“I understand.”

Seeing the other party’s attitude, Yao Beiguo no longer bothered to maintain even a trace of a smile. He simply turned and walked away.

Leaving NNG Gaming Club behind, Yao Beiguo stepped into the glaring sunlight. The steady stream of cars and pedestrians on the street only made him feel more lost.

He didn’t know where to go from here.

This was already the sixth gaming club that had rejected him. Without exception, every single one had turned him down.

If he kept trying other clubs, it would likely end the same way. There was little hope of a different outcome.

Just those two words—”bad luck”—were enough to ruin everything.

If he were the owner of a club and came across someone who had already brought down four gaming clubs, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to reject them either.

No matter how capable that person might be, it just wouldn’t be worth the risk.

He shook his head helplessly and let out a sigh.

It seemed he had no choice but to explore other paths. The option of joining a gaming club was now completely off the table.

What worried him most now was whether his experience in the gaming world would affect his chances in other job interviews.

He could only take things one step at a time.

……………

At Pet Park,

Pang Tao and Xu Zhengming stood watching the construction of the Cat Castle, anticipation written on their faces.

After several rounds of discussion with the designers, the final blueprint for the Cat Castle had been approved, and construction had been underway for several days now.

Once the Cat Castle was completed, Pet Park would be ready to move into its operational phase.

“President Chen just added another five million yuan to the project. What should we do with it? Are we supposed to revise the current plans for Pet Park again?”

Pang Tao looked at the construction site ahead and spoke slowly.

Just this morning, they had received word from the finance department of Mingri Group: President Chen had approved an additional five million yuan in funding for the Pet Park project.

But at this point, the plans for Pet Park were already finalized. Some of the buildings were even undergoing landscaping.

If they were to make changes now because of the extra funding, it could indefinitely delay the park’s opening.

Otherwise, at the current pace, Pet Park would be ready to open in about three months—around August.

“Renovating now would seriously impact the timeline for opening. Pet Park has already been under construction for a long time. We can’t keep delaying the opening,” Xu Zhengming said, shaking his head.

Pet Park couldn’t stay in the construction phase forever.

If it didn’t open, it couldn’t generate revenue. And without revenue, it would remain a money sink.

Now that construction was nearly complete, a number of stray cats and dogs had already been brought in for care. Some of the animals had even been transferred from other Cat and Dog Rescue Stations that could no longer support them.

The staff needed to care for these animals, the food, the medical expenses—everything added up to a significant monthly cost.

So, delaying the opening any further simply wasn’t an option.

“Then what do we do? We can’t just let that five million sit in the account,” Pang Tao said, clearly troubled.

Xu Zhengming shook his head in disagreement.

“President Chen never said the five million had to be used for construction.”

“Right now, the number of stray animals in Pet Park is growing rapidly. The daily expenses are no small matter. We reported this issue not long ago, and now President Chen has responded by adding five million.”

“It’s very likely that he’s worried our operational funds aren’t enough, so he added this amount to help us manage the day-to-day upkeep.”

Pang Tao nodded in agreement at Xu Zhengming’s reasoning, but a new doubt quickly surfaced.

“It’s true that we’ve taken in a lot more strays lately, but isn’t five million a bit much just for upkeep? We can’t possibly use that much.”

“Of course not,” Xu Zhengming replied. “That’s why I think President Chen has another intention. The surplus is probably meant for further development.”

He glanced around the park, then continued.

“Of course, any new construction shouldn’t interfere with the current Pet Park. What we can do is build a new section adjacent to the current park. Once that’s done, we can connect the two.”

“This way, we won’t delay the opening, and we can still expand. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Pang Tao’s face lit up with excitement as he listened.

That plan was absolutely viable.

Why hadn’t he thought of it before? It was just like building a residential complex—finish Phase One, then start Phase Two. Once both phases are complete, connect them, and you’ve got one unified development.

“Then let’s do it.”

“Of course. I really can’t wait for Pet Park to open!”

Mingri Group,

CEO’s Office.

Shen Rou took the documents she had worked overtime to organize the night before, did a quick layout adjustment, then printed everything out and placed the materials neatly into a folder.

She stood up, pushed open the side door, and stepped into President Chen’s office.

“President Chen, the materials you asked for are all ready. Everything’s in here.”

She handed the prepared folder to President Chen.

“All done already?”

Chen Mo looked at the folder in surprise.

He had only given Shen Rou the task yesterday afternoon, and now it was just past ten in the morning. She had finished it this quickly? That caught him a bit off guard.

“Yes, it’s all complete. The folder includes the management teams of each gaming club, as well as detailed information on their professional players.”

Shen Rou smiled and nodded.

The personnel info for these gaming clubs wasn’t hard to find. With the right software and a few inquiries within the gaming club circle, it didn’t take long to gather and fill in the missing details.

“Alright.”

Seeing her nod, Chen Mo didn’t press further.

He wasn’t particularly concerned about whether the data was complete. What he cared about was whether this information contained the kind of “talent” he was looking for.

“Go ahead and get back to work. I’ll need some time to go through this. If I find anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Understood, President Chen.”

Shen Rou nodded and quickly returned to her office.

Watching her leave, Chen Mo slowly opened the folder and began reviewing its contents carefully.

He had to admit, Shen Rou had done a great job compiling the information.

Everything was well-organized. Each club’s name, its management team, how many years they had been in position, their achievements—it was all laid out clearly.

Then came the list of professional players for each club and each game. The coverage was impressively thorough, even including some benchwarmers who rarely saw playtime.

That was exactly what he was looking for.

Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction and continued flipping through the pages.

Every time he came across a potential “talent,” he would jot down notes and mark the entry.