countries like M and Y, and were preparing to launch Qianbai International to conduct international business!
This news quickly spread internally, and Qianbai's stock price soared.
This greatly encouraged Ou Minghan, who immediately called Feng Jie.
"Feng Jie, what has Ye Zhi been doing recently?" Ou Minghan asked.
Feng Jie replied, "President Ou, Taoxun's new game is about to launch soon. Ye Zhi has hired a photography team and plans to pre-record the press conference, releasing it directly the day before the game launches..."
"Hahaha, Feng Jie, you've done well!" Ou Minghan said happily.
Feng Jie: ...
What had he done? He didn't even know!
The press conference was pre-recorded because Bai Xuan suffered from social anxiety, but the players' calls for seeing this aloof scholar again were very high. Although Bai Xuan was willing to overcome it, Ye Zhi decided to use the pre-recording method after consideration.
But these things had nothing to do with him. What good news had Ou Minghan encountered?
"You must continue to maintain this, confuse Ye Zhi's attention with other matters, and make her focus on things like maps and games. This way, Qianbai will have a chance to surpass Taoxun in online shopping!" Ou Minghan continued proudly.
Feng Jie fell silent. He pondered for a moment and kindly "reminded" him, "President Ou, we'd better not underestimate Ye Zhi. She values this new game very much, and the online buzz is also very high. It might actually make money..."
"How is that possible?" Ou Minghan sneered. "I've seen that PV. Isn't it just a visual novel that doesn't move? They've only added voice acting, what's so fun about that? Hmph, it's indeed a game that only women would like!"
Feng Jie: ...
He knew it. The more he advised Ou Minghan not to underestimate Ye Zhi, the more Ou Minghan would go against Ye Zhi.
Fine, he had advised him, and Ou Minghan just didn't listen.
"Hmph, only a woman like Ye Zhi wouldn't know how to seize an opportunity like New Year's Day! I still thought that Su Ming chasing after Taoxun all this time meant he couldn't possibly win.
Now it seems those old guys do have some skills! They're actually preparing to launch an overseas version. It looks like Qianbai is taking the lead in occupying the overseas market! When I eventually reclaim Qianbai, I will thank them for helping me expand Qianbai's territory..."
Feng Jie suppressed the urge to retort. As expected of you, Ou Minghan!
Just how self-aggrandizing had he become now? Did Ou Minghan really think the whole world revolved around him?
Finally, after listening to Ou Minghan's rant, Feng Jie hung up the phone.
In the blink of an eye, it was the fourteenth of the twelfth lunar month.
Taoxun Games started another live broadcast, playing the pre-recorded press conference.
The 'aloof scholar' Bai Xuan and the gentle young lady Yun Shi appeared again, successfully maintaining their personas.
Although this press conference was not a live broadcast, it was longer than the previous one, and the recorded content included some internal footage of Taoxun Games, which greatly narrowed the distance between them and the players.
In the video, not only was there game content for "Meeting the Westward Journey," but also the new version update for "Encountering the Westward Journey." The silhouette also revealed its true face.
Seeing the handsome, sturdy, and compassionate Tang Xuanzang, countless people drooled on the spot, and even the live chat was a scene of flying pants.
After the broadcast ended, Bai Xuan, looking anxious, came to Ye Zhi's office.
"President Ye, I've made a big mistake..." Bai Xuan said with trepidation.
"What's wrong?" Ye Zhi asked, somewhat surprised. "The live broadcast effect was quite good, wasn't it? Your persona was also maintained. When I watched the broadcast, everyone was praising you."
"It's this," Bai Xuan borrowed Ye Zhi's computer and brought up the footage from the live broadcast.
This was the game department's scene, and on one of the computers, there was a game art with a distinctly different and rather horrifying style.