It happened to be an empty workstation which was Lu Mingliang's place previously.
Pei Qian led Tang Yishu to this workstation. "This will be your workstation from now on. Sit here and do whatever you want when you have nothing to do."
"Alright, go and settle the Encourager first."
Tang Yishu nodded and went on to unpack the cat food and litter box in silence.
Li Yada and the other employees were fond of Glabella, but it was in a whole new environment and not used to it yet. It soon settled behind a Fortune Tree and refused to come out. Everyone watched on for some time before heading back to their workstations to continue their work.
Pei Qian paid special attention to Bao Xu's state and found that he was playing his game seriously. He was rather focused, ignoring Glabella even as it walked past his feet.
That was something Pei Qian was pleased about!
Li Yada exclaimed in surprise upon answering a call just when Pei Qian was preparing to return to his own office. "Huh? You are not selling the copyright anymore?"
Pei Qian stopped in his tracks and pretended to ask with concern. "What's wrong?"
Li Yada hung up the call and muttered silently. "Uh… it's nothing."
"I had a discussion with a copyright owner about a character IP from an old animation. It was all settled previously, but now, the other party suddenly called just not to say… they are not selling it anymore."
Pei Qian, "Hmm? Why are they not selling it all of a sudden?"
Li Yada was at a loss as well. "I don't know either. They only said that the author does not want to sell it anymore even if we were to pay more…"
Pei Qian could not help but feel amazed.
Hear, hear! What immediate effect!
This luck turned immediately after bringing Tang Yishu back.
Pei Qian tried very hard to suppress his happiness and said in a soothing voice. "That's alright. Purchasing IP depends on fate as well. We can make our own original characters if we are unable to purchase enough Character IPs!
"We have so many employees in our company. We can choose a few at random and make original prototypes for the heroes in the game."
This game was to be cannon fodder for IOI anyway, Pei Qian thought to himself. It was destined to make a loss anyway; why not give his employees the opportunity to entertain themselves and make themselves heroes in the game?
Li Yada thought about it. "Then, Boss Pei, can I put you into the game?"
Pei Qian nodded. "Of course, you can!" Li Yada continued, "We will probably make some artistic modification to the 2D creation of the image, is that alright?"
Pei Qian waved his hand. "No problem, absolutely no problem! Do whatever you like."
"Alright!" Li Yada returned to her workstation happily. Pei Qian gave Tang Yishu, who was busy feeding Glabella, a sidelong glance and returned to office with satisfaction.
Li Yada opened a new file and decided to design an exclusive hero for Boss Pei on the spot. First of all, the setting for this hero should be a tank.
Boss Pei was just like a huge tree. His stalwart figure sheltered Tengda's employees from adversities. Therefore, the setting for this hero should be tall, sturdy, and reliable. Boss Pei spared no expenses in striving for excellence in quality, and so his passive skills should be to use extra money to build more powerful equipment.
Boss Pei was an entrepreneur with dreams. He always walked right into areas that were not looked upon favorably by the others. He worked hard in these fields and reaped the rewards with his talents.
Boss Pei achieved greater success as his rivals, and fake reviewers continuously slandered him. Therefore, his first skill included both active and passive skills. His passive skill would be to accumulate rewards through the last hit. That would symbolize his diligence in certain fields.
In the event he received a certain degree of attack and got to kill or assist, the accumulated rewards would be converted to extra money.
There would also be a chance to stimulate fighting spirit, improve defenses, and sprinkle a lot of golden attack special effects around. It would cause damage to the enemy and slow them down a little.
Active release of skills could also cause the same effect.
Boss Pei controlled their time strictly and never allowed his employees to work overtime. He would force those who secretly worked overtime out of the office. That's why Boss Pei's second skill should cause a knockback effect on his enemies in a fan-shaped range. It would also prevent anyone from entering the range for some time.
Boss Pei was passionate about exploring new fields. Outstanding employees were deployed to be in charge of new business areas and achieved spectacular results. For that, Boss Pei's third skill should be to throw a friendly unit across a certain range, causing a small amount of damage and slowing down the enemy unit within range after landing.
Finally, Boss Pei could continuously grow stronger and improve because he spurred himself on tirelessly.
Boss Pei's ultimate move would be to spur himself on. His speed would be boosted greatly, and his health and resistance would be increased. At the same time, he would cause a small amount of damage back to himself which could frequently trigger one passive skill.
Li Yada then decided to design a unique image for Boss Pei.
He must be tall and stalwart as a tank hero. He should be a giant with broad shoulders and powerful arms. At the same time, he should have all types of weapons such as knives, swords, daggers, and spears-on his back since he frequently suffered sneaky attacks from his enemies.
It should be like the Goddess of Mercy, giving off divine Buddha light, and like Mahamayuri, the Great Peacock, who had a body made of both divine and demon at the same time.
This hero should continuously release attacks with golden special effects if he were to come under sneaky attack.
Finally, the name of this hero…
Guardian of Justice: Modest!
Li Yada believed that 'Modest', meaning humble, was the best word to describe Boss Pei's noble character.
Li Yada was very satisfied with the completed design manuscript. "Hm, let's make the concept art as soon as possible. I believe that Boss Pei will be very happy to see his personal hero appearing in GOG, right?"
Nonetheless, Li Yada knew that the players would not necessarily call this hero as "Guardian of Justice' or 'Modest'. They would most likely give him a whole new nickname.
"I wonder… what would the players call this hero?
"I can't wait for GOG to launch."
Pei Qian watched drama in his office while keeping his ears pricked at the movements outside his office.
"Glabella, come, here's a dried fish for you!" "Eh? Why is our water cooler leaking? Call for repair now!" "F*ck, didn't I just fix this bug? Why is it acting up again…?"
"Have you submitted the art resource? I'll modify it again…" Some strange conversations were mixed in from time to time from normal work communications.
Pei Qian could not help but say. Tang Yishu's halo effect was really immediate!
Yes, let's just let her play her role in the company. What other qualitative changes could happen as the halo effect accumulated?
Tang Yishu arranged the litter box, food bowl, water basin, etc. and watched as Glabella peed in the litter box for quite some time before she carefully returned to her workstation. Tang Yishu avoided her colleagues' workstations carefully as she passed by. It was as though she was afraid that she would bring bad luck to others if she was too close.
Fortunately, Tengda's desks were very large. There was a large gap between workstations; therefore, Tang Yishu was not too awkward.
She sat down cautiously on the office chair and was surprised at the comfort of the coziness of the chair. She leaned back carefully and shrank herself into a ball with embarrassment.
She had used a computer before in the computer class in school but had never seen such magnificent dual monitors. That huge desktop seemed to draw her in.
She pressed the keys carefully which immediately returned a crisp 'click' sound, scaring her into withdrawing her hand immediately.
This sound was much louder than the keyboard in the computer class.
However, Tang Yishu stretched her hand out towards the keyboard and mouse again when she saw everyone around her typing furiously on the keyboard. She opened the webpage to check the homework assigned by her computer class teacher.
There were all sorts of games installed on the computer, but Tang Yishu did not know what these colorful desktop icons were. She surfed the internet in silence.
She turned her head towards Glabella, only to find that little back cat playing with the green plants in the office. She then turned her eyes to the computer again with relief. Suddenly, a girl with a round face and huge eyes came to her. "Hello, Tang Yishu, right?"
Tang Yishu stood up hurriedly. "Hello."
Hao Yun smiled. "Aiya, there's no need to stand up. I'm Hao Yun from the HR department. This is your internship contract."
"Your monthly salary will be 3,000 yuan. No fixed working hours. Take a look and sign if there's no problem."
Tang Yishu accepted the internship contract and read it from beginning to end.
The content of this contract was very simple. There were neither pits nor traps. There was no problem except for the high pay.
Tang Yishu looked up at Hao Yun. "The pay… is a little… too much."
Hao Yun smiled. "No, this is Tengda's normal pay scheme."
She took out a wad of money from her pocket seeing Tang Yishu sign the contract. There were ten pieces of 100 yuan bills. "Boss Pei asked me to advance this amount of salary to you so that you can buy some warm clothes. The weather is getting colder. The company's heating might be warm, but the difference in temperature indoors and outdoors is rather huge. It's very easy to catch a cold.
"Have lunch with us later. The Fish-Catching Take-Out is delicious."
"Al-alright." Tang Yishu nodded hurriedly, somewhat at a loss.
Her clothes might be thin, but her heart was warm and fuzzy. That was probably not due to the heater in the office.
November 26, Friday…
Pei Qian was in the car, heading to the filming site of Tomorrow is Beautiful'.
The filming location was a local studio in Jingzhou. There were not many great scenes in the whole film. It was just a few simple scenes if one were to analyze it.
The capsule space where the male lead stayed, including the large screen in space; the futuristic urban scenery; talent show event location; the male lead's mansion…
These scenes were not difficult as long as the costumes, makeup, and props of each character were more refined. The scene just had to look more futuristic.
Some of the more complex scenes were done using the green screen, waiting to add on special effects. Anyway, not many of such scenes required special effects.
The capsule that the male lead stayed in was set up in no time. Many scenes were taken here; most of them were one-man shows. The scenes were simple and easy to shoot; therefore, the priority was naturally higher.
Shooting in this scene could commence while many settings for other scenes were being built.
Pei Qian looked for Zhu Xiaoce when he arrived and then came to the shooting scene.
The staff was busy. Pei Qian did not know what they were doing and did not want to ask some more so he followed behind Zhu Xiaoce.
Zhu Xiaoce probably thought that Boss Pei was here for inspection so he put his best forward and commanded his staff to do the same.
Pei Qian was here purely to take a look. He had not filmed a movie before so it felt very exciting to him. It was said that the crew had to burn incense and pray for blessings before filming, but Pei Qian didn't see such a setup. He didn't care about it anyway.
He just wanted to join in the fun and see if he could create some setbacks for the filming of this movie.
Chapter 341 An Act Triggered by a Can of Beer
The scene that was about to be filmed was the male lead's aimless life in the capsule before meeting the female lead.
The living space of this capsule was very small. The relatively tall Lu Zhiyao's head was only a dozen centimeters below the ceiling. The decoration of the entire capsule was simple and futuristic. There were no extra decorations.
In the place where a television screen should be was a large green screen. Television programs would be synthesized in later stages.
There were also a few props for shooting such as fast food, relief meals, potato chips, and beer.
Of course, these props were custom-made. Some special stickers were attached to the outside of ready-made long cans of beer in the case of beers. On the one hand, they were used to cover the original trademarks; on the other hand, it was used to highlight the background setting of this world.
In addition to the fictitious trademarks printed on the beer cans, there were some colorful advertisements. The setting in this futuristic world was for advertisements to be so pervasive that even beer cans were not spared after all. Lu Zhiyao then lay in the capsule and started the shoot.
First, it was a few shots of him doing nothing in the capsule and watching commercials on the television.
These scenes were relatively easy to take. There was not much acting required; therefore, it was done quickly after a few shots.
Next was the scene of eating relief meals.
There was a special dining area in the capsule opposite the bed. It was enough for one person. There was a small screen on the wall next to the table and a food outlet.
The small screen had a green screen for now. An ordering menu would be created with post-production special effects. This small screen would loop various food advertisements when it was not used to order food.
This scene was simple as well. The male lead would receive his relief meal for the day when it was time for food. Watching the various delicacies looping on the small screen while he consumed his relief meal spelled nothing but tragic.
Lu Zhiyao sat by the dining table and looked at the food outlet numbly.
It had become a routine at fixed timings so Lu Zhiyao had no expectations at all.
The mouth of the food outlet opened with a 'click'. A package that looked presentable dropped out of the meal outlet onto the dining table.
Lu Zhiyao tore the seal—which seemed to be foil-expressionlessly, exposing the black and white powder within.
"What is inside?" Pei Qian asked quietly.
"Milk powder and chocolate powder," Zhu Xiaoce replied in the same manner.
Pei Qian nodded. "That's fine."
This sh*t is at least edible. It seemed like he did not need to give Lu Zhiyao more money.
Lu Zhiyao took the tray and brought it to the water receiving port next to him to add warm water to it. He then stirred it evenly with the small spoon provided in the tray. Of course, the entire process was mundane and meaningless.
He then picked up the spoon and fed himself mouthful by mouthful.
Lu Zhiyao was staring at the small screen next to him while eating. It might be a green screen now, all kinds of cool delicacies would be advertised on it in the special effects during later stages.
Lu Zhiyao watched the green screen with a different gaze. His eyes showed a yearning for these delicacies and some subconscious little actions such as swallowing saliva and licking his lips.
"Cut!
"The expression just now was too much. You watch these advertisements every day according to the plot. There is no need for such a big reaction, just show some instinctive reactions to delicious food.
"It was great otherwise. Ok, let's start
again!"
Director Zhu Xiaoce would point out the parts he felt were inappropriate immediately. Lu Zhiyao did his best to cooperate.
This scene was done after a few shots as well.
Pei Qian sighed slightly at the side. This Lu Zhiyao actually knew how to act, eh?
It felt as though he had been holding his breath in the participation of Tomorrow is Beautiful.
Lu Zhiyao was nicknamed 'box office flop'. His acting skills were alright, but it was inevitable for him to be criticized by the audience.
The most common criticism was that he was too handsome, arrogant, and was overly exaggerated in his acting.
Yet Lu Zhiyao was acting as a decadent person very seriously. He might be handsome and was not too decadent, but the feeling of decadence was present. It soon began to get busy as they prepared for the next scene.
"Boss Pei, the next scene is the highlight," Zhu Xiaoce said to Pei Qian.
Pei Qian, "Hmm?"
Zhu Xiaoce pointed towards the few cans of beer at the corner. "There would be a close-up of beer drinking.
"The male lead has won many quiz coins from participating in the quiz game on the television. He, therefore, rewarded himself with a can of beer.
"Lu Zhiyao did not touch any beer since he came from Jingzhou so that he could act it out well.
"He even gave up drinking water for disgusting drinks like Hey Song Sarsaparilla, Oldenlandia Water… Dong Fang Shu Ye[1]… "All that just to be able to show an impressive and lasting act when he drinks the beer."
Pei Qian, "…Is there a need to sacrifice so much? Are those drinks even fit for human consumption? It's just a movie; there's no need to throw life away…"
Director Zhu Xiaoce smiled. "This is just the self-cultivation of a qualified actor. Even Mr. Zhang Zuting is full of praise for Lu Zhiyao's acting."
Once again, Pei Qian was at a loss for words.
There was really no need to try so hard!
The consequences would be unimaginable if he managed to make it into a classic on the huge screens that topped the hot searches!
However, Pei Qian did not know how Lu Zhiyao should act either. He could only watch and remain on high alert.
At the beginning of this scene, Lu Zhiyao first acted out the entire winning process against the green screen.
The anxiety he felt while waiting for the results of the television show, the exhilaration when he knew he obtained a small fortune and then heading to the meal outlet to purchase a can of beer with great expectations.
After two or three takes, they started the beer-drinking scene.
Lu Zhiyao came to the small screen next to the meal outlet and pretended to operate on the green screen. His expression was dramatic: the joy of profiting from the quiz retained a smile on his face. The hint of expectation when he put the beer to his lips and the subconscious licking of his lip after he drank it.
Pei Qian, who was beside Zhu Xiaoce, clearly saw Lu Zhiyao's series of micro-expressions. He suddenly felt a slight wave of nostalgia for the young hunk that could only shout 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.
Plonk. A can of beer fell out of the meal outlet.
Lu Zhiyao grabbed it with excitement immediately. He could see droplets formed on the slightly chilled can of beer. He pulled open the lid with a 'psss', raised his head… gulp, gulp, gulp..
Lu Zhiyao only stopped after he drank half a can. He sighed with a face full of happiness and satisfaction. He looked at the can of beer in his hand contentedly.
He wiped the froth from the corner of his mouth. This time, he raised his head again and downed the rest of the beer. He kept the empty can raised in hopes of ravaging any remaining drops of liquid.
Finally, Lu Zhiyao threw the empty can of beer into the trash reluctantly. He wiped his mouth and burped contentedly before returning to his bed and began to sleep
This burp was very natural. It didn't seem like it was designed. It was probably because Lu Zhiyao drank too hard so it came out just right.
"Stop!"
In theory, it should have been a 'cut', but this 'stop' was called out by Pei Qian. That was why Director Zhu Xiaoce hurriedly added a 'cut' to it before looking at Pei Qian very seriously.
"Boss Pei, is there any problem with the act?"
Zhu Xiaoce knew very well that Boss Pei was not only sponsoring this film, but he was also the original author of this script.
If Boss Pei had any opinions on the scenes in the movie, it must mean that there was deviation with Boss Pei's original intent. It was necessary to respect the opinions of the original author and make changes.
Pei Qian felt a little hopeless.
You are trying too hard, bro! Your expression from drinking a can of beer was way more exaggerated than Cooking Master Boy! He was only missing the 'Great Wall of China' BGM and golden special effects, the background of the sea and the sky.
Pei Qian could even foresee a hot search on Weibo for 'Lu Zhiyao drinks beer' on the day of release of the movie.
Pei Qian coughed slightly. "This is really unnecessary, just act normally…
"The male lead is an ordinary person, just act ordinary."
Lu Zhiyao's expression went blank. "Huh?"
He was very confident in his acting skills. He originally thought that that scene would be enough to be remembered in the history of film, yet it did not impress the original author of the script.
Erm…
He could only look towards Director Zhu Xiaoce.
Director Zhu Xiaoce pondered for a moment. "I didn't think much at first, but… I feel that it does seem a little exaggerated now that Boss Pei mentioned it. Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"
Zhang Zuting nodded. "Boss Pei is the original author indeed. He possesses a great understanding of the story and this character.
"What Boss Pei said might be very common, but I can roughly understand what he wants to express." Pei Qian, "?"
It seemed like there were some unexpected developments…
Zhang Zuting looked at Lu Zhiyao and said earnestly. "Suppose we change the setting of this scene.
"You are playing a coolie who works 18 hours a day. You can only drink a can of beer once a month. There is no entertainment around so beer is the highest enjoyment you can get. In that case, your performance would be qualified, and there would be a strong appeal.
"However, the role you are playing now is an ordinary person in the future. Does he only drink a can of beer in a month? Definitely not. Are there no other forms of entertainment for him? That's not the case either.
"The small screen beside you would continuously show advertisements for good food and alcohol. The enjoyment of this can of beer is insignificant compared to the advertisements.
"The male lead made a profit from the quiz game on television and therefore rewarded himself with a can of beer. That meant to say that he could buy it anytime he wanted if he were to spend his savings.
"Therefore, this can of beer is not precious to him."
[1] These three drinks are amongst the five most disgusting drinks in China
Chapter 342 The Person who worked Overtime Secretly
Zhang Zuting continued, "Under such a situation, his mentality of drinking beer should not be that of a hungry addict, drinking it so urgently and eagerly. Instead, he should drink it slowly and savor it carefully.
"He should not be drinking beer… but a sense of emptiness, a kind of confusion.
"The advertisements on the screen would bring him a large psychological gap.
"He could not feel any hope or meaning for his future. He felt that everything around him was meaningless. The can of beer in his hand only satisfied the hunger in his belly. That is its only bit of value.
"However, this little tiny bit of value would not be enough to make him ecstatic.
"I feel that the male lead should not have so many expressions. Moreover, his emotions should be sinking while he drinks the beer.
"He originally won the quiz contest and earned a bit of money. He decided to use that money to reward himself with a can of beer.
"He saw the dazzling advertisements while drinking his beer and peeked into the world of the upper class. He should feel a bad distaste in his mouth instead.
"If I'm the one acting, I will do my best to show the male lead's transformation from happiness to dullness and then to desolation…
"I think that should be what Boss Pei wants to emphasize, right, Boss Pei?"
Pei Qian fell silent for a moment. "Uh… about there."
What else could I say since you've mentioned all the good stuff…?
Lu Zhiyao had a sudden realization. "So that's how it is! It seems like my understanding of this script was wrong. Thank you for everyone's guidance; let's do a retake!"
Lu Zhiyao sat back down with a raging fighting spirit, ready for the retake. Zhu Xiaoce gave Pei Qian a thumbs-up. "Professional!"
Once again, Pei Qian was at a loss for words.
Actually, that was not what I meant…
Pei Qian was despondent. He could vaguely feel that he should not have interrupted the flow.
Retake of beer-drinking scene…
Plonk! A can of beer fell out of the meal outlet.
Lu Zhiyao grabbed the chilled beer with its cold droplets and opened it with a 'pang'. He then raised his head, took a big mouthful, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. There were a smile and satisfaction of drinking beer on his face at this point in time.
However, his smile gradually faded. Lu Zhiyao's attention was attracted to the small green screen next to him. He looked at the green screen and silently sipped his beer, imagining what the scene on the small screen was at this point in time.
There should be many advertisements for food and wine on the small screen then. An upper-class man in his mansion or villa pouring fine wine into the decanter before pouring into the crystal clear goblet.
There was delicious food on the clean white table that made people salivate.
A beautiful woman with bright red nail polish lifted the wine glass from her hand gracefully to touch the wine glass of the successful man across the table. The wine then flowed into the red lips of the beautiful woman.
Lu Zhiyao sipped the beer as he looked at the green screen. During the period, he raised his hand, wanting to touch the small screen. Perhaps it was a little difficult to resist the temptation of certain advertisements. However, he hesitated again and continued to sip his beer in silence.
This can of beer was finished eventually.
Lu Zhiyao raised his head and tried to pour the last drop of beer into his mouth before putting the empty can onto the table. He then stared at the colorful advertisements on the screen with a blank look.
After a long time, Lu Zhiyao suddenly squeezed the empty can in his hand and threw it into the trash.
Pa-ta. The can hit the edge of the trash and fell onto the floor.
Lu Zhiyao did not pick it up again but sat slumped onto the ground, leaning against the bed. He hugged his knees with his arms and buried his head deeply into his arms.
"Cut! It was awesome!
"This scene is great! "That is in line with the male lead's mentality!
Zhu Xiaoce was full of praise for Lu Zhiyao's performance.
Lu Zhiyao was elated as well. His acting skills had been affirmed.
"I have to thank Director Zhu and Mr. Zhang for your guidance. Of course, the most important factor was for Boss Pei to change my fundamental mentality and made me realize that I made the mistake of being too dramatic."
Lu Zhiyao cast a grateful look at Pei Qian.
Pei Qian, "…Continue filming. I'll head back first."
Zhu Xiaoce was taken aback. "Boss Pei, can you watch a few more scenes? We feel more ease in our hearts with you around. Help us point out more shortcomings!"
Point out more shortcomings?
Pei Qian was speechless. He was trying to gain an advantage, only to end up worse off! He wanted to give pointers in the opposite direction to throw a stone in Lu Zhiyao's acting. However, he never expected to improve his acting skills instead!
What else could happen if this were to continue?
Pei Qian did not want the first sentence Lu Zhiyao said on stage upon winning the Oscars for Best Actor to be 'I want to thank Boss Pei for his meticulous guidance on my acting skills'. He would not be able to take it lying down!
Therefore, he really could not carry on watching.
He really should not give any more suggestions. Let them film whatever they wanted!
Pei Qian felt like he was an observer who was experimenting now. Things would change every time he observed. Things would develop for the worse every time he intervened.
Therefore, he should slip away while he could.
Everyone felt it a waste, but they knew that Boss Pei was busy at work and could not always be staring at the set.
"Please get going, Boss Pei. I'll definitely follow the original intent of this script and play this role well!" Lu Zhiyao said sincerely.
Pei Qian sighed secretly.
What a long way to go…
Zhu Xiaoce could not help buy sight as he watched Boss Pei's figure leaving silently.
"Boss Pei took the time to come here in his busy schedule, helped the actor correct a big mistake, and left in a hurry. It seemed like he felt that there should be no major problems for the filming after resetting their mindsets and thus left without worry. "Yes, we cannot disappoint Boss Pei!
"Come, everyone, let's continue to the next scene!"
Zhu Xiaoce and the main leads had become very motivated.
November 27th…
Saturday…
There were not many classes for humanities so they were generally not arranged on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tang Yishu had no class today. She studies in her dormitory in the morning before heading to the office a little after 10 today.
She might have already filled both food and water for Glabella and cleared its poop before she left yesterday, but she still felt uneasy. She was afraid that it would feel lonely in the company so she came over to take a look.
The door of the company was opened with an access card. The access control system was very smart. It would only open the door during the normal working hours with the common employee work card. Ordinary access cards could not open the door on weekends, evenings, or statutory holidays. Only the access cards of Boss Pei, Assistant Xin, and a few administrative staff could open the door.
The administrative department took it into account—the particularity of Tang Yishu's work—and arranged a work card for her to open the door at any time. That was so that she could take care of Glabella.
Hao Yun accompanied Tang Yishu after work yesterday to purchase a black down jacket for females after a careful selection.
Hao Yun liked pink or other pretty colors, but Tang Yishu insisted on buying this one. It was cheaper on the one hand, and she did not know how to care for it on the other hand. She was afraid it would be very difficult to wash it if it got dirty.
The design of the down jacket itself was not great, but it was good at keeping warm. Moreover, Tang Yishu had a good figure that could maintain the clothes so it did not look too shabby on her.
Tang Yishu was about to swipe her access card to open the door, only to find that the door was already opened.
Bao Xu was wearing his headphones and typing on the keyboard intently in the huge office.
… It did not seem as though he was gaming.
Tang Yishu did not think too much of it. It was her understanding that it was normal to work overtime during weekends if there were unfinished assignments. It was nothing to fuss about.
She then just took a plastic bag and went to the corner of the office as usual, preparing to clear Glabella's poop. Bao Xu shuddered in fright and almost fell off his chair when Tang Yishu passed by.
Tang Yishu was shocked as well. She quickly stepped aside, and the two glanced at each other in horror.
Tang Yishu lowered her head. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Bao Xu was a little relieved when he saw it was Tang Yishu. However, his expression became serious once again. "Don't tell Boss Pei that you saw me today, understand?"
Tang Yishu nodded with confusion.
Bao Xu heaved a sigh of relief. Tang Yishu had an honest face and didn't look like a whistleblower. He relaxed and continued to modify the design manuscript.
Any overtime was to be reported to Boss Pei according to the rules he set.
Bao Xu could not bring himself to report to Boss Pei. Otherwise, the image that he had spent so much effort creating in front of Boss Pei would be for naught. A travel package would be arranged again if Boss Pei were to praise himself in front of everyone!
Bao Xu's card would not grant him access during non-working hours if he were to come secretly.
He, therefore, figured out a way. He would secretly exchange access cards with a buddy in the administrative department every Friday.
The access cards of the administrative department could be used to open the door at any time; therefore, Bao Xu could come over secretly during the weekend to change these designs before uploading them into Li Yada's computer.
All uploaded documents had traces. Boss Pei would be able to find out that Bao Xu was working overtime if he were to work and upload it from his home computer.
Even Boss Pei would not be able to know it was him now that he used Li Yada's computer to upload the documents.
It worked!
Tang Yishu stroked at Glabella, which was near her for a while, before clearing the poop. She suddenly felt that something was wrong when she was clearing the cat litter with the plastic spatula.
"Why did he emphasize not to let Senior know if it was normal overtime work? He… wouldn't be doing something bad, right? Stealing company secrets or something?"
Tang Yishu had no work experience, but she had read a few novels and watched a few TV series. Her brain started to fill in the possible actions that Bao Xu could be carrying out.
Whether these actions made any sense or not… they were a mystery to Tang Yishu.
She was in a state of flux.
"Should I let Senior know? It seems like too big a fuss. What if he is really doing something bad?"
Chapter 343 Things were Not So Simple!
November 29th, Monday…
Pei Qian arrived at Tengda and began his patrols as per usual. The moment he entered, he felt a different atmosphere in the office compared to before. As for what exactly was different…
On closer inspection, Pei Qian realized that everyone seemed to be much busier than usual.
"Have you fixed the bug we talked about earlier?"
"Yes, I have."
"Why is it appearing again, then?"
"It can't be… let me check. That's not right; I've already submitted it!"
"Holy sh*t, why are there bugs even in Repent and be Saved?!"
It was a chaotic scene.
From the looks of the situation, bugs were not only appearing in GOG, which had just been developed. Instead, deeply-hidden bugs were appearing even in earlier games like Repent and be Saved and Game Designer.
Everyone became extremely distraught by the appearance of these bugs. They no longer looked as calm as before.
Pei Qian could not help but smile.
Good! Very good!
Having bugs meant that the research and development process would be delayed. The game would also require much more work than they had initially expected.
Pei Qian's requirement for the research and development process was very simple. They just had to finish it within the System's stipulated time.
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However, as the company developed more games, it earned more funds and everyone gained more research and development experience. Thus, Tengda Games' efficiency improved along the way as well.
That gave rise to a very awkward problem for Pei Qian.
Pei Qian had initially planned for research and development to take more than four months, but it was complete in just over three!
That meant they had another month extra.
What was Pei Qian to do?
The game was already done. Pei Qian could not possibly have stopped it from being released, right? There was no good reason for him to do so. Thus, he had to tearfully release the game early.
However, bugs had suddenly appeared in the game now. The team needed more time to work on them, and Pei Qian had a reason to push back the game's official release.
He could aim for the game to be released a week before settlement, so that he could forego an entire month's worth of revenue!
That was too important. Foregoing a month's worth of revenue could potentially save Pei Qian's life!
At that thought, Pei Qian grabbed Glabellalaying on the ground for its afternoon napand forcefully patted it. Then, satisfied, he walked into his office.
Indeed, Pei Qian felt much more relaxed after adding the halo effect to the company! Tang Yishu had been reading at her work desk when she saw Pei Qian walking towards her. She thought he had instructions for her at first, but Pei Qian ended up walking past her without saying a single word.
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but felt too embarrassed to stop Pei Qian midway. Thinking that she would have many opportunities to speak to him in the future, she decided that she would ask her questions next time.
Glabella, whose afternoon nap had been disrupted, ran to Tang Yishu's legs and started meowing as if trying to show its displeasure or cursing Pei Qian.
Pei Qian had just sat down for a while when he heard a knock on his office door.
Hao Yun walked in and said, "Boss Pei, preparation for the recruitment examinations has been more or less completed.
"The papers have been set and sealed away. The seals would only be removed on the day of the examination.
"We've booked an auditorium in a hotel to hold the examinations. The hotel will set it up in the examination format on the day itself. It'll be able to hold hundreds of people.
"As you had instructed earlier, we have also booked accommodation for applicants coming from other cities.
"We've also discussed with the postgraduate students from Handong University regarding invigilation and marking of the papers. Their remuneration has been set for three hundred yuan per day. "If there are no other questions or issues, we can set the date and make the relevant announcements."
Pei Qian nodded. "Thank you."
Actually, he was not that anxious about recruitment. However, the HR department had been extremely efficient throughout the entire process. Everything had been put together much quicker than he had expected.
All in all, the preparation had taken them less than a month.
Although Tengda's recruitment inbox was practically overflowing, Pei Qian guessed that not many people would come down to take the examinations.
That was because Pei Qian had created too long a process. After taking the examinations, applicants would have to wait for the papers to be marked. After the results were released, applicants would be called to attend interviews. Only after the results of those were out would applicants be considered selected by Tengda.
Yet, even then, they had to pass the Tengda Spirit compatibility test.
The entire process was written very clearly on the recruitment website where applicants had to print their entry proof. Foreign applicants looking for a job at Tengda would have to travel back and forth at least twice-once for the written examinations and another for the interview.
Although Tengda would cover their accommodation fees, they still had to waste a considerable amount of time.
Since many applicants were already working at another job, they would find it difficult to apply for leave. Furthermore, even if they expended all the necessary time and effort, they could end up failing and wasting it all.
Applicants with rich working experience would not be more advantaged compared to fresh graduates in a recruitment process like this. Thus, their willingness to be put through the process would likely be significantly reduced.
Thus, the first recruitment drive would likely not be large-scale.
Pei Qian glanced at the calendar. "Let's set it for next Monday. It may be a bit rushed, but we can't drag this any further. We have to try and finish the recruitment process by December."
If they delayed it any further, companies would have held their year-end meetings and distributed the year-end bonuses. In other words, more people would seek to switch jobs, and there would be more talents in the market.
Hao Yun nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei. I'll set a time based on your instructions and send an announcement to the applicants."
Immediately after Hao Yun left, Li Yada entered.
"Boss Pei, there are two things I need to ask you.
"First, more and more bugs have been appearing in our games for some reason. What's more, they're not just appearing in our new game, GOG. They're also appearing in our earlier games… "Can we allow our design team to work overtime over these few days?"
Instinctively, Pei Qian wanted to turn down the request. However, on second thought, he realized that slowing down the entire research and development process could prevent the game from being released before settlement.
He was allowed to leave one project unreleased during this cycle, but there were other projects which would possibly not be completed in time such as the cell phone.
Thus, he had to make sure that settlement would not be delayed as a result of the game's research and development progress.
Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, ease up the overtime limit, but make sure you keep track of how much everyone is working. This won't just be for the sake of distributing overtime pay; we also have to make sure everyone has enough rest. We have to strike a good work-life balance, understand?"
It looked like Tang Yishu's halo effect was not only slowing down the game's research and development but also allowing Boss Pei to distribute more overtime pay. It was so worth it!
Li Yada nodded. "Alright. The second thing is that Big Boss Ruan Guangjian is intending to come to Jingzhou. Should we house him?"
Pei Qian frowned.
Ruan Guangjian?
There was no need to flip his little notebook to confirm this; he was Pei Qian's second target after Teacher Qiao.
"What's he coming to Jingzhou for?" Pei Qian asked.
Li Yada explained, "We have been working with him all this time, right? We're also working with him to design GOG's characters now.
"However, while designing our heroes, Ruan Guangjian increasingly felt that long-distance communication was inefficient and inadequate for explaining a lot of details. He became worried that he would not fully capture our ideas for our heroes.
"After all, this game would be different from all the others. Designing original heroes would be much more complicated as well since Ruan Guangjian has no existing images to refer to. The slightest difference could lead to huge losses.
"That was why he decided to come over to improve communication. He could even visit you while he's in the city."
Once again, Pei Qian was at a loss for words.
"We'll host him; of course, we'll host him! Book Ming Yun Private Kitchen and all the roller coaster rides! These exciting activities can give him more inspiration for sure!
"Don't inform him about it either. Let it be a surprise!"
Li Yada was shocked. "Oh… alright."
Pei Qian leaned back in his chair, obviously pleased with himself.
Ruan Guangjian is coming to Jingzhou? Hmph, watch how I set you up once you arrive in my territory!
Pei Qian watched more shows for a while and began to feel bored. There hadn't been much for him to do recently. That was because nothing had been produced, and he could not interfere in anything.
The only project he could oversee was Fei Huang Workspace's production of the movie. He could cause some trouble there.
However, a careless 'word of advice' from Pei Qian had helped improve Lu Zhiyao's performance last week. Now, he did not dare to return.
Pei Qian felt melancholic.
All of a sudden, he recalled Tang Yishu and wondered if the little girl was getting used to working in the company. Harboring genuine concern for his employees, Pei Qian sent a message to Tang Yishu, asking her to come into the office.
Half a minute later, a figure appeared outside his door. She reluctantly reached out and then put her hand down again as if she was plucking up the courage just to knock on the door.
"Come in," said Pei Qian. Tang Yishu carefully pushed the door open and walked in with her head lowered. While pinching her fingers nervously, she greeted Pei Qian. "S-Senior."
"The down jacket looks quite nice." Pei Qian casually praised her. "Are you getting used to working here?"
Tang Yishu nodded and softly replied, "Yes, it's just that… I have nothing much to do."
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and realized that it was probably true.
Cats generally did not require much attention or care. All Tang Yishu had to do was clear its poop once and feed it twice every day.
Unlike dogs, cats did not have to be walked or bathed.
After some consideration, Pei Qian said, "If you see stray cats outside in the future, you can bring them into the office as well. Of course, you must first bring them to the vet to be vaccinated and rid of any fleas. If you need to incur any expenses, feel free to report it to the finance department."
Tang Yishu answered, "A-Alright, Senior."
Pei Qian was merely using Tang Yishu to produce the halo effect. At the moment, it looked like it was working pretty well. The money was very well-spent. Since Tang Yishu was feeling bored, Pei Qian did not mind taking in more cats. In any case, they would only produce a bit more poop. It wouldn't make much of a difference to Tang Yishu.
Pei Qian was just about to ask Tang Yishu to go back to work when he realized that she was looking quite conflicted. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she was also holding back her words.
"Do you have something to say?"
Tang Yishu hesitated for a couple of seconds and finally plucked up the courage to speak. "Senior, do people in this company try to steal business secrets?"
"Steal business secrets?" Pei Qian looked shocked for a moment, and then he smiled. "What are you thinking about? You don't have to worry about this at all."
Tang Yishu heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Alright. That's all I had to say, Senior. I-I'm going back to work."
Pei Qian could not help but smile and shake his head as he watched Tang Yishu leave his office.
This girl was really simple and honest. She must have watched too many dramas to think that people in the company would steal business secrets. They were just an ordinary games company. What kind of business secrets were there to steal…?
Pei Qian went back to watching his shows. All of a sudden, he realized that there was a problem.
"That's not right. Tang Yishu had only started work last week. Why would she be worried about others stealing business secrets?
"Had she noticed someone acting sneakily?
"That's not right either. On normal days, everyone would be working hard at their desks. No matter who Tang Yishu noticed, she would probably not think that they were stealing business secrets, right?
"Why did she suspect that someone was stealing business secrets?
"…Wait a moment. Did she see someone over the weekend?"
All of a sudden, Pei Qian realized that things were not as simple as they seemed!
Chapter 344 How did Boss Pei Know I Like Those?
The intelligent Boss Pei quickly conjured up an entire drama in his head.
Over the weekend, Tang Yishu came to the office to clean up Glabella's poop as she was meant to. Logically, the office should have been empty; nobody should have been there.
However, Tang Yishu noticed someone sneakily working on something at his desk. She began to feel worried that this person was stealing business secrets.
Although Pei Qian knew for a fact that there were no business secrets worth stealing in the office, Tang Yishu had purely thought that way because she had no working experience. However, this proved that somebody had been sneakily working overtime over the weekend!
Who was it?!
Boss Pei had instructed everybody time and time again that they had to formally apply for permission to work overtime. They could only work overtime if Boss Pei approved it; otherwise, working overtime was strictly prohibited.
They could work overtime from home by editing documents in secret. If they handed it in on Monday, Boss Pei would have no way of finding out. He could turn a blind eye to the entire situation.
However, coming to the office to work overtime without permission was more than Boss Pei could tolerate. He could not let this slide!
After all, hardly anyone could be efficient or productive while working overtime from home. For all Boss Pei knew, they would get distracted by other things after only working for a short while. The amount of harm that could be done was limited.
However, working overtime in the office could improve one's productivity in many ways. It could also breed a bad culture. The potential harm caused was incomparable to the former.
At first, Pei Qian thought about asking Tang Yishu about this. However, he soon realized that Tang Yishu had only started work a while ago. She probably did not even know many colleagues. It would be difficult for her to identify who it was she had seen over the weekend. "That's easy. I can just check the platform." Pei Qian immediately accessed the platform to check the access log for the main door and the upload log for the design file. Only two people accessed the office on Saturday: Tang Yishu and a man from the administrative department.
Four submissions were also made on Saturday, and they were all done by Li Yada.
After some thought, Pei Qian sent a message to Little Zhou from the administrative department and Li Yada, asking them to meet him in his office.
When both of them arrived at the office, they exchanged a look as if realizing something.
They were not even from the same department. They hardly met during work. What else could Boss Pei be summoning them for?
Although both felt slightly apprehensive, they tried to remain calm.
Pei Qian looked at Little Zhou first. "It shows on the records that you worked overtime on Saturday. Did you come to the office to work?"
Little Zhou quickly nodded. "That's right, Boss Pei. I wasn't done with some work for the recruitment drive, and so I came to work overtime."
Pei Qian fell silent. That was a pretty good reason.
Part of the administrative department had been working closely with the HR department to organize the recruitment drive, and Little Zhou had been a part of that group.
Furthermore, the administrative department normally did not have much to do during working hours. Thus, Pei Qian trusted them a bit more. He had never attempted to oversee their working habits and had never requested for them to ask for permission before working overtime.
Pei Qian turned to face Li Yada. "You worked overtime, too?"
Li Yada quickly replied, "I didn't. I only made minor edits to a few documents while I was at home."
The upload and editing records for various documents only revealed who edited the documents and when. They did not reveal which computer the edits were made on.
Pei Qian nodded slightly.
Maybe I'm overthinking.
Someone had come into the office on Saturday, but it was only Little Zhou from the administrative department. There was no problem with that. After all, he had not been placed in charge of any huge, profit-generating projects. The upload log could be explained by Li Yada making edits from home. This did not seem like a huge problem either. Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, there's nothing else. You can go back to work. Remember to take note of your overtime hours so that the finance department can remunerate you accordingly."
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Both of them heaved a sigh of relief, turned around, and left the office.
Pei Qian went back to watching his shows.
All of a sudden, he realized something else was wrong. There was an obvious gap in his current management model!
What if someone used the access card of someone from the administrative department to enter the office on weekends?
He could not rule out this possibility!
At that thought, Pei Qian sent a message to Tang Yishu. "I'm giving you a task."
Tang Yishu answered, "Alright, Senior."
Pei Qian said, "When you come into the office over the weekend, count the number of people in the office. Record the number down and report to me on Monday."
Tang Yishu asked, "Senior, I can't remember everyone's name. Should I ask around?"
Pei Qian answered, "No, no, no! You mustn't do that. I'm just trying to reward those who work overtime with a small gift. It's supposed to be a surprise. If you let them know, it would be spoiled.
"You don't have to remember their names. Just note down any special characteristics. For example, you could write 'male, short, and skinny', 'male, receding hairline' 'female, huge-frame spectacles', or something similar."
Tang Yishu responded, "Alright, I understand, Senior."
Once again, Pei Qian asked, "Can you try to describe the person you saw last weekend first?"
Pei Qian did not receive a reply, even after half a minute.
Tang Yishu was struggling on the other side.
She glanced at Bao Xu, who was nonchalantly playing games, and then looked in the direction of Pei Qian's office.
The situation was getting confusing.
"This big brother with a receding hairline did tell me not to inform Senior that he had worked overtime. Yet, Senior is asking me about it now…"
Tang Yishu felt very conflicted. After a few more seconds of consideration, she finally answered. "Senior, you're going to reward this person, right? You're not going to punish him, right?"
Pei Qian said, "That's right!"
Tang Yishu pondered a bit more and said, "Can I ask him if he wants to be rewarded first?"
Pei Qian, "?"
Ask him if he wants to be rewarded? Won't you be revealing my intentions then?
He quickly said, "There's no need for that. Just tell me his special characteristic."
Tang Yishu answered, "I can't do that, Senior. I promised I wouldn't tell you."
Pei Qian, "?"
Something was indeed up! He had almost been kept in the dark!
All of a sudden, Pei Qian became Sherlock Holmes and ran over the facts that he could confirm.
Tang Yishu had indeed someone else when she came back to work over the weekend. What's more, the person was probably not Little Zhou from the administrative department.
That was because Little Zhou was permitted to work overtime. There would have been no need for him to emphasize to Tang Yishu not to inform Boss Pei about it.
Someone must have taken Little Zhou's access card to come to the office and work overtime. What's more, Little Zhou had covered up for the person!
However, Pei Qian probably would not be able to learn anything else about the person from Tang Yishu.
He could only say that this child was too honest. If Pei Qian had made the problem sound extremely serious from the beginning and told her that someone might have been stealing business secrets, perhaps Tang Yishu would have told him the truth.
However, Tang Yishu already knew that the person she saw had been working overtime as per usual. He had not been stealing business secrets. Thus, she had decided to keep her promise to the person and not reveal his identity.
After some thought, Pei Qian replied, "Forget it.
"If you catch someone working overtime again, you must take down a name or special characteristic silently and then inform me in private. You're alright with this task, right?"
Tang Yishu answered, "Alright, Senior. I'll do it for sure."
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and then decided not to draw attention to this matter. He could not alert the perpetrator beforehand.
He would catch the mole sooner or later; there was no need to rush things. If the mole kept up his bad habit and continued to break the rules, it was only a matter of time before Boss Pei would catch him.
Pei Qian decided not to disclose this situation in order to keep Tang Yishu covered.
The mole had to think that Tang Yishu was kind and obedient and that she would not reveal his secret to Boss Pei. Only then would he slowly let his guard down.
It was then that Pei Qian would be able to use Tang Yishu to catch those working overtime during the weekend!
When that time came, those dogs working overtime would not have a clue who exposed them or that everything was actually in the palm of Boss Pei's hand…
The mole would think his plan was flawless, but Boss Pei would be observing every single move of his from the very beginning.
"Hmph, you want to fight me? You need to know your place!" Pei Qian leaned back in his chair, pleased with himself. He would wait for the mole's identity to be revealed.
December 1st, Wednesday…
Little Sun was prepared to drive to the airport to pick Ruan Guangjian up.
As Boss Pei's designated driver, Little Sun's driving skills were incomparable. Furthermore, he was quick-witted and efficient and deeply trusted by Boss Pei. Any time business partners like Teacher Qiao and Zhang Zuting came to Jingzhou, Little Sun would be put in charge of driving them around. This time was no exception.
Before Little Sun left, Pei Qian pulled him aside and gave him brief instructions.
"When you meet Ruan Guangjian, send him to the hotel first. Allow him to put his things down and get some rest.
"After that, send him to the amusement park! Buy him a ticket for all the roller coasters and rides.
"When he's done at the amusement park, send him to Swan Lake Restaurant for a meal at night.
"Remember this: you have to let him play as much as possible at the amusement park. Otherwise, I will hold you responsible, understand?"
Pei Qian instructed yet again.
It was a Wednesday. Pei Qian would only be able to host guests at Ming Yun Private Kitchen on Sunday. Thus, he had no choice but to feed Ruan Guangjian the slightly inferior food at Swan Lake Restaurant first.
By sending Ruan Guangjian to the amusement park immediately after he landed, Pei Qian hoped to take him a notch down and dampen his spirits!
You plotted against me first! I must take revenge! Pei Qian had it all planned out. Little Sun had always been efficient and reliable. Pei Qian would nurture him for a while more and allow him to lead others in the future.
Of course, Pei Qian had to allow Little Sun to bring the 'important guests' listed on his notebook to enjoy the roller coasters and rides when they visited Jingzhou.
Little Sun nodded profusely. "Rest assured, Boss Pei. I'll make sure everything is done well!"
Although he was not sure why Boss Pei loved extreme activities like roller coasters and bungee-jumping so much, Boss Pei had personally left this task to him. Of course, Little Sun had to try his best to accomplish it well.
He arrived at the airport and met Ruan Guangjian.
Ruan Guangjian did not bring much luggage with him to Jingzhou this time. He only had one suitcase and a backpack. His backpack contained his drawing tablet and his laptop while his suitcase contained his clothes which he was prepared to wash.
Little Sun sent Ruan Guangjian to the hotel to settle down and rest for a while. Then, they set off once again.
"Are we going to Tengda now?" Ruan Guangjian asked.
Little Sun smiled and said, "We're not going there yet. Boss Pei said that you must have had a long trip. He instructed me to let you experience Jingzhou's local culture first."
Ruan Guangjian rubbed his forehead. "What local culture is there to experience? Are we going to famous historical sites or something?"
Little Sun shook his head. "We're not going to a famous historical site; we're going to an amusement park. I'll let you experience the rollercoasters, the drop towers, the pendulum rides, and the haunted house."
Ruan Guangjian looked confused as he fell into silence.
After a while, he asked curiously, "How did Boss Pei know I like those?"