January 25th, Tuesday...
At Shang Yang Games...
Ruan Guangjian entered the game again to experience Be Quiet properly once through. Just like before, cries and screams of terror could be heard intermittently. However, everyone in Shang Yang Games was already used to this.
Ye Zhizhou and Wang Xiaobin mumbled between themselves.
"Big Boss Ruan is screaming much louder than before."
"Hmm, it looks like the improvements we made recently are quite effective."
Both of them looked at the decibel meter in front of them. The value kept fluctuating, but they recorded all the peak values.
Compared to the previous test, there was an obvious improvement this time.
After a while, everything went silent.
Ruan Guangjian's face was flushed, and he looked like he was bursting with life as he praised, "Good! The game finally plays like a horror game!
"I don't think any changes have to be made to the game's graphics. You just have to tie up some loose ends after this."
Everyone stood up one by one and clapped, feeling thankful.
During this period, Ruan Guangjian had helped them with the best he could. Not only had he changed the game's style entirely, but he had also given many suggestions to improve the gameplay.
The game's horror effects had only been passable at first. However, thanks to Ruan Guangjian's help, it was now outstanding!
What's more, Ruan Guangjian had made time to paint the shared phone booths and even contacted his friends to help out.
Everyone at Shang Yang Games appreciated Ruan Guangjian's efforts.
Although Lin Wan had already paid him enough, Shang Yang Games still felt like it owed Ruan Guangjian a huge favor.
"Alright, things here are done. I have to go back to Shanghai soon. I'll go back and organize the move, and then we'll celebrate the New Year.
"For all we know, my workspace would have moved to Jingzhou by then. Maybe we'll become neighbors!" Ruan Guangjian smiled.
Everyone began thanking him. Although they had not worked together for long, the employees at Shang Yang Games still could not bear to see Ruan Guangjian go.
After leaving Shang Yang Games, Ruan Guangjian retrieved his cell phone and called Boss Pei. He had to at least say goodbye now that he was leaving Jingzhou.
At that moment, Pei Qian had just seen Lin Chang off.
Both of them had agreed to wait until the horror game and the first cell phone were released before having Lin Wan dealt with. Then, they had a huge feast together to celebrate.
Pei Qian's cell phone began to vibrate. "Eh?"
Pei Qian instinctively frowned when he saw Ruan Guangjian's number. He immediately thought about the shared phone booths!
However, no matter how angry he felt, he had to answer Ruan Guangjian's call. Otherwise, if he missed any news of a fatal back-stabbing, he would be in deep trouble.
"Boss Pei, I'm going to stay in Jingzhou to play for two more days before I return to Shanghai. Thank you for hosting me so well during this period. I know you're busy, and so I won't bid you farewell face-to-face.
"Once I move here after the Chinese New Year, us brothers can reunite and have some drinks!"
Pei Qian, "?"
What do you mean by 'move here after the Chinese New Year'? What do you mean by 'us brothers can reunite and have some drinks'?
Who said you could move your workspace here? Who said that we're brothers?!
Pei Qian was speechless. Ruan Guangjian and Teacher Qiao... the names of both of those enemies were written down in Pei Qian's little notebook, and yet they were acting so chummy with Pei Qian!
However, hearing that Ruan Guangjian was leaving, Pei Qian could not help but feel happy. After all, the bane of his existence was leaving. He could look forward to smoother days ahead, and he would not have to worry about being stabbed by a paintbrush anymore. Yet, something was wrong!
Pei Qian quickly said, "Don't rush! I have something else for you! How about this? I'll pick you up from the hotel this afternoon. I want to give you a huge surprise!"
Ruan Guangjian sounded astonished through the phone. "Oh? A surprise? What surprise?"
Pei Qian sniggered. "It's a surprise... it won't be one anymore if I tell you what it is. Just meet me at the hotel lobby in the afternoon. I'll come and fetch you."
Ruan Guangjian did not ask any more questions. Instead, he just said, "Alright."
After hanging up, Pei Qian could not help but grin. I almost let you slip away, brat! Before this, Pei Qian had already confirmed something through the phone. After a month of pure hard work, three small containers for the second project of the haunted house were done.
Those small projects did not take up much space. Take the 'bathroom' for example. It only measured about ten square meters. All the game's content could be found in that cramped area.
What's more, they could work on multiple small projects at the same time. Thus, they had completed them quickly.
Although the third project would be the scariest in the Thriller Hostel, Pei Qian could not wait any longer. Ruan Guangjian was going to slip away. Pei Qian had to let him experience the Thriller Hostel; he could not let him walk away so arrogantly!
At that thought, Pei Qian called Chen Kangtuo.
"Prepare those three mini-projects for me. I'm going to bring a friend to experience them this afternoon. We have to scare him until he pees his pants!
In the afternoon, at the old industrial zones...
It looked like not much progress had been made on the construction of the Thriller Hostel for now. They had only picked out three factory buildings to commence initial works so far.
One of the factory buildings contained several shipping containers. That was where the second project would be located.
The old industrial zone was quite big. There would be a ticketing booth and surrounding shops in the future, but there was still no hint of those yet. After all, only a month had passed since they had come up with the plan. Completing three mini-projects in that time frame was impressive enough. Ruan Guangjian and Pei Qian alighted from the car and walked towards the factory building
"Boss Pei, if people weren't doing construction work here, I would have thought you were going to kill me and bury my corpse," joked Ruan Guangjian. Pei Qian sniggered inwardly. Do you think I don't want to? Ruan Guangjian looked around, confused. "Boss Pei, what exactly is the surprise you were talking about?"
Pei Qian kept him on tenterhooks. "Follow me, and you'll find out."
As they entered the factory building, Chen Kangtuo and Hao Qiong walked out to welcome them. When Ruan Guangjian saw the project title 'Thriller Hostel', a realization dawned on him. "Oh, Boss Pei, is this going to be the new haunted house?"
Pei Qian smiled. "That's right! You said you didn't have fun at the haunted house when you came to Jingzhou. That's why I arranged for you to come here!"
Pei Qian was telling the absolute truth. Apart from wanting to incur losses, the second biggest reason that he had decided to create a haunted house was to regain the upper hand with respect to Ruan Guangjian!
Even Teacher Qiao had suffered when he had visited Jingzhou the last time. How could Pei Qian allow Ruan Guangjian to leave Jingzhou unscathed?
That would be unacceptable!
Ruan Guangjian's face drained of all color at once. "No, no, no! I can't! Boss Pei, farewell!"
He cupped his fists and turned to escape.
Pei Qian quickly grabbed him. "Don't do that. You're already here. You have to at least give it a shot, right?
"What's more, I created this haunted house especially for you. If you don't go in, wouldn't I have done this project in vain?".
No matter what Pei Qian said, Ruan Guangjian shook his head profusely.
"Boss Pei, I won't hide this from you. I think nothing of rollercoasters, pendulum rides, bungee jumping, and other extreme activities like that; but I fear haunted houses the most!
"How about this? Boss Pei, I'll treat you to bungee jumping. We can jump together..."
Ruan Guangjian suggested changing the battlefield so that he could play on his own strengths, but Pei Qian turned him down decisively.
"No way! Bungee jumping isn't fun at all!" Pei Qian shook his head profusely. "Trust me —this haunted house is way more fun!"
After a long time, Ruan Guangjian finally gave in and reluctantly agreed to try out the haunted house.
Before entering the haunted house, he intentionally made a trip to the restroom. He had not brought a change of clothes after all. What would he do if he wet his pants?
Chen Kangtuo handed the instructions for the project to Ruan Guangjian. "Boss, read this carefully. Once you go in, you have to make sure to complete all the requests on these instructions. Only then would you pass."
As if he was facing his biggest enemy, Ruan Guangjian stared intently at the instructions and memorized them. Beads of cold sweat began to form on his forehead.
Pei Qian stood by the side, cheering on Ruan Guangjian on the surface but celebrating on the inside.
Ruan Guangjian, Ruan Guangjian... you've met your fate!
You're immune to pendulum rides and bungee jumps, aren't you? You savored every second of the roller coaster rides, didn't you?
I'll fix you today!
Pei Qian knew very well that the third project of the Thriller Hostel would be the scariest. However, the second project was not that far off in terms of horror effects.
While the third project scared people using traditional methods like backgrounds, props, and actors; the second project scared people using psychological hints.
The visitor would be scared by his own thoughts, and his mental stress would only intensify. Throughout the experience, he would be functioning in his most nervous state. That level of fear was the scariest.
Pei Qian could hardly wait to see Ruan Guangjian run out of the container in fear, with tears flowing down his cheeks.
Soon, Ruan Guangjian memorized the requirements of the first mini-project. Then, he entered the corresponding shipping container.
The original plan was for visitors to enter multiple shipping containers by chance. They would have to memorize the requirements for all the shipping containers and then try to make it through at least three before they would pass this stage.
However, since the construction of the other shipping containers was not complete, Ruan Guangjian could only experience them one by one.
After Ruan Guangjian entered, everyone moved to the laptop next to the shipping container to look at the surveillance cameras' footage.
Chen Kangtuo hesitated and then asked, "Boss Pei, shouldn't we do a brief physical examination on him? This shipping container is quite scary. I've gone through it myself, and I was scared stiff."
Pei Qian shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary."
Ruan Guangjian was well and healthy. He could sit through roller coasters and pendulum rides without a problem. Pei Qian highly doubted that there were any health problems that they had to beware of.
At most, he would scream and shout inside the haunted house. If he started showing extraordinary reactions, Pei Qian would send one of the staff to rescue him. Nothing could go wrong.
"Er... Boss Pei, he's shaking," said Hao Qiong.
Through the monitor, they could clearly see Ruan Guangjian. Upon entering the container, he spent ten seconds trying to lock the door alone. Then, he spent another ten seconds picking up the red candle and switching off the lights. He was probably trying to brace himself. Pei Qian sniggered. "Is he trying to buy time? The slower he moves, the more scared he would become!"
There was no limit to how long one could stay inside the shipping container, and there was no need to set one.
The longer one stayed inside such a frightening environment, the more terrified they would become. The best strategy was to move as quickly as possible, finish the mission, and then get out. People like Ruan Guangjian would probably be scared out of the container before they could even fulfill all the requirements.
"Ah!"
They heard a scream.
There was a high-definition infrared surveillance camera, as well as a loudspeaker and microphone inside the container. Thus, those on the outside could hear what was going on inside.
The scream had scared all of them.
Pei Qian only recovered from the shock after two seconds. "What did he see?"
Chen Kangtuo scratched his head, puzzled. "He didn't see anything. He just placed the candle in front of the mirror. He hasn't even covered his eyes.
"Did he scream after just seeing his own reflection in the mirror?"
Hao Qiong turned to Pei Qian, who was looking at the monitor expectantly. "Boss Pei, Big Boss Ruan seems very timid. Should we let him go?"
Pei Qian shook his head. "How can we? I believe he'll be able to conquer his own fears!"
Chapter 406 Another Reason to Move to Jingzhou!
Within the cramped bathroom, Ruan Guangjian felt his entire body shaking. His legs were jelly, and his heart was racing. He could not help but scream earlier.
He had to admit that he was being immersed on a completely different level from when he had played the game.
When Ruan Guangjian had been playing Be Quiet, he had screamed the entire time. However, he was screaming less in the haunted house, not because it was less scary... but because he could not even bring himself to scream.
Until now, Ruan Guangjian had not seen any frightening ghosts or monsters. Even though Ruan Guangjian wanted to scream, he could not find the right time to.
However, the horrifying atmosphere had been intensifying his mental stress from the moment he stepped through the door.
When he entered, Ruan Guangjian had seen the dirty bathroom under the fluorescent light.
In the shadows where the light had not reached, he saw what looked like red bloodstains. However, he could not be sure.
The ground, toilets, and sink had a layer of grease covering them. The entire place looked rotten, filthy, and chilling.
He closed the door.
He locked it.
He switched off the lights. He lit the candle and placed it in front of the mirror.
Each step that he took required tons of courage. Each step that he took challenged his bottom line.
Having to close and lock the door hinted to visitors that they would be locked in with the ghosts and monsters. That intensified the feeling of being cooped up. What's more, switching off the lights limited their vision. In the darkness, they would have no choice but to rely on the weak glow of the candlelight to look around.
When he saw himself in the mirror, Ruan Guangjian could not help but scream because half of his face had been covered in shadows under the glow of the candlelight. It had been exceptionally terrifying.
After screaming, Ruan Guangjian slowly calmed down.
"What was I supposed to do next...?
"That's right, cover my own eyes and wait for three seconds before looking into the mirror again."
Ruan Guangjian sucked in a deep breath, closed his eyes, counted to three, and opened them again. His pupils immediately contracted!
He couldn't see anything in the mirror.
He couldn't even see himself!
The candlelight continued to glow, but Ruan Guangjian's reflection had disappeared into thin air!
Before Ruan Guangjian could react, two red eyes suddenly appeared in the mirror. Those eyes were wide open, and two streams of blood were flowing from them! The blood flowed very quickly from those eyes to the frame of the mirror, and then outside... into the sink!
"Ah!"
Outside, everyone heard another blood-curdling scream.
Pei Qian could not help but lift his hand to his chest. Since he was outside, he did not think that the haunted house looked particularly scary. In fact, Ruan Guangjian's screams were scaring him more than anything.
Unable to watch any longer, Pei Qian said, "If you see that he's about to collapse, fetch him out at once."
Everyone else nodded and waited to rescue Ruan Guangjian as if they were facing their greatest enemy.
After screaming, Ruan Guangjian calmed down quickly. He switched on the tap and began washing his hands.
However, what flowed from the tap was not clear water. Instead, it was a red, viscous fluid!
Ruan Guangjian let out a sharp cry again and quickly retracted his hands. The strange thing was that, under the candlelight, his hands did not look like they had been dyed red with blood.
Ruan Guangjian quickly switched off the tap. After bracing himself mentally, he lay down in the bathtub.
He lay there for ten seconds, but nothing happened.
It was then that he realized that he had left out a step.
There was a rusty timer next to the bathtub. Ruan Guangjian felt around, found it, and gave it a gentle tap. Then, the timer made 'tick-tock' noises as the countdown began.
In the quiet bathroom, the monotonous sounds felt like a rasp, filing away at Ruan Guangjian's faltering sanity non-stop.
He covered both his eyes with his hands, reciting the instructions in his head again and again: he was not to make a sound.
As the timer kept ticking, time passed, second by second.
Ruan Guangjian had thought that he only needed to wait for three minutes until the ticking sounds ceased. However, he had obviously been wrong.
He heard the sound of someone unlocking the locked door. Ruan Guangjian had even heard the sounds of someone inserting a key into the lock.
The person at the door kept trying to open it but failed each time. That was because the door was bolted.
After that, there was a loud banging on the door.
Bang!
Bang! With every bang, Ruan Guangjian's heart rate quickened. Trembling violently, he had no choice but to cover his eyes with one hand and his mouth with the other. That was the only way he could stop himself from making a sound.
All of a sudden, the banging stopped. It was almost as if the person at the door had given
up.
Although Ruan Guangjian knew that this was fake, he could not help but heave a huge sigh of relief.
However, just as he was relaxing, he heard the door bolt crack and then creak.
For some reason, the door had been unbolted and opened!
Ruan Guangjian heard heavy footsteps. It was almost as if the person who had just entered the cramped bathroom was wearing boots!
He heard labored breathing like the person was looking for something. The person's leather boots were causing dull thumping noises as they struck the floor. Yet, as they lifted off the ground, it sounded like they had been stuck in the puddles of blood.
He also heard deafening grinding sounds from behind him like someone was dragging metal against the ground.
It was probably either an ax or a hammer.
Ruan Guangjian continued to cover his eyes and mouth for his life, not daring to make a single sound.
Piak!
The person switched on the light. The fluorescent light rays shone through the gaps between Ruan Guangjian's fingers and onto his eyelids, causing his vision to light up at once.
The person's footsteps ceased, but his breathing did not sound far away. The bathtub's curtains were slowly pulled open. The labored breathing was getting closer Ruan Guangjian could almost feel puffs of air blowing out of the person's nose and onto his own hands...
Click.
The timer ceased. That meant the three minutes were up.
According to the instructions, Ruan Guangjian had completed the challenge. All he had to do now was open his eyes.
However, Ruan Guangjian did not dare to because he had not heard the footsteps leaving. The person was still standing next to the bathtub, holding his ax up silently and observing him.
After a full minute, Ruan Guangjian sneakily peeked through the gaps in his fingers, and carefully looked outside.
Under the fluorescent light, everything looked like it did before. The murderer with the ax that he had conjured up in his head was not there.
Ruan Guangjian heaved a huge sigh of relief. He climbed out of the bathtub, his legs weak. All he could do was walk towards the door, one step at a time.
The door was still bolted. No one had opened
it.
Ruan Guangjian quickly unbolted the door and pulled it inward, ready to exit the container.
However, on the outside of the door were a fresh, bloody handprint and an ax dripping with blood!
"Ah!"
Everyone outside was guilt-ridden. Chen Kangtuo had been worried that Ruan Guangjian would be scared out of his wits the entire time.
After all, this big boss was one of Boss Pei's good friends. He had been drawing concept art for Tengda ever since they started working on Ghost General. One could say that this man had witnessed Tengda rise to where it stood today.
One could also say that, on a certain level, Ruan Guangjian's art had given Tengda's games their souls!
If they scared such an important person out of his wits, and he ended up causing trouble for them, none of them would be able to take responsibility!
Even Pei Qian was beginning to think that he had gone too far. "Ai, when would the cycles of vengeance end? Seeing that I've already scared him this much, I'll forgive him. In any case, I've taken my revenge. I can push him down the list in my notebook for now."
Everyone quickly rushed to receive Ruan Guangjian after seeing that the final scare had gotten him.
"Are you alright?" "You didn't get scared to death, did you?" "Quick, quick, quick. Big Boss, please take a seat."
Everyone walked Ruan Guangjian to a nearby chair as if they were stars holding up the moon.
Concerned, Pei Qian asked, "How was it? Was it alright?"
Ruan Guangjian's face was flushed, and he looked invigorated as he said, "Boss Pei, the haunted house is... brilliant!"
He held up his thumb and said, "Are there other projects? I want to go again!"
Pei Qian looked confused. His mind was filled with question marks.
Ruan Guangjian's lit gaze made him look like a completely different person. He had not even looked this excited when he was painting!
Pei Qian felt like he had fallen for a scam.
Didn't you say that haunted houses scare you the most? Why are you still saying that you want to go again?!
Normal people would not want to go a second time after experiencing it once.
What's more, most people would look pale and jittery, and their legs would be shaking. You, on the other hand, are flushed and full of life. You even look like you're in tip-top mental shape, and you're ready to go on another adventure!
The current scene stunned everyone in the room.
Boss Pei recovered the fastest, as he always did. Through gritted teeth, Pei Qian said, "Didn't you hear him? Let him try the other two projects!"
"Boss Pei, I'm going to board the plane.
"Thank you for hosting me so well during this period. Be it the roller coasters at the start or the haunted house at the end, everything left a deep impression in my heart. I'll never forget my time here!
"The haunted house has given me another reason to move to Jingzhou. Once I get back, I'll immediately arrange to move. I hope Boss Pei will speed up the building of the haunted house, too. I can't wait to experience its third major project for myself! "See you after the Chinese New Year!"
After reading Ruan Guangjian's message, Pei Qian leaned back in his chair and allowed both of his arms to fall limp by his sides.
"I'm so pissed off!"
Pei Qian's heart was filled with pent-up frustration. He had tried to show Ruan Guangjian who was boss when the latter first landed, but he had ended up giving him the time of his life.
Then, he had tried to show Ruan Guangjian who was boss again before the latter left, but he had ended up entertaining him once more!
Boss Pei had not even failed this miserably when Teacher Qiao had visited Jingzhou...
The most infuriating thing was that Ruan Guangjian had clearly been scared out of his wits by the first mini-project. He had been screaming and trembling. Yet, when he stepped out, it looked like nothing had even happened. He had even insisted on trying the other minor projects as well!Thus, Pei Qian had immediately allowed him to try the other two mini-projects.
Ruan Guangjian had reacted in the same way. He had panicked throughout the entire experience, making everyone think that he would collapse at any moment. However, whenever he emerged, he had looked lively and invigorated and had asked to go again!
Pei Qian had waited one entire month for the three mini-projects to be completed. Yet, in just one hour, Ruan Guangjian had emerged victorious from them all.
Pei Qian had no choice but to let Ruan Guangjian go with his head held high. There was nothing else that he could do.
It was like Pei Qian had prepared for a long, arduous journey filled with thousands of threats along the way. However, he had ended up completing the journey in three days and saying, "That's it?"
It was unbearable!
"Just wait. Wait for the Thriller Hostel to be completed. You'll be so scared that you'll have to lean against the wall for strength to walk out!"
Pei Qian hatefully swore in his heart.
Chapter 407 Discouraging Investors
January 26th, Wednesday...
Dream Realization Ventures...
Pei Qian sipped his tea, wandering beyond the sky while listening to He Desheng's report. Pei Qian felt a little empty even though he should be very happy now that Ruan Guangjian was gone and the last of his exams were over.
There was one more week to Chinese New Year. Most of his classmates had returned home, but Pei Qian had to continue working hard in the office.
Why did he have to suffer so!
He wanted to delegate to someone else, oh no, just let it all go... but there was no way. It would come back to haunt him.
There were two activities for Dream Realization Ventures. One was the IOI's local server, and the other was 'Top Student, Come Quick' app.
At present, the testing conditions of IOI in Europe and the United States were pretty good. Theoretically speaking, they had to start preparations for the local server.
At this stage, many local games companies had noticed IOI gaining momentum in the Europe and America testing period. They were trying to win the agency rights of the local server as soon as possible.
They only realized that the agency rights had been given when they went to ask Finger Games about it.
Therefore, they could only hope that Dream Realization Ventures resell the IOI agency rights for its local server.
The prices offered naturally increased with the ample demand.
"Boss Pei, so do we... sell?" He Desheng ended the long report, finally touching the questions of the soul.
Pei Qian was silent for the moment. "Tell me what the highest offer price is now again."
He Desheng, "35 million yuan."
Pei Qian put down his teacup silently, wanting to lament the heavens.
Thirty-five million yuan!
I
The rights for the local agency in the hands of Dream Realization Ventures was a sweetener when he bought Finger Games.
At that time, it only cost Finger Games 20 million yuan to buy 20% of Finger Games' shares. The shares were still in their hands. Just selling the agency rights for the local server would get them 35 million yuan.
Such speed of churning money.
Pei Qian shook his head immediately. "Reject all of them, not selling!"
Pei Qian knew very well that he would not be able to make a loss in this cycle if he were to sell it!
What could he do to spend more than 30 million yuan more now that he was two months away from the settlement? It was too risky!
Therefore, he must not sell it!
He Desheng agreed deeply, "Yes, I think so too! 35 million yuan is too little. You can definitely sell it for higher if you were to hold it in hand for a while more!"
Pei Qian, "?"
He Desheng continued with joy on his face. "Boss Pei, I did my homework. Agency fees paid by local games companies for foreign games are reaching astronomical figures! "The agency fee for the previous version of Fantasy World was 30 million US dollars, nearly 200 million yuan! "If that's the case, IOI popularity in the future might even reach the level of 'Fantasy World'. They want to buy from us at only 35 million yuan now? Not possible!
"Of course, this is also because IOI had just started its testing phase, and Finger Games itself is virtually unknown.
"In short, we don't need to worry now. The agency fee will definitely increase again as long as IOI's popularity abroad continues to swell!"
Pei Qian was speechless.
We're thinking about two different issues, alright!
Pei Qian's thoughts were on the settlement of this cycle going down the wrong way if he were to sell it now. There would be no place to spend the 35 million yuan so it could not be sold now.
On the other hand, He Desheng thought 35 million yuan was obviously still too low-that the price would still increase!
Pei Qian felt like selling instead after hearing He Desheng's words.
However, he gave it some thought and decided that he should not sell.
In the short term, selling would affect the settlement. Looking at it in the long term, however, if IOI could really make billions of yuan; then why wouldn't Pei Qian just simply lie down and make the money.
After thinking about it for a while, Pei Qian said, "What I mean is that we cannot sell it. We have to open another company to be fully responsible for the operation of the IOI local server!"
He Desheng was stunned momentarily before nodding his head immediately. "That's good as well! We'll be able to hold this cash cow in our hands and let it spin money for us then!"
Pei Qian was speechless.
Think whatever you will! I don't want to explain anymore! So tired!
Pei Qian decided to set up his own company to operate IOI's local servers mainly for two reasons.
First, it would be suspicious if he obtained the agency rights for the local server without selling it or doing anything himself.
Second, operating it himself meant he could spend more money!
The server requirements for IOI and GOG as a real-time battle game were amongst the highest amongst Tengda Games's current games. A huge amount was bound to be spent for the server fees.
At the same time, IOI's initial publicity would definitely require a lot of money. This way, he could at least be guaranteed a loss during this period. As for the future...
If IOI did become a cash cow and ended up making so much that he could not make a loss, then Pei Qian could simply let it sit. He would then make a profit conversion ratio of 1000:1 to earn some pocket money.
Pei Qian did not want to think too much about the problem of IOI. He could not sell it now anyway so he could only grit his teeth to do it this way.
"Anyway, there's no need to hurry. We can wait until after Chinese New Year.
"What about 'Top Student, Come Quick'?
"The three million yuan previously should have been all spent by now, right?" Pei Qian asked casually.
The 'Top Student, Come Quick' project had been constantly burning money during this period. There were holes everywhere; no matter whether it was in advertisements or in subsidies.
It might not be burning as fast as the shared bicycles, but the initial funds were only three million. It was easy to spend all in no time.
He Desheng nodded. "Soon, there is less than one million yuan left in the accounts.
"Not to worry, Boss Pei. There are a few investment firms that showed a strong interest in investing in 'Top Student, Come Quick' and would like to invest some more!"
The teacup that had reached Pei Qian's lips stopped their motion. "...huh?".
Why did they want to invest in such an unreliable project? Did your brains burn out?
The 'Top Student, Come Quick' app had been revised.
Pei Qian discovered that this app had a bad tendency to become a dating platform previously. He had taken decisive measures and made major changes to some functions. There were no more gender in the user options on the platform and no photo-only names and default avatars.
One would only be able to see the good rating and system default labels that others give the top students on their profile. For example, they could use the following: good teaching attitude, patience, easy-to-understand, and so on.
The homepage of flunkies was similar. Good ratings and system default labels such as 'listens carefully', good learning attitude, polite, etc.
The flunkies would fill in their requirements on their apps, including the subject, time, and agreed place that they needed tutoring according to the current standard process. The top students would take the orders objectively, and the chat software attached to the software would be used throughout the process. The party would not be able to know the other party's gender and appearance clearly during the entire process. Of course, some people would definitely try to ask the gender of the other party before meeting. In that case, the app had specially designed a 'one-click complaint' function. It would automatically submit the chat records of the parties for review and stop all communication between them after it was clicked.
Once it was verified an account had tried to obtain the gender or appearance of the other party, the account would be suspended and punished immediately. That would range from the deduction of reputation points to permanent closure of that ID and mobile number.
The number of active users of this new version of the app plummeted immediately!
That was because a large number of users joined the platform with impure purposes. They just treated it as a platform to meet the opposite sex.
It was just like in the taxi-hailing software where many drivers would deliberately pick up pretty girls and hit on them in private. There was no shortage of such people in the 'Top Student, Come Quick' app.
What was more, it was easy to fall prey to such situations with face-to-face tutoring. It would be much worse than taxi-hailing software if allowed to develop.
The new version completely extinguished the delusions of this group of people. It was very normal for the popularity of this app to plummet.
Pei Qian originally thought that it would deal a blow so heavy to the 'Top Student, Come Quick' project that it would successfully burn all the millions in no time.
He did not think that there would be investment firms who want to continue pumping money into it.
Pei Qian was deep in thought.
He had originally planned to burn out the three million yuan quickly and then announce that the project had failed to let it cool off naturally.
Yet, someone was rushing to send money to this project before all the money was even spent!
Pei Qian wanted to reject them, but there was no valid reason!
Boss Li's Fu Hui Investments invested one million yuan; the other investment firms would not need a lot of shares. This 'Top Student, Come Quick' project was currently lacking money..
What sort of reason should he reject it with?
Pei Qian thought for a moment and had an idea.
Tell these companies about the unreliable aspects of the project and let them retreat!
Pei Qian said to He Desheng, "Call these investment firms immediately and make two things clear to them."
"First, ask them why they want to invest in the 'Top Student, Come Quick' project." "Second, clarify all the current problems that 'Top Student, Come Quick' is facing and explain the risks involved!"
The first purpose of the first question was very simple. He just wanted to know what these people saw as reliable points in the project. He wanted to change those aspects of it.
He Desheng was confused.
What did Boss Pei mean? Why would these companies invest in 'Top Student, Come Quick'? Definitely because they feel this project was reliable!
That should be a question the investment firms ask; they were the investors while we were the recipients!
He Desheng thought hard. Could Boss Pei hope I can use this method to reverse the situation of this project? Deepen my understanding of investment methodologies?
Hm, this is one valid explanation.
But why does Boss Pei want me to tell the investors the risks in this project?
Other project owners try to fool investment firms as much as possible, telling them only the good side so that they could get more money.
Would people still invest in me if I gave my trump card away?
He Desheng did not understand, but he did not dare ask anymore when he saw Boss Pei's firm eyes. He just dialed the phone numbers of these investment firms one by one.
Pei Qian listened on by his side.
He Desheng was very obedient. He did exactly what Pei Qian asked of him. He first asked the other party for their views of the 'Top Student, Come Quick' project and then told them about the problems currently faced by the project.
For example, how the current active users were not able to support market demand, how the popularity and daily activity of the app had plummeted after the update, and how their functions were relatively singular.
As expected, he managed to dissuade two companies!
These investment firms had to do some research before investing, but there was always some internal information which they could not obtain.
Some of these investment firms simply took a fancy to the education industry as a promising sunrise industry and Tengda and Fu Hui Investments' backing. They felt that this would be a relatively reliable project based on these factors, which was why they were considering an investment.
However, He Desheng made the real situation very clear now, emphasizing the huge risks faced by this project,which could lose everything
Therefore, some investment firms beat a retreat immediately.
The enthusiasm of the three investment firms he called were all put out after the calls. Their preparation to invest money degenerated to a wait-and-see state.
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Chapter 408 The Tengda Wealth Contained Within The Tengda Spirit!
He Desheng looked at Pei Qian bitterly after hanging up the phone. "Boss Pei, there are three more investment firms; should I continue calling?"
"We have dissuaded at least two million yuan worth of investments in such a short time..." He Desheng felt that it was simply incredible. You don't want the money that people bring in front of you?
What was Boss Pei thinking?
Pei Qian had no reaction to the two or three million yuan gone with the wind. He was still drinking tea very calmly; a smile even appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Continue calling!" Pei Qian felt that his strategy worked! Dissuade everyone; stop them from making trouble!
He Desheng had no choice but to continue calling the next investment firm. "Boss Chen! Yes, I'm He Desheng. I want to discuss the matter of 'Top Student, Come Quick' app with you..."
He Desheng continued to follow the previous protocol. He first briefly asked the other party their view on the project and then began to talk about the current problems of the project and then the possible risks in this investment.
Boss Chen listened silently, reacting with 'um' and 'ah' from time to time.
He Desheng waited quietly after he was done explaining
ses
After listening so much, he was afraid that Boss Chen would be like the previous bosses of the investment firm and would reconsider the investment.
Finally, it was Boss Chen's turn to speak after a short silence.
"Well, if that's the case... I want to increase my investment. I originally wanted to invest one million yuan, but now I've decided to invest three million yuan!"
Pfft! Pei Qian almost choked on the tea he drank.
What the hell?!
Was there something wrong with this Boss Chen's brain? You are investing more after telling you so much?
O
He Desheng was surprised as well; he couldn't speak for a while.
Boss Chen's smile came through from the other side of the phone. "Why, you're not happy that I want to increase my investment?" He Desheng replied immediately. "No, no, no, of course, we are! But, why...?" Boss Chen smiled. "I heard from Boss Li that Tengda's Boss Pei is very interesting. He always put his own interest out of the picture. I have to say that it's very admirable.
"It's the same this time. Other companies boast about their projects. They exaggerate every small result. They shut up and hide around every single hidden danger and risk of the project. They have a cheating mentality to attract more investment.
"But your company is totally different. You clearly state the stakes before investment, which had the concept of letting people choose whether to willingly fall into the snare or not.
"I think the management of your project is very responsible, going by this attitude! Such is Boss Pei's style!
"Therefore, I want to invest three million yuan. To be honest, I'm optimistic not about your project, but about your group of people. A group of down to earth people like you can accomplish any project! "It doesn't matter if it fails. Venture capital investment is inherently risky after all. Haha."
He Desheng was moved. "Alright, Boss Chen! Our Boss Pei will certainly be pleased to hear what you said!"
Pei Qian looked at the sky with his teacup in hand. He could not speak for some time.
Sh*t, all the investors they managed to dissuade had been recovered from Boss Chen!
He Desheng was encouraged and continued to call the next investment firm.
After Boss Chen, the next investment firm did not change its stance and maintained the previous investment. The subsequent investment firm also increased its investment!
In the end, the investment amount was 800,000 yuan more now!
He Desheng raised his thumb happily after the calls. "Boss Pei, your strategy of letting people choose whether to willingly fall into the snare or not really opened my eyes!"
Pei Qian was speechless.
He waved his hand dismissively and asked feebly. "So, how much investment has this project received now?"
He Desheng calculated. "About seven million yuan, Boss Pei!"
Pei Qian looked up in anguish, feeling utterly speechless. What the hell was this?! I dissuaded you in kindness, but all of you were so ignorant! There were still people who wanted to increase their investments? Crazy!
You don't want to walk the ready path to heaven, bashing your way into hell...
Don't blame me for being cruel then!
Pei Qian put the finished cup on the table, gritted his teeth, and said. "Alright, they want to invest? Invest all they want!
"Continue burning all the money, until not one cent is left!"
...
Pei Qian was still pissed off on the way back to the office.
Nothing was going well for him! The shared phone booth project had overturned. It seemed like the Shared Top Student project had no more future as well. During this time, Ma Yang was busy with the exam like Pei Qian.
However, considering Ma Yang's contribution to IOI's current momentum in Europe and the United States and the 35 million yuan that was almost a free gift, Pei Qian felt that he could not restore his trust in Old Ma for the time being.
Pei Qian's heart broke that he could not find a trustworthy person in a huge company like Tengda with thousands of employees.
"Hm? Right, how is Cui Geng?" Pei Qian suddenly thought of this lazy bum and felt as though he had a straw to clutch at!
Pei Qian took out his cell phone immediately and opened the Zhongdian Chinese Network app. He checked the updates of the authors in the study class.
He found that there was a clear downward trend in the updates of the authors in the study class after a bit of flipping!
The one with the most obvious drop was Ming Yu, which was that 'model hard worker'. He only wrote a little more than 4,000 words yesterday, which was one-third of the daily update!
The amount of updates by the other authors had dropped obviously as well. They had generally dropped by one or two thousand.
Moreover, Cui Geng himself updated about 7,000 a day from the initial 8,000 to 10,000 per day. Updating a thousand words less a day was not much, but online literature adds up!
One thousand words less today and another one thousand less the day after. How much lesser would that be per year?
What was more, the authors were in a lockdown state. They had no other entertainment but to write.
Reducing the word count by a thousand under such a situation, for a model like Ming Yu, showed that the work that Cui Geng did was fruitful!
Pei Qian could not help but feel happy. He was right about this person!
Cui Geng returned to the study class with the 'lazy bum' seed with him and quickly spread it to the other authors in the study class.
Such an immediate effect!
"Such a talent should be redeployed!"
Pei Qian could not wait to let Cui Geng bring such a spirit to every single department of Tengda!
Zhongdian Chinese Network Author's study class...
"How about it, Ming Yuju. Do you have any insights on the Tengda spirit?" An author asked curiously at the dining table.
The other authors turned their heads, obviously very interested.
Ming Yu spent a lot of effort in these two days just to go to Tengda's headquarters to learn about the Tengda spirit.
It took him less than two hours to write 4,000 words. He used the remaining six hours to finish the outline and settings.
The hard work paid off. He finally succeeded in obtaining the qualification to study at Tengda headquarters.
Most of the authors who had never been there were very interested in this mysterious 'Tengda spirit'.
Ming Yu put down the chopsticks in his hand temporarily, his eyes full of yearning. "How should I say it... it's completely different from what I imagined.
"Someone from the HR department brought me to the game room and got me to play games on it. There were all sorts of entertainment facilities in that room. High-end computer, system units, manga... novels..."
The authors were lost. "That's it?"
Ming Yu shook his head. "Of course not! The game room is not the main point! I did not understand at first, but I do now. This game room is like a mirror, a test!
"They will first figure out your personality and crux of the problem through this test and then guide you on your understanding of the Tengda spirit in your own way!"
The authors felt incredulous.
"Are you sure? I thought it's simply pure theoretical study..."
"Seems like this Tengda spirit connotation is rather rich. Students can be taught based on their aptitude?"
"Ming Yuju, tell us quickly. How did you do it then?"
Ming Yu said with emotion, "I didn't think so much then. I sat on the sofa and picked a book or two to read. I realized something was wrong after about ten minutes.
"I went in search of the guy from the HR department immediately.
"We had a long talk after that. He pointed out a lot of problems for me. He said I 'seem to work very hard, but I'm not working hard at all' and is in urgent need of accepting the transformation by the Tengda spirit!" Ming Yu fell into deep thought as though he was recalling the scene at that time. "I felt as though lightning struck a dark cloud and woke up from a dream!
"It was true when I thought over it. I updated a huge quantity of words every day, surpassing many authors; but my results had not made much improvement. That is because I placed too much emphasis on my quantity and underestimated the importance of quality! "I deliberately reduced my speed of writing for the past few days. My number of words has decreased, but the plot is being well-received by the readers!
"This is the influence I got from Tengda spirit!"
The authors had different expressions on them.
"So powerful?"
"It seems like the comprehension of the Tengda spirit by Brother Cui and Ming Yu is very useful!"
"Why do I feel as though it is mostly psychological hints? Tengda is a game company. Isn't the Tengda spirit used to urge employees in their work? What effect can it play in our novel creation?"
Some people did not believe it.
Ming Yu shook his head with a serious look. "I thought that it was a psychological suggestion at first as well. However, I realized that was not the case when I thought about it carefully! "The Tengda spirit is completely different from the other companies. Most of them were nothing more than big, empty slogans. Their purpose was to brainwash their employees and squeeze as much labor from them as possible.
"However, the Tengda spirit is completely different!
"Tengda spirit encourages rest and entertainment. They hold the belief that rest and entertainment are higher priority than work. They even adopt a policy of mandatory rest for the overworked employees.
"Furthermore, the Tengda spirit has no clear content to be instilled rigidly to you. It's like philosophy and Zen meditation. It's mainly to guide everyone to their own understanding and comprehension! Such a method can strengthen your inherent correct views and reverse your one-sided misconceptions. It will really change the way you think!
"This is because the Tengda spirit pays more attention to tapping and nurturing the potential of employees rather than overdrawing on their potential through squeezing every drop out of them!
"This principle is consistent with the discipline of online literature. Or rather, it can be said to be universal!
"It can even be used as a methodology to guide all walks of life! Perhaps even rise to a philosophical level!"
The authors bowed their heads thoughtfully after listening to Ming Yu's words.
Someone cheered after a short while. "Makes sense!"
"Alright, I want to experience it for myself to see if it's indeed this mysterious!"
"I want to go as well!"
"What is Tengda spirit? We'll know once we make a pilgrimage!"
The authors realized at this time, perhaps the greatest gain from this visit to Jingzhou was not the little black room.
It was the most important spiritual wealth from the Tengda company!
Chapter 409 Winners of the Zero Overtime Competition
January 28th, Friday... Cui Geng apprehensively walked into the 17th floor of Shenhua View, where Tengda's games department was located.
Now, his role was as a 'special observer'.
Boss Pei had given him very extensive rights. As a 'special observer', Cui Geng could venture wherever he wanted around Tengda. Even the heads of various departments could not stop him.
He could organize his own work schedule, and he did not need to report to anyone. He enjoyed the same benefits and treatment as the official employees of the company. All the departments had to unconditionally comply with any request he made.
Those rights reminded Cui Geng of the imperial envoys who held imperial swords in the evil, old days. Just hearing that list of rights could make anyone feel smug.
However, while those rights sounded good on the surface, how would they help Cui Geng in reality?
He could not be certain.
On one hand, he did not know why in the world Boss Pei thought so highly of him to grant him such an important role.
On the other hand, he worried that he would be ostracized by people in the other departments for being a 'special observer'.
It would be just like when the imperial envoys wielding imperial swords made their rounds. The officials on the ground would look courteous on the surface but criticize them in their hearts.
Take his trip to the games department today for example.
Tengda's games department was the oldest and most experienced working department in all of Tengda Corporation. The in-charge had changed several times, but no matter what, the department had maintained a stronghold in the entire group of companies.
What's more, there were a few very senior employees in the department. Those employees had been around ever since the company was established, and they were very familiar with Boss Pei.
Further, Tengda Games was the most profitable and reputable business at the moment. It bore the important responsibility of nurturing talents for the other businesses.
Everyone in the games department probably thought highly of themselves.
Now, a 'special observer'—who was not subject to anyone's control—was going to come in. Not only would he be of no help to them, but they would also have to unconditionally accede to all his requests.
Could he expect them to be nice to him?
Thus, Cui Geng felt apprehensive. He instinctively wanted to retreat and go somewhere else.
However, when he recalled that he had a job to do and that he had to finish The Butterfly Game, he gritted his teeth and walked in.
The 17th floor was set up in a very similar manner to the 16th floor. The only difference was that the employees on the former floor looked much more passionate about their work.
The 16th floor mainly housed HR, administrative, and finance staff. Apart from the finance staff that was relatively busier, everyone else looked very free. The atmosphere there was more relaxed, and many people either watched shows or slept.
On the other hand, people at Tengda Games on the 17th floor had been working on research and development of GOG. They had just released the game for internal beta testing this week, and there were a whole bunch of bugs that they had to fix. Thus, almost everyone on the floor was too busy to chat. In fact, not one of them even looked up at Cui Geng. Li Yada was already getting up to welcome
him.
"You're Cui Geng, right? Hello, I'm Li Yada. I'm in charge of Tengda Games at the moment."
Li Yada shook Cui Geng's hand and led him to his desk.
That desk had been empty since Ruan Guangjian left. Cui Geng might as well sit there.
The ostracism and condescension that Cui Geng had expected weren't there. Instead, everyone at Tengda Games seemed to be quite welcoming towards this 'special observer'.
Of course, that was only what Cui Geng saw on the surface.
When he sat down at his desk, Cui Geng felt the need to say some things upfront. "We've already talked about my job scope in this position. I hope that all of you would be able to cooperate with me whenever I need to gather material —"
Before Cui Geng could finish his sentence, Li Yada nodded and smiled as she said, "Of course, all of us will unconditionally cooperate with the 'special observer' when you need it.
"Don't worry. We're all one family under Tengda Corporation. Since Boss Pei had appointed you to be a 'special observer', that must mean that you're going to contribute very meaningfully to the entire group of companies. All of us will do our best to assist
you."
Hearing Li Yada's words made Cui Geng feel more relaxed.
It looked like he had been paranoid when he had imagined that everyone would resist him!
Bound together by the Tengda Spirit, all of Tengda's businesses were close-knit. On a certain level, they had become friendly competitors. There were no fighting and scheming between the individual subsidiaries.
Furthermore, Boss Pei's will was of the highest priority in Tengda Corporation. Even if an outsider was parachuted in-as long as he had been assigned by Boss Pei, everyone would trust him completely.
Cui Geng could not help but feel emotional. Boss Pei was very good at managing his subordinates!
Skills and capabilities aside, his talent in management alone was far better than other entrepreneurs. The atmosphere infected Cui Geng as well, causing him to be filled with fighting spirit.
"You can go back to work, then. I'll organize my thoughts before I start gathering material," said Cui Geng.
Li Yada smiled and nodded. "Alright. I've already assigned an old employee to answer your questions. He has been here since Tengda first started recruiting. We call him the 'living fossil'. You can go to him if you want to ask anything."
Cui Geng switched his computer on. He was prepared to spend the morning writing new chapters for his old book and then tidying up the framework for his new book. He would speak to Bao Xu, 'the living fossil', in the afternoon to learn about Tengda Games' history.
"There are a lot of things to do. I have to make the most of my time.
"According to my original plan, I'm supposed to publish my book during Chinese New Year. That means I have to finish the old book over the next few days. At the same time, I have to firm up the new book's framework as soon as possible.
"At the very least, I have to get its basic design and a summary of the first hundred thousand words out. If I don't do that well, there might be hidden dangers that would increase the chances of me having to drop the book halfway through.
"Once the computer switches on, I'll create a new document and start writing."
Cui Geng had already thought this through. He could not look at the computer specifications. Otherwise, he would want to start playing games.
The computer switched on very quickly. Cui Geng was just about to right-click on the desktop to create a new folder, but before he could do that, he paused.
There were icons of games all over the screen.
Every game in the market—big and small, standalone and online—had their icons on the desktop!
With a cursory browse, Cui Geng spotted a few large-scale games that he had always wanted to play, but his computer had not been good enough to run. Cui Geng, "...F*ck!"
Are you trying to make my work extra difficult?
With so many temptations on the desktop, how can anyone not get distracted?
Cui Geng became alert at once. "Could it be Li Yada and the others trying to set a trap for me on purpose? Are they picking on me?"
He suspiciously glanced at Li Yada's desktop.
Unexpectedly, he discovered that there were game icons all over Li Yada's desktop as well!
However, Li Yada could completely ignore them and click on documents to edit them. She was extremely focused—not at all affected by the game icons.
"I was thinking too much!"
Cui Geng could not help but feel guilty. It looked like every employee in Tengda was living out the Tengda spirit. They had already struck a perfect balance between play, rest, and work. When it was time to work, none of them would be distracted no matter how many temptations lay before them.
"It looks like I haven't achieved that level of mental discipline."
As if infected by the Tengda spirit, Cui Geng decided not to care about the games on the desktop. Instead, he created a new document and began working.
Cui Geng's typing made crisp tapping noises that blended perfectly with the other tapping noises throughout the office area.
In the afternoon, Cui Geng walked to Bao Xu's desk and asked him about Tengda Games' strange or remarkable stories from its lifetime.
Bao Xu looked reminiscent. "It's a long story. Back then, I was an internet addict, playing games in an internet cafe..."
January 29th, Saturday...
Today was a workday in lieu and the last day of work before the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year in the year 2011 was to be on February 3rd. The holiday began on February 2nd.
However, thinking that people would want to travel, Pei Qian decided to give everyone an off-day on February 1st and made January 29th a workday instead of January 31st.
That way, everyone's holiday could last three days more than other companies' employees.
Pei Qian was not free to bring forward workdays without limit. For instance, he could not insist on two workdays and five rest days in a week. However, he would have no problems adjusting for them to work for two or three days in light of a national holiday.
Although this was the last day of work before the Chinese New Year, there was a lot of work to be done.
The winner of the Zero Overtime Competition and the Best Employee, who was to be selected on February 1st, were going to be chosen today.
Once the selections were done in the morning, everyone was free to go home and celebrate the New Year.
During this period, the administrative department and the HR department had little work to do other than to prepare for those selections.
The core employees and people in charge of the various departments had rushed down to the hotel near Shenhua View to fill up all the seats at the location.
Although the event could not be compared to the scale of the annual meeting, it was still very lively.
Fruits and nuts covered the table, along with various candies and chocolates. They were what traditionally could be found on people's tables as they celebrated Chinese New Year. However, the nuts and candies there were obviously more expensive.
Everyone munched on nuts and candy, drank tea, and waited for the selection to take place on the screen.
Li Yada watched the big screen excitedly and softly said, "The Best Employee Selection is becoming more and more formal. In the past, we voted online; and Boss Pei merely handed out the prize. Yet, this time, we even booked a special location for the selection."
Bao Xu, who was seated beside her, said nothing in response. He kept his head lowered and continued munching on the snacks, looking slightly unwell.
It was almost time. Everyone was here.
Xin Hailu walked to the huge screen, said a couple of words, and then immediately kicked off the selection of the Zero Overtime Competition's winner.
The names of people from various departments who had worked overtime flashed across the screen, along with figures like the number of hours that they had worked overtime.
Li Yada peeled a tangerine, obviously uninterested in what was happening on the huge screen. "It wouldn't have anything to do with our department. We've had a lot of work this year, and we worked overtime several times. I guess we can work harder next time."
Bao Xu continued to keep his head lowered, munching on his snacks and not uttering a single word.