Chapter 24: Chapter 24: You Better Never Forgive Me in Your Lifetime!
The two of them acted like strangers in school every day.
The other students had tacitly accepted the reality that the two had completely fallen out.
Several boys, eager to act, planned to pursue Yao Mingyue before graduation.
Among them, Lv Hong from the next class over was the most diligent, buying snacks and drinks for Yao Mingyue every day and even started bringing her fruit.
Of course, they all ended up directly in the trash can courtesy of Yao Mingyue.
As for Xu Musen, he had been very focused during class recently.
In high school, being good at studies really could win a girl's affection, and Musen's own conditions were not bad either.
He stood over one meter eighty tall, and his once non-mainstream bowl haircut had been trimmed into a short buzz cut that was a litmus test for facial attractiveness.
Most importantly, Xu Musen now exuded a sense of maturity beyond his peers, coupled with his deep-set eyes, which started to stir some spring feelings in quite a few girls.
It's just that, whenever they wanted to strike up a conversation with Xu Musen after class, they'd always feel as if a pair of cold eyes were watching them.
They couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy.
Of course, Xu Musen didn't care about these things; he continued to attend classes as usual and went to the back garden at noon to feel... help An Nuannuan with her leg massages.
Life was indeed quite pleasant.
Moreover, in another two days, the first phase of the little game partnership program would end.
He was finally about to cash out.
The six to seven thousand He Qiang had given him were all spent, and now the game's background system showed that the total number of registered users had surpassed fifty thousand.
The daily active users were also around five to six thousand.
For a small game, these numbers were quite impressive.
"Moriko! You've been laying your groundwork for quite some time; it's about time you started reeling them in, right?"
He Qiang would discuss strategies with Xu Musen when he was free, using metaphors that hit the nail on the head.
"Just follow the example of KartRider, start with a first-time charge gift pack, then a charge rebate, and combine rare car fragments..."
He Qiang spoke excitedly.
The ways to make money from games were actually quite fixed.
It was all about promoting various charges, which was the consistent practice of many games nowadays.
However, Xu Musen smiled and said, "The groundwork isn't enough yet; I'm not planning to let others spend money on this game."
"How will you make money if others don't spend?" He Qiang didn't understand.
Xu Musen had thought it over. His game was simple, lacking in technological content, and could easily be copied.
He reckoned that before long, the market would be flooded with games like "Bullish Bull" or "Doggy Dog" and the like.
Everyone used the same money-making tricks.
Luring players to charge money.
But in an era where the average wage was three thousand yuan, how many people were willing to spend on a small game?
Even boasting about having a VIP Yellow Diamond among friends was a way to flaunt one's exclusivity.
If he didn't offer something different, he would be replaced within a month.
So, Xu Musen thought of another method.
That was to watch video ads for rewards!
Chinese people loved getting things for free.
Asking them directly for money could make them swear at you.
But having them spend time and data to watch ads for some measly benefits always seemed like they were getting the better end of the deal.
This method was essentially from the same playbook as Pinduoduo's red packet strategy.
Besides, Xu Musen had grand ambitions; the small game was just a stepping stone for him, something that could be replaced at any time.
What he wanted was the big data collected through the ads.
In the coming twenty or thirty years of the internet era, whosoever had big data, controlled wealth.
Xu Musen laughed, "Most people who play games are students and idlers; there's no fun in making money from them."
"If not from them, whose money are you after?"
"Whoever has money, that's whose money I'm after."
Xu Musen smiled slightly, "This weekend, join me on another trip out."
"Aren't you just planning to use me as free labor again?"
"Well deserved! You truly are my good brother, reading people so well!"
...
During dinner time, Yao Mingyue still came to eat every day, and her relationship with Xu's mother had grown even better these days, chatting and laughing together, more like mother and daughter.
"Mom, I want to shoot a promotional video in your flower shop tomorrow; do you have a camera there?"
"What kind of promotional video? Our family certainly can't afford to pay for a celebrity endorsement."
Xu's mother glanced at her son and said, "Besides, the cameras in the shop are too old; they can only take pictures."
"No need to spend money, you'll see when the time comes. If we don't have a camera, we can make do with a cell phone for now..."
Xu Musen uttered.
Yao Mingyue, who was quietly eating next to them, had a slight flicker in her eyes.
The next day.
Xu Musen woke up naturally and called He Qiang to go to his mother's flower shop.
With the family company closed down, the little flower shop his mother used to run for fun had become their economic support.
The flower shop was located on an old street, surrounded by various other shops. Xu Musen looked at each store, thinking that in the future, they might all become his clients.
Upon arriving at the flower shop.
His mother was busy packaging flowers, but Xu Musen saw a familiar and tall figure.
Yao Mingyue?
He saw Yao Mingyue also wearing an apron, helping Xu's mother tie bunches of fresh flowers.
The morning sunlight scattered, casting reflections of flowers everywhere. Yao Mingyue's face wore a smile as she held a bouquet of roses, looking even more beautiful than the flowers.
"You lazy boy, sleeping in so late, Xiaoyue knew to come help me out."
The Old Lady called out.
But Xu Musen looked at Yao Mingyue in surprise.
This privileged young heiress, the future billionaire CEO of a publicly-listed company, was actually working in a flower shop?
Yao Mingyue, seeing the astonishment in his eyes, allowed a hint of pride to flash through the depth of her eyes before putting on a smile and saying to Xu's mother, "Auntie has been taking care of me these days, it's only right that I help out."
Xu's mother was full of praise for her sensibility.
Xu Musen seriously wondered if the delicate heiress had changed her strategy.
However, he was here today on serious business.
Xu Musen took out the camera from the shop, an old model that truly wasn't good for shooting videos.
He was a bit headache, as the era of smart devices with good cameras hadn't started yet; everyone had mosaic-like video quality.
Just as he was about to make do, Yao Mingyue appeared in front of him, taking out the latest model Sony camera from her bag and flaunting it in front of him.
Her little expression seemed to say,
Beg me, just beg me and I'll let you use it.
"I'll just use my cell phone."
Xu Musen decisively took out his own phone.
Living off a woman was out of the question.
Yao Mingyue's smug expression instantly froze; she clutched the camera in her hand tightly.
Was it that hard for the guy to lower his head just once?
She blocked Xu Musen again and said in a low voice, "Xu Musen, aren't you trying to promote Auntie's shop?"
Xu Musen looked over at his mother, who was busily working with her back bent, and sighed inwardly.
You have to admit, for an ordinary person, without the help of nobility, the chance of starting from scratch is just too slim.
Letting his family suffer for the sake of pride was not the act of a man.
But what he feared the most right now was owing Yao Mingyue another favor.
He had gradually succumbed in his previous life because of this.
Yao Mingyue, observing his hesitant expression, bit her teeth even harder and said, "I'm just concerned about Auntie, who works so hard every day. That doesn't mean I have forgiven you, unless you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Xu Musen exhale with relief as if he had been granted a huge favor.
That was exactly what he had been waiting for!
"Then I can relax."
Xu Musen's face showed joy.
"I'll rent it from you then, and I'll pay you the market rate when I return it."
Yao Mingyue paused for a moment, the brightness in her eyes turning somewhat angry as she looked at Xu Musen.
Did this guy really have to make things so clear-cut with her?
It was as if he was terrified of any connection with her!
The ungrateful jerk!!
Yao Mingyue gritted her teeth: "Suit yourself!"
With that, she tossed the valuable camera carelessly into his arms, turned, and stormed off in a huff.
Xu Musen examined the camera, appreciating the different quality that a five-figure camera had in hand.
Yao Mingyue watched his silhouette from a distance, and huffed coldly to herself.
My good deed isn't something you can just repay whenever you want!