Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  Wu Bin seemed to have found his mission moving forward.

  February 14th, Monday…

  The weekend had not been good for Pei Qian. He kept feeling like a problem was going to spring up out of nowhere. What made Pei Qian the most fearful was the ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ application’s situation. He was burning more money and keeping advertising up, and the application was becoming more and more popular. However, He Desheng was already beginning to sell shares bit by bit. To Boss Li, that was a clear signal.

  Once Boss Li and the others got the signal, ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ would take a great hit…

  Then, Pei Qian would have achieved his goal.

  Pei Qian had guessed that Boss Li would have made a move over the weekend by trying to dig for more information from him or He Desheng.

  Pei Qian had always been honest with Boss Li before, but Boss Li had never believed him.

  This time, Pei Qian had decided to lie. He would say that he was trying to back out of the project because he did not see any potential in it!

  Boss Li would believe him this time, right?

  On top of that, Pei Qian had also been keeping a close eye on Zhongdian Chinese Network’s online authors’ class. To his surprise, he had discovered that the writers were uploading fewer chapters per day. It even looked like they were competing to see who could upload fewer chapters!

  Before this, the authors’ class made use of inhumane methods like a ‘lockdown state’ to ensure that the writers uploaded about eight thousand words each day. However, after Pei Qian put in some hard work, the writers quickly retreated.

  This was undoubtedly exciting news!

  Monday was Valentine’s Day. In the spirit of being humanitarian, Pei Qian thought about giving his employees half a day off, so that they did not need to work in the afternoon.

  Furthermore, he wanted to give each employee a rose. There wouldn’t be any special meaning to the rose, other than that they were more expensive on Valentine’s Day.

  Roses were cheap on most days, and Pei Qian wouldn’t be bothered with them.

  After lazing around in bed for a while, Pei Qian reluctantly got up. He planned to walk around the office and then head to Thriller Hostel to take a look.

  He had received a message from Chen Kangtuo in the morning, saying that the last three mini-projects for the Thriller Hostel had been completed. That meant that the second major project was done.

  Pei Qian thought about finding a lab rat to try out the effectiveness of the mousetrap.

  Ruan Guangjian had been the best candidate, but he had already returned to Shanghai. Thus, Pei Qian had no choice but to look for an alternative.

  Boss Li, who was always creating trouble for him, seemed like a good option.

  Pei Qian arrived at the office and realized that the roses had been delivered. Everyone had a bunch of fresh, colorful roses on their table, which made the entire office area look like springtime. A subtle flowery fragrance filled the air as well.

  Pei Qian had conducted secret checks earlier and confirmed that no one in the office was allergic to flowers. That was why he could relax and send them to everyone.

  As he walked into his own office, Ma Yiqun sprung up from the side and stopped him. Then, he held out a huge bouquet of roses towards Boss Pei.

  “Boss Pei, this is for you!”

  Behind Ma Yiqun were Li Yada, Bao Xu, Lin Wan, Tang Yishu, Huang Sibo, and the others. Assistant Xin was standing by the side, smiling subtly.

  Pei Qian was stunned. This bouquet of flowers was obviously two times bigger than the ones he had given to his employees. They must have especially custom-made it.

  Pei Qian’s expression was strange. “What’s the meaning of this?”

  Ma Yiqun smiled and explained, “Boss Pei, this represents all your employees’ love for you!”

  The corners of Pei Qian’s mouth twitched. “I don’t have anything against all of your love, but why must you be the one giving this to me…?”

  Ma Yiqun laughed. “We wanted to get a girl to give it to you, but they were fighting too much. Nobody wanted to give in. Since we couldn’t find a suitable candidate in the end, I had to be the one.”

  Pei Qian’s mind was filled with question marks.

  It was rare that Pei Qian got gifted flowers on Valentine’s Day, but a man was the one giving it to him now!

  Speechless, Pei Qian took the bouquet. Then, he said, “Thank you all…”

  Just as he started to walk away, Li Yada jumped in front of him to stop him.

  “Boss Pei, thank you for the surprise you prepared for all of us this Valentine’s Day. We have a special surprise for you, too! “All of Tengda’s and Shang Yang Games’ games have been updated with a Valentine’s Day event at the same time. It’s proving to be very popular among gamers, and this follows straight after the Chinese New Year event!

  “Today’s income alone would probably exceed last week’s total income!”

  Lin Wan stood by the side with a proud grin on her face.

  Shang Yang Games’ Bloody Battle Song had also organized a Valentine’s Day event. Just like Ocean Stronghold, it would be one of the main reasons for the increase in revenue. Of course, it was worth being proud of.

  Pei Qian, “…?”

  What the f*ck! That was the surprise that you so carefully planned for me?! That’s returning my kindness with evil!

  Pei Qian felt like the thorns of this huge bouquet of roses had pricked him in the heart.

  However, seeing how passionate everyone was, Pei Qian had no choice but to force a smile and act like he did not care.

  “Hehe, not bad. Thank you all!”

  At Dream Realization Ventures…

  “Boss Li, come, have some tea.”

  He Desheng served Li Shi a cup of tea and smiled as he sat down across from him. Before this, he had worked at Fu Hui Investments for some time as Li Shi’s assistant.

  However, as the saying went, life was full of ups and downs. Now, whenever He Desheng saw Li Shi, he could stop being overbearing or servile.

  That was because now that He Desheng was learning about investing from Boss Pei and picking up things as he went along, he felt of a higher status than Li Shi. Naturally, he viewed Li Shi—his previous superior and an elder in the investment industry-as more of an equal.

  Li Shi sipped the tea and said, “Desheng, can you tell me more about why Dream Realization Ventures is beginning to sell Top Student, Come Quick’s shares? What are all of you thinking?”

  He Desheng grinned and asked, “What do you think?”

  Li Shi set his teacup down, feeling melancholic. “If others did this, I would think they’re trying to run away, but… “Since Boss Pei is the one doing this, I can’t figure it out.”

  He Desheng sincerely answered, “Boss Li, if you can’t figure it out, I all-the-more wouldn’t be able to either…

  “Honestly, I’m just obediently following Boss Pei’s instructions. I can’t seem to figure out what he’s thinking.

  “Boss Li, if you really want to know, you should just ask Boss Pei yourself.” Of course, He Desheng could guess what Boss Pei was thinking. However, he could not explain this to Boss Li. After all, these were business secrets. He had to put Dream Realization Ventures’ profits on top.

  Everyone was only guessing Dream Realization Ventures’ plans for now, but none of them could be sure because it was not selling a lot of shares. It was difficult for observers to tell if Dream Realization Ventures was trying to run or if Tengda Corporation was moving funds around.

  If it was the latter, there would be nothing worth freaking out about. Instead, the others should continue investing more money into the project.

  However, if it was the former, they should be cautious.

  Thus, Li Shi specially made a trip down to try and find out what was happening. Yet, since He Desheng was loyal towards Boss Pei, he naturally kept his lips sealed.

  Knowing that Boss Li wouldn’t give up, He
Desheng decided to direct him to Boss Pei. Boss Pei was a genius. He would definitely be able to manage the entire situation perfectly.

  Chapter 419 - Boss Li’s Plan

  Chapter 419 Boss Li’s Plan

  February 15th… Thriller Hostel…

  Pei Qian had yet to recover from being stabbed on the back by his beloved employees on Valentine’s Day. He had even thought of arranging a Thriller Hostel experience for all his staff.

  However, he dismissed the idea since the project was not yet completed.

  Let them go for the time being and settle the records with them once and for all after the Thriller Hostel was completed! Revenge was a dish best served cold.

  When the time comes, he would arrange for all his employees to feel the love Boss Pei harbored for them!

  At this time, Chen Kangtuo was telling Pei Qian about the completion of the second major project of Thriller Hostel.

  “Boss Pei, the six small projects planned at the initial stages had been completed. The pulleys under the container can be randomly combined and moved, so that the players cannot guess which project they were going to enter next.

  “The second big project is moderately difficult. It is mainly used to test a player’s psychological endurance. You must fully memorize the requirements of the project before entering. You must then accurately complete all the requirements even if the order of the small projects is disrupted. Only then will you pass it and qualify for the third major project challenge.

  “Of course, the players will be able to experience the entire project even if they fail the requirements unless they give up themselves.

  “The fee for the second large project is set at 30 yuan according to Boss Pei’s requirement. It is equivalent to only five yuan for each small project. I personally think this price may be a little too low.

  “Plans for the first and third projects are being worked out quickly. It is expected that the construction will start this week. However, we optimistically estimate that it would be ready only in May or June next year since the construction period of these two projects would be longer. “There is a possibility of further delay if the quality of the project at that time cannot meet the requirements.”

  Pei Qian nodded. “En, not bad.

  “Also, there is no need to worry about the price. Thriller Hostel is generally going to profit from the third project.

  “We’ll officially start business once all three projects are completed. Don’t worry, we’ll give priority in ensuring the quality and safety of the project.”

  It seemed like the haunted house project would not be able to be completed within this settlement cycle. It could only be pushed backward.

  Fortunately, this settlement cycle allowed one unfinished project. If not, it would affect the settlement.

  This way, Pei Qian could put his excess funds into the Thriller Hostel project which could greatly ease the pressure of excess funds before the settlement.

  Of course, it might seem to be limitless on the surface, but there was actually still a limit.

  The delayed project had to be done before the next settlement which meant that the project should not be too massive.

  Take this Thriller Hostel for example. Pei Qian could well spend all the excess system funds on it, but the more money he spent, the greater the amount of work and a correspondingly longer time for completion.

  If the next settlement cycle was in three months, the delayed project would be settled even if it had not started operations by then.

  Therefore, Pei Qian had to consider the invisible restrictions when he would spend money at the Thriller Hostel. He could not just look at the present and ignore the long term effects.

  In addition, since the Thriller Hostel had been selected as a project not to be completed in his cycle, all other projects including the cell phone, games, etc. must be completed.

  Pei Qian looked at the time. The lab rat should be here soon.

  As expected, Boss Li’s car arrived outside the Thriller Hostel not long after.

  “Boss Pei.” Li Shi came over and shook hands with Pei Qian with happiness.

  Pei Qian invited him to visit Thriller Hostel yesterday. Li Shi agreed without saying a second word.

  His visit was mainly for two purposes. One was to examine the investment environment around the haunted house, and the other was to test Boss Pei’s tone and the attitude of Dream Realization Ventures towards Top Student, Come Quick’. Were they really going to exit?

  Pei Qian smiled and waved at Boss Li. “Boss Li, have some tea. You’ve come a long way.”

  Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong had been supervising the progress of the project here so a small office was built in advance. There were naturally snacks, drinks, tea, etc. It was very in line with the Tengda spirit.

  Boss Li sat down on the sofa for one and sipped his tea while exclaiming. “I remember Boss Pei mentioned that you wanted me to be the first customer of the haunted house. I did not expect the progress of the haunted house to be so fast. It’s very in line with the Tengda efficiency.”

  Hmmm… strictly speaking, you are not the first customer of Thriller Hostel since Ruan Guangjian had already experienced three small projects within it. Pei Qian thought silently.

  However, Boss Li, you will be the first to experience the second big project in its entirety. There is no problem in saying you are the first customer.

  Pei Qian drank his tea and corrected Li Shi’s phrasing. “This is only the second big project of the Thriller Hostel. More than half of the work has just started so it cannot be formally operational just yet. “Moreover, this is not Tengda efficiency. Tengda never seeks speed but strives for constant improvement within a limited time.”

  “Constant improvement…” Li Shi pondered for a moment before asking very seriously. “So, is this project scary?” “Ahem, ahem.” Pei Qian coughed lightly and glanced at Chen Kangtuo who was standing at the side. “How do you say this? It varies from person to person. You’ll only know after experiencing it.”

  Chen Kangtuo handed the list with the content of the project to Boss Li. “This is an action to be completed in the project. Please go through it and memorize it.”

  Li Shi took this piece of paper. His eyes scanned the content on it, and his eyebrows could not help but be raised.

  There are a few simple explanatory texts on it:

  ‘Guests can ask to terminate the challenge at any time when they feel unwell.

  ‘Keep in mind the various steps and execute them accurately during the challenge. You will be eligible for the third project of the Thriller Hostel when you successfully clear the process.

  ‘You can continue to experience the entire process even if you took the wrong steps.

  There is no time limit for items you have to memorize.

  ‘Special note: The order of the following six items will be randomly disrupted during the challenge. Please do not memorize them mechanically.’

  Next were the names of the six projects and the challenge items that needed to be achieved in each project.

  There were basically five to seven challenge items each and had certain relevance to each other so it was not difficult to remember.

  Take the bathroom project for example. It went like this:

  Lock the bathroom door.

  Pick up the red candle on the ground and light it.

  Put the candle in front of the mirror and shut your eyes for three seconds before looking into the mirror.

  Turn on the tap and wash your hands.

  Lie in the bathtub and press the timer; blindfold your eyes until the timer stops.

  The challenge items basically focused on the entrance, the bathroom mirror, and the bathtub. The order was from outside to the inside. It would take only two to three minutes to remember it with a clear mind.

  Of course, it would take at least half an hour to learn all the items considering that the order of the small projects would be disrupted.

  Li Shi quickly browse
d through the requirements of all the small projects and fell silent.

  It seemed… like it would not be as scary as he thought.

  Li Shi came with the mentality of rushing to his death. That was because he knew Boss Pei strived to be perfect in everything he did. The haunted house project would definitely be terrifying!

  However, it was slightly different from what he expected after seeing the list.

  At present, the scariest haunted house had two characteristics. One was a long process; the other was having numerous staff interact with the guests.

  However, this Thriller Hostel project was exactly the opposite.

  Moreover, it could be seen from the paper that each of these challenge items were not too long. They might end in five to eight minutes so the total time taken would be about half an hour to 40 minutes.

  Moreover, it seemed as though there would not be any staff pretending to be ghosts. That gave Boss Li some relief.

  It seemed as though this project was mainly used to qualify for the third project so the level of terror was moderate.

  Li Shi had some expectations after thinking about it.

  He originally thought that if this project was too scary, then he would not experience it. He would then think of another way to get an answer from Boss Pei.

  He could make an issue out of it now since it did not seem to be too scary.

  “Boss Pei, can I have another reward if I stick to the complete process? The qualification for the third project is meaningless to me,” Li Shi asked.

  Pei Qian nodded. “Sure, what kind of reward would Boss Li want? Shall I give you a lifetime VIP for Thriller Hostel for you to come and experience it for free?”

  Li Shi’s face turned black. “What do I want that for?! Do you think I don’t cherish my