Chapter 1308: Matchmaker?

In the scorching summer, the capital.

Zhao Fusheng, having returned to China, suddenly found that his time seemed to be insufficient.

It was already June, with two months left until the wedding, and there were still many matters to handle. A mountain of company documents awaited his review, and even Ye Jing from Future Film had approached him, asking if they could collaborate with Hong Kong.

Not only that, but over at Future Technology, the internal testing of World of Warcraft had ended and the open beta had officially begun, giving everyone a huge surprise.

Even Dong Guoxiang himself had never imagined that World of Warcraft would be so popular.

"At this growth rate, barring any surprises, this year's profit is expected to exceed fifty million US dollars," Dong Guoxiang reported to Zhao Fusheng with a joyful expression.

Fifty million US dollars.

And this was only the first year.

Even Zhao Fusheng was beaming with joy at this moment.

After all, the agency fee for World of Warcraft was only a little over fifty million US dollars, and that was for three years.

In other words, over time, this three-year agency deal would earn him at least over a hundred million US dollars.

A profit return of three hundred percent—Zhao Fusheng was thoroughly satisfied at this moment.

"Increase investment in promotion and publicity," Zhao Fusheng said seriously, looking at Dong Guoxiang. "Also, contact Blizzard to see if we can extend the agency rights for a few more years."

As he recalled, World of Warcraft had been extremely popular for several years. It wasn't until Dungeon & Fighter appeared that another game could rival it, and later came League of Legends. However, the latter was a game from Tencent Technology. Although Zhao Fusheng was interested, he thought better of it. He was a shareholder of Tencent Technology, and Ma Huateng had treated him well, never making a move on his five percent stake. It was better not to poach from him.

Dong Guoxiang nodded: "I know. I've already contacted Future Investment through headquarters to send someone to negotiate with Blizzard."

He paused, then hesitated: "I'm thinking, maybe we could consider acting as an agent for other Blizzard games?"

Clearly, this attempt had given him a taste of success, and Dong Guoxiang was considering whether they could use this channel to make Future Technology bigger and stronger.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng gently shook his head, rejecting Dong Guoxiang's idea.

"There's no need," Zhao Fusheng said seriously, looking at Dong Guoxiang. "If you act as an agent for someone else's games, you'll eventually face the issue of agency rights. What if they don't grant us the rights? Will the company just stop operating?"

Dong Guoxiang fell silent. Upon reflection, he had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was right. Any company or enterprise that entrusts its survival to others risks falling into danger at any time.

If Future Technology became a game agency company, it could certainly earn substantial profits in the short term, but from a long-term development perspective, it would bring no benefits at all.

"Within three to five years, the profits from World of Warcraft will be enough to ensure Future Technology's leading position in the industry, so you'll have ample funds to recruit people." Zhao Fusheng looked at Dong Guoxiang and said word by word, "The situation with Xiaonei and Kaixin can't last forever. You should also know that many people are eyeing Blog.com, wanting to acquire it from us. So I believe the development of the internet will enter a new phase."

He wasn't exaggerating.

In Zhao Fusheng's memory, internet development over the next few years would enter a high-speed period. With Baidu's listing this year and the rise of blogs, people increasingly liked to share their feelings online. Various forums sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Consequently, the internet began to enter millions of households, especially for the post-80s generation; the internet had become an indispensable part of their lives.

By next year, video websites would emerge, and then familiar names like Youku, Tudou, and 6.cn would begin to appear on the internet.

These sites not only attracted netizens' attention but also investors' targets. Many thought making video websites could bring big money, so they rushed in excitedly, only to suffer disastrous losses.

To be fair, Zhao Fusheng didn't plan to participate in this gamble, because he knew very well that the money he had now, though seemingly a lot, could easily be lost entirely if he actually fell into this pit.

His money didn't come from the wind. Zhao Fusheng didn't want to throw a meat bun at a dog and never see it again.

So, his target was website construction and program development.

After all, Apple's iPhone was about to go on sale in the United States. With the popularity of smartphones, various APP programs would appear in people's sight and quickly become their favorites.

"Do you know Jiayuan.com?" Zhao Fusheng smiled and asked Dong Guoxiang.

Dong Guoxiang was startled: "What's that? A website?"

Obviously, Zhao Fusheng asking him this question must have a reason. From a business perspective, only websites or programs would interest Zhao Fusheng and prompt him to ask.

Although Dong Guoxiang was slow, he wasn't stupid. He could figure this out.

"A dating website." Zhao Fusheng laughed and said to Dong Guoxiang, "It's perfect for an older single guy like you."

Faced with his teasing, Dong Guoxiang looked helpless and said speechlessly, "I think the first part was fine, but the follow-up was completely unnecessary, wasn't it?"

He paused, blinked, and said, "I'm still young. No need to rush, right?"

After all, he was only two years older than Zhao Fusheng, just twenty-eight this year. In Dong Guoxiang's view, he perfectly fit the standard of a golden bachelor.

Of course, he was still a bit short of being a diamond bachelor.

Seeing this guy full of confidence, Zhao Fusheng was speechless. All his subordinates seemed to be single-minded; now that they had achieved success, none of them were in a hurry to find a partner, making it seem like the boss was more anxious.

"Who cares if you get married?" Zhao Fusheng glared at Dong Guoxiang and said seriously, "What I mean is, we should acquire this website, and you lead the team to promote and operate it, understand?"

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Dong Guoxiang was stunned. It took him a while to come to his senses, staring at Zhao Fusheng in disbelief: "You mean, I should play matchmaker?"

At that moment, Zhao Fusheng felt very helpless. Could this guy be sent by God to mess with him?