Chapter 115: CH 57.2

After Mars Hill reposted the news about the Ge family’s company collaborating with Li Qingzhou to adapt his comic into a game, fans swarmed into the comment section like a boiling pot.

[Ms. Mars, if you’ve been kidnapped, blink. Isn’t President Li’s company focused on producing and selling smart AI cars?! Even if he’s good at creating AI robots, this is a game, not his area of expertise. Why is he joining the fray?!]

[It’s over, the game I’ve been looking forward to is going to be ruined. Crying in advance.]

[Holy cow, I never thought President Li would be the one to make the [Sky Juvenile] game…. Maybe he’ll surprise us like he did with the AI robot.]

[Upstairs, what if it’s a shock? Why not choose a specialized company for game development?]

[For example, World Skill Game Company. Their games are pretty good, which shows their production level.]

[Moreover, there were rumors that World Skill Game Company was going to buy the rights to Sky Juvenile. How did it end up….. Tsk, did he promise Xingyue Entertainment Company some benefits?]

[Ms. Mars is pitiful. This is clearly being controlled by capital. He can’t even have a say in who adapts his comic into a game. Someone, please save this child and buy the game rights from President Li.]

Although some fans congratulated and supported Mars Hill for his comic being adapted into a game, the majority expressed their opposition and skepticism.

Before long, [Sky Juvenile] being adapted into a game, as well as related topics became a hot topic.

Meanwhile, in his office, Li Qingzhou had just put his phone down.

Fang Xiyan: “President Li, we’ve posted job ads for game planners and art teams.”

“However, most of the applicants are recent graduates. There are very few well-known teams applying….”

After all, they had only recently registered as a game company.

Li Qingzhou responded, “Increase the incentives and be selective in the hiring.”

“Be strict in personnel control, especially for artists. They must have good taste and create attractive characters.”

Fang Xiyan nodded, indicating that he understood.

After a while, he hesitated then said, “President Li, the production of a large-scale game takes at least one to two years.”

“Preparation is crucial, and art, game planning, and programmers are key…..”

“Do you want to develop in this direction?”

Game planning was like directing the entire game, being responsible for game experience, story design, etc, but since the game would be adapted from the [Sky Juvenile] comic, the planning part should be relatively easier.

As for the programming, President Li would take on that responsibility.

Li Qingzhou: “That’s right, we’ll start hiring and then begin production. I’ll be personally involved. It won’t take one to two years….”

He did some calculations then continued, “At most one year.”

With the smart programs he could write, it might not even take a year.

Hearing his response, Fang Xiyan turned and left the room.

Regarding the issue of the rights of the comic [Sky Juvenile] being adapted into a game, after posting related content online, the Ge family’s Xingyue Entertainment Company, Mars Hill, and the Li Group Corporation all kept silent and refrained from making further comments.

This kind of discussion would soon die down if left unaddressed.

Sure enough, the heat subsided gradually after a short while.

After learning that Li Qingzhou was looking for artists and game planning teams, Ge Yue contacted him, telling him that he had a suitable candidate and suggested setting up a meeting to discuss things further.

Li Qingzhou agreed.

The person Ge Yue introduced was called Zhou Xingwei. Despite having only recently graduated from university, he was an incredibly gifted artist. They had known each other online for two years and only recently met in person.

Zhou Xingwei was a very shy person.

He looked younger than his actual age, like a fresh faced and handsome teenager.

After reviewing his works, recognizing his talent, Li Qingzhou extended his hand, “Mr. Zhou, I look forward to a pleasant collaboration.”

Zhou Xingwei stood up hurriedly to shake Li Qingzhou’s hand, his pursed lips revealing a dimple on his left cheek. “Ha, happy collaboration, Mr. Li.”

“I-I really like your creation, Rescue One and I believe you can create the best game…..”

His admiration for Li Qingzhou was undisguised.

Ge Yue who was on the side said, “Qingzhou, Xingwei is a robot fan. He has watched the final competition video at least ten times.”

Zhou Xingwei nodded repeatedly, his face flushed but his eyes bright as he stared at Li Qingzhou.

He said, “Rescue One is so cool!”

Li Qingzhou replied with a simple ‘Thank you’.

Rescue One had been sent to a military established laboratory.

Otherwise Zhou Xingwei’s small request to see Rescue One in person would have been fulfilled, something which could also be considered an employee benefit.

Just as the recruitment of game planners and artists was going smoothly, the internet suddenly exploded with the news that the major villain Mu Lin in Mars Hill’s new comic, [Into The Trap] was based on Li Qingzhou.

Furthermore, the collaboration between Mars Hill and Li Qingzhou for the game adaptation had been initiated by Mars Hill himself.

The evidence was a leaked chat screenshot posted online.

Following that, public opinion became overwhelmingly one-sided.

Most netizens accused Mars Hill of disregarding the quality of the game because of personal preferences, something that was considered irresponsible to his work and his fans.

On the same day, Ge Yue called Li Qingzhou to explain, “Qingzhou, I’m sorry. The person who leaked this information should be a comic artist I usually chat with.”

“I accidentally let it slip, I didn’t expect….”

Li Qingzhou expressed that it didn’t matter.

He told him, “The public opinion online is probably being manipulated by someone who hired a water army. Don’t worry about it, I see many fans still supporting you.”

Ge Yue replied, “En, I just don’t know who has so much free time…..”

The leak itself wasn’t a big deal.

After all, Mars Hill had posted several times online about his love for the character Mu Lin.

Moreover, the similarity between Li Qingzhou and the character Mu Lin from the comic had sparked considerable discussion from the beginning and had indeed attracted many fans in private.

So more and more fans came forward to show their support.

Just as public opinion was gradually turning around, another explosive leak appeared.

This leak claimed that Mars Hill’s real identity was the young master of the Ge family, Ge Yue, and that he was friends with the President of the Li Group Corporation.

The leak was accompanied by a video.

In the video, it was clear that they were in a café. The camera started on a bookshelf, then panned over to the corner where the two were talking.

Although the image was somewhat blurry, the conversation was still audible:

“I think very few games adapted from comics become popular. Even with a fanbase, if a game isn’t fun, it’s not fun. Only a handful of them become successful….”

“Anyway, just do your best and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

The conversation seemed to confirm the rights of the comic adaptation.

Netizens commented:

[Oh, I see, this is just a little game played by the capitalist.]

[It turns out Mars Hill is also part of the capitalist group, and for his friend, he can casually let others create games based on his work.]

[I was really looking forward to the game adapted from [Sky Juvenile]….. but now, never mind.]

[Ms. Mars, by giving the rights to a company with no game production experience, you’ve turned a potentially bad game into a definitely bad one. It feels like child’s play.]

Some netizens went directly to Li Qingzhou’s Weibo to leave comments.

[Begging President Li, spare your friend! There’s no need to make a game. Just focus on selling your cars, or switch to selling robots. I’ll definitely buy one!]

[President Li, one person’s energy is limited. Now that smart AI cars are becoming popular abroad, the Li Group’s smart AI cars no longer have an absolute advantage.]

[Foreign luxury car brands are well-established and popular. Just watch, soon they’ll overshadow the Li Group’s cars and I’ll be waiting to see where you’ll go to cry.]

[Stick to your expertise and don’t try to be a jack of all trades. President Li, don’t you even understand this simple principle?!]

Li Qingzhou was having dinner with Liu Bohuai when he received a phone call and checking his phone, happened to see this comment.

[I understand this principle, but I just won’t listen, ge ge ge.]

The little guy in the bubble stretched out his hand, pulled down his eyelids, then made a mocking face.

Liu Bohuai picked up some food for Li Qingzhou then asked, “How do you plan to handle this situation?”

Li Qingzhou replied, “Mhmm…..find time to make a little game first.”