Chapter 54: Selling Talent, Not Myself
“Boss, do you mean one set of illustrations will be used as the basic cards, and the other set will be used as skins?” Gu Ning frowned slightly, struggling to keep up with Pu Tong’s train of thought.
Shouldn’t card games make money by selling card draws?
Then there would always be some players who got triggered by bad luck and ended up spending money out of frustration.
“But Werewolf is a game that focuses on gameplay. If character cards need to be drawn from packs, wouldn’t that discourage players from even starting?” Pu Tong grinned. “Every role should be available for everyone to play.”
“However…” He emphasized his next words.
“Skins are different. They don’t affect gameplay, but they can still encourage spending. Humans naturally have a strong desire to compare themselves with others, even when there’s no reason to.”
The basic card designs he chose were in a cute style. They looked good, but they weren’t flashy enough. Once another set of exquisite and beautifully designed cards appeared, they would definitely be tempting.
“Boss, then how should we price them?”
“Six yuan each!” Pu Tong said firmly. “It must be six yuan.”
“We don’t need six people to spend 100 million. We only need 100 million people to spend six yuan!”
The whole idea was to focus on an affordable price.
Gu Ning nodded thoughtfully. She had already conducted market research, so she understood the logic. However, she hadn’t expected Pu Tong to make such a decisive choice.
It was as if he had already prepared everything in advance…
“Then things become much easier. Now the only problem left is that we don’t have money!”
“That’s not exactly an easy problem…” Pu Tong sighed, thinking that he might have to ask his parents for help later.
He was still underage. This shouldn’t count as relying on his parents, right?
After discussing with Gu Ning for a while, Pu Tong left Liu Neng alone and went home.
It wasn’t that he wanted to abandon Liu Neng. It was just that this guy had already hugged onto a computer station and refused to leave…
So, under the disdainful gazes of the office workers, Liu Neng sat in the corner and started playing games.
They couldn’t understand it.
Working at a game company, yet instead of working hard to create an even better game, he wasted time playing entertainment games.
They considered this behavior extremely shameful.
Playing another company’s game inside his own game company…
Wasn’t this basically betraying his own side?
And why did his screen keep going black?
Pu Tong walked home, feeling exhausted both physically and mentally.
“When will the company finally give President Pu a car?”
Right now, he really lacked money.
If he wanted to get both sets of illustrations, his current funds were obviously not enough.
Making money.
He had to find a way to make money.
At the moment, he had three options.
First: Ask the rich little miss Yu to support him financially.
(Rejected.)
Second: Ask his parents for help.
Third: Write songs.
The first option was too dangerous. Those who understood would understand; those who didn’t wouldn’t understand even if he explained.
If this somehow reached Yu Zhongheng’s ears, and that man got angry, he could destroy his company with just a little effort.
That would completely defeat the purpose.
As for the third option, he had a psychological shadow regarding the entertainment industry.
It was a backup plan that he wouldn’t use unless absolutely necessary.
So the answer was obvious.
“Hello, Mom!”
“What is it? I’m busy right now!” His mother’s voice sounded confused over the phone.
“It’s just… how should I put this… the company needs some money for development…”
“Why don’t I just help with the work? Besides, you know me, son. I’m just a small reporter. Where would I get money from?”
“Uh…”
Pu Tong was speechless.
She was still a first-line culture and education reporter. She shouldn’t be completely broke, right?
“Talking with my son… yes, that Pu Tong…”
His mother seemed to be talking to someone beside her. Her voice suddenly became louder.
“Mom, think about it again?”
“Don’t think my Pu Tong is talented now. When he was little, he was really stupid. Once, when I wasn’t paying attention, he almost played with his own poop…”
Pu Tong immediately hung up.
Putting his hopes on his unreliable mother was his biggest mistake.
“Hello, Dad?”
“Son, what happened? Is there something wrong?”
His father’s voice was calm and steady, immediately making Pu Tong feel much more at ease.
After hearing what Pu Tong wanted, Pu Luo’s voice became gentler.
“Actually, it’s completely normal for children to ask their parents for money. You’re still underage, and our family isn’t so poor that we can’t afford to live. You don’t need to feel guilty…”
“If you were just going to school normally and were an ordinary child, we would definitely give you money.”
“But you’ve chosen a different path, son.”
“Since you want to build a company, you need to be prepared. Since you’ve chosen a different road, you have to rely on yourself.”
“Of course, when you truly face difficulties that you cannot solve yourself, we will help you without hesitation.”
“But now, let me ask you…”
“Do you really have no other choice?”
Do I really have no other choice?
Pu Tong frowned.
To be honest, he wasn’t truly at the point where he needed to ask others for help yet.
He dared to choose the option of wanting both sets of illustrations because he actually had a way…
“But I…”
The solution was obvious: write songs.
However, doing that would undoubtedly mean moving closer to the entertainment industry.
The entertainment industry…
Was his nightmare.
Yu Wanwan had already noticed it.
He was afraid.
He was afraid of becoming a toy controlled by capital like in his previous life.
He was afraid of getting lost in that circle…
“I guess you still have the ability to create songs. Writing songs, right? I know that.”
“But what are you hesitating about?”
“I…”
“I don’t want to enter the entertainment industry.”
This was something that had never changed from beginning to end.
“Hahahaha.”
His father’s laughter came through the phone, causing Pu Tong to freeze.
“Did you sell yourself to the entertainment industry?”
“Huh?”
Pu Tong was stunned.
“You already have one song. Did you enter the entertainment industry?”
“Were you affected by all the messy things in the entertainment industry?”
“Or were you controlled by capital?”
“No, right?”
“You can still do your own things. You can still quietly study.”
Pu Tong’s pupils slightly contracted as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
That was true…
Had anything actually changed?
Although he had already become famous, he still wanted to study properly.
He still wanted to create games and make money.
He still hadn’t entered the entertainment industry…
He had only sung a song.
He wasn’t trying to make a living in the entertainment world.
“What does it mean to enter the entertainment industry?”
“It refers to people who work in entertainment and art, as well as the social environment surrounding them.”
“Are you working in entertainment?”
“Do you have a management company?”
“You’re just someone who occasionally sings a song. You haven’t signed with any company, you haven’t participated in rankings, and you don’t rely on this to survive.”
“You’re just occasionally showing your talent.”
“You’re just bringing a little musical surprise to others.”
Pu Tong was slowly being convinced.
What he disliked was not music.
It was the entertainment circle itself.
Just like what Yu Wanwan told him before, he clearly possessed things that many people could never achieve. He had countless brilliant creations from another world, yet he always kept them hidden.
If those things could be genuinely loved by more people…
Wouldn’t that be a good thing?
As long as he didn’t actually join the entertainment industry, wouldn’t everything be fine?
It wouldn’t happen like his previous life again…
He could treat songwriting as a side job.
He wouldn’t actively stand in the public eye to promote himself.
Just like Xu Song and Pu Shu.
He could still quietly study.
He could still quietly live his life.
It was just that the dark days of his previous life made him avoid everything related to this.
In reality, the only thing he had never been able to let go of…
Was himself.
“Then I actually don’t know which song to sing anymore.”
Pu Tong suddenly felt troubled.
Before, he didn’t dare sing.
Now that he no longer rejected it, he actually didn’t know which song to choose.
“What did you say? You have more than one?”
“Not many. It mainly depends on inspiration and… style.”
“I actually have an opportunity for you!” His father suddenly laughed.
“The drama we were filming has already finished. Now it’s entering the post-production stage, and we need things like a theme song.”
“You can give it a try!”
“A theme song?” Pu Tong frowned slightly.
“That should work. When do I record it?”
“You’re not even asking about the style or theme?”
Pu Tong smiled but didn’t answer.
The songs in his mind couldn’t be said to contain everything, but after being an unknown singer for so long in his previous life, he definitely knew plenty.
Never underestimate the song library of a professional singer!
He only needed to choose a suitable song according to the requirements later.
“You can discuss this with our producer. He’s also quite interested in you. Just see when you have time.”
“Recently… maybe tomorrow?”
He was a student.
The only free time he had was probably the weekends.
No matter what happened, he couldn’t let it affect his studies.
As for the company’s illustrators, the sooner they reached an agreement, the better.
After all, he was only earning money by bringing over music from his memories.
Naturally, the sooner the better.
“Tomorrow? That works. I’ll talk to the producer and have you come over tomorrow.”
Pu Tong hung up the phone, his heart beating faster.
Before this, he had only sung songs passively.
This was the first time he was actively choosing to sing.
He would only sell his talent, not himself.
Singing was his freedom.
No one had the right to suppress him.
After breaking through the misunderstanding in his heart, he suddenly felt much more relaxed.
Now, he only needed to share those wonderful things from his memories.
He wouldn’t join the circle.
He wouldn’t market himself.
He would still be free.
He could continue studying quietly and living quietly.
“Wait…”
Pu Tong suddenly realized something.
Tomorrow?
Tomorrow was the day of the fourth episode filming of When You Are Young at the production site.
If he went there tomorrow…
Wouldn’t he run straight into them?
He had already said he wouldn’t participate anymore.
And now he was going to show up anyway.
That would be incredibly awkward.
Now, there was only one person who truly wasn’t going.
Guess who it was?
(End of Chapter)
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