in2ebook Chapter 451 Chen Mo's Decision
Chapter 451 Chen Mo's Decision
The late summer morning light in Shanghai streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the top-floor conference room of Tencent's East China headquarters, cutting a bright strip of light across the long conference table.
The air conditioner was on full blast, and cold air was silently blowing out of the vents, but the temperature inside the room was still too high—partly because there were many people, and partly because the atmosphere was getting warmer.
Chen Mo sat on the left side of the middle of the conference table, with an open notebook in front of him. There were only a few lines written on it, and the rest was blank.
He stared at his few lines of writing for a long time, but in reality, he didn't read a single word.
The people sitting opposite him were exchanging words back and forth, their voices not loud, but every word carried weight.
"What I mean is, we should act now." The speaker was the deputy director of the strategic investment department, a man in his early forties, wearing thin-rimmed glasses, and with his shirt cuffs buttoned up meticulously.
He tapped his fingers twice on the table. "TUTU Technology's penetration rate in the Chinese market has exceeded the safety threshold. They've taken the top spot in all three genres: MOBA, sandbox, and FPS, and they're expanding into Europe. This speed is abnormally fast. Once they've established a foothold in Europe and secured overseas resources, it will be too late to restrict them."
His words drew a few whispered agreement; some nodded, some jotted down notes, and others tapped on their phone screens as if checking data.
The board representative sitting at the end of the long table was surnamed Liu. He had gray hair and a thin face. He was the kind of person who rarely spoke, but when he did, his words set the tone.
He listened to the deputy director's words but did not express his opinion; instead, he turned his gaze to Chen Mo.
"What are the opinions from East China?"
Chen Mo put down his pen and leaned forward slightly.
He knew he would be called out sooner or later, and he knew that his position was not in the majority in this room, but he did not intend to beat around the bush.
"My opinion is—tuk-tuks shouldn't be restricted."
There was a moment of silence in the conference room.
The deputy director's eyebrows visibly rose, but he did not interrupt him.
Chen Mo continued speaking, not fast, but every word he uttered was substantial.
"You say the penetration rate is high, and that's true, it is. But have you ever thought about how this 'high' came about? TUTU built it from scratch. They didn't use our channels, they didn't rely on our resources, they just attracted users one by one through product quality. Restricting this kind of company is useless. You block one of their game licenses, they just change direction and continue; you shut down one channel, they build their own platform. TUTU now has its own user community, its own tournament system, and its own overseas presence. Do you think it's still the same new company that relied on our East China internet cafes for user growth six months ago?"
He paused for a moment, picked up the water glass in front of him, and took a sip.
The water was lukewarm, neither too hot nor too cold, and the moment it entered his mouth, he felt his throat was very dry.
"Instead of thinking about how to restrict TUTU, we should think about how to cooperate with them." He put down his cup, his gaze sweeping over the people present. "TUTU's technical capabilities and product creativity are things we don't have. What do we have? We have channels, resources, and over a decade of industry experience. Putting these two things together isn't a zero-sum game; it can amplify each other. If TUTU's games are deeply integrated with our platform—revenue sharing, joint operations, co-building tournaments—creating a complete ecosystem, then even if Sakura Games and EA enter the market, they won't be able to make a dent."
The deputy director's lips twitched, revealing a faint smile, as if he had expected Chen Mo to say these words.
"Mr. Chen, you're absolutely right. I just have one question—why would TUTU be willing to form a deep partnership with us? They already have their own platform, their own users, and soon they'll have their own overseas channels. You tell me about 'mutual amplification,' but I don't see what we can offer them that they absolutely need. Do you think they'll still treat us as allies as before?"
Chen Mo did not answer immediately.
He glanced at Vice President Liu, who remained expressionless, as if waiting for both sides to finish their conversation.
"They will," Chen Mo said. "Not because of feelings, but because of mutual benefit. What TUTU lacks right now is the ability to integrate large-scale distribution channels in China, which is exactly what we excel at. We each get what we need, and that's the most stable kind of partnership."
"That's what you think." The deputy director spoke quickly, his tone already tinged with impatience. "President Chen, you've been in this position for over a decade. You know perfectly well—this kind of 'what you think' is worthless on the board. They're stakeholders with us now, but once they feel powerful enough, they'll kick us aside. What will we have left? You'll be holding the cooperation agreement and suing TUTU? You know the legal environment in China; it can drag on until we all retire."
A low chuckle rippled through the conference room; it wasn't a relaxed laugh, but a laugh of agreement.
The deputy director's words struck a chord with many people—what large companies fear most is never a strong competitor, but an uncontrollable one.
Vice President Liu finally spoke.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a stone thrown into water; the whispers vanished instantly.
"Let me say a few words."
All eyes turned to him.
"TUTU's current momentum is evident to all. Chen Mo's talk of win-win cooperation has some merit. However—" He paused for half a second, his gaze sweeping across the conference room, "—As a listed company, what is our top priority? It's avoiding uncontrollable risks. TUTU is a completely independent company. Founder Lu Ran has no shares in Tencent, no performance-based agreements, and no binding clauses. Frankly, he can turn his back on us anytime he wants. Cooperation under these circumstances, while seemingly a win-win situation, is essentially raising a wolf that will bite sooner or later."
"Therefore, my preferred approach is to continue the cooperation while maintaining a wait-and-see attitude. Existing agreements will continue to be fulfilled, but no new deeply integrated cooperative projects will be introduced. Simultaneously, we will internally initiate self-developed product projects in three tracks: MOBA, sandbox, and FPS, as backup plans. If necessary, we can gradually divest these areas."
As soon as he said that, it was as if a layer of air had been sucked out of the conference room.
The word "cut" carried a completely different weight when it came from Vice President Liu's mouth compared to when the others in the room said it.
This means that the board of directors has tacitly approved this direction.
Chen Mo leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously twirling the pen in his hand.
His gaze shifted from Vice President Liu's face to the gray sky outside the window.
"Any objections?" Vice President Liu asked.
The meeting room was silent for five seconds.
The deputy director was the first to shake his head, and the heads of the other departments followed suit, indicating that they had no objections.
All eyes finally fell on Chen Mo.
Chen Mo put down his pen, his voice neither loud nor soft: "The East China region will act in accordance with the board's resolution. However, I reserve my personal opinion."
Vice President Liu glanced at him, didn't press for details, and simply nodded: "Okay. The meeting minutes will be distributed to all relevant departments this afternoon. Meeting adjourned."
The sound of the chair being dragged was particularly clear in the quiet conference room.
People stood up in twos and threes and walked towards the door. Some were talking in hushed tones, while others were tidying up the documents on the table. Only Chen Mo remained seated.
He looked out the window at the gray sky, his mind replaying the words Lu Ran had said a few months ago in that small restaurant.
"I'll reserve the spot for you."
At the time, he took it as just a polite remark.
He'd seen too many people say things like that at the dinner table, then forget about them immediately; anyone who took it seriously was a fool.
But looking back now, Lu Ran's tone was indeed very sincere when he said that.
Having known Lu Ran for so long, Chen Mo felt that Lu Ran wasn't just being polite.
Chen Mo reached out and closed the notebook, stood up, and was the last to leave the conference room.
The corridor was empty.
He took out his phone and found Lu Ran's number.
His thumb hovered over the dial key for a few seconds before pressing it.
The phone rang three times, then it connected.
Lu Ran's voice came through the receiver, tinged with surprise: "President Chen? Calling at this hour, what happened at Tencent?"
Chen Mo stood by the window at the end of the corridor, watching the cars moving like ants on the street below, and took a deep breath. "President Lu, do you remember what I told you at dinner last time?"
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