Horses and Games

[After thinking it over, I decided to post them separately. Since the new book had just been added to the library, posting at two different times would let readers from two time slots see it. Once the new-book period passed, I would switch back to posting them together at noon.]

In the first week of December, the skies above Mindu were cloudless and brilliantly blue.

Zhang Jun left Mindu's training center. Shadow Hunter would be competing in the Eight Min Two-Year-Old Championship: Dirt Race on the Friday of the third week of December, so she had arrived in Mindu two weeks early to prepare.

He had just watched Shadow Hunter's pre-race workout. The little girl, who was no longer all that little, was in excellent form and had performed exceptionally well during the workout.

Zhang Jun mounted his electric scooter and was about to head back when his phone rang. It was Luo Fei.

"Ajun, are you free tomorrow?"

Luo Fei's voice came through the phone, carrying a hint of seriousness. "A friend wants to discuss a business deal with you."

"A business deal?"

Zhang Jun was somewhat surprised.

Luo Fei chuckled. "That's right, a business deal. The leading domestic company specializing in horse-racing merchandise and games wants the production rights for merchandise based on several of your racehorses, as well as licenses to use their likenesses in games."

"Though their business is much larger than mine, their boss has been my friend for many years and is very trustworthy. If you're interested, come to XX Hotel tomorrow at noon. We can have a meal together."

Zhang Jun immediately understood.

The Huaxia horse-racing merchandise market was enormous, with hundreds of billions in capital circulating through it every year. Its products included horse plushies, holographic cards, standees, art books, figurines, decorated apparel, and horse-racing games.

It could be said that a popular racehorse could bring its owner a considerable income through merchandise sales alone.

"Alright, I'll be there tomorrow at noon," Zhang Jun agreed.

The next day at noon, in a high-end private room at XX Hotel in Mindu.

To show his sincerity, Zhang Jun arrived early and waited in the private room.

Creak—

The door to the private room opened, and Luo Fei entered with a middle-aged man in his early forties.

The middle-aged man wore a crew cut, gold-rimmed glasses, and a navy jacket. He had an air of shrewd competence about him.

"Ajun, you got here so early." Luo Fei walked toward the table.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Guo Feng, the founder of Fengxing Group. The enduringly popular Huaxia games Horse Racing Ranch and Legendary Jockey are both under his group. Just call him Uncle Guo."

Zhang Jun was surprised. Horse Racing Ranch and Legendary Jockey were the only two horse-racing games in Huaxia authorized by every racehorse, jockey, and trainer. They held data on millions of racehorses and tens of thousands of industry professionals throughout Huaxia's history.

These were currently the only two horse-racing games in Huaxia officially labeled as legitimate, and they were known domestically as living histories of the Huaxia racing world.

After becoming a horse owner, Zhang Jun had also purchased Horse Racing Ranch to learn about bloodlines and racing.

More importantly, Fengxing Group was the undisputed leader in Huaxia's horse-racing merchandise industry. It held merchandise licenses for seventy percent of the racehorses in Huaxia that had won Graded Stakes.

Zhang Jun rose to his feet and offered his hand. "Hello, Uncle Guo. I'm Zhang Jun. You can call me Xiaojun or Ajun."

Guo Feng shook Zhang Jun's hand. "Then I'll call you Ajun, just like Brother Fei does."

"Ajun, Brother Fei should have already told you what Uncle Guo wants to discuss with you this time, right?"

Zhang Jun nodded. "Uncle Luo already told me. It's about merchandise and game licenses for Shadow Hunter and the others."

The three sat down and ordered several dishes. After the waiter left the private room, Guo Feng looked at Zhang Jun.

"Then I won't waste words. I'll tell you my requirements directly."

"First, regarding exclusive game licenses, I want licenses for Shadow Hunter, Cloudstream Flying Shadow, the other four racehorses under your ownership, as well as your broodmares and yearlings.

"Of course, the main focus will definitely be Cloudstream Flying Shadow, who holds a CN1 title, and Shadow Hunter, who will soon compete in the Two-Year-Old Championship. The others are essentially included as extras."

He handed a document to Zhang Jun. "Then there's the release of racehorse merchandise. Since fans prefer powerful racehorses, for now I only need licenses for Cloudstream Flying Shadow and Shadow Hunter.

"Of course, if your other racehorses win Graded Stakes in the future, we'll produce their merchandise as well. It's all written in the document."

Zhang Jun took the document and flipped through it. Every clause was laid out in great detail.

It included game licensing fees for racehorses based on their achievements, licensing fees for breeding horses with poor racing results but outstanding breeding ability, and how much licensing payment would be given with every major game update.

It also specified how much additional payment would be provided if a racehorse's competitive results improved later on.

There were also merchandise revenue shares: how much Zhang Jun would receive from CN3 racehorse merchandise, how much for CN2, and how those shares would change when the horse's achievements improved. Everything was written out clearly.

"You don't need to worry about traps or unfair terms hidden in this document. Not only you, but Brother Fei, I, and other horse owners all use this same document for our licensing contracts.

"You can have Brother Fei take a look, or search online. You can find this contract on the internet as well."

Guo Feng took a sip of tea.

Luo Fei leaned over beside Zhang Jun and glanced through the document. "No problem. This is the same contract Afeng signed with me. Liu Yong should have an electronic copy too. You can ask him."

Zhang Jun took out his phone, messaged Liu Yong, and searched online as well. Whether it was the document Liu Yong sent him or the one he found online, both were completely identical to the paper contract.

After confirming there were no problems with the contract, Zhang Jun signed his name. There were three copies in total, one of which would be submitted to the authorities as a record.

By the time he finished reading the contract, some of the dishes were ready and began arriving in the private room.

With an additional source of income, Zhang Jun was in a good mood. Guo Feng had obtained the licenses, and Luo Fei would benefit as the intermediary who had facilitated the deal. The three enjoyed the meal to everyone's satisfaction.

Before leaving, Guo Feng called out to Zhang Jun. "Ajun, racing fans these days aren't satisfied with just watching races. They want to see another side of the racehorses.

"For example, what snacks does Shadow Hunter like? What is she like during training? What is she like when resting in her stall?

"These little details can bring racehorses closer to their fans more than the cold data on official websites ever could, building their popularity.

"Ranches and clubs started opening accounts on various platforms years ago to share their daily lives. You could try it too."

Hearing that, Zhang Jun thought of his ponies.

Shadow Hunter's greedy habit of rummaging through his pockets for horse treats whenever she saw him, Cloudstream Flying Shadow's spoiled way of nuzzling up to him on her own initiative, Wind-Chasing Hound's timid little ears peeking out from her stall, and Lightning Chaser's sparkling eyes whenever she saw him...

He truly wanted more people to see those moments and grow fond of his ponies.

"Alright, I'll open an account when I get back."

Zhang Jun said.

After returning to his school dormitory, Zhang Jun sat before his computer and created accounts on sites such as AB Station, WB, and Kuaiyin. He named them The Ponies' Daily Life and used Shadow Hunter as the profile picture.

After contacting the sites' customer service and adding proof that he was the horses' owner to the accounts, Zhang Jun spent a while selecting videos from his phone. He chose a clip for each pony, uploaded them to the accounts, and posted them.