ROSGT #### Chapter 43: Building a Gaming Community Platform
### Volume 1
#### Chapter 43: Building a Gaming Community Platform
In a teahouse filled with the sound of a melodious erhu, the number of guests was not high. Such places are far from fashionable, more accurately described as quaint and elegant. The patrons who frequent this place are often older, enjoying chatting, listening to tunes, and sipping tea in a refined atmosphere.
Today, however, this place called De Yun Teahouse had an unexpected visitor who seemed out of place.
This visitor was a beautiful woman.
When visiting a teahouse, especially one with such a strong classical flavor, regulars tend to wear relatively traditional attire, such as long robes. The most casual option would still be a traditional tunic.
However, this woman was dressed in an outfit that easily conjured up some less-than-pure thoughts—a black silk office lady (OL) uniform. The outfit, impeccably tailored, accentuated her fine figure. Her delicate face was adorned with a pair of black-rimmed glasses. She checked something on the portable computer strapped to her wrist, occasionally pushing her glasses up her nose with her middle finger.
Most of the teahouse patrons were elderly, discussing sophisticated topics that matched the highbrow nature of visiting a teahouse. Seeing this woman sitting by the window, the older guests felt somewhat unsettled.
A few discreetly patted the pockets containing their heart medication.
The black-silk-clad beauty had been sitting there for half an hour, but she didn’t seem impatient. In fact, she appeared far more composed than the increasingly restless elderly patrons. After half an hour, the people she was waiting for finally arrived—
Another beautiful woman, Fang Nan, pushed Ye Chui into the teahouse.
Ye Chui easily recognized which one was Xiao Zuo (Zuo Xiaoyou) because her photo had been shared online. Beautiful women always leave a strong impression, and seeing Zuo Xiaoyou in person, Ye Chui was still struck by her beauty.
Some women look stunning in photos but are quite ordinary in real life, or even disappointing. Other women might look average in photos but are very attractive in person. Zuo Xiaoyou belonged to an even more special category—she was already a great beauty in photos, but in real life, her aura was even more enchanting, making her a super beauty.
“Is it her?” Fang Nan pointed at Zuo Xiaoyou, her intuition stirring a faint sense of displeasure.
“It should be,” Ye Chui replied.
At that moment, Zuo Xiaoyou seemed to sense something, turning her head to meet Ye Chui's gaze. Ye Chui waved at her. Zuo Xiaoyou showed a moment of surprise, clearly recognizing Ye Chui as Professor X, but she seemed puzzled by the fact that he was in a wheelchair.
However, she quickly regained her composure, stood up, and walked over.
"Professor X?"
"Yes, that's me," Ye Chui smiled and nodded.
“Let’s formally introduce ourselves. I’m Zuo Xiaoyou,” she said, extending her hand.
Ye Chui shook her hand and introduced himself, “My real name is Ye Chui—Ye as in leaf, Chui as in everlasting.”
Zuo Xiaoyou repeated his name softly and then said with a gentle smile, “You created this new category of games. You will definitely be remembered forever.”
“Thank you,” Ye Chui smiled. If someone else had said that, he would have taken it as a compliment, but coming from Zuo Xiaoyou, it felt like she was genuinely serious.
"And this is?" Zuo Xiaoyou then turned to Fang Nan, who was standing beside Ye Chui.
Fang Nan was dressed casually in a short skirt and a pink T-shirt that complemented her fair skin, giving her a delicate and pure look. The elderly men nearby had their heart medications ready in their hands.
Hearing Zuo Xiaoyou’s question, Fang Nan responded with a soft smile, “I’m currently living with Chui.”
“...” Ye Chui was speechless. Well, it was the truth.
Zuo Xiaoyou seemed to understand something. She nodded slightly and gestured toward the nearby seats, “Let’s sit down and talk.”
Ye Chui’s wheelchair was positioned beside a pearwood table, and Fang Nan and Zuo Xiaoyou sat on either side.
Looking around, Ye Chui asked Zuo Xiaoyou curiously, “Do you like drinking tea? Why did you choose to meet at such a place?”
“I have no particular fondness for teahouses, but it’s relatively quiet here,” Zuo Xiaoyou explained simply.
She exuded an aura of extreme rationality, seemingly unaffected by strong emotions. She also disliked unnecessary small talk. As she answered Ye Chui’s question, she accessed a document on the portable computer on her wrist and said, “During this time, I created a simple model for the website. Take a look.”
Zuo Xiaoyou had agreed to help Ye Chui create a gaming information website. Originally planning to do it part-time, she now intended to fully commit to it after leaving the Software Alliance.
The webpage she showed Ye Chui was quite impressive—by this world’s standards.
Ye Chui glanced at the website without offering specific comments. He had other ideas for the site.
“You're not satisfied?” Zuo Xiaoyou asked, noticing Ye Chui's expression.
“Xiaoyou... Can I call you that? Now that you’ve resigned, your main income source will be this website, right?” Ye Chui asked.
“Yes,” Zuo Xiaoyou acknowledged.
“What will be the website’s main source of revenue?”
“Advertising,” Zuo Xiaoyou replied. “If the website has high traffic, advertisers will want to place ads. We’re creating a gaming information website. I have a hunch that if your new type of games become popular, many people will seek out strategies and information, giving the site great potential.”
“But you’re assuming the games will definitely become popular?” Ye Chui tested her. He was sure they would be, but what made her so confident?
“I am certain,” Zuo Xiaoyou nodded.
“Why?” Ye Chui continued.
Zuo Xiaoyou shrugged, “Consider it a gamble.”
“Then you will definitely win,” Ye Chui said with some emotion.
He certainly didn’t believe Zuo Xiaoyou had any personal feelings for him. Her decision was entirely based on her intuition that the games would become a sensation.
It might take several months or even years for the website to generate substantial income.
She was a decisive woman, confident in her choices.
And that was exactly the type of person Ye Chui needed!
Ye Chui smiled and said, “Advertising revenue might be the mainstream now, but it’s not very high... I have a proposal you might want to consider.”
“What proposal?” Zuo Xiaoyou showed interest.
“This website could incorporate some elements that other sites currently lack...”
Ye Chui began explaining, and as he spoke, Zuo Xiaoyou and Fang Nan’s eyes began to light up.
In this world, websites mainly functioned as news portals or discussion platforms. Tools for creating webpages were abundant, and there were various styles of sites, but something was always missing—
For a world where even a simple game like Link-Up could cause a sensation, the missing element was obvious: entertainment!
Since his last contact with Zuo Xiaoyou, Ye Chui had been refining this idea, and now it was mature.
Ye Chui proposed creating a gaming community platform!
What is a gaming community platform?
In another world, Tencent’s game client was a prime example!
Players from all over the world could play various casual games together on this platform. In this world, the concept of playing poker or mahjong with strangers online hadn’t even been imagined!
Of course, it was impossible to launch with hundreds of games right away. But card games could be included from the start, as they already existed in this world.
This world had entertainment software, which were electronic versions of traditional games like cards, mahjong, and go. Transferring these to the website was much easier than developing new games.
“Of course, playing poker often involves some stakes.”
Finally, Ye Chui got to the main point, displaying a mischievous smile.
“We can implement a points system, allowing users to exchange real currency for points. To play poker, they need to use points. We can even set up odds and betting. Card games like poker and mahjong have been around for countless years, and many people would love to play them with strangers worldwide, even if it means paying. This could bring in much more revenue than annoying ads—Xiaoyou, what do you think of my proposal?”