Chapter 69

Chapter 16: Maximizing Benefits

After reading the report, Meng Dong was overwhelmed with emotion. He carefully examined Lin Feng from head to toe. Just as Lin Feng began to feel uneasy, wondering if Meng Dong had some hidden thoughts, Meng Dong exclaimed and grabbed Lin Feng's shoulder.

"Mr. Lin, you are the perfect candidate for the next issue of 'Chu City's Influential Figures'!" Meng Dong sighed. He had always thought that with his knowledge and determination, becoming the director of Chu City TV at the age of 35 was a significant achievement. However, compared to Lin Feng, his own accomplishments seemed insignificant.

Wang Yun was surprised by Lin Feng's achievements, but what intrigued her more was what happened while they were watching the report. As an on-site host, besides her knowledge, her ability to read people and her boldness and meticulousness were crucial.

When the three of them finished watching the report, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Lin Feng and Jiang Dan's hands seemed to be intertwined. However, when she turned to look more closely, they were sitting upright, eyes straight ahead. But the observant Wang Yun found a hint of evidence in the slight blush on Jiang Dan's cheeks.

Wang Yun giggled and whispered in Jiang Dan's ear, subtly pointing at Lin Feng, causing Jiang Dan's face to turn red.

Meng Dong's statement made Lin Feng's heart race. Since his commercial miracle had been recognized by Meng Dong, and Meng Dong was eager for him to appear on 'Chu City's Influential Figures,' he could use this opportunity to negotiate with Meng Dong about reporting the Daya Chemical injury incident.

However, with many people in the private room, to avoid any leaks, Lin Feng gave Meng Dong a look indicating they would discuss in detail later, then focused his attention on Jiang Dan and Wang Yun, who were whispering to each other.

After Lin Feng conditionally agreed, Meng Dong felt relieved. He was experienced and had a vague idea of what Lin Feng's conditions might be. After some silent calculations, he didn't say much more and changed the topic to something lighter. The five of them, especially with the two beautiful women, had a pleasant evening.

The next morning, Lin Feng went to Meng Dong's office.

"Mr. Lin, we've worked together before, so let's skip the formalities. What are your conditions?" Meng Dong was straightforward.

Lin Feng was slightly taken aback, not expecting Meng Dong to be so direct, but he didn't hesitate and laid out his thoughts and demands.

"I hope that the 'Chu Tian Style' program can report on the Daya Chemical injury incident and reflect the issue of the chemical plant being located near residential areas through your program," Lin Feng said.

Meng Dong nodded inwardly, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead: Could it be that from the beginning, when he suggested starting the 'Chu Tian Style' program, it was to report on the Daya Chemical incident through his program!

The more Meng Dong thought about it, the more suspicious he became.

Meng Dong wasn't wrong. Lin Feng's goal from the beginning was Daya Chemical. With Hu Xiaobing backed by his cousin, Deputy Mayor Hu Xiaoli, it was impossible to drive Hu Xiaobing out of Liaoyuan District through official channels. Lin Feng had to take an indirect approach, and exposing the issue through the media was the best way.

Realizing this, Meng Dong marveled at how young yet shrewd Lin Feng was, thinking that such a person must not be offended. However, he was also a bit annoyed that his program and himself had been used by Lin Feng.

But after a moment's thought, Meng Dong felt at ease. Being the director of the station seemed prestigious, but in reality, many things were still out of his control, manipulated by others. Being used by Lin Feng wasn't a big deal, and one more time wouldn't hurt. Moreover, Lin Feng was indeed speaking up for the people, which aligned with the original purpose of the 'Chu Tian Style' program.

"Mr. Lin, 'Chu Tian Style' can report on the Daya Chemical injury incident and help the residents of the coal chemical dormitory by reporting the issue of the chemical plant being near residential areas to the relevant departments. However, you must give an interview, and I will do a three-day special feature on you," Meng Dong said, determined to maximize the benefits.

"Alright!" Lin Feng didn't hesitate. Being low-key had its advantages, but being highly exposed as a public figure also had its benefits. If he had been a well-known figure in Chu City from the beginning, Deputy Mayor Hu would never have dared to act so openly against him.

After finalizing the details with Meng Dong and the planner Tian Fang, Lin Feng returned to the Lante District with Wang Yun and the cameraman. Wang Yun was responsible for filming Lin Feng's daily work routine and related industries, while Jiang Dan conducted a face-to-face interview with Lin Feng for a three-day special feature.

Liu Yingying applauded Lin Feng's decision to accept the interview. With the company facing administrative interference from some corrupt officials, increasing the company's visibility was a smart move, making it harder for the opposition to act against Lin Feng.

After filming a few scenes of his daily work, Lin Feng arranged for Wang Yun and the others to tour the company's other industries.

"Mr. Lin, the game has been cracked, and we've made a master disc," Luo Tao excitedly ran over, handing Lin Feng a CD.

"So fast?" Lin Feng was surprised.

"Hehe, yes, we didn't expect the game to have no encryption at all. It's completely open, so we just needed to translate and do some graphic work," Luo Tao shrugged.

"Alright, once the CDs are sold, I'll pay you the compensation," Lin Feng patted Luo Tao's shoulder, "I believe the sales will be excellent."

"Sure, we're confident. This game is really fun," Luo Tao was full of confidence.

After receiving the master disc, Lin Feng handed it over to the CD manufacturer he had contacted in advance, instructing them to expedite the production. For the first order, Lin Feng ordered 200,000 units. This number seemed daunting, but for this game, it wasn't a large volume. Especially with Lin Feng's strategy of selling at a low price, he believed the final sales would be quite satisfactory.

By this time, 24 hours after the video was uploaded, Dingdang.com had received 70,000 orders for 'Counter-Strike.' Each CD was sold at a low price of 20 yuan, with an additional 10 yuan shipping fee for each buyer—though more expensive than pirated versions, it was much cheaper than the original game. Spending 30 yuan on an eagerly awaited game wasn't too expensive, which was why the orders were increasing.

Roughly calculated, after deducting the cost of mass-producing the CDs (3 yuan each), packaging (3 yuan each), 40% profit to the Valve development team, and 1 yuan per CD to Luo Tao and his team, Lin Feng made a net profit of 9.6 yuan per CD. With 70,000 orders, that amounted to 672,000 yuan.

Seeing this number, Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. Even when signing the agreement with Tencent, he hadn't been so excited. After all, those stocks could only be sold after Tencent went public, but now he was making real money, which greatly alleviated the company's financial difficulties.

Moreover, the orders were still increasing. Lin Feng believed that as the game CDs were sold and the enthusiasm for the game spread across the country, sales would continue to rise.

Of course, Lin Feng could sell, and others could sell as well. However, Lin Feng wouldn't miss this opportunity to be the first. After negotiating with the father of CS, Minh Le, Minh Le ordered the blocking of all ports from mainland China. This meant that for a long time, anyone in China who wanted to play the game would have to buy it from Lin Feng.

Of course, the domestic pirated market was rampant, and some would inevitably clone and sell Lin Feng's CDs. However, Lin Feng wasn't worried. As long as he was the first to market, when the pirates became rampant, he could lower the price to cost and effectively put some pirates out of business.

Those who want to pirate my game will pay a price!