At the same time as the interview going on in Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd....
Dream Realization Ventures... Boss Ma did not turn up again today.
Boss Ma's whereabouts had always been erratic, and the company did have no money for new investments. Nonetheless, the fact that Boss Ma did not turn up made He Desheng and the others worry.
Many of them would lose their jobs on the spot if Boss Ma lost interest in the rigged games! Even if they only fell out of favor, that would mean their career prospects were dim.
Therefore, these professional gamers—who accompany Boss Ma in gaming and invest on the sidelines—were feeling a little anxious.
The first thing He Desheng did when he went to work was to open his mailbox to check his email.
The modification suggestions they sent to Finger Games of the game last Friday should have received a reply by now since it was already Monday, right?
There was indeed an unread email from Finger Games.
He Desheng briefly browsed through it. He could only say, as expected of being a shareholder...
Finger Games had already replied to the email on Saturday. Dream Realization Ventures was on holiday during the weekend so no one was working overtime. He Desheng did not check his email during the weekend, which was why it was left unread until today. In any case, to reply in just a day showed how much importance Finger Games attached to their shareholder and local agent.
There was a lot of content in the email. The tone was very polite and was filled with respectful terms.
However, while the tone was rather euphemistic, the meaning between the lines was clear. There were three key points after being translated.
They were very grateful for the support and love Dream Realization Ventures gave to IOI.
They were also thankful to Dream Realization Ventures for their valuable comments on the game, which sparked the inspiration for their game design. However, due to some reasons that were difficult to be clearly expressed in the email, they would not be able to promise to make changes based on this as the game design was done as a whole. Of course, if conditions were to permit, these modifications were not completely impossible to consider.
He Desheng sighed silently and closed the email after reading this rather standard reply. He had no other way. Their attitude was clear; it was impossible to change.
Dream Realization Ventures might have bought into the shares of Finger Games and obtained the exclusive agency rights in China, but it was impossible for them to dictate what Finger Games should do.
Moreover, Finger Games' attitude towards their investors was the same. Their determination to maintain independence was rather firm.
It was already pretty good to receive such a polite reply in a short time. Finger Games probably would not even give a d*mn about such opinions if it was put forth by other companies.
It was rather normal if someone thought about it. Dream Realization Ventures was an investment firm. How could Finger Games change the contents of its game just because of some advice from an investment firm?
Dream Realization Ventures' backer might be Tengda, but Tengda did not possess much influence overseas. Finger Games' answer would probably still be the same.
In short, this route was dead. They would have given up if it was any other matter. However, this concerned everyone's job security. He Desheng felt he had to use games to win back Boss Ma's trust.
Was there any similar game to IOI then?
He Desheng gave it some thoughts when a light bulb lit up suddenly. "Isn't Tengda Games developing a similar game? It should be easier to talk to our sister company than to talk to Finger Games, right?"
He Desheng did not have any way of contacting Li Yada, but he could reach out to Assistant Xin.
He Desheng sent the modification plan to Li Yada after he obtained Li Yada's contact information from Assistant Xin.
Would Li Yada, the head from Tengda, accept this plan?
He Desheng could not say for sure.
Tengda Games was indeed a sister company, but they made games for profit as well.
It is impossible for the head to completely violate her design philosophy and make major changes to the game just because of favor, especially if this modification plan was contrary to Tengda's previous design direction.
Anyway, he could ask first.
Who knows? Perhaps the head would be interested in this modification plan.
Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd.... "Boss Pei, sorry to interrupt. "Boss Pei, can you give us a brief outline of what you want for the haunted house? "Hao Qiong and I might have some thoughts, but we are afraid that we may not be able to fulfill your expectations."
Pei Qian fell into deep thoughts seeing the messages from Chen Kangtuo. He didn't manage to fool them. They took the initiative to ask him. What should he do now?
Pei Qian did not want to 'point the way' because he felt like he had a lucky mouth that would turn anything he said into facts. Every bad idea he gave became a golden goose.
That made Boss Pei feel very confused and troubled.
That was why he did not say much to Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong this time. He wanted them to try it out and see if he could deceive them.
In the end, both of them felt something was wrong and still took the initiative to ask after one weekend.
Pei Qian did not want to 'point the way out for them', but it did not seem appropriate to say nothing.
Hm, just one sentence then.
Pei Qian thought for a while before he typed his reply: "Make it a destination for the courageous without spending much and where the timid could only watch on in fear without entering."
Chen Kangtuo replied in less than two minutes: "Boss Pei, can you please explain a little more...?"
Obviously, he thought hard for two minutes after reading this sentence carefully. However, he did not fully understand what it meant so he had no choice but to ask again.
Boss Pei might think of him as useless if he asked, but it was a huge project of 10 million yuan. Chen Kangtuo did not dare to execute it with no clear route.
Pei Qian laughed.
Explain?
It was very simple. He meant courageous ones could come and play casually so the ticket fee should be low to the point of not making a profit. Timid ones would not dare to come at all, so there would be no way for them to contribute income to the haunted house.
The timid dare not come, the courageous would not need to spend much money. Wouldn't this haunted house make a great loss?
However, that certainly could not be said clearly.
Pei Qian did not dare explain anymore for the fear that any wrong word would cause them to think too much in the wrong direction.
At such times, silence would triumph.
Therefore, Pei Qian only replied three simple words: "Comprehend it yourself." Chen Kangtuo, "...Alright, Boss Pei, I understand now."
He passed the cell phone to Hao Qiong. Both of them looked at the screen with Boss Pei's reply 'comprehend it yourself' and were speechless.
Comprehend it yourself, ha...
The hint was just one sentence. Wasn't it too difficult to comprehend?
Hao Qiong heard that Boss Pei's general direction usually had three to four points, and they were generally relatively clear.
However, it had now concentrated to just one point. It was really too baffling!
Teacher, that was super out of the line!
Chen Kangtuo felt his head spin. "H-how are we to comprehend this?"
Hao Qiong sucked a deep breath. "Calm down, calm down. Director Lin once told us how to analyze Boss Pei's intentions. Wait a bit, let me recall what she said.
"The first step is to clarify a belief. No matter how absurd Boss Pei's words are, they must be right..."
Hao Qiong began to analyze the deep meaning behind the words of Boss Pei with Lin Wan's method.
The bold and the timid. These should be the potential customers of the haunted house. The attitude of these customers towards the haunted house would directly determine the success or failure of the haunted house.
They should be able to create fun for both the courageous and timid customers according to common sense. They should pay for it.
However, the demands of these two types of customers were different. The more courageous customers would need a more thrilling experience. For example, the staff roleplaying ghosts and frightening them up close. The time customers were easily dissuaded from such thrilling projects. They might not even dare to enter, which meant that they would naturally not spend their money there.
How to then bridge the demands of these customers?
Chen Kangtuo felt that the answer must be hidden in Boss Pei's words!
Make it a destination for the courageous without spending much and where the timid could only watch on in fear without entering.
In other words, make the haunted house extremely scary and set a low price? That way, the timid would not dare to enter so they would naturally watch on in fear while those with courage could come and enjoy as they pleased...
That seemed to be in line with Boss Pei's words.
However, the problem was that it would not be profitable so it wasn't reasonable.
Why discourage the timid from coming? Wouldn't it be better for them to spend their money with us? Why should we scare them away?
It was definitely not as simple as that. Therefore, this thinking had to be completely overturned. They had to re-excavate the deep meaning behind Boss Pei's words!
The two of them thought hard for a long time.
Chen Kangtuo suddenly had a 'eureka' moment. He slapped his thigh suddenly and said, "Yes! I understand it now! I'll briefly tell you my thoughts. Listen to them and see if they make sense."
Hao Qiong nodded with his ears pricked.
Chen Kangtuo said with slight agitation, "To put it bluntly, what we said just now was super scary effect plus low ticket prices. That would inevitably cause huge losses for the haunted house. It would definitely be a dead end.
"We must have definitely misinterpreted Boss Pei's meaning.
"I'm thinking... are we missing some key information? Boss Pei deliberately hid a key message which is probably a test to us. Boss Pei did not say that there should only be one project for the haunted house."
Hao Qiong's eyes grew big with realization.
Yes, these two sentences did not necessarily refer to the same project!
The initial investment of the haunted house was huge, and there would be additional investment in the future. Moreover, it was rather inconvenient to go anywhere in this old industrial zone. The only advantage was that there was a lot of land, and they could use the factory buildings as they liked. So, why did Boss Pei choose this site?
Obviously, he did not plan only to do one project from the start!
Chen Kangtuo continued. "Suppose we open two, or even three large projects to meet the requirements of consumers? Make it a destination for the courageous without spending much means we have to find ways to earn money from the timid. "Let the timid watch on in fear without entering, means to satisfy the courageous with thrills and excitement.
"However, we mustn't really scare the faint-hearted away. We have to make the courageous send our haunted house viral, have the timid watch on in fear, hesitate... until they finally transform into the courageous.
"That is Boss Pei's final objective!"
Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong continued to analyze until Boss Pei's goal gradually became clear.
These two sentences were simple but could be broken down into the following points:
To the bold players, this place should be terrifying yet cheap for them. This way they would send this place viral, recommend it to their friends, and bring them here repeatedly.
To those who were timid, they would have psychological fear of this place. However, they must not be completely frightened as well.
They had to think of even more ways to make money from those who were timid!
How then could they charge less for the bold players and yet earn more from the timid players? Very simple, through discounts and refunds!
For example, the longer you stay in the haunted house, the cheaper the ticket. They could consider refunding 70% to 80% of the ticket cost if they could finish the haunted house or even make it free of charge depending on the situation.
Boss Pei's requirements could be met this way!
However, that situation seemed a little too idealistic. There had to be some loopholes. For the timid players to watch from outside meant that they had to come to the haunted house first. It would be impossible to achieve this effect if they did not even consider coming here to play.
Therefore, there must be something in the haunted house that was suitable for the timider to play.
This way, these timid people could play those less scary projects while seeing the bold people with very thrilling projects. Moreover, this thrilling project would also be exempted from paying according to the clearance time. This way, the timid people would enter to try it out, but their expenses such as tickets would become higher.
For example, they could sell something like a Buddha statue from 'Repent and be Saved' at the entrance. Not only could it illuminate the path, but they could also reduce the fright level caused by the roleplaying staff.
That was equivalent to a value-added service in a game.
This way, both consumer experiences could be taken into consideration! One project would be something that was not so scary but fun to attract the timid ones...
And a very scary project to attract the bold ones.
Once they attract the timid ones to visit, they would definitely become curious about the scarier project. That would generate extra consumption. That way, the income of the haunted house would naturally be higher than simply selling tickets. Profitability would be guaranteed.
The two originally lost people suddenly felt like a light dawned upon them as they thought of this.
"So that was it! Our mission is very clear now.
"This haunted house must have at least two or three major projects. One of them has to offer a lower degree of shock. However, it must have strong social attributes that are suitable for multiple people to play repeatedly. That would attract the timid consumers.
"There has to be a project where the degree of fear is very high to attract all horror lovers around the country. We'll make exemptions and ticket price reductions according to the length of time they stayed inside.
"As for the third project... it can be a transitional project. The jump in horror coefficient from the first to the third project was too large. Some timid consumers might not dare to participate.
"Let them go through the first two projects to train their courage before taking on the challenge on the third project."
The more they discussed, the more excited they became. They then started writing out the business plan immediately!
Hao Qiong typed and said with emotion, "You don't say, Director Lin's analysis method is really good. We managed to analyze so many things at once!"
Chen Kangtuo nodded. "Yes, however, Boss Pei's guidance is the key here. It looks like Boss Pei had an idea for this project.
"Not only did he predict the ultimate form of this project, but he also distilled the key points of the project's success and hinted it to use in such a concise manner!
"Boss Pei is really amazing.
"What else do we have to be worried about if that's the case? It will definitely be fine if we follow Boss Pei's guidance!"
The two of them were initially feeling hopeless, worried that they had messed up big time.
However, they were now filled to the brim with confidence and filled with anticipation for the haunted house that would be built in the future!
At night...
Tengda's first recruitment drive had come to an end.
There was still the Tengda Spirit compatibility test afterward, but that would not involve the interviewers and staff.
Those who had participated in the interview had been screened strictly. The duration of their interview was strictly controlled. The period was slightly extended, but it was not too different from the estimates.
However, they continued working until later than 5pm that afternoon. That was because the interviewers and staff would have to calculate and weigh the scores of all the interviewees, sort out the final list of candidates, and notify them.
Every department recruited a large number of new employees this time. There were key position holders with rich experiences as well as college students who have just graduated or would graduate next year.
The person in charge of the department could not interview their candidates directly in the cross-interviews, but the results were basically satisfactory to everyone.
The head of departments went happily for a meal together as an expression of gratitude to each other after all the work was done. They only started to head home after eating for an hour.
Li Yada took advantage of the dinner gathering to ask Lu Mingliang and Huang Sibo for some guidance. They might have a different understanding of Boss Pei's intentions, but their endpoint seemed to be similar.
It was not until the party ended when Li Yada found the chance to take out her cell phone. She saw He Desheng's friend request and the proposed modification plan for the game he sent.
"This plan... seems risky."
Li Yada's understanding of similar games was not as profound as Bao Xu, but she had been leading the development of GOG for so long after all. She could gauge the pros and cons of the design rather easily. In the eyes of most, 5v5 competitive games represented by Gods Rising were undoubtedly fair.
Since it was a competition—the higher the difficulty, the clearer the distinction between the professionals and the rookies. However, too high a difficulty would also lead to too high a threshold, discouraging some rookies.
Reducing the difficulty would no doubt make the game experience better for the rookies. However, 'ease of learning' would probably make the professionals lose their sense of superiority...
In short, these suggestions seemed to be reasonable, but they carried certain risks.
Li Yada found it difficult to make a decision. The result was the same even after she brooded over it for quite some time. She originally wanted to consult Bao Xu or Boss Pei, but she remembered what Lu Mingliang said during dinner.
Li Yada asked Lu Mingliang what he thought was the most important quality as a game designer.
Lu Mingliang thought about it and answered that the most important quality was not to be too confident about himself.
Li Yada didn't understand so Lu Mingliang explained.
According to Lu Mingliang, most of the designers were very full of themselves. That was because most of them were gaming enthusiasts and experienced gamers before they became designers and entered the game industry. They move up step by step. Most designers would not have entered this industry if they were not confident.
Therefore, most of the designers were filled with confidence. Confidence was good, but it could sometimes also blind someone.
Every player was an individual with different tastes and preferences. Not one game could satisfy everyone. A good game only needed to meet the tastes and needs of a target group of players.
In that case, what if a designer likes something completely contrary to the target group of the game he was designing? Many designers would fall into blind self-confidence. The games they made would definitely fall through the cracks.
On the contrary, it was those designers who were not so confident about themselves that would listen to opinions humbly and make games that were more in line with the tastes of most players and achieve success.
Therefore, not being too confident did not mean doubting oneself, but it was to not blindly believe in oneself or to blindly follow others.
Observe the players as objectively as possible and strike a balance between personal preference and player demands.
Li Yada could not help but reflect when she thought about this.She did not follow blindly, but...
Was it not right to trust Bao Xu blindly as well?
Bao Xu was indeed experienced in similar games, but he was just as likely to make the 'overconfidence' mistake that Lu Mingliang mentioned...
Li Yada made a decision after much consideration.
There was no need to ask Bao Xu or Boss Pei about this modification plan. Just make a new version directly! Some proposed modifications such as last-hit bounty rewards were not difficult to do. Reducing the map size was a little more time-consuming, but it could always be done in a few days. The more troublesome one would be to design new heroes suitable for novices and professionals. That would require long term planning, but it was not urgent either.
The basic settings could be modified at an early stage and made into another version to be updated at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
They only need to compare the player data of both versions after some time to know which version was better.
Chapter 356 You are not Worthy of Raising His Child!
December 14th, Tuesday...
Pei Qian came to the shooting location of Tomorrow is Beautiful early in the morning. He had not come in a while and was worried about it.
His last visit was two weeks ago. Pei Qian made a passing remark to Lu Zhiyao about being a bum. He didn't think that it would ignite an acting explosion by Lu Zhiyao, which won the unanimous praise from the crew.
Therefore, Pei Qian suppressed his worries during this period and did not go to the studio again. He was afraid that his unintentional words would allow Lu Zhiyao to experience new revelations, and then the situation might get out of control.
However, it was impossible for him to not go at all.
Pei Qian felt that he should not only hold an ostrich mentality. Otherwise, it would be too late if something were to happen.
Early detection and treatment were still required. Even if the situation was irreversible, he could better prepare himself in advance to spend money to reduce some losses for himself.
So he came to the shooting location again today since he was free.
The set was rather busy with staff shuttling back and forth. Pei Qian did not want to disturb everyone's work either. He just stood at the side to watch casually.
The surrounding scenery was no longer the narrow capsule but that of a futuristic urban outdoor scene. Even though it was supposed to be an outdoor scene, it was still shot in the studio with a lot of green screens hanging around.
Those cool, futuristic scenes would be synthesized with special effects.
The close-up scenes would still be using real objects. For example, the male lead and the heroine would be eating together in a small shop by the roadside in this scene. The shop was built. There were tables, chairs, tableware, decorations, etc. Everything inside was real objects.
In addition, the signs of the shop, trash cans by the roadside, the costumes of the male lead, and the heroine were all custom-made. These were all carefully crafted props. These imitations could somehow pass off as genuine.
One could discern that this neighborhood was filled with poor steampunk fashion from these settings.
According to Director Zhu Xiaoce's plan, the buildings in this movie would be roughly divided into four different key styles:
One, the male lead was staying in a capsule that looked very advanced but was cramped, narrow, and homogenized. It was a standard uniformly constructed welfare facility.
Second was the slums in the world outside where the male lead and the heroine dated. Many small shops here seemed to be in steampunk style. It was lively but filled with chaos and disorder.
Third, the bright and beautiful outside world which included the scenes from the talent show. It looked very technological, spacious and atmospheric. It had a sci-fi setting style in a general sense.
Fourth, the houses of the upper class were mainly in the style of classical mansions with pretty fireplaces, large oil paintings, and expensive-looking wooden furniture. They would only be decorated with some high-tech elements to distinguish them from real mansions from reality.
That was because only the upper class in the script could afford to play with the 'classical art' of oil paintings and musical instruments. In their circles, 'retro' architectural style was a trend used to make a distinction in taste between the rich and those who were not.
The present scene was shot with some meaning of 'cyberpunk' in 'future urban slums'.
It was the first time Pei Qian met the heroine of this movie.
The actress was Lin Ruyi. She had a round face, big eyes, and two pretty dimples when she smiled-a standard image of first love.
Pei Qian tried to search for her information previously but didn't find any famous works. He only realized that she was a newcomer that had yet to graduate from the film school.
In terms of looks, Lin Ruyi was not particularly good-looking since she had a round face. She was therefore not photogenic.
However, that matched the setting for this script.
The female lead was not a stunning or alluring character in the script. Otherwise, she would have been favored by the upper class, and the stories that happened later on would not have happened.
Pei Qian only had one requirement for the female lead: she should not look too good.
It was an era that depended on appearance.
If the female lead was too good-looking, it might become a hot topic as well. The consequences would be even more disastrous if her acting skills were good.
Wouldn't it be bad if the audience did not hate the heroine but loved her to bits even though she acted as a Green Tea Bitch[1] because she was too good-looking? Of course, Pei Qian knew that it was not realistic to find someone who was ugly to be the heroine.
In the end, Pei Qian felt that the pick of this rookie actress, who did not seem particularly outstanding in her looks, was a rather good choice.
Pei Qian recognized the plot of this scene in no time. It was where the female lead had entered the talent show but was not selected.
The male lead, played by Lu Zhiyao, and the heroine were resting and having a drink in a small shop by the roadside now. Lu Zhiyao would try to make Lin Ruyi happy, and Lin Ruyi would go along with him unconcernedly.
Lin Ruyi would suddenly explode and burst out with emotion before leaving when Lu Zhiyao told her that he had saved enough money to buy a two-person capsule. This scene would be regarded as a turning point in this plot. It could be summarized into one sentence: the lead actor was cheated on.
Sigh, that was an eternal and classic toxic point.
Pei Qian could not help but feel emotional.
At this point...
Lu Zhiyao was thinking about the future, brown-nosing humbly. However, even though he was brown-nosing, it did not make others feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, they find him a little pitiful because he was handsome.
Lin Ruyi, on the other hand, was staring blankly at the drink on the table. She nodded her head from time to time or just went along with what he said, obviously thinking about other things. "I heard that there is a good restaurant nearby that sells delicious simulated meat, standard clean water, and red wine.
"The simulated meat we ate last time only simulated about 60% of the taste of real meat. It was very delicious, and yet this restaurant said that they are able to produce 80% of the flavor. It also had many flavors such as beef and chicken.
"There's also standard clean water. The ones we drank had a rusty taste, but they say the standard clean water in this store is said to have no peculiar smell. Better still, it has a light fragrance which is 100 times better than what we have in the capsule.
"There's red wine as well. The bottled red wine sold in the capsule is very expensive. The price of red wine there is only 70% of the price from the vending machine in the capsule. They said there is almost no difference in the taste. "Shall we go try it out tomorrow or the day after?"
norrow
Lu Zhiyao looked at Lin Ruyi sitting opposite him.
Lin Ruyi gave a polite smile. "Okay, sure."
The two shallow dimples appeared on her face when she smiled, which looked very charming.
That smile disappeared in no time though. She continued to stare absentmindedly at the cup on the table and took a sip indifferently. Her expression seemed to suggest that the water in the cup was tasteless.
Lu Zhiyao felt a little helpless. His long speech only brought him two words. Nonetheless, he adjusted his own emotions quickly.
That was because he prepared a very big surprise today.
They fell into a short period of silence. Lin Ruyi looked as though she was thinking about something while Lu Zhiyao sipped his drink, making up his mind to speak.
"I know not being selected on the talent show previously was a big blow to you. It's okay, it will pass.
"Don't worry, I've made plans for our future."
Lin Ruyi raised her head and stared at Lu Zhiyao blankly as though she did not understand what he meant. "Hm?"
Lu Zhiyao could not prevent the corner of his lips from smiling. "I made enough money to buy a two-person capsule!
"We'll choose a suitable place tomorrow, and then you can move in! A two-person capsule might not be big, but we can slowly change to larger accommodations in the future!
"Maybe one day, we'll be about to afford a 60-square meters luxury apartment with a kitchen. Our children will be able to go out at 6 in the evening. We'll be able to watch the sunset if we're lucky..."
Lu Zhiyao excitedly portrayed the bright future in his imagination. However, there was no joy on Lin Ruyi's face. She became more and more impatient.
was
"Keep your money. I don't want to stay in some two-person capsule. Neither do I want to marry you and have kids with you.
"Let's break up."
Lu Zhiyao's smile froze on his face.
"Why? What's wrong with you? You've been acting strange ever since the talent show...
"It's just one show... it doesn't matter..."
"You don't understand my feelings at all; of course, you think it doesn't matter!" Lin Ruyi said sternly.
Lu Zhiyao was speechless. "My dear, I know how you feel! I saved the registration fee with great effort. This matter is a huge loss for both of us!"
Lin Ruyi seemed to get even angrier now. "This is also a huge loss to you? You just lost some money! I lost my dream!"
Lu Zhiyao was speechless for a while. He suddenly realized that this matter was strange so he continued asking. "Darling, what's wrong with you?
"I don't think I did anything wrong, I'm only planning to buy a two-person capsule to be with you. Why are you so angry about it?" "Why am I angry?" Lin Ruyi's mood seemed to be getting worse. "Everything!" They were both speaking in English so this "everything" was rather imposing.
"I'm angry about the inferior syrup drinks mixed with water in the roadside shops, the nauseating greasy snacks, walking in the dark slums accompanied by mice for three hours a day..."
Lu Zhiyao was dumbfounded. "But didn't we originally live like this happily? Why are you saying...? Could you be...?"
He saw Lin Ruyi wearing more accessories and the slightly raised belly. A terrible conjecture appeared in his mind.
Lin Ruyi seemed to be on the brink of collapse. She covered her face with her hands and only raised her head again with tears in her eyes, but she seemed very determined.
"Sorry, I don't want to lie to you anymore. I became that judge's lover and am pregnant with his child.
"So let's break up. We're done."
Lu Zhiyao's expression changed from suspicion to shock and then finally to despair. His body which was originally leaning forward slightly seemingly lost its support and collapsed on the chair.
Lin Ruyi stood up, about to leave, but Lu Zhiyao grabbed her wrist abruptly.
"He didn't marry you or give you a lot of money, right? He doesn't even care about this kid. If not, you wouldn't be lost and at the brink of collapse, right?
"Maybe, he... even abandoned you when he knew you were pregnant, right?"
Lin Ruyi's body trembled slightly.
Lu Zhiyao knew he guessed it right and that he still had a chance. He quickly added on. "It's alright, it's alright...
"You'll have a hard time alone. No one would be willing to accept a pregnant woman. You need me. I'll take care of this kid with you.
"Trust me, I won't mind this. I will definitely..."
He was pleading with his voice.
Lin Ruyi was silent for a few seconds before she flung Lu Zhiyao's hand away. "This kid has the blood of an upper class. I don't want him to become a useless poor guy like you."
Lin Ruyi left with huge strides decisively.
Lu Zhiyao watched her leave. He opened his mouth wanting to shout after her, but he would not say anything. It was as though he was drained of all his energy. His whole body 'collapsed' onto the ground.
"Cut!
"Not bad, pretty good!
"After seven or eight shots, there is finally one that is more satisfactory. You've worked hard, everyone!"
Director Zhu Xiaoce took the lead in applauding and encouraging. At this time, Lin Ruyi-playing the heroinehurriedly bowed towards Director Zhu Xiaoce and the crew and then to Lu Zhiyao.
"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I would not be able to be so immersed if it weren't for senior's great acting skills."
Lu Zhiyao smiled. "Your acting skills were good from the start. I don't dare to take credit for it. Besides, I'm just a 'box office poison'. When it comes to acting I'm sure everyone knows who is the one guiding who."
Pei Qian, who was watching silently, secretly gave a thumbs-up in his heart.
Awesome! The scene just now gave him goosebumps. He even wanted to hit someone.
Lu Zhiyao breathed life to a brown-noser; the last few lines vividly explained how brown-nosers would not end up well. Moreover, Lin Ruyi played a Green Tea Bitch right to the dot.
The micro-expressions and emotions at the start were well done. The last two sentences were the finishing touches.
Pei Qian felt severe discomfort watching on the set. It was too poisonous! Guys would fall silent, and women would cry when they watch this.
Pei Qian felt that he might faint in anger on the spot if he were to watch this in a movie theater. Moreover, Pei Qian also realized some major good news.Perhaps it might be a good thing for Lu Zhiyao's acting skills to improve? If Lu Zhiyao did not play it well, everyone might not feel this sense of empathy. They might even secretly feel delighted for Lu Zhiyao's plight in the movie. He did not have much affinity with audiences after all.
However, Lu Zhiyao was doing a good job so people would naturally feel the brown-noser aura from him and an instinctive sense of discomfort.
Lu Zhiyao's fans would surely be angry, right?
More people would criticize this movie then!
Pei Qian suddenly felt light-hearted. It did not seem such a big deal now that he accidentally helped Lu Zhiyao improve his acting a little.
Even the best actor could not be saved if the script was poisonous enough!
A smile appeared unconsciously on Pei Qian's face as he stepped forward for a discussion with Director Zhu Xiaoce.
[1] This refers to a woman with immoralities that are contrasting to her innocent looks.
Chapter 357 Placement Advertisements
"Boss Pei!"
Zhu Xiaoce hurried over to say hello. The other people on the set including Lu Zhiyao and Zhang Zuting also noticed Pei Qian. They hurried over to greet him.
Pei Qian smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'm here for a spin. Go ahead, don't need to bother about
me."
Pei Qian picked up a prop cup next to him with great interest and played it in his hand after exchanging a few words with his old friends.
Zhang Zuting said to Zhu Xiaoce quietly, "Director Zhu, it seems like Boss Pei is in a good mood today, eh?"
Zhu Xiaoce nodded. "It seems that way. I think… he might be feeling gratified."
Zhang Zuting was a little confused. "Gratified?"
"Yes, gratified." Zhu Xiaoce looked at the relaxed Boss Pei. "The previous time Boss Pei came, he had some concerns about the set even though he was also in a relaxed state. Boss Pei stepped up immediately to correct Lu Zhiyao's excessive acting previously.
"This time, Boss Pei watched on without saying a word. This means that the actors have gotten Boss Pei's approval.
"Boss Pei finally felt gratified that everyone's acting was alright. He feels relieved, which is why he can wander around the set with such a leisurely attitude."
Zhang Zuting nodded. "Hm, I see.
"The performances of the male lead and heroine are rather good today. It is not easy to get the approval of Boss Pei. It looks like Boss Pei places much importance on this movie even though he doesn't come here often."
Zhu Xiaoce smiled. "Of course. To be precise, Boss Pei places importance on all projects; if not, he would not have the success he has now…
"Just as well. I'll settle the advertisements since Boss Pei is here."
Zhu Xiaoce came to the side of Pei Qian who was wandering around the set. He was planning to take advantage of the on-site preparations to finalize a very critical issue.
"Boss Pei, can I take a few minutes of yours to report to you about the current advertising bids for this movie?"
Pei Qian was taken aback first before nodding. "Of course, let's listen to it."
Obviously, the word 'advertisement' hit his nerves.
Zhu Xiaoce accompanied Pei Qian around the set as he reported, "Boss Pei, we have many advertisements in this movie. The future world is set in a world filled with advertisements according to the setting. Just like how the male lead is surrounded by advertisements while he lives in the capsule.
"We have been pondering about how to do these advertisements for the longest time. I'm thinking of finding some companies, cooperating with them, and engaging in advertisement placement!
"There are three advantages to this method:
"The first is for these companies to shoot their own advertisements. It would be very economic this way. Moreover, the quality of their advertisements could be guaranteed as well.
"Secondly, it would be easy to create hot topics after the film is released. It may help the film spread wide and far.
"Thirdly, the placement of advertisements in traditional movies tends to be abrupt and blunt which could easily arouse disgust from the audience. However, the placement of advertisements in our movies would face no such problem. The negative impact will be very small.
"Therefore, we have also contacted some manufacturers and companies to ask if they have any intention to cooperate…"
Pei Qian became nervous instantly. "How's the situation?"
Zhu Xiaoce's expression became slightly awkward. "Uh… the big companies we took the initiative to contact basically ignored us. However, some lesser-known small companies came knocking on our door. However, their advertisements were too old-fashioned and did not apply to the futuristic world. We, therefore, rejected them."
There is still no progress then, to put it bluntly…
Pei Qian let out a long sigh of relief and couldn't help but say. "That's great!" Zhu Xiaoce was stunned. "?".
Pei Qian secretly rejoiced. How much less money would he be able to spend if they really managed to get advertisement placements?
Wouldn't Boss Pei cough out blood if a few big companies spend millions on advertising fees?
Thus, he definitely could not do that!
Fortunately, Fei Huang Workspace did not have much reputation in the movie circle. They looked for big companies this time, which was why they were so unsuccessful.
However, this was not a problem that could be taken lightly. The signs had to be stopped in time.
In case Zhu Xiaoce persevered in obtaining sponsorship and convinced these wealthy large companies, a large part of the cost would have been recovered by the advertisements before the movie was released.
That would destroy everything!
Pei Qian became serious as he thought of that. "You are right about the first two points, but the last point has some problems.
"Putting brand advertisements that are available in real life will give the audience a sense of reality no matter what. The subject of our movie might be special, but it would still affect the audiences' viewing experience.
"Moreover, strong irony exists in our film. The companies to buy our advertisements will more or less be satirized.
"That might not have a good effect on their brand image. Therefore, they might not be willing to do this kind of advertising placement.
"In short, this behavior is not desirable."
Zhu Xiaoce considered carefully before nodding his head quickly. "Yes, Boss Pei, I understand now!"
Zhu Xiaoce could not help but feel a little afraid of seeing Boss Pei's solemn expression. He nearly screwed the whole thing up!
After thinking about it carefully, Boss Pei was right. No matter what they said, placement advertisements were placement advertisements. The audiences had already bought the tickets to the movie theater. It didn't seem very right to let them watch placement advertisements.
That would probably be a downfall if it was not managed well!
They might make money then, but it would definitely not meet Boss Pei's expectations if their reputation was destroyed.
Zhu Xiaoce could not help to reflect. Placement advertisements were clearly against the Tengda spirit.
He had to remember this lesson!
There had to be an alternative since the first plan was rejected by Boss Pei.
Zhu Xiaoce hesitated for a while before he continued. "Boss Pei, if we cannot use the advertisements from other companies, then we can only shoot them ourselves." Pei Qian nodded. "Yes, of course, we have to shoot them ourselves!"
How could he pass by such a good opportunity to spend money? Pei Qian gave it some thought before continuing. "The advertisements are pretty important in my opinion. It must be high-end, low-profile luxury yet with class.
"I think… uh, tell me how you want to shoot it first."
Pei Qian had thought of a general direction at first, but he suddenly stopped himself. He thought about his glorious history of repeatedly 'turning stones into gold' and decided not to interfere with Zhu Xiaoce's ideas and gave him a free hand.
Perhaps he might have better ideas than Pei Qian himself? Boss Pei would only interfere if Zhu Xiaoce's idea had a high chance of making money.
Zhu Xiaoce gave it some thought. "Boss Pei, I think…
"Take a brainwashing advertisement! That is to continuously repeat a simple advertisement three, four-or even more times—so that people will never forget it.
"We can also add some simple rhythm to it so that the advertisement will be even more brainwashing
"Such advertisements appeared a lot during the past few years. It had decreased recently, but they still exist.
"We have shot such commercials before. In this way, we can very well arouse the disgust of the audience and make them empathize with the male lead, deepening the irony of this movie!"
After listening to Zhu Xiaoce's thoughts, Pei Qian fell into a brief silence. No, it seemed like it might still hit the jackpot if he were to follow Zhu Xiaoce's method!
Pei Qian had felt the power of brainwashing advertisements before.
The characteristic of such kind of advertisements was to flaunt. If it was done right, a brand would be able to become the face of an entire category and create the illusion that 'this brand is the top among this category of products'.
In short, such advertisements were widely popular because of its outstanding effect.
If a movie was filled with a large amount of brainwashing advertisements like this, it might trigger heated discussions among the audience. It might create unnecessary heated discussions.
Pei Qian sighed secretly. No, these subordinates were too effective to count on! It was too difficult to have Zhu Xiaoce generate a loss-making idea!
He had to do it himself.
Pei Qian gave it some thought before saying. "Brainwashing advertisements are not too appropriate either.
"First, technology is developing, and times are advancing. The effects of brainwashing advertisements are obvious, but it has also aroused the disgust of many people. They are diminishing in numbers.
"The setting in the movie is in the future. The advertising industry would have developed further and moved to a more elusive direction. If we are to show audiences the brainwashing advertisements, they will definitely think if the advertisement in the future world was just like this?
"It would be like the people now watching advertisements from decades ago. It would look very strange and incompatible with the whole environment."
Zhu Xiaoce nodded, seemingly convinced.
Pei Qian continued. "Second, such advertisements might be too overwhelming and might outshine the movie. If the audiences pay too much attention to the advertisements, they would not have time to see the actors' skills nor the profound meaning behind the plot of the movie.
"Therefore, my suggestion is to shoot some large, cool settings with inexplicable meaning as advertisements!
"Repeatedly play these advertisements so that the audiences would keep watching yet feel at a loss, totally not able to understand them. That would then be in line with the development trend of future advertising.
"As for the brands in the advertisement… make them completely fictional. "The advertisements must be of high standards and quality, understood?"
The advertisements had to be shot, but Pei Qian would not say exactly how they would look. He could only point out a possibly wrong direction and watch Zhu Xiaoce's performance.
Zhu Xiaoce fell silent for a long while before replying. "Boss Pei, this is a very difficult task… but… I have confidence!"
Chapter 358 New Employee Handbook
December 15th, Wednesday morning…
Wu Bin came to Shenhua View with excitement and anxiety. He learned the results on Monday. He passed the interview! He simply cheered at that moment.
He had never been so happy since he entered the working scene.
According to Tengda's arrangements, new employees could join at any time after they passed. Tengda would not force them to join by which date so there was no need to worry about handover at all.
They could start officially whenever their formalities were completed.
Wu Bin returned to Hengtu Games to break the news to his boss that he would like to resign. He was naturally retained.
There were good reasons for the retention.
For example, there was work to be handed over or that year-end bonuses were about to be discussed at the annual meeting. Everyone had worked together for so long; there was a relationship. Wages could be raised, etc.
However, Wu Bin still resigned resolutely without a moment's delay.
The reason was simple. The earlier he started in Tengda, the earlier he could get a higher salary from Tengda.
Hengtu Games might have promised to increase his pay, but that pay would never be able to match Tengda Games' basic salary.
The earlier he joined, the earlier he could earn more!
Therefore, Wu Bin did not delay a minute longer. He strived to the first of the new batch of employees.
The only thing that he wasn't certain about was that he did not know if he could still be eligible for the year-end bonuses and the gifts from the annual meeting.
He would definitely get them if he stayed on in his previous company.
However, Wu Bin knew that the year-end bonus and annual meeting gifts from Hengtu Games would not be too spectacular. Their year-end bonus would be a symbolic one-month worth of salary. The annual meeting gift would probably just be a door gift. It would be very good if he could receive 200 or 300 yuan of red packet.
That little temptation was not enough to prompt Wu Bin to stay.
Wu Bin was feeling emotional. Poaching people had nothing to do with the HR after all; the most important factor was to see how the company treated their employees. Tengda's employee policies required no HR to poach talents. Job seekers would naturally flock to them as long as these benefits were to be leaked out.
On the other hand, Hengtu Games might say all they could; but they would not be able to say anything else once they were asked 'how do you poach talents with a lower offer?'
Wu Bin wore his most expensive suit and walked into the Shenhua View with his head high. He took the elevator to the 16th floor.
Tengda's total floor area was already relatively larger.
Fei Huang Workspace, Upwind Logistics, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Otto Technologies, Dream Realization Ventures, and other industries were not located in Shenhua View. They were all in their own office buildings.
Tengda Games, Zhongdian Chinese Network, and TPDb were the only ones in Shenhua View. They were located on the 17th and 18th floors.
Tengda did not have enough office space after the recruitment this time again.
In the past, the administrative and finance departments of Tengda Games were all squeezed on the 17th floor. The space was more than enough at first, but the workstations were full as the number of members increased.
There were also frequent 'promotions', but that speed was too slow. It did not help the situation.
Tas
Therefore, the original office space was completely insufficient after the intensive recruitment this time. They would need to rent another floor.
Tengda rented the entire 16th floor as well and decorated everything in the same manner to welcome the new recruits. It would be a little strenuous if they were to continue expanding. Shenhua View's rent might be expensive, but it was a high-end office building after all. There were not so many floors with the entire space empty.
Expansion would only be achievable either by renting floors that were farther apart or by moving to a large space, such as a unique office building.
However, that was something for the future. They could start looking for a suitable location from now on, but the office space should be sufficient in the short term.
The games department was separated from the administrative and finance departments after the recruitment this time.
The gaming department was left on the 17th floor while the administrative, finance, and legal departments were shifted to the 16th floor.
The 16th floor was more spacious because there were fewer people.
Pei Qian was on this floor. He specially set up a huge conference room on this floor and moved his office over.
Large television and projectors were installed for presentation and reporting in the office and the conference room.
Tang Yishu was naturally assigned to this level as well. That was so the departments would be more or less affected when they came over to report.
However, Pei Qian also felt that if Tang Yishu was on the 16th floor all year round, then the bugs on the 17th floor would be significantly reduced.
Therefore, Pei Qian planned to adopt a few more stray cats from the vet and evenly distribute them on the 16th, 17th, and 18th floors.
He could arrange for more pet supplies with so many pets around like large cat climbing frames. He could even spend more money this way.
That way, Tang Yishu would be able to take care of the cats on all three levels and bring the halo effect all around.
Moreover, Pei Qian moved the gaming department to the 17th floor while moving his office to the 16th floor because he was hinting the employees of the gaming department: Please be sloppy since the boss isn't on the same level anymore!
Wu Bin's workplace would be on the 16th floor.
Wu Bin was a little nervous when he found out that he was on the same level as Boss Pei's office. He would be working under the nose of the boss so he could not be sloppy.
Tengda was still a mystery in Wu Bin's eyes so far. It was impossible to guess what it was.
The information that Wu Bin learned about Tengda was all hearsay. There were many outrageous claims in it so the credibility was not very high. He did not learn much from the written exam and the interview.
However, Wu Bin guessed that Tengda would probably pay more attention to spiritual building Why would there be a Tengda Spirit compatibility test' otherwise?
Wu Bin had successfully passed the written exam and the interview and had officially entered the job. However, according to the process, he had to undergo three Tengda Spirit compatibility tests within a month.
He could only become a full-time employee only if he passed these tests. Otherwise, it would all be for naught.
Therefore, Wu Bin had mentally prepared in advance that in addition to working hard to win the approval of his colleagues and Boss Pei, he would have to truly understand what the Tengda spirit really meant in his first month of joining.
The pretty front desk lady gave Wu Bin a new employee handbook after he explained his intention. She then led him to the HR department to report to Hao Yun.
Hao Yun led Wu Bin to his workstation after expressing his welcome. He then got the administrative department to come over to grant him intranet permissions, arrange TPDb website accounts, and so on. During this period, Wu Bin sat on the office chair and began reading the new Employee's Handbook, hoping to find some information relating to Tengda spirit on it. This new handbook was custom-made by the administrative department recently. It had also been reviewed by Boss Pei. There were no such items for employees previously because Tengda was at a relatively small scale by then. The on-boarding process was relatively simple so there was no need for these fanciful things.
It was different now. Employees joined in batches so there were many things to pay attention to. Penning it all down in the Employee's Handbook would help the newcomers integrate into the work environment faster.
Wu Bin looked through the Employee's Handbook and found that it was basically divided into several categories. It also talked about the precautions after entering the job.
The first large category was related to lifestyle, including advice on daily life, clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
For example, the company would uniformly order from Fish-Catching Take-Out for daily meals. There were comments on the dishes inside. In short, they were all delicious depending on personal taste.
There were subsidies for house rental and daily travel. The subsidies were very high. The specific amount, subsidy method, reimbursement process, etc. were all clearly written.
Wu Bin was drooling as he looked at the work meal on the handbook.
"Such good work meals, all free?
"Full reimbursement for taxis with a mandatory monthly reimbursement limit? I can use this money to buy anything related to work?
"There are gym benefits and private training sessions for every employee?
"These… these benefits are too good…"
Wu Bin was so excited that he continued flipping
The second category was entertainment which mainly included various leisure and entertainment facilities on the company's side.
For example, a variety of coffee and beverages in the pantry, various snacks in the snack area, fitness equipment, and recreation rooms could be used freely without restrictions.
Wu Bin couldn't help but sigh. "This might be image building, but it is not easy to do it with such care."
Wu Bin had always felt that building gyms and recreation rooms in the company were nothing more but a means to attract employees to work overtime.
It would just sound nicer if mentioned blatantly.
'Our company has prepared a gym and recreation room for our employees.' Such bluffs were very suitable to deceive fresh graduates or those who had not been in the working environment for long.
That was because most of the gyms and recreation rooms could only be used after work hours.
If they could only use it after work hours, wasn't that just a covert trick for overtime?
Moreover, when it came to working overtime, the entire project team would be immersed in work. Wouldn't you be embarrassed if you went to the games room to play?
Therefore, most of the companies prepared these to build their images. The symbolic meaning was greater than its actual value.
Wu Bin continued flipping to the next page. This page was a note to the previous page. Wu Bin originally thought that it would say 'please do not go to the recreation room during working hours', but that was not the case at all!
It was clearly stated: 'Each employee must use four hours of fitness facilities or recreation room every week and strive to achieve work-life balance.'
'Note: Please do not use the gym or recreation room during non-working hours. Please go home immediately after work.'
Wu Bin felt a little giddy. The words were similar to what he had anticipated, but there was an additional 'non-' in front of 'working hours'.
The meaning had changed completely! Other companies were all about not using their gyms and recreation rooms during working hours, but Tengda was completely reversed in this case!
Did that mean they could only play during working hours?
Wu Bin almost thought that the employee handbook printed it wrongly, but after thinking through, they shouldn't make such a low-level mistake, right?
He was a little confused. He could only continue reading with confusion.
The third category was about work.
Other companies often put this category as the first, but Tengda was the exact opposite. They put it as the last, occupying only the last few pages of the employee handbook. The description was quite brief.
The life category provided not only beautiful color photos of various work meals but also introduced the taste of each dish in detail. It could not be any more detailed.
The same went for the entertainment category. They had even introduced the various games in the games room with some simple reviews.
However, the style changed completely when it came to the work category.
There were only a few simple notes.
'Overtime is prohibited in principle.'
'If there is a need to work overtime due to work, you'll have to report to the person-in-charge of the department. The in-charge will apply for an overtime quota and can only work overtime when this application is approved.'
"Report to the person-in-charge of the department immediately if you feel work pressure. They will recruit new employees as soon as possible.'
'It's strictly forbidden to contact colleagues for work reasons during non-working hours as it will cause trouble to your colleagues.'
The other comments were similar to the above.
Wu Bin's head was spinning.
The contents were basically pointing to the same point: no overtime! The content that Wu Bin was expecting did not appear at all!
For example, work arranged by the in-charge had to be completed on schedule or colleagues cannot shrink on their responsibilities…
There were no such sayings at all!
Wu Bin thought that it could be further behind, but he turned the page over only to find that the new employee handbook was done!
What about the explanation of the Tengda spirit that he anticipated?
What about the hundred expected employee codes?
Nothing!
He closed the handbook, remembering nothing but the delicious meals and various benefits.
Wu Bin felt lost, vaguely feeling if there was something wrong somewhere.
Chapter 359 The Annual Meeting's Theme
Soon, the young man from the administrative department finished helping Wu Bin deal with various internal matters, including granting access to the intranet, creating an employee's account for Wu Bin to access TPDb's internal forum, and the like.
Wu Bin received his mouse from the young man.
Hmm…
The mouse, keyboard, and screen…
They were so comfortable!
Wu Bin had already been used to scrimping and saving and being thrifty in the office. Now that he had a computer like that, he could feel hot tears well up in his eyes. The thought of being able to use such a comfortable keyboard to type in the future excited him!
He turned to face Hao Yun and then hesitated for a while as he thought about whether he should go over and greet her.
Hao Yun was now in charge of the HR department. In better terms, she could be referred to as the 'department head'. If that sounded too formal and stifling, he could also refer to her as 'Big Sister Hao' or 'Big Sister Yun'.
At the very least, he had to refer to her as 'Senior', right?
However, Wu Bin was older than Hao Yun. He also had much more working experience than she did.
That was awkward.
Thus, Wu Bin was conflicted. He intended to wait and observe how other colleagues addressed her.
At last, he realized that everyone referred to one another by name.
Feeling confused, Wu Bin turned to the male colleague beside him to secretly ask about this.
"Do we refer to everyone by name in this department?"
The man had just returned from the snack area; he was holding a bag of chips and stuffing them in his mouth. After taking a sip of his coffee, he nodded and said, "That's right.
"More accurately put, it's not just our department. Every other department is the same.
"Those who are slightly closer would refer to one another as brother or sister.
"The most appropriate way to address everyone is by their names. Nobody would find it weird. In fact, they would find it weird if you address them by their rank."
This piqued Wu Bin's curiosity. "Is that true? Why is that?"
The man continued munching on his potato chips and shook his head. "I'm not sure either. I was not among Tengda's first batch of employees. I only joined the company three or four months ago. The office environment at the time was already like that.
"Oh, that's right. If you want snacks, just help yourself. There's no limit."
The man waved his potato chips in front of Wu Bin's face, telling him that the latter was free to eat whatever snacks he wanted.
Wu Bin caught a whiff of the potato chips-it smelled good. However, since this was only his first day of work and he had not yet been offered tenure, he decided that getting snacks now would be inappropriate. Thus, he shook his head and said, "It's alright; I'm not hungry."
The man beside him suddenly thought of something else. "Oh, that's right. The only exception is Boss Pei.
"Out of respect, nobody calls him by his
name.
"Of course, Boss Pei is quite an easygoing person. I don't think he'll get angry even if you refer to him by his name.
"It's just that everyone respects him from the bottom of our hearts. That's why we address him as 'Boss Pei'. He's the only one in the entire company.
"All in all, apart from Boss Pei, you can refer to anyone by their names without a problem."
Wu Bin nodded in silence. It looked like he needed to learn about those internal practices from the old employees. Both of them engaged in casual conversation and introduced themselves.
Then, Wu Bin asked more about daily work matters, such as… whether the contents in the Employee's Handbook were true or not.
The man pondered for a moment and replied, "Not entirely."
Wu Bin nodded, understanding.
Indeed, most companies would hide their flaws and boast about their merits in their introductions. Of course, he could not say that was wrong. He could only say it was understandable.
The man beside him continued speaking. "Many things are not written in the handbook.
"There's this best employee selection, which occurs twice a year? The winner gets a Dream Fund of a million yuan, and the second-best gets a month of paid leave.
"Then, the regular physical examinations and claimable medical expenses…
"In addition…"
The man began to explain all the other benefits of working in Tengda. Feeling like he had left some things out, he checked his resources and filled in the gaps. He had no choice; there were too many benefits to memorize.
Wu Bin was speechless.
He had thought that the man was going to reveal internal scoop left unwritten in the Employee's Handbook, such as how much work they had to do in this company, how their salaries would be docked occasionally, and the like.
However, Wu Bin had completely misunderstood!
The Employee's Handbook did not contain all the employee benefits available. There were still many more benefits that could not be written down because of the limited space.
Wu Bin was at a complete loss for words now. He began to wonder if he had been scammed and if this company was out to cheat him.
How could there be such good benefits?!
Yet, Tengda had a good reputation, and reality was staring him in the face. He had no other choice but to believe it!
After calming himself down, Wu Bin asked, "Brother, do you know what would be tested in the Tengda Spirit compatibility test?"
The man beside him finished the last of his chips and threw the empty bag into the trash can. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm not sure. Your batch of employees will be the first batch taking the test. I have never taken it before. The contents of the test have been a well-kept secret. I've only heard a bit of news about it.
"Boss Pei was the one who set all the questions. Apart from him, nobody has the authority to edit the test.
"Don't worry. I don't think it'll be that difficult. I think it'll be like the psychological tests that some schools organize-a mere formality. "As long as no huge problems are detected, it should be easy to pass it."
At that point, Wu Bin heaved a sigh of relief. It was good that the test would be easy!
Alright, I'll work with my heart filled with hope!
Wu Bin stood up, walked towards Li Yada, and asked for her to assign him some work.
Li Yada looked up and asked, "Work? Er… I can't assign you work while you're interning.
"What's more, we have enough manpower for now. Your job would be to watch and learn. Try your best to pass the Tengda Spirit compatibility test on the first try so that you can be offered tenure soon."
Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead as he returned to his seat.
This was the first time he had been given no work to do despite having taken the initiative to ask for some.
In the office…
"Boss Pei, the administrative department has come up with this plan for the company's annual meeting. Please take a look."
Pei Qian took the file from Assistant Xin and flipped through its contents. It was quite detailed. Right on top was a list of expenses for the annual meeting, as well as the proposed prizes.
A thousand gifts meant for everyone: a red packet containing a thousand yuan.
Three hundred 799-yuan earphones. Three hundred 899-yuan mechanical keyboards.
Two hundred random red packets containing five hundred to a thousand yuan.
Two hundred 1,299-yuan air purifiers.
Seventy 2,199-yuan sweeping robots. Eighty 3,599-yuan game machines.
Eighty 4,599-yuan tablet computers.
Forty each of Pineapple and Shenhua's flagship cell phones, costing 5,699 yuan.
Seventy 5,999-yuan television sets.
Twenty 11,999-yuan digital cameras.
Ten 18,888-yuan cash gifts.
Three pairs of tickets to any city in the world (inclusive of the airplane tickets, accommodation in five-star hotels, and a spending allowance of thirty thousand yuan). All of those prizes added up to about four million yuan.
This was the most that the System would allow.
There were close to a thousand employees attending the annual meeting. Of course, most of these were Upwind Logistics' delivery men.
Although those delivery men were manual laborers, Pei Qian did not look down upon them. That was because all of them were still considered Tengda's employees. They did their jobs well by delivering parcels each day. Of course, they had to be invited to a special occasion like the company's annual meeting.
At first, Pei Qian wanted to distribute more generous gifts to everyone, such as a flagship cell phone or something. However, considering the budget for all the gifts to be distributed at the annual meeting, that would mean the other gifts would have to be of less value.
That would make the lucky draw less exciting.
Thus, he could only distribute red packets containing a thousand yuan to everyone.
Still, there were about two to three hundred pieces of most gifts. The red packets aside, there were a total of 1,483 gifts to be distributed
Furthermore, a limit had been placed on the event's lucky draw. Each person would not be allowed to win the same price twice, and they could only win a total of two different prizes at most.
Those who did not win any prizes in the beginning would have greater chances of winning later on.
In other words, even the unluckiest people would stand a chance to win something. People would neither return with a sudden windfall nor empty-handed.
Pei Qian was quite satisfied with these prizes. He continued reading further.
Next was the annual meeting's program sheet, which included the live performances, food, and the like.
Chefs from Ming Yun Private Kitchen and Fish-Catching Take-Out would be invited to the hotel where the meeting would be held. They would cook for everyone. Ingredients would be prepared beforehand, and Lin Canrong would plan the menu.
All in all, there was no need to worry about the food.
Pei Qian cared most about the programs. Most annual meetings held by other companies could only be described using one word: awkward!
Some forced their male employees to put on leotards and dance to Swan Lake, some forced employees to awkwardly dance to online hits, and some forced their employees to play degrading games that continually pushed the bottom line.
All in all, it had already become quite common for employees to perform on stage. However, it was still extremely awkward. Pei Qian could not be sure if this was the warping of humanity or the downfall of morality.
The programs that Assistant Xin had planned contained no such mistake. They looked pretty good on the whole. There were no ridiculous requests for all the department heads to dress up as ladies and perform on stage either.
Pei Qian was very happy with this. As the saying went, letting others off was letting oneself off. He did not want to dress up in strange costumes and act like a monkey on stage.
This plan for the annual meeting involved inviting professionals to perform on stage by singing, dancing, doing acrobatics, and the like. Apart from that, fun-looking games had also been planned.
Of course, an additional budget had been set aside for inviting professionals to perform and inviting employees to play games. After all, employees had to be rewarded for being a good sport, no matter how minor the game was.
After some time, Pei Qian still could not find anything interesting. Singing, dancing, and performing were not bad; however, they were not that interesting either.
Even if these performances took place at a dinner and not an annual meeting, how many people would really enjoy them?
Inviting employees to play mini-games on stage would be much better than making them play degrading games, but it would still be quite awkward.
After all, nobody was there to play games. They were there to win prizes.
Since employees were there to win as much as possible and Boss Pei wanted to distribute as much as possible, shouldn't they do away with all the awkward programs?
After some thought, Pei Qian said, "We can get rid of all the programs and games. Bring capsule machines and claw machines into the event location. Set up some stations for ring toss, boomerangs, or toy guns as well.
"Then, the entire place will be filled with recreational facilities, capsules, plush toys, and various figures.
"Each person will be given some tokens, which they can use to play the games.
"That's right-adjust the tricky games, like the claw machines, to maximize people's chances of winning something. "There will only be two things for people to do at the annual meeting: eat and play!
"We will have lucky draws all the way. Once everyone has eaten their fill, they can take their tokens to the capsule machines and claw machines. When all the prizes have been won, everyone has eaten their fill, and all the tokens have been spent; the annual meeting would officially come to an end.
"Tengda would not engage in formalism or motivation. We also would not force anyone to make a fool out of themselves on stage.
"Eat, drink, and be merry—that will be our annual meeting's theme!"