Zhang Yuan continued to bootlick Pei Qian without resting. However, Pei Qian sipped his coffee, not listening to a single word.
He could not understand where he had gone
wrong.
He had brought Tang Yishu to the warehouse, and he had seen instant effects. The computers had started to malfunction, and the assembly process had been hindered.
Yet… how did the RAM factory catch fire? The halo effect could not have spread overseas, right?
No matter how hard Pei Qian thought, he could not figure it out.
Strictly speaking, none of this mattered that much. However, they were very troublesome for Boss Pei. It looked like Boss Pei had to be careful about using his killing machine.
He could slip up and end up hurting himself!
In any case, what had been done had been done. More importantly, he had to think about how to spend the money from now on.
Should they continue to hoard stocks? That seemed impracticable.
ROF was already very well-known at the moment. After promising that prices wouldn't rise during the New Year's Day, it would likely become even more reputable and popular.
Experience had already shown that many customers were willing to pay a certain brand premium for ROF's system units.
In other words-even if prices of their system units remained stagnant, ROF's sales volume would not decrease. Furthermore, since they could maintain their original profit margins, the company was bound to generate profits.
If ROF hoarded even more stocks now and other parts became more expensive later on, wouldn't Boss Pei be shooting himself in the foot?
It did not seem smart to hoard stocks now!
Boss Pei had learned an expensive lesson. What if he invested this sum of money in other businesses?
However, on second thought, Pei Qian rejected this idea.
Pei Qian preferred to stick to one general principle: whoever caused the problem should solve it; whoever earned money should spend it.
After some self-reflection, he realized that he had to keep fighting fires helplessly in the past because he had not stuck to this principle.
Many projects were not inherently problematic. Many of them had been incurring losses until they started collaborating with other projects. Then, problems started arising.
Thus, Pei Qian decided that Zhang Yuan should remain in charge of the revenue that ROF generated. He had to take charge of finding ways to spend the money.
Pei Qian considered this for a moment and said, "Don't submit the profits generated by ROF to Tengda. You should think of ways to spend the money."
Zhang Yuan was stunned. "Huh? Boss Pei, we've generated a lot of profit, but I shouldn't submit any of it? Would that be appropriate?"
Pei Qian sniggered. "Of course! This is your hard-earned money. You should get to spend
it."
Zhang Yuan quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no. Boss Pei, we earned this money thanks to your wise guidance."
Pei Qian remained silent.
Look at him! Stop speaking if you don't have anything good to say! Pei Qian was a magnanimous man who had no intention to go back and forth on this issue. "Tell me—where do you intend to spend this money?"
Zhang Yuan fell into deep thought.
He was now in charge of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes and ROF. Of course, since Fish-Catching Take-Out had been derived from Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Zhang Yuan was also considered in charge of that.
At the same time, all of those businesses were closely related to Upwind Logistics.
Lu Mingliang was in charge of Upwind Logistics. He was greatly favored by Pei Qian. In fact, until now, Upwind Logistics had been incurring losses. It could only continue operating because of Tengda Corporation's financial support. This proved that Boss Pei had been right to trust Lu Mingliang all this time.
Of course, to Pei Qian, he was not offering financial support. Instead, he was detoxifying himself.
If not for Upwind Logistics, Boss Pei might have been poisoned to death by now.
After some thought, Zhang Yuan said, "Boss Pei, I think that ROF has obtained a stable foothold in Jingzhou. Our online store has also achieved some level of fame.
"At the moment, the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes are quite popular as well. In fact, it's now the most popular high-end internet cafe brand in Jingzhou.
"I think we can continue to expand and bring Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to other cities!"
Pei Qian sighed inwardly. Indeed, this problem was not going to resolve itself.
Boss Li had asked the same question before. He had asked Pei Qian why the latter had not considered opening branches in other cities to generate more profit.
The reason for this was simple. Boss Pei did not want to generate more profit by opening branches in other cities!
However, he had to seriously consider it now. That was because he could not delay it any longer.
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and ROF were now generating profits, and the sum was not small. How could Pei Qian avoid expanding?
It would not make sense.
Thus, he had to open more branches sooner or later. The questions were where and how.
Pei Qian pondered for a while and asked, "Where do you think we should open more Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branches?"
Zhang Yuan responded instantly. "I think we should open branches in the bigger, first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou!
"There are many young people in those cities, and the population is much denser. What's more, people there earn higher incomes. High-end internet cafes would probably appeal to them more.
"It would be easier for us to fight for market share in those cities. We could even open related businesses, like Fish-Catching Take-Out, there at the same time."
Pei Qian was silent.
You're making sense, and so I definitely cannot do that…
Pei Qian considered the problem for a moment. Then, he said, "I'm thinking the exact opposite. Lincheng is my next target."
Zhang Yuan was stunned. "Lincheng?"
Lincheng City was the poorest city in Handong Province. The famous impoverished county, Daokou County, was located in Lincheng City.
How could they open Fish-Catching Internet Cafes in such a poor place? How many customers could they have?
Pei Qian continued speaking "What's more, we won't just open more Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branches.
"All businesses that are related to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe will move there, too!"
Pei Qian could not help but smile as he looked at Zhang Yuan's confused expression.
Pei Qian was not eager to expand Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. Instead, he wanted to open more Upwind Courier stations.
However, Upwind Courier stations were littered around Jingzhou. If one opened a map, they would see a dense network of those stations. There was practically no area in the city that was not covered by an Upwind Courier station.
Pei Qian had to consider other cities if he wanted to open more such stations.
However, setting up Upwind Courier stations without opening Fish-Catching Internet Cafes would be too strange. Others would become suspicious.
If he wanted to expand to other cities, the businesses had to move together. Then, people would not grow suspicious.
What's more, there was one huge benefit to opening Fish-Catching Internet Cafes compared to Upwind Courier stations: more initial costs were involved in the former. A lot of money would be needed to pay rent, conduct renovations, purchase computers, and the like.
Even if the internet cafe began generating profits later, it would take a longer time to recover the huge initial investment.
At the very least, the initial investment would not be recovered before the next settlement.
What if Pei Qian put more thought in selecting a suitable location and avoided repeating the mistakes committed in Jingzhou City, so that the internet cafe continued to incur losses?
That would be best!
Thus, after much consideration, Pei Qian decided to expand into the poorest city in Handong Province-Lincheng City.
It was poor, which meant that its residents could not afford to spend too much money. Naturally, they would not be able to afford to visit more expensive internet cafes like Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
Unnecessarily luxurious take-out services offered by Fish-Catching Take-Out would all-the-more be out of the picture. At the same time, Upwind Logistics—which had been steadily incurring losses so far—would continue to lose money. All in all, it was best to choose a poorer city to expand into.
As for why… Pei Qian did not plan to explain this to Zhang Yuan. In any case, they could conjure up reasons on their own. Pei Qian continued speaking. "My plan is to move all of our physical businesses and their accompanying businesses there.
"We'll set up one Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 2.0 branch in a core commercial district, three Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 1.0 branches in lower-tier commercial districts, a Fish-Catching Take-Out branch, twenty Upwind Courier stations, and a huge warehouse for ROF Computer-Installation, with four distribution points around the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branches.
"We will prepare for all of these things at once and then open for business at the same time!"
Zhang Yuan looked shocked. "Boss Pei, that won't be a small investment.
"Lincheng's rent would be lower than Jingzhou's, but we would need about ten million yuan to open all of these branches at once…"
Pei Qian sighed inwardly.
I didn't want to do this either.
You were the one who generated so much revenue for ROF! I have to spend all of that money now so that I won't become overwhelmed with problems when settlement draws near, right?
Pei Qian said solemnly, "That's a puny sum. If you don't have enough money, ask me for more.
"What's more, we're only setting up twenty courier stations for now, but we'll set up more in the future. We want to cover Lincheng City with Upwind Courier stations as soon as possible, just like we did for Jingzhou!
"You need to be clear of one goal. You have to think of ways to spend any money that you earn. If you end up incurring losses, report to me at once; and I will provide you with more funding."
At first, Zhang Yuan thought that Boss Pei was just saying nice-sounding words. However, after scrutinizing him, Zhang Yuan realized that Boss Pei's gaze was extremely sincere.
"Boss Pei, I… I really am… very moved!"
At that moment, Zhang Yuan was having difficulty expressing his gratitude in words.
Pei Qian quickly raised his hand to stop him.
"Alright, you don't have to say more. I have work to do. I'll make a move first."
Pei Qian glanced at the long line at the entrance and felt even more pissed off. Zhang Yuan quickly said, "Alright, Boss Pei! Take care, and I wish you a happy new year!" Pei Qian remained silent.
Sorry, the new year is not happy for me at all!
January 4th, Tuesday, 11 AM…
Pei Qian walked nonchalantly into the office, just as he always did. Everyone else had already started working a long time ago.
Everyone looked especially busy, but this was probably because it was their first day back at work after a long holiday.
Li Yada and the rest were already back from their holiday.
Pei Qian studied Li Yada and Bao Xu closely. For some reason, they did not look joyful or reminiscent after returning from their holiday. Instead, they looked… like they had just suffered a horrible ordeal.
Pei Qian could not help but feel confused. Was the United States that boring?
However, he did not ask any questions. That was because Pei Qian was more of a homebody, who did not like going on adventures. He did not really care about whether the United States was boring or not because he had no plans to travel there.
Once he reached his office, Pei Qian checked his unread notifications.
There was a message from Zhang Yuan, saying that he and Lu Mingliang were going to set off for Lincheng today to check the place out, shortlist possible locations, oversee renovations, and recruit employees. They would probably only be back in the middle of February.
The timeline was not bad for Pei Qian. It would be even better if the process was slightly delayed.
This was the best-case scenario: the internet cafes, the courier stations, and the like opening for business a week or so before settlement. Then, not only could Pei Qian spend a huge sum of money, but he could also avoid generating more revenue during this cycle.
As for the next cycle…
He could think about it when the time came. If all else failed, he could look for another poor city to expand into. The cycle would be endless.
Chapter 376 The Initial Plan for the Haunted House
January 5th, Wednesday…
Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong sat in the coffee area of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. Each of them had a laptop in hand, tapping away.
It looked as if inspiration was gushing through their minds. Their fingers were constantly moving, except for when they paused to organize their thoughts. Then, they would pick up the coffee on the table and take a sip.
Both of them were working on the plan for the haunted house.
During their time in the United States, they lived a dream-no, a nightmare.
"Smog Mountain' State Mental Hospital was an abandoned hospital, which had been termed the most terrifying haunted house in the world.
During the past five days, the group of them had repeatedly walked through the haunted house. The suffering that they had experienced could not be described in words.
It had left a lasting impression in their hearts. They had learned so many things. In fact, every time they went to sleep over the past few days, they would 'gain new inspiration' and 'relive the blurry memories'.
So once they returned to Jingzhou, Chen Kangtuo's and Hao Qiong's minds became filled with inspiration. They could hardly wait to write all of their experiences down, so that they could transfer them into the haunted house project that they had been put in charge of.
However, they did not copy whatever they saw. Instead, they criticized and analyzed their experiences.
They had spent all yesterday and this morning writing. Thanks to their highly effective working model, the basic plan for the haunted house had already been written.
"Come on, let's compare notes," suggested Chen Kangtuo.
Both of them sent their written documents to each other.
Ever since they returned, both of them did not communicate much. This was to avoid interrupting each other's thoughts and inspirations as far as possible.
They had each worked on their own plan. They planned to only combine the documents after discussion so they could achieve the best results.
Of course, both of their plans contained common points. Those were the points that Boss Pei had given them about the haunted house's general direction.
Boss Pei's opinion had to be taken as the core standard. They could not ignore it.
'Make it a destination where the courageous cannot spend much, and where the timid can only watch on in fear without entering.' Those had been Boss Pei's own words.
After Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong read and digested the standard requirements, they managed to draw two key points:
There would be three projects, and the fear factor would increase sequentially.
By offering discounts and refunds, they would charge the more courageous visitors less, and the timider visitors more.
That would allow them to maintain the haunted house's reputation and profits. At the same time, they could take care of both types of visitors.
The only thing was that neither of them had thought about how to design the individual projects.
Thus, they had to look for inspiration from more successful haunted houses. Now, they had been inspired and frightened. It was time to come up with the actual plan.
Both of them scanned each other's proposals.
Chen Kangtuo looked surprised. "It looks like we're on the same page for many things. Perhaps it's because we both have experience in the game industry as well. Maybe that's why we are used to thinking of problems from a gaming perspective." Hao Qiong nodded. "Yes, maybe."
Both of their plans had converged in some areas, even though they had not discussed things beforehand.
The first project would not be that scary. It could be a game where people would be allowed to socialize.
Chen Kangtuo thought about making it a classic horror-themed escape room. On the other hand, Hao Qiong thought about making slight modifications to Be Quiet and turning the online game into a real one.
Of course, neither of them had thought much about the details yet. They had only come up with the general direction.
The second project was going to be moderately scary, and it would act as the transition from the first project to the third project. Basically, it was going to be like a single-player game. This project could have a small location, but the horror effects would not be lacking. People who could make it through this section would be qualified to experience the third project.
Both of them had thought about the same thing for this project: they would use a narrow space, measuring from a few square meters to a maximum of twenty square meters, so that visitors could go experience the project alone. However, Hao Qiong had an additional suggestion: the project could be made out of shipping containers. The shipping containers would have different settings and wheels at the bottom. That way, they could make adjustments to the project whenever they wanted, and visitors would not be able to guess exactly which setting they would be put through.
The third project would be the scariest. Both of them aimed to recreate their experience at 'Smog Mountain' State Mental Hospital.
However, both of their plans were different from the set-up at 'Smog Mountain' State Mental Hospital.
At the moment, most haunted houses had not grasped the pace perfectly.
Small-scale haunted houses in the country mostly set one fixed path, which led visitors from beginning to end. There were no exits available even if visitors wanted to escape midway through. Thus, they would have no choice but to grit their teeth and complete the journey.
The good thing about those simpler haunted houses was that no workers would be roaming around inside, and the jump scares would not be that frightening. Almost everyone would be able to complete the journey.
Large-scale haunted houses would be much scarier and would have much longer journeys. Those haunted houses would have to install sufficient exit doors along the way so that visitors could leave safely once they felt like they could not withstand it any longer.
Of course, there would also have to be enough surveillance cameras installed to observe the visitors' mental states.
Take extremely large haunted houses like 'Smog Mountain' State Mental Hospital for example. Understandably, there had been many exits along the way. There had also been employees stationed inside the haunted house, ready to safely escort visitors insisting that they wanted to leave out of the place.
However, after visiting this haunted house, both men had had the same thought: ordinary people could not complete the entire journey in the haunted house, and so it became a waste!
In fact, the group had not been successful the first time that they visited the haunted house.
Bao Xu and Hao Qiong could not even hang in there for ten minutes before they admitted defeat. The ones who stayed in the haunted house for the longest time had been Lin Wan and Li Yada, but they had only hung in there for twenty minutes.
Of course, Li Yada had been forced to stay by Lin Wan. Otherwise, she might have beaten a retreat at the moment that she had entered.
According to their observations, they had not been acting out of the ordinary. After the visitors had bought tickets, they had been made to queue in the waiting area. There, most of them had been almost scared to death by the introductory film, which was meant to heighten the tension. As a result, most of them had given up as soon as they had entered the haunted house. Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong both thought that this was a pity.
The company had worked so hard on producing a terrifying haunted house, but most visitors were being scared off before they even entered. It was an absolute waste.
As the saying went, one had to fatten the pigs before killing them.
It was the same for games. If a company created a torturous game, it would be normal for some people to back off after the initial stages. However, if more than half of the players were backing off at that stage, it meant that there was a problem with the difficulty level.
The difficulty should slowly increase throughout the game. Even if the game really was meant to torture players, it had to give them opportunities to get the hang of the game. It could not torture them and scare them off right at the beginning. If their own haunted house copied 'Smog Mountain' State Mental Hospital's set-up entirely, nobody would end up interested in it.
'Smog Mountain' State Mental Hospital could only get a steady flow of visitors because it had already been coined the scariest haunted house in the world. Its reputation had already been established.
On the other hand, their haunted house was going to be in Jingzhou. It had no reputation, and it could not attract visitors from all over the world yet. If they set the barrier too high, they would not be able to recover their capital for sure.
Thus, every visitor would be important.
Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong each thought of a different resolution for this problem.
Hao Qiong's plan was to sell tickets that would allow visitors multiple entries. At the same time, the initial horror level would be adjusted downwards on purpose.
In the beginning, there would be relatively fun and less-scary tasks for visitors to do. The purpose would be to persuade visitors to stay.
At the same time, every ticket would allow each visitor multiple entries. They could increase the price of the ticket to make up for this. Then, visitors would be allowed to warm up and calm themselves down before attempting the challenge once again.
That was what Hao Qiong and the others had done in the United States. In fact, the haunted house had been extremely scary the first time that they entered. None of them remembered what they had done. All of them had gone through the experience while in a trance.
Subsequently, when they had entered again, they had done so with certain expectations. It was then that the haunted house had slowly become more interesting.
However, ordinary visitors would not purchase tickets and line up again just to torture themselves. Naturally, they would not have experienced what Hao Qiong and the others had.
Thus, Hao Qiong proposed allowing multiple entries for one ticket.
That way, even if they scared visitors off, it would only be temporary. Since the tickets allowed visitors multiple entries, they could take some time to calm themselves down before entering the haunted house again.
That would also generate a group of second-time visitors for the haunted house.
On the other hand, Chen Kangtuo's plan was to design the project as a roundabout. The middle of the roundabout would act as the safe house.
Every time visitors completed a minor stage, they would be allowed to rest at the safe house. They could use that time to calm themselves down.
Most visitors would not be able to wander around a haunted house for more than an hour with no rest… like what was expected of them in 'Smog Mountain' State Mental Hospital. That meant that most people could not complete the journey.
That would become a serious waste of resources.
Thus, Chen Kangtuo thought about using common strategies in games to resolve this problem.
Many horror games included things like 'save points' or 'safe houses' so that players could rest from their highly tense state. After they calmed their nerves, they could resume the game.
Thus, Chen Kangtuo thought about including a safe house in the haunted house. That way, players could calm their nerves at regular intervals on the journey, and they would not be so easily scared off.
Both of their plans were different, but they did not conflict. They could combine all the ideas together.
After reading Chen Kangtuo's plan, Hao Qiong looked slightly worried. "Would people find our haunted house too easy to complete if we do this? If visitors can complete the haunted house in their first try, they would not have to enter a second time, right?"
Chen Kangtuo shook his head. "I think the ultimate aim of any haunted house is not to scare visitors until they cannot complete the journey. If visitors are scared away before they finish the first stage, it wouldn't matter how well-done or frightening the rest of your haunted house is.
"We'll naturally have more chances to scare visitors if we allow them to complete the journey. "In fact, whether visitors complete the haunted house or not, they likely would not visit the same haunted house again.
"If most visitors are scared off at the beginning of the haunted house, they probably would not rate the haunted house highly. That wouldn't help the haunted house's reputation. Other potential visitors would probably also change their minds once they see that the haunted house had scared some off right at the beginning.
"In that case, we would be much better off trying to make visitors stay. We should increase the difficulty slowly, so that they can form a lasting impression of the haunted house. That would aid our reputation and draw in more visitors."
After some thought, Hao Qiong nodded. "Yes, that makes sense.
"Should we report our progress to Boss Pei first, or should we come up with a more detailed plan for the projects?"
Chen Kangtuo replied, "We probably won't be able to come up with all the details so soon. The first and third projects would be harder to design. We need big locations and complicated gameplay. That means we need to take more time to plan them.
"We could think about locations for two bigger projects first. Then, we can recruit employees and plan the details at the same time.
"The second project would be made up of many smaller projects, and so it's relatively simpler to do. We can think of all the details for the second project first before letting Boss Pei see our whole plan.
"Once he gives the nod, we can start work. While the second project is being constructed, we can think more about the first and third."
Chapter 377 There Doesn't seem Much for Him to 'Direct'
January 6th, Thursday… Pei Qian couldn't help but sigh when he looked at Ma Yang studying seriously in the study room. Why was it that even Ma Yang—this slacker —could study without being distracted, but I couldn't…?
They were about to enter the exam week. This semester was about to end again.
Pei Qian set a target to pass on his own merits, but he found it difficult to do so.
He originally wanted to absorb some learning momentum when he got Ma Yang to come to the study room together with him.
However, while Ma Yang managed to find his momentum, Pei Qian remained totally uninterested.
Sitting in the study room was simply torturous. Pei Qian's cell phone vibrated suddenly upon receiving a message: "Boss Pei, we have a preliminary proposal for the haunted house. I would like to make a report to you at your convenience."
Pei Qian looked at this message from Chen Kangtuo and sighed.
Sigh, it's not that I don't want to study. I'm busy at work.
What should this be called? A situation that took its own course regardless of my wishes.
No choice, I have no choice.
He checked his watch. It was 10:30 in the morning so he replied. "Come to my office at
11."
Chen Kangtuo reached Shenhua View. He had gone to the 16th floor and did not find Boss Pei. That was why he sent this message.
Since there was nothing to do between now and his appointment at 11 o'clock with Boss Pei, Chen Kangtuo planned to drop by on the 17th floor to see how Li Yada and Bao Xu were doing
Chen Kangtuo found the enthusiasm for work to be rather high on the 17th floor. Everyone was busy. Many greeted Chen Kangtuo upon seeing him. Chen Kangtuo asked about the development of GOG after exchanging pleasantries with Li Yada.
Chen Kangtuo was part of the team responsible for the game previously after all.
Li Yada said, "It's coming along rather smoothly.
"Dream Realization Ventures put forward a lot of suggestions for modification previously. We only changed a small part, but the effect was unexpectedly good.
"Most players welcome this kind of 'easy' game mode that is easier to learn from the feedback of players in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
"Therefore, we have been busy modifying all the remaining content recently.
"A pity that Dream Realization Ventures would be busy with new missions soon. They would not be able to test out the game and provide us with more suggestions for modification.
"However, He Desheng said he had written out almost all the recommendations he could think of.
"In the following period, our main task would be to continue to modify the basic gameplay, create more characters, and adjust the balance of the game according to these suggestions."
"The newly recruited group of people has good talents. They are quick in picking up game making so the efficiency of the entire project has obviously improved a lot."
Chen Kangtuo chatted with everyone in the gaming department for a while, checked the time, and walked downstairs to report to Boss Pei.
Pei Qian looked at the preliminary plan for the haunted house that Chen Kangtuo had just handed to him in the office.
The name of the haunted house was Thriller Hostel'.
The name was mainly based on three considerations according to Chen Kangtuo.
First, there would be no ghost or superstitions in the haunted house so no words such as 'ghost' would appear.
Second, they hoped that tourists could come here often so the 'hostel' here held the meaning of a 'hotel'.
Finally, the basic theme in the haunted house would be a hotel. There would be more scary scenes added later, but they would all be derived from hotels.
Pei Qian did not have any special thought merely looking at the name.
Hotels were common themes, but it was relatively less common than cemeteries, mental hospitals, and netherworlds.
The subject could be regarded as relatively now, or it could be said that the degree of shock may not be enough. In short, it depended on how it was done.
He continued reading.
The Thriller Hostel would have three major projects. The first would be a multi-person interactive project. The third project is a very scary traditional horror house. These two projects had a general framework with no specific plans.
The second project was like a transitional project. Some specifics had been penned down.
At present, they had six sub-projects planned; all of which were very simple. They could be completed with sites of a maximum of dozens of square meters each. Only one person was allowed at any one time.
le
These smaller venues would be in shipping containers. There would be wheels in under the containers, making them mobile where the order would be regularly disrupted. In that way, the player would be entering into a random room every time.
Pei Qian looked at these smaller projects in turn.
The first small project: Bathroom. The scenery was a very narrow bathroom with a mirror, washbasin, toilet, bathtub, etc. The layout was similar to a regular bathroom.
The setting would be worn out. The dim lights, washbasin, mirror, and bathtub were all dirty, probably not scrubbed for a long time. The shadows in the corner of the bathroom seemed to be coagulated blood.
Guests had to enter the bathroom alone and must complete a series of steps given. Once all the steps were completed, the challenge would be deemed successful. Failing any of the steps would fail the challenge.
First, the guest would have to lock the bathroom, pick up a red candle by the side, and turn off the bathroom light.
Thereafter, they would have to light the candle. Relying on its light, they should find the mirror on top of the washbasin and place the candle on the platform in front of the mirror—where toiletries should be. That would be in between the mirror and the player.
Then, they had to cover their eyes with both hands for more than three seconds and then look into the mirror.
After that, they had to open the tap to wash their hands.
Next, they should lie in the bathtub, covering their eyes with their hands. They could not move their hands no matter what happened for three minutes. A rusty timer would be next to the bathtub. It would tick-tock continuously for three minutes after being pressed.
At this point, the guest would be able to stand up from the bathtub, leave the room, and the challenge would be completed.
It would seem simple, but in this process, there would be a series of things that happen randomly.
For example, the dim lights would flicker violently a few times when turned off and would then make a 'bam' sound, as if the light bulb shattered.
After they uncover their eyes after three seconds while standing in front of the mirror, there might be a face with torn flesh or a pair of red eyes staring at them. There might even be cracks or blood oozing from the mirror.
While washing their hands, the originally clean water may suddenly turn black or blood-red. There might also be some bloody bits mixed in the water.
When the tourists lie down in the bathtub, a series of events would also occur in the bathroom. For example, the broken light turning on again suddenly, the faucet turning on automatically to make the sound of running water, the flushing of the toilet, the door being opened, and someone dragging heavy footsteps into the bathroom. The shower curtain might even be opened, and someone might lean in front of the guest.
In short, these actions would be randomly decided by the staff and be controlled. The experience of every guest would be different.
At the same time, there would be many hidden cameras within to know the state of the guests. That mirror would also be special. It would look like nothing but a mirror on the surface, but it would actually be a display screen. It could not only display bleeding red eyes or bleeding effects, but they could also create effects such as the reflection of someone disappearing in the mirror while the person looked at him or herself within.
The second small project: windowsill.
The setting would be a narrow corridor of the hostel. As usual, the guest would need to lock themselves in after they entered.
There were four windows in the corridor with a slight difference in the state of each window.
The first window was completely broken and left open. The broken window frame would hit the wall from time to time due to the night breeze. It would make noises while the curtains were blown randomly.
The roars of unknown monsters would also be mixed within the sound of the wind from time to time.
Of course, that would just be a setting within a shipping container. The area 'outside' the window would still be within the container, completely dark. The breeze blowing with the roar of the monster would be artificially created.
The second window seemed to have some cracks. A few clear bloody handprints were on it as if someone had repeatedly hit it with a blood-stained hand.
The curtain of the third window would be slightly drawn.
The fourth window would have no curtains. It would be pitch black outside, unable to make out anything
The guests would have to stand with their back towards the fourth window. They could not move, turn their heads, or make any sound no matter what happened. The challenge would only be successful if they managed to stay that way for five minutes.
During this period, random events might occur in these windows.
For example, the monstrous roar from the first window might strengthen as though the monster would jump out at any moment.
Someone outside the second window might slap the glass of the window and cry for help in misery. However, his screams would get farther and farther away as if being dragged away by some terrible monster.
The third window might be knocked open suddenly. A monster's big hand might stretch into a grope or hit and even drag a dummy item in the corridor away.
The fourth window, which was the window that the guest would be standing with their backs against, might also hear rhythmic hitting or nails scratching through the glass.
In addition, there would be huge shadows passing by the window, heavy footsteps, and the sound of iron chains dragging along the ground. The low roar of the monsters would also be able to be heard faintly.
The guest would be able to open the door and leave the room once the timer stopped.
However, by then, the window behind the guest would suddenly open. A huge monster might probe in, biting and roaring around with its huge mouth and causing rusty blood stench to fill the air.
Of course, to clear the mission, the guest needed to stay still and silent for another three-minute timeframe. The last scene would be just for the effect and would not affect the clearing of the mission.
The other small projects included TV sets, staircase, ceiling, and the bottom of the bed.
These small projects had one thing in common: they were not traditional horror scenes unlike cemeteries, underworlds, morgues, and other exciting settings.
There were also no exaggerated horror elements in these scenes such as staff roleplaying as ghosts, very complicated mechanisms, exquisite and terrifying props, and so on.
They used psychological effects to achieve horror.
Going down further was the fee policy for the Thriller Hostel. However, Chen Kangtuo obviously did not manage to come up with the appropriate amount. He simply wrote: 'guests are allowed to buy the tickets once and play multiple times'.
Pei Qian looked at this plan, lost in thought.
Logically speaking, the first and third large projects should be more brilliant, but Chen Kangtuo had yet to think up a specific plan, only a framework.
How to go about 'directing' him then?
The second large project had a specific proposal, but it was neither here nor there to Boss Pei.
Looking at the second project alone. It might not be thrilling enough for the brave-hearted, but it would also be too scary for the timid to try. Moreover, the process was relatively short. The gameplay was relatively monotonous as only one person could play at one time.
It looked like there was a high probability of failure, and there was nothing much that could be changed.
Pei Qian gave it some thought. He'd just do something to the ticket pricing since there was nothing much he could change for the plan!
Chapter 378 What is Venture Capitalism?
If possible, Pei Qian would rather make the entrance to the haunted house free. However, the system would definitely not allow it.
The price could be lowered to a certain limit. He could only rely on pricing strategies if he wanted to further reduce income after reaching the lowest price allowable by the system.
Pei Qian had to carry out his original purpose.
Make it a destination for the courageous without spending much and where the timid could only watch on in fear without entering.
The original intent of this sentence was to make the fees of the haunted house affordable for those who really dare to enter it and to scare the cowardly away so they had no chance to spend on anything. Therefore, Pei Qian decided to adopt a special pricing strategy after much consideration.
Different projects would be priced differently. Prices would be set differently for different people as well.
The first project with the lowest level of horror and the richest in gameplay should be the most popular. Therefore, the price of the ticket for this project should be as low as possible!
It would be most suitable for repeated play because it would have a greater audience. People would be inelastic to the price of the tickets so it should be set at a lower price so that it could make less money.
The third project would be the most terrifying and would have the largest investment. The ticket price would definitely not be set too low under the supervision of the system.
In that case, Pei Qian intended to do the exact opposite.
Set a high ticket price!
In this way, terror plus high ticket prices would have a double persuasive effect on ordinary people. The timid ones would definitely not enter in order not to waste their money and be scared.
As for those who were more courageous, they would consider returning their ticket money based on their progress in the game.
For example, divide the entire process into nine parts, each part would have a safe house. Ten percent of their money would be refunded to them every time they cleared each safe house. Clearing the entire nine segments would mean a ninety-percent discount on the ticket.
One could visit the entire haunted house for only 10 yuan.
According to Chen Kangtuo's idea of 'buying a ticket once and playing multiple times', everyone could enter thrice with the same ticket. As long as the guest could pass the entire haunted house within three times, there would be no use in buying a second ticket to challenge it.
This way, the fare might look high on the surface, but the third project might still not make much money!
As for the second project, Pei Qian thought about it and gave it a low price, just a little more expensive than the first project!
Pei Qian said to Chen Kangtuo as he thought of these. "Different projects are to be priced separately. Ten yuan for the first project.
"You can have multiple experiences for the second project. Every additional experience would be an additional 15 yuan. Prepare a decibel recorder for everyone. Complete the mission without making too much noise, and the smaller project would be free.
"As for the third project, it'll cost 100 yuan per experience. There will be a total of three experience opportunities. You can continue from where you left off for the second and third experience. Refund the ticket according to the progress of the last place they were at. All money would be refunded if they cleared the entire place.
"We can also issue a coupon, such as play all you want for 200 yuan.
"That's roughly the case. You can work out the rest of the details."
Chen Kangtuo's eyes lit up after listening to Pei Qian. "I understand, Boss Pei. Your pricing strategy is exactly what I had in mind!"
Pei Qian, "?"
What did this mean?
He was a little confused, feeling that the script was a little different from what he had imagined The people he 'directed' previously were usually confused, puzzled… lost…
Why did Chen Kangtuo look like he had expected it long ago and was so excited? What did he mean by the pricing strategy was exactly the same as he thought? He thought that way, too? Could it be possible for Chen Kangtuo to have been enlightened after being sent to the Thriller Hostel project? He could now keep up with his frequency?
Pei Qian felt a little lost but did not ask more about it. He waved his hand and sent Chen Kangtuo away.
Something smelt fishy, something was off. "Strange, this is obviously a loss-making project that will start burning money soon. Why am I not excited at all…?".
Pei Qian woke up in the afternoon and was prepared to make a trip to Dream Realization Ventures.
The other projects were still under development, and there was no important news for the time being.
Pei Qian was only slightly surprised at the progress of the movie. There was not too much content in the script. It should have been completed by now if they went by it.
However, there were absolutely no signs of it being finalized anytime soon.
"Perhaps the shooting had not gone well and was therefore delayed?
"Well, it's possible. Director Zhu Xiaoce made short films previously. It's inevitable stepping on some pits without the experience of directing movies for the cinema."
Pei Qian did not care too much. He did not have a schedule to meet for making a movie. It was the same for him no matter when the movie was released as long as it was released before the settlement.
Pei Qian gave the Dream Realization Ventures more money. It was three million yuan this time.
It was nothing much compared to the twenty million yuan previously, but it was more than enough to invest in some small projects.
What was more, Pei Qian gave it some thought. Investment should be done step-by-step, not all at one go.
The twenty-million-yuan investment was a good lesson. It was better to take their time, accumulate some failed investment experiences, and then slowly figure it out.
Moreover, Pei Qian personally did it this time, which should set a good example for Old Ma. Otherwise, there would be endless trouble.
"I don't know if old Ma read the plan carefully during this period and found any unreliable projects."
Pei Qian arrived at Dream Realization Ventures while he pondered.
This time, there were no more shouts for 'Boss Ma, run away!' or sounds of typing on keyboards and clicking on the mouse. The atmosphere of the entire company changed suddenly from an internet cafe to a serious office area.
He Desheng and the others were all busy with their own work. Some of them were looking through the details of investment plans; some of them were making reports. They looked very professional.
This group of people hired by Old Ma was not purely to accompany him in games. Strictly speaking, they were 'newcomers in the investment industry who were also good gamers'. Take He Desheng as an example. He was working in the investment industry, and gaming was a hobby that he was good at. Pei Qian felt very uncomfortable seeing this scene. It seemed like it would only be more reassuring if everyone should continue playing games. Their hardworking attitude was rather scary. However, Pei Qian thought it was better this way after all since everyone would give advice to GOG when they played the game. Sigh, it was difficult on all sides. He had to think of a way to invest in any project!
Ma Yang was sitting at the big conference table with a lot of investment plans in hand. He was browsing them one by one.
However, he was probably just looking at the title and the first page going by the speed he was flipping through.
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing that. He knew he could count on his bro!
"How is it? Is there a 'dream' that's worthy of investment?" Pei Qian sat down beside Ma Yang.
He Desheng and the rest hurried over and took their seats around the conference table.
This was Boss Pei personally imparting investment experience; any word would definitely be gold! They had to listen with all seriousness!
Ma Yang announced proudly: "Brother Qian, I found one!"
"Just one?" Pei Qian was slightly disappointed. "You found only one proposal with 'dream?"
There was a stack of investment proposals on the table other than the stack Ma Yang had on his hand.
Pei Qian picked them up and flipped through them. He couldn't help but suck in.
Investment was a really technical job!
He could barely understand these plans, but the problem was that they all seemed too reliable. Pei Qian found it difficult to distinguish which project would lose money, just as it was difficult for ordinary investors to distinguish which project would be profitable.
That was because every entrepreneur and those seeking investments would basically choose the projects which have some real prospects.
Even those proposals designed to defraud investors would be made extremely believable and exaggerate even more than usual. Fake projects had to look even more believable than real projects.
How could they defraud people of money otherwise?
That was where a problem appeared. All the proposals looked reliable and likely to succeed even if a large part of them were doomed to fail.
Pei Qian did not have the insight to tell the difference between them. He could only obediently take over the proposal selected by Ma Yang
Pei Qian was shocked when it landed in his hand.
So light!
The other proposals had a lot of information, but this proposal had only one page! Not only that, but the format of the proposal was totally wrong and the content was very simple.
This project was "Shared phone booth" and did not require much investment, only 200,000 yuan.
Pei Qian couldn't help but become excited. He saw a dream in this proposal!
Ma Yang was still screening the other proposals when Pei Qian raised his hand and motioned for him to stop. "Let's invest in the project first; we'll not consider the rest."
Ma Yang put down the other plans obediently and said, "Brother Qian, are we really investing in this?
"This project is indeed filled with dreamswhich is why I singled it out, but… will it be profitable?"
Pei Qian laughed. What rubbish, why would I invest in it if it could be profitable?
However, he could definitely not say that.
Everyone at the conference table, including He Desheng, was shocked. They read the 'shared phone booth' investment proposal a long time ago but treated it as a total joke.
Shared phone booth, scanning a QR code to make calls… Wasn't that just redundant?
If someone could use their cell phone to scan a QR code, why would they use the phone booth to call?
Moreover, this was nothing new. There used to be so many public phone booths on the streets, but no one used them now.
Why? Times had changed! Who would still use a phone booth to make calls if everyone had a cell phone?
In the end, Boss Pei read it for ten seconds tops and decided to invest?
Pei Qian smiled, seeing everyone's puzzled eyes. "You are not optimistic about this project?"
Everyone nodded. Pei Qian looked at Ma Yang. "You too?"
Ma Yang nodded then shook his head. "Brother Qian, any project you choose will definitely be alright! It will definitely be profitable!"
Pei Qian's expression darkened.
This Old Ma was bootlicking, but why do I not feel good at all…? Definitely be profitable? Don't curse me please! Pei Qian coughed slightly. "Remember, investing in something that everyone is optimistic about is not venture capitalist. That's crowdfunding.
"Venture capital investment is investing in projects that seem unreliable and in projects that no one thinks will succeed! How could it be venture capital investing if there is no risk?
"The higher the risk, the greater the returns!"
Chapter 379 My Only Requirement is that It Must be Easy to Take Down
Putting money into a project that everyone believed in was not providing 'venture capital'… but crowdfunding.
Yes, what Boss Pei had said contradicted common knowledge, but it still caused everyone to reflect deeply. His words contained a profound philosophy.
The people seated around the conference table began to ponder the meaning behind Boss Pei's words. Although they felt that it made sense, it also felt strange for some reason.
As Pei Qian flipped the flimsy piece of paper around and around, he tried hard to come up with more reasons why the project would succeed. However, he failed.
The contents of this investment proposal were extraordinarily bold and imaginative.
The creator of this project was named Zhang Wang. Although the investment plan had no pictures or personal information, Pei Qian could not help but conjure up a beautiful picture in his head.
Most words in the proposal were used to broadly describe how good shared phone booths would be.
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"With the development of mobile communications technology, cell phones have become everyone's companion. On the other hand, fewer people are using public phone booths—symbols of the city's public services.
"They've been left abandoned and deserted, and they even face the possibility of being demolished altogether!
"One has to admit that this signifies a break in our heritage, a dissipation of our precious memories, the pain that accompanies development, and a loss to every single citizen in the city!"
At that point, Pei Qian felt the urge to make a confused and disgusted expression. However, since so many people were watching him at that moment, he counted on his outstanding acting skills to hold the expression back.
"My aim is to inject internet connectivity into public phone booths in order to give them new life!
"Shared phone booths will be built on the foundation of public phone booths. I aim to use art to recreate the public's perception of beauty, emotions to trigger the public's memory, convenience to change the public's lives, and performative art to show all of society the value of branding!"
TOV
Pei Qian could not help but sigh with sorrow. The writing looked quite proficient, and the language was at least comparable to the standards of students in their second year of junior high.
The rest of the plan contained smoky, flowery language. All in all, the entire proposal lacked a concrete plan. There was only one practical detail that was of any use: 'budget of two hundred thousand yuan'.
At the end of the plan was the cell phone number of the writer—the only way they could contact him.
Pei Qian handed the plan over to He Desheng and said, "Give him a call and ask him when he'll be free to come down for a chat about his proposal."
He Desheng took note of the man's cell phone number and then retreated to the side to make the phone call.
Shortly later, He Desheng returned. "Boss Pei, he said to give him a while. He's rushing over and will be here in ten minutes.
Pei Qian was speechless.
That quick? I only wanted to make an appointment to meet him face-to-face in the future.
Yet, on further thought, it seemed natural.
The proposals that Dream Realization Ventures had been considering were all supposed to be Jingzhou City's local projects. Zhang Wang probably lived in Jingzhou, not far from Dream Realization Ventures.
It was logical to guess that Zhang Wang did not have a full-time proper job either. Other investment companies probably did not bother with his proposal at all. Thus, his schedule was probably quite empty.
It was expected that he would be able to come down the moment Dream Realization Ventures contacted him. In fact, it would be surprising if he was busy. Since he was only going to take ten minutes, Pei Qian would wait for him. He retrieved his cell phone and started surfing the internet.
He Desheng and the others used this time to study the investment proposal, looking closely at every single word.
Although the proposal looked unreliable from every angle, something about it must have moved Boss Pei!
Since that was the case, they would probably be able to learn something about Boss Pei's investment methods once they located that one thing, right?
This project was a small one that would only cost two hundred thousand yuan. That was merely one percent of their previous project. However, as the saying went, tiny clues revealed general trends. Perhaps it would be small projects like this one that would best reflect the brilliance of Boss Pei's investment strategy.
Everyone at the conference table frowned as they swayed back and forth, between suspicion and self-doubt.
Soon, rushed footsteps could be heard from outside.
"I'm here! I'm here to talk about the project!"
Pei Qian looked up to see a muscular, well-sculpted man rush into the office.
It was already January. The weather had turned cold, and the average temperature was below zero degrees Celsius. Yet, this muscle man was only dressed in a relatively thin, black sweater and jeans. He looked quite energetic and not cold at all.
His sweater, jeans, and sports shoes did not have any brand. However, they looked clean. Obviously, he washed them well.
He was not wearing any accessories like a beanie, a scarf, a mask, or gloves. Even in his sweater and jeans, the man looked huge-he looked like a small hill.
The most eye-catching thing about me was his long, flowy hair. His hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and a couple of locks of stray hair framed his face. He looked every bit like an artist.
However, his sage-like vibes were a stark contrast to his muscular figure.
Pei Qian had no words at that moment.
Zhang Wang looked extremely different from what Pei Qian had imagined.
He had thought about how many fraudsters or silly people looked like. However, he would never have expected Zhang Wang to be a muscle man. If Zhang Wang introduced himself as a security guard, nobody would have suspected a thing. Ma Yang whispered in Pei Qian's ear, "It looks like he ran over here."
Pei Qian also realized that beads of perspiration had formed on Zhang Wang's forehead. His face was slightly flushed, and he was panting as well. If he had only run a short distance, he probably would not look like that.
Thus, Pei Qian guessed that he probably ran or cycled a long distance to get here. It was a very cold day. Running or cycling in this weather was not normal behavior.
At that moment, the entire conference room fell silent. Perhaps no one had ever encountered this scene before.
Zhang Wang looked lost as well. He lowered his tone and said again, "I'm here to talk about the project."
Pei Qian immediately stood up and waved at everyone else. "What are you waiting for? Serve him tea! Come, Mr. Zhang. Please, take a seat."
Pei Qian gestured for Zhang Wang to take the empty seat across from him, in front of the conference table.
Someone served Zhang Wang a cup of hot tea, which Zhang Wang took with a 'thanks'. Pei Qian said, "Don't be nervous. Drink it slowly. It must have been tiring for you to run here. Catch your breath first. We can talk about the project when you're ready."
Zhang Wang blew at his tea and then downed the entire cup in one breath. Finally, he looked at the young man across from him, who had been talking to him the entire time.
Obviously, this was the potential investor. However, Mr. Zhang had no idea how to address him.
He Desheng quickly introduced Pei Qian. "This is Boss Pei, the CEO of Tengda Corporation. This is Boss Ma, the CEO of Dream Realization Ventures."
Zhang Wang looked excited. "Boss Pei, Boss Ma, thank you both for giving me this opportunity! I'll tell you both about my project-shared umbrellas!
"We always meet with this troublesome situation: we're out on a rainy day with no umbrella. We could buy one from a random roadside stall, but it would be expensive yet with poor quality. Pei Qian, "?" He raised his hand, gesturing for Zhang Wang to stop talking at once. "Wait, wait, wait. What did you say your project was?"
Zhang Wang paused and then answered, "Shared umbrellas."
Question marks filled the minds of everyone around the conference table at once.
Pei Qian cleared his throat and said, "…but your proposal is about shared phone booths."
Zhang Wang was obviously stunned. Laughing awkwardly, he said, "Yes, yes, yes. Shared phone booths is also my project! I'm sorry, Boss Pei. I have too many ideas, and I'm finding it difficult to remember them all.
"Boss Pei, I wonder if you'd be interested in my shared umbrellas project. Do you want to invest in that, too?"
Ma Yang's eyes lit up with interest. He whispered to Pei Qian, "Brother Qian, that project sounds more reliable than phone booths!"
Pei Qian's expression darkened.
Shared umbrellas? That project sounds too reliable. Why would I invest in that?
Er, actually, it's hard to tell if it'll be reliable, but at least it'll be useful. Usefulness indicates risk!
Pei Qian shook his head. "I'm not interested in shared umbrellas for now. Tell me more about the shared phone booths."
"Alright, Boss Pei." Zhang Wang did not look that disappointed. "I got the idea for shared phone booths because of how much I miss public phone booths…"
Pei Qian had a feeling that Zhang Wang was about to start a long, meaningless monologue. He quickly raised his hand to stop him.
"Alright, alright. You don't have to introduce the project in so much detail. Your investment proposal is already extremely detailed."
He Desheng instinctively looked down at the proposal. Was this one-page proposal considered 'extremely detailed'?
Pei Qian continued speaking. "I'm going to ask you a few simple, key questions. Answer me as simply and directly as you can, alright?"
Zhang Wang nodded. "No problem, Boss Pei!"
Pei Qian asked, "How did you come up with the budget of two hundred thousand yuan?"
Zhang Wang confidently answered, "Boss Pei, I did my calculations. I plan to invest in twenty shared phone booths. The cost of constructing each one would be ten thousand yuan.
"The booth would be 2.4 meters high, made of tinplate, and sprayed with high-temperature paint. It would also have exquisitely carved, retro door handles and wooden flooring. The workmanship would be exquisite and beautiful. The booth itself would cost about five thousand yuan to build.
"Apart from that, an additional five thousand yuan would be required to do up the rest of the booth.
"That would add up to two hundred thousand yuan."
Once he finished speaking, Zhang Yuan gazed at Pei Qian expectantly.
After some thought, Pei Qian said, "That wouldn't do.
"You're going to spend the full two hundred thousand yuan at one shot? How can you not have spare cash on hand when working on a project?
"How about this? I'll give you five hundred thousand yuan. Think about what else you could add to the phone booths. If all else fails, you can come up with the design for the interior and exterior of the phone booth from scratch!"
Zhang Wang looked elated. "Alright, Boss Pei! No problem!"
Pei Qian thought about something else and said, "Oh yes, the booths must be easy to build and easy to take down. That's my only requirement."
Zhang Wang chewed on this for a moment and then nodded. "Alright. I don't think that's necessary, but since Boss Pei has spoken, I'll see to it!"
Pei Qian had no other requirements for this project. All he wanted was for the booths to be easy to take down. That way-once the project failed, he would be able to take the booths down and sell the scraps. He could avoid creating a rubbish disposal problem in the city.
After all, Boss Pei's only aim was to incur losses. He did not want to become a burden to the city. He had to be a man of character.
Speaking of which, Pei Qian suddenly realized that the System had not issued him a warning against investing in an unreliable project like that. Had five hundred thousand yuan become nothing in the System's eyes?
After all, the System had already permitted him to spend five million yuan on charity.
Pei Qian could not help but feel sorrowful. System, System… it looks like you still don't understand the concept of nipping the problem in the bud.
Many five hundred thousands could add up to a lot!
Still, being able to throw five hundred thousand yuan away was a good start!