PDLP Chapter 186 Hidden Edition
Chapter 186 Hidden Edition
Meanwhile, another feature was quietly launched.
TUTU Pets.
In fact, this feature was already under development before Happy Farm was launched, but a suitable entry point had not yet been found.
Now, taking advantage of the farm's popularity, Lu Ran decided to launch it.
My pet is a rabbit.
Of course, it's the rabbit.
After all, TUTU's logo is a rabbit, and the core of "Those Years, Those Rabbits, Those Things" is also about rabbits.
This rabbit can't talk, can't work, and can't even steal vegetables.
It has only one function—to keep you company.
It will lie on your homepage, occasionally roll around, occasionally prick up its ears, and occasionally blink its eyes at you.
You can touch it, and it will rub against your fingers.
You can feed it, and it will happily spin around.
You can talk to it, and it will tilt its head to listen. Although it doesn't understand, it will stare intently at the screen.
"What's the use of this thing?" Zhou Mingzhe asked.
Lu Ran thought for a moment: "It's not very useful."
"Then why do it?"
"Because..." Lu Ran carefully chose his words, "Sometimes being online can be quite lonely. When you get tired of scrolling through posts, you want to talk to someone, but you don't know who to talk to. At this moment, if there's a rabbit watching you, even if it doesn't do anything, you'll feel... like you're not so lonely anymore."
Zhou Mingzhe was silent for a few seconds, then pushed up his glasses: "What you're saying is quite pretentious."
"I know," Lu Ran smiled, "but sometimes, the most touching things are the sentimental ones."
Lu Ran didn't explain further, because Zhou Mingzhe might not understand if she explained too much.
Zhou Mingzhe is a workaholic who can work continuously without slacking off, but not everyone is like him.
In today's high-pressure society, everyone is forced to become depressed and unhappy.
Education, job hunting, work, marriage, childbirth, retirement.
Each of these lines is like a mountain pressing down on people, making it hard to breathe.
At this point, if you have an adorable electronic pet to keep you company, even if it can't do anything, many people will still buy it.
As it turned out, Lu Ran's idea was correct.
On the first day of TUTU Pets' launch, three million people adopted their own rabbits.
The comment section was filled with comments like "So cute," "So adorable," and "My daughter loves it," including many that melted people's hearts.
"I live alone, and I usually just sit in front of the computer by myself after get off work. Now that I have this rabbit, it feels like there's a living creature in my house."
"I have depression, and the doctor told me to get a pet, but I can't even afford to support myself. Now, I have a virtual pet."
"My mom passed away last year. She loved rabbits the most. Now, every time I turn on my TUTU and see this rabbit, I feel like she's still watching over me."
As Lu Ran scrolled through the comments one by one, she suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
Shen Yuege leaned closer from behind, saw what was on the screen, and gently rested her head on his shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Lu Ran put down his phone, took her hand, and said, "I just feel... I made a really good decision, a really good one."
...
Of course, pets need to eat too, but Lu Ran didn't exploit this issue to his advantage.
Rabbit food: 1 yuan a bag, enough for a week.
Luxury rabbit food: 6 yuan a bag, it will change color after eating.
Limited-edition skins: 12 yuan per set, including Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and NaRabbit collaboration skins...
All the above-mentioned fee points have prices kept below 20 yuan.
It's a matter of those with money donating money, and those without money just needing to make sure they don't starve.
The comments section was also bustling with activity:
"I bought my rabbit a Chinese New Year outfit. When it wears the red clothes, it bows and greets everyone—it's so cute!"
"The Mid-Autumn Festival version is the same one as Chang'e's, with a rabbit hugging and eating a mooncake."
"The rabbit collaboration... the rabbit will wear a military cap, its eyes will become resolute, and it will occasionally shout 'For the Chinese nation!'"
"Stop talking, upstairs, my wallet is already crying."
"Consume rationally! Spend money in moderation! ...Never mind, never mind, I've already spent 100 yuan."
"You should be content. With skins like this, you wouldn't be able to get one for less than 98 in other places."
Lu Ran looked at these comments and a smile appeared on his lips.
He knows some people will say he's exploiting users and nostalgia, but he has a clear conscience.
Because all paid content is voluntary and can be obtained for free through daily tasks.
You can save up rabbit food, you can save up skins, and even those limited editions will return after the event ends.
He didn't want to implement a paid model that would bankrupt people.
In his past life, he had seen too many games like this, where big spenders would spend tens of thousands of yuan and then quit without a second thought, leaving their accounts worthless.
Spending money on in-game purchases until the very end leaves you with nothing but regret.
He didn't want it to be like this.
What he needs to do is make users feel that the money was well spent.
It's not about combat power, it's not about rankings, it's not about being able to crush others.
It's worth that the rabbit will give you another look.
It's worth it that the rabbit will remember your name.
It's worth it that the rabbit will keep you company through countless lonely nights.
"Oh, right," Zhou Mingzhe suddenly remembered something, "the paid data for that 'Japanese chicken' is quite interesting."
Lu Ran leaned closer: "What do you mean?"
"37% of the users who bought the Japanese chicken also bought the Chinese rural dog." Zhou Mingzhe pushed up his glasses. "Someone in the comments explained that when no one is around, the Japanese chicken will keep bowing to the Chinese rural dog."
"Another 21% of users bought the complete set of four, captioned 'A permanent member of the UN Security Council and a chicken.'"
"Oh, right, someone also got a panda."
Lu Ran was taken aback: "Where did this panda come from?"
"It's a hidden item we added ourselves." Zhou Mingzhe rarely showed a sly expression. "It's limited-time and limited-quantity, and it will randomly appear, but the probability is very small."
"I also added a feature that when the panda appears, the other guard animals will surround it. And as long as the panda sits on the chair, the Japanese chickens' bow will turn into kneeling and kowtowing."
"Hey, this is great, this concept is really interesting." Lu Ran's eyes widened. "You came up with this?"
Zhou Mingzhe nodded.
"Great, I'll give you a raise later."
"It's just that fewer people are showing up on Panda now." Zhou Mingzhe rarely showed a sly expression. "Someone on the second-hand trading platform offered 500 to buy it."
"Five hundred? That's quite a lot." Lu Ran was somewhat surprised.
"Yes. And there are quite a few buyers." Zhou Mingzhe pulled up a page. "Look, someone has already listed it for a high price of one thousand."
Seeing the prices above, Lu Ran suddenly understood.
He recalled those people from his past life who speculated on shoes, blind boxes, and anything else that could be speculated on.
So it turns out that no matter which world you're in, the essence of humanity is... this love of copying.
...