novelraw Chapter 145: Two Directions
Chapter 145: Two Directions
Si Jinliang and Shi Wanglin were stunned.Genuinely stunned.
They hadn’t expected that Tang Yao not only overhauled the game’s entire ruleset—She even brought prebuilt decks?!
Seriously,How did she even pull this off?!
Having a boss like this was just way too much pressure.
Especially for Si Jinliang, who stared down at the papers in his hands like they weighed a thousand pounds.
She looks so cute,But how are the rest of us supposed to survive like this!?
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”Tang Yao tilted her head, noticing their strange expressions.
“……”The two of them looked back at this stunningly beautiful girl.
What’s wrong?They had no words.
Still,Since they hadn’t played the actual game yet, and plenty remained to be tested, they stayed quiet for now. They just gave Tang Yao a strange look, then dove into setting up the prototype match, waiting for her to provide the detailed card data. Meanwhile,That tiny two-man Dou Pai team had entered full-on battle mode...
At the same time,Outside the studio,FGO’s popularity kept climbing.
A lot of major game companies saw the momentum—and could no longer sit still.
Even though the revenue for this new update hadn’t been officially released,Industry veterans and internal analysts could all see the signs clearly:
It was raking in cash.
2D-themed games were printing money.
That Avalon Studio was riding one heck of a lucky streak.
Very quickly,Many big companies—some openly, some subtly—announced they’d be launching mobile games too.
And yep, they were all 2D.
Like some unspoken agreement, everyone started hyping up the 2D mobile game trend together.
At first, when FGO launched, some people had doubts—thought it was a fluke.
But now, with the latest version even more popular than before, and ANF—a site built for 2D content—rising with it?
All the old foxes instantly realized: this market had huge potential.
It was clear—A wave of 2D mobile games was coming.
And FGO, the first mover, was now profiting big—quietly but massively.
These companies were hyping up 2D mobile games, but none of them had theirs ready yet.All that momentum?It circled back to FGO.
Of course,Their goal wasn’t just to promote FGO out of kindness…
They’d noticed ANF, too.
Besides warming up the market for their own future games, this strategy helped get players used to the idea of 2D mobile games before launch.Because when their games were ready,They sure didn’t want to have to promote them on ANF.
Especially once word got out—That ANF had been acquired by Avalon Studio.
And Avalon was a direct competitor in 2D games.
Letting their titles be promoted on ANF?That was handing the fox the keys to the henhouse.
Even if Avalon played it straight—Everyone knew, it’s always better to have your own channels.
For those big publishers,This was just the beginning of the channel wars.
That’s why,While others were stirring the pot and launching campaigns,Avalon stayed quiet, slowed their external marketing, and simply leaned into ANF’s built-in ecosystem to lock in their user base.
Internally at Avalon,Core resources had already started shifting… toward a new product.
Because the studio’s biggest resource—Tang Yao herself—had already pivoted to Dou Pai.
And as Tang Yao wrapped up the descriptions and mechanisms for the Control Warrior and Zoo decks,Avalon Studio officially upgraded to a company.
Internal departments were restructured.New office spaces were assigned.
Everything was falling into place.That part was all managed by Li Xue.
Tang Yao didn’t really get involved—she didn’t seem worried at all.
So far, the only major change was ANF moving to the floor below.
New Year’s Eve.
The final day of the year.
Tang Yao handed the finalized card descriptions and gameplay rules to Si Jinliang and Shi Wanglin.
They were overjoyed.Immediately set to building both decks to test them out.
After watching them go,Tang Yao suddenly found herself… idle.
She wasn’t used to it.
She sat at her desk and spaced out for a bit.
FGO had kept her so busy for so long—One thing after another.She’d grown used to that rhythm.
Now, FGO still needed work—but not urgently.And Dou Pai would take some time.
“What are you thinking about?”Li Xue’s voice pulled her back.
Tang Yao looked up at the graceful figure beside her and smiled brightly. “Nothing much… How are you holding up? Tired?”
“I’m okay.”Li Xue pulled up a chair and sat beside her, gently brushing silky smooth hair off her shoulder. “Still getting used to a lot of things. If I mess up, you’ll tell me, right?”
“Don’t worry—you’re doing great.”
Even though Tang Yao hadn’t personally overseen the restructuring,She was well aware of everything Li Xue had done.
These were all things she’d wanted to do herself—She just hadn’t had the time back then.
Like rearranging the office layout.Now Li Xue had handled it.
She had to admit—Having someone help was amazing.
“You’re just flattering me.”Li Xue smiled. “If I screw up one day, I don’t have any way to make it up to you... I can only offer myself.”
Tang Yao casually crossed and uncrossed her long, shapely legs under the desk, tapping her knees together, and replied, “Sure. Go ahead and mess up boldly.”
“……”Li Xue looked at her profile, bit her lip gently—then caught herself and shook her head. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you.”
“Yeah?”
“About ANF. I took a look into their situation. You’re planning to make the site into a joint distribution platform for 2D games, right?”
“Yep.”
“Well, it’s looking a little shaky. Other game companies are ramping up their marketing. As more 2D games hit the market, they’re going to rely on their own channels. That could hit ANF hard—not the site itself, but its monetization model.”
“You mean… you’re worried no games will want to co-distribute with ANF?”
“Exactly. I feel like ANF’s advantages aren’t strong enough yet. If someone else comes up with a similar idea and throws money at it, we’re at risk. So it’s best we strengthen our edge while we still can.”
“……”
Tang Yao stopped tapping her knees, turned her chair to face her, their knees touching. Her eyes sparkled. “So what are you thinking?”
“Well… I don’t think the animation section’s enough. All the popular shows out there are available everywhere—it’s not a big draw. And exclusive anime is too costly unless we produce it ourselves, which we’re not ready for.”
Li Xue looked thoughtful. “So my idea is: treat anime as filler—standard procurement to build ANF’s 2D vibe. But the real push should be in manga. Let’s bring in some standout titles to attract 2D fans.
“Since we already have Fate/Zero, the manga section’s getting attention. We just need one hit, and with competitive pay and rev-share terms, we’ll have no problem drawing more creators.”
“Good point.”Tang Yao’s bright eyes sparkled as she gazed at this beautiful, clever, capable woman.
Li Xue raised her head, hesitated a little: “But… the ones I’ve been involved with are mostly female-oriented manga. That kind’s important too, but to attract more core 2D users… we need male-oriented series.”
Tang Yao blinked. “So you want me to draw?”
“…I can try to reach out to some artists. But most top mangaka already have contracts—it’s hard to pull them over. And unknown artists usually aren’t skilled enough.”
Li Xue shook her head. “So my plan is twofold: one, find promising talents who can draw and write. Two, find artists with good drawing skills, and you provide the story outlines.”
“You want me to write story outlines?”
“Yeah.”Li Xue explained, “That way you won’t be overwhelmed.”
“Hmm…”Tang Yao fell into thought. Titles from her past life flickered through her mind.
But not many were a perfect fit.
Because...
Tang Yao confirmed, “We need something explosive, right? A manga that grabs attention fast and pulls in the 2D crowd?”
Li Xue nodded. “Yeah. At this moment, that kind of title fits best. If we can lock in ANF’s position before the flood of 2D games, it’d be ideal.”
“There are two directions then.”Tang Yao hesitated, then pointed at herself. “One, I draw it myself. I’ve got a series in mind that’s perfect for the current climate. Guaranteed to blow up.”
“What genre? Fate again?”
“Nope. It’s more like... psychotic madness?”
Li Xue blinked, lips parting slightly. “Huh? Psychotic madness? What’s it about?”
Tang Yao thought for a moment, then said, “Hard to sum up. But it’s called... Chainsaw Man.”
“……”
Li Xue was intrigued by the title, but didn’t press. Instead, she circled back. “And the second direction?”
“The second direction... Miss Li, have you heard of ‘Rebirth-Revenge-Regret’ stories?”