Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  If it was Beijing in 2019, that amount would be at least tripled.

  As for Jingzhou City and other similar office buildings, the average price ranged around 2-3 yuan.

  However, Shenhua View was a high-end place with intricate designs and that was why it was more expensive.

  For other companies, that would have been a flaw.

  However, it was an absolute benefit for Pei Qian!

  The reason why he loved it was because of how expensive it was!

  Xin Hailu entered the lobby and walked towards the staff. Now that he had an assistant, Pei Qian did not have to do everything personally.

  The staff of the office building were all clad in suits.

  Pei Qian on the other hand was wearing a casual coat and pants.

  However, Pei Qian did not feel awkward in the slightest bit at a place as such, merely a little chilly since the weather was turning cold.

  Rather than attributing it to Pei Qian’s innate confidence, it was because he had Assistant Xin with him.

  No matter how short, fat or ugly a man was, as long as he had a young, beautiful and classy woman around him, it was always a sign that he was wealthy.

  Besides, Pei Qian was neither short, fat nor ugly. He was a little handsome.

  Nowadays, people who were too ugly would not get a chance at transmigrating.

  That would make it difficult for readers to enjoy the story.

  …

  Awhile later, the manager came before Pei Qian all smiles.

  “Hi, Boss Pei. I’m Manager Zhang, please let me know if you require anything.”

  Manager Zhang did not know of Pei Qian’s background but the fact that his assistant was Xin Hailu made it clear that this was no simple man.

  Pei Qian’s clothes were extremely mundane and he looked really young. No matter the angle, he just looked like a poor salaryman.

  However, for him to have a background such as Xin Hailu? That impression swiftly turned into him being a rich second-generation heir that did not bother much about trivialities and was exceptional in his way of handling things.

  Perhaps, that was the style that rich second-generation heirs loved to dress in?

  Naturally, Manager Zhang did not dare to be negligent.

  “I intend to rent a floor here as an office space,” Pei Qian breached the topic right away.

  “Well said! Boss Pei, if you intend to rent an entire floor without co-sharing with any other companies, our 17th floor is still empty. It has a lovely view with scenery. Shall I take you there to have a look?” Manager Zhang asked in a testing manner.

  Pei Qian nodded his head. “Sure, go on.”

  Under Manager Zhang’s lead, the three of them arrived at the 17th floor of Shenhua View.

  It was spick and span without a speck of dust.

  That was another way of saying that it had completely nothing at all.

  “Hmms, the view is decent.”

  Pei Qian walked over to the windows where the view of the city was boundless and he could even look into the neighboring park and districts.

  He could get to enjoy this scenery while losing money. Working at a place as such would most likely be relaxing.

  Pei Qian swept a glance at the entire area.

  The whole floor was enough for around eight basketball courts – a conservative estimate would place it at 3,000 square metres.

  “If you’re a newly established company, the government has related subsidies and we’ll also allow you to pay for a month’s rental while only holding a month’s deposit with settlement due monthly. This is an offer that you’ll hardly find at any other office buildings,” Manager Zhang explained proudly.

  Most office buildings would require a deposit sum of 1-2 months while the rental would be collected every season or biannually. For an office building to only require a month’s deposit while collecting rental at a monthly rate, that was indeed worth bragging about and was a rather competitive advantage.

  But of course, there were downsides to the advantages as well.

  Such as the price.

  Besides, such rebates were related to policies that were targeted at newly established companies – Pei Qian fit the bill completely.

  “What’s the price?” Pei Qian asked casually.

  Manager Zhang was all smiles. “4 yuan. I know, this is a price that may seem slightly more expensive in Jingzhou City. However, you can see for yourself the benefits we have. You get what you pay for. Renting an office space here would definitely improve the first impression your company gives off…”

  “4 yuan? So cheap?” Pei Qian could not help but frown.

  “C-Cheap?” Manager Zhang was stunned.

  Chapter 31

  Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Manager Zhang had not imagined that response in his wildest dreams. In the past, companies he interacted with would always complain about how expensive it was since other office buildings would cost 2-3 yuan generally. The rate that Shenhua View demanded was almost double of that.

  But yet, Boss Pei found it to be cheap?!

  Was he trying to use reverse psychology?

  Or did money not matter to him at all?

  Pei Qian frowned as his mind whirled furiously.

  He had initially expected this place to be around 5 yuan or so.

  Based on an estimate of 5 yuan per square metre per day, a 3,000 square metres office space would cost a monthly rental of 450,000.

  Where else would he find such a good deal to be able to lose 450,000 monthly without doing anything else?

  Yet, the price was lower than his estimate by an entire 1 yuan.

  That was akin to him losing 90,000 less a month!

  That was indeed rather troubling.

  However, it was still within an acceptable range for him.

  The reason why Pei Qian was so panicked was because Ghost General was earning him money daily!

  After all, Ghost General was still in its rise. The more recommendation spots the official platform gave, the more popular the game got. With the massive number of gamers gushing in daily, it was only natural for his earnings to skyrocket as well.

  It wasn’t an easy task for him to want to lose that much money.

  Pei Qian had to work harder!

  …

  “I’ll rent this entire floor. Prepare the contract,” Pei Qian was clear-cut.

  Manager Zhang froze momentarily before bursting into a wide smile. “Sure thing! Follow me.”

  A customer that was this straightforward was indeed rare to find!

  Pei Qian and Xin Hailu arrived at Manager Zhang’s office and signed the contract while transferring payment over – everything was done swiftly.

  With the deposit and a first month’s rental paid, he had spent 700,000 in an instant.

  Pei Qian did not frown in the slightest bit. On the contrary, he was secretly delighted.

  He felt the most at peace when his money was spent!

  How else would he convert everything to his Personal Wealth if he did not spend all the system’s money?

  As for the terms of the contract… Pei Qian did not have to worry – he had Assistant Xin for that.

  Versed in finance and law matters, Pei Qian was totally at ease with her keeping danger at bay.

  “Welcome to Shenhua View then! If you encounter any issues in the future, feel free to contact me. I’ll definitely settle it for you as quickly as possible,” Manager Zhang said with a smile.

  Pei Qian replied with some casual pleasantries before retrieving the rental contract from Manager Zhang and handing it over to Assistant Xin for storing.

  Thereafter, Pei Qian and Xin Hailu left Manager Zhang’s office and returned to the 17th floor.

  …

  Pacing around the empty office space, Pei Qian planned on how he should set up the company layout.

  That was an important segment of losing money!

  “A good working environment can not only help to raise
efficiency of our employees, it can improve our company’s image too!”

  “Assistant Xin, make a note and prepare a procurement slip for me.”

  “The working desks and chairs must be expensive! Err, not just purely expensive. It has to be classy, elegant and top-tier! It has to be different from other companies!”

  “The computers must have the best parts and even the keyboards and mouses must be top-tier! All of them must have two monitors. We are living in a telecommunications age and we’re a gaming company. Computers are our productivity!”

  “We must have plants as well. Looking at plants after being tired out from work helps with relaxing. Since plants are not so easy to take care of, we have to hire a professional gardener to take care of them.”

  “I think that space over there is suitable for a mini gym. There are a lot of industry related illnesses and working out often can help to alleviate those while helping employees to work better.”

  “The guest room, sofas and coffee tables must not be scrimped on. It’s best if we can get a set of high-end tea set as well. Buy around eight types of different good tea leaves. If we happen to have a business meeting, we can’t serve our guests plain water.”

  Pei Qian declared confidently.

  Since he would be using System Funds for everything, he could do as he wished.

  In any case, anything that the company could use would have to be of the best quality!

  Even anything the company couldn’t use would be of the best quality as well!

  Pei Qian checked on whether there was any response by the system while commenting.

  Since there were no changes or warning, it meant that Pei Qian’s actions were not a violation!

  Xin Hailu held onto a small notebook and took notes quickly.

  “Sure thing, Boss Pei. Everything will be prepared swiftly the way you want them to be.”

  “Could I check with you what’s the rough estimate of your budget?” Xin Hailu asked.

  Pei Qian pondered for a moment. “Around 500,000 to 800,000. Try to steer in the direction of 800,000.”

  Xin Hailu nodded her head. “Understood.”

  Pei Qian did not dare to go overboard as well. Even though he wanted to inflate expenditure, he must not go overly beyond what the company required.

  Take the computers that the company required for example.

  On a normal basis, plain computers would work.

  However, Pei Qian requested high-end computers so that he could lose money.

  The system would ignore most usual high-end computers but if Pei Qian wanted to spend hundreds of thousands or even millions to purchase a supercomputer, the system would judge that as a violation.

  Therefore, Pei Qian could not spend money without any limits. Fixing the expenditure at around 800,000 was already close to testing the system’s bottom line.

  …

  …

  A day later.

  “This is the procurement list that I’ve arranged after our previous discussion. Please take a look.”

  Xin Hailu handed a document over to Pei Qian.

  It was the procurement list which included office tables, chairs, computers, plants, gym equipment, sofa, coffee tables and tea leaves et cetera.

  Everything that Pei Qian had managed to squeeze out were on it.

  Even while browsing through it casually, Pei Qian could not help but feel a slight bewilderment.

  It was truly bloody expensive!

  The price of the plants alone was enough to tell of that.

  A Buddhist Pine Bonsai cost 988.

  However, it wasn’t the type of expensiveness where one would feel as though they were scammed. Pei Qian could tell from the photo that it was indeed perfectly crafted. It was something that should have been groomed and trimmed intricately by a master. In fact, one might even find the price of 988 to be worthwhile!

  10 Provision Trees costing 188 each.

  As to why they required 10, it was because leaving one by the windows would seem too lonely so they had to arrange more of it.

  10 of it would symbolize ‘Perfect 10’.

  There were also high-end sofas costing 60,000 each.

  As for tea sets, a handcrafted silver one cost 22,000 while another one made from natural ink slab cost 13,000 – both would be used on a rotational basis.

  There were a few varieties of tea leaves all of which were expensive.

  Looking at the number of zeros had Pei Qian’s eyelids twitching.

  He pretended to look through everything seriously before flipping to the back.

  A total of 780,000!

  Most of the expenditure was spent on the working desks.

  Every single person was assigned with a high-end desk, high-end gaming chair, high-end computer, high-end dual gaming monitors and mechanical keyboards… each set amounted to roughly 20,000.

  30 employee desks totaled 600,000.

  Along with all the other casual expenses, the total amounted to 780,000.

  In fact, Pei Qian had a disillusion while going through the individual prices of the items.

  ‘It’s only 780,000? So cheap?’

  30 work desks – that was the figure that Pei Qian came up with after consideration.

  Even though Pei Qian wanted to lose money, he had to engage in normal business activities under the rules of the system. That meant that he couldn’t just hire people to laze around and play games instead of doing anything.

  That was a clear violation that would render a warning by the system.

  Under the current circumstance where they had the cloud editor, 30 people was just enough to create a large scale game that would definitely be of inferior quality.

  With the 30 work desks came another issue of the office space being too large.

  However, that was easily settled.

  Pei Qian planned for a pool table, entertainment room, media room, pantry, snack area and resting lounge et cetera.

  The actual office only consisted of a small portion.

  Not only that, every single work desk was separated with enough distance for every employee to have their own private time.

  Even the desks purchased were of the largest kind.

  Employees could display anything they wanted on it. Even if they were to spend their fortune on ornaments, they would be able to fit it all in.

  With such a layout, the 30 work desks were almost enough to fill the space entirely.

  Pei Qian looked at Xin Hailu with admiration – this woman was great!

  This was professionalism!

  Maintaining a professional smile, Xin Hailu reported, “All of these products are purchased from proper channels and with the lowest possible bulk purchase price. The company won’t waste a single cent needlessly.”

  Pei Qian nodded his head.

  He believed in Xin Hailu’s capabilities in doing it.

  For the items to be purchased through the proper channels using the lowest bulk price, the system would have no reason to warn Pei Qian about.

  Pei Qian was extremely pleased with this assistant.

  She completely understood his intentions and was extremely efficient. Not only did she have big boobs, she had brains as well – there was no flaw about her!

  That was the pleasure of working with smart people!

  “Very good, I’m extremely pleased. We’ll go ahead with the procurement according to this,” Pei Qian was not stingy at all with his praises. “From next week onwards, I’ll be in the small conference room interviewing new hires. Please prepare the required information by then.”

  Xin Hailu smiled and nodded. “Of course, that’s part of my job scope.”

  Pei Qian felt like everything was going well.

  Hiring new employees was of utmost importance – that would determine whether or not his mission was a success!

  Looking at Pei Qian’s invigorated expression, Xin Hailu reminded him with a gentle smile, “I think you’ve forgotten about something really important.”<
br />
  “Should we get you a change of image?”

  Chapter 32

  Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Pei Qian froze momentarily. “Indeed, you’re the most thoughtful, Assistant Xin! I almost forgot about that!”

  In theory, outfits shouldn’t be important for an industry such as the gaming one.

  For many traditional and finance industries, outfits were extremely important for business meetings.

  From the clothes one wore to the type of watches and the cars they drove, everything was of significance.

  Some people would spend tens of thousands on a single suit – that was a requirement.

  If they weren’t proper in their dressing, they may fail the business negotiations with a poor first impression.

  Similarly, a proper outfit was the fundamental of courtesy when it came to seeking employment in traditional industries.

  However, things were different in the internet age – particularly in gaming industries.

  Many big bosses of gaming companies would wear nothing but a t-shirt and shorts to work.

  Even when programmers applied for a job, they would be dressed in the standard t-shirt or plaid shirts alongside jeans, slippers and backpacks.

  After all, in this unique industry, their technical skills during interviews were more important than their attires.

  Because that was the general culture, most interviewees would not dress up specially for interviews. In fact, those who turn up in a suit with a tie would end up looking out of place instead.

  Because of that, Pei Qian neglected that aspect.

  However, with Assistant Xin’s reminder, he had a change of mind – he truly needed an outfit.

  Firstly, that would go on the company accounts which meant that he could spend even more money!

  Secondly, that would help him in developing his work.

  Currently, Pei Qian was a student. He was barely over his 18th birthday. Even if he had memories of the next ten years, it was difficult for him to carry the type of mature look of someone who had weathered through storms.

  His age was a hard restriction such that no matter how he dressed himself up, he would never display the image of a corporate elite.