I Really Didn't Mean to Make Money

Seeing the 1,500 yuan transfer amount, Zhao Lingling immediately realized—it was the meal subsidy that Assistant Shen had just mentioned.

“Ling-jie, it looks like the meal subsidy money has been transferred,” Zhou Chen said after checking her phone.

“Mm, don’t overthink it. Let’s just work from home tomorrow,” Zhao Lingling decided directly. She couldn’t figure out what the company could possibly be trying to scam them for.

Money?

Unlikely.

After all, both their salaries and meal subsidies had been transferred in advance.

People?

Impossible as well.

They were being told to work from home—how could they be scammed for anything in that case?

—

Cangxue Games.

“President Meng, we have no options left. Although Tianlong has undergone numerous updates, we are still experiencing a massive player exodus. At this point, the majority of the game’s revenue comes from just a few whales.”

Zheng Hongyun slumped onto the couch, looking dejected. Tianlong was once the company’s flagship game, dominating the gaming scene and serving as the company’s primary revenue source.

However, in the past two years, due to a series of poor decisions, the company had introduced a large number of premium weapons for paying players, which completely disrupted game balance.

As a result, mid- and low-spending players found the game experience unbearable and left in droves.

By the time the company realized the mistake, Tianlong’s reputation had already plummeted, and it was too late to reverse course.

In this genre of games, competition was fierce. Once players left, bringing them back was nearly impossible.

With the flagship game in decline and no successful new releases to replace it, the company’s revenue had been operating at a loss for a long time.

To make matters worse, a massive investment into a new game last year had completely flopped. The game’s earnings could barely cover the operational costs of existing games.

Before long, the company’s cash reserves became strained. If no one stepped in to acquire it, bankruptcy was inevitable.

Meng Lei rubbed his temples in frustration. He had been monitoring the situation closely over the past few days, but at this point, there was little he could do.

“If no solution presents itself, we can only hope someone on the business trading platform takes over. Otherwise...”

His words trailed off, ending with a long sigh.

Zheng Hongyun sighed along with him. Even though Meng Lei hadn’t finished his sentence, he knew exactly what was left unsaid—

It was only a matter of time before they went under.

“I wonder if anyone will take over...”

The listing had been on the trading platform for a long time, yet there were still no interested buyers.

—

The Next Day.

Changfeng Garment Factory, Office.

“President Chen, pleasure doing business with you!”

Li Maode closed the freshly signed contract and enthusiastically shook Chen Mo’s hand.

In less than a month, Chen Mo had already rented two workshops from him, making him an undeniably valuable client. He couldn’t afford to be careless.

“Pleasure doing business,” Chen Mo replied with a smile before directly transferring the 450,000 yuan rental payment to Li Maode.

Seeing the payment confirmation, Li Maode’s grin grew even wider.

In all his years managing the industrial park, Chen Mo was by far the most decisive client he’d encountered.

After watching Li Maode leave, Chen Mo had just settled into his chair to take a short break when his phone rang—it was Tang Qiu.

Chen Mo quickly answered the call.

“Attorney Tang, how’s the company acquisition looking? Can we go through with it?”

“It’s possible, but there are some details I need to clarify with you in person.”

“Alright! Let’s meet at the same café as last time.”

Chen Mo immediately agreed.

After hanging up, he took Shen Rou along and instructed Yang Dahai to drive them to the café.

—

At the Café.

“Attorney Tang, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Upon arriving at the café, Chen Mo quickly spotted Tang Qiu and walked over with Shen Rou. He had instructed Yang Dahai to wait in the car.

“Not at all, I just got here myself,” Tang Qiu said with a smile.

However, her gaze soon landed on Shen Rou, and she raised an eyebrow.

Was this President Chen’s girlfriend?

Chen Mo noticed her expression and introduced her.

“This is my new assistant, Shen Rou.”

“And this is Tang Qiu, Attorney Tang.”

Shen Rou quickly greeted her politely.

Tang Qiu smiled and nodded, though her gaze toward Chen Mo grew more skeptical.

A company with only twenty or thirty employees, yet he had already hired a personal assistant?

Chen Mo was clearly up to something.

“Attorney Tang, what would you like to drink?”

After sitting down, Chen Mo asked.

“Anything’s fine.”

Tang Qiu replied indifferently.

Chen Mo signaled the server and ordered three cups of the café’s signature coffee.

“President Chen, here’s the information I gathered on Cangxue Games. Take a look.”

Without waiting for the coffee, Tang Qiu pushed a prepared file toward him.

Chen Mo took the documents and quickly skimmed through them.

Just as he expected—the company was running at a loss.

Perfect.

This was exactly what he needed.

It would allow him to spend more of the system’s funds while ensuring minimal revenue.

And with this acquisition, he could leverage internal resources to reclaim his dignity in the game.

Absolutely flawless.

“What do you think?”

Seeing Chen Mo finish reading, Tang Qiu asked.

“Not bad.”

Chen Mo smiled and nodded.

...

Tang Qiu’s expression froze.

She hadn’t expected him to describe an almost-bankrupt company as “not bad.”

But after recalling his acquisition of the garment factory, she let it go.

President Chen never followed conventional logic anyway.

After a moment’s hesitation, she voiced her concerns.

“This gaming company has been losing money for a while—you saw the numbers. If you take over, there’s a high chance of continued losses.”

“There’s also another issue—the company currently has 34 employees. If you proceed with the acquisition, do you plan to dismiss them or retain them?”

Tang Qiu laid out the pros and cons in detail. As for Chen Mo’s decision, that was entirely up to him.

Chen Mo nodded as he listened.

Keep the employees, of course!

That way, he could spend even more on salaries.

Without hesitation, he said, “No problem. I’ll proceed with the acquisition.”

Tang Qiu nodded. She had gotten used to Chen Mo’s decision-making style, so his response wasn’t too surprising.

“Then we just need to discuss the price. Given this company’s current state, if you’re patient in negotiations, you might be able to acquire it for less than 1.5 million yuan.”