Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  He had not intended to return to the office at first. However, he received a message from Hao Yun during lunch, saying that she had something to report to him, and it was about Tengda’s recruitment examinations.

  Since Pei Qian had nothing to do, he strolled into the office, wanting to hear more from Hao Yun.

  Hao Yun knocked on the door not long after he arrived.

  “Boss Pei, our department detected some hidden threats during the recruitment examinations this time. We don’t know if we should resolve them or how to resolve them. That’s why we’re reporting to you.”

  Pei Qian reached out to take the written report. As he listened to Hao Yun, he quickly scanned through it.

  The more he listened, the more he felt like he was living in a fantasy.

  Was an industrial chain really forming based on the guide books for Tengda’s recruitment examination?

  Were those training organizations really thinking about profiting from the Tengda Spirit test?

  It looked like Tengda had become a very influential company indeed. More and more people wanted to join Tengda and become official employees, and that was why this new industry formed.

  Pei Qian could not help but frown, feeling worried.

  Those who bought these guide books and went for training classes would indeed be able to get high marks in the written test. There was no doubt about that.

  However, wouldn’t that also mean there was a higher chance of those candidates that Tengda recruited being impressive and hardworking?

  However, there was nothing Pei Qian could do about it. Tengda’s good reputation had already spread. Many people were trying their best to get in.

  They could change the content of the examinations or the screening rules however they liked. Even if they did not end up hiring elites, they would definitely end up hiring all-rounders who were not the worst.

  This was difficult to resolve.

  What’s more, Pei Qian abhorred the behavior of these training organizations. In essence, they were doing what many ‘super high schools’ were doing.

  The quota was limited, but some people started the “arms race”, thereby forcing others to follow suit. A vicious cycle was formed, in which everyone was tired, but no one was benefitting.

  Although this did not prevent Pei Qian from incurring losses, it made him unhappy.

  Seeing Boss Pei remain silent, Hao Yun’s expression turned serious. “Boss Pei, have you noticed it as well?”

  Pei Qian: “?”

  What have I noticed?

  Hao Yun continued, “Boss Pei, I think it’s becoming more and more important for us to cleanse the internal atmosphere and resist external temptations!

  “A publisher approached Wu Bin yesterday, wanting topay a huge sum of money for the Tengda Spirit test questions. Fortunately, Wu Bin was resilient and rejected them.

  “However, this will definitely not be the last time. People in key positions in Tengda might not be able to resist the temptation. We have to take precautions against this risk!”

  Pei Qian blinked.

  Oh, you’re talking about this…

  He had not thought about it before. However, now that he thought about it, it did seem to be a problem.

  “What do you think we should do?” Pei Qian asked.

  Hao Yun had obviously thought about this question before. She immediately answered, “Boss Pei, I think there are two main ways.

  “First, strengthen the supervisory power of the HR and administrative departments over the rest of Tengda’s departments and people in key positions. That would prevent anyone from selling out the company’s interests or using power for personal gain.

  “Second, strengthen the ideological education of the employees. Make them realize the seriousness of this matter, and clarify the consequences and punishments.

  “As for the specific punishments, I suggest establishing different punishment mechanisms for different mistakes. The lightest punishment would be the deduction of money, and the heaviest punishment would be retrenchment. There must be a clear distinction between the different levels of punishment for violating the rules. All violations must be reported immediately and should not be tolerated.”

  Pei Qian fell into deep thought once again.

  Pei Qian had to severely punish anyone who broke the law or the rules because the system expressly prohibited it.

  As for the employees making use of their position to earn some money… How should he deal with that?

  Take what had happened yesterday for example. People from an external training organization had approached Wu Bin, hoping for his help in producing a guide book for the Tengda Spirit test. If Wu Bin had agreed, how would Pei Qian have dealt with the problem? How would Wu Bin have been punished?

  That was what Pei Qian was conflicted about.

  He definitely could not strengthen the supervisory power of the HR and administrative departments.

  What if the slackers stopped slacking?

  Yet, it did not seem right to ignore the problem completely.

  Pei Qian cleared his throat. “How about this? The way I see it, we don’t have to set up different punishment mechanisms. Whenever we find out that someone made use of their position for their own profit, no matter how much money he or she received and no matter how serious it was, he or she would be fired immediately. We would not accept such a person back again!

  “Of course, we would have to compensate them if we want to fire them. After all, they are all employees who have more or less contributed to Tengda.

  “As for ideological education, do as you see fit. If you want to do it, do it, but there’s no need to be too serious about it.”

  Pei Qian was thinking that if such a thing really happened, he would just fire the culprit!

  In any case, those who could make use of their positions for their own profit were those who held relatively important positions in the company. If such people could remain in their positions for so long, it probably meant that they were capable people. Pei Qian could take the opportunity to fire capable people, so that they could not obstruct him from losing money.

  What’s more, if he compensated them after firing them, he would be making the best use of his resources.

  He had to spend as much as he could!

  For some reason, Hao Yun felt moved. She nodded. “I understand, Boss Pei!”

  Although Boss Pei spoke in a casual tone, Hao Yun felt that his words had a hidden meaning.

  Boss Pei had rejected the suggestion to ‘strengthen supervisory power’. This meant that, in Boss Pei’s opinion, although strengthening internal management and preventing self-profit in the office were important, maintaining the free-spirited working environment within the company was even more important.

  Why was there no need to come up with different punishment mechanisms?

  Obviously, in Boss Pei’s eyes, no matter how small the offence, the culprit had to be severely punished!

  Other companies would think of ways to protect employees with outstanding abilities but who were morally flawed. Their concern was not humanity, but protection of the company’s interests.

  After all, if they were to replace those in key positions, the replacements might not necessarily be able to do the job well. What’s more, if they were to do so, daily operations would definitely be affected.

  However, leaving them in the company would also negatively affect the internal atmosphere of the entire company. It would not be completely fair and impartial.

  That was exactly how Boss Pei was different from other bosses.

  On one hand, he was impartial and did not care about past relationships. As long as one used his or her position for self-profit, he or she would be asked to step down from any position immediately, regardless of their past relationship with Boss Pei.

  On the other hand, if it were just a work mistake, they would not be punished. Even if one was fired, he or she would be duly compensated as an expression of Boss Pei’s grat
itude and kindness to his colleagues. This showed how well Boss Pei treated his employees.

  On further thought, this was the most appropriate way to deal with the problem according to the Tengda spirit!

  Looking at Hao Yun’s complicated expression, Pei Qian felt like he had been misunderstood again.

  However, it did not matter. He was used to it now…

  Hao Yun asked again, “In that case, Boss Pei, do we still need to deal with the fact that there are training organizations outside trying to profit from our recruitment examinations?”

  Pei Qian pondered for a moment and shook his head. “There’s not much impact for now. Don’t worry about it. I’ll think about it later.”

  The behavior of these training organizations had created a stir among Tengda’s candidates. What’s more, their use of Tengda’s candidates for profit made Pei Qian feel disgusted.

  Yet, the impact was relatively small at the moment, and Pei Qian had not thought of a good solution. He could only set it aside for now and wait for more good ideas to come to him.

  Hao Yun turned to leave.

  “Wait.”

  Pei Qian suddenly thought of a problem and stopped her. “The passing rate of the Tengda Spirit test has been at 100% recently. Do you have any views on this?”

  Pei Qian had long been suspicious of this.

  However, he could not think of a good explanation.

  Logically speaking, the Tengda Spirit test was meant to be difficult. How could 100% of people pass it?

  Yet, the reality was that majority of newbies had passed the test on their first try. The worst among them had passed the test within a month. None of them had been eliminated.

  That was strange.

  Hao Yun was stunned. She quickly said, “Perhaps… everyone has a deeper understanding of the Tengda Spirit? After all, the atmosphere in the company subtly influences these new employees.”

  Pei Qian nodded subtly.

  There was indeed such a possibility.

  “Alright, there’s nothing else for now,” said Pei Qian.

  Hao Yun heaved a long sigh of relief and turned to leave.

  Once again, Pei Qian accessed the Tengda Spirit test’s platform and took a good look at the questions that had been changed many times before.

  Actually, Pei Qian changed those questions often. Sometimes, he would change keywords of a question, and cause the answers to change. Other times, he would simply come up with new questions.

  However, no matter what, the new employees would always pass the test.

  Pei Qian had secretly checked on the employees who were in charge of these functions many times. Indeed, there was no possibility of any questions leaking.

  Therefore, it was more likely that the employees truly understood the Tengda Spirit and passed the test based on their own ability.

  Then, therein lay a problem: If the employees understood the Tengda Spirit and prided themselves in being lazy, why was he still earning money?

  Pei Qian could not figure out what exactly was going on.

  “No, something must be wrong here!

  “I can’t let this go!”

  The more Pei Qian thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss.

  Perhaps the Tengda spirit had been misinterpreted.

  These people might have come up with another explanation by pure accident and matched my answer perfectly.

  It was entirely possible!

  At that thought, Pei Qian began to think of a plan.

  A moment later, he sent a message to the employee in charge of the TPDb website.

  “Modify the Tengda Spirit test. Finish it before the new batch of employees enter.

  “Reduce the number of questions and extend the duration for each question. Under each question, insert a box for candidates to write their own input. Get them to explain in detail why they chose this option!”

  Chapter 719 - The Auction Venue

  Pei Qian still felt that something must have gone wrong with the Tengda Spirit test. Thus, he decided to use this method to find out.

  The Tengda Spirit test was the last segment of the recruitment examinations. Only new employees could take part in it. What’s more, Pei Qian would not need to read everyone’s answers; he would only need to read a few exam papers to find some clues.

  Pei Qian only wanted to see how these people were choosing the right answer.

  Had they really developed a lazy attitude?

  Of course, the answers on the test papers might not really be what those people thought.

  It was also possible that some people would be thinking of slacking, but would not dare to say it aloud when answering open questions. Instead, they would try to cover it up.

  There was no way for Pei Qian to resolve this. After all, he could not read minds, and he could not decipher the employees’ true thoughts.

  However, if he were to ask the employees to explain why they chose this option, and the employees’ answers were not sincere, he would at least be able to detect some flaws.

  Since recruitment was taking place this week, new employees would be hired next week. The next Tengda Spirit test would be next week at the earliest.

  Thus, Pei Qian asked the staff to modify the Tengda Spirit test’s programme. Then, he would be able to use the new version for the next Tengda Spirit test.

  …

  …

  November 6th, Sunday…

  At DGE Club…

  The cleaner had just finished cleaning the place, and the entire training ground was now clean and spotless.

  The ten new members of the two teams in the club were participating in a mock competition. Although they looked focused, they actually felt distracted.

  That was because something big was going to happen today.

  All bidding for the GPL would be held at DGE Club!

  The thought that a major event that would decide the future of the entire industry was going to take place right here made everyone feel antsy.

  The living room on the second floor of the club’s villa had always been used as a large conference room. Now, it had been cleaned up and was very tidy. There were a total of thirty chairs around the large conference table and outside the conference room.

  It was a little crowded, but it was alright.

  However, Zhang Yuan felt that something was still lacking.

  Who were the people coming today?

  Shenhua Real Estate’s Boss Lin, Sun Strike Studios’ Boss Zhou, Xue Zhebin, Boss Li, and so on.

  They were here to buy spots in the GPL. Each spot would cost more than ten million yuan. Yet, they were going to discuss business in DGE Club’s conference room?

  Wasn’t that a little unbecoming?

  Although there had been a time limit of three days, more than twenty companies and organizations had expressed interest in the GPL two days ago.

  The representatives from more than twenty companies, the managers of the three clubs that were going to be sold, Pei Qian, Zhang Yuan, and staff from Tengda Corporation’s legal department added up to more than thirty people.

  The future of the entire GPL league was about to be decided in this conference room.

  ,,,.

  Zhang Yuan had no choice but to hire someone to clean up the entire base and tidy it up, hoping that he would not leave a bad impression on the investors.

  Pei Qian sipped his tea as he waited for the bidders to arrive.

  He had already done a lot of preparation beforehand. Now, he only hoped that the offers would be low!

  As for why he chose DGE Club…

  Wouldn’t he be able to spend more money by choosing a bigger venue?

  Obviously, Pei Qian wanted to leave a bad impression on the bidders.

  If he had chosen a high-end venue, everyone would assume that Boss Pei was extremely sincere. They would think that he was willing to spend a lot of money for the sake of the GPL, and that they would not lose out if they bought a GPL spot!

  If eve
ryone kept pushing the price upwards, wouldn’t Pei Qian have a huge problem on his hands?

  He could not afford to incur such a huge loss over something so small.

  Thus, Pei Qian had not looked for high-end venues. Instead, he had decided to conduct the bidding at DGE Club’s base. He wanted everyone to bid more conservatively in a relatively simple environment so that Tengda could earn less.

  Pei Qian could not predict how much the GPL slots would be sold for later, nor could he interfere. If they fought to raise the price, Pei Qian could not stop them.

  He could only resort to such methods to subtly influence the companies that were bidding.

  Today was Sunday, and they could eat in the biggest private room in the nameless restaurant tonight.

  Pei Qian had already booked it in advance. Once the auction was over, he would invite everyone there for a meal. In any case, everyone was here, and the timing was just right. They would just have a meal to share some of Boss Pei’s burdens, and then leave after.

  He glanced at his watch. There was less than half an hour until the agreed time. The investors who were preparing to bid for the GPL spot should be arriving soon.

  Zhang Yuan suggested, “Boss Pei, should we go to the entrance to welcome them?”

  Pei Qian nodded. “Yes, let’s go.”

  The two of them walked to the entrance of the club and waited for everyone to arrive.

  Boss Li and another Jingzhou local investor were the first to arrive. Speaking of which, DGE Club’s villa belonged to him in the first place, so it was like he was returning to his own home.

  After Li Shi greeted Boss Pei, he went upstairs to wait. There were special waiters there to receive him, guide him to his seat, and serve him tea.

  Not long after, Lin Chang arrived.

  Pei Qian was a little surprised because Shenhua Real Estate was bidding this time. Logically, Lin Zhou should have come instead.

  Lin Chang smiled. “My second brother is too busy, and he has no time. Don’t worry, I can make the decision for him! Boss Pei, just watch!”

  After speaking, Lin Chang winked at Pei Qian.