Chapter 58

"Is there still a lot of Game & Watch in stock?" Li Xu immediately asked.

"The sales of Game & Watch have been very good, exceeding expectations, but we still need to follow the initial plan," said Goro Yamashita, his tone becoming more cautious.

But Li Xu was not at all upset: "Alright, if you decide on the release date, remember to notify me so I can arrange the release time for the arcade game."

"Mr. Kujou..." Goro Yamashita called out.

"Don't worry, I'll discuss it with you when the time comes," Li Xu immediately added.

"I am deeply grateful." Goro Yamashita, understanding the meaning, breathed a sigh of relief.

After a few more exchanges, the call finally ended, and Li Xu shrugged.

He was mentally prepared for this situation. There were two things he needed to do in Japan: one was to record the Cantonese album with Deng Lijun, and the other was to evaluate the prototype handheld console that ran "Tetris."

Activision was established as he had expected, and one of its founders was the founder of Atari. Li Xu naturally invested some money and found a few programmers to develop "Tetris," which was then given to Nintendo for evaluation.

Nintendo's evaluation was naturally very high, and Goro Yamashita even claimed that it was the most suitable game for a handheld console. Since he was already coming to Japan, he decided to check out how it played in person.

Of course, he was not a professional game reviewer, but as the "creator" of the D-pad and "Tetris," he had every right to request an evaluation.

Moreover, he was well aware of how much profit "Tetris" could generate and how well it fit with the handheld console. Despite his seemingly indifferent attitude, he had his father keep track of all developments related to "Tetris."

However, the timing was not ideal. When he approached Nintendo, the Game & Watch was already being promoted and prepared for shipment. No matter how excellent the D-pad was, it could not delay the release of the Game & Watch.

Additionally, without seeing the actual game, they could not determine its potential. Therefore, the original release date and quantity of the Game & Watch remained unchanged.

In this era, supporting a handheld console with interchangeable game cartridges was technically challenging—while it was possible, it would make the device too large and heavy, which did not align with the handheld console's design.

The prototype "Tetris" console in Li Xu's hand was about the same size as the original Game Boy, just a bit longer, narrower, and thicker. The longer and narrower design was optimized for "Tetris" to make the screen more visually appealing, but the thickness was due to technical limitations.

Therefore, each Game & Watch had only one game. Given the large number of Game & Watch units already shipped, it was impossible to immediately release a new handheld console and game, especially one with a D-pad and "Tetris."

If they did, the previously released Game & Watch units would definitely become unsold, and while they wouldn't be completely unsellable, the sales figures would show a significant decline, which Nintendo could not accept.

This was the meaning behind Goro Yamashita's and Hiroshi Yamauchi's words. They hoped to clear the inventory of Game & Watch before discussing new handheld consoles and games.

If it were another game developer, they wouldn't have been so considerate, but Li Xu's status and influence were significant.

However, Li Xu was not particularly concerned. He had no particular interest in Nintendo and only saw game development as a cash cow. As long as Hiroshi Yamauchi was honest, he would not mind cooperating.

Of course, if Hiroshi Yamauchi tried any tricks, he would give them a memorable lesson.

As for the profits from games, that was a concern. Over time, as the industry evolved, games like "Breakout," "Space Invaders," and "Pac-Man" still generated revenue, but not as much as they did initially, even with Atari's planned ports.

Therefore, introducing new games was inevitable, and this was the reason for launching "Tetris."

Although it had to be delayed due to various factors, he could still introduce new games, such as the long-awaited "Donkey Kong."

"I love game development in this era," Li Xu thought to himself. In the age of pixel games, game development was much easier than it would be a decade later.

"That's it," Li Xu muttered to himself and looked over at the three women.

Despite her reluctance, Lin Qingxia was now obediently playing the handheld console, just like Lin Fengjiao and Deng Lijun, who were also playing very seriously.

Li Xu rubbed his chin, pondering how to deal with Lin Qingxia. He did not yet have a complete plan.

The Eastern Master was different from Lin Fengjiao and Deng Lijun. In another timeline, one became the woman behind Jackie Chan, living under a different name for over a decade, and the other retired before her untimely death in 1995, having little impact on the post-80s generation.

However, the post-80s generation in mainland China, even if they hadn't seen Lin Fengjiao's movies or only heard of Deng Lijun, few were unaware of the first female version of Dongfang Bubai.

Apart from the actor herself, the character's charm was truly unforgettable, no wonder people always praised Xu Lao Guai for his portrayal of women in films.

Fans often project their love for the character onto the actor, so even though Lin Qingxia retired in 1994, she still gained fans in the 21st century thanks to that movie.

Li Xu had once been one of those fans, so how to enjoy her and properly enjoy her was a question that required careful consideration.

Deng Lijun had been with him for a year and was not a strong-willed woman, so she was essentially his possession. Lin Fengjiao, who had stayed behind Jackie Chan for decades, was also easy to handle.

Only Lin Qingxia, who had been coerced over in a state of emotional distress, was a challenge. Wang Chuanpu and the others had used crude methods.

Never mind, no need to rush. He shrugged, knowing that he was patient and already had her in his grasp.

Then, Yamaguchi Momoe ran over, took small steps, and bowed deeply in front of Li Xu: "Young Master, the Lady has arrived."

"Ah?" Li Xu was immediately surprised, but before he could react, the living room door opened, and Mieko, dressed in her usual style, walked in.

"It's truly heartbreaking that you've returned to Japan twice and didn't even come to see your mother once," she sighed, walking up to him with a resentful expression.

"I remember telling you, Mother, that there was a high possibility I wouldn't return, and you agreed," Li Xu said through gritted teeth, forcing a smile.

"But that's just a high possibility, not an absolute one," Mieko said in a serious tone.

"..." Li Xu could only roll his eyes; being humiliated in front of his mother was the norm. "So, Mother, what brings you here?"

As soon as he said it, he wanted to slap himself. Sure enough, his mother immediately widened her eyes and looked at him with a "How could you say that?" expression: "Not coming to see me is one thing, but can't I come to see you?"

"Of course... I can..." Li Xu responded weakly, then secretly glanced at the three women.

Deng Lijun had already stood up; she had met Mieko before but kept her head down, her shoulders slightly trembling. Lin Fengjiao also stood up, pulling Lin Qingxia, who was completely confused, to her feet. However, she was also unsure of the situation, as her Japanese was not as good as Deng Lijun's.

However, the relationship between Taiwan and Japan was close, so they understood some of the words and, through guessing, understood the conversation. Lin Fengjiao couldn't help but look at Li Xu with surprise and bewilderment.

As for Lin Qingxia, although she was evasive, a hint of curiosity could be seen in her eyes.

"Ah, so these are the women you brought back from Taiwan?" Mieko temporarily let him off and looked at Lin Fengjiao and Lin Qingxia.

"You are well-informed," Li Xu said with a helpless tone. The servants here were hired by the Kujou family, so it was natural for his mother to know what he was doing if she wanted to.

Maybe I should consider buying another villa in Tokyo? The thought crossed his mind.

"They look decent," Mieko said coolly, looking them over from head to toe.

Then, she turned to Deng Lijun and switched to Chinese: "Deng-san, you know them, right?"

"Ah? Ah... Yes... Yes, Lady," Deng Lijun responded nervously.

"Then remember to teach them the rules. Otherwise, I will have the Kujou family's servants do it," Mieko said casually.

Deng Lijun was stunned for several seconds before meekly responding, "Yes." Lin Fengjiao, though, could not utter a word, standing there with her body tense. Even Lin Qingxia, who usually maintained a composed demeanor, just stared at Mieko, showing no further reaction.

"Alright, I've seen them, so I'll leave now," Mieko switched back to Japanese. "After all, my son doesn't want me to stay too long."

Her tone was still melancholic, making Li Xu want to pull his hair: "Did you come here just for this?"

"Coming with high hopes and leaving with them fulfilled, what's wrong with that?" Mieko chuckled and walked out.

Li Xu looked at Deng Lijun and the others, then at his mother walking out, and gave Yamaguchi Momoe a nod before following her out.

"Mother really has the spirit of an ancient person," he said with a complaining tone.

Mieko suddenly stopped, looked around, and the two servants following her immediately dispersed.

"I have a small question, Liangshi," she turned to Li Xu, looking at him seriously. "Can you really handle the relationships among them without any reservations?"

Li Xu was taken aback, then shrugged: "I'll give it a try."

"But..." Her eyes showed a curious interest. "Aren't you worried that one of them might stab you in the back someday?"

"Have you watched 'School Days'?" Li Xu asked seriously.

"Even though I don't know what it is, don't try to change the subject," Mieko wagged her finger.

"Alright," Li Xu sighed. "If that really happens..."

He shrugged and said with a nonchalant tone: "I'll deserve it."

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