ROSGT ### Chapter 93: A Goldfish in the Pond
## Volume 1
### Chapter 93: A Goldfish in the Pond
Hearing Fang Xi's words, both Ye Chui and Fang Nan were inevitably shocked.
What had gotten into Fang Xi to make him so determined to lose weight...
"I want to lose weight" had essentially become Fang Xi's catchphrase. The fat guy would idly mumble about it, and then go on eating, drinking, and sleeping as usual, without taking any real action.
But this time was different. He had actually gone running, and saying it after coming back from a run gave his words a lot of credibility.
Fang Xi wiped the sweat off his face and went to his room to shower.
Ye Chui and Fang Nan exchanged looks.
"Could he have been hit by something? Did you scare him?" Ye Chui wondered aloud.
Fang Nan thought about it and said, "That can't be. I've lost my temper at him plenty of times before, telling him to lose weight, but he never actually started doing it..."
Ye Chui and Fang Nan had no idea that when Fang Nan was helping Ye Chui into the car last night, Fang Xi had mustered the courage to ask Chu Qingci out for dinner, only to be scornfully rejected.
Chu Qingci had been Fang Xi's idol and goddess, and though being rejected wasn't surprising, the events at the restaurant made him realize she was just an ordinary woman with a rather nasty personality.
This shattered the goddess image he had of her. Disappointed and heartbroken, he made an unprecedented decision to lose weight, determined to show Chu Qingci that he could be serious about it. Losing weight would be a piece of cake, and he could become a handsome guy!
Ye Chui and Fang Nan couldn't fathom Fang Xi's mindset, but they both concluded that Fang Xi probably wouldn't stick with it for long...
After breakfast, Robert arrived at the apartment for work.
Robert didn't live in the apartment; though there were empty rooms, Ye Chui didn't trust him enough yet, so he rented an outside place for him.
The Wolverine Studio continued working on Double Dragon, which would be completed within two days, just in time for release on Monday. Ye Chui was very pleased with this progress.
Street Fighter had been on sale for four days now, and sales had reached 1.2 million copies.
Although the sales pace had slowed down, this achievement was still impressive—1.2 million represented an income of 12 million!
"The success of Street Fighter was expected. Once my legs are treated, the next step is to expand the studio..."
Ye Chui thought to himself. Arcade fighting games were manageable with the current studio, but larger games would require a bigger team. Ye Chui needed to expand the studio.
He already had a preliminary plan for this.
The studio would still be based around the current five members, while outsourcing some development modules to other studios or small development companies.
Ye Chui was already keeping an eye on small software development studios and companies like the original Jianfan Studio, planning to integrate these small outfits in the future.
But the specifics would take some time to work out.
Ye Chui's ultimate goal in doing this, of course, was to build a substantial commercial empire, one capable of crushing the Cao family's vast business interests.
When Ye Chui had just become paralyzed, Cao Kang had used his family's influence to shirk responsibility and repeatedly humiliate him. This grudge had festered deep within Ye Chui, something he would never forget.
The grudge of having his legs broken was one he would never rest until avenged, and Ye Chui meant it.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ye Chui looked at his legs. "Now, let's see if I can stand up again soon..."
...
The Tiandi Plaza in front of the Tiandi Mall was packed with people; today was the day of the arcade fighting game tournament.
Zhang Xing had done a lot of publicity for the Street Fighter tournament, attracting many enthusiasts eager to test their skills.
The Street Fighter tournament didn't offer any substantial prizes—no cash, just medals, such as the Street Fighter Tournament Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals, and a host of participation awards.
All finalists would also receive a copy of the King of Comics magazine.
Ye Chui had printed 10,000 copies of the first issue, planning to distribute them for free at the event to advertise the magazine.
Because the King of Comics serialized the Street Fighter novel, many were curious about the magazine.
Ye Chui had originally planned to add a financial incentive, like an 8,000 to 10,000 yuan prize for the first place, but Zhang Xing's words changed his mind. "Everyone signing up is here for the game. Money isn't the main concern; it's about the honor."
This convinced Ye Chui to drop the idea.
Indeed, the people of this world were simple and easy to please—a medal was enough to make them very happy, while money was secondary...
Ye Chui's arrival naturally caused quite a stir.
Professor Cha was now seen as a godly figure, and if it weren't for Fang Nan holding him firmly, numerous crazy female fans might have shamelessly groped him...
Zhang Xing had initially planned for Ye Chui to give a speech or something, but Ye Chui wasn't interested. He was just there to observe, and Zhang Xing didn't push it. After a quick word with the MC, the Street Fighter tournament, sponsored by the Golden Sun Entertainment Center, officially began.
The plaza was lined with over a hundred arcade machines, neatly arranged and numbered. Anyone could participate with their optical brain, and after clearing the game, the special system in the arcade machine would record the optical brain's IP address for the finals.
The finals would then be determined by the clearance time.
Ye Chui found this competition format boring, but everyone else was highly enthusiastic, crowding around each arcade machine in layers.
Even Fang Xi and Robert weren't idle—they went straight to participate.
"This arcade tournament is really boring, but the people's entertainment level here is so low that they can find great enjoyment in this... Real electronic sports are still CS, Warcraft, and DOTA. At the very least, it should be KOF head-to-head."
Ye Chui thought disdainfully.
Those kinds of electronic sports were genuinely exciting. In the future, he definitely wanted to bring real electronic sports to this world!
Ye Chui was just there to take a look. He had an appointment with Zuo Xiaoyou to visit the lab this afternoon, and now he was glad the two events overlapped, allowing him to slip away.
Just as Ye Chui was about to leave with Fang Nan, Zhang Xing suddenly approached him.
"Mr. Ye, do you have a moment? I have a friend I'd like to introduce to you."
...
Tiandi Plaza covered a vast area, and the Street Fighter tournament had attracted tens of thousands of people.
"I did it! I'm in the finals!"
A cheer went up as someone controlled Ryu, defeating nine opponents in a row and qualifying for the finals.
This was a student—Huang Xiaoming.
"The system has recorded your optical brain IP. Please come to the finals at 3 PM. Additionally, you can claim your prize at the podium with your optical brain IP," a notification appeared on the arcade machine.
The prize was a copy of the first issue of King of Comics.
Huang Xiaoming had skipped school to participate in the tournament, largely because he was interested in the novel version of Street Fighter. Now, he eagerly claimed his magazine.
Looking at the exquisitely packaged cover, completely different from other popular magazines, Huang Xiaoming's eyes lit up.
"This magazine looks so unique, completely different from those comic magazines!"
Huang Xiaoming found a bench in the plaza and eagerly started reading.
Initially, he wanted to quickly read the Street Fighter novel, but he was soon captivated by the Dragon Ball story at the beginning.
"This isn't a comic; this storytelling style... is so unique, and this Dragon Ball story is really interesting!"
Huang Xiaoming was immediately drawn into the Dragon Ball story, eagerly reading through it.
Then came Slam Dunk—
"Wow, this Sakuragi Hanamichi is so pitiful, getting rejected over fifty times..."
The Street Fighter novel was in the middle of the magazine, but Huang Xiaoming was so engrossed in the comics that he skipped the novel and continued with the other comics.
Yu Yu Hakusho—
"This guy, Yusuke Urameshi, is so pitiful, dying in a car accident while saving a kid, only to be told his death was unnecessary."
Next was Wind and Cloud.
"A golden fish in the pond transforms into a dragon when it meets wind and cloud! Such a powerful line!"
Finally, Batman.
"Because of his childhood experiences, Bruce Wayne became Batman. The art style is so dark, but it's so cool!"
After reading all five serialized comics in one go, Huang Xiaoming was full of admiration.
"This comic story format is so interesting. I've never seen anything like it before, and this is only the first issue... I've decided, I'm going to buy every single issue of this magazine from now on!"
At this moment, "A golden fish in the pond" had truly become the embodiment of King of Comics.