Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  Furthermore, some details in the content had not been perfected.

  Take the heroes’ models, actions, and style, for example. It was the same for some mechanisms in the game as well. All of them could be improved.

  Simply put, the game was only half-done. What’s more, it was far from being completed.

  After playing one round of the game, Pei Qian gave overall feedback for the current version of GOG.

  Actually, the only merits of the fame were the fixed assignment of roles and the new way of obtaining gold coins in the game.

  The most important parts of MOBA Games, such as the game’s balance, the game’s quality, the characters’ IP, and the like were not very well-done. Furthermore, even though the barriers to the game had been lowered to some extent for newer players, GOG had not done it that well either.

  In his heart, Pei Qian genuinely thought that GOG was far from complete.

  He relaxed slightly. In the short-term, the game probably would not cause him many problems.

  As for Modest, the hero that was meant to be a subtle, malicious jab at Pei Qian.

  Pei Qian decided to let the matter rest. After all, the hero was very powerful and useful. Obviously, the designer had a conscience.

  Still, while he could let the problems with the characters rest, he could not let the problems with the game go.

  That was because hidden threats still existed.

  Pei Qian looked at the half-complete GOG and fell into deep thought. The most pressing question to resolve was: who had made those modifications to the game?

  All of a sudden, He Desheng spoke. “Boss Pei, what do you think of our suggestions? They’re not bad, right?”

  Pei Qian, “?”

  He was perplexed.

  “Your suggestions? What suggestions?”

  He Desheng paused for a moment and then replied, “Our suggestions for the game’s modifications! Increasing the bounty rewards, reducing the size of the map, and assigning fixed lanes… these were all our ideas!

  “Our initial intention was to allow Boss Ma to have better gaming experience. However, it turned out to be quite successful!”

  He Desheng was obviously trying to take credit for his achievements. After all, Dream Realization Ventures had not done any work ever since it invested in Finger Games back then.

  Although Ma Yang was He Desheng and the others’ direct superior, all of them knew very well that Boss Pei was the big boss.

  Even if they managed to please Boss Ma, all their efforts would be wasted if Boss Pei decided to fire them.

  Thus, He Desheng decided to grasp this rare opportunity to display his talents in front of Boss Pei.

  He needed to let Boss Pei know that everyone was still contributing significantly to Tengda even though Dream Realization Ventures had no work on its hands at the moment!

  What’s more, he was not exactly stealing someone else’s credit. Everyone had indeed come together to brainstorm modifications. The results had also proven to be good.

  The version of GOG that was meant to be an offering to Boss Ma was more popular than the original version in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. The data reflected this very clearly.

  He Desheng wondered if Boss Pei would remember to reward this bunch of brothers even if he did not give them a pay raise on the spot.

  Indeed, the corners of Boss Pei’s lips curled upwards in an inexplicable smile. “Yes, your suggestions were very good. You’ve been a great help!”

  He Desheng immediately looked embarrassed. “Boss Pei, you’re flattering us. We’re just doing our jobs!” Pei Qian was smiling on the outside but sniggering on the inside.

  I’ve found the culprits! What’s more, they had revealed themselves willingly!

  Pei Qian had not even thought about them. He had thought that Li Yada’s design team had been responsible for the modifications to GOG. Why would he have linked them to Dream Realization Ventures?

  Yet, He Desheng shot himself in the foot and came clean on his own!

  Alright, He Desheng. I shouldn’t have kept you once I saw your name back then!

  Pei Qian maintained the smile on his face as he asked, “How did you think of giving suggestions to modify GOG?”

  Grinning, He Desheng explained, “At first, we only wanted to make sure that the game’s system did not limit Boss Ma’s outstanding talents.

  “Furthermore, we were not just giving suggestions to modify GOG. We were also sending the same suggestions to Finger Games.

  “Boss Pei, don’t be too concerned about this. We were just offering a tiny bit of help based on our experience and skills!”

  He Desheng was acting humble.

  Pei Qian could not help but feel stunned. His thoughts had been interrupted. He was not concerned about He Desheng’s pleasantries, but he was concerned about the line in the middle.

  They had sent the same suggestions to Finger Games?

  Didn’t that mean that IOI and GOG would be going down the same path?

  No, IOI would be ahead of GOG for sure. After all, Finger Games had larger investments, more time, and more manpower.

  Yes… it was a false alarm.

  Since IOI was going to be way ahead of GOG, there was no need for Pei Qian to worry anymore.

  In any case, there could only be one winner.

  Even if GOG could generate some profit in the short-term, Pei Qian would be able to spend all that money on buying as many copyrights as possible. It would not be a problem.

  At that thought, Pei Qian relaxed slightly.

  Alright, alright. This He Desheng does not deserve the death penalty. Pei Qian had almost decided to send him on a paid holiday to the Great East African rift valley. Since that was the case… he would let He Desheng live. However, he still had to be punished. They could not be allowed to play games any longer!

  Pei Qian glanced at Ma Yang and then considered the precious supporting players beside him. He began to think about what had caused the entire mess in the first place.

  GOG was now more newbie-friendly because of the suggestions made by He Desheng and the others. Their suggestions had purely been aimed at improving Boss Ma’s gaming experience.

  Boss Ma was only playing games all day because…

  He had nothing else to do.

  Why was that? It was because Pei Qian had not given him any more money after Ma Yang spent the twenty million yuan. All work at Dream Realization Ventures had stopped since then.

  The more Pei Qian considered those things, the more he realized one thing: ‘I’m still the one at fault?’

  [1] This is a ferocious mythological animal that resembles a dragon.

  Chapter 372 - Don’t Blame Me for Being Ruthless!

  Pei Qian could not accept this conclusion.

  No way, no way! This doesn’t make sense! I have to make some changes!

  If he allowed Ma Yang to continue playing, He Desheng and the rest would continue to make suggestions to improve GOG. Then, the situation would develop out of Pei Qian’s control.

  He had to give Old Ma some work to do.

  After some consideration, Pei Qian said in a serious voice, “Old Ma, don’t play games anymore.”

  He turned to address He Desheng and the others. “You as well. You’re not allowed to play games with Boss Ma anymore.” He Desheng’s face drained of all color.

  What’s happening? Have my efforts to curry favor backfired? Were our suggestions bad? Did they go against the design concept that Boss Pei had in mind?

  Or is Boss Pei unhappy with us because he thinks that we’re not taking our jobs seriously?

  The atmosphere in the office immediately became tense.

  There was no big deal about the rule that they could not play games anymore. However, everyone was more worried about leaving a bad impression on Boss Pei’s mind!

  Pei Qian continued, “I’ll transfer another sum of money to Dream Realization Ventures soon. Think about new investment projects that we can contribute to.”


  Everyone in the office visibly relaxed.

  He Desheng could not help but feel ashamed for his attitude earlier.

  What was I thinking about?! Is Boss Pei that petty?

  Look, Boss Pei’s not even angry. In fact, he’s rewarding us!

  The best outcome that He Desheng had thought of earlier was an increase in salary.

  However, Boss Pei was now offering Dream Realization Ventures another sum of money. That was even better than getting a pay raise!

  Pei Qian had no idea what He Desheng was thinking. However, he knew that whatever the latter was thinking was probably a far cry from whatever he was thinking.

  After what happened the previous time, Pei Qian had intended to leave Dream Realization Ventures with no work to do for a period.

  However, he had discovered that the group of employees had started working on GOG while they had nothing else to do. That was extremely dangerous!

  He had to give them something.

  Although Boss Pei did not have much spare cash left, Tengda’s businesses were now quite big. He could afford to fork out another three or four million yuan without much issue.

  However, the outcome of Ma Yang’s investment in IOI had not been revealed yet. For now, Pei Qian found it difficult to trust Ma Yang again.

  Pei Qian had to take charge of the investment this time!

  Ma Yang nodded profusely. “Alright, Brother Qian, no problem! I’ll spend the money as quickly as possible!”

  Pei Qian’s expression darkened. “No, no, no. Don’t be so rash this time.

  “Look around for a while. Find more dream realization projects. I’ll come over after some time, and we can discuss things before you make a decision.”

  Ma Yang looked confused. “Brother Qian, weren’t you the one who taught me to be daring and invest when I should, without hesitating? Didn’t you tell me to invest in whatever I liked and trust in my own instincts?”

  Pei Qian cleared his throat twice. “Hehe, I did say that before. You’re right.

  “However, that was when you were new to investing. You had just joined the industry. I kept emphasizing to you not to hesitate in order to nurture your decisiveness in making investments!

  “Now, the situation is different. You already have experience investing twenty million yuan. It’s time to advance to the next stage.”

  A realization dawned on Ma Yang. “Alright, Brother Qian. What’s the next stage? Go ahead!”

  Pei Qian pondered for a moment and said, “I have to show this to you using an actual project and analysis. Without a project in front of us, we’ll just be talking in abstract. We might end up becoming dogmatic.

  “How about this? Choose a proposal based on my requirements. Collect any proposal that reflects big dreams.

  “I’ll make another trip down after some time in order to discuss with you which project to invest in!”

  Ma Yang nodded. “Alright, Brother Qian. No problem!”

  Then, he turned to the supporting players behind him. “Did you hear that? I’m going to be your role model before we make the next investment. Stop playing games, everyone!” Everyone nodded and replied, “Alright, Boss Ma!”

  A smile surfaced on He Desheng’s face.

  He liked playing games, but he had not forgotten that he was an investor. He had come to Dream Realization Ventures to learn the elite ways of investment from Boss Pei!

  Boss Ma had spent the twenty million too quickly earlier. As a mere executor, He Desheng could not understand what was happening. During this period, He Desheng had been constantly hoping to witness Boss Pei make another move.

  Now, the opportunity was here!

  He wondered what kind of project Boss Pei — the master of investments—would pour his money into.

  He couldn’t wait to see it!

  December 30th, Thursday…

  The New Year’s Day holiday was right around the corner. Exams week was looming.

  Pei Qian had spent all of last night trying to memorize Ma Yang’s notes. When he woke up in the morning, his head felt heavy.

  After ordering Fish-Catching Take-Out, Pei Qian’s left eyelid started to twitch.

  “If the left eyelid twitches, it’s good luck; if the right eyelid twitches, it’s bad luck. “Oh, no! Something is up!”

  Pei Qian immediately became cautious.

  He sat down beside his study table and retrieved his little notebook. Then, he scanned the businesses that could have run into trouble.

  Although Pei Qian knew that he was being superstitious, there was a classic Chinese saying that constant self-reflection was desirable. There was nothing wrong with Pei Qian diligently self-reflecting.

  He quickly considered all the businesses that he had on hand.

  The leaders of Tengda Games and Shang Yang Games were on holiday in the United States. The problem probably was not with those projects.

  Work on the haunted house had not even begun. They did not even have a plan to work on yet. Seeing how inefficient the two leaders of this project were, Pei Qian guessed that the problem did not lie with this project as well.

  Fish-Catching Take-Out and Upwind Logistics had been making losses steadily. Fei Huang Workspace was still filming. Nothing dangerous could have happened yet. Pei Qian shortlisted the possible problematic projects and ended up with ROF and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.

  ROF had just dealt Pei Qian a huge blow not long ago. It was a serious suspect!

  However, Pei Qian did not want to wrong the innocent. Thus, he called Zhang Yuan to check in on him first.

  “Hello? Boss Pei?” Zhang Yuan sounded quite tired.

  Pei Qian became alert at once. He asked, “You sound exhausted.”

  Zhang Yuan answered, “That’s right, Boss Pei. We’ve been busy making orders recently. It’s not easy to buy so many parts in bulk, but don’t worry, Boss Pei. I’m almost done!” Pei Qian asked again, “How are ROF’s sales?” Smiling, Zhang Yuan replied, “Oh, rest assured, Boss Pei! Everything’s going well!

  “I was worried that our sales volume would suffer after we reverted to the original prices. However, that didn’t happen!

  “Although the sales volume decreased, raising the selling price meant that we earned more per system unit sold. Thus, we’re still generating the same amount of profits!

  “It looks like ROF’s brand already has considerable influence on the market. We have more or less made a name for ourselves. There’s still a steady stream of people buying our system units.

  “I was worried for no reason. Boss Pei, you have everything planned out!

  “I’ve already spent all of ROF’s funds on filling its warehouses, just like you instructed. Now, even the distribution points near the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes have been filled. The warehouse is more or less filled as well. There’s still another batch of stocks on the way.

  “We have to thank our brothers at Upwind Logistics for their hard work! This time, we won’t have to worry about supply at all!

  “Even if we receive many orders during the New Year’s Day holiday, our warehouses are full enough for us to deliver customers’ orders on the day itself!”

  The corners of Pei Qian’s mouth twitched. Something was indeed up!

  People are still buying the system units even though they’ve reverted to their original prices?

  Isn’t that awful? I’m earning even more for each computer sold!

  The computers had reverted to their original prices and were now three to four hundred yuan more expensive than before. Pei Qian had not expected people to still be interested in purchasing them!

  However, on further thought, that made sense.

  Who was ROF’s target audience? They were people who desired convenience.

  People who could assemble their own computers would not think about purchasing ROF’s system units-unless the entire system unit cost less than all the parts combined. However, such a situation would only arise if Boss Pei ran promotional events to incur losses o
n purpose.

  However, the current problem was that, after several promotional events; ROF was now quite well-known online, especially in Jingzhou.

  Those who had purchased ROF’s computers were already seeing the value of its products

  All the parts were of good quality. The configuration was clear, and there were no gaps. Delivery was speedy, and any problems could be repaired at their doorstep.

  ROF offered much more convenience than many other brands in Jingzhou. Naturally, some would recommend ROF to their friends.

  Thus, ROF was becoming reputable.

  Those who did not know how to assemble their own computers and craved convenience would buy ROF’s system units even if they cost three to four hundred yuan more.

  After all, nobody knew when the next promotional event would be run. What’s more, spending more money on convenience for something as important as a computer would not be considered overboard.

  That was the downside of being well-known: customers wouldn’t care about a slight increase in price!

  Had this brand developed its own brand premium?

  Pei Qian was a little flustered.

  If things continued down this path, it would mean bad news! Pei Qian had to think of something fast! He remained quiet for a moment and then asked, “Do you have time this afternoon? I want to take a look at the warehouse.”

  Zhang Yuan immediately answered, “I do! Boss Pei, what time will you be coming over?”

  Pei Qian glanced at his watch. “I’ll reach the warehouse at about 3 PM.”

  Zhang Yuan answered, “Alright, Boss Pei! No problem! I’ll be at the warehouse on time to receive you!”

  After hanging up, Pei Qian sighed inwardly.

  He had no other choice. Things were beginning to spin out of control. He had to activate his killer weapon!

  Although Pei Qian was still three months from settlement, Zhang Yuan’s ROF computer-installation business had been silently generating profit. It looked like the business would only continue to improve.

  If Pei Qian did not do something, the situation would probably blow up in his face in three months!