APTnovel Chapter 313 Will you marry me today?
Chapter 313 Will you marry me today?
The elevator doors opened, and Lu Ran pushed his wheelchair out of the building.
A night breeze blew by, carrying the chill of early winter. He couldn't help but shrink his neck and pull his coat zipper up.
He took out his phone and sent Shen Yuege a message: "I'm off work, come pick me up."
Shen Yuege replied instantly: 【I'll be there in five minutes.】
Lu Ran put his phone in his pocket, sat in his wheelchair, and looked at the night view of the park.
He wanted to enjoy the cool evening breeze and even tried to stand up, but his bones seemed to have just healed, and it still hurt a bit when he stood up.
The office buildings in the distance were brightly lit, while the streetlights nearby cast a dim yellow glow on the ground.
Several employees who were working overtime came out of the building, saw him, paused for a moment, and then quickly walked over to greet him.
"Mr. Lu, are you still here so late?"
"Just finished a meeting." Lu Ran smiled. "You guys are working overtime too?"
"There's no way around it, the project is on a tight schedule." The employee scratched his head and said with a smile, "But it's worth it, League of Legends is so much fun, we're even playing the beta version while working overtime."
Lu Ran laughed: "Don't just play around, get the job done."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lu, I'll play after I finish the work." The employee chuckled and left with his colleague.
Lu Ran watched their retreating figures, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The beta version of League of Legends has been running internally for several days. People from the technical, operations, and marketing departments are all playing it and giving feedback as they play.
Some say a certain hero is too strong and needs to be nerfed; some say a certain skill's effects aren't cool enough and need to be optimized; some say the matchmaking system is unreasonable and needs to be adjusted.
Old Wang and his team in the technical department took every suggestion seriously. Those that could be changed were changed on the spot, and those that couldn't be changed were noted down for later revision.
This "testing all staff" approach, though tiring, is very effective.
Many problems were discovered and resolved before the official launch.
In the distance, Shen Yuege's car drove up and stopped in front of Lu Ran.
She got out of the car, took a folding wheelchair from the trunk, unfolded it, and pushed it to the side of the car door.
Lu Ran moved from the wheelchair to the passenger seat, a move he already performed with practiced ease.
Shen Yuege folded the wheelchair and put it back in the trunk, got into the driver's seat, and started the car.
"How's today?" she asked as she drove.
"It's alright." Lu Ran leaned back in his seat. "Chen Mo is here. We discussed the collaboration."
Shen Yuege was taken aback: "Chen Mo? The Chen Mo from Tencent?"
"right."
"He's here to discuss cooperation?" Shen Yuege's tone carried a hint of surprise. "Didn't he previously team up with Weibo to besiege us? Why is he suddenly here to discuss cooperation?"
Lu Ran smiled: "In the business world, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. They surrounded us before because we threatened their interests. Now they're talking about cooperation because they've realized that cooperation is worse than containment."
Shen Yuege thought for a moment, then nodded: "So what do you think? Have you agreed?"
"I've agreed," Lu Ran said. "But it's not a full-scale collaboration; we'll start small. Tencent will open up TUTU account login and traffic entry points, and we'll prioritize recommending Tencent games on TUTU. We'll work things out first and see how it goes."
While driving, Shen Yuege said, "Aren't you afraid Tencent will pull some tricks?"
"I'm scared," Lu Ran said honestly. "But despite the fear, we still need to discuss cooperation. In the current situation, it's unrealistic for Tutu Technology alone to keep EA and Sakura Games out. If we can join forces with Tencent, our chances of success will be much greater."
He paused, then continued, "Moreover, I have a pretty good impression of Chen Mo. Although we were rivals before, he was fairly disciplined and didn't resort to any underhanded tactics. This time, when he came to discuss cooperation, he adopted a very humble attitude, showing his sincerity."
Shen Yuege glanced at him: "You're quite magnanimous. You're not going to hold a grudge about them surrounding us before?"
"What's the point of arguing?" Lu Ran smiled wryly. "Business competition is all about each side working for its own interests. Put yourself in Chen Mo's shoes; if I were in his position, I probably would have been even more ruthless."
Shen Yuege didn't speak, but simply squeezed his hand gently.
The car stopped at the traffic light, and outside the window was the bustling night view of Shanghai, with neon lights flashing one after another, illuminating the entire street as if it were daytime.
"By the way," Shen Yuege suddenly said, "did Chen Mo mention collaborating with Weibo?"
"He did mention it," Lu Ran said. "He said the cooperation between Tencent and Weibo is a very loose framework, without any exclusive agreement. If we mind, he can go back and discuss with the company to gradually terminate the cooperation with Weibo. At least the blockade against Tutu Technology will definitely stop."
Shen Yuege raised an eyebrow: "Did he really say that?"
"Really." Lu Ran nodded. "And he said something that I think makes a lot of sense."
"What did you say?"
He said that under the current circumstances, Tencent and Tutu Technology share a common goal—to drive foreign capital out first. As for how to divide the domestic market, that's a matter for later.
Shen Yuege was silent for a moment, then said, "That's a nice way to put it. But do you think he's sincere, or just saying it?"
Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "I think at least part of it is genuine. Everyone can see EA and Sakura Games' ambitions. If they gain a foothold in the Chinese market, not only will Tutu Technology suffer, but Tencent will also be in trouble. So on this issue, Tencent and Tutu Technology's interests are aligned."
He paused, then said, "As for the rest, we'll see how things go. Cooperation is possible, but I won't place all my hopes on Tencent. My own products, my own users, and my own platform are what truly matter."
Shen Yuege nodded: "It's good that you think that way."
The light turned green, and the car continued driving forward.
Lu Ran leaned back in his seat, watching the city night view rushing past the window, his mind starting to wander back to those thoughts.
The development of League of Legends, the open beta of Three Kingdoms Kill, TUTU's goal of reaching 100 million daily active users, the encirclement by EA and Sakura Games, the cooperation with Tencent...
He had a lot of things to do, but he didn't want to think about them right now.
But when he turned to look at Shen Yuege, who was driving intently, he suddenly realized that he had indeed been paying less attention to her lately.
On the contrary, because of her leg injury, Shen Yuege took good care of herself.
She didn't mind at all when he recorded his own new album and didn't write a single song for her.
At that moment, Lu Ran felt a warm feeling in his heart.
Seemingly noticing Lu Ran's gaze, Shen Yuege also turned her head to look at Lu Ran:
"What are you looking at?"
"Looking at his wife."
"rogue."
"Hey, how am I being a pervert? I have a license, you know."
"Having a marriage certificate isn't enough; there was no proposal, so it doesn't count."
Hearing Shen Yuege's half-joking, half-serious words, Lu Ran was taken aback.
I was indeed oversimplifying things before. As a single person in two lifetimes, I don't have much dating experience.
Previously, since Shen Yuege did not object to or even agreed to be with him, he felt that everything should proceed naturally.
But Shen Yuege's seemingly unintentional words made Lu Ran suddenly realize that she also needed a sense of ritual.
Lu Ran kept this matter in mind.
Once his legs are healed, he will definitely give Shen Yuege a surprise, a really big surprise.
The car continued to speed along the elevated road, but suddenly a beautiful melody drifted from the side.
"The blooming flowers of spring take away the sadness of winter, the breeze brings a romantic atmosphere, and every love song suddenly becomes meaningful. And then, at this very moment, I suddenly see you..."
Shen Yuege looked at the passenger seat with a mixture of surprise and delight, and began to sing the song Lu Ran had once written for her, a happy smile on her face as she continued singing:
"The fragrance of spring flowers dispels the chill of winter, a gentle breeze brings unexpected love, the birds' songs draw us closer, and at this moment I suddenly fall in love with you..."
The two then smiled at each other and sang the rest of the duet:
"Listen to me, hold my hand, walk with me, and create a happy life. Yesterday is too late, tomorrow will be a pity, will you marry me today..."
At this moment, Lu Ran also asked himself:
Will you marry me today?
...