Don't get married if you're reborn.

Chapter 505 A Journey Through Time and Space
When Zeng Wenjie saw Teacher Gu Da appear in front of him, he almost felt tears welling up in his eyes.

As everyone knows, this boss will be stuck in the starting village. If you can't defeat it, you'll never be able to leave the starting village.

Therefore, even employees within Game Science felt that Dark Souls was too malicious towards players, treating them like they weren't human. Could such a game really sell well?
Zeng Wenjie sat in front of the computer with great anticipation and began this BOSS battle.

Zheng Shouyun sneered, eager to see Zeng Wenjie fly into a rage and demand that the game's difficulty be lowered.

But to his surprise, Zeng Wenjie took down half of the BOSS's health on his first try, and even parried successfully two or three times, stunning the BOSS and executing it.

Then, the BOSS entered its second phase, dealing more damage and having a larger attack range.

The employees were all shocked when they saw this. How could they play this game? Even the beginner village boss was so outrageous!
Zeng Wenjie was indeed defeated by the second-stage BOSS, but he was quite satisfied because the character was relatively smooth to operate and drinking health potions was also very easy. The only problem was that the impact of the attacks felt rather weak and the parrying was not very good.

Zeng Wenjie immediately restarted the game and signaled to Miyazaki Hidetaka and Feng Ji to keep quiet.

After a series of rolls, greedy attacks, and parries, the BOSS's health was reduced to the second phase, where it was once again killed by a wide-range attack.

Zeng Wenjie clicked his tongue and said, "The feel of the parry and the impact need improvement, but we have a long time to go."

On his third attempt, he passed the test smoothly, leaving Zheng Shouyun dumbfounded.

The employees immediately started fawning over him.

"An RPG game with such a clumsy and rigid action system, are you sure players will buy it?" Zheng Shouyun asked coldly, arms crossed.

"The tumbling is quite smooth, with no lag. The feel is excellent!" Zeng Wenjie said.

Zheng Shouyun said, "Using only rolling as a way to dodge is too simplistic! Also, the green bar setting is ridiculous. Players have to deal with high-difficulty bosses while watching their green bar to avoid running out of stamina and getting killed by the boss?"

Miyazaki Hidetaka said, "Mr. Zheng, it's like this! I think this is a very complete system, and the players will definitely like it."

Feng Jidao said, "If you want unlimited stamina to mow down enemies, just play Dynasty Warriors! Our game is designed to be difficult, but it also has a simple action system so that players can quickly get started and experience the feeling of gradually becoming stronger."

Even the most skilled players can't defeat a boss in two hits on their first try at a Soulslike game. They need to memorize the moves a few times and become familiar with the boss's actions before they can complete the game.

Zheng Shouyun could accept the game's design choices that made things difficult for players, but he couldn't accept placing such a challenging boss in the beginner village to block players.

Are you sure players will have the patience to die a dozen or even dozens of times at the very beginning of the game?
This Dark Souls game is a masterpiece of the Souls series. Zeng Wenjie has brought out all the elements that Miyazaki Hidetaka hadn't yet polished, and after blending them together, the experience can even rival Dark Souls 3!
Moreover, the miniature garden map designed by Feng Ji and Miyazaki, two masters working together, is simply exquisite.

Players may get lost at first, but after wandering around for a while, they will find that they have returned to a familiar place.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zheng. Players are actually masochists. They'll curse our families again and again when they die from bosses and traps, but after they overcome all difficulties and defeat the boss, they'll thank us for giving them an epic and exhilarating battle," Zeng Wenjie said with a smile.

He understands players' mentality all too well, because he was tormented by it himself. He even often complains when playing some games that they are so damn easy, that they can't even design a single trap.

Zeng Wenjie said to Miyazaki Hidetaka and Feng Jidao, "So far, I'm quite satisfied. As you develop the game, you need to polish all the details I've mentioned. Game Science will dedicate all its efforts to developing this game in the future..."

Both planners nodded earnestly.

“I’ve been sleeping only five hours a day lately, and I’m almost bald,” Miyazaki Hidetaka said.

Bloodshot veins were visible in the whites of his eyes, but he was in high spirits. Creating such a game was his lifelong dream!
Moreover, Zeng Wenjie also gave a lot of very useful advice and tips. He found that every step he took was perfectly in line with it, and the game would definitely be a hit once it was released.

Zeng Wenjie laughed and said, "After this game is released, your annual salary will probably be more than two hundred thousand US dollars. Hmm... Anyone who participates in this project will get a raise after it is successful!"

Everyone cheered again.

There are also some talented people who have jumped ship from other companies to Game Science. They've heard too many empty promises from their bosses, so they're often unmoved by such promises.

But Zeng Wenjie really does give out money, and he loves to give out money. When he says that, no one will doubt him!
Today, Game Science is no longer the makeshift team set up in the Fengyuan Startup Base, but a large game company with thousands of employees.

The development of Dark Souls involved the entire company working overtime, and Tencent was always available to provide various effective resources.

Little Ma also sensed WG's potential and wanted to unleash it, which meant releasing a world-class game exclusively for WG, at least one that would be nominated for the TGA Best Game award.

"Alright, everyone, let's get back to work!" Zeng Wenjie clapped his hands and said.

So, the employees in each position went back to work in front of their computers.

Zheng Shouyun said, "You're too confident!"

Zeng Wenjie said, "President Zheng, have I ever failed? So, isn't it only natural for me to be confident?"

Zheng Shouyun said, "But in my ten years in the gaming industry, I've never seen a game this outrageous..."

Zeng Wenjie said, "Wasn't Hollow Knight a great success?"

"But Hollow Knight is just a Metroidvania game, while Dark Souls is different; it's 3D! Moreover, Hollow Knight's action system is quite interesting, while Dark Souls is too simplistic. Players can only use one combat skill at most..." Zheng Shouyun complained about the game's mechanics, believing that something needed to be added.

But Zeng Wenjie wouldn't listen to what he said, even if it was mixed with all sorts of nonsense. What kind of soul-calling is this?

The most extreme and hardcore gameplay in Souls-like games involves rolling and light attacks, engaging in back-and-forth battles with bosses, much like a turn-based system.

Greed for a knife or reckless rolling will undoubtedly be major causes of death.

Zeng Wenjie tossed him a cigarette, then smiled and lit his own before asking, "What do you think of our background compared to Sony and the like?"

Zheng Shouyun's lips twitched, and he said, "Even if you tie a penguin to it, it can't compare!"

Zeng Wenjie said, "That's it! So, we have to open up a new track!"

He flicked his cigarette ash and smiled, “I call this track ‘Soul’! Hollow Knight is at most Soul-like, while Dark Souls is the true Soul, the pioneer of this track.”

Zheng Shouyun said, "Is the soul the same as difficulty?"

"Yes, 'Soul' equals 'difficult,' with all sorts of insane ways to die that drive players crazy, and all sorts of powerful bosses that players need to memorize," Zeng Wenjie said.

"There's no need to make the storyline so vague. There's no guidance for even the quests involving interaction with NPCs. It's all about exploration." Zheng Shouyun smiled wryly. He had never seen a game like this before.

“Exploration is also one of the greatest joys of Soul,” Zeng Wenjie reassured the director.

Zheng Shouyun sighed and said, "Alright, but Dark Souls is a huge investment. If it fails, all of WG's future plans will probably be cut short."

Zeng Wenjie laughed and said, "Let's trust Mr. Miyazaki and Feng Ji's plan! They have already proven themselves in Hollow Knight, and Dark Souls is an even better fit for them than the former."

"How did you know?" Zheng Shouyun asked.

“I just know,” Zeng Wenjie thought to himself, without answering.

Zeng Wenjie hasn't been causing much trouble lately. The tone for this year has already been set. He checks in at Game Science every day, goes to Fengzhou Business Alliance in the afternoon, and after finishing his business at the Business Alliance, he takes turns going to the headquarters of Snack Panic and Hao You Lai.

In his spare time from his work at Game Science, he began writing a draft of Shadows Die Twice.

Of course, it's still about taking advantage of the old fox's money. Just modify Sekiro, set it in a fictional ancient dynasty, change the ninjas to swordsmen, and the master to a lord. Perfect.

China was Japan's suzerain state in ancient times, and the two countries' cultures have many similarities, making it very easy to change.

Shadows Die Twice was scheduled for release at the end of 2009, with a development cycle of less than two years.

Without someone as gifted as Zeng Wenjie, developing a game like this would have taken an extremely long time. But he knew everything and used it directly, even skipping some testing, which saved a lot of time.

Moreover, Shadows Die Twice could be developed under the banner of promoting traditional Chinese culture. This way, those bigwigs wouldn't dislike him. Even Zhuang Aimin reminded him that making games shouldn't just focus on the market.

Zeng Wenjie's speeches these days are always about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It's hard to justify creating a game without a Chinese cultural background.

I spent a few days writing out the plan, and the story background, setting, characters, main plot, props, and combat system are basically the same.

This contingency plan directly took care of Zeng Mi.

This way, Zeng Mi can spend more time figuring out how to compose the design, and when she finally finishes it, it will be a resounding success.

After reading the proposal, Zeng Mi's eyes lit up. She really liked the game's story background, which conveyed a sense of loneliness and sorrow, especially since it had four different endings.

In ending 1, the protagonist transforms into a demon, a monster who only knows how to kill.

In ending 2, the protagonist becomes the new Buddha sculptor, waiting for the next destined person to use the prosthetic arm.

In ending 3, the protagonist ultimately chooses to commit suicide in order to sever his immortality.

In ending 4, the protagonist embarks on a new journey to return the Dragon's Blood, which possesses the power of immortality.

The contingency plan was very detailed, including the background of each NPC, the design of each map, and even the setting of each prop.

Strictly speaking, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is Miyazaki Hidetaka's true breakthrough work, making him a world-renowned game producer. Zeng Wenjie brought it up in advance, and if it had been released around 2011, one can imagine the sensation it would have caused in the entire game industry.

“This plan is classified. Take it back and study it yourself. While you’re working on Dark Souls, think about the design of this plan,” Zeng Wenjie said.

“Okay!” Zeng Mi readily agreed.

She gained some fame in the gaming community thanks to the exquisite character illustrations in "Heroes of the Three Kingdoms," but only a little.

Once you truly enter an industry, who doesn't yearn to make a name for themselves?
Zeng Mi naturally aspires to become one of the top art masters in the game industry.

Zeng Mi asked, "I didn't expect the story to be so captivating, and the gameplay is also incredibly original! I really hope to finish Dark Souls soon and then get started on creating Shadows Die Twice!"

Zeng Wenjie said, "We have to take things one step at a time. In two years, the hardware and technology will be able to support us in making it even more perfect."

Zeng Mi happily took the plan back, and after finishing her work on Dark Souls, she began to think about Shadows Die Twice.

Before we knew it, May had arrived.

Feng Xiao was working when she suddenly noticed ripples appearing in the water glass on the table.

This startled her, and she hurriedly said, "Leave your posts immediately, everyone get out and go to the open space!"

Not only did she sense the strangeness, but many others did as well, and as a result, squares everywhere were filled with people.

"How could there be an earthquake in Chongshan?" Feng Xiao was a little surprised.

Only after everything was settled did she direct her employees back to their work stations.

As soon as Feng Xiao moved the mouse, the computer screen lit up, and a news pop-up from Tencent appeared.

Then, when Feng Xiao saw this news, her pupils instantly trembled.

She had accompanied Zeng Wenjie to the place mentioned in the news, and the map she had marked at home instantly came to mind.

"Just as I thought!" Feng Xiao murmured as he sat in his chair.

Then, she thought of Tang Xi.

No wonder Tang Xi was willing to help Zeng Wenjie. It turns out that there was such a connection between these seemingly unrelated people.
Feng Xiao felt that all her questions about Zeng Wenjie were instantly resolved with this news.

Zeng Wenjie sat in front of the computer all day without going anywhere. He was still feeling uneasy, but he felt that he didn't need to be so anxious because someone else had already completed this task for him, and they must have done it even better than he had.

He started too late, so the level of support he could provide was very limited.

As expected, what was bound to happen did happen, regardless of human will.

He sighed, then took out his phone and called Feng Xiao, saying, "Aren't you going to call and ask me about it?"

Feng Xiao calmly replied, "There's nothing to ask. Such an absurd thing, no one would believe it if I told them." Zeng Wenjie smiled.

Feng Xiao replied, "This is a secret between us."

Zeng Wenjie didn't know what to say, so he just told her "see you tonight" and then hung up the phone.

He then immediately arranged for the foundation to raise funds from the public.

Today, the Tseng Wen-chieh Foundation is a relatively credible charitable organization. It has only raised funds from the public twice, but both times the results were very good.

Moreover, he consistently discloses financial details, ensuring that the destination and use of every donation are traceable, down to the cent.

But because of this, he has also faced more and more smear campaigns.

Zeng Wenjie decided to take advantage of the chaos and hired a large number of online trolls to smear him. They even claimed that he was an alien who had drowned as a child and was possessed by a water ghost, and that a car accident had left him paralyzed, after which he had his brain transplanted by a genius.

Of course, netizens cannot believe these outrageous smears.

As a result, almost no one believed the negative news about Zeng Wenjie. Even if there were some true reports about things that were unfavorable to him, people just watched it for fun and assumed it was all slander.

Mr. Yu responded immediately, donating two million yuan and rushing to the disaster area for relief efforts.

Zeng Wenjie didn't go, but he contributed a lot of money, and his family and friends approved of this.

With everyone united as one, the world has witnessed the solidarity and cohesion of the Chinese people.

Time flies, and 2009 has arrived. Dark Souls was officially released on April 2nd!
After its release, the game received a lukewarm reception in China, but its popularity swept across the entire Western world, with countless players flocking to the WG platform to purchase and experience Dark Souls.

Dark Souls had excellent pre-release marketing, so it became incredibly popular after its release. As a game created with a Western background, it naturally won the hearts of foreigners.

In just one week, it sold a whopping five million copies at the launch price of $26.9, and word of mouth continued to spread, with various posts about Dark Souls appearing online.

After a lukewarm reception in China, a flood of positive reviews from overseas reignited the interest of domestic players, leading to a surge in domestic sales.

After three months, total sales at home and abroad exceeded ten million units.

Moreover, it's not just Dark Souls that's making money; games listed on the WG platform have also attracted many new customers.

The overwhelmingly positive reviews and high sales of Dark Souls, in turn, boosted the sales of Hollow Knight.

After playing the game, Zheng Shouyun expressed his confusion. The game was a bit too hardcore for him... It was too difficult, and the various deaths were frustrating, but it seemed that players really enjoyed it.
A mere gatekeeper, Gundyr, managed to break Zheng Shouyun's defenses, but when he checked the achievements, he was astonished to find that 80% of the players had defeated Gundyr!
He is not among those 80%.

Although he didn't like the game Dark Souls, Zheng Shouyun felt proud of Game Science's achievements and didn't say a word when discussing Shadows Die Twice.

Just by looking at the planning documents for Shadows Die Twice, you can tell this is another exceptionally outrageous game...

After keeping a low profile for a whole year, Zeng Wenjie once again made his name explode on the internet. He and other key members of the game's creation team, such as Miyazaki Hidetaka and Feng Ji, went abroad to participate in the selection of various game awards, which can be described as making the most of the spotlight.

After completing Dark Souls, Chinese gamers began calling on Zeng Wenjie to create a game with a Chinese background. This call was so strong that it became a tidal wave, with players posting petitions one after another.

At the height of the hype, Zeng Wenjie held a press conference to announce that "Shadows Die Twice" had been officially launched, with Hidetaka Miyazaki and Feng Ji still serving as game planners and directors.

Moreover, Hidetaka Miyazaki's annual salary jumped to $600,000.

This time, no one called Zeng Wenjie an idiot for paying a Japanese person such a high salary.

That year, Jack Ma and Tony Ma strongly invited Zeng Wenjie to attend the Internet Summit held in Jiangnan Province, and he did not refuse again and gladly went.

The summit was held in a grand manner, with reporters from various media outlets holding up their cameras.

Jack Ma was somewhat surprised to find that Zeng Wenjie's eyes no longer seemed to hold any desire for money, but only a yearning for lasting fame...

After the summit began, the bigwigs entered one after another.

Zeng Wenjie did something that left everyone speechless: he walked up to the famous President Mu and slapped the woman next to him across the face!
The scene immediately descended into chaos...

Even as the security guards restrained him, Zeng Wenjie continued his tirade, yelling, "I've wanted to slap you across the face for ages! You dare bully Xiao Mu? And you, Mu, you're finished! I'll do nothing but take down your company! If I can't destroy you, I'd rather dissolve all the businesses I own!"

This harsh statement caused widespread shock.

The matter escalated significantly, even drawing the attention of high-ranking leaders.

With such big news, netizens are naturally curious as to why Mr. Zeng, who is known for his upright character, kindness to his employees, and broad vision, would suddenly lose his temper and slap a woman at such an important summit.

Thus, the foreshadowing that Zeng Wenjie had asked Teacher Sa to lay earlier took effect, and Mu Qingyang's past was exposed.

Zeng Wenjie's sudden loss of control initially displeased the leaders, but after understanding what happened, they felt that... it seemed questionable.
Ye Yixuan was stunned when she saw the news.

She remembered what Zeng Wenjie had said to her about three years ago—

If anyone bullies her, he will not hesitate to rush up and slap that person.

This incident made her realize that Zeng Wenjie wasn't just talking; he was serious.

Now the whole country knows that Zeng Wenjie and the Mu Group are at odds, and Zeng Wenjie is a deep partner of the behemoth Tencent, and has also deepened his cooperation with Alibaba since the last merchant conference held in Yanjing...

Two major internet giants are on his side.

Upon seeing the news, Mu Qingyang was stunned, and then tears streamed down her face.

Moreover, the whole world is supporting Zeng Wenjie, and even praising her for delivering that slap.

After Mu Qingyang's past was exposed, the Mu family's reputation plummeted. Coupled with Zeng Wenjie's relentless and ruthless attitude, their partners began to have second thoughts.

Tang Xi also said in public that she treats Zeng Wenjie and Mu Qingyang like her younger brother and sister, and that their affairs are also her affairs.

You can imagine how much weight this statement carries.

Zeng Wenjie was detained for almost two days before returning to Fengzhou.

This time, even though he hit someone, he seems to have become a hero?
Although Mr. Mu stated publicly that he would never accept compromise or mediation and insisted that Zeng Wenjie was maliciously smearing him, netizens did not seem to buy it and ridiculed him.

Upon returning to Fengzhou, Zeng Wenjie, without telling anyone, quietly arrived at the girls' dormitory building of Fengyuan that night.

Grandpa Dong came out of the gatehouse cursing, "Which idiot is disturbing my peace and quiet again? All they know is this kind of unoriginal confession!"

Then, he saw Zeng Wenjie and exclaimed in surprise, "Little Zeng?"

“Hey, Uncle Dong, I’ll be the least creative person today.” Zeng Wenjie asked his brothers 621 and 626 to help him arrange flowers into a heart shape and then light candles.

Immediately afterwards, he made a flamboyant phone call to Mu Qingyang, saying, "Someone else is confessing their love to you. Come down and light a cigarette by the railing!"

Mu Qingyang immediately ran down excitedly; she had so much to say to Zeng Wenjie.

After taking the lighter and lighting a cigarette by the railing, Mu Qingyang was taken aback and asked, "Nobody confessed to me!"

Zeng Wenjie chuckled and said, "You'll see when you come out."

Mu Qingyang had no choice but to go around to get out, where he saw Zeng Wenjie already standing in the sea of ​​flowers, holding a guitar and playing and singing Jay Chou's "Seven Mile Fragrance".

Mu Qingyang was stunned. Didn't Zeng Wenjie say that guys who do this kind of thing are the dumbest?!

"Come here." After finishing his song, Zeng Wenjie smiled at the stunned Mu Qingyang.

When Mu Qingyang walked up to her, he took out a diamond ring from his pocket, pulled her hand over, and put it directly on her ring finger.

Mu Qingyang was startled and said, "You haven't asked me yet?"

Zeng Wenjie, maintaining his domineering demeanor, said, "Why should I, Tolstoy, need to concern myself with the actions of others?!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingyang's lips twitched slightly, and he slowly said, "I knew it was you!"

Zeng Wenjie was taken aback and asked, "How did you know?"

"Besides you, who else can save my life?"

Mu Qingyang looked at Zeng Wenjie with gentle eyes, "I... I even know that this wondrous journey through time and space was started for me, right?"

Feng Xiao is clever, but isn't Mu Qingyang just as clever?
She spent more time with Zeng Wenjie and often heard him express his true feelings when he was drunk.

By carefully analyzing and peeling back the layers, the clever Xiao Mu gradually grasped the clues and deduced the underlying reasons.

The process of how Zeng Wenjie met and got to know her was full of coincidences that couldn't stand up to scrutiny.

Zeng Wenjie stood there, speechless.

Mu Qingyang smiled at him and said, "I told you, I'm a top student!"

Zeng Wenjie took a deep breath and said, "I've finally fulfilled my promise to Ninth Master... So, come home with me?"

Mu Qingyang's face visibly flushed red, and she shyly threw herself into his arms.

The surrounding students cheered and applauded.

At this moment, Lin Zhenshan pushed Zeng Wenjie's old-fashioned bicycle out and said, "The wedding car is ready for you!"

Mu Qingyang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Zeng Wenjie rode his bicycle with Mu Qingyang through the night, heading towards Yunhu Lake.

"So, I guessed right, didn't I?" Mu Qingyang asked softly.

"Yes."

What will I be like in that future?

“Robert…”

"Can't understand."

"You'll understand what I mean once Shadows Die Twice is officially released."

Mu Qingyang smiled, but felt that none of this mattered anymore.

Mu Qingyang said in a low voice, "So, Grandpa Xie has been gone for a long time, is that right? Only a promise to the deceased could make you care so much."

Zeng Wenjie said, "But I will always be with you from now on."

Mu Qingyang pressed her face against his gentle and broad back.

Ouyang Yun once said that it would be great if Zeng Wenjie had the ability to travel through time, so he could go back to when Mu Qingyang was a child and save her.

But at this moment, Mu Qingyang felt that everything was just right...

(End)

(End of this chapter)