After introducing themselves, Wu Bin and Cui Geng began interviewing Qiao Liang.
After emerging from the ‘Ultimate Horror’, Qiao Liang went to the Healing Springs to wash his hands. The warm water immediately got rid of his terror and fear. The residual feelings finally dissipated.
Qiao Liang guessed that he would not be haunted by the frightening memories of tonight anymore and that he would have a good night’s sleep… right?
After that, he met Wu Bin at the Maid Cafe to be interviewed.
Until now, Wu Bin and Cui Geng had interviewed Li Shi and Liang Qingfan to understand the Tengda Spirit. They had already figured out two aspects of Boss Pei’s personality.
The only problem was that the picture they had of him at the moment was still not enough. They couldn’t even form Boss Pei’s silhouette—they only had fragments of him.
Thus, they had to keep gathering material.
As good friends of Boss Pei, Qiao Liang and Ruan Guangjian had both been booked for interviews. However, they had to be interviewed separately.
That was because, strictly speaking, those were not simple interviews.
Every person’s view of Boss Pei was subjective. They could not directly use them.
Wu Bin had to seriously analyze every word that came out of those people’s mouths, repeatedly compare them with previous examples of Boss Pei’s actions, test the theories, smooth out the edges and make the information presentable, get rid of the false and keep the true, and then include what little was left into the book.
After all, the book was about the Tengda Spirit. A minor mistake could result in a world of difference. They could not afford to be careless.
What’s more, Wu Bin ordinarily had other work to do as well. That was why he always had to spend a long time organizing all the information. At best, he took two weeks; at worst, he could take an entire month.
Now, he was finally done analyzing Li Shi and Liang Qingfan’s interviews and could continue conducting more.
Qiao Liang was a good friend of Boss Pei’s. At the same time, he was an extremely influential UP Master on Aili Island. Wu Bin guessed that he would definitely be able to provide a unique perspective!
“My impression of Boss Pei…”
Qiao Liang sipped his coffee and fell into deep thought.
If he had been asked that question before today, he might have given a completely different answer. However, after finishing all of Thriller Hostel’s projects, Qiao Liang suddenly had fresh perspectives and understanding.
He organized his thoughts and said, “Firstly, I think Boss Pei is an extremely magnanimous person. He could work with and tolerate people with the weirdest tempers and even become good friends with them.”
Wu Bin: “You are referring to…?”
Qiao Liang cleared his throat. “I should not expose this. I can’t badmouth others behind their backs. Moreover, I want to emphasize that, while this person has a very strange temperament, he is actually very kind inside.
“Boss Pei probably could become friends with such a person because he saw that person’s good nature.
“However, that doesn’t take away from how magnanimous Boss Pei is!
“At the same time, Boss Pei is a person who takes his promises seriously and cares immensely for his friends. After I arrived in Jingzhou, Boss Pei arranged for my meals, my accommodation, and my transport.
“His standards were much higher than I dared to imagine, and no one in my life had ever cared for me the way he does!”
Wu Bin nodded, taking everything down at lightning speed.
Qiao Liang pondered for a moment and then decided to emphasize something again. “I think Boss Pei’s tolerance and generosity towards his friends is not pure forbearance or compromise, but also wisdom—or shall I say detachment.
“Boss Pei does not need to compromise with or please anyone. In fact, he doesn’t even need to be friends with anyone that he doesn’t like.
“He can probably only do that because he views this issue from a detached perspective. His wisdom allows him to view friction within his friendships with indifference!
“This can be likened to an adult who is willing to make friends with a little child. No matter how stubborn or tactless the child is, the adult can smile and tolerate it, without bearing any grudges against the child…
“That’s why an ancient saying applies to every person who’s a friend of Boss Pei: being friends with a gentleman is like entering a room full of flowers—one forgets the fragrance after a long time.”
As Wu Bin listened to this, he could not help but nod.
What Qiao Liang was saying completely fit the impression that he had of Boss Pei. It was very reliable, and could probably be included as an important part of the interpretation of the Tengda Spirit!
What’s more, that had only been the appetizer.
Qiao Liang continued speaking until he began explaining more crucial content.
“On top of that, I have the ultimate generalization to summarize all of Boss Pei’s identities.
“Boss Pei… is a unique expresser!”
The hand that Wu Bin had been using to write evidently sped up. “An ultimate generalization to summarize all of Boss Pei’s identities? That’s a very interesting point. Could you elaborate on that?”
Qiao Liang smiled. “Actually, that’s an obvious point that’s just been neglected because it’s easy to just address him as an ‘entrepreneur’!
“All of us know that Boss Pei has many identities. He has created many games, filmed a movie, produced a haunted house, and worked on all sorts of projects like internet cafes, take-out, and even handsets.
“All of those things culminate in one identity—an expresser!
“Boss Pei is different from other entrepreneurs, in the sense that the others only work for the sake of earning money. With every decision that they make, they keep a close eye on feedback from the market.
“If there’s good feedback, they will continue. Otherwise, they would stop.
“Each time they think about working on a new project or product, they would first think about what is most acceptable to the market, and then they would follow along. Even if the market demands are wrong or unhealthy, they would do it.
“They would explain that, since that’s the way the market is and that’s the way other businesses are working, they have no other options.
“However, Boss Pei is different. Whenever he thinks about working on a new project, he does not ask about the market. Instead, he searches his own heart!
“Every business of his is working hard to express something!”
Wu Bin’s writing hand was moving even faster now. This way of putting it inspired him and made his eyes light up.
On top of being an entrepreneur, Boss Pei had a larger identity—an expresser.
“What exactly is Boss Pei expressing, then?” Wu Bin asked curiously.
Qiao Liang sipped his coffee and fell into deep thought. “He seems to be expressing something different with every project.
“Without a doubt, his games and films are cultural products. There are more than enough analyses of those works online.
“The focus should be on his physical projects!
“Before this, I never noticed that point. However, after coming to Thriller Hostel today and especially after experiencing the ‘Ultimate Horror’, I suddenly figured many things out.
“Boss Pei’s Fish-Catching Take-Out is a good example. It has been incurring losses this entire time, but why hasn’t he stopped opening new branches?”
After some consideration, Wu Bin said, “To dominate a greater share of the market?”
Qiao Liang nodded and then shook his head again. “Perhaps that is part of the reason, but it’s definitely not the main reason.
“If that were the main reason, he could work on cheap food and throw in a bunch of subsidies. That would be a better and faster way of dominating the market, right?
“Actually, on closer inspection,
one would realize that all of Boss Pei’s businesses are unique. None of them make ordinary profit-generating methods their priority.
“That’s why I think that Boss Pei is trying to express his own thoughts through all of his businesses!
“Take Fish-Catching Take-Out, for example. Boss Pei cannot be doing that to incur losses, and there are better ways to expand his market share. Boss Pei’s true aim is to convey the idea of healthy eating, so that it becomes acceptable among more and more people!
“Similarly, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Ming Yun Private Kitchen, Zhongdian Chinese Network… and all of Boss Pei’s businesses are expressing a certain concept: his view of the industry!
“Furthermore, as Boss Pei expresses himself, he does so with extreme confidence and independence. He never boasts about this and never tries to explain himself. He only quietly expresses his own thoughts and waits for people to figure out his deeper intentions.”
Wu Bin quickly recorded all of that down, looking more and more excited as he did.
“This perspective is so novel, and I think it makes a lot of sense! An expresser… that really is the perfect description of Boss Pei!
“Thank you very much, Teacher Qiao. You really understand Boss Pei the most! At least… you’re one of the people who do.”
At first, Qiao Liang beamed. However, when he heard the last sentence, his face fell.
What do you mean by ‘one of the people who do’?
I, Qiao Liang, am the person who understands Boss Pei the most! There’s no other!
However, on further thought, Wu Bin was working on the official interpretation of the Tengda Spirit. He was also collecting many perspectives of Boss Pei to come up with an accurate way of interpreting his spirit…
He seemed to be good at figuring Boss Pei out in his own way.
Hmm…
I guess that’s barely acceptable!
After all, there was no competition among learned men. All of them were trying their best to understand Boss Pei. There was no need to compete and see who was better and who was worse.
Wu Bin pondered for a moment and asked, “Well… Teacher Qiao, you think that Boss Pei is trying to express so different thoughts through all of his businesses. Do you think there’s a… central idea?
“Something that covers all the businesses?”
Qiao Liang paused and thought about it for a long time. “I think… not?
“Every business works differently and has a different target audience. I don’t think we can generalize them. At least for now, I can think of some vague concepts, but no clear direction.”
Wu Bin nodded. “Yes, that seems right. If it’s that easy to figure out how Boss Pei thinks, it would not make sense.
“In short, you have enlightened us with your words! Thank you very much!
“I will dig deeper in this direction, and I hope to talk more about this with you in the future! We’ll learn more together!”
Qiao Liang was overjoyed as well. “Alright! Actually, bouncing ideas back and forth with you has taught me a lot as well.
“I’ve already thought about the title for my new series of videos!
“The Lonely Expresser!”
The two men shook hands with a tight grip and warm smiles. What they were both feeling at that moment was indescribable!
Chapter 584 - Food Harmony's Operating Philosophy
July 12th, Tuesday…
It had been four days since the official opening of the Thriller Hostel, the peak traffic during the weekend had passed as well.
However, Pei Qian had not managed to pluck up his courage to take a look. He only managed to grasp the trends through the Manage Loss Trainee’s report.
The greatest bad news during the opening was that Qiao Liang passed the Ultimate Horror despite his persuasion. However, Pei Qian could now do nothing about this anymore.
Assassination was not an option after all.
At this time, he could only comfort himself. Qiao Liang was only a UP Master in the gaming area. There shouldn’t be too many people watching his video recommending the Thriller Hostel… right?
Pei Qian was sipping coffee in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe as he checked the three-day visitor experience report of the Thriller Hostel.
It might only be three days’ worth of data, but some linking could still be gleaned from it.
In short, it seemed… to be still alright?
The traffic was slightly higher than Pei Qian’s estimates, but it was still within acceptable ranges because the actual income was within his estimates.
In short, he was still making losses.
Most traffic was in Desperate Escape, and the capacity was limited. It could only receive so many people in a day. The others could only continue queuing.
Until now, the number of people who had experienced Haunted House Nightmare and Ultimate Horror was not on the same magnitude as Desperate Escape.
The reason was simple; these two projects were simply too scary!
Haunted House Nightmare directly wiped out 90% of the people since they gave up after one try and could not obtain the admission ticket to the Ultimate Horror.
According to Pei Qian’s original design, Desperate Escape was priced for the mass market. It would not make much money even when running at full capacity.
The Haunted House Nightmare charged moderately, but most rookies would be so scared after the first attempt that they would not enter again. Masters of the game would not enter again either after they cleared it once.
There was no need to mention the Ultimate Horror. Most rookies could not even obtain the admission tickets, and masters who have cleared it would be able to obtain partial refund based on their clearance data.
In other words, the Thriller Hostel was indeed theoretically profitable like what the system required, but that meant that Haunted House Nightmare and Ultimate Horror had to have sufficient traffic.
If these two projects were also full—plus 50% of the income from the Golden Maze, the Thriller Hostel could become very profitable. However, it did not seem too realistic from the current data.
The Golden Maze was rather awkward. This maze did not seem to have the effect of discouraging players, but there were not many items sold, especially all sorts of props in the golden zone because not many people had yet to experience the Ultimate Horror. Therefore, it did not have any added value to most tourists so it did not sell very well.
It was too early to break even, let alone making any profits.
In short, the current situation was completely acceptable!
Pei Qian could not help but feel happier.
For various reasons, the project that almost collapsed in terms of publicity, and yet the momentum had been good so far?
Hmm, this should obviously be attributed to my far-sighted judgment!
Pei Qian could not help but feel a little proud.
While watching the report, the mobile phone placed on the desk vibrated twice upon receiving a message.
Pei Qian picked up the phone; it was from Rui Yuchen.
“Boss Pei, the Fish-Catching Take-Out high-end brand ‘Food Harmony’ is ready for its official online launch. Could you please sample it this afternoon and give us your comments?”
Eh?
They’re pretty fast!
Pei Qian had been watching its every move. He had grasped their every move from the beginning when Rui Yuchen and Lin Canrong began to link up in secret for research and development.
Moreover, the result of this observation was that… the success rate of this method seemed to be very low?
Therefore, Pei Qian had not interfered too much but was silently watching, waiting for this new high-end brand to go online.
“Alright, send it to the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe at Handong University,” Pei Qian replied.
Since it was just launched, the Food Harmony high-end brand was only available in Fish-Catching Take-Out No.1 store, which was supplied by the Gourmet Laboratory.
He had to test waters and look at the feedback of most consumers before deciding whether to expand to the other Fish-Catching Take-Out stores or not.
It was because Food Harmony’s menu was different from regular Fish-Catching Internet Cafes meals. Their delivery methods would also be different.
If it was to be promoted, it would mean that every chef from the Fish-Catching Take-Out would have to be trained again, some additional ingredients to be prepared, and food boxes and other food delivery supplies to be purchased in bulk.
In short, it could cost a lot of money so Rui Yuchen dare not promote it too rashly.
However, Pei Qian had the opposite idea. He would try it today, but if he felt that there was not much profit to be made he would hurry up and promote it to the rest of the Fish-Catching Take-Out stores!
The delivery guy came near noon.
He wore the same uniform as the other Fish-Catching Take-Out delivery guy, but instead of carrying an insulated delivery box, he had a simple, low-key food box in his hand.
“Boss Pei, please enjoy.”
The delivery guy placed the food box in front of Boss Pei and turned to leave.
It was a little strange to be eating Fish-Catching Take-Out in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe since the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe itself provided all the meals for Fish-Catching Take-Out.
However, Pei Qian did not mind it. He opened the food box smoothly after careful observation and saw the food within.
This food box was obviously custom-made. It was an insulated lunch box in principle, but it did not have a shiny stainless steel appearance. Rather, it was covered with a special skin-friendly material.
The exterior of the food box at first glance looked a bit like a traditional wooden food box with some traditional patterns, but it did not feel that way at all when you touch it. It had a very comfortable feeling.
Obviously, a lot of effort had been put into making this custom food box.
Stainless steel had good heat retention, but its appearance gave people a sense of cheapness—which would not be able to bring across the brand concept of Food Harmony. However, if they were to use traditional wooden food boxes, then it would not be able to retain heat and would not be able to guarantee the dining experience.
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