Pei Qian was speechless. He directly beckoned Chen Kangtuo. "Come, give everyone a brief introduction to the project."
Pei Qian deliberately emphasized on the word 'simple' when speaking.
Chen Kangtuo understood it immediately. He had sorted out the information about Thriller Hostel previously and was prepared to report to Boss Pei, but Boss Pei did not listen to him. It was the same with this report.
Since Boss Pei wanted a simple report, it must be simple enough. Strictly fulfilling any requirements of Boss Pei was one of the well-known Tengda spirits after all.
Chen Kangtuo started his introduction to the Thriller Hostel.
He was done after five minutes.
Chen Kangtuo condensed the whole introduction to something simple enough; many data and details were not mentioned at all. Some internal details of the three major projects were even covered in one sentence. He only gave a framework. Chen Kangtuo looked towards Boss Pei after he was done. Pei Qian secretly gave him a thumbs-up, expressing his satisfaction.
The investors were at a loss.
That's it? The introduction was done while they drank their tea?
They heard nothing at all!
Everyone looked at Li Shi again who seemed to be in deep thought. Li Shi nodded his head after a while. "Yes, it's indeed a good project!"
Everyone, who was momentarily stunned, reacted instantly.
So that was it, Boss Pei's test was everywhere!
They were nearly tricked again!
Thinking about it carefully, Chen Kangtuo might be brief. However, there were a few details in what he said.
For example, this place was personally chosen by Boss Pei, Boss Pei increased the funding twice, and there was some connection with the previous horror game by Tengda Games...
ГО
es.
The information that Boss Pei decided on the project was reliable in itself; what more proof did they need?
Everyone immediately praised the project.
"Good project, reliable indeed!"
"A few words expressed the core advantages of this project. Boss Chen is indeed capable! He is indeed a good choice by Boss Pei!" Pei Qian, "..."
They seemed to have entered a vicious cycle.
"Alright, the introduction is over. Everyone can go now."
Pei Qian was ready to see the guests off.
The investors were shocked immediately. Please don't! We have not heard anything!
Li Shi quickly stood up. "Boss Pei! Don't be hasty.
"Erm, we have understood the situation for the project, but we need to discuss some implementation details with Brother Chen. Boss Pei, we're here. Won't it be too appropriate for us to leave just like that?"
He spoke earnestly. Pei Qian thought for a while and felt that this humble request did not seem to be excessive.
"Alright, you continue your discussions then."
Pei Qian gave Chen Kangtuo a nod. Chen Kangtuo understood immediately and nodded back.
Boss Pei had sent him a message previously to only introduce the current situation without saying a word more on the current situation.
Chen Kangtuo decided to strictly follow Boss Pei's instructions. He would only tell the facts and not make any suggestions.
Boss Li looked at everyone and said with a low voice, "No one is allowed to leave until the plan is finalized!"
The investors nodded, staring at death in the face. It would become easy to wrestle with each other once there were multiple parties to a project. The most important thing in such a situation would be to not delay.
It was difficult to get them all together so they had to quickly finalize the things that needed to be finalized. Any delay would result in achieving nothing. Therefore, they had to obtain information from Boss Pei by hook or by crook! Even if they had to suffer!
They might say that they did not care about making a loss, but in actual fact, who would not care about making losses? They pretended to do that so that they could fool Boss Pei. These investors were smarter than the other; they would not throw money into a project they knew nothing about.
Even if it was Boss Pei's project.
They might not care so much about the formality and the details, but they still had to do their due diligence.
Chen Kangtuo spread out the floor plan of the project on the table.
Everyone was silent for a while. Li Shi stood up and said. "How about I start the ball rolling? First, I plan to set up a restaurant to solve the food problem for tourists. As for the location... well... Brother Chen, do you think this place here is appropriate?"
He pointed at a spot on the map and looked towards Chen Kangtuo.
Chen Kangtuo gave a polite smile. "That has to be decided by your good self. I apologize I cannot give you any suggestions."
Pei Qian gave another thumbs-up silently.
Very good, reliable guy! I did not dote on you for nothing! It would not be long before this group of people would be defeated if you carry on this way!
The investors were confused.
Was it alright to refuse to answer so confidently? You had to ask Boss Pei's opinion before you refused to provide advice.
Chen Kangtuo refused to provide any advice without so much as looking at Boss Pei. Obviously, Boss Pei instructed Chen Kangtuo in advance not to provide any suggestions! Erm... was this part of the test? Wasn't that a little too much?
The brains of smart investors were spinning fast. They have guessed part of the truth. The scene fell into a deadlock.
Another investor cleared his throat. "I'm planning to open a hotel here; what about this location?" He pointed at a certain point on the map and looked at Chen Kangtuo. Chen Kangtuo did not speak this time. He just smiled and pretended that all these had nothing to do with him.
Pei Qian praised him internally again. Alright, great man!
The situation fell into awkwardness again.
Li Shi could not stand it anymore, he continued. "It seems to be inappropriate. This location is a little too important. The hotel does not need to be so close."
Another investor chimed in. "The northwest corner then."
"No, no, no, the southeast corner is better."
These investors started discussing amongst themselves.
Pei Qian listened silently, completely relieved.
Obviously, every one of them had their own intentions. They all wanted to maximize their own interests and occupy the best position, er, or would it be better to say-find the best place in this desolate place.
They could continue discussing for weeks, and there would be no results.
Boss Li looked towards Pei Qian again when there was no conclusion. "Boss Pei, what do you think?"
Pei Qian, "..."
It seemed to be inappropriate to say anything at this point in time. What if he ended the argument by saying 'just choose this location' and the location proved to be the best in the future?
It was something very probable from his experience. If he were to say 'don't choose this location', they would definitely ask about another location. Wouldn't this become endless?
It did not seem to be appropriate not to reply either. They would then keep asking and add some strange explanation based on his expression. They might be able to come up with a constructive plan this way.
Pei Qian's own employees were very good at that, causing him to suffer losses in the dark.
He could neither answer nor not answer. He shall just slip away then!
Abandon them in their discussions. Everything would be alright as long as Chen Kangtuo kept his mouth shut in accordance with his requirement!
Pei Qian quickly took out his cell phone. "Aiya, I suddenly remember that I have another meeting. Sorry, everyone, I've to go first! No need to send me out, you continue on!
"Kangtuo, Hao Qiong, treat Boss Li and the other investors well and don't forget what I said!"
ST
Pei Qian emphasized to Chen Kangtuo and quickly left.
Li Shi opened his mouth wanting to get Boss Pei to stay, but he did not open his mouth in the end. "Uh..."
He saw the chauffeur with the accelerator, driving away at the speed of light, as though there was something of urgency.
Everyone looked at each other, a little depressed. They were done for! Boss Pei left without any advice, what the hell could they do?!
Li Shi and the rest were clear that everyone might be professional investors and had knowledge of many industries, but it was still necessary for professionals to determine the plan!
They could only ensure every penny was spent in the right way when they assured the rational planning with a full understanding of the 'Thriller Hostel' project, right?
It would definitely be screwed up if everything just invested without any idea!
Everyone was discouraged and stopped speaking.
Piak!
Everyone was startled. Li Shi slapped the table.
"What's this? Are you going to give up with such a small set back? Boss Pei left, but did he not leave us this professional? Isn't it, Brother Chen?"
Everyone shuffled their glance towards Chen Kangtuo.
Chen Kangtuo could only return a polite smile to them.
An investor sighed. "It's useless, Boss Li. Brother Chen is indeed professional, but Boss Pei obviously instructed him not to give us any advice! What's the use of him being professional then?"
Everyone started to speak their minds since Boss Pei left.
Li Shi pondered for a moment thoughtfully. He then looked towards Chen Kangtuo. "Brother Chen, to be honest, we are here to help Boss Pei with the construction. We're responsible for the supporting facilities around the Thriller Hostel.
"Therefore, our fates are entwined! Win together or lose together!
"What on earth does Boss Pei mean? Please just give us some hints?"
Chen Kangtuo smiled without saying a word. He had, in fact, noticed this point.
Boss Pei pumped 40 million yuan into the haunted house without any hesitation and allocated not a single cent to the surrounding facilities.
Why was that? Didn't Boss Pei not know the importance of surrounding facilities?He definitely knew!
Chen Kangtuo finally understood Boss Pei's profound meaning in doing this after seeing Boss Li and the rest of the investors.
Employ limited resources where they were needed most. Spend all the money on the Thriller Hostel project itself, providing tourists with the most perfect and top-notch experience!
The supporting facilities were, of course, left to the others.
Monopoly was not a good habit. He would have many enemies even if the projects were completed.
On the contrary, if these people were allowed to dip into the cookie jar, they would use all their connections and resources to fully support the development of the haunted house. Little things add up; many hands make light work for the project to be successful.
Therefore, Boss Pei must be supportive of them building the surrounding facilities.
However... why was he not allowed to give suggestions?
Chapter 466 I'm Not Bad Either
Chen Kangtuo thought it must be because Boss Pei did not want his thinking to influence the others.
Every investor has his own unique skills. If Chen Kangtuo were to take care of everything
– plan for them or choose the sites for them, then no one would use their brains and their unique skills would be wasted.
Boss Pei's move was definitely aimed to fully mobilize the subjective initiative of these investors so everyone could do their most.
All these were explained based on the Tengda spirit.
Chen Kangtuo felt that the truth should be not far off from his speculation. However... he could not say it out since Boss Pei requested it this way. Chen Kangtuo was caught in the middle.
Li Shi was a little discouraged seeing how Chen Kangtuo's expression changed slightly but still stayed silent. It seemed to make sense, but he could not do anything. He did not know how Boss Pei treated his subordinates. They were all extremely loyal and strictly abided by their orders.
He really had something to him.
The situation seemed to have reached a deadlock. Should they all go home and come back another day?
No! That definitely could not work!
Li Shi had no other way. He clapped. "Alright, everyone, be quiet!
"If that is the case and everyone is on the same boat, no one should have their own motives! Anyone who acts out of the group and makes everyone lose all their investment doesn't even need to dream of continuing in the Jingzhou investment circle in the future!
"Everyone, think!"
These investors finally accepted reality seeing how anxious Li Shi was.
Most of them were harboring a sure-win attitude and just dipping their hands in the cookie jar. There were many careful thoughts during the discussions. They wanted to push everything to Boss Pei while obtaining the best benefits for themselves.
However, no one was willing to take on this heavy burden now that Boss Pei was gone and Chen Kangtuo refused to speak.
Everyone understood their situation with Li Shi's outburst. They would really be making ducks and drakes of this money if they did not put in any effort!
Li Shi took the lead. "I'll start first. I'm going to open a horror-themed restaurant. I plan to make it look like a prison. Each private room will be a cell. The waitress in charge of delivering the meals would be pretty ladies dressed as jailers.
"Diners would be brought into cells with fake handcuffs. There would be no ordering process. The food would be served according to the number of people and taboos. The food would look a little scary like dark dishes. Drinks can be packed in plasma bags like blood.
"In addition, prison break performances would be shown regularly as a sideshow during dinner.
"As for the location... here."
Li Shi pointed to a place on the map.
Everyone and different expressions. Some nodded, some frowned, but no one spoke. Obviously, some people had doubts about this location, but they were unsure if they were right so they were too embarrassed to speak
up.
Li Shi looked around at everyone. "This project will be finalized if no one has any opinions."
No one spoke. Li Shi felt helpless. It seemed like he really could not count on them.
Someone coughed when he was about to go on to the next project. "Ahem, ahem, ahem."
Everyone turned and saw Chen Kangtuo covering his mouth with a constipated face. Of course, it was not a real cough. He seemed to have something to say.
Everyone was waiting for him to speak, but they looked at each other for quite some time. However, he continued keeping mum.
Li Shi was confused as well, but he understood it after a short while. "Oh! You mean this location isn't good?"
Chen Kangtuo showed a smile.
An investor chimed in immediately. "I think so, too! This place might have traffic but it is too close to the entrance. Which tourist will eat as soon as they come in? You should move it deeper into the tourist spot so that the tourists will be able to eat after they are tired!"
Li Shi nodded and changed the location. "What about here?"
Chen Kangtuo gave a constipated look again.
"I think it is too deep and not conducive to the future expansion of the haunted house." Another investor added.
Li Shi changed another place. "There should be no problem if we open it here then."
Chen Kangtuo smiled this time.
"Alright, the location of the restaurant is confirmed!" Li Shi said with gusto this time.
Everyone became more enthusiastic, having one successful case. They started putting forward their own projects.
Most people thought of horror themes at first such as horror hotels, horror clothing stores, horror magic toy stores, horror shops, horror desserts and snacks, horror buses, etc. However, with the continuous brainstorming and discussions about horror themes, ghosts and monsters became tiring. Some people started counter-proposing.
For example, open a very cozy maid cafe to comfort tourists' injured souls. The haunted house experience voucher would allow you to be encouraged by the maid and give you healing drinks.
Build a healing spring in the square. It might look like an ordinary foundation, but the water would be warm. Tell the tourists to wash their hands in it to calm down from the ghosts and heal their wounds.
Plans were put forward and finalized after thorough discussions in no time
Chen Kangtuo stood by the side, constantly expressing his opinions with his facial expressions.
He had been on the Thriller Hostel project for months and had his own opinions on the location and selection of supporting facilities. He reminded them with his expression for more obviously problematic projects.
These investors would be able to guess the problem and bring them up decisively after careful deliberation.
The proposal was perfected after a few guesses like this.
Investors were not influenced solely by Chen Kangtuo's mindset in this process. They came up with the best plan after brainstorming.
The entire discussion was a lot faster than they expected.
The floor plan was full of words in just over three hours. Boss Li and the others had divided up the area around the Thriller Hostel and arranged for various supporting facilities according to their optimal locations. That included restaurants, hotels, snack shops, toy shops, and everything that should be there!
Of course, that was just a small part of the industrial zones.
The proposal was roughly finalized.
An investor looked at the clear and detailed plan and could not help but sight. "It's hard to imagine that this plan was made by us in less than three hours!"
Li Shi smiled silently. "Hmph, would you be able to come up with these plans if Boss Pei did not use this clever method to force you? Weren't you thinking of fooling around by proposing a random shop?"
Everyone felt a little ashamed. That really seemed to be the case! Everyone would not have worked their brains if Boss Pei had indulged them from the beginning.
Of course, that did not mean that it was not good for Boss Pei to take over everything. However, there was always a limit to one person's thinking. Boss Pei was busy with his work. It was impossible to devote all his energy to these plans. He could not accurately grasp the resources each investor had at their disposal.
All the investors took out their resources, racked their brains for ideas, and got Chen Kangtuo to counter-check for them through this current method. That was maximizing their resources indeed!
All the investors could not help but let out a sigh of relief. This proposal seemed to be more reliable as the seconds went by. Fortunately, it withstood Boss Pei's test!
They would really regret it if they were to miss such a good project by giving up halfway through!
Chen Kangtuo could not help but smile when he saw this scene. He had completed his mission! He had helped them finalize a reliable plan without interfering with the thinking of these investors-strictly complying with Boss Pei's requirement.The quality of the supporting facilities could also be guaranteed in this way! Chen Kangtuo previously felt that Boss Pei should have spent the 40 million yuan on the supporting facilities to improve on its shortcomings.
However, Boss Pei's approach was to invest all 40 million yuan into the Thriller Hostel itself to ensure it would give the tourists the best possible experiences. At the same time, Boss Pei allowed the other investors to dip their hands into the supporting facilities and fully mobilized their enthusiasm.
This way, both the Thriller Hostel project itself and the surrounding supporting facilities were now several times superior to the previous method!
Chen Kangtuo couldn't help but feel moved.
As expected of Boss Pei, he had found the perfect solution long ago! Of course, I am not bad either.
If I did not possess a deep understanding of Boss Pei's unconstrained way of thinking after working in Tengda Games for so long, I would have never thought of this. I naturally would not have been able to complete the task that Boss Pei hinted.
Today, I successfully solved Boss Pei's new puzzle. That means I am one step closer to understanding Boss Pei's thinking.
Happy!
Chapter 467 Tengda Cornerstone Award
March 25th, Friday… Boss Pei had been very busy during the past two days. Pei Qian would always enter into a state of the rush to spend money on the last week of every settlement. There were still some unfinished tasks Boss Pei had to deal with even though most of the burden for this cycle was taken away by GOG'S season bonus and celebration party for the people working on the Thriller Hostel.
Pei Qian had been busy working on these.
First was the most basic employee base salary, benefits, and other expenses. They were increased as much as possible according to the word-of-mouth status of each project on the TPDb website.
Of course, only the statistical work had been completed so far. Salaries and bonuses had to go through the process and would only be issued at the end of the month.
Then, many projects started relentless promotional activities.
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, ROF Computer-Installation, 'Top Student, Come Quick', Upwind Logistics, Zhongdian Chinese Network, etc. burnt money appropriately within the scope of the system. It seemed to be burning money to boost its popularity on the surface, but it was in fact purely to burn money.
Pei Qian only discovered the benefits of having many projects now.
For example, the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe went on the high-end route previously, trying to dissuade as many customers as possible to guarantee a loss. However, after a few magical maneuvers, even the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe in Lincheng City became full.
The policy of dissuading customers was self-defeating. However, Pei Qian found out that sales promotion could be done at this time!
The internet cafe was packed to the brim when the usual price was maintained. That meant that there was no room for an increase in traffic in the internet cafe even if he were to run promotions now!
Therefore, burning money now was purely burning money! Moreover, the system's restrictions on 'incurring losses for promotion' seemed to have relaxed quite a bit after the projects became profitable. It even encouraged 'drinking poison to quench thirst' to a certain extent.
Obviously, such behavior would have negative effects like increasing the popularity of the project.
However, that was a big deal to Boss Pei who had tasted some sweetness from this poison.
Boss Pei used it during the last settlement cycle as well. At that time, he was worried that the current cycle would be particularly difficult. It turned out that while it was indeed a little difficult, he still got here through his own ingenuity. He seemed to be able to cross it safely this month!
Uh, that was not right. It seemed too early to come to such a conclusion. He should not set a
flag.
In short, he had settled the spending. The current funding status was good. He would receive a sum of money next week which would be spent directly in the form of a GOG season bonus. He would then wait for the settlement with a peace of mind.
Pei Qian glanced at his watch. It was now 2.50 PM.
It was about time.
Quite a number of people had gathered outside of Boss Pei's office on the 16th floor of Shenhua View. They were the department heads in Tengda.
They received a notice to come for a meeting at 3PM in the afternoon. However, no one seemed to have an idea of the agenda of the meeting.
Other than the person-in-charge for the preparation of this process…
However, their lips were sealed.
Everyone in Tengda, be it the top or bottom tiers, had formed a tacit understanding of the Tengda spirit. That was to unconditionally fulfill Boss Pei's requirements and without asking anything. Everyone would do their best to fulfill all his requirements including confidentiality.
No one really knew Boss Pei's profound meaning after all. They feared losing Boss Pei's trust so the safest way was to be honest and obedient and do exactly as Boss Pei said.
Of course, there was no telling what these people would read into it. They would listen to everything Boss Pei said except to not read too much into it.
It was nearly 3PM. Boss Pei walked out of his office.
Everyone was already seated in the conference room, waiting for the meeting to start.
Pei Qian sat down at the head of the conference table, looking around, and said straightforwardly, "Today, I'm going to present a new reward to an outstanding department in Tengda.
"This reward will be given out from time to time in the future. I will decide when it should be given. I call for a meeting immediately to present the reward when I find something I should reward."
Surprise appeared on the faces of the heads.
Another reward? Wasn't there already a lot of rewards now?
They had so many benefits that the other companies were jealous. Members of all departments could obtain extra bonuses based on the TPDb website scoring every month. There were frequent salary increments. There were also two important prizes every year in addition to the outstanding employee rewards. They were the selection of outstanding employees.
They had no-overtime competitions every month, which would reward the winning department.
Now, there were new rewards for outstanding departments?
How… exciting!
The heads of several departments felt hopeful. They sat upright and waited. That included Huang Sibo, Lin Wan, Chang You, Hu Xianbin, He Desheng, etc.
Pei Qian saw it and felt very angry.
All of you should indeed win prizes from the perspective of making profits and stabbing me in the back.
What a pity, there was none for you! Pei Qian took the trophy from Assistant Xin. The blinding golden rays immediately blinded everyone's eyes. The entire trophy was shining gold! There was no need to doubt. It was made of pure gold!
The trophy was shaped like a mountain. However, it had undergone some artistic treatment and was more abstract.
There was a small line of words: "Tengda Cornerstone Award'.
There were two lines of words written vertically in traditional Chinese. It seemed to be the handwriting of a certain calligrapher.
A chip off a mountain of gold does not affect its height; an immeasurable sea remains deep despite a blight[1].
These two lines were written by a local calligrapher in Jingzhou specially chosen by Pei Qian after serious contemplation. He scanned the characters and had them engraved on the gold mountain trophy. Why make it so complicated? He was mainly afraid that the trophy might cause a counter-effect after it was awarded!
Pei Qian had thought of it. This trophy would be awarded directly to the department with the most losses.
However, it was easy to produce a counterproductive effect if it was not handled properly. They might think that Boss Pei was spurring them on to turn things profitable.
Wouldn't that be self-defeating?
Therefore, he must not cause a misunderstanding! This award was not to spur them but a complete and unreserved compliment! It was to reward them for making losses!
Of course, he could not say it so straightforwardly. Pei Qian, therefore, carved these words onto the gold mountain, hinting that the only criterion for this award was to lose more money. 'Gold mountain' and 'sea of money' symbolized wealth. Together, both sentences meant that they could not earn all the money in the world. There was no end to it; when would they be done? There would be no effect on Tengda Corporation even if you were to make losses. There would even be benefits, so please increase your efforts in making losses!
Pei Qian felt that these sentences were obvious enough. The educated should understand.
The heads looked at the 'golden mountain' with a surprised expression. It seemed like this award was even better than the best employee award? A custom-made trophy with engravings. Moreover, it was presented by Boss Pei himself. It must be of great importance! Pei Qian cleared his throat and spoke, "I'm going to present the Tengda Cornerstone Award today!
"Everyone knows that Tengda has many highly profitable departments, but there were also many loss-making departments. I feel that the loss-making departments should also be rewarded!
"The Tengda Cornerstone Award will be awarded to the departments with continuous losses because only such departments can be worthy of the title 'Tengda Cornerstone'!
"I announce that the winning department of the Tengda Cornerstone Award is—Upwind Logistics!"
Pei Qian stood up and smiled at Lu Mingliang, motioning for him to come and accept the award.
Lu Mingliang was momentarily stunned as though he never thought that the award would be given to him.
The other heads froze for a short while but reacted quickly. A warm round of applause resounded around the conference room. They might be confused, but it was still necessary to applaud when Boss Pei presented the reward to Lu Mingliang. Lu Mingliang stood up, bowed slightly, and took the heavy trophy from Boss Pei. He was about to say something along the lines of 'I'm not worthy of this' when he was interrupted by Boss Pei's smile.
"There is no need to say anything. All Tengda employees acknowledge your contributions." Lu Mingliang returned to his seat with the trophy in a daze.
Pei Qian did not let him speak because he did not want him to say that he was not worthy and that he would continue working hard to turn losses into profits or other similar discouraging words, which would destroy the atmosphere he had worked so hard to create.
Pei Qian smiled and continued to increase his effects seeing how the other heads were rather envious. "There are other rewards in addition to this trophy.
"All staff of Upwind Logistics will each receive a cornerstone bonus of 2,000 yuan and a Koi Medal! In addition, Upwind Logistics will also receive 30 Otto E1 mobile phones to reward those who have made outstanding contributions in the department!"
The other heads were green with envy now. The benefits were too good! Forget about the 2,000 yuan bonus. They could obtain the 'Koi medal' and 30 Otto E1 cell phones?
The attractiveness of cash rewards to Tengda employees was limited. However, such honor -especially rewards personally given by Boss Pei-were extremely attractive to them!
Pei Qian's gaze swept over all of them, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
They were obviously anxious now. They felt that they had made great contributions to Tengda in terms of profitability. However, Boss Pei pointed out the requirement of the cornerstone award which was to award the department with more losses.How could they swallow it?
That's right, don't swallow it!
Ain't you envy? Jealous? Don't you feel unbalanced? Then make your own losses! Why do I need to work so hard if all the departments consciously lose money?
Come, everyone, work hard and start competing!
The corners of Pei Qian's mouth rose slightly as he thought happily. However, he glanced around the audience, only to find that everyone was staring back at him as if expecting a reasonable explanation from him.
Oh? Looking forward to a plot twist? Sorry, there would be none!
Pei Qian stood up directly. "Alright, that's all for today's short meeting. Dismissed." He turned to leave the conference room immediately, leaving the heads to look at one another with different expressions.
[1] The 'sea' here refers to the endless sea of money generated by the world.
Chapter 468 We've Figured It Out!
It was very obvious that Boss Pei did not want everyone to discuss this award in public. At the very least, none of them could discuss it then and there. Otherwise, he would not have been so harsh. He even insisted that everyone go home as soon as they could.
In addition, the award itself was very suspicious. There must be something wrong since things went this way!
Everyone frowned, thinking about Boss Pei's deeper intentions behind such actions. The entire conference room fell silent.
All of a sudden, Huang Sibo looked up. Soon after, Lin Wan, Lu Mingliang, Zhang Yuan, and Chang You followed suit. They all exchanged a meaningful look as if wanting to say something. However, it would have been inappropriate to discuss it aloud there. After all, they were right in front of Boss Pei.
Boss Pei had clearly wanted them to realize it on their own. He did not want them to discuss it openly.
Thus, Lu Mingliang stood up, picked up the trophy, and walked away. However, before he left, he waved his cell phone at everyone else in the meeting room.
Huang Sibo and Lin Wan quickly followed closely behind him. They, too, gestured at their cell phones before they left.
All the heads returned to their own workspaces.
On the way, Lu Mingliang added all the heads of Tengda Corporation into a chat named 'Tengda Higher Management's Internal Chat'. Of course, he did not add Boss Pei into the group. Strictly speaking, Boss Pei was the boss of Tengda Corporation. Naturally, he could not be considered part of 'higher management'.
However, the main reason was that—while Boss Pei had set a riddle for everyone-he seemingly didn't want everyone to spread the correct answer. Instead, it seemed like he wanted everyone to solve the riddle on their own and slowly come to understand it in private.
Each time Boss Pei noticed that the 'correct answer' seemed to be spreading around, he would become upset.
Yet, they could not just keep mum.
Boss Pei's riddle was too difficult. When would they ever be able to figure it out if each of them tried to find the answer on their own?
The group would only be meant for discussion and inspiration. It would not count as cheating. All of them were so close. They could skip the pleasantries and cut right to the chase.
Lu Mingliang, "What do you think Boss Pei is trying to tell us through this award?
"I'm referring to the first two lines in particular.
"[Image)." Although everyone had a different understanding of the Tengda Spirit, each department in the company was faced with a different situation as well. That meant each of the departments held information that the others would not have access to.
The only one who had a full picture and who understood everything like the back of his hand was Boss Pei.
Naturally, all of them had to work together to figure out Boss Pei's true intentions behind his actions. The departments had to piece all the information together to successfully reach a comprehensive answer.
Huang Sibo, "You're the one who won the prize. You should go first." Zhang Yuan, "That's right. You go first."
Lu Mingliang, "Alright. Everyone knows that Upwind Logistics has been incurring losses ever since it was established. However, after being transferred to this company, I realized that Upwind Logistics has made significant contributions to Tengda Corporation.
"From its delivery services to its support to departments like ROF and Otto Technologies, one can tell how much Upwind Logistics has changed the logistical state and living habits of Jingzhou's locals.
"We're not purely delivering goods to people's doorsteps. We're also establishing a close relationship with our users. Now, our old users only engage us for deliveries and not any other company. Although we're losing money, we have full control of our customers. They are our most important resource.
"On top of that, tracing over our users' images allows us to analyze the market well. That means we can conduct research for the other department and leave deep and lasting effects.
"Maybe Boss Pei gave Upwind Logistics the 'Cornerstone Award' because he thinks that Upwind Logistics is critical and foundational to Tengda Corporation."
Zhang Yuan, "Yes, that makes sense. Without Upwind Logistics, ROF's business would not have developed so smoothly in the beginning. We would also be having a lot of trouble with the after-sales services."
Chang You, "I agree, too. Boss Pei obviously views Upwind Logistics as Tengda Corporation's lifeline. The name 'Cornerstone Award' says it all."
Lu Mingliang, "Do any of you have anything else to add?"
Lin Wan, "Boss Pei emphasized that only companies that incur a lot of losses can earn this award. He even said we may win it in the future. That means being a 'lifeline' is not the only criterion for the award.
"The meaning behind incurring losses is more important.
"Shang Yang Games incurred losses first before it generated profits. It could only turn losses into profits because it learned from its past mistakes and accumulated experiences.
"Since failure is the mother of all success, we can also say loss is the mother of all profits. Boss Pei should be trying to tell us that if we want to learn how to run, we must first know how to fall; if we want to learn how to make profits, we must first know how to incur losses."
Zhang Yuan, "I completely agree! It was the same for Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. "If Boss Pei had not insisted on incurring losses, it would not have achieved its current success."
Ma Dubiao, "The same can be said about Zhongdian Chinese Network.
"On top of that, I think we can analyze those two lines.
"A chip off a mountain of gold does not affect its height; an immeasurable sea remains deep despite a blight."
"That's so philosophical!"
"The second line is especially so. It's saying that the ocean of wealth has no boundaries. One might not be able to find the limits even if they dedicated their entire lives to doing so. However, if you already have enough financial power, you can still continue to accumulate more riches.
"The more eroded the sea bed, the deeper the sea would become.
"The erosion refers to losses. In other words, we might be incurring losses on the surface, but that just means we would be able to generate much more wealth.
"That confirms that Boss Pei is encouraging us to spend as much money as possible to push our boundaries just like Upwind Logistics. They're not spending money for the sake of it, but they're spending money to enlarge their scale!" Zhang Yuan, "1024 Digital Day was the same."
He Desheng, "Er, bosses, I thought of something else, but I'm not sure if it'll be appropriate to say it."
Lin Wan, "We're one family. There's no need for nonsense like that. Just speak your mind."
He Desheng, "Er, alright. I thought about more things from the word 'cornerstone'. I don't think Upwind Logistics is just Tengda Corporation's cornerstone. It's also society's cornerstone.
"One could even say that one of Tengda Corporation's missions is to become a cornerstone of society! "I'm in the investment department, and so I feel especially strongly about this. When Boss Pei was personally in charge of Dream Realization Ventures, he only invested in two projects: the shared phone booths and Top Student, Come Quick'. He didn't even spare other profitable-looking projects a second glance.
"Both projects that he invested in were very advantageous to society.
"The shared phone booths provided independent spaces for ordinary consumers to rest while shopping in malls. They also became landmarks that boasted our malls' culture. On the other hand, the 'Top Student, Come Quick' project gathered everyone in academics and steered them toward a common noble goal of 'breaking boundaries and sharing knowledge'.
"Compared to Dream Realization Venture's current situation and results, Upwind Logistics is obviously more practical and outstanding.
"That's why I think turning Tengda Corporation into a cornerstone of society is one of Boss Pei's goals. One important criterion in awarding the 'Cornerstone Award' must be whether a business has contributed enough to society or not."
Lin Wan, "That makes a lot of sense!"
Hu Xianbin, "You're speaking too quickly. I just opened the app and saw 99+ unread messages. I was so stunned. Would a class rep summarize the answers to the homework that Boss Pei gave us? I want to copy them."
Lin Wan, "Let me.
"The 'Cornerstone Award' has four main motives.
"First, it rewards departments that provide essential services. Second, it encourages us to be bold and incur losses for the sake of profits, so that we can learn from our mistakes. Third, it encourages far-sightedness because spending huge sums of money pushes our boundaries and increases our market share. Fourth, it motivates us to be responsible members of society."
Huang Sibo, "Exactly! Exactly!"
Lu Mingliang, "Yes, that should be all that Boss Pei intended."
Zhang Yuan, "That means that Upwind Logistics truly deserves the award. They've accomplished all four points. I've thought of a way to win the next award!"
He Desheng, "Let's compete to see which of our departments would get it first, then." Zhang Yuan, "... D*mn, I forgot that I am no longer the head of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe or ROF Computer-Installation. Why am I still talking so much? @XiaoPeng, let's chat in private."
Xiao Peng was supposed to be in charge of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branches in Lincheng
Ever since he was 'forced to retire', Zhang Yuan had been thinking about promoting Xiao Peng to become the next head of ROF Computer-Installation and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, given his outstanding performance in Lincheng.
Lin Wan, We've figured it out. Dismissed!"
Li Yada, "Hold on!"
Ma Dubiao, "?"
Hu Xianbin, "Big Sister Li, aren't you overseas?"
Lin Wan, "Eh? Yada, what time is it where you are?"
Li Yada, "That's not important. I woke up in the middle of the night because I felt thirsty, and I just so happened to read this conversation. I have some things to add!
"I think there's another meaning to 'cornerstone'.
"Ma Yiqun only analyzed half of the saying, but he left out the first half: 'a chip off a mountain of gold does not affect its height'.
"Why did Boss Pei say that? It's precisely because a mountain of gold has deep roots. That's why whatever little it lacks would not cause it to collapse.
"Additionally, this award is called the 'Cornerstone Award'. That means we have to keep working on our foundation."The saying about the mountain of gold comes before the saying about the immeasurable sea. That means the foundation should be our priority. Only after we've settled that would we have a solid foundation to spend money and increase our share of the market."
Ma Dubiao, "That makes sense! Ai, why didn't I think about that? I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassed."
Li Yada, "No, no, no. I only thought about this because you analyzed the second half of the saying. You humanities majors are still better at these things than I am."
Hao Yun, "Yes, all of you make so much sense!
"I think those five points can be summarized as the 'cornerstone spirit'. From now on, it'll be one of the aspects of the Tengda spirit.
"That gives the HR department a clear direction for work in the future!"
Soon, the chat became filled with encouraging comments. The more the heads read through the conversation, the more logical everything seemed.
Boss Pei was a philosopher indeed. In just two lines, he could include so many lessons. That made him as good as the great nobility from the past!
Chapter 469 Instant Shock!
March 28th, Monday...
It was said that Boss Li and his companions had already decided on projects surrounding the Thriller Hostel last weekend. In the coming weeks, they would begin inspection and construction. Of course, they would not start building hotels and restaurants from scratch. Instead, they would use the existing factory buildings in the industrial zone and then renovate them. If they rushed and worked overtime, they would probably be able to complete the projects at the same time as the Thriller Hostel. Even if finished later, it would not be that much later.
As long as they paid enough, the workers would work fast enough.
Pei Qian felt slightly troubled about the speed of those surrounding projects, but he still maintained his cool.
Ai, if I can't stop them, I should just let them
be.
Today was Monday. Pei Qian had initially planned to go straight to Fei Huang Workspace and tell them about the plan for 'shock therapy'. However, Hao Yun from the HR department had informed him that she had something to report. Thus, after having lunch, Pei Qian went to the headquarters first.
Pei Qian was a little puzzled because the HR department was not supposed to be busy now. Had Hao Yun created trouble for Pei Qian because she had had nothing better to do?
If that was the case, this was an extremely bad sign. Pei Qian would have to consider changing the head of the HR department.
Hao Yun knocked on Pei Qian's door and entered. "Boss Pei, I mainly want to report the salary adjustments for the various departments."
Pei Qian was even more confused now. "Salary adjustments?"
What did that mean? Wasn't Tengda treating them well enough? Was there... room for improvement?
Pei Qian immediately became more interested.
Hao Yun said, "It's like that, Boss Pei. The various departments are trying to solidify their foundation, and so they've conducted a check on their internal affairs. In the process, they discovered that several employees have been subject to pay inequity.
"The HR department conducted some checks and realized that this was a problem that existed across the board in the various departments. Thus, we spent Friday afternoon and this morning coming up with a plan which we want to run by you."
Pei Qian understood a little more, but he was still bewildered. He knew what 'pay inequity' meant.
It meant that newer employees in the company were being paid more than older employees, the first-tier employees were being paid more than the management, and subordinates were being paid more than their supervisors.
Those symptoms existed in many companies. For example, an older employee could have joined the company at a market price of three thousand yuan per month. After two years, the employee's salary could have increased, but not by much.
However, in those two years, the market price would have jumped to 4,500 yuan per month. Inexperienced newbies would thus be hired with a higher salary than the experienced workers, resulting in inequity.
Pay inequity was common because most companies would not adjust all their employees' salaries based on the market price each year. They simply could not bear to part with the capital.
It was for that reason that most companies prohibited their employees from talking about their salaries. If they did so, pay inequity would be exposed; many employees would become unsatisfied and quit.
If a supervisor found out that he had been doing more work than his subordinate but being paid a lower salary, he would naturally become upset.
As a company that had been established for more than a year, Tengda had also conducted several recruitment drives. Although it often increased employees' salaries, each person's role, experience, and capabilities were different after all. Thus, pay inequity was still present.
Of course, there was much less pay inequity in Tengda than in other companies because of frequent pay increments and significant company benefits.
Still, Hao Yun found it important to build a firm foundation based on the 'cornerstone spirit'. Pay inequity was a hidden threat. Although most companies did not care about it and nothing was likely to happen even if Tengda turned a blind eye, Hao Yun still chose to report it to Boss Pei and allow him to make the decision.
Pei Qian took the documents from Hao Yun, but the lines of numbers only made him dizzy. He pretended to read it, and then said, "Do you mean that a few newer employees are being paid more than the older employees?"
Hao Yun pondered for a moment and said, "That's right, but the situation is a bit more complicated in reality. "Simply put, the 'older employees' joined the company six months earlier than the 'newer employees'. The former are more capable and experienced than the latter, but they are only earning two hundred yuan more. That's a form of pay inequity as well."
Pei Qian's eyes lit up at once. Beautifully done! I had been worried about not being able to increase my employees' pay! "That's easy to deal with. Pay them more!
"Check all the employees' salaries against the highest-paid and newest employee at regular intervals. Make sure that all the older employees are being paid adequately!"
Hao Yun was stunned. "Er, Boss Pei, of course, that would be the best. Doing so would be easy while we have few employees. However, I have to remind you that as the number of employees increases, the amount that we would have to top up would also increase. It might even surpass our imaginations.
"Other companies basically... try to scrimp and save in this area. Companies in various industries do that."
The amount that we would have to top up would keep increasing? That's great!
Pei Qian felt as happy as if he had just found money on the ground. He decisively said, "That's what we'll do! Top up all of their salaries at once! I don't care how many older employees we have or how much it'll cost. Top them all up!" Hao Yun confirmed once again. "All of them?"
She knew that Boss Pei was not telling her to make everyone's pay the same but to get rid of pay inequity altogether. Without hesitation, Pei Qian said, "That's right! All of them! There should still be time. Start from this month and ask the finance department to redo the payroll."
Hao Yun nodded, looking extremely emotional. "Alright, I understand. I'll inform the finance department at once."
Although Hao Yun had expected this outcome before she reported the information to Boss Pei, Boss Pei's urgency made her feel his genuine concern for his employees.
Just as Hao Yun turned to leave, Boss Pei stopped her.
"Wait a minute.
"At the start, you said that the various departments are trying to solidify their foundation, and so they've conducted a check on their internal affairs. It was in this process that they discovered the pay inequity... why are they trying to solidify their foundation?"
Pei Qian suddenly realized that there was a problem with Hao Yun's introduction.
Smiling, Hao Yun said, "Boss Pei, didn't you deliver a 'Cornerstone Award' on Friday to hint to everyone to solidify their foundations? That's why the various departments started conducting self-checks. However, apart from the pay inequity, they did not discover any serious problems.
Pei Qian blinked, feeling puzzled.
Does it concern me again? Did I hint to everyone to solidify their foundations by delivering the 'Cornerstone Award'?
I didn't mean to.
Er... but it looks like the same outcome was reached anyway. They didn't discover other serious problems apart from the pay inequity. What's more, I can spend more money now.
That's pretty good!
Pei Qian did not ask any more questions. Instead, he nodded and said, "Alright, inform the finance department."
After Hao Yun left, Pei Qian packed up and rushed to Fei Huang Workspace. Tomorrow is Beautiful was no longer screening, and the company had already signed a contract with Aili Island. Pei Qian had had enough.
He had to 'shock' them before they could cause any more trouble for him!
The System had shown mercy and allowed him to give one department 'shock therapy' during each cycle. That was very kind already. Pei Qian had to make good use of this opportunity.
When he arrived at Fei Huang Workspace, Pei Qian realized that only a few employees were surfing the web and watching shows.
However, most employees were still working! This pained Boss Pei deeply.
Look! Look! Is this what humans would do?!
They had already finished their project, and they had not started a new one yet. Still, people were forcing themselves to work?!
It looked like Fei Huang Workspace was extremely problematic. The wrong hardworking mentality was deep-seated. Pei Qian had to use 'shock therapy' to treat them!
Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce had been facing their monitors and discussing something. However, when they saw Boss Pei, they immediately stood up.
"Boss Pei, what are you doing here?"
Pei Qian decided to cut to the chase. "There's nothing much. I want to announce a new system. The shock therapy plan!
"Huge profits means a lot of hard work. The more you earn, the more you exhaust yourselves.
"On the surface, earning money is a good thing. However, there exist hidden dangers. Not only has there been a toll on your energy and health, but you could also deplete your inspiration and talent!
"Thus, I've decided to use 'shock therapy' on departments that exhausted their manpower. In the next four months, Fei Huang Workspace's employees will continue to draw salaries and earn benefits. However, none of you will be allowed to work.
"During the therapy, focus on recovering your energy, health, inspiration, and talent.
"Fei Huang Workspace's shock therapy will start next month, and it will last for four months. In other words, it'll last from April 1st to July 31st."
Everyone was shocked. What did this mean? Everyone in the department would be put on four months of paid leave?
Other companies would only give individuals paid leave. Once that person left, his colleagues in the department would be made to finish his work.
However, Boss Pei was putting the entire department on paid leave.
What's more, it was clearly paid leave. Why did Boss Pei sound so stern? Why was he speaking through gritted teeth? It did not feel like he was rewarding them with paid leave. Instead, his tone sounded more like he was firing them. Huang Sibo was stunned. "Boss Pei, you can't do that. Even if the workspace doesn't work on a new project, someone has to take care of daily operations. We can't just stop working altogether.
"The shock therapy cannot end up killing us..."
Pei Qian pondered for five seconds. "How about this? Take turns to work. Make sure that the workspace is operating at the minimum capacity required to keep it alive."Split the employees into teams and put each team in charge of one month. Each person would get four months of 'shock therapy', but the entire therapy period would last five months instead since everyone will be taking turns to work. In other words, it will last until August 31st."
Huang Sibo hesitated. "But there's still —"
Pei Qian's expression darkened. "No 'but's. Overcome your own problems. Make sure you go into 'shock therapy' from April 1st onwards!"
Huang Sibo turned to Zhu Xiaoce. Both of them looked extremely reluctant. Still, they nodded in the end. "Alright, Boss Pei. We'll see to it."
Boss Pei smiled, satisfied. "Excellent. You may continue normal operations during the 'shock therapy', but you cannot start any new projects. You also don't have to worry about generating revenue for Tengda Corporation. You've already sacrificed enough!"
Huang Sibo felt moved. "Alright, Boss Pei! However, please rest assured that, even while we're resting, Fei Huang Workspace will continue to generate value for Tengda Corporation!"
Pei Qian's smile disappeared at once. "?"
Zhu Xiaoce turned to the side, revealing the computer screen that both of them had been looking at. "Boss Pei, a foreign distribution company has stumbled upon Tomorrow is Beautiful, and they're going to screen the movie overseas!"