He recalled his two brothers. Huang Sibo’s Fei Huang Workspace had been performing exceptionally well, and he had already moved to Shanghai to shoot his new video. Ye Zhizhou had become the chief planner of his previous company Shang Yang Games. Under Boss Pei’s guidance, he managed to revive two dying games and rebuild their reputation. Ma Yiqun was very sentimental as he thought about that.
“From some aspects, Boss Pei could be considered the savior of Jingzhou City’s game industry!”
Ma Yiqun was even more impressed the more he thought about it.
As he went through the comments on the internet, he found that these downloadable contents had become a hot topic before they were even released.
Speaking of The Lonely Desert Road, it stood a chance of becoming the lamest game of the year. In this update, the game released new lame downloadable content and provided ten new settings in one go. This was a huge talking point that the media was crazily sharing and reporting on.
Ghost General was a conscience-driven game that had not been updated in a million years. All its players were anticipating the sudden version update.
The response for Game Designer was less intense. However, it was a work based on reality and was full of satire. Many fervent players bought it as part of their games collection. Now that it had new downloadable content, graphics style, and voiceover; they would definitely buy the update to enhance their collection.
The most debated game was Ocean Stronghold.
Currently, there were no leaked pictures of the new epic weapon online. However, news about the limited numbers sold spread like wildfire. Many players did not believe that. There were different reasons for that.
Some questioned if the number of weapons sold would ever reach 500 because of its 888-yuan price. They questioned if the game producers really thought that they could earn the players’ money so easily. They thought that this restriction was totally unnecessary.
Those were players who could not count at all.
Some were astonished about the 500-limit. Why didn’t the game company want to earn more money? The weapons would be sold out within minutes!
However, this news was very detailed. Therefore, some players believed that. They did not care about the new content in the new version of the game. Yet, they made a note to purchase the new epic weapon once the new version was updated.
Seeing how intense the discussions were, Ma Yiqun could not hide his smile.
So this is what accomplishment feels like!
When he was still at Shang Yang Games, the players would be nonchalant to the release of the new game versions. They only received a few feedbacks, and most of them were criticizing the updates.
He looked at Tengda Games.
The players were begging for a new game version. Before the content of the new updated version was revealed, the players had really prepared their money and were waiting eagerly.
This was the difference!
Ma Yiqun could not wait to see what happened once the new version was released.
Buzz… Buzz…
The phone on the table vibrated. The caller ID was not displayed. There was only a long chain of numbers.
Ma Yiqun looked at it and saw that it was a number he was familiar with. He hesitated for a while before rejecting the call.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was already 12 in the afternoon.
There were three smartly-dressed delivery men at the entrance of the company. They were each carrying a huge insulated delivery box.
“Huh? The equipment of the deliverymen changed?” Ma Yiqun was stunned.
The delivery men yesterday were dressed casually, and they did not use the same insulated delivery box.
However, their appearance today changed drastically!
The three delivery men wore a standardized yellow and blue uniform. Their uniforms were different from ordinary uniforms that were cheap and of bad quality. Their uniform used high-quality fabric, had detailed tailoring, and was relatively fashionable.
The three deliverymen looked pretty energetic. Coupled with their uniform and the new, custom-made, and standardized insulated delivery box; they appeared pretty professional.
The key thing was the four gigantic words on it—Fish-Catching Take-Out!
The other employees stood up and were ready to have their lunch. They were also a little shocked at the changes to the appearance of the delivery men.
However, this was not all.
The crowd went to the pantry for their lunch. They saw the three delivery men open the insulated delivery box and take out many white porcelain bowls. The porcelain bowls were covered with an air-tight lid.
All the individual dishes were served on white porcelain dishes. The combo meals and rice bowls that some ordered were served using glass lunch boxes. The two-tier lunch boxes contained small compartments that contained various dishes and rice. The food was glistering under the light and looked greatly appetizing.
Lastly, the delivery men took out exquisite gold chopsticks and spoons. They were wrapped in clean paper bags and could be used directly after removing them from the paper bags.
The crowd collected the food that they ordered respectively. Some of them shared a few orders. They opened the lids together.
“Did our meal standards experience a complete upgrade?”
“I don’t think so. I think the dishes are the same. It’s just the utensils that were changed!”
“Really? The chef is still the same? Why do I feel like the visuals of the food improved tremendously?”
Ma Yiqun received his meal combo, too. There were two tiers in the lunch box. The proportion of meat and vegetables were adequate. It was totally unlike the greasy and salty food that one would find in ordinary restaurants. They were simple home-cooked meals, but they were served in a glass lunch box. The food looked extremely appetizing as the lights shone on it.
In no time, the delivery men had taken all the food out and were arranging their stuff. “Enjoy your food. You can simply pack the utensils in a bag after finishing your food. There will be an assigned person who will collect them later in the evening.”
“You’re collecting them back?”
“Of course. These utensils are expensive.”
“True that. Thank you three for your hard work!”
“The welfare and benefits in our company are really awesome…”
Very soon, the delicious aroma from the food permeated the entire pantry.
As Ma Yiqun was eating his combo meal, he felt that this was the most delicious food he had ever eaten. As compared to restaurants outside, the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe used less oil and less salt. The various ingredients used were also very fresh. This was undeniable.
Although there wasn’t a lot of seasoning and the taste was worse, the food was definitely healthy.
The original meals were delivered using lunch boxes. Although the food tasted good, their appearance seemed cheap. It made people feel like they were having ten-something yuan food sold at roadside stalls. There was also a lack of ceremony when they ate with disposable wooden chopsticks and plastic lunch boxes.
“I had originally planned to cook at home and bring it to work. I’ve thrown the idea away. There was no way the food I cooked would be better than this.”
“This is nutritious and healthy. I do not need to worry about my health when eating. Moreover, these are all home-cooked meals. I wouldn’t get tired of these dishes even after a long time. I’m blessed to be Boss Pei’s employee! Other people would never enjoy such benefits!”
“How much do you think this combo cost for outsiders?”
“I think it costs at least twenty yuan.”
“Twenty? Don’t forget that these utensils need to be returned! The labor cost of that is twice that of other food delivery services. I think this costs thirty yuan.”
“Thirty seems a little expensive. I doubt anyone could afford that for a long time…”
“Wha
t are you guys saying? These are internal employee benefits. Do you think that Boss Pei is doing charity? Why would he sell such good stuff to ordinary people?”
“Didn’t this say Fish-Catching Take-Out? He is obviously planning to create a new food delivery brand!”
Lin Wan held her meal combo and was enjoying her food.
She was used to having all kinds of delicacies. It felt nicely different to taste this kind of exquisite home-cooked meals occasionally. She was a little emotional as she ate.
In the six months that she was at Tengda, she seemed to always be moved by the touching scenarios that happened here.
Boss Pei was treating his employees too well! How could the world not shower such a good boss with love?
Lin Wan finally made up her mind. She found a number on her phone. She had decided to do something within her means.
Chapter 165 - The Relationship between a Like and Tengda’s Boss!
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe…
At the coffee area…
A mildly aged man sipped his coffee, nonchalantly singing. Another middle-aged man, who looked over fifty years old, walked into the internet cafe and sat down in front of him.
“Boss Liu.” The first man stood up slightly as a sign of respect.
“I’m sorry, Boss Li. I was busy at work; that’s why I arrived late. Speaking of which, this place is really difficult to find.” The slightly older Boss Liu sat down across Boss Li and pulled a cigar out of habit.
Li Shi held up his hand at once to stop him. “Boss Liu, this place prohibits smoking.”
Boss Liu paused. “Prohibits smoking?”
He turned around and saw no ‘No Smoking’ signs, but one of the young waiters was looking at him and smiling apologetically. Smoking was indeed prohibited here.
Boss Liu did not mind. He kept his cigar.
“Boss Li, this is the place you said you wanted to invest in?” Boss Liu looked around. “This place… looks like an ordinary cafe.”
He hesitated, looked slightly confused. “But there are rows of computers. What’s the meaning of this?”
Li Shi sipped his coffee and smiled slightly as he replied, “Boss Liu, you don’t understand. The boss of this place has foresight beyond our times. To me, whether this place is purely an internet cafe, a bar, or a cafe; it would be unique and promising.
“Unfortunately, for some reason, the boss of this place has mixed all of these businesses into one. Now, they are dragging one another behind and leaving the place cool and empty.”
Li Shi described what he had observed about Fish-Catching Internet Cafe during this period once over. He also talked about what Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was like when Chen Lei was around.
“However, after that singer left, the new singer was not as popular. The crowd here gradually dissipated. Now, it’s back to what it was before—lifeless and lackluster. However, my judgment of this place remains the same. At the very least, the high-end path that this internet cafe is taking might be the future of internet cafes.”
After listening to Li Shi’s words, Boss Liu nodded slightly.
“So you want to invest in this place?”
Li Shi sipped his coffee again, looking confident. “That’s right. As an investor, I need to have my instincts about me. Boss Liu, you work in the property market. I think that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s high-end models would be popular if it’s opened in the right location. That’s why I asked you here today. I want to talk about this.”
Boss Liu pondered for a moment and then quickly understood the main point Li Shi was making. “En, that’s right. Whether this place generates a profit or incurs losses does not make much of a difference. However, allowing its high-end service to increase the property prices of the property in the area would make a good deal.”
“Have you spoken to the boss of this place?”
Li Shi shook his head. “Not yet. I’m waiting for a suitable time. This place has only been open for two or three months. I feel like the boss is not lacking money. What’s more, from the way he has been doing things, he seems to be quite stubborn. I don’t think he’ll listen to our opinions.
“According to my knowledge, even while this place was incurring losses, the boss kept pouring money into it. He opened three or four more branches in Jingzhou City. A hard-headed person like that is rare.
“Of course, I did not study him very closely. I’ve only put together everything I’ve heard and witnessed during this period and made an inference.”
Boss Liu nodded slightly, expressing his agreement.
Many people probably tried to stop this man from pouring three or four million yuan into creating a unique place like that. However, this shop stood nonetheless. What’s more, there was not just one of its kind. All of this evidence showed that the boss of this place did not lack money; what’s more, he probably acted in a very arbitrary fashion.
Otherwise, he would not have done something like that.
Li Shi continued, “So if I talk to him now, I might be rebuffed. The boss would not accept my investment for sure. I want to keep waiting. I want to wait as this shop continues to do badly. I will wait until all its branches incur losses, and when the boss begins to doubt himself and starts to plan for a change…
“I will decisively offer to invest a huge sum of money as assistance. Then, I will acquire a shareholding in this place systematically. When that time comes, Boss Liu, we can talk about cooperating.”
Boss Liu laughed, neither agreeing nor rejecting the proposal. “Good planning, Boss Li. However, I feel that we have to observe this business model for a longer time.”
“Boss Li, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to be a wet blanket. I’m just slightly more conservative. I’m not like you investors; I don’t know how to see too far into the future. Once you—Boss Li—achieve your objective, I don’t mind discussing this deal.
“For all we know, Boss Li, you might not succeed. Then, it might be someone else hoping to work together with me.”
Li Shi smiled and sipped his coffee once more. “Don’t worry, Boss Liu. I think the boss of this place would have no reason to reject me.”
…
…
June 18th…
Tengda’s few games were updated at the same time!
There was a lot of excitement among people who had been waiting for these to happen. People who usually bought downloadable content did so; people who tried to acquire epic weapons did so. These people made their purchases while shouting ‘Tengda is so kind’. At the same time, they cursed various games with paywalls on the forums.
As Pei Qian scanned the forums, he kept an eye on the numbers on the platform. The rate at which they were selling some downloadable content was making him panic.
This was especially the case for Ocean Stronghold’s five hundred Barrett Dooms. Pei Qian had thought that they would last him for the entire day. However, from the looks of the situation, they probably would not last for even an hour.
The players could see that the limited Barrett Dooms was being sold out at the speed of lightning. Many people who had been considering whether to buy it made the decision to snatch it on the spot.
Although the rapidly-increasing numbers on the screen were causing Pei Qian’s heart to race, a more thorough calculation assured him that everything was still going according to plan.
After several settlements, Pei Qian was becoming clearer and clearer of the rules of the System. In order to incur a loss, he did not need to make the company go bankrupt. He also did not need to make the company remain stagnant.
He just had to achieve two things before settlement. That would ensure he would incur a loss that could be converted into his Personal Wealth.
First, at the time of settlement, the amount of money in his System Funds had to be lower than there was initially. Second, in the week before settlement, they could not have any unannounced products.
The System Funds would be topped up at the start of every
settlement cycle. Whether they had fifty thousand yuan like they did at the beginning or five million yuan like now, the System would continue to top up the System Funds without fail. Since the System was giving the money to them for free, there was no reason for Pei Qian to reject it.
For this settlement, Pei Qian only had to make sure that there would be less than five million yuan in the System Funds. The amount of money he could convert would depend on how much loss he incurred.
After settlement, the games would continue to make money, and the System would continue to top up the System Funds. The company would not run out of funds. They would develop whatever needed to be developed and expand whatever needed to be expanded. The System would not affect the running of their business.
What’s more, the System Funds had to either be spent on the employees or on research and development. It was not like Pei Qian could just throw away the money.
Now, Pei Qian was no longer that concerned about whether particular projects were making money. Take the downloadable content this time for example. He agreed to release them only to continue deceiving the public. He knew he would make profits from it for sure, but he decided to go ahead anyway.
It did not matter. As long as he incurred losses for other projects and made sure he had less than five million yuan in his System Funds at the date of settlement, he could still achieve an overall loss. He did not need to lose all of his hard-earned money.
Now, everything was going according to Pei Qian’s plan. Even Fish-Catching Take-Out, which was the latest project, was complete. Although no one was using it for now, it was considered up and running. It was not considered an unannounced product.
Everything was in its place. Pei Qian was in a good mood. He was ready to see how the players would praise him.
Casually, he opened one of the forums.
“Ghost General is finally updated! Thank the heavens! What’s more, they added so many generals. We can play for six more months!”
He opened another forum.
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