Meanwhile!
Zhongjing.
Director's office, Marketing Department, Yiyou Platform.
"Senior, I really have to thank you this time."
Chen Hang, vice president of Xingmang Games, sat in the lower seat. He respectfully poured the tea, then cupped his hands and offered it to Sun Guoping across from him.
"You really thought this through, Senior."
"Not only did you boost our votes on the rankings, you also suppressed Golden Wind."
After all!
As a company primarily producing small and mid-sized games, Chen Hang's greatest concern lately had been the newly emerged Golden Wind.
Not only because their core businesses overlapped, but also because Golden Wind had snatched the sales chart championship from Xingmang twice in a row.
Xingmang could not tolerate that.
After all, they did not have the clout of Xunteng, the industry leader, which could simply acquire any competing studio it wanted.
Since they could not assimilate them, they could only suppress them.
Fortunately!
Chen Hang had learned that Golden Wind had never had much contact with Sun Guoping's side.
Not only had it failed to come pay its respects, it had not even shown any intention of currying favor.
So Chen Hang had taken the initiative to suggest that they "keep Golden Wind down a little."
As for Sun Guoping.
He had never received any "gesture" from Golden Wind either, and had long felt that the company did not know the rules.
After all, Golden Wind had claimed the sales championship for two consecutive weeks with just two games!
With results like that, they did not know to come visit a platform executive like him and show a little gratitude?
Just like that, the two hit it off.
Under Sun Guoping's secret instructions, a trusted engineer first covertly altered Vampire Survivors' ranking refresh logic, ensuring that it could only linger on the later pages of the refreshed rankings.
Then, on the day before the settlement.
Sun Guoping directly swapped Brother's Big Adventure and Vampire Survivors' first-round vote totals in the backend.
Such conduct was already in serious violation of the "Two Musts, Three Never" policy Yan Sheng had repeatedly emphasized at the meeting.
But Sun Guoping merely laughed it off without a care.
Give him a break. The company had always forbidden people from abusing their authority for personal gain.
When had he ever gotten burned?
This unwritten rule had been in place for years. It had long become standard practice within the company.
What "Two Musts, Three Never" nonsense.
It was just a performance, the three fires a new official lit after taking office.
It was only meant to warn the little underlings. It would never burn Sun Guoping.
After all, he was one of the company's old guard.
"Just lending a hand, hehe."
Sun Guoping took the tea Chen Hang offered and chuckled.
"If I don't help my junior brother, who should I help? Outsiders?"
"Besides, Xingmang is more mature and stable by comparison."
"Opportunities like this should naturally go to more reliable companies, so they can be put to their fullest use!"
Sun Guoping made his speech sound thoroughly righteous, never mentioning the money he had taken.
Chen Hang nodded repeatedly from across the table. "Right, right, right. You really do have farsighted vision, Senior."
"This opportunity was absolutely right to give to me. Ordinary people couldn't handle it anyway!"
With that!
The two raised their cups, drank together, and burst into laughter!
"Alright, then I won't disturb you any longer, Senior."
After finishing his tea, Chen Hang set down his cup and stood.
"You're busy with official business, so I'll be going. Once this Development Festival is over and you're properly free, I'll treat you to a few drinks!"
After bidding Sun Guoping farewell!
Chen Hang walked out of the office in high spirits.
Humming a tune, he reached the elevator lobby and pressed the button.
Ding!
Before long, the elevator chimed and its doors opened.
A young girl stepped out, followed by a dignified woman who looked like her sister.
As they passed each other, Chen Hang glanced at the pair. His greedy gaze swept over the two women, and he clicked his tongue.
Then, without giving them another thought, he stepped into the elevator.
Ding-dong—
As the elevator doors slowly closed.
Chen Hang vaguely heard a young girl's sharp voice coming from the reception desk.
"Your boss is called Yan Sheng, right? Is he here? I'm here to ask him about something."
What a feisty little girl!
The girl's sudden arrival caught the receptionist off guard.
Though she had no idea why the girl had come, the girl looked imposing, with a woman who seemed like an assistant standing behind her.
The receptionist did not dare neglect her. She hurriedly stood up, put on a smile, and asked.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Shen Miaomiao, CEO of Golden Wind Game Company."
That was right!
The person who had come was none other than Shen Miaomiao, who had rushed over by high-speed rail to demand an explanation!
"Uh..."
The receptionist hesitated.
Golden Wind?
She had never heard of it. It did not seem to have visited before, either.
"May I ask what business you have here? Do you have an appointment with CEO Yan?"
the receptionist asked.
"No appointment. I don't need one either."
Shen Miaomiao shook her head, then said.
"Go tell CEO Yan that someone from Shen Wanlin has come to see him."
"Then... alright. Please wait in the seating area over there while I report this."
The receptionist politely gestured for Shen Miaomiao to wait.
Normally, anyone without an appointment would not be able to see Yan Sheng, and the receptionist would have turned them away immediately.
But today was different.
Although the receptionist did not know Shen Miaomiao's background, she did not dare underestimate the girl's imposing manner.
She immediately called the boss's secretary.
"Secretary Li, this is the front desk. A visitor named Shen Miaomiao is here. She's the CEO of Golden Wind Game Company and claims to be associated with Shen Wanlin."
"Could you see whether CEO Yan has time right now?"
"Who?!"
Inside the CEO's office at Yiyou Platform.
Upon hearing the secretary's report, Yan Sheng jolted and looked at her with a trace of panic in his eyes.
"Who did you say came to see me?"
After all!
Yan Sheng had always presented himself within the company as calm and wise.
The secretary had never seen anything that could make their boss look so flustered!
For a moment, she hesitated.
"The CEO of Golden Wind Game Company. Her name is... Shen Miaomiao."
"No, the part after that."
"Oh. She said she was associated with Shen Wanlin."
The secretary answered.
"You know her?"
Damn it.
Yan Sheng's heart skipped a beat!
It was normal for the receptionist and secretary not to know Shen Wanlin.
But how could he, the head of a subsidiary under a well-established enterprise, not know that man?
The man steering Shen's Capital, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, with countless holding groups under his control and business interests spanning real estate, technology, healthcare, mining, and more.
Though he kept a low profile, he definitely held a place among the country's top ten business tycoons!
And now!
A young girl surnamed Shen, who claimed to be associated with Shen Wanlin!
Who else could she be?!
If she was not his daughter, she had to be some close relative!
How could Yan Sheng dare neglect her? He stood up, grabbed his suit jacket, and put it on as he spoke. "He's a major entrepreneur. I know him, but he may not know me."
The secretary sucked in a breath too!
"Then... CEO Yan, according to the receptionist, this girl sounded pretty aggressive. She doesn't seem to be here to discuss cooperation. It seems more like she's here to demand an explanation."
Yan Sheng nearly collapsed to the floor. He looked at the secretary in alarm. "The receptionist didn't give her an overly harsh attitude, did she?"
"No. Didn't you instruct us that the front desk should always receive guests with a smile?"
The secretary shook her head.
"Besides, the receptionist saw that the girl was young but spoke boldly, so she didn't dare act rashly. She politely asked them to wait outside."
"Well done."
Yan Sheng quickly gave a thumbs-up.
"Give the receptionist a red envelope at the end of the month as a reward."
She had helped him tremendously!
In his heart, Yan Sheng thanked the receptionist's ancestors for eight generations.
Luckily, none of those cliché novel situations where people looked down on others had happened.
Otherwise, if he offended this young lady, he would truly be in deep trouble.
With that, Yan Sheng finished dressing, pushed open the office door, and hurried straight toward the reception sofas.
The moment he stepped into the corridor, before he had even reached Shen Miaomiao, a flower-like smile had already spread across his face.
"CEO Shen! CEO Shen, hahaha—what an honored guest—"
"I had no idea CEO Shen would be visiting. Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you sooner—"
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