They would go there for a meal before each settlement. Apart from that, he would maintain the business and allow it to continue incurring losses. That was quite a good idea.
At that thought, Pei Qian roughly knew what had to be done.
Next week, the games would continue to reap profits. Pei Qian did not have to worry about where to spend this money. He could pour them all into setting up a high-class restaurant. For all he knew, it would require much more money than the three Fish-Catching Internet Cafes.
Of course, a few whales would fancy this high-class restaurant. It would have at least a few customers.
However, Jingzhou was a second-tier city. There weren’t many whales here. Pei Qian guessed that the restaurant would still incur losses. It was not likely that it would become popular.
Pei Qian pondered for several moments and then glanced at Lin Wan who was seated two tables away. Lin Wan thought that Pei Qian had not figured out her real identity. However, Pei Qian already had a good idea of who she was. He even made arrangements for her quietly.
Of course, Pei Qian would not act rashly and alert her yet. He had to wait until the next settlement cycle before arranging for Lin Wan to be transferred over to Shang Yang Games so that she could quickly ruin several games. Then, his job would be complete.
At that moment, Lin Wan was typing away on her phone, replying to messages.
On the screen was a message from Chen Sha.
“Beautiful Lin, little lass, please… think of a way to get me a Barrett Doom from inside there! Aren’t you in charge of this? You should have control over the internal quota, right?”
“I really cannot. I would love to help, but my hands are tied. Why not look for a scalper?” Lin Wan replied quickly. “Me aside; even the outstanding employee in my team whom Boss Pei completely trusts—Bao Xu—had to buy a Barrett Doom from a scalper.”
Chen Sha, “…”
Ever since Chen Sha was hooked onto Ocean Stronghold thanks to Lin Wan, he became a dedicated player of the game.
Initially, Chen Sha often played Counter Strike. After all, Counter Strike was a competitive game, and he could play for a longer time. Ocean Stronghold, on the other hand, was an FPS game for newer players. It was worse off than Counter Strike in many aspects.
However, slowly, Chen Sha became a turncoat.
This was because Ocean Stronghold became more and more popular. As more and more people played the game, Chen Sha got sucked in as well. He never thought that the game he had spent so much time and effort dissing in the beginning would replace Counter Strike’s place in his heart one day…
The moment the Barrett Doom was released, Chen Sha desired it as much as other players did. After all, which player of FPS games did not enjoy sniping?
However, there was a limit of five hundred rifles. Chen Sha stood no chance.
Look for a scalper? Even if he offered two or three thousand, he probably would not be able to get one.
Yet, this was not all about money. The problem was that Chen Sha had a Red Kilin in his account. He also had a bunch of guns he worked hard for. Of course, he could not give them up so easily.
Chen Sha did not give up. “But I helped Tengda out once! Didn’t I have a part to play in Ocean Stronghold’s rise to success?
“I was one of the leading gamers; an elite gamer of FPS games. I am a well-respected character in many other domestically-produced games. Why is it so difficult for me to get just one weapon in this game…?”
Lin Wan replied, “Em… I recall when I first introduced the game to you and gave you a Red Kilin, you looked down on them. You even said that this was just some data in a game and questioned which idiot would spend 888 yuan on it. What do some people call this? Yesterday, you ignored me. Tomorrow—”
Chen Sha quickly interrupted, “Hehe, I’m an idiot! The idiot really wants a Barrett Doom now. Please, I’m begging you!”
“Hehe.” Seeing Chen Sha lower himself made Lin Wan embarrassed. “Alright. Since you’re so sincere, I’ll ask Boss Pei for you. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to obtain one.”
Chen Sha, “Thank you very much!”
Lin Wan looked at Pei Qian who seemed to be in deep thought. She began to feel perturbed and wondered if he had figured out her identity yet.
Frankly, she had reduced the rent a bit too much this time. Four yuan was reduced to 1.5 yuan immediately. This might have made Boss Pei suspicious.
If she had reduced it slightly, she could have hidden it from Boss Pei. However, to Lin Wan, that would be meaningless. It would not have been enough to repay the care and concern that Boss Pei had shown his employees. It would also have looked stingy.
Lin Wan never saw herself as a stingy person.
Now, Lin Wan was not sure if Pei Qian was suspicious of her. Logically, if he was suspicious of her, he would have questioned her, right?
However, Boss Pei was acting like nothing had happened. He did not even pay her special attention.
“Maybe Boss Pei is too busy. Rent is such a small matter. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed? En, that’s very likely. Then, I should act like nothing has happened for now.”
Lin Wan would not take the initiative to talk to Pei Qian about this. She was never one to take credit for doing good. She wanted to interact with everyone else as if she were just another ordinary person.
Lin Wan made up her mind and walked up to Pei Qian.
The two of them harbored ill intentions inside but smiled on the surface. Both acted as if they did not know the other’s true thoughts.
Chapter 172 - Huang Sibo’s Documentary
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Boss Pei, do you remember Chen Sha? He wants a Barrett,” Lin Wan said briefly.
Pei Qian’s immediate reaction was to reject him.
You must be kidding. I’ve limited it to five hundred guns so I’ll only sell five hundred guns. How can I break that rule so easily?
If I give out one gun today and another tomorrow, it’ll become as cheap as vegetables tomorrow. I cannot do something like that.
Boss Pei himself did not enjoy any special privileges. How could he make exceptions for others so easily?!
Of course, Boss Pei did not give himself these special privileges because he was very bad at these FPS games. Even if he had a Barrett Doom, he would be tortured in the game.
Having guessed what Pei Qian was going to say, Lin Wan quickly butted in. “Boss Pei, I know that his request is unreasonable. However, I feel that we should at least take care of our core players, right? Even if we can’t give them away, can we at least strike a compromise?
“We’re limiting sales to five hundred every month. It all boils down to how quickly one’s hand moves. We’re letting scalpers take the advantage. Players who genuinely love playing the game would not get to buy the weapons. It would be quite hurtful for them.”
Pei Qian pondered about it and realized that was true.
It did not matter whether Tengda made money or not, but he could not allow the players to get hurt. He also could not allow scalpers to take advantage of this situation easily.
After all, the players were innocent. Scalpers, on the other hand, were assholes.
Pei Qian thought about it and said, “That’s easy to settle. We can quickly create an account reputation system. According to various factors, accounts can get various ratings. Take core players like Chen Sha for example. Since they made great contributions to the game, they should get special contribution privileges.
“Other accounts can be judged based on whether they curse in the game or not, whether they are civilized in the game or not, how active they are, and the like. It would be just like a credit rating.
“Those with high credit ratings can pre-order epic weapons. Once their pre-order is successful, their purchase will be deducted from the limit of five hundred. The higher one’s credit rating is, the higher their priority for pre-ordering.
“Of course, those who hav
e the same credit rating must still fight one another.
“Scalpers are not elite gamers; they will naturally be the last in line. Then, no matter how fast they work, it will be of no use. They would stand no chance in snatching the epic weapons.”
Lin Wan’s eyes lit up. “Good idea! Boss Pei, you’re amazing indeed. You could think of such a perfect solution! I’m going to tell Chen Sha about this and ask him to wait for it patiently.”
You don’t have to look so surprised, do you?
Pei Qian was stunned. This was a natural solution.
However, on second thought, Lin Wan’s reaction was logical. Most people’s thinking about games was still a bit backward at the time. Pei Qian had an additional few years’ worth of experience. That was why he naturally had the upper-hand.
Of course, under most circumstances, this upper-hand was only effective when thinking about little things such as this. Could he create a huge business empire like Shenhua Corporation based on what little additional experience he had?
Pei Qian felt that would be a distant dream; it was unrealistic.
He would do better to take care of the things in front of him for now.
What’s more, he could limit the amount of income from games, generate losses, freeload off the System Funds, and convert money to his Personal Wealth; all without compromising on his long-term dream.
Just as he thought about these things, he heard cheering from far away.
“Brother Huang is back!”
“Brother Huang, you’re late! Drink three glasses as punishment!”
Pei Qian was shocked.
He’s here. Huang Sibo is here!
According to Pei Qian’s instructions, Huang Sibo should have finished filming before June 18th. If he produced the video after the 24th, the System would delay settlement. To Pei Qian, this was unacceptable.
Pei Qian guessed that Huang Sibo must have finished filming and editing. They should be planning to publish the documentary within these two days.
How much Huang Sibo’s video earned would directly affect Pei Qian’s future plan.
Pei Qian watched from afar as Huang Sibo smiled and greeted everybody. However, he spotted a hint of loneliness in Huang Sibo’s eyes.
Huh?
Pei Qian rejoiced in his heart. Does Huang Sibo have a surprise for me this time?
He looked behind Huang Sibo but did not see Chen Lei.
After Chen Lei went to Shanghai, he became an employee of Fei Huang Workspace. However, in reality, he was not given any tasks. He was just an employee in name.
After Fei Huang Workspace finished filming, they returned to Jingzhou for editing. While they were here, it was convenient for them to join the cohesion. Since Chen Lei was not here, Pei Qian guessed that he had his own plans.
Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce greeted the rest of the employees before coming to Pei Qian’s table.
“Come, sit.”
Pei Qian greeted the two of them passionately and invited them to sit opposite him. Both of them were pleasantly surprised that they were given the chance to sit at the same table as Boss Pei. After all, this was not a common occurrence.
However, Huang Sibo felt a weight on his chest.
What a time for this!
Why did Boss Pei act so cold when Fei Huang Workspace signed the agreement with Aili Island and earned huge sums of money? Why was he only acting so warm now?
Did Boss Pei guess that our job did not go well this time? Is that why he wants to counsel us?
Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce exchanged a meaningful glance as if they guessed the same thing at the same time.
Boss Pei was really a good boss who took care of his employees!
Pei Qian did not know that both of them had so many thoughts in their minds. From their expressions alone, he guessed that Fei Huang Workspace’s filming of the documentary did not go well this time.
That was great news!
They were proving to be friends to him in a time of crisis!
While Pei Qian’s pressure to incur losses for the company was increasing, Lin Wan suddenly gave him such a big discount off his rent. He felt like he was sinking deeper into trouble.
Yet, now, if he found out that Fei Huang Workspace had lost all their hard-earned money, Pei Qian would finally be able to relax!
Huang Sibo and Huang Sibo did not have much of an appetite. They took two bites of their food and looked at each other. Neither knew where to begin.
“What’s the matter? Filming didn’t go well?” Pei Qian asked, concerned.
Huang Sibo whipped out his cell phone. “Boss Pei, look at the video we edited.”
“Alright.”
Pei Qian did not ask more questions. He took the cell phone and watched the video.
Huang Sibo had briefly explained to Pei Qian before that this documentary was going to be about eSports players. He said they were going to interview the famous, local Counter Strike player Li Zhengwei, but he did not give Pei Qian many details.
He clicked the video and saw a black screen with words.
“Now, I’m training for at least fourteen hours every day.
“I rarely see my family or friends. I hardly have holidays.
“To many people, this would be unbearable.
“However, if you want to become a strong eSports player, you must make sacrifices.
“I remember the day I decided to enter this career path. My father was on the way out to work. He locked the door and said if I continued to chase after this career, I could forget about returning home.
“After he left, I kicked open the door and ran away. I went to Shanghai alone to start my career proper.”
What followed was a series of aerial shots.
First, he saw what looked like a rundown country seat. Then, the scene changed. He saw prosperous Shanghai. The title of the documentary appeared on the screen: Coming Out of the Cocoon as a Butterfly.
The documentary was not long; it lasted about ten minutes from beginning to end. However, this took Huang Sibo and the others more than a month to film.
Pei Qian watched it seriously and found that it was much better than he thought it would be.
The storyline was complete. It followed Li Zhengwei as he skipped classes to surf the net, left home to start his career, made a name for himself, became recognized as the best Counter Strike player in China, and then fell into the low point he was at now. These scenes were peppered with interviews with his parents, the people around him, his coach, and his fans. Coupled with the beautiful background music and seamless transitions, the entire documentary could resonate with its viewers.
Even Pei Qian was shocked by this documentary.
Chapter 173 - Boss Pei Was Always So Heartwarming
Evidently, Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce were very clear about what they wanted to shoot. The emphasis of this documentary was not to exaggerate the glorious and beautiful side of professional gamers; it wanted more to focus on their daily lives, to let everyone see the side of them struggling and facing difficulties.
“This is very well done.”
Pei Qian really meant this.
He had seen many good documentaries on eSports players before. This one from Zhu Xiaoce was considered a very outstanding piece in both content and technique.
Huang Sibo smiled a little helplessly as he said, “I am also rather pleased. However… I’m afraid that we won’t be able to get back our capital.
“We have found a few video websites; however, they are unable to provide us with enough proceeds. If we just participate in ordinary incentive plans—even if this clip had three million views, we would only make back a few thousand; that wouldn’t be much.”
Pei Qian nodded his head.
It was obvious that documentaries were not very lucrative; they were different from short videos.
Short videos could draw on a wide variety of materials; they could also do sponsored partnerships that would sustain production. For video websites, having short videos
would bring much internet traffic to their sites.
However, documentaries were completely different.
Huang Sibo and the others had used very high-tech filming equipment and had run around Jingzhou, Shanghai, and Li Zhengwei’s hometown to shoot the documentary. Pei Qian had also required them to spend on their food and accommodation as per Tengda’s standards; they naturally had spent money like water.
For documentaries such as these, they were normally produced by the official sites to publicize and promote games or competitions. No matter how much money went into the documentaries, the sites could make this money back.
However, Huang Sibo and the others had done this documentary purely as a form of public service to the public interest; it was quite normal they wouldn’t be able to make back the money they had used.
Huang Sibo knew that this time, Lu Mingliang had led the development of the new editions of the current games; and the downloadable contents had all achieved great success. Lu Mingliang had probably already superseded him in the position as chief planner.
Fei Huang Workspace hadn’t made the slightest contribution this time. At gatherings like this, he more or less felt a little abashed.
Pei Qian smiled. “You guys are feeling bad because of this?”
Huang Sibo was a little shocked, “Boss Pei…”
Pei Qian raised his glass as he swirled it. His tone became rather indifferent, “Hadn’t I said long ago? Do not be calculative and focused on short-term profits and losses; do not care so much about money.
“Didn’t the short videos also start as something you guys did out of love without looking forward to gaining? Although you guys rejected low-class sponsored partnerships, you guys didn’t starve. In the end, you all managed to find a best-of-both-worlds way to make money, right?
“To me, the focus isn’t on if we can make money, but on whether we are doing something meaningful or not.
“Weren’t you guys already mentally prepared that you would make a loss when you all decided to do a documentary?
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