Chapter 102: No Answer

rself.She looked at Su Licheng sitting across from her. He gently rubbed his forehead; clearly, he had been speechless for a while. Earlier, he could still nod along with each statement from Su Cen, r...Chapter 102: No Answer

For Su Can, whether he mentioned Tang Wu ten times and Lin Luoran seven times after getting drunk, or even just once, the result might not have made any difference.

When Su Can slipped on the stairs, he still managed to grab onto the rail at the last moment. His body leaned to one side as his hand was scraped by the iron edge of the steps. Everyone was initially startled, but a few heartless ones started laughing, which made Su Can feel awkward and cough to stop them, his face turning red and pale.

Li Han laughed, "What did I say As soon as we mentioned Lin Luoran from Fudan University, Su Can turned like this. Many questions are already evident. Last time when I attended a hometown gathering, there was a guy who went to Fudan. During our meal, I asked him if he knew Lin Luoran. The person looked at me blankly, thinking that I must be another of her countless admirers. It made me feel embarrassed. But I said I had no chance, though one of my dorm mates is quite close to her. When we were parting, the guy still looked back with doubt. I reckon he thought it more believable if I said I owned a Bentley like Su Can."

Su Can narrowed his eyes, "So you mean what you just said was fake" Xiao Xu grinned and stared at Su Can enviously, "Do you really think you're acting in a movie Are you the Monkey King who's between Bai Jingjing and Purple Fairy Did you call out Tang Wu ten times and Lin Luoran seven times We were all drunk then; who knows what you said. But I saw Tang Wu supporting you from behind us with her eyes. Did you desecrate our little Tang Wu"

Li Han reached out to ruffle Xiao Xu's hair, interrupting his questioning and hurried off to wash up before class.

Although Su Can felt relieved, this incident inevitably touched him deeply. If there was any highlight in his reborn life besides everything returning to the past experiences of over a decade ago, it would be that encounter with Lin Luoran outside the time, place, and environment where he should have encountered her.

She was a girl who could make even an old heart like his suddenly young and lively. She had eyes as black as gemstones, neat bangs, silky hair that made one suspect she might be a shampoo commercial model, and a free-spirited soul.

If anything could make such a girl pause, tame her wild nature, calm her heart, or willingly become docile and clever for some man, whether it was faith, love, or something else, it would be beyond what Su Can understood.

Lin Luoran truly was one of those dangerous figures who left their mark with every step they took.

This girl had appeared so deeply in many people's lives but then vanished like a shooting star, leaving memories and impressions that many would never forget. Men who missed her might feel a regret that no matter how capable they became in the future, they couldn't make up for missing out on her; this was an unavoidable sorrow in life.

Shortly after Su Can left Xiahai City No. 1 High School and transferred to Chengdu No. 27 High School, many people were already stirring, some daringly saying things they hadn't dared say for nearly two years—words that expressed the first deep feelings of love.

Others couldn't bring themselves to speak up, and after Lin Luoran and Wang Weiwei transferred from Xiahai City No. 1 High School without ever returning, these people wandered around in confusion, feeling lost. Perhaps there was a sunset drawing across that school, leaving those young faces with expressions of wanting to cry but not being able to.

Although it was worth talking about how Sun Man, the star student of Chengdu No. 27 High School, used the campus radio to bid farewell to Su Can in her authoritative manner at their graduation in 2001, Lin Luoran still had her own brilliance.

The group from Class 27 was far more sophisticated than the relatively closed-off Xiaohai City, and they had numerous ways to express their affection towards Lin Luoran. However, Lin Luoran's reputation as an assassin was not unfounded; many admirers fell by the wayside on their journey toward her. It is said that after learning of her acceptance into Shanghai International Studies University (AIU), some top students from Class 27 who could have gone to better schools suddenly changed their preferences, opting instead for AIU. This caused much distress among teachers hoping for good performance metrics.

Who knows if these people will regret such choices in years to come, but at the time, they were undeniably youthful and unrepentant.

Su Can might have been envied by countless of Lin Luoran's admirers back then. He had stayed up all night playing games with her under the darkening sky until the morning was clear and foggy. They ate barbecue from street vendors and drank beer at night. She once chased him out of her閨房 (bedroom). Together, they experienced life's ups and downs and talked broadly about ideals and the meaning of life, as if they had grown up together.

All these could be summed up in Lin Luoran’s half-joking yet melancholic question when she was getting into a car: "If I had met you before Tang Wu, would things have been different now"

How could he possibly turn a blind eye to all this

In the morning at a dim sum restaurant, Su Can saw Tang Wu standing in the sun before the building. When she saw him, she smiled and waved her hand, saying, "You’re late."

Su Can sat down nervously with Tang Wu at a small table in the restaurant and laid out the menu. “What would you like to eat”

Tang Wu smiled back, saying, "Whatever you choose is fine."

So Su Can ordered some cakes and milk.

Tang Wu didn’t particularly like milk; she preferred soymilk. But if Su Can had chosen it, she wouldn’t object either. She would just drink it obediently.

In the morning at a coffee shop, Su Can placed the cooperation agreement for shares in World of Warcraft (WoW) with Blizzard Corporation on Tang Wu's table.

Tang Wu blinked her bright eyes; she didn’t know what this document meant but looked up to him and asked in surprise: "What is it"

"During the summer holiday, Wang Weiwei invited us out to play games in Chengdu. Back then, everyone was crazy about a game called Warcraft, which was developed by Blizzard."

Tang Wu nodded. “I know what you mean.” The misty confusion in her eyes began to clear up.

"They are developing an online game behind the scenes, but due to their parent company's aggressive expansion worldwide and its debt-ridden operations, they've incurred losses amounting to several hundred billion euros. Such repercussions threaten the very existence of the company, thus causing issues with funding for research and development. To alleviate financial pressure, they have begun seeking future agents globally and plan to secretly sell some shares of their game." Su Cen paused before continuing, "I believe this is an opportunity, so I’ve already made contact with Blizzard privately." Tang Wu’s eyes widened, "How did you manage that"

"Facebook, located in Palo Alto, USA, is situated in a highly information-rich environment. Silicon Valley is full of secrets, but relative to us, there are no secrets in the valley. It's not difficult for us to get information on Blizzard’s executives based in mainland China. After initial negotiations, we’ve reached an early agreement. I have a hunch that this will be another worthwhile endeavor, much like starting Facebook with Zack." Seeing Tang Wu carefully examining the contract, Su Cen continued, "Although funding is currently a significant amount of money, we’re already making efforts from multiple sources to secure investment. If this step goes smoothly, we’ll soon acquire shares in Blizzard’s World of Warcraft."

"Blizzard may be an excellent game developer, but what truly excites me about acquiring their project documents is the construction of Battle.net."

"Battle.net" Tang Wu asked with a questioning look.

"That will likely be the future of single-player gaming. A mature Battle.net will replace traditional LAN-based networking and integrate users worldwide through this platform. All content for a game or series needs to go through Battle.net’s online game service, where players purchase CD-keys and pay for activation to play their games. This also helps reduce piracy issues. Not only does it enhance brand cohesion but it effectively creates greater profit margins. Blizzard Entertainment is still in its early stages and awaits maturity. I have three steps planned to implement my ideas. Acquiring World of Warcraft shares is the first step." Su Cen shared his thoughts with Tang Wu, as he could be so unrestrained only when facing her; otherwise, these ideas swirling around in his mind would make him feel stifled if left unexpressed.

Blizzard’s Battle.net model began to be implemented in future games. Although Su Cen couldn’t see Blizzard’s Battle.net platform take shape before his rebirth, it was still foreseeable how it could form a powerful challenge to domestic platforms like HaoFang VS. This trend and direction were indicated by the power of Blizzard's strategic vision. The unfulfilled grand strategies might start changing from Su Cen's hand. He was altering the future.

Tang Wu said, "You’re starting to act more like a capitalist."

"I learned it from Tang Zongyuan," Su Cen replied casually.

Tang Wu glared at him.

“High-tech internet companies are moving towards the social era. Companies like Blizzard Entertainment will transform from game developers to interactive entertainment platforms, which is an inevitable trend. After acquiring World of Warcraft shares, this will be my next step."

"The second step is closely tied with the third one. With World of Warcraft shares in hand, I have to think about how to gain more control. The first thought that comes to mind is integrating Battle.net through Facebook. Then, Blizzard’s Battle.net can become a large gaming social community依托Facebook。人們可以在這裡相互邀請、發送訊息，加入遊戲，並通過社互動動增強用戶粘性。”

Su Cen continued, "When this platform becomes large enough and integrates sufficient game resources, the social gaming interaction platform formed by Facebook and Blizzard’s Battle.net can bypass telecom operators and directly participate in profit distribution. I believe this is the ultimate goal for both Blizzard Entertainment, a pure game developer seeking transformation, and our rapidly expanding Facebook!" Bypassing operators to distribute profits through integrated entertainment social platforms would be a massive pie and also one of the breakthrough directions for future Facebook's gaming monetization model; Su Cen wouldn’t let go firmly.

No one at this time could envision such far-reaching plans. Not even Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of World of Warcraft, or Mark Zuckerberg in America, would have thought about integrating a social platform with a game developer.

This was an unprecedented situation in the future as well. It was Su Cen's grand plan for Blizzard.

"Why do I always feel like there's some kind of conspiracy going on" Tang Xiaowu stared at Su Can with a pair of suspicious, sparkling eyes.

"Do you really think robbing a little bit of equity from the World of Warcraft can satisfy people The ultimate goal is to use Facebook to kidnap Blizzard Company and achieve an interdependent situation where both sides rely on each other for mutual benefits. If Blizzard wants to make so much money in our country, they should contribute something back; otherwise, as a fellow citizen, I feel guilty." Su Can smiled, revealing his potential for becoming a cunning businessman.

Tang Wu nodded. She naturally didn't have the foresight like Su Can and couldn't think that far ahead either. But she chose to believe in this boy before her.

"Oh right…" Su Can hesitated; Tang Wu’s bright eyes looked up at him, making him uneasy.

Li Han and Xiao Xu had rushed off to wash up after their morning "joke" with Su Can. Zhang Xiaqiao also wiped his face with a towel before starting to pack things as if he were going out. If Li Han and Xiao Xu both needed to hurry because they had the same class today, then it was quite unusual for Zhang Xiaqiao, who didn't have many classes today, to be preparing to play tennis. This made Su Can feel puzzled.

Because he suddenly couldn’t figure out whether mentioning those two girls’ names last night was merely a prank by the three roommates or if it really happened.

Su Can decided to ask firmly, "Did I get drunk last night"

"Yes." Tang Wu's face turned slightly cold from her previous smile, as if she had put on a veil of mist and fog, making the sharp peaks hard to discern. She was starting to show some of her usual aloofness.

"If I said anything last night, don’t take it to heart."

Tang Wu glared at Su Can with an expression filled with disapproval as if questioning whether he had merely spoken or done something more.

Su Can quickly added, "Of course, and also, don’t worry about anything I might have done."

Tang Wu felt defeated by his shamelessness. She looked down, composed herself, and said calmly, “You were drunk and didn't say or do anything.” Then she gazed at him with a clear beauty that was almost intimidating, asking, "What do you want to say"

"Nothing." Su Can smiled and turned his head aside. Although it seemed there still wasn’t an answer, he felt a sense of disappointment.

I need to explain the issue with yesterday's update in a separate chapter., and German Whirlpool kitchen appliances."A Cherokee SUV stopped at the entrance. A tall middle-aged man walked in, his head resembling a bullet shape. He threw his car keys on the table and then met...