At the Cannes Film Festival...
Huang Sibo, Zhu Xiaoce, Zhang Zuting, Lu Zhiyao, Lin Ruyi... the main cast and crew of Tomorrow is Beautiful sat in a row below the stage. Huang Sibo was dressed formally in a bow tie. He had a confident smile on his face though it was a pity that he could understand neither English nor French spoken at the event. He realized that Level Four in English was really useless in such an event.
"Xiao Lin, would they be speaking in English or French when the rewards are presented later? We won't miss it, right?" Huang Sibo asked quietly.
Lin Ruyi glanced at him. "Brother Huang, what are you thinking about, eh? It's good enough for us to be able to walk this red carpet and show our faces. Are you really expecting to win the award?"
Huang Sibo expressed his dissatisfaction. "Why? Do you think Boss Pei's script is not good enough, or do you think the acting skills of Movie King Lu are not up to standard?
"Moreover, during the previous screening, the audience was very enthusiastic. Everyone applauded enthusiastically as well. I observed that only about twenty to thirty people left; the rest watched the whole movie. Why would it not get us a prize?"
Lin Ruyi shook her head, wanting to lower her voice, but decided against it since she thought that no one here would understand Mandarin anyway.
"Brother Huang, you are not familiar with the contents of this place so it's normal to have that sort of thinking. This film exhibition is managed single-handedly by Boss Pei after all."
"There are conditions to being selected for the Cannes Film Festival. It must have been completed twelve months before the festival and has not been screened in other international film festivals. It is fine to conduct business operations in your own country but not feasible, in principle, in areas outside your country." Huang Sibo was taken aback. "Is there anything else to pay attention to? Then, our movie does not seem to meet this condition anymore?" Lin Ruyi nodded. "Yes, but the film festival is a place where people pay attention to connections. Rules are determined by people. Tomorrow is Beautiful might have been released, but the popularity is very low now and there is no particular heated discussion; neither did we participate in other film festivals.
"The reason why these film festivals formulated these mandatory requirements was to lock in more high-quality film resources and to ensure the quality and popularity of the film festival.
"In fact, some films that had won in Berlin, Venice, and other places had also participated in the Cannes Film Festival. However, it was basically very difficult to be selected except for some very good and top-notch films that could win awards.
"In addition, the relationship between Cannes and the film distribution company was also very delicate. Some bad films could also enter the main competition. It was said that there was an exchange of resources there.
"Of course, this situation was very rare. Most of it was to bring in candidates. Whether you could win the award or not depended on the quality of the film itself. That was the bottom line of Cannes. "So do you understand? Tomorrow is Beautiful is not popular in foreign countries, the quality is not excellent, plus some other reasons that we don't know about. The judges made an exception to let us enter, but don't think about winning any awards. We've already profited from walking the red carpet and seeing the world."
Huang Sibo was a little regretful. He might be the person-in-charge of Fei Huang Workspace, but he was the most amateur amongst everyone on the set. He had also been in 'shock therapy' recently. He had not understood this even though he had been doing his further studies.
One naturally did not know of these if one were not in charge of film submissions.
"That was a pity then. If I'd known, then we should have submitted the film before we released it?" Huang Sibo said angrily.
Lin Ruyi shook his head. "You're thinking too much. Many good domestic films came to Cannes without any results. Tomorrow is Beautiful is probably not enough, too. Moreover, who could think so long term by then?
"What's more, most directors had participated many times in many Film Festivals and knew each other well. They had relationships with others while we are not even well known in China...
"Therefore, don't think so much; we'll just be around and head back. We are basking in Boss Pei's light to be here in the first place. We've beaten many domestic movies, okay?"
Huang Sibo thought of it and seemed to understand that logic. However, at this moment, Zhu Xiaoce, who had been listening to their conversation, interjected. "Little Lin, Cannes is not the same as Oscars. The organizing crew would not notify the group to participate in the final awards ceremony if they did not win any award. That means that we'll get one award at the very least."
Lin Ruyi's eyes lit up immediately. "Really?"
Zhu Xiaoce hesitated. "Uh... in most cases, yes. However, they would also ask the nominated to come in certain cases. In short, I do think there is hope for the best newcomer award. We must have confidence in the quality of our movie after all."
The awards were beginning to be announced as they discussed.
Short Film Palme d'Or, Best debut, special mention, etc...
The lucky winner would step on the red carpet to accept the award. The audience would also respond with endless warm applause. Excellent filmmakers would be reported in this event with god-like respect.
Zhu Xiaoce and the rest clapped along but felt something wrong the more they waited. The entire award ceremony would take more than an hour from start to end. More than 40 minutes had passed after looking at their watches.
The movie king award had been awarded, but Tomorrow is Beautiful had yet to be announced.
Zhu Xiaoce thought that if this movie could have gotten an award, it would have been the best debut film or best scriptwriter award, but they obviously did not. The hope for the best actor was slim. Lu Zhiyao might have dedicated his best acting skills to the film, but there were too many big names waiting in line at the film festival.
However, the problem was that it was more impossible as time went by.
The best director was not theirs either.
Huang Sibo felt fine beads of sweat oozing out of his palms. His heart was pounding.
What did that mean? They couldn't possibly be awarded the Palme d'Or? Or did the staff make mistakes and they did not win any awards at all?
The presenter on stage had been changed. A respected veteran movie star came onto stage and smiled in front of the microphone.
"Thank you.
"It is my honor to be able to present the special Jury Prize[1]. I believe that today is an unforgettable day for everyone present. However, we always believe that tomorrow will be better. Then, Mr. Chairman, will you tell us which movie won this precious award?"
On the right side of the stage, the chairman of the jury who was the first from the left, stood up: "The winner of the Jury Prize..."
"It's for 'Tomorrow is beautiful', for Zhu Xiaoce!"
The audience cheered and applauded when the name of the movie was announced. Zhu Xiaoce sat frozen in his seat, completely confused and unable to move.
Huang Sibo was already cheering and pulled Zhu Xiaoce up. "Fu*k, we really won!!!"
Even people with poor English could make out the English name of Tomorrow is Beautiful and the completely inaccurate pronunciation of 'Zhu Xiaoce'.
Zhu Xiaoce walked onto the stage in a daze amid the applause and cheers. He shook hands with the award-presenting guests and came to the podium.
"I apologize. I did not prepare a speech in French nor English because I never thought I could win this prize. I... find it difficult to describe how excited I am at this moment."
"As a new film director, the film is not my own credit. Here, I hope that the crew members present can come on stage and share this honor with me..."
Zhu Xiaoce paused after every sentence, leaving enough time for translation.
Huang Sibo, Lu Zhiyao, and the rest took the stage after the other, standing behind Zhu Xiaoce and expressing gratitude to the audience and the jury. Zhu Xiaoce had tears in his eyes, and his voice was somewhat cracked. "Here, I would like to pay tribute to all the seniors in the film industry. Thank you to all the staff and our crew, thank you..."
Zhu Xiaoce changed his words after a series of thank you's.
"In addition to everyone in our crew, I would also like to thank a person who is not here today. He injected his soul into the film, allowed our actors to have superb acting skills, and provided us with abundant funds for us to express ourselves without any worries. "Boss Pei, thank you for providing inspiration and soul for this movie. All the cast and crew, including me, were able to bring this movie to life under your inspiration.
"Thank you, everyone!"
Thunderous applause rang throughout the event once again!
...
May 24th, Monday...
Pei Qian woke up naturally. He looked at his phone and realized that the alarm had yet to ring. His plan to go to bed early and rise early was a great success. What a wonderful day. He touched the control panel at the head of the bed to let the sun shine through the smart glass. Pei Qian suddenly felt as though he had forgotten something looking at the bright sunshine. He suddenly became sober.
The Cannes Film Festival!
Pei Qian was afraid that he would be bombarded by various news last night after speaking to Ruan Guangjian. He turned his phone to flight mode, leaving only the alarm clock.
The Cannes award should have ended in the early hours of the morning. Pei Qian carefully turned off the flight mode with a complicated mood.
All sorts of message windows started popping up frantically. The little red dot of the chat software soon became 99+!
Pei Qian: "..."
Oh, sh*t, did they really win a prize?
Calm down, calm down, it might be comforting messages because they won nothing?
Pei Qian calmed down. The headline of a news feed spoiled him in advance just when he was about to open the chat software with trembling fingers. "Domestic film won the Jury Prize of the Cannes Film Festival after eleven years!" Pei Qian: "..."
He did not know what this so-called Jury Prize was. But things were definitely not optimistic judging from this title! Pei Qian could not help but hold on to his forehead.
Oh, no, something horrible had happened!
[1] This is the second-highest award in the Cannes Film Festival, which recognizes an original work containing the spirit of inquiry
Chapter 526 Let's Congratulate Boss Pei on Behalf of Fei Huang Workspace
He opened the chat software and saw many congratulatory messages. Zhu Xiaoce and the others had even filmed a short video and sent it to Boss Pei. It was messily filmed. Pei Qian could only see a bunch of people shouting and cheering
Pei Qian remained silent for a moment and then decided to figure out what the fundamental problem was.
What kind of award was the Jury Prize? Pei Qian watched movies frequently, but he did not follow any professional award ceremonies. All he knew was the Oscars.
It was time to engage Qiandu for help.
Two minutes later, Pei Qian understood.
There were different types of awards given out at the Cannes Film Festival. The most important one among those was the Palme d'Or. It was equivalent to the Golden Bear and Golden Lion at the other two film festivals. All of those awards were the highest international awards attainable in the film industry.
The last time a local film won a Palme d'Or was in 1993. That was also the only time. The Jury Prize was widely considered the second-highest award. The last time a local film won that award was in 2000. That was why the news headline had been 'Winning the Award Again after Eleven Years'.
After reading the Qiandu search page, Pei Qian did not know if he should feel upset or overjoyed.
Fortunately, it had not been a Palme d'Or. He had only gotten second place.
Pei Qian had been afraid that his own good luck would strike again. If he had won the Palme d'Or, he would have had a huge mess to clean up!
That was not completely impossible. After all, the more professional a film critic was, the richer his imagination would be. Who knew what kind of things westerners could infer from Tomorrow is Beautiful's material?!
However, the current situation was enough to render Pei Qian speechless. He had only gotten the second prize, but it was still extremely rare!
Many local filmmakers had worked hard for the past eleven years. Every year, a few films would be sent to the Cannes Film Festival. Yet, most of them would fall short; the second place had practically been unattainable.
On the other hand, he had written a film with the sole aims of feeding poison to the audience and incurring losses. Yet, not only had his film become extremely popular in the local theaters, but it had even won an award at the film festival!
What exactly was wrong with this world...?
Pei Qian quietly got out of bed, washed up, and traveled to the office. All the employees on the 16th floor of Shenhua View were hard at work. The atmosphere was silent.
Pei Qian heaved a long sigh. He could not help but rejoice inwardly. It was a good thing that he had put Fei Huang Workspace into shock therapy. Otherwise, all the employees at Fei Huang Workspace would have come up to his office to congratulate him personally. Who would be able to tolerate that?
At the very least, he was safe in his own family.
However, just as Pei Qian stepped into his office, he heard a pop. A champagne cork flew up into the sky!
At the same time, there were explosions of fireworks and confetti. At once, the entire office was filled with noise.
"Surprise!"
"Boss Pei, congratulations!"
"Tomorrow is Beautiful has won an award, and Zhu Xiaoce especially thanked you! How do you feel now?"
Everyone got up from their seats one by one. Some held onto fireworks, and others held onto confetti; some clapped while others poured champagne for themselves.
Pei Qian turned to Assistant Xin, confused. "This..."
Assistant Xin smiled and explained, "Boss Pei, everyone knew that Fei Huang Workspace's employees are on holiday, and the main production team of the film is still overseas. That's why they organized this celebration on their behalf.
"After all, it's worth celebrating. How could we let this opportunity slip by?"
Pei Qian: "..."
You are all very thoughtful. However, I don't need this kind of celebration! Horrible!
Someone served champagne to everyone else until everyone held a glass. Pei Qian had no choice but to tilt his head back and down his glass.
Hao Yun, who was standing beside him, looked confused. "Er, Boss Pei... shouldn't you give a short speech first?"
Pei Qian placed the empty glass down on the table beside him. "It's all in the past. There's nothing worth talking about. Alright, everyone. Go back to work, quickly!"
Do you still want to celebrate? If we celebrate once now, and Huang Sibo and the others celebrate again when they get back, wouldn't I be enduring double the punishment?
Go to hell!
Once Boss Pei went into his office and closed the door, Assistant Xin smiled and addressed everyone. "Boss Pei has always been like that. Alright, get back to work, everyone. It won't be too late to celebrate when Huang Sibo and the others get back."
As Wu Bin stood by the side, he quickly jotted those events down in his notebook. "Indeed, even after so long, Boss Pei has not changed.
"I heard that Boss Pei was like that when Ocean Stronghold became successful as well. He symbolically took a sip of his champagne and then threw himself back into his work.
"When I heard this from Bao Xu, I thought the latter had been exaggerating. After all, even if a successful man doesn't want to rely on his past successes, he would not go so far as to save on a mini-celebration, right?
"Yet, from the looks of it, it's true. Bao Xu had not been exaggerating. That's what Boss Pei is
like.
"Yes... I think I can add this to the Tengda spirit notes. I'll send this to Cui Geng and ask him to think about how to make use of this material."
In his office, Pei Qian whipped out his cell phone and began reading all 99+ of his unread messages. Most of them were congratulations with similar content. Pei Qian ignored them without saying a word.
He simply could not reply to all of them. Further, what if the other parties took the chance to strike a conversation with him after he replied to their messages? What if they praised Tomorrow is Beautiful to no end? Wouldn't Boss Pei be hurt once again?
Thus, Pei Qian considered making a post on WeChat moments later on to thank everyone for their congratulations.
He would say that he could not reply to all the messages because there were simply too many of them, and then he would block notifications from WeChat moments. After that, everything would pass.
He continued scrolling through the messages but suddenly paused. His gaze lingered on the message from Lin Chang.
"Boss Pei! Congratulations! You have to treat me to some beer when I go to Jingzhou the next time! It's true that the film had won the award because of its top quality, but I was the one who helped to send the film to the Cannes Film Festival in the first place. I should get some credit, right?"
Pei Qian's mind was filled with question marks. He quickly replied, "You were the one who sent the film in?" A while later, Lin Chang replied. "Boss Pei, why are you only replying to me now? Were you high last night? Did you drink too much? "Of course, I got someone to accept the film. Cannes has always preferred films that premiered at their own film festival. If not for my connections, the judges would not have accepted your film.
"Boss Pei, I'm not trying to claim credit. I'll tell you honestly, I didn't think that Tomorrow is Beautiful would win an award either. I just thought I would offer some help since the film was doing so badly in overseas box offices.
"The film only won the award because it was well-produced by you, and it completely won the judges over. No matter how solid my connections are, I would never have been able to achieve this for you." Pei Qian: "..."
I've found the culprit! You were the one pulling tricks behind my back!
Pei Qian very carefully considered whether he could send a Management Trainee over to Shenhua Corporation or not. For instance, he could send a Management Trainee to the office of Shenhua Film and Media Co. Ltd.'s president...
He had a clear picture of what was happening inside the office, but he was still completely blind to anything happening outside!
"Your kind intentions have gone to waste, then. Based on what I know, Tomorrow is Beautiful has been performing badly overseas. It's going to be withdrawn soon, right?" Pei Qian's expression was dark as he typed the reply.
Now, he was worried about two things in particular. First was the contract with Aili Island. Now that the film had won an award, a new group of viewers would surely rush to watch it online. That meant more income for Tengda. Second was the possibility that foreign video websites would offer high prices to buy Tomorrow is Beautiful's overseas internet copyrights.
As for the box offices overseas... Tomorrow is Beautiful premiered at the start of the month with low row piece rates and poor ticket sales. Pei Qian guessed that it would be taken down soon.
Lin Chang: "Withdrawn? The last I heard was that, after winning an award, Tomorrow is Beautiful would be screened afresh by overseas media! The major cinemas would continue screening it for another month with higher row piece rates.
"Films that have won the Jury Prize are inherently valuable for business. How could they withdraw it? Cinemas would fight to take advantage of the film's popularity and generate more profits!"
Pei Qian: "..."
Why did I ask so much? It was true that, unlike blessings, misfortune never came singly!
Pei Qian had thought that screening Tomorrow is Beautiful overseas had been a false alarm. Yet, the entire situation had turned around after just one film festival! He was filled with sorrow. This cycle was becoming increasingly stressful. He had intended to film a lousy movie and incur losses, right? This film was generating profits for him locally, overseas, in theaters, and online... when would it end?! Pei Qian felt that this was his worst investment yet.
Er... no, this could be the second-worst. The worst investment would always be the fifty thousand yuan that he had poured into The Lonely Desert Road.
Lin Chang sent another message: "There's another thing, Boss Pei. The second round of comments on your film would probably be out in a day or two. Are you ready to be bootlicked?"
Pei Qian: "?"
Lin Chang replied, "Sometimes, people would have one view of something while it remains in the country but have a completely different view of it once it goes overseas.
"Now I'm very curious. Earlier, many people thought that Tomorrow is Beautiful was nondescript, and that neither locals nor foreigners would like it. Yet, Tomorrow is Beautiful went on to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival. What would those people say now?
"Alright, Boss Pei. Keep celebrating. Remember to treat me to a good beer when I come to Jingzhou!"
Pei Qian remained awfully silent as he read his conversation with Lin Chang again.
What a headache!
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Handong University branch...
"Hello, I'm the head of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Xiao Peng. You are...?"
Liang Qingfan shook Xiao Peng's hand. "I am Liang Qingfan, the designer in charge of Boss Pei's Sloth Apartments." "Oh! Please, take a seat." Xiao Peng led Liang Qingfan to the coffee area and sat down. A waiter served them two cups of coffee. After exchanging a couple of pleasantries, Liang Qingfan explained the reason for his visit. "Boss Xiao, I wonder if you're interested in renovating Fish-Catching Internet Cafe." After completing Sloth Apartments, Liang Qingfan had been touring and playing in Jingzhou to gather inspiration while waiting for further instructions from Boss Pei. However, after waiting for a long time, he still didn't receive any news. He was beginning to feel bored.
Thus, Liang Qingfan decided to survey the various locations first.
Boss Pei had so many businesses, including Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Fish-Catching Take-Out, Deposit Fitness, Sloth Apartments, and the like. All of them would have to be renovated.
If he could obtain all of those contracts and design a few famous and popular places, he would be able to significantly improve his own reputation.
What's more, he knew full well that Tengda Corporation was wealthy. The designer fees would surely be generous.
That was why Liang Qingfan was visiting Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Xiao Peng today. He wanted to introduce himself first, so that they could work together more easily when the time came.
Xiao Peng pondered for a moment. "Not for now. Customers like Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 1.0 and 2.0 very much. Changing the style all of a sudden might have the opposite effect. As for Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 3.0... it's already undergoing renovations. It won't be convenient to make changes now.
"Of course, if we think about setting up Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 4.0 in the future, I will contact you at once.
"However, I know a place that might need your help. Why don't you go and take a look at Thriller Hostel? Here's the contact number of the man in charge there. His surname is Chen. You can reach out to him directly."
Chapter 527 Golden Maze
May 24th, Tuesday…
At Thriller Hostel…
Chen Kangtuo was standing at the entrance of the old industrial zone, looking around anxiously. All of a sudden, he saw a rented car parked outside. A young man alighted from it.
At that moment, Chen Kangtuo did not dare to approach the young man. He knew that he was meeting an architect by the surname of Liang today and that the architect would be a bit young, but the man in front of him looked a bit too young However, on further thought, both of them had set the time and date yesterday. What's more, nobody would come by the old industrial zone anyway. After some hesitation, Chen Kangtuo walked briskly forward. "Mr. Liang?".
Liang Qingfan nodded. "Yes. Are you Boss Chen?"
"Are you really Mr. Liang? How are you, how are you?" Chen Kangtuo shook Liang Qingfan's hand excitedly. Then, both men walked into Chen Kangtuo's office. Once they entered, two more people who had been sitting on the couch came forward to welcome them.
Chen Kangtuo introduced the two people to Liang Qingfan. "Mr. Liang, let me introduce you. This is the colleague who is heading Thriller Hostel with me, Hao Qiong. This is the current designer in charge of altering and renovating Thriller Hostel, Shi Zherui."
Liang Qingfan greeted both of them. He expected to have many common topics of interest with the other architect, Shi Zherui.
Shi Zherui was a young and capable architect in Jingzhou. He was a year older than Liang Qingfan, but neither his academic results nor his resume was as bright as Liang Qingfan's.
As for why Pei Qian had put him in charge of Thriller Hostel… it was obviously for the same reason as to why he chose Liang Qingfan. He did not want to choose a famous architect to design Thriller Hostel, in case it brought unnecessary fame and popularity.
Chen Kangtuo poured a cup of tea. "Mr. Liang, you have arrived in the nick of time and resolved my greatest worries." Liang Qingfan was stunned. "Oh? Why do you say that?"
Chen Kangtuo gently placed the cup of tea in front of Liang Qingfan. "It's a long story. Thriller Hostel is an amusement park project that Boss Pei had decided to turn this old industrial zone into in response to multiple appeals.
"You should know that by now, right? A group of investors had also been persuaded to follow Boss Pei and invest in the surrounding area.
"This group of investors suggested building a huge shopping mall for Boss Pei and Thriller Hostel's benefit. Props and other peripheral products would be sold in that mall. We are to come up with the plan while they fork out the money.
"Thus, I invited Teacher Shi to come up with a common design for a shopping mall, with the intention of using it for the actual thing.
"Yet, alas, Boss Pei is a man who enjoys perfecting something that is already outstanding! He emailed me yesterday, asking us to design the shopping mall as a maze!" Shi Zherui continued from where Chen Kangtuo left off. "I felt confused when Boss Chen told me about this, too. At first, I thought that there was nothing much one could do with a shopping mall. That was why I used a typical plan. I didn't think that Boss Pei would be unsatisfied!
"At the moment, I am still in charge of the construction of the Thriller Hostel, and I have to watch the progress like a hawk. If any problems occur, I have to change the plan on the spot. Time is already tight, and yet Boss Pei is requesting that I work on a maze. That would kill me.
"I don't have much experience with or knowledge of mazes, and I already have so many things on my hands! Thus… we've been leaving this on the back burner, and Boss Chen has been worrying about it."
Chen Kangtuo nodded. "That's right, but thankfully, Mr. Liang has arrived! Mr. Liang, do you have any good ideas about how to carry out this project?"
Liang Qingfan raised his eyebrows.
Turn a shopping mall into a maze? That was very bold! Boss Pei might have been the only one in the entire world who could come up with such a bold and imaginative idea. Liang Qingfan sipped his tea and asked, "What exactly did Boss Pei say? I have some thoughts about the maze, but I need to understand what Boss Pei requires so that I don't get it wrong."
Chen Kangtuo laughed and said proudly, "Don't worry, I am considered an old employee of Tengda Games. I've learned a thing or two about figuring out what Boss Pei wants!
"Boss Pei mentioned two points in his email. First, he wants it to be expensive-luxurious and dazzling. He wanted the shopping mall to be filled with luxury brands.
"Second, he wanted most of the shops selling peripheral products to be hidden within the maze, so that the majority of the customers would exit the shopping mall without even realizing it. They should not be able to find a single shop. "Let me try to interpret Boss Pei's intentions from my angle. If any of you have anything to add, please feel free to add on.
"I think that Boss Pei's 'maze' idea has something to do with games! It'll be like collectibles created in games; they would all be hidden. Gamers would then have to search for them repeatedly, which would keep them playing the game for a long time. "At the same time, once a gamer finds a hidden shop, it would be like finding a hidden merchant in the game. It would have a psychological effect on them. They would think that, after spending so much time locating the shop, they had to buy something to reward themselves. Otherwise, it would feel like they're losing out. That way, we would be able to encourage spending.
"It would be even better if the various shops regularly update their products and gifts for people to purchase as proof that they have been there.
"As for why the renovations must be expensive… I haven't thought about it yet."
Liang Qingfan nodded as his right hand caressed his teacup. "Yes, we can easily make gamers spend more time in the game with the maze design. However, from the architect's point of view, there are other considerations as well.
"Boss Pei said that customers should exit the mall without even realizing it. Obviously, there should be many exits in the mall. That means that the crowd would be split up, and the customer experience would be improved. At the same time, in case of any emergency, customers would be able to disperse very quickly.
"What's more, creating a maze would require us to divide the mall into segments. For the purposes of designing the building, segmenting could increase the efficiency of space usage in the building. Practically, it's a sign of far-sightedness.
"I think we can make a few key walls in the maze moveable. When we close them off, the paths would be closed; when we open them, there would be an additional path. Once we make the mechanism automatic, we can use an algorithm to automatically generate new mazes. The paths would change every once in a while, so that the sense of novelty remains for customers. "Of course, for safety, we have to make sure that someone would be watching the automated system at all times. Even if the electricity gets cut, we should be able to ensure that customers can find the exits and would not be trapped inside.
"As for why the maze has to be expensive… I think it might be because Boss Pei is going for a 'golden maze' style. It makes one feel as if they're surrounded by all sorts of treasures. Without even meaning to, the maze would display to everyone else the value of the products inside the mall.
"It'll be just like luxury shops. Why did they have to renovate their shops so extensively? It was to create a subtle atmosphere to make customers feel as if they were walking around in a palace. Only then would they think that the valuables in front of them were worth buying and being worn. Customers would then be unable to resist the urge to purchase them. "The facts have shown that, to achieve such an effect, one has to stick to the dazzling and grandiose styles.
"That way, the Thriller Hostel can say this for publicity: in the faraway Thriller Hostel, if you make it through the thrilling, frightening, and horrifying experience and make it out of the splendorous and majestic golden maze; you would find the hidden treasure!"
Chen Kangtuo's eyes lit up. "I see! "Before this, I kept interpreting Boss Pei's plan in terms of games, and I already thought that the design was not bad. Now, after hearing Teacher Liang talk about it from an architectural and psychological point of view, everything makes more sense! "Boss Pei actually considered this from an architect's perspective? He's really knowledgeable.
"Since that's the case, let's just call the shopping mall the Golden Maze. Then, not only would it be a shopping mall, but it would also be a free amusement project within Thriller Hostel. We'll be killing two birds with one stone!
"Mr. Liang, this is urgent. I'll leave the Golden Maze's design to you! I'll pay your designer fees according to Tengda's standards!"
Chen Kangtuo gazed at Liang Qingfan warmly.
Liang Qingfan pondered for a moment and then said, "Of course, I can design it, but… after some time, Boss Pei will get me to design the new Sloth Apartments. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep an eye on this project all the way through."
Shi Zherui patted his chest. "No worries. Mr. Liang, you just have to come up with the design. Let Boss Li and the others look for a construction team to watch over the construction. I can help to keep an eye on it,
too.
"However… if we run into problems that I cannot solve in the future, we would still need you to come down personally." Liang Qingfan nodded. "That's alright. Even if I'm in charge of the Sloth Apartments, I will be in Jingzhou. I can come over at any time."
Chen Kangtuo was elated. "We'll leave this to you, then, Mr. Liang!"
May 25th, Wednesday…
Pei Qian browsed the webpage quietly, looking very confused. Things had developed beyond his expectations.
Tomorrow is Beautiful was covering the entire internet once again!
The last time this happened was when Tomorrow is Beautiful first premiered in the country and became popular. One month after the movie premiered, it featured on Aili Island for over a month. That was already an extension of its life.
Everyone who wanted to watch it had already watched it. The entire plot and various details in the movie had already been discussed countless times. Logically, it should not have been this popular anymore.
Yet, Pei Qian never thought that one award would bring the movie back into focus!
This time, local netizens were no longer focusing on the film itself. After all, they had already studied the film's contents to the point of exhaustion. Instead, netizens focused on the film's performance in overseas box offices and foreigners' reviews! On top of that, many people online were resoundingly 'digging graves'.
Ever since Tomorrow is Beautiful premiered, people who hated the film never stopped dissing it. Some of those people were fake reviewers, but a significant number of them were genuine.
After all, no matter how good something was, it was impossible for everyone to like it. What's more, those who loved popcorn flicks were generally uninterested in studying the meaning of Tomorrow is Beautiful.
Further, the loud praise that the movie had been getting online had the reverse effect on others, who thought that the film was overrated and had to be dissed.
As time went by, those dissers points kept changing When the movie first premiered, they said that the film had forced a Western background into the story, that it was nondescript, and that neither locals nor foreigners would like it.
When the film's figures started looking good, they said that its profoundness was fake, that it only became popular because of sales, that the box office was probably faking the numbers, and that the film's true colors would show in about a week.
After some time, when the high figures were stuck and overtook Flying Star Journey, they said that once a real blockbuster appeared, Tomorrow is Beautiful would collapse for sure. Once Flying Star Journey failed, they said that Flying Star Journey was too rubbish, that it was not representative of the real standard of Western movies, that Tomorrow is Beautiful had just been released at the right time, and that it would not have achieved such success otherwise.
When Tomorrow is Beautiful premiered overseas and did badly in the box offices, the dissers appeared again. "Look, I said that the film was nondescript. It could bluff the local audience, but foreigners would not fall for it!" Tomorrow is Beautiful's fans had been keeping their frustration in for a long time. The dissers were extremely peculiar and aggressive in going against the current. What's more, they appeared with every minor development and refused to be eliminated.
This was especially so when Tomorrow is Beautiful did badly in overseas box offices. The dissers rubbed this loss in the faces of the film's fans for a long time, causing them to boil in anger.
Yet, now, Tomorrow is Beautiful had been awarded the Jury Prize for the first time in eleven years. The entire situation had turned! Could the fans let the opportunity to gloat pass them by?
Their 'loss' had been rubbed in their faces for so long. Now, they were getting a rare opportunity to fight back. Of course, they had to prepare a mass grave for all of those dissers. At once, they released the deep-seated hatred that they had for the dissers. This caused Tomorrow is Beautiful to become popular throughout the internet once again!
A movie that premiered in February was still so hot today… Pei Qian was really f*cking unlucky!
Chapter 528 Why didn't It Win the Palme d'Or?
Pei Qian browsed various forums, especially those that had been battlegrounds for fans and haters of the movie. One could say that corpses covered the area. What's more, those 'corpses' had not died in the intense battle. Instead, they had been dug up from their 'graves'.
"I heard the film wouldn't be liked by locals and foreigners alike. I get it; Cannes was not organized by foreigners."
"Cannes has been thrown out of the 'foreigners' basket by the haters. I suggest that our country should consider adopting the homeless 'Cannes' now. We should make them a part of Jingzhou and call the film festival into Tengda Film Festival' instead."
" Tengda Film Festival'? Are you hinting that Tengda is so wealthy that it bribed all the judges in the film festival? Congratulations on figuring out the truth! (sarcasm)"
"This film did indeed only get popular because of its sales. It only got an award at Cannes to tackle the poor figures at overseas box offices. What a solid sales tactic! (sarcasm)"
"Now, it really does look like Tomorrow is Beautiful was just released at the right time. If an even better time had been picked, perhaps it would have stolen awards out of the hands of every other popular movie."
"The major films with high production value must be celebrating the fact that they had not been released at the same time as Tomorrow is Beautiful, right? The more they think back to it, the more fear they should feel."
"Can you tell us the joke again?' 'Which one?' 'The one about the foreign film.' 'Flying Star Journey! The real major foreign film is here!' Hahahaha!"
"I heard that the foreign audience wouldn't fall for the same trick as we did. Yet, all foreign cinemas have extended Tomorrow is Beautiful's screening periods today. They've even increased the row piece rate. Once again, I'm giving all foreigners a serious warning: you run the risk of having your citizenship revoked if you watch this film. Please watch it at your own risk!"
Comments like that were littered all over the internet. The haters' past discussions and posts were dug up as they were beaten up again and again.
Many haters could not ask for anything else. They either deleted comments or switched comments off altogether. Most of them could not do anything but act like they were dead.
It was too bad; those who had the best results had slapping privileges!
Before this, the haters had made a big deal out of Tomorrow is Beautiful's poor performance in overseas box offices. It had almost become concrete proof that only locals liked the film while foreigners did not.
However, the award that the film won at Cannes was far more important. It practically turned the universe inside-out, thereby shooting down all the negative comments of the film that had been made before!
Pei Qian leaned back in his chair, speechless. It was not that he wanted to read those comments; it was that he had no other choice!
Everyone on the internet was discussing the film. Even if he wanted to ogle at girls on Weibo, he could read about Tomorrow is Beautiful in the related content.
He was being attacked from every corner, and the haters' 'corpses' were hanging throughout the internet as people beat them while they were already down. It was absolutely sorrowful.
Pei Qian mourned the brave warriors in his heart.
"All of you have suffered! I will seek justice for you with the next movie! Please, believe me one more time!"
As he read all the hot discussion posts, Pei Qian could not help but think that it was about time Tomorrow is Beautiful blew over.
Its popularity was lasting too long!
He had not expected the after-effects of the movie to be that strong. It premiered in February, but its popularity on the Internet had not died down since then.
The most frustrating thing was that all the attention that the movie was getting online only served to increase the sales and views for Tomorrow is Beautiful on Aili Island.
Pei Qian was extremely frustrated. Why were there still new audiences at a time like that? He could not help but recall an extremely famous meme: 'who the h*ll hasn't bought Grand Theft Auto 5?'
Still, it was alright. The nightmare was almost over.
He had already lived through this nightmare once before. He had already won an award at an international film festival. Things were finally going to die down now, right?
Everyone had already praised the film in every way possible. Wasn't it time to put the lid on the coffin and let the movie rest in peace? Pei Qian decided not to pay attention to this matter anymore and to let it die down.
However, just as he was about to exit the browser, a post caught his eye.
"How did Tomorrow is Beautiful get the Jury Prize?"
Pei Qian felt emotional. Ai, yet another typical post praising Tomorrow is Beautiful. He had already seen countless posts like that.
When Tomorrow is Beautiful won the Jury Prize, all sorts of WeMedia[1] tried to ride on the film's coattails by writing similar posts. They validated the importance of Cannes and the Jury Prize, explained briefly how a local movie won the same prize previously, and finally analyzed how Tomorrow is Beautiful suited the taste of Cannes' judges and won the prize. At the same time, some of those posts recapped the film's deeper meaning and artistry.
Pei Qian had already read many similar posts. He was not much more interested in this one. However, this particular post seemed more popular than expected. After some hesitation, Pei Qian clicked on it.
When he read the first sentence, he felt faint.
"Did you all think that I was going to explain why Tomorrow is Beautiful won the Jury Prize after reading the title of this post?
"You're wrong! "What I'm asking is why Tomorrow is Beautiful won the Jury Prize and not the Palme d'Or.
"Everyone knows that, at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Tomorrow is Beautiful was awarded the Jury Prize and Journey of the Soul, a Southeast Asian film, was awarded the Palme d'Or.
"Many people felt overjoyed after learning that Tomorrow is Beautiful won the Jury Prize. Not many people think about this question: Why didn't Tomorrow is Beautiful win the Palme d'Or?
WA
"In fact, one would only have to do some comparisons to realize that Tomorrow is Beautiful and Journey of the Soul have many things in common.
"Journey of the Soul follows a poor farmer who starts seeing the souls of his late family members after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. He follows those souls to find out about his past life.
"The film stars many non-professional actors, and most of the dialogue between the characters was improvised. Moreover, minimal editing was done, and many long shots were used instead.
"Journey of the Soul contains exotic features and supernatural elements, and it seems to suit the Cannes' judges' taste for artistry better. However, one has to admit that, compared to Tomorrow is Beautiful, Journey of the Soul has no clear advantage in either artistry or meaning. "Conversely, Tomorrow is Beautiful studies the gap between rich and poor, the alienating effect of money, the manipulation of people's lives using capital and technology, and the concern of people turning into mere numbers. Compared to supernatural elements, these ideas resonate deeper with the audience and are much more profound. "Many locals don't understand the Cannes Film Festival well enough. They naturally think that local films would not suit the judges' taste and thus would not win the Palme d'Or. However, that's a mistake!
"To me, the judges should have thought more highly of Tomorrow is Beautiful than Journey of the Soul. An informal source said that the Palme d'Or was only selected after three rounds of voting. "Obviously, the seemingly settled awards have twists and turns where we cannot see. "Having won the Jury Prize-the widely-recognized second prize of the film festival, Tomorrow is Beautiful should have been a competitor in those three rounds of voting
"That's why I raised the initial question. Why didn't Tomorrow is Beautiful win the Palme d'Or?
"If you agree with the above, please continue reading
"To me, there are two reasons why Tomorrow is Beautiful lost to Journey of the Soul by an extremely small margin.
"First, there is an unspoken rule of international film festivals. As we all know, international film festivals prefer films that premier at the festival itself. That helps them to obtain better film resources and maintain the value of their own awards.
"Cannes Film Festival typically would not allow films that have already won awards at other film festivals or that were already well-known to be nominated. That would be equivalent to allowing others to benefit from their own name. It would not be fair to directors who were their 'biological sons'those who only premiered their films at the film festival for the past few years. "Exceptions would only be made for particularly outstanding movies.
"Tomorrow is Beautiful was coincidentally premiered overseas. Its only merits were that ticket sales were poor, and few people were paying attention to it. That was why it was fortunate enough to enter into the competition and ultimately won the award based on its own outstanding quality.
"Still, no matter what, it had not premiered in Cannes. That greatly discounted the number of marks that Tomorrow is Beautiful got in the judges' eyes. The second reason is merely my guess. I'll just say it, and everyone can read it with a pinch of salt.
"The content at the beginning of Tomorrow is Beautiful fit the judges' taste, but the problem was... do you remember the post-credits scene at the end of the film? The one in which a pistol was thrown through the entrance of the male protagonist's home?"As for whether the judges would have liked that scene or not... you are all free to make your own judgment. Tomorrow is Beautiful might have had a better chance of winning the award if not for that scene.
"Finally, I have something interesting to share. Do you all know that another film was awarded the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1998? That was 13 years ago, and it was the same prize that Tomorrow is Beautiful won. "That movie was called Life is Beautiful, or La vita è bella.
"Compare that to Tomorrow is Beautiful.
"Both movies are thirteen years apart, have similar merits and similar names, and were awarded the same prize. There seems to be a hidden connection between them both.
"The interesting thing is that, although Life is Beautiful was awarded the Jury Prize, its reputation among local movie fanatics was much better than the movie that was awarded the Palme d'Or in that year.
"All in all, we should be happy that Tomorrow is Beautiful was given an award at Cannes. However, we should not feel sorry for just winning the Jury Prize. The film is definitely worth more praise than we can imagine.
"Let us look forward to more and better works from Fei Huang Workspace, the light of the domestic film industry!"
[1] This is slang for citizen media.
Chapter 529 Teacher He, You Really are My Guiding Light!
After reading the post, Pei Qian fell into a long silence.
How the f*ck did this happen? I would tolerate this if Tomorrow is Beautiful had won the Palme d'Or and you wrote this post.
Yet, you're writing this post even though it did not win the Palme d'Or, and the conclusion of your analysis was that the film could have won the Palme d'Or, but it didn't need to?!
I can't take this anymore!
There was only one message between the lines of the post: Tomorrow is Beautiful definitely had what it took to win the Palme d'Or, but it only fell short because of a few specific factors!
One had to admit that putting it this way worked much better than awarding the film the Palme d'Or directly.
The comments section proved this.
"I see! Thank you for your explanation, Big Boss!"
"It's no wonder... there's so much to it."
"That's right. Locals would understand the final post-credits scene very well. In fact, it upholds the meaning behind the entire film. However, to foreigners, and especially to overseas judges, that scene would have been uncomfortable to watch."
"Perhaps the judges felt that the final post-credits scene had ruined the entire film's artistry."
"Yes, you can't say much. We understand."
"Tomorrow is Beautiful won the Jury Prize even though there were so many factors going against it. Doesn't that prove all-the-more that the film was well-produced?"
"What a pity. The production team should have just cut the second post-credits scene away before submitting the film!"
"I think that the production team already knew about this problem but chose not to do anything."
"Why? Do they have something against the award?"
Everyone shared their own opinions until another film critic who had watched countless films spoke up. "I also think that the production team did that on purpose. It's actually not hard to understand.
"First, the production team was definitely clear on the message that the film was trying to convey and the meaning of the pistol-throwing post-credits scene. Otherwise, why did they film it?
"If they were clear on the meaning, they would also have expected that the judges would not find that scene palatable. Cutting that scene out would have been simple, but they did not do that.
"I think there could only be two reasons.
"First, they knew that Cannes preferred films that premiered at the film festival, and they did not expect Tomorrow is Beautiful to win an award, much less the Palme d'Or. They participated in the film festival with a cavalier attitude and had no intention of pleasing the judges.
"Second, they knew they would be penalized for it, but they insisted on expressing their full message through the movie.
"If they had cut off that last post-credits scene, the film would have been lacking in something. Maybe the production team stubbornly insisted on keeping the film whole and refused even to cut away an unimportant post-credits scene."
After reading the analysis, a realization dawned on all the bystanders.
So that was why! That was true—how could the production team not have realized what the film critics could see?
Yet, they still submitted the entire film without any worries. That was akin to entering someone else's territory and competing on their rules, and then winning second place based on one's own abilities, without attempting to cater to the judges at all.
Was this... the pride of an artist?
The netizens could not help but feel moved. Indeed, heroes were cultivated from a young
age!
Many old artists in the film industry were respectable, but many of them also tried hard to cater to judges' tastes to win awards at international film festivals. On some level, they had given up their own self-expression.
That was not just sad for certain filmmakers, but also for the entire local film industry in general.
However, everyone in the production team at Fei Huang Workspace—from the director to the scriptwriter-was young.
It felt almost like a young knight, proudly participating in a Sword Appreciation Conference with top practitioners of martial arts, using a sword that he had painstakingly sharpened. What's more, despite knowing how to cater to the judges, the young knight insisted on remaining true to himself and ended up defeating everyone else based on his own capabilities.
Suddenly, it did not seem to matter whether the film won first or second place. Although it had not been awarded the Palme d'Or, the production team had still brought far more meaning to the local film industry than a Palme d'Or ever would!
The post became extremely popular and triggered passionate discussions!
For some reason, someone else posted the film's ratings from various major websites.
"A foreign website released the film's rating yesterday—8.2. Some of you might think that that's no big deal, but judging from other films' ratings on that website, very few movies throughout history have gotten a rating of 9.0 and above. An 8.2 puts Tomorrow is Beautiful among the top 250 films on the database!
"If we look at the rating as a percentage, we would have no choice but to lash out at our local websites.
"Before this, Tomorrow is Beautiful had gotten a rating of 8.5 and below on multiple websites. That's especially amusing given that a good domestic movie can easily get a score of 9.5 or more on those websites.
"Everyone can easily see that Tomorrow is Beautiful's rating on TPDb has remained consistent at about 9.1. Although it has been fluctuating slightly, it's still considered very stable!
"I think that low scores are not representative of how strict a rating website is. You don't have to keep a close eye on the film's ratings on foreign websites. After all, Tomorrow is Beautiful was produced by locals. The message that it conveys can only be fully understood by locals.
"I hope that this film represents a good beginning for domestic films. We no longer have to strive for recognition at international film festivals. Instead, we can focus on telling our local story well!
"At this point, I urge everyone to register an account at TPDb and watch Tomorrow is Beautiful one more time on Aili Island. Let us always remember this meaningful and monumental day!"
After reading the netizens' comments, Pei Qian quietly closed the browser.
Alright, that's all. I'll give up fighting now. Pei Qian realized that netizens were getting increasingly ridiculous. Every now and then, they would pull off a new trick again. He would never have thought that the final comment would push everyone to TPDb and the online version of Tomorrow is Beautiful again.
He wondered how many people would purchase Tomorrow is Beautiful on Aili Island this time and how many people would add more bullet screen comments like 'play it a billion more times', 'treasure of the site', and 'pulling the entire world together' to the beginning of the movie. Pei Qian could almost see how things would go when he met Zhu Xiaoce next. The latter's expression would be filled with excitement as he rushed to Pei Qian's side, saying 'Boss Pei! Your decision to share profits with Aili Island was wise and correct!'
Just thinking about it made Pei Qian extremely depressed.
It was... very tragic...
May 26th, Thursday...
At the cafe near Handong University, He An's second class with 'Ma Yang' officially began. Pei Qian had not been sleeping well over the past two days because of how Tomorrow is Beautiful turned out.
To learn as much as he could from today's lesson, Pei Qian still went to bed early the night before. This morning, he woke up naturally with his gravely-injured mental state fully recovered.
Before the class started, Pei Qian sneakily looked at the heading of today's teaching material.
'Second Lesson on Successful Designs: Use your foresight to understand how the industry will develop!' Pei Qian could not help but feel elated. Finally, he could stop hearing about Tengda's plans! The previous lesson had been quite good. He had learned that, for games, everything from production to publicity formed one inseparable whole. The right publicity strategy had to be used for different game genres to achieve the best results. The only downside had been that many of Tengda's games and publicity strategies had been covered as positive examples, so that Pei Qian felt like He An had been rubbing salt in his wounds. Still, he had learned something. Pei Qian planned to apply what he had learned once Struggle was released. He could not resort to false marketing because the System would not allow it, but he could employ differentiated marketing
Sometimes, telling half-truths could have a better effect than telling outright lies.
All in all, the previous lesson had been helpful to Pei Qian. It showed him a clear direction, so that his tuition fees were not paid in vain.
This lesson looked even more reliable.
Understand how the industry will develop? It sounded full of useful ideas!
He An sipped his coffee and slowly said, "What we talked about in the previous session was the most basic of all basic knowledge: Establish the basic concepts of the game's design, decide clearly on its genre, and strictly follow the relevant rules for each subsequent step.
"Today, we're still going to talk about basic knowledge, but it'll be one level higher than before. Simply put, which genre should you choose among the many genres available in the market?
"Choosing the right genre is half the battle won.
"Here, I want to give you an example..." Pei Qian immediately tensed up. He wasn't going to make an example out of Tengda again, was he?
Let me off, I beg you!
He An paused for a moment and then said, "MMORPG."
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief. Tengda had never produced an MMORPG. That was great! He was not going to be kicked while he was down today!
At once, Pei Qian sat up straighter.
He An did not notice the internal struggle going on inside 'Ma Yang'. Instead, he continued speaking. "For a long time, MMORPG has been regarded as the ultimate genre of games. There was enough support for this in theory because MMORPGs could construct a virtual world for players and provide enough rich content to them. What's more, it was highly expandable.
"Many people in the game industry had thought about this before. What game could challenge Fantasy World? At the time, everyone concluded that, to compete with Fantasy World, one had to create an even better MMORPG.
"However...
"The newest development in the game industry has proven that this was wrong. No better MMORPG than Fantasy World has appeared, but another game genre that could challenge MMORPGs has.
"That's right, I'm talking about the most popular battle games in the country or even the world: GOG and IOI!"
Pei Qian: "..."
He was now suicidal. MMORPG had only been the introduction. They still landed back on this topic in the end.
Noticing that 'Ma Yang' looked strange, He An suspiciously asked, "Boss Ma, is there a problem?"
Pei Qian tried to force a smile. "No, no problem at all. Is that related to today's class?"
He An nodded. "Of course! I emphasized before that choosing the right genre is half the battle won. Top game designers cannot come up with a better MMORPG than Fantasy World, but they can come up with a better game genre than MMORPG!
"Obviously, that shows a keen sense of smell!
"Just think about it. If you could sense the limitless potential of IOI while other first-tier game designers fought within the boundaries of MMORPG, you would be one step ahead of them. That gives you the advantage and allows you to dominate the market... think about a butterfly flapping its wings. It looks like a minor move, but it could cause a world of change in the end!
"Tengda Games is way ahead of other game developers. It first invested in IOI and then developed GOG. Obviously, it's the butterfly that's working hard to flap its wings. Boss Ma, as a manager in Tengda's investment company, you should understand more about this than me, right?"
He An smiled as if thinking that 'Boss Ma's' own experience could give him more enlightenment and understanding of today's class.
Pei Qian was speechless. At the same time, he was extremely conflicted.
How should I tell Teacher He that Ma Yang was the one who invested in IOI, but I'm not the real Ma Yang? What's more, even the real Ma Yang had not invested in IOI because of his keen sense of smell but out of pure interest...
Forget it, trying to smooth that out would be extremely troublesome, and He An would probably not understand anyway.
Pei Qian nodded quietly, expressing his agreement with whatever He An had said. Then, he asked a question to change the topic. "Teacher He, according to that theory, does that mean that choosing a sunset game genre would guarantee failure?"
He An pondered for a moment and then said, "There are no guarantees in this world.
"Gamers may still like retro games-even mosaic-style games-as long as the content is rich enough and the gameplay is novel enough. After all, there are many gamers in the world. One just has to find the right target audience; even a small group of gamers can sustain a game well."However... there's nothing wrong with your theory.
"The older a genre is, the smaller the group of gamers who enjoy it. If you invest a huge amount of money in such a game, you would greatly increase your risk of failure
"You might even end up losing everything."
At that point, Pei Qian's eyes lit up. That's great! There are more ways to incur losses now!
Pei Qian asked, "Teacher He, if I invest a huge amount of money in a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game now... what would happen?"
He An smiled. "You would do better to give the money to me. At least I would thank you. You could also make ducks and drakes of the money so that no one would know about it." Pei Qian grinned.
Who said that this course was useless? I know what kind of game to develop during the next cycle now!
Teacher He, you really are my guiding light!