“Alright, Boss Pei. I’ll spend the money on developing the website. Don’t worry!”
After hanging up, Pei Qian silently switched on his laptop to study Zhongdian Chinese Network’s situation.
Although he could not see the backend figures, there was another way to check how popular the website was.
He could click on a random novel on the homepage and browse the comments section.
Before this, the comments sections had either been cold and deserted or filled with criticism. Either way, they always looked tragic.
However, the situation was different now. Pei Qian clicked on various books on the homepage, and all their comments sections looked normal!
Some rushed authors to update more regularly, some gave positive feedback, and some discussed the plots.
It was also obvious that more people were recommending, voting for, and saving all of these novels.
This was not the case for just one or two novels but for nearly all the novels on the homepage!
Pei Qian knew very well that Zhongdian Chinese Network was not faking these figures. In fact, it would remove any novel with artificially-boosted figures from its recommendation spots immediately. There was no way that such novels would remain on the website’s home page. In other words, all the figures Pei Qian was seeing for the novels on the homepage were real! They were becoming more popular among readers!
That was not the worst part.
To Pei Qian’s surprise, the novels on the homepage were much better than before, in terms of content, rhythm, and language.
Pei Qian had read several novels on Zhongdian Chinese Network before. Basically, all of them were some of the lousiest novels he had ever read. He could never decipher the plot. They were the kinds of novels that ordinary people would give up on after one or two chapters.
However, the novels he was reading now looked like something else!
Their titles and synopses were much more attractive. They also had a better pace and more satisfying storylines.
All in all, the novels were more tasteful!
It was no wonder that the figures were improving
The higher traffic was only part of the problem. The root of the problem was that the books were getting better. That was why the readers were sticking around.
Of course, the books were not that great either. At best, they could be considered top-tier books on Infinite Chinese Network. Still, they were very readable.
“What’s happening?”
Pei Qian frowned after discovering the problem.
I thought Ma Yiqun didn’t understand online literature. After all, every single novel he released failed. Clearly, he deeply misunderstands the world of online literature. If that’s true, the editors he trained should be equally clueless. If all the editors in Zhongdian Chinese Network do not understand online literature…
How did they decide to place these better-than-average novels on the home page? Did they base their decision on the backend figures?
Hmm, that seems possible…
Pei Qian was beginning to suspect that he had misunderstood Ma Yiqun’s true standard.
However, on further thought, he realized that the readers were the greatest decision-makers. Although Zhongdian Chinese Network did not have that many readers yet, their choices were still dependable.
Ma Yiqun did not have to read every single book. He only had to pick out the books with better backend figures and place them on the recommended list.
“Forget it, forget it. I’ll stop thinking about these things. “Settlement is right around the corner. Zhongdian Chinese Network just has to finish spending that sum of money on my behalf. I don’t have any more energy to look into these details.”
Pei Qian tossed his phone towards his bed and went into ostrich mode.
He did not want to be bothered by anyone now. He just needed each business to spend all the additional money they had earned to ease the pressure off of himself.
He was just about to take an afternoon nap when his cell phone rang again. He picked it up and saw that it was Assistant Xin.
“Boss Pei, the official platform wants an exclusive interview with you to find out about your thought process behind the creation of your games.” Pei Qian remained silent for a moment. “… I’m very busy now. Can I turn them down?”
Chapter 295 - Boss Pei, You will be Personally Rewarded with a Hundred Thousand Yuan
Chapter 295 Boss Pei, You will be Personally Rewarded with a Hundred Thousand Yuan
The lead designer of Tengda Games, Boss Pei, wanted very badly to turn the official platform down.
The official platform wants an exclusive interview with me to find out about my thought process behind the creation of my games?
My thought process has been ‘I’m so miserable’!
Every single game I created turned out to be a success. Why is it so difficult to create a loss-incurring game?
Pei Qian was afraid that the official platform would raise many problems with Game Designer and Repent and be Saved. That would be akin to flogging a corpse and re-opening Boss Pei’s old wounds. That would be too difficult to tolerate!
What’s more, wouldn’t an exclusive interview serve to market the games even more? Wouldn’t it drive more players to buy Tengda’s games?
Pei Qian instinctively tried to turn down the opportunity.
Assistant Xin remained silent for a moment and then tried to persuade him. “I think… you should at least turn up.
“It’s an exclusive interview with the official platform after all. Other ordinary game companies can only dream of such an opportunity.
“Until now, the official platform has offered a lot of support to our company as well. I think we have to reciprocate with a certain level of respect.”
For some reason, Pei Qian felt like a pupil who was being persuaded to go to class. Just talking about the support that the official platform had lent Tengda got Pei Qian mad.
Is that what you call support?!
It’s one thing to give me recommendation spots even though I didn’t ask for them, but they even wrote a special recommendation and praised the game to no end after that! Not only were the customers misled, but the official platform even gave Tengda seventy percent of the profits!
This cost Boss Pei a lot every single time.
If the official platform had not created so many problems, would Boss Pei have had to think about how to incur losses even while he was sick?!
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and asked, “If I don’t go, will the official platform send someone to assassinate me?
“Would they stop giving Tengda recommendation spots? Would they split the profits evenly instead of giving us seventy percent?”
Assistant Xin was speechless. “I don’t think they would go to that extent.”
They wouldn’t assassinate me, would they? That’s a pity!
Pei Qian thought hard. If he showed disrespect to the official platform, perhaps he would get fewer recommendation spots in the future.
Assistant Xin spoke again. “They already said it would be a simple chat. They won’t take up too much of your time.
“Since that’s the case, why not just help them out?”
Pei Qian was speechless. “…”
Assistant Xin continued, “That’s right, they’ll also take the chance to give Tengda an official trophy to recognize our company’s contribution to the creation of novel games.”
Pei Qian was speechless. “…”
“They’ll also give you a personal reward to recognize your outstanding results as a game designer. That’s a hundred thousand yuan in cash.
“Of course, it’s not much, but the most important thing is—”. “Send them over!” Pei Qian interrupted Assistant Xin.
“Huh?” Assistant Xin was shocked. She did not expect Boss Pei’s attitude to take a 180-degree turn.
He had just turned her down unconditionally. Had he changed his mind in the blink of an eye? Pei Qian
cleared his throat. “I pondered over it. I really should agree to the interview.
“This is mainly because the honor is not only mine. The hard work of all of Tengda’s employees should be recognized. Although I’m extremely busy and uninterested in being recognized in such ways, this is an opportunity for my employees to be rewarded.
“For them, I shall agree to the interview.” Pei Qian spoke righteously.
“Yes, yes. Boss Pei, you are right.” Assistant Xin sounded approving. “After all, not everyone is indifferent to worldly rewards like you are. You should accept these rewards if they’re offered to you.”
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and asked, “How many reporters will there be?” Assistant Xin replied, “It hasn’t been confirmed. I think it depends on the scale of the interview. If they’re only coming up with one manuscript, one reporter should be enough. If they’re producing a video, there would be at least one videographer.
“There aren’t any hard and fast rules. I think it’s mainly up to us to decide how many people should come over and how many days the interview should last for.”
Pei Qian nodded and said, “Alright.
“Since the official platform is showing us so much respect, we’ll treat them as well as we can! Ask them to bring an entourage to Jingzhou. We’ll cover all of their costs.”
Assistant Xin asked, “Including their accommodation and food?”
Pei Qian nodded and said, “Yes, and their air tickets. They’re coming all this way for an interview. We have to host them properly and cover all the expenses.”
Assistant Xin did not ask any more questions. “Alright, Boss Pei. I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”
Boss Pei had intended to turn down the interview, but that was because he did not expect the sly official platform to have prepared a personal reward!
Of course, a hundred thousand yuan was not much to Boss Pei, but… it was not little either!
What’s more, Pei Qian suddenly realized there was an opportunity to spend money here. Since he had already decided to quench his thirst with poison before settlement, he could go one step further. He could spend a sum of money by hosting the official platform’s reporters well. He could pay for their air tickets, their accommodation, and their food and drinks. He could even bring them to Ming Yun Private Kitchen for a meal.
Of course, this could backfire on Pei Qian. For instance… the official platform could like him all the more. They could frame the interview in such a way as to increase sales for the games.
However, Pei Qian had already thought about a counter-plan.
He could say some cold, hard truths during the interview to burst the players’ bubbles. This could become a topic of debate and negatively impact the games’ sales.
Wouldn’t that be a win-win situation?
In any case, Boss Pei was willing to do anything to incur losses!
October 17th, Sunday…
In the afternoon…
At the airport…
Xia Jiang was stepping onto Jingzhou soil for the first time. She looked behind her, scanning her impressive interview team. All of a sudden, she felt a great weight on her shoulders.
There were a total of nine people in the official platform’s interview team this time.
Xia Jiang was the editor-in-chief, in charge of Boss Pei’s interview. She brought with her an editor-in-training to help her out.
There were four people in the camera crew: one in charge of the main camera, two in charge of the roving cameras, and a young, burly man to help with carrying equipment and other matters.
There were also two photographers, and a businessman named Little Zhang. He was in charge of building a relationship with employees of Tengda and planning the entire interview schedule.
Apart from the trainee, all nine of them were experienced and aged. One could say that this was the dream team.
There would be no need to pull all stops if this were an ordinary interview. At most, the official platform would send one reporter, one videographer, and one photographer. Sometimes, the reporter would double up as the photographer as well. It was rare for a team like that to be formed.
Naturally, Xia Jiang had heard of Tengda Games before. She knew that it was an up-and-coming games company in Jingzhou and that its business was not limited to developing games.
It was said that this company’s boss was quite a mysterious character. That was why Xia Jiang, along with everyone else in her team, felt extremely curious about him.
In fact, it was Tengda’s request for the official platform to send so many people.
This showed how seriously Tengda was taking this interview.
That was why Xia Jiang felt incredible pressure from the moment she accepted this task. To her, this was going to be an important interview.
Tengda had also expressed their utmost sincerity. They had arranged for a seven-seater car and an ordinary car to send the team anywhere they needed to go. On top of that, the team’s accommodation and meals for the entire period was going to be taken care of.
The two cars sent the entire team to their hotel where a few of Tengda’s staff took care of the check-in process.
Everything was the same as when Teacher Qiao and Zhang Zuting visited. The hotel was a high-class one, and there were fruit platters, desserts, and coffee machines in the rooms. Everything looked top-tier. After resting for a while, everyone gathered in the hotel lobby and prepared to proceed to Tengda Games for the exclusive interview with Boss Pei.
At that moment, Pei Qian was planning the interview team’s itinerary.
“We can bring them to this attraction in Jingzhou this afternoon and let them walk around. At night, we can bring them to Ming Yun Private Kitchen. I’ve already planned the menu.
“Tomorrow’s Monday. We can take them to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
“In the afternoon… We can go to the other attractions in Jingzhou. We’ll pick the most expensive ones. At night, they can have dinner at other high-end restaurants.
“We should probably start the interview the day after tomorrow.
“They can talk to staff from various departments over three days. Allow them to get as much material as they need.
“Once they’re done, ask them to remain in Jingzhou to rest for a full day before leaving. Get them to stay until Saturday if you can.
“We can have a farewell meal at Ming Yun Private Kitchen on Saturday night. “Then, they can take a flight out of here on Sunday. That’s a full week—perfect.
“We have to remember to buy them parting gifts before they leave. Give each of them ten gifts so that they can distribute them to their colleagues when they get back. “Yes, that’s about it.”
After calculating the total amount of money he could spend this time, Pei Qian could not help but grin.
In Pei Qian’s eyes, this team was not here to film an interview with himself. Instead, they were his friends who were here to help him spend money.
As the saying went, one should spare no effort in taking advantage of whatever he laid his hand on.
It was rare for so many people to visit Jingzhou. Pei Qian could not allow them to slip away just like that!
After confirming the itinerary, Pei Qian glanced at his watch. It was almost time to set off.
Once Pei Qian arrived at the hotel, he spotted the interview team, walked up to them, and gave them a warm welcome to Jingzhou.
It was the first time Xia Jiang and the others were seeing Pei Qian. All of them were shocked at how young he was.
After exchanging pleasantries…
“Boss Pei, why don’t we head down to your office first? We’ve already prepared all our equipment, and we can start recording at any moment.” All Xia Jiang could think about was work.
“There’s no hurry,” replied Pei Qian, waving his hands. “Assistant Xin will bring all of you around Jingzhou tonight. Enjoy the sights and smells of this city before getting to work.”
Xia Jiang paused. “Huh
? Boss Pei, shouldn’t we get straight to work? If we have extra time after that, then we can tour the city.”
Pei Qian looked solemn as he said, “You’ll be working too hard!
“As the saying goes, each place has its way of supporting its inhabitants. Tengda was born and raised in Tengda. If you want to film Tengda, you have to first film Jingzhou. Let’s do this: all of you can visit some attractions in Jingzhou and get a feel of the atmosphere and environment. That would aid you in your filming “I have a welcome feast prepared for tonight. You can enjoy Jingzhou’s delicacies and get your creative juices flowing. “The guests should follow the hosts; just follow what I have planned for you!
“Alright, everyone! Get on board the cars!”
Just like that, the interview team was pushed onto the cars by Boss Pei and his smooth words. They began their journey around Jingzhou to spend money-no, to enjoy the sights and smells.
Chapter 296 - What is a Professional Journalist?
Chapter 296 What is a Professional Journalist?
In the evening, they would enjoy Jingzhou’s cityscape.
At night, they would eat to their heart’s content at Ming Yun Private Kitchen. Xia Jiang and the interview team munched on the huge lobsters. They were very touched by the treatment that they received!
The treatment was out of this world!
The work of a journalist was very varied. There were gravy train tasks, and there were also back-breaking jobs.
In most cases—if the interviewee personally requested the interview, the treatment that the journalists received would be better. The interviewee would cover their transportation and accommodation costs. Sometimes, each of them would even receive a travel allowance ranging from five hundred to a thousand yuan. People would often label that allowance as a ‘red packet(1)’.
However, the interview with Tengda was different. The interview was not requested by Tengda, but it was organized by the official platform instead.
Under normal circumstances, Tengda did not need to pay for their travel and accommodation costs.
However, Boss Pei offered to do so!
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