"Huang Sibo is an all-rounded employee. He can plan entire projects and lead others well. He also has a high degree of professionalism. One can say that he is an outstanding, model employee.
"Bao Xu has an extremely strong character, and he's very passionate about games. One can say that he is constantly working on his skills but is not very social. He's also not good at seeing the big picture and leading others.
"Lin Wan is an idealist. She might not be very detailed, but once she sets her sights on something, she is sure to persevere until the end, unwaveringly.
"Lu Mingliang does not have very strong opinions, and one might say that he has trouble making up his mind. However, he is an excellent executor. Once he receives a task, he would make sure that he finishes it flawlessly.
"These four employees come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common: they all used to be lost and directionless.
"However, all of them reached their full potential in Tengda. "The all-rounder, Huang Sibo, took charge of Fei Huang Workspace and became an independent leader very early in his career.
"Bao Xu, who constantly seeks to improve games, remains in Tengda Games and uses his vast gaming experience to steer every work towards success.
"The idealist Lin Wan was transferred to Shang Yang Games. She turned a game with paywalls into a game with a heart and cleansed the environment for both web-based and mobile gamers.
"The outstanding executor, Lu Mingliang, stepped back after achieving success with Game Designer. Now, he manages Upwind Logistics—a business that requires both patience and attention to detail-on behalf of Tengda. "These talents have very different characters, and they have all been placed in the most appropriate positions so that they can maximize their potential.
"Perhaps this is the main reason that Tengda achieved success so rapidly!"
Ma Yang was Boss Pei's right-hand man and trusted general, but he was not interviewed.
This was because Pei Qian was worried that Ma Yang would not be smart enough to keep their secrets under wraps. What's more, if people found out that Ma Yang and Pei Qian used to be roommates, they might be closer to finding out Boss Pei's real identity.
Yet, these four employees' interviews were already giving Boss Pei a major headache!
Finally, Pei Qian more or less understood Xia Jiang's plan.
'Boss Pei' was not mentioned at all in all four interviews. However, anyone who paid some attention to the interviews would realize that an 'invisible person' existed between the lines!
Who was the one who pointed out the right path to these outstanding employees?
Who was the one who placed these outstanding employees in the right positions?
Who was the one who created such a generous and liberal working environment?
Who was the one who decided on Tengda's general direction and battle strategy?
Of course, it was the boss of Tengda!
Thus, while the interviews seemed to be praising Tengda's employees on the surface, they were actually praising Tengda's boss! It was just like historical stories about various talents in different dynasties. Talented ministers who dared to admonish others had been set above imperial courts; generals had been brave, skilled, and well-respected by all. Did this merely reflect well on the talented ministers and good generals?
Yes and no.
At the end of the day, these had only been possible because of the existence of a wise monarch!
It was the wise monarch who had raised the talented ministers and good generals through the ranks and had put them in their positions, allowing them to serve and glorify the country.
If the monarch had been muddle-headed, it would not have mattered how many talented people there were in the country. They would still have been pushed aside by crafty, vicious people. The glorious dynasties would have been turned upside down in no time!
The documentary had already achieved its purpose up to this point.
However, that was not the end.
The video ended off with some more words.
"Today, the author used the 'empty spaces' technique to allow the readers to outline the silhouette of our subject—the celebrity creator.
"The readers should already have a general picture of him by now.
"The author had also thought about doing a more in-depth interview with him so that his spirit could be publicized.
"However, he said that the employees of Tengda should get the credit instead. He credited Tengda's achievements to the talents and hard work of its employees. He said that he was only fulfilling his duties.
"In order to convey his thoughts more accurately, we will quote a portion of what he said during the interview. Hopefully, readers would be able to color in his silhouette.
" 'Joining the game industry was a rash decision on my part. I really regret this decision; if only I had chosen other industries instead.
"'Actually, I'm not at all interested in making profits. I have never thought about how to balance building a reputation and making profits. However, for some reason, as Tengda's reputation improves; sales would increase. In turn, we would generate more profits. We're earning so much that it's becoming suffocating. "My aim has always been to make a loss-incurring game.
"People have been overthinking the plot in Repent and be Saved. I only wanted to torture players with that game. Seeing players suffer is my guilty pleasure.'
"These are genuine words from his heart, uttered during the interview.
"However, we also noticed that he had completed Repent and be Saved. That proves that there is a silently sacrificial and hardworking soul hidden behind this nonchalant and humorous demeanor.
"On top of all these, he is also an extremely busy person. He has a full schedule every day, and yet he somehow finds the energy to keep working hard.
"Perhaps this all stems from his love for extreme sports.
"He never gets proud or boastful about his own achievements. Instead, he continues to challenge himself and push his boundaries without resting
"Lastly, the author wants to conclude with a single line.
"It is Jingzhou and the domestically-produced game industry's privilege to house a talented designer, outstanding entrepreneur, and good-hearted boss like him!"
Pei Qian drank a mouthful of water and remained silent for a while before he finally heaved a long sigh. They had praised him to no end!
Pei Qian could not have imagined that the interview would turn out like that. It was f*cking ridiculous! Even if Pei Qian had exhausted his imagination, he would not have thought that Xia Jiang would write a piece like that!
The video had been posted on the official platform's homepage. Since this was not Aili Island, there were no bullet screen comments.
However, there were still comments below.
"The official platform came to Jingzhou?" "They actually interviewed Tengda this time! Let me see what the creator of Repent and be Saved really looks like!" "D*mn, all of Tengda's employees are so talented. Some had been poached from other companies, and some approached Tengda on their own. They even found an internet addict from an internet cafe!" "They humbly invited a young internet addict to work on their game's conceptual design? That's a unique way of sourcing for talents!"
"Holy sh*t, he offered double of Huang Sibo's initial pay? A company that voluntarily offers a higher pay during the interview actually exists in this world? I didn't mishear him, right?"
"The chief planner of an extremely successful game went to start his own business??? Shouldn't they have asked him to start researching and developing a new game as soon as possible???"
"The most outstanding employee in Tengda would get a Dream Fund of a million yuan and a paid holiday? Holy sh*t, what kind of divine company is this?! If it were not the official platform reporting this, I would think that this was a scam!"
"So the messed-up mobile game, Bloody Battle Song, was created by Tengda Games as well?! I knew that the game had a heart; it felt like Ghost General!" "That Zha Zhuti advertisement was probably related to Tengda Games as well, right? D*mn, I was still mocking the game in the beginning. I didn't know it was created by Tengda!"
"It was Tengda that resurrected Bloody Battle Song! I said this before; ordinary game designers were not so powerful!"
"It sounds like the boss behind Tengda Games' employees is even more mysterious now. Did you realize that he offered guidance on the games and the new businesses? He was also the one who put in place the desirable welfare and benefits. The boss of Tengda is the company's spirit!"
"I'm going to apply to work at Tengda nowdon't stop me!"
"I didn't think that such a good-hearted enterprise existed in a second-tier city like Jingzhou. I always thought that small businesses in second-tier cities were out to scam others."
"I really admire those who live in Jingzhou. Upwind Logistics delivers parcels to their doorsteps, they can go to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to enjoy the good environment and play games on high-end computers, and they can even order healthy take-out from Fish-Catching Take-Out… ah, is it too late to move to Jingzhou now?"
"Instead of focusing on games, this games company is venturing into physical industries. Are they trying to burn all their excess money? Aren't they afraid of incurring losses?"
"He already said that making a loss-incurring game has always been his aim, hehe."
"When I heard Bao Xu's interview, I thought he was putting on a show. What did he mean by 'I don't want a paid holiday'? However, after listening to Tengda's boss, I realized where he got that attitude from. In terms of putting on a show, even ten Bao Xus would not compare to his boss!"
"He regrets joining the game industry, sales always mysteriously increase, and torturing gamers is his guilty pleasure… d*mn it, this guy is a machine! He's showing off for 24 hours every day!"
"It's a pity that we didn't see the poser's face in the end."
"Ah, this is the highest level of posing one can achieve. 'Nobody knows who I am, but the legend of my act will remain forever.'"
"That's right, was there a similar interview done by Amusement Times or something before? I think this company's boss is called Boss Pei. He has the same name as the boss in Boss Pei's Daily Life. I think the short videos were inspired by him."
"That's right! This interview looks very similar to that one. The content is basically the same, but it's just much more detailed and accurate."
"Back then, I thought that the company had bribed Amusement Times. Now, even the official platform is pulling the same trick? Could this be real?"
"All in all, while there might be room to debate who the best local game designer is, there is no need to discuss who the most pretentious game designer is. Without a doubt, the prize goes to this Boss Pei!"
After reading the comments below, Pei Qian felt speechless.
I'm being wronged!
Pei Qian had never thought that he would be labeled as a pretentious prick.
I've already tried my best to be low-key. Why are people still misunderstanding me?
What's more, I only told the truth. Every single word was from the bottom of my heart. It's fine if Xia Jiang didn't believe me, but why are the rest of you doubting me, too? Although a similar write-up had been produced before, my situation was very different then!
Amusement Times was not very popular.
The previous write-up also did not contain any photos or videos. It was not even reliable; all the content in that write-up had come from an unverified source.
Thus, although many media outlets carried that article, it did not cause a huge uproar. Most people laughed and forgot about the article after reading it. Nobody took it too seriously.
Yet, this time was different.
This professional interview team had the backing and creditworthiness of the official platform. That meant the write-up was extremely reliable!
What's more, this write-up included many videos and photos. The videos were proof; it greatly boosted the credibility of this report!
Pei Qian began to picture these interviews spreading like wildfire. He was probably going to be in deep trouble. He leaned back in his chair and rested his forehead on his hand.
"What have I done…?"
Chapter 306 Settlement
October 26th… Zhongdian Chinese Network…
Ma Yiqun had just finished watching the interview that Tengda did with the official platform. There was a satisfied smile on his face.
Since Boss Pei had many outstanding employees, Ma Yiqun was not given a chance to be interviewed. He was not featured in the video either.
However, many people in the interview were Ma Yiqun's friends and close colleagues. Thus, watching the interview made him feel comforted and pleased.
How good! Everyone's dreams have come true.
Ma Yiqun closed the official platform and opened another web browser to access Zhongdian Chinese Network's backend platform.
The figures showed that Ma Yiqun's new novel had achieved over two thousand subscriptions!
This was not much compared to Infinite Chinese Network's standards; after all, one's novel would only be considered top-tier if it reached more than three thousand subscriptions. However, for Ma Yiqun and Zhongdian Chinese Network's standards, this was not bad!
Ma Yiqun knew very well that Zhongdian Chinese Network still had far fewer readers compared to Infinite Chinese Network at the moment.
A book might easily reach over three thousand subscriptions in Infinite Chinese Network, but would probably only get over one thousand at Zhongdian Chinese Network.
Zhongdian Chinese Network had already gained many new readers after Repent and be Saved was released, and Tengda linked all the accounts on various platforms together. However, one could not expect a website for online literature to become popular overnight. Instead, they had to slowly allow the number of readers to build up.
Ma Yiqun had received a sum of money from Boss Pei mainly to top-up the remuneration for authors of books like that. Since top-quality books could only reach a thousand-odd subscriptions at Zhongdian Chinese Network, Ma Yiqun could use this sum of money to increase the authors' remuneration.
Based on these calculations, the fact that Ma Yiqun's novel got over two thousand subscriptions on Zhongdian Chinese Network meant that it would probably get over six thousand subscriptions on Infinite Chinese Network. That was quite a good figure!
Ma Yiqun did not top-up his own remuneration because he did not really mind the remuneration.
Comparatively, getting readers' recognition was much more important to him!
After failing multiple times when he wrote for Infinite Chinese Network, Ma Yiqun began to doubt his own skills. He had only begun writing again as a hobby and did not even give his own book recommendation spots.
Yet, it came as a pleasant surprise that so many people had subscribed to his novel!
Boss Pei had called in the morning, requesting for Ma Yiqun to bring all the staff of Zhongdian Chinese Network and TPDb out for a meal in order to reward them for their hard work.
Boss Pei sounded very determined. It did not seem like there was room for Ma Yiqun to turn him down.
Thus, Ma Yiqun made a reservation at Swan Lake Restaurant. He was prepared to bring his subordinates out for a feast.
Of course, it would have been best if they could go to the nameless restaurant, but it was fully-booked.
Buzz… buzz…
At that moment, Ma Yiqun's cell phone began to vibrate. There was no caller ID, but a long string of numbers was displayed on the screen.
Ma Yiqun glanced at it and saw that it was a familiar number. His first instinct was to reject the call, but after hesitating for a moment, he accepted it. "Dubiao, you're finally picking up the call?" The caller sounded several years older than Ma Yiqun.
Ma Yiqun smiled helplessly. "Older Brother, what's the matter?"
"Are you still working at the game company?" The man asked.
Ma Yiqun remained silent for a moment and said, "Older Brother, just tell me why you called. There's no need for small talk between?us."
The man sighed. "Dubiao, I know that you only entered the game industry in the heat of the moment. Recently, I realized that the local game industry does not care much for storylines. I imagine Jingzhou would be much worse. Aren't you wasting your time working there?
"Be it online literature or games, none of these are considered real work. No matter which industry you choose, you'd be wasting your talents.
"I met our grandfather a few days ago. Our uncle and I think the same. You've already worked in that game company for so long. It's about time you thought about leaving, right? You can take one year to prepare for the entrance exam and continue on your path towards academia. It's not too late to look for a teaching job in a school.
"If you're serious about writing, I think you're more suited for the traditional path. We can share some of our connections with you.
"You were stubborn back then, and you insisted on writing online literature. Still, you never succeeded. It's about time you admitted that you're not cut out for the work."
The corners of Ma Yiqun's mouth curled upwards into a smile.
The man on the phone was Ma Yiqun's cousin; he was eighteen years older than Ma Yiqun.
This cousin of his was part of the writers' association. He had published physical novels that sold quite well. One could say he had left Ma Yiqun far behind.
If Ma Yiqun had received this call a few months ago, perhaps he would have been persuaded.
After all, this cousin of his had walked the same road before. What's more, after entering Shang Yang Games, Ma Yiqun had witnessed the unsteadiness of the game industry.
During his time at Shang Yang Games, Ma Yiqun had been in charge of repackaging the games. He was basically doing manual labor; his skills were not required and untouched.
He had often asked himself if he was wasting his life away.
He had been born into a family of scholars and had decently graduated from a key university with a major in literature. He also had such a successful cousin. Of course, Ma Yiqun had felt ashamed about where he was in life.
However, everything was different now.
Still smiling, Ma Yiqun replied, "Older Brother, I think you're mistaken.
"The official platform has recommended our latest game. The West also has high praises for our overseas versions. The storyline is particularly exceptional.
"My new novel is also getting quite popular. I think it would reach the top tier soon. Readers have been leaving positive feedback as well."
Ma Yiqun's cousin was stunned. "Your new novel? Since when did you write a new novel?"
Ma Yiqun became shocked as well. Suddenly, he frowned.
Huh?
He quickly picked up a very serious problem with his cousin's reaction.
Still frowning, Ma Yiqun said, "Older Brother, I have never revealed my pen name on Infinite Chinese Network to anyone in the family."
Both parties were speechless.
Ma Yiqun was extremely intelligent. At once, he understood what had happened.
Something was wrong! When he first decided to venture into online literature, he faced a lot of resistance from his family. That was why he decided to start writing novels while he was in university-so that he could prove himself to them.
Although every novel that he wrote failed, he had never revealed his pen name to his family.
Yet, his cousin seemed shocked to find out that he had written a new novel.
Ma Yiqun guessed from his cousin's tone that the latter thought the former had stopped writing novels after he started working in the game industry. What's more, he must have been quite certain about this. Otherwise, he would not have sounded so shocked.
Why was he so certain?
It was probably because his cousin had found out about Ma Yiqun's pen name on Infinite Chinese Network and had been keeping an eye on his account!
His cousin remained silent for a long time before he finally spoke again. "Ai, Dubiao, I'm sorry. You're so intelligent. I shouldn't hide things from you at this point. I'll just tell you the truth. "Actually, I'm good friends with one of the senior editors-in-chief at Infinite Chinese Network. Those novels of yours did well in the beginning, but I told my friend to edit their figures. I wanted you to quit and forget about writing online literature.
"I was afraid that you would continue writing online literature for a long time after tasting a bit of success.
"This road leads to a dead-end!"
Ma Yiqun: "…"
He had no idea how to react. He was furious but also elated
He was furious because he had finally found the culprit!
Ma Yiqun had always found it weird that his books had been so popular when they were available to the public but had failed once they were made pay-to-read.
It would have been understandable if the figures had fallen slightly. However, his novels had deteriorated from being top-tier to only getting thirty subscriptions. That was too suspicious!
However, Ma Yiqun did not suspect that his family members were behind this. Who would have thought that a huge website like Infinite Chinese Network would alter backend figures and pick on a minor author?
Now, he finally understood. Somebody had been plotting against him!
Ma Yiqun laughed, feeling slightly relieved. "Older Brother, don't worry about me. I chose this path, and I know how to walk it. I don't agree that the path of online literature leads to a dead end.
"One day, I will prove it to you."
After hanging up, Ma Yiqun felt particularly happy. The dark cloud that had been hanging above his head all this time had finally dissipated!
One could say that Ma Yiqun had started writing online literature for Infinite Chinese Network and working as the plot planner for Shang Yang Games, partly because he wanted to prove himself. However, Ma Yiqun now took his job as the editor-in-chief and the one in charge of Zhongdian Chinese Network as his life's mission.
At that moment, Ma Yiqun felt immensely grateful for Boss Pei. If Boss Pei had not recognized his talent and arranged for him to work as the editor-in-chief of Zhongdian Chinese Network, how would his story have developed to this point?
Perhaps Ma Yiqun would have lived his entire life thinking that nobody wanted to read his novels. He would have left the online literature industry forever and slowly lost interest in the game industry. Finally, he would go back to his old path like his cousin wanted.
Thus, he had to do his job well. He had to repay Boss Pei for his trust and guidance; he could not let Boss Pei down.
He had to make Zhongdian Chinese Network popular!
At that thought, Ma Yiqun accessed Zhongdian Chinese Network's backend platform again and began working seriously.
October 31st…
The system screen automatically appeared in front of Pei Qian.
After seeing this line of numbers, Pei Qian felt so overjoyed that his eyes began to well?up.
That was too easy! He was finally seeing more than a million yuan in his Personal Wealth!
Chapter 307 Wealth Conversion System 2.0
This was the first time Pei Qian was earning so much from the system in over a year of owning it.
His highest record in the past was incurring a loss of over twenty thousand yuan. The most that he managed to convert was about forty thousand yuan, which was thanks to the profits he earned during the fourth cycle.
Yet, this time, Pei Qian had earned almost three times that amount!
All of a sudden, Pei Qian realized that there was a meaning to working hard! All his suffering had paid off!
As for what he would do during the next cycle…
Hehe, he would think about it when the time came!
Pei Qian even noticed that Ming Yun Villas had appreciated! It used to be worth six million yuan, but it was now worth eight million yuan.
Obviously, this was because Ming Yun Private Kitchen had raised the prices of the surrounding villas. That was why the villa which housed Ming Yun Private Kitchen itself appreciated.
The good thing was that the system only included 10% of the price of the Fixed Assets in its calculation of the System Funds. That was why the System Funds only increased by two hundred thousand yuan although the villa appreciated by two million yuan. Naturally, Pei Qian could handle this additional load.
No matter what, it had been worth it for Pei Qian to drink poison in order to quench his thirst!
Finally, he could heave a sigh of relief.
The system screen continued to flash in his vision.
"It's here! My special reward!
Pei Qian was quite excited. After all, he had worked extremely hard during this cycle. He organized Digital Day and spent as much money as he could—not only because he wanted to incur losses and get more Personal Wealth, but also because he wanted to obtain this special reward.
"Huh?"
Pei Qian became confused after reading all these messages.
Initially, he had thought that the special reward would be something simple like a 'bad luck spray', which could cause him to have bad luck with a single spurt. He imagined lying down in his bed during the next cycle while losing money rapidly and receiving good news from everywhere.
Yet, that was not the case.
The special reward that Pei Qian had been pining for was not a physical object. Instead, it was a simple adjustment made by the System to its own regulations.
At first, the System considered doing charity an 'intentional loss' of money. This was a strict violation.
However, this rule was now relaxed.
"Er… does that mean that I will get a fixed sum of money during each cycle to do charity? That's great!"
Pei Qian knew full well that any additional avenue to spend money was precious! During the previous cycles, he often found himself with a few extra million yuan and nowhere to spend it. That was why he failed to incur losses those times.
However, the system was now allowing him to spend half of the starting sum in the System Funds on charity.
Simply put, if he started the next cycle off with ten million yuan, he could spend five million yuan on charity.
That was a huge sum!
Just like that, Pei Qian had gained another hole through which he could pour money. Five million yuan would be lifted off his shoulders during the next cycle.
However, the other regulations remained the same. Pei Qian still had to maintain his capital chain and incur as much loss as possible on this basis.
Also, the reward would not be effective immediately. Instead, Pei Qian had to wait until the system was upgraded.
The system screen appeared in Pei Qian's vision once again.
Indeed, this was a responsible system.
Pei Qian began to read the so-called "explanation of the upgrade'.
<1. Each time you convert more than two hundred thousand yuan in one cycle, you can obtain a mysterious reward within the System's regulations.>
<2. Even if you have unannounced products a week before settlement, you can proceed to settlement. However, you can only have one unannounced product in each cycle. You also have to release it by the end of the next cycle.>
"Huh?"
Pei Qian felt light-headed. The first thing he saw was the heart-breaking conversion ratios!
What the h*ll is this?!
He read all the instructions once again.
Of course, Pei Qian knew what the Matthew effect was. Simply put, if an individual, a community, or a region achieved success or improvement in any area (such as money, reputation, status, etc.); there would be a cumulative advantage. The individual, community, or region would get more opportunities to achieve success and improvement.
In the field of economics, this reflected the saying 'winner gets all' and the phenomenon of income inequality. To put the Matthew effect even more simply, one could say 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer'.
The System thought that due to the Matthew effect, it would be much easier for Tengda Corporation's assets, the System Funds, and the owner's Personal Wealth to incur losses or make profits.
That was why the System adjusted the conversion ratios.
Pei Qian was speechless.
"F*ck! Stingy System!
"This is only the first time I'm earning so much out of you! I've only gotten a million yuan from you in total!
"Can't you let me earn another million yuan? Stingy!"
However, Pei Qian knew very well that the adjustment was going to be made sooner or later. As his business expanded, the absolute amount of profits or loss would definitely increase as well. It was exponentially more difficult to earn a million yuan from fifty thousand yuan compared to from ten million yuan.
Of course, the System was not going to let Pei Qian have an easy time.
In fact, the System was considered quite loyal. After adjusting the wealth conversion ratios, it even provided Pei Qian with some benefits.
The reward that Pei Qian got this time allowed him to spend a sum of money on charity. This was incredibly useful.
What's more, after the System was upgraded, these types of rewards would become commonplace. He could obtain one after each settlement.
At the same time, the System had loosened its requirements for settlement. Pei Qian could now stretch the research and development phase of a single product over two cycles.
This did not sound like much, but it was in fact very useful!
The current settlement cycle would last from four to five months. If having one unannounced product would not affect the settlement, Pei Qian could continue to burn money on that product in order to incur losses as long as he could release it before the end of the next cycle.
During the next cycle, he could then turn his attention to the next product.
One could say that it would be much easier to incur losses!
Pei Qian considered this for several minutes and came to a decision. "Upgrade.
"You introduced the regulations to me, but I don't think you gave me the right to choose…"
Pei Qian was speechless. On the surface, it looked like he could choose whether to upgrade the System or not.
However, if he chose not to upgrade it, the System would not start the next cycle. That meant Pei Qian would not be able to use his 'charitable events' reward.
Pei Qian would also not get another chance to earn a large sum from the System.
Of course, Pei Qian could also invest the 1.8 million yuan in order to earn more money. However… Pei Qian had no intention to do so.
Within the previous cycle, which lasted four months, Pei Qian managed to earn over 1.4 million yuan from the System. It had not been easy for him to discover the right way to benefit from it. Could he seriously think about tossing the System aside and working hard to earn money now?
That would be torturing himself!
What's more, as the saying went, rich second-generation heirs could spend freely on food, drinks, and merriment because they would not be able to squander away their family fortune by doing so. What would be more terrifying was the thought of investing their fortune and losing it all.
It had not been easy for Pei Qian to obtain this much money. If he really started a business and ended up failing, wouldn't he be better off dead?
Thus, it would be more worth it to continue benefiting from the System!
After the upgrade was completed, Pei Qian looked at the system screen once more.
Pei Qian leaned back in his chair, heaving a long sigh.
This cycle is finally over!
Although he had been through many ups and downs, he had managed to incur losses in the end.
Converting wealth from losses one time was far better than doing the same from profits ten times.
After the upgrade, the Loss Conversion Ratio was less favorable. However, the System Funds would continue to increase. If the starting sum increased to twenty or thirty million yuan, he would only have to lose ten million yuan in order to earn one million yuan for his Personal Wealth.
What's more, the System was allowing him to have one unannounced product at the end of each cycle. In addition to the five million yuan he could spend on charity, it would be much easier for Pei Qian to incur losses from now on!
Yes, there's no problem. The future remains bright!
Chapter 308 Boss Pei's Internal Letter
Pei Qian opened TPDb and browsed through the comments on his various businesses.
Thanks to 1024 Digital Day, there were now many more comments on Fish-Catching Take-Out, ROF's computer-installation business, and Upwind Logistics. At the moment, each of them had an overall rating of about 9.5 and had very few negative comments.
At the moment, a few of his businesses were generating profits. This included the successful games of Tengda Games and Shang Yang Games, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Ming Yun Private Kitchen, and the like. They had pretty good ratings as well.
This cycle's situation looked quite serious. However, Pei Qian had a long time to think about his strategy.
He accessed TPDb's intranet page and scanned through it. It was then that Pei Qian realized his employees had already published posts.
Many companies had their own internal forums where employees could communicate. Tengda was no exception. After handing TPDb over to Ma Yiqun, Pei Qian instructed him to create an internal forum while he was at it.
Pei Qian scrolled through the internal forum but did not find anything negative about Tengda. This disappointed him greatly. Tengda's internal forum was quite different from most other companies'.
Most other companies' internal forums contained a bunch of genuine requests and suggestions for improvement. However, these forums were also under heavy surveillance.
Be it internal chat software or forums-as long as the technical staff (or the higher management) wanted to, they could check on the members of the conversation and the contents of their posts.
Thus, even if those employees wanted to badmouth the company, they could not do so in the internal chat software. They could only do so on social media.
It was the same for internal forums as well. Employees could discuss ordinary hot topics, but if an employee was badmouthing the company or using 'inappropriate language', the entire post could be deleted. The higher management could even call the employee in for a conversation or ask them to leave.
This was normal practice. After all, all companies had a public relations department that was in charge of public sentiments.
Public relations departments could not control what outsiders said about the company, but they could control what their own employees said and deal with them however they wanted.
Yet, Tengda's internal forum was completely different.
Pei Qian pined for negative comments to appear! He thought that his employees were relatively shy and thus did not dare to give him negative feedback about the company directly.
However, they should at least be daring enough to post them online, right?
Afraid that the employees would not dare to give him negative feedback, Pei Qian specifically requested for the forum to take on an anonymous model. Any employee could create a post anonymously, and nobody would be able to find out his identity.
Pei Qian also instructed the administrative department to leak this information to the employees and let them know that the anonymity on the internal forum was real. Nobody would be able to find out their identities so they could badmouth the company however they liked on the internal forum.
The internal forum was becoming more and more popular of late, and more employees were posting on it as well.
However, none of them were badmouthing the company. This disappointed Pei Qian.
Suddenly, Pei Qian felt that as the boss of the company, he needed to post something in the internal forum.
Many companies' bosses loved to post messages in their internal forums in order to motivate or brainwash their employees. These were normally quite effective.
Thus, Pei Qian considered unifying the employees of Tengda. Otherwise, people might be obsessed with working hard and stabbing him in the back. He could not handle this!
Boss Pei had given orders again and again, asking everyone to work less and rest more. However, everyone ignored him completely.
It was too much! He would write an internal letter and sticky it in the internal forum. This way, his employees would see the internal letter every time they opened the internal forum. The internal letter would contain Boss Pei's hopes and act as a warning and encouragement to his employees!
Pei Qian opened a new document and began writing
Half an hour later, he had written three lines.
"…this isn't good. I have to look for a template."
Pei Qian felt like his language skills were lacking. He had no choice but to search Qiandu for templates of big companies' internal letters, so that he could use it as reference.
Soon, Pei Qian found several internal letters, filled with motivating and encouraging words.
He glanced at the date. It was October 31stjust as well.
A year ago today, Pei Qian had decided to rent an office, hire employees, expand the scale of his business, and incur more losses. One could say that it was the anniversary of Tengda stepping onto the right path and rapidly developing.
He could use this as an opening to his letter.
One of the motivating internal letters that Pei Qian had found was titled 'You Have to Work Hard for a Better Life'.
The contents were simple. It kept emphasizing the need to work hard and earn money so that one could advance, improve their standard of living, realize the meaning of life, and live happily ever after.
It was a classic encouragement for a successful life-full of toxicity!
Pei Qian deliberated for a moment and then began to translate the letter phrase by phrase.
'You Have to Live Hard to Work Better'.
To all employees of Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd:
409 days ago, Tengda was born. Today marks one year since Tengda moved into Shenhua View, hired its core employees, and stepped onto the right path!
In the past one year, Tengda has achieved insignificant success. This reveals a serious problem.
I want to tell all employees of Tengda something from the bottom of my heart: you have to live hard to work better! I know that many of you think Tengda is much more generous than many other companies.
However, you must never forget that many companies in this world are still much better than Tengda!
Do not be satisfied with the current work environment. All of you have the responsibility to request more of the company!
Times are changing, and the industry is developing
No matter how hard you work, you will never be able to keep up with the times. Thus, sacrificing your health for the sake of your job is meaningless!
Ever since I started Tengda, I've been spending extravagantly. I insisted on renting the best office and buying the best furniture. Whenever I felt tired, I took a nap. When it was time to knock off, I never stayed behind.
Whenever my alarm clock rang, I would continue sleeping. No matter how much work there was to do, I always made sure that I slept my fill first.
Yet, so what?
Tengda continued to produce game after game. My habits did not hinder the company's progress. Instead, the company continued to expand until it reached its current stage. The facts have shown that there is a weak correlation between one's hard work and the company's development!
Tengda's outstanding employees continue to emerge in large numbers as well. Over the past year alone, at least four or five employees have received the Dream Fund and gone out to start their own businesses!
The company is constantly hiring new employees, but more and more people are giving their lives to their jobs. Very few people know how to take a break. If this continues, people who blindly work hard will be the company's downfall. We'll go down a path of no return!
Employees who sacrifice their health and work overtime are not good employees!
So many people are in the company, and each man has his own responsibilities. Only by working together as a team can you do the job well. There's no need for you to work overtime at all.
If you work overtime, you're saying that you don't trust your colleagues' capabilities, and you don't trust your leader's allocation. You're going against Tengda's spirit!
Truly good employees must know how to strike a balance between work and their lives. You must learn to live hard before you can work better!
If you're only concerned about working and neglecting your life, your family relations would suffer, you would have no time for rest, and you would have no time to learn, upgrade, and improve. Employees like that would be easily replaced by younger employees. These are not talents that Tengda is after!
Tengda is already very successful. Whether you work harder or not would not make much of a difference to the company.
Tengda will not prohibit its employees from working overtime. Of course, you are allowed to work overtime every now and then. However, every employee of Tengda must know how to strike a balance between work and rest. You must know how to enjoy life!
I wake up at 10 am every day and only work for three or four hours. Still, the company becomes more prosperous with each passing day. Thus, you don't have to worry and torture yourselves. Everything is well with the company.
Lastly, I hope that my employees and brothers would understand the Tengda spirit through and through.
Working for eight hours a day is a privilege that countless generations before have fought hard to earn for our laborers today. 996 is not a form of paying back; working happily is!
Work is only one part of your life. Would working hard for an extra one or two hours a day guarantee rewards? Of course not!
Working overtime would damage your bodies. Although the company would give you overtime pay and work injury compensation, you're still the one who suffers.
Since that's the case, why not save yourself the time and spend it with your family or on developing your own interests?
Tengda encourages all its employees to grow in various areas. In fact, it is precisely because it has so many holistic employees that Tengda houses a galaxy of talent!
Working overtime is a distortion of humanity, the downfall of morality, the sorrow of society, and the deterioration of civilization!
I hope for all employees of Tengda to join me in working on ourselves first. From now on, reject working overtime and embrace a blissful life!
It's time to knock off. Please go home at once!
Once he finished writing the letter, Pei Qian read it once more from top to bottom. He was very satisfied.
as
He had completely translated the internal letter titled 'You Have to Work Hard for a Better Life'. Now, the motivational letter had turned into a non-motivational letter. It brought across Pei Qian's heartfelt message perfectly.
If his employees worked hard, they were not only hurting themselves but also hurting others!
If his employees slacked, it would be a win-win situation for all!
From this cycle, times would be tough. Losses would only be converted to personal wealth at a ratio of 10:1. Boss Pei had to make sure that all of his employees were on the same page, so that they could overcome obstacles together! For every day that his employees did not work overtime, Boss Pei would be more blissful!
After scanning the letter and confirming that there were no issues, Pei Qian posted his first open letter on the internal forum. Then, he stuck it decisively.
Chapter 309 Ultimate Form of one's Concern for Humanity
At Shang Yang Games…
Ever since the mobile version of Bloody Battle Song became famous, Shang Yang Games had become completely different.
The biggest change was in the working environment.
Before, Shang Yang Games was just like most other game start-ups. People were less particular about the working environment, and the staff was squashed together inside the office. Chairs and tables were cheap, and office hygiene was taken care of by the employees themselves. No cleaning aunties were hired.
Yet, now, everything was different!
Shang Yang Games rented out their previous office space and collectively moved to a nearby high-end office building.
The desks, chairs, and computers were all purchased together, with their holding company-Tengda-as the benchmark.
Each desk was much more spacious, and the computers were top-tier. There was also a pantry, a snack area, fitness equipment, a game room, and the like.
Lin Wan was very proud of this.
Shang Yang Games had spent their own hard-earned money on this!
The mobile version of Bloody Battle Song had been released on September 20th. About a month had passed since then. Shang Yang Games had already earned five or six million yuan from that game.
Although there were very few purchase options in the game, there were many players. What's more, players could keep purchasing items repeatedly. On top of this, Shenhua's games platform had been treating Shang Yang Games particularly well. The latter got ninety percent of all the income.
Thus, even after deducting taxes, daily operating expenses, salaries, rental for the cloud server, and other expenses; Shang Yang Games was still earning about one or two million yuan per week.
m
At first, Lin Wan wanted to hand this sum of money back to Tengda Games, so that the staff of Shang Yang Games could hold their heads high in front of other employees of Tengda Corporation. However, Boss Pei turned her down immediately.
"Shang Yang Games needs this sum of money now. Why don't any of you have long-term goals?
"Is the office perfect?
"Are the employees getting as much benefit as Tengda's employees? "Everyone has been working so hard for so long. Shouldn't you distribute a bonus to reward them for their hard work?
"Spend all the money that you need on Shang Yang Games before you think about transferring the profits!"
These were Boss Pei's original words.
Lin Wan had no other choice. During that one month, she kept thinking about how to improve the office.
At first, Pei Qian was worried that Lin Wan would hold back. However, after secretly asking around for some time, he realized that he had been overthinking.
It was one thing to be worried that others would hold back, but worrying that Lin Wan would do the same? He was really worrying for nothing! Lin Wan really took Tengda as the benchmark and went all out!
Pei Qian was very pleased.
Indeed, rich second-generation heirs were different!
Pei Qian knew full well that Lin Wan was still feeling extremely proud of herself now. She had just released a game that was earning the company about five million yuan each month. One could say that she had created a money-making tree for Tengda.
Others might be thrifty and attempt to save up all of these profits. However, Lin Wan was obviously not like that. She happily spent the money and maximized the various benefits that Shang Yang Games gave its employees. They would be able to earn all the money back anyway!
That was what Lin Wan thought.
Thus, the welfare benefits for employees of Shang Yang Games were benchmarked against that of Tengda Games.
Shang Yang Games' employees were finally being treated like biological sons and daughters, just like their Tengda counterparts.
At that moment, Hao Qiong was leaning back on his ergonomic chair, surfing the net without any aim.
There was nothing to do!
Shang Yang Games had just released a game not long ago. One could say that Hao Qiong had done everything right as an employee of this company. Once he started work, he jumped into researching and developing the mobile version of Bloody Battle Song. After that, the game did extremely well, Boss Pei treated them to a meal, and they moved to a new office.
Just a few months ago, Hao Qiong had been hard-pressed for a job. Yet, now, he was surfing the net, looking for ways to maintain his good health.
He felt like he was sinning every single day.
He often thought about the sight of Boss Pei in the nameless restaurant. At the time, he had just eaten a bowl of weird-tasting black rice and crab roe. It was only after that that he discovered the black rice was called 'caviar'.
As the saying went, the mouth that ate the food of others was softened.
Each time he slacked, Hao Qiong felt like he was letting Boss Pei down. However, whenever he set his mind on doing serious work… he found that there was absolutely nothing to do.
It was disastrous.
According to Director Lin, Shang Yang Games had to wait for Boss Pei's instructions before embarking on another project. At best, they would get a concrete plan by the middle of November.
Just the thought of having to slack for nearly half a month made Hao Qiong feel terrible.
He accessed TPDb to study Bloody Battle Song's ratings.
In the beginning, the game's overall rating was 7.2. Later, it rose to 8.4. Now, it was 8.9. The game's ratings were increasing steadily. If this situation continued, the game's rating would have no problem surpassing 9.0 next month.
The higher the ratings, the higher their bonus. Just the thought of getting a higher bonus next month made Hao Qiong feel even guiltier.
He hadn't done any work, and yet he just kept receiving money.
Although it sounded good… Hao Qiong could not help but fear being rendered useless. Thus, he could not wait to get back to work in order to prove himself.
He casually accessed the internal forum.
"I'll read two posts before I get back to work." Hao Qiong had made up his mind.
"Hmm? What's this sticky post? An open letter from Boss Pei to his employees?"
Hao Qiong's heart thudded as guilt threatened to overwhelm him.
One could easily imagine what the open letter would say! An open letter posted in a company's intranet could only have one purpose: to put everyone on the same page and encourage everyone to work hard.
Simply put, these letters were usually a form of encouragement from a company's leader to all of his employees.
If this were another company, most employees would probably not even bother reading the letter. It would be meaningless.
They were probably already exhausted; why would they make themselves feel worse by reading a letter that pushed them to work harder?
However, Hao Qiong could not help but click this letter from Boss Pei.
This was because Hao Qiong felt like he could use the motivation. He could not sit back and do nothing day in and day out; that would be too evil!
Hao Qiong could even imagine Boss Pei criticizing employees who had been enjoying company benefits but slacking their days away. His open letter would probably remind employees, who were indulging in pleasure, again and again to harbor a fighting spirit and embrace 'wolf culture'.
Hao Qiong felt like he could use this wake-up call.
With these expectations, he clicked the sticky post and read it closely.
When he was done, Hao Qiong frowned. He was deeply confused. Why was the open letter so different from what he imagined?
It was… the complete opposite. Hao Qiong read the open letter from beginning to end once again, just to 'revise' the 'golden words' within.
Whenever his alarm clock rang, he would continue sleeping. No matter how much work there was to do, he always made sure that he slept his fill first?
There was a weak correlation between one's hard work and the company's development?
More people were working hard, but fewer people knew how to rest?
Working overtime was not trusting colleagues' capabilities and going against Tengda's spirit?
Reject working overtime from now on?!
Hao Qiong read the open letter very closely yet again, from beginning to end. He saw these words between the lines: 'It's wrong to work overtime, but it's reasonable to slack'!
The dark humor was so potent that Hao Qiong thought he was stuck in a dream. Before this, he still felt guilty. However, all of that had been replaced with pure confusion.
The boss wants me to slack more. Well…
Hao Qiong was at a loss. He looked at the date. Was it April Fool's Day?
Still feeling confused, Hao Qiong refreshed the page. Immediately, seven or eight replies appeared.
There were probably many other employees like Hao Qiong, who had nothing to do. Everyone must have been browsing the internal forum. That was probably why they managed to comment on the sticky post the moment it was posted. Perhaps they had even been fighting to be the first replies.
"Comment on the first page to catch Boss Pei!"
"Boss Pei is so formidable!"
"What's up with this open letter? Are they testing out the posting function or trying to be funny?"
It was clear that most people felt as confused as Hao Qiong.
Why would a boss ask his own employees to slack off? Was this reverse psychology?
In this confusion, more and more replies began to appear underneath the post.
"Understood, Boss Pei! We will rest well and take care of our bodies!"
"This is so heart-warming. Although it was expressed humorously, I can still feel Boss Pei's care and concern between the lines!"
"This sticky post made me think hard. Other companies push for 'wolf culture' and 'fighting spirit' and think about various ways and means to get the most out of their employees. Yet, Boss Pei is completely different. This is him cruelly exposing and satirizing those companies!" "I feel quite touched. This is the Tengda spirit that we're all so proud of!"
"Boss Pei's warning is true indeed. Every single word spoke straight to my heart! Too many bosses only think about the company and their self-interest. All they can think is 'if my employees work harder, I can get a new car by the end of the year'. They push their employees to work harder on the pretext of it being for their own good, when they're actually doing so for selfish reasons!
"Yet, Boss Pei is completely different. He is thinking for his employees: their health, their families, and their future. With a leader like him, what more can we ask for?"
"Rest assured, Boss Pei. Even if we don't work overtime and overwork our bodies, we will make sure to finish our jobs so that the company can rise to greater heights!" "That's right! Boss Pei has provided us with such a good working environment while he bears the weight of the company's development on his own shoulders. We cannot let Boss Pei down! We have to take care of our bodies and health, so that we can work better for the company. Only then can we achieve good results and repay Boss Pei!"
People kept liking various comments, quickly pushing them right to the top. While Hao Qiong had been confused at first, he finally understood what was happening.
The internal letter was not meant to motivate them. It was meant to be the ultimate form of one's concern for humanity. The main point of this letter was not to tell the employees whether they should work overtime or not.
On the surface, Boss Pei was asking everyone not to work hard. However, this was obviously an exaggeration.
Any employee with the slightest ambition would know that he had to work hard for his own future.
What Boss Pei really meant to do was remind his employees to take care of their own bodies, health, families, and interests while working hard. Only then could they complete their work well and make greater contributions to Tengda's development!
From this, one could tell that Boss Pei had a very different strategy from bosses who coveted even the smallest of profits, sought to save every penny, and docked their employees' pay whenever they could!
At that thought, Hao Qiong became filled with determination.
He wrote his reply to the post. "Please rest assured, Boss Pei. We will work hard and take care of our bodies while we're at it. May we mature and advance together with Tengda!"