You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 254 Mr. Dog

Morrison finished reading the contract, looked up, and had a complicated expression.

"Mr. Lu," he said slowly, "your terms are even more ruthless than Tencent's."

Lu Ran laughed: "Mr. Morrison, what are you saying? Tencent is a big company, they don't care about such a small amount of money. We are different, we are a small company, we have to be careful with every penny. It's only natural to be a little stricter."

"And—" he paused, his tone becoming serious, "Think about it, EA has gone around in China, who else can it cooperate with? Tencent? The talks fell through. NetEase? No agreement reached. Perfect World? They don't even consider it. The remaining smaller companies are too small, you probably wouldn't even consider them."

"So, Mr. Morrison, you now only have two choices—"

"Or, accept my terms and we can cooperate for mutual benefit."

"Or you can go back to China empty-handed and tell headquarters that the Chinese market is too difficult, and we should go back to selling FIFA instead."

Morrison remained silent for a long time.

He was thinking and weighing the options.

Lu Ran's words hit the nail on the head, and the points he made were the most crucial.

The coffee got cold, the waiter came over and refilled it, but it got cold again.

Finally, he sighed and gave a bitter smile.

"Mr. Lu," he said, "I suddenly understand why Tencent stumbled with you."

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

"Because you're such a good negotiator." Morrison shook his head. "I've been in this industry for twenty years and have seen countless entrepreneurs. There are people as young as you, and there are people as talented as you. But someone as young and talented as you is truly a first."

Lu Ran smiled, picked up her coffee cup, and gestured to him, "Mr. Morrison, I'll take your words as a compliment."

Morrison smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it against his.

"Okay, I'll take your terms back and study them," he said. "But to be honest, I personally think it has a chance."

"That's great." Lu Ran put down his cup. "I'll wait for your news."

The two shook hands and said goodbye.

As Zhou Mingzhe stepped out of the hotel, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Lu Ran," he lowered his voice, "were you serious about those conditions you just made?"

"Of course I'm serious."

"What if they don't agree?"

"If they don't want to agree, they don't have to," Lu Ran laughed. "We're not losing anything. Besides—"

He glanced back at the upscale hotel, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Do you really think EA will give up on the Chinese market? They're in a bind now. Negotiations with Tencent fell through, NetEase is out of the question, and Perfect World isn't interested. They've gone around in circles, and we're their only lifeline. If they don't cooperate with us, who else can they cooperate with?"

Zhou Mingzhe thought for a moment and nodded: "That makes sense."

"So," Lu Ran patted his shoulder, "just wait. They'll be back soon."

"At that point, it won't be us begging them, it will be them begging us."

...

...

Lu Ran didn't know whether he could reach an agreement with EA, nor was he worried.

He leisurely returned to the company, made a cup of tea, and prepared to kill time by browsing fan comments on TUTU.

Before he could even take a couple of sips of tea, Zhou Mingzhe pushed the door open and came in again, with a very strange expression.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran asked suspiciously.

"We have another guest," Zhou Mingzhe said with a mischievous grin.

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow: "Who? EA changed their mind? So quickly?"

"It's not EA," Zhou Mingzhe paused, "it's a Japanese company."

Lu Ran paused for a moment as he held the teacup.

Which one?

"Sakura Games." Zhou Mingzhe handed over a business card. "One of the largest game companies in Japan, the second largest after Nintendo. Their China manager just called to say they'd like to schedule a visit to you."

Lu Ran took the business card and glanced at it.

Sakura Game.

Of course he knew that name.

It was known in the past life, and it is known in this world.

A giant in the Japanese gaming industry, holding a host of top-tier IPs such as "Samurai Warriors," "Ninja Gaiden," and "Final Fantasy." While not on par with Nintendo's legendary status, it's still a well-known name in Japan.

"What are they doing here?" Lu Ran asked.

"They said they were discussing cooperation," Zhou Mingzhe said. "They didn't go into details about what kind of cooperation it would involve over the phone, only that they wanted to talk about it in person."

Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, without saying a word.

Japanese country.

This word has always held a special place in his heart.

He knew everything about the history of his past life and what this country had done.

Although he found that Japan was somewhat different from the one in his previous life after he transmigrated to this world, it was only in a few ways.

Historical events have indeed occurred, so Lu Ran harbors a deep-seated loathing for this country. If he were a researcher with cutting-edge military technology, he would definitely open dozens of Li Mei BBQ restaurants across Japan.

This aversion stems from the superposition of memories from two lifetimes; it's etched into his very bones. So, although the details of the cooperation weren't mentioned, Lu Ran already knew that cooperation was impossible.

"Lu Ran?" Zhou Mingzhe called out tentatively when he saw Lu Ran staring blankly.

Lu Ran snapped out of her daze and looked at him: "Brother Zhou, what do you think? Should I see him?"

Zhou Mingzhe was taken aback; he hadn't expected him to ask that.

Is there any reason to directly refuse a business that comes to your door for cooperation?

"Well..." Zhou Mingzhe scratched his head, "There's nothing wrong with business matters, right? They're here to discuss cooperation, not to fight."

Lu Ran nodded.

Zhou Mingzhe is right.

Business is business; there's no need to bring emotions into it.

Besides, the other party took the initiative to come to his door, and he didn't even see them. If word got out, it would make him seem petty.

"Okay." He stood up. "Let's set a time, I'll see you then."

"When?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," Lu Ran said. "I don't have much to do tomorrow. I can meet them in the afternoon and then have dinner with Yue Ge in the evening."

Zhou Mingzhe nodded and went out to make a call to schedule a time.

Lu Ran sat back in his chair, gazing at the gray sky outside the window, but couldn't help thinking about things from his past life.

Those things are long gone from his life.

But there are some things that people from China can never forget.

...

The next afternoon, in the same coffee shop at the same hotel.

Lu Ran appeared on time, followed by Zhou Mingzhe and Xiao Chen from the legal department.

The three people from Sakura Games were already waiting in their seats—all dressed in dark suits, sitting upright with serious expressions, clearly typical Japanese businessmen.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties with neatly combed hair and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. When he saw Lu Ran enter, he immediately stood up and bowed deeply.

"Mr. Lu, I've heard so much about you." His Chinese was a little stiff, but still quite fluent. "I'm the head of Sakura Games' China region, a trustworthy dog."

"Pfft!"

Upon hearing the other person's name, Lu Ran couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He's specially trained; he doesn't usually smile, unless...

Lu Ran suppressed a laugh and extended his hand as well: "Mr. Quan, it's a pleasure to meet you."

...