in2ebook Chapter 473 Preparations
Chapter 473 Preparations
Tencent is pressing harder and harder regarding the negotiations.
Director Liu and his four colleagues would frequently visit TUTU's office building.
Every time he comes, it's the same routine—first, sit down for tea, exchange a few pleasantries, then change the subject, push the new draft of the profit-sharing agreement onto the table, and then stare at Lu Ran.
The meaning in his eyes was clear: Will you sign or not?
Lu Ran would always accept the draft, saying, "I'll study it when I get back," and then send it to the legal department for filing.
I've submitted three copies, but none of them have been approved.
Director Liu knew in his heart that Lu Ran was stalling for time, but he didn't show it on his face. Every time he came, he would bring his signature gentle smile, and before leaving, he would add, "President Lu, we are indeed short on time here, so please give us a definite answer as soon as possible."
There's no accurate answer, but the progress bar keeps moving forward.
TUTU's technical team has practically lived at the company for the past two weeks.
Zhao Yiming took the lead, arriving earliest and leaving latest every day. There were three or four takeout boxes stacked next to his workstation, and the tea in his cup was left unfinished from morning till night.
They need to get the pre-binding function of TUTU accounts working within a month, seamlessly migrate existing users' WeChat login data to the new system, and ensure that players' game data, ranks, and skins are not lost or reduced during the migration process.
This task is important and quite difficult, and Zhao Yiming is racing against time.
Chen Mo also quickly pushed forward the TUTU change plan.
His logic is simple: if Tencent can create WeChat Wallet, why can't TUTU create its own wallet?
"Once the TUTU account system is running smoothly, the payment function can be seamlessly integrated. Users can complete every transaction in the game—from recharging in-game currency to buying skins and participating in events—through TUTU Wallet, without needing to switch to WeChat."
During the meeting, he did some calculations in front of Zhou Mingzhe.
The game League of Legends alone generated billions of yuan in revenue from in-game purchases over the past year.
Most of this money was paid through WeChat Pay, and Tencent took a cut of the transaction fee for each transaction. This amounted to tens of millions of yuan a year.
If TUTU change becomes successful, this money won't need to be deducted again.
After listening, Zhou Mingzhe silently took out his phone, checked the background data, then put down his phone and nodded.
Lu Ran asked Chen Mo to refine the TUTU change plan.
How to build the technical architecture, how to implement risk control, how to connect with banks, and how to entrust user funds—every step must be written down to a level that can be implemented.
He also added a specific requirement: the initial users of this service should not be promoted aggressively. Instead, a small group of active League of Legends players should be selected for gray-scale testing first, and the service should be gradually rolled out once it runs smoothly.
Chen Mo asked, "If Tencent finds out we're getting into the payment business, will they immediately turn against us?"
Lu Ran leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment: "I'm not afraid of them turning against me. First, let's talk about payments. They can do it with small change, so can we. There's no question of one stopping the other. Besides, the account system is an open secret. We're already pushing for an independent system for TUTU, and they already know we're preparing for it."
"But there's one difference. We have official investment, so the approval process will be much smoother than they imagine."
Chen Mo's eyes lit up after hearing this, but he didn't ask any more questions.
He knew that Lu Ran was referring to Zhao Mingyuan's connections. Director Zhao had previously stated that he would provide "green light" support in terms of policy compliance and process approval.
Applying this relationship to payment processing is indeed much faster than going through the usual approval process head-on.
That evening, Chen Mo called a meeting with the team and broke down the TUTU change plan into modules, with each person taking on a task.
He had dealt with banks many times when he was in channel management at Tencent East China, so he knew the approval process for things like payment licenses and fund custody.
Now that he has official backing, he knows how to bypass the most likely obstacles.
After the meeting, Chen Mo called Lu Ran: "I've started setting up the payment business. But there's a problem. I need to set up an independent payment business unit within the company, specifically to handle this business. It can be under me or under Brother Zhou, but it needs to have a separate staff and budget."
Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "It's under your management. You can handle it directly; it doesn't need Zhou Ge's approval anymore. As for the budget, write me a proposal, and I'll approve it."
Chen Mo said "okay" and hung up the phone.
Meanwhile, the technical department is also making progress.
Zhao Yiming posted a screenshot in the group, which was a prototype of a TUTU account registration page.
In addition to the regular input boxes, the page now includes a line of text explaining: "You can choose a 2-digit number as your account commemorative code; birthdays, anniversaries, and lucky numbers are all acceptable."
Below the description text is an example box that displays "TUTU_??_8847". The two question marks are highlighted in light blue, and there is a pencil icon next to them. Clicking it allows you to enter numbers.
Lu Ran stared at the screenshot for a while, then replied in the group chat: "This page is fine, but the position of the selectable numbers could be adjusted. Put them at the end of the account name instead of the prefix; it would look better visually."
Zhao Yiming replied instantly with a "Received" emoji, and an hour later sent another version, this time with the question mark at the end. Lu Ran read it and said it was okay, to do it this way.
Meanwhile, the operations department was also busy, starting to release pre-launch materials on various channels.
It wasn't any big announcement, just a few posts floating around the community with very restrained titles, such as "I heard TUTU is getting an update" and "New feature spoiler: Your account can be different."
The post didn't make any definitive statements; it just included a few blurry illustrations and the caption, "Coming soon, stay tuned."
The response in the comments section was more positive than expected.
One user left three comments in a row, each saying "I want to select my birthday, can you allow more digits?", "My birthday is four digits, two digits are not enough", and "Can you add a paid extension feature? I'm willing to pay for it".
The operations team took a screenshot of the comment and posted it in the work group, with the caption "The user's needs are clear."
It's clear that users are very interested in this feature that allows them to choose their phone number, and some are even willing to pay for it.
Of course, at this critical juncture, we certainly won't suddenly introduce a fee; that would be suicidal.
Lu Ran saw the screenshot while she was in Zhou Mingzhe's office.
He turned his phone around and showed it to Zhou Mingzhe, saying, "You see, the users are more anxious than we are."
Zhou Mingzhe chuckled after reading it and said, "Should we really open a paid extension slot? Anyway, the users themselves have brought it up."
Lu Ran thought for a moment and said that it was okay to open it, but not in the main process. Instead, he suggested creating a hidden entry point so that people who needed it could find it themselves.
Some players do want special treatment and are willing to spend money. Although Lu Ran doesn't plan to charge, he can't resist the overwhelming enthusiasm of some users.
I'll have to do it reluctantly.
However, the main process should be kept simple so that ordinary users do not feel there are too many steps.
Zhou Mingzhe made a note in his notebook and said, "Okay, then let the product team make two versions, a basic free version and a paid extended version, and run them on two separate lines."
The two chatted for a few more minutes about tuk-tuk change.
Zhou Mingzhe said that if this business can be successfully implemented, it will not only save on channel fees, but more importantly, it will allow users' consumption behavior data to be integrated into TUTU's own system.
Previously, every top-up was processed through WeChat Pay, and TUTU could only see the result, not the complete transaction process.
If you handle the payment process yourself, you can obtain all the data on users' spending preferences, payment habits, and recharge frequency. The value of this data is far greater than the channel fees you save.
Lu Ran nodded, saying he understood. He added, "However, in the payment sector, we shouldn't directly confront Tencent. They're aiming for full-scenario coverage; we should focus on deepening our presence in the gaming sector first. As long as users can easily use their TUTU Wallet to top up their accounts or buy in-game skins while playing, a smooth experience is sufficient. Once we've established a foothold in this area, we can consider expanding outwards."
Zhou Mingzhe said he would share this idea with Chen Mo so that they wouldn't spread the spoils too thin right away.
The sky outside the window had completely darkened.
In early winter in Shanghai, nights come early; by six o'clock, all the streetlights are already on.
Downstairs, a food delivery rider, wrapped in a down jacket, waited at a red light in the cold wind. The milk tea cup in his basket was jostled to one side, but he pressed it down with his hand to keep the bike steady.
Lu Ran put away his phone, picked up his coat draped over the back of the chair, and said, "I'm going back first. You should leave early too, don't stay up all day."
Zhou Mingzhe raised his head and waved his hand, then his gaze returned to the computer screen.
As Lu Ran walked out, her WeChat buzzed; it was a message from Chen Mo.
He said the initial contact with the bank went smoothly, and the bank's background assessment of TUTU was satisfactory, and they were willing to cooperate in advancing the fund custody plan.
He added a sentence at the end of the message: "That Director Zhao's connections really worked. I mentioned the government's investment to the bank, and their attitude was noticeably more enthusiastic than before."
Lu Ran replied with an "okay," then put away his phone, pushed open the door, and stepped into the cold November wind of Shanghai.
He thought that if Tencent was using overt tactics to suppress him, he would secretly deepen his foundation.
Once the TUTU account system and TUTU Wallet are fully operational, even if Tencent does tamper with the login interface, it won't be a big deal.
The worst-case scenario is that a few million users will need to re-link their accounts. Although it's a bit troublesome, at least we can manage and it won't be too devastating.
Moreover, once the consumption data of those millions of users no longer goes through WeChat, the profit margin of the entire business model will reach a new level.
The more Tencent pressures him, the more he needs to remain calm and composed.
It's okay to concede a little face at the negotiating table, as long as the core issues are protected.
He now holds the card of official investment, the burgeoning European market base, and the upcoming independent account system and payment business.
The things Tencent could use to block him are becoming ineffective one by one.
While waiting for a car by the roadside, he glanced at his phone again. Zhao Yiming had posted a new screenshot in the group chat, which was the test version interface of the pre-binding function.
The interface reads "Bind your TUTU number for greater data security," and below it is a large button that says "Bind Now."
Next to the button is a line of small gray text: "Automatically receive a limited-edition avatar frame + three-day double experience card after binding."
Lu Ran zoomed in on the screenshot, then left the group chat and put his phone back in his pocket.
The taxi has arrived.
He opened the back door, got in, gave an address, and the car merged into the night traffic.
Streetlights swept past the window one by one, casting alternating shadows of light and shadow on the carriage floor.
He leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes for a while, and went through the things he needed to do tomorrow in his mind. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the layers of lights of the tall buildings outside the window.
Just then, my phone vibrated again in my pocket.
Lu Ran glanced at it, then turned off the screen.
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