Both competitions went as planned, one game after another. However, the more Pei Qian watched, the stranger things looked.
The gap between the popularities of both competitions was getting bigger!
At the start, many people had been watching IOI. However, as more time passed, that number decreased, and the competition became less popular. They were running towards GOG!
Even Pei Qian could barely keep himself from betraying IOI and escaping. Even after keeping his cell phone, he felt the urge to check how GOG's competition was doing.
He scrunched his nose and watched a couple of IOI games before he found the problem.
The standard was really horrible!
On one hand, IOI's game mechanism was outdated, and the audience had no affection for the heroes. On the other hand, the teams were of horrible and varying standards, so that the competition became no different from slightly better ranked matches.
Although Pei Qian could keep watching, the teams were poorly coordinated. Instead of looking like one complete team, they looked more like five random players who had been matched together.
It wouldn't have looked that bad if GOG had not organized a competition on the same day. However, side by side, one was clearly better than the other!
The majority of the audience had already been leaning towards GOG from the beginning. They had only peeked at IOI because they had heard that there would be 'Sino-foreign confrontation'. Yet, after watching a few games, they lost interest and jumped ship.
Once they did, they didn't turn back!
Moreover, trolls were repeatedly jumping back and forth between both live streams, just to drag a big group of viewers from IOI's platform to GOG's.
The gap between the number of viewers in both competitions continued to widen, and the change was glaringly obvious. The most ridiculous thing was that Pei Qian noticed people secretly leaving the actual venue as well!
After all, the tickets had been sold for very cheap. One could say they had practically been given away. Naturally, the audience would not feel heartache despite leaving early.
Clearly, those people were not enjoying the competition. Thinking that they would only waste time if they stayed behind, they decided to leave.
Pei Qian wanted to vomit blood.
Don't go! Stay behind and watch!
He really wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but he knew in his heart that it would be useless. The gamers would only support the game that they liked.
Pei Qian heaved a long sigh and leaned back in his chair, having mixed feelings.
Although the competition would end tomorrow, from the looks of the current situation, the outcome had already been decided. IOI had no hope of making a comeback.
What should Pei Qian do?
...
...
July 24th, Sunday...
Today, Pei Qian did not go and watch GOG or IOI's competition because the outcome had already been decided. Going to watch would only result in his corpse being whipped again.
Last night, Pei Qian read forums for a very long time. He read the comments that gamers had for both competitions and finally concluded that there was really no hope.
GOG's competition had completely trashed IOI's!
As a result, many players were beginning to feel bad for the latter.
"Looking at IOI's declining viewership really hurts my heart. The organizers must have spent a huge deal on advertising beforehand. Now, all the gamers that they had attracted have become viewers of GOG's competition!"
"That's right, a friend of mine used to be a hardcore fan of IOI but is now a fan of GOG..."
"It's too bad. GOG is too strong. Its mobile and client versions are synced, the game mechanism is fun, and even its professional tournaments are more interesting!"
"Poor IOI..."
"IOI is a successful overseas game of solid quality and fast updating pace, and that puts in a lot of effort in its operations. It doesn't make sense for it not to be popular after entering the local market."
"Hmm... if Tengda didn't exist, maybe that would be true."
"Actually, the managers of IOI's local server had done everything right. If they had not been up against GOG, they would have made it by now. GOG is really out of this world. It's a crowdsourced game that's been marketed in internet cafes and that has organized a competition...
"What's more, it linked its mobile and client version from the beginning and organized competition seasons to distribute rewards. It dominated the market a long time ago and could even deflect every single one of IOI's attacks perfectly. It's so powerful!"
"Boss Pei is an operational genius."
"Indeed, with Boss Pei behind GOG, IOI stands no chance."
"Wait a minute, isn't IOI being managed by Tengda as well? Shang Yang Games is a fully-owned subsidiary under Tengda Corporation, right?"
"Ai, they're all related, but there's a world of difference, understand? Do you know about dog-eat-dog competitions? Are you still unable to tell whose side Boss Pei is standing on?"
"It's true—Boss Pei will surely lean towards GOG. It's his biological child."
Reading those comments made Pei Qian feel exhausted inside.
Whose side am I on? I'm on IOI's freaking side, of course! That goes without saying!
Yet, the gamers aside, even Shang Yang Games wouldn't believe him this time. Pei Qian felt helpless. It looked like the entire project had failed.
However, if he looked on the bright side...
Could IOI's local server incur losses without doing anything now?
Lin Wan likely wouldn't leave Tengda and inherit her family business anymore. However, after this mess, the winner between GOG and IOI was very clear. If Pei Qian continued to pour money into IOI, wouldn't he be able to happily make ducks and drakes of it?
To Pei Qian, it was important to adapt to whatever life threw at him.
Since he could no longer help IOI, he could adapt his strategy and turn it into his loss-incurring tool. That didn't sound like a bad idea!
...
As Pei Qian thought about a plan for the future, he walked to the cafe to listen to Qiu Hong's past failures. Until now, Qiu Hong had already shared a few failures with Pei Qian.
Making a mess of project management...
Interference from bosses or external forces...
Not being able to find talents...
Lack of general knowledge and poor communication...
Absence of a united voice within the research and development team...
Pei Qian had to admit that Qiu Hong had been sharing about all of those failures from the bottom of his heart.
According to him, any one of the above could result in difficulties for the project; two could result in the research and development being stuck in the mud; three could make work a living hell.
However, Pei Qian realized that all of those fatal problems had miraculously been dealt with in Tengda!
This was freaking ridiculous.
He felt like he was in a race where everyone else was starting at the start line... while he had been standing at the finish line the entire time.
Most importantly, he wanted to run backward!
In short, he was in a rut.
Among all the failures, Pei Qian only found one he could possibly attempt: the absence of a united voice within the research and development team. However, he still had no idea how he could practically achieve that.
All he could do was hold that Qiu Hong would share even more past failures with him today.
Qiu Hong sipped his coffee and observed 'Ma Yang's expression. "Boss Ma, you look both happy and worried today."
Pei Qian nodded. "Yes."
He was right, but Pei Qian was feeling happy and worried about the opposite things.
Qiu Hong smiled. "Life is filled with things that don't go our way. Don't take it to heart, Boss Ma. The past failure I am going to talk about today is iteration."
At once, Pei Qian perked up. That sounded like something that he could apply directly!
'Iteration' was actually similar to updating to a new version. It covered situations when games were updated from versions 1.0 to 1.1 or even 2.0.
Qiu Hong continued speaking. "Boss Pei, you might be confused. Isn't iteration necessary for any project to succeed? Why would I count it as a failure? The key lies in whether one iterates with a clear goal in mind or not.
"All failed iterations have one thing in common: no one knows what the game or product would look like in the end. They're always wandering around aimlessly and adapting to the constant changes.
"Demand is always changing, and there always seems to be no end to the updates.
"Such behavior reveals that no one knows what the product is meant to look like in the end. The more they are updated, the further they stray from the bright path.
"On the surface, one might think that the product is improving with every update. However, in reality, it is just traveling farther away from its destination. One day, it would not be able to turn back.
"That's the case for many games. Their original versions are often very clear, but people keep on wanting to add more things during the research and development process. Thus, they keep iterating and adding things to the game until it looks nothing like the original.
"When the wrong iterations are made and the project team's voice is not united, there would be horrible, horrible, horrible calamities!
"The entire project would contain infinite internal frictions. It'll be like a boat heading straight into a whirlpool—even the best steersman would not be able to save it. One can only watch as it continues to sink deeper and disintegrate; it would be unsalvageable."
Pei Qian's eyes lit up.
Good! I've not wasted my money!
Finally, I've learned a fatal tactic from Qiu Hong!
All along, Tengda's games had been constantly XXX and updated. However, Pei Qian had had a very clear goal in mind when he worked on the updates. That unfortunately led to his success.
Yet, now, with Qiu Hong's theories as his guide, Pei Qian could clearly see a path to victory!
He had to create disunity within the project team and then force them to iterate. They would tear down and redo every single version, iterate, and upgrade... until the game became unrecognizable before settlement.
Wouldn't that be great?
"Boss Qiu, thank you so much!" Pei Qian thanked Qiu Hong affectionately, his eyes glinting.
Qiu Hong looked overwhelmed by 'Ma Yang's favor. He quickly said, "Boss Ma, don't worry about it. I'm just doing what I can to help you out because someone asked me to.
"What's more, I've only been sharing my past failures. Boss Ma, if you want to make use of them, you have to apply them in reverse."
Pei Qian's smile widened.
Apply them in reverse? No, I can directly apply all of your failures!
Indeed, learning is amazing. How else would I have known that there were so many ways to incur losses?
All his money was well-spent!
...
...
July 25th, Monday...
GOG and IOI's competitions had finally completed their third stage. Yesterday afternoon, the champions of each competition had been crowned. All the rewards and trophies had also been distributed.
However, it did not matter who exactly had been crowned champions.
What mattered was that, after the competitions, all the gamers and clubs were clear on one fact: IOI would not make it in the country! For the foreseeable future, GOG would dominate. These competitions had only served to lock in the game's position at the top!
...
DGE Esports Club...
The members of the H4 Club and the DGE Club were saying their goodbyes.
Team Leader Su was talking to Zhang Yuan about the future of the esports industry in the country.
H4 had regrettably been the runners-up in yesterday's competition. However, the results had already been a pleasant surprise, given that they were used to being tortured repeatedly and had not harbored much hope in the first place.
Chapter 596: Garbage Sorting
Obviously, H4 could only come in second place because of the lessons they had learned from DGE.
Put in another way, GOG's competition displayed high standards across the board, mainly because of the DGE Club's lessons!
If DGE had not repeatedly trained all the other clubs, they would not have developed their battle tactics so quickly, much less put up such an exciting performance.
Team Leader Su knew full well that, if the DGE Club had been allowed to take part in the competition, the championship trophy would have gone to them. The only question would have been which of DGE's teams would have won.
It was a pity that DGE was Boss Pei's own team and that it was directly connected to the organizers. As a result, they regrettably could not take part in the competition.
Feeling emotional, Team Leader Su said, "Boss Zhang, I heard that several clubs that had been observing all this time had just decided to set up GOG teams after watching yesterday's competition."
Before this, Team Leader Su had thought that Zhang Yuan was a team leader, just like him. However, after visiting DGE, he realized that a more accurate title for Zhang Yuan would have been 'Team Manager'. Thus, he started addressing Zhang Yuan differently as well.
"The situation is clear now. IOI is finished in the local industry. GOG has an unshakable stronghold.
"IOI's three attacks in the arms race stood no chance against GOG's. More importantly, IOI had not done anything wrong. It had made use of all the right marketing channels, and yet it still could not win GOG. That's enough to prove how impressive and powerful GOG is.
"That's why all the clubs are responding in this manner. If they had to choose one team to set up, they would choose GOG.
"After all, it would be far more worth it to focus on reaping all the benefits available within the country before trying to take part in an illusory international competition."
Zhang Yuan casually asked, "How sure are they that there are so many benefits to reap?"
Team Leader Su smiled. "Boss Zhang, you're asking the obvious.
"Before this, GOG came up with a rewards system based on the ranking charts and partnered Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to create a Great Esports Ecosystem. Now, it has even organized a competition... aren't the intentions clear as day?
"Boss Pei has big plans for the game!
"For all we know, Boss Pei would continue to organize large-scale competitions or even establish a complete professional league. Then, our clubs would benefit from Tengda's success, and our days would get better.
"We're not blind. Of course, we can still see these things for ourselves.
"Alright, Boss Zhang. We'll meet again in the future. You're welcome in Shanghai—Nevermind, we will come to Jingzhou more often."
Team Leader Su had intended to extend a warm invitation to Zhang Yuan at first. However, he quickly recalled the state of their training ground at home and then decided to drop it.
Zhang Yuan laughed and said, "Alright, you're always welcome!"
Team members from both teams shook hands.
"We've already agreed—we'll play a ranked game together when we get back!"
"We'll organize another mock competition in the near future!"
As he saw the two rented cars driving away, Huang Wang sighed.
"Too bad we couldn't take part. We would have been the champions for sure."
Old Zhou: "D*mn right, we would."
Obviously, both teams were very disappointed.
Although DGE's environment and treatment far surpassed the other clubs', the team members still wanted to compete on stage, win a trophy, and enjoy being applauded and cheered for.
That was every professional athlete's ultimate dream. Material conditions alone could not replace that.
Coach Yaling smiled. "Don't think too much, everyone. Boss Pei definitely has other plans for you."
They all looked at her suspiciously. "Is that so?"
Coach Yaling nodded. "Of course.
"Boss Pei personally set your training schedule, hired me to train you, planned additional meals and adequate nutrition for you, and hired a professional masseuse. He even provided a lot of funds for all of you to travel to various cities for mock competitions...
"Just think about it. If the DGE Club remained hidden under wraps without participating in any competitions, who would stand to lose the most?
"Boss Pei, obviously!
"If Boss Pei didn't have other plans for you, would it make sense for him to cultivate two strong esports teams and keep them under wraps? Of course not.
"That means Boss Pei probably does have other plans. Don't think about it, everyone. Just train hard. I believe that you will get a chance to stand on that stage one day!"
Everyone nodded one by one, thinking that what Coach Yaling had said made sense.
That's right. Boss Pei had invested so much money into the club. He can't possibly intend for us not to be seen or heard, right?
He must have other plans!
Don't overthink—just train hard to maintain our standard. Our chance will come!
...
"Achoo!"
Back in his office, Pei Qian sneezed out of nowhere. He quickly wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.
Zhang Wang had just paid him a visit earlier to deliver a piece of good news. Manufacturing of the Fully-Automated Bicker Machines was complete! All of them were stacked up in the warehouses!
The warehouses couldn't fit anything else now, but Upwind Logistics and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe both needed a lot more storage space. That was why Zhang Wang's head hurt and also why he had come to ask Boss Pei for advice.
Pei Qian had waved his hand and said, "Isn't that easy?
"If the warehouses are full, just rent a few more! How big of a problem is that?"
Zhang Wang had originally intended to ask Boss Pei for tips on how to sell all the Fully-Automated Bickering Machines off.
The last thing that he had expected was for Boss Pei not to take the bait. Instead, he skipped the problem with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machines entirely and told them to rent a few more warehouses.
Helpless, Zhang Wang could only follow his instructions.
Once Zhang Wang left, Pei Qian checked how all of his businesses were doing and then decided that he had to make a trip to Shang Yang Games.
GOG's competition had completely overshadowed IOI's over the weekend. That must have been a big blow for everyone at Shang Yang Games, who had probably lost their fighting spirit and enthusiasm.
Still, that couldn't be helped. Boss Pei had tried his best.
In fact, Pei Qian concluded that continuing to struggle would be pointless. He wanted to shorten their pain and turn IOI's local server into a loss-incurring machine.
At that thought, he stood up to leave his office for Shang Yang Games, where he could check in on his employees.
...
In Shang Yang Games' conference room...
Pei Qian and everyone at the office had nothing to say to one another. The atmosphere took a slight downturn.
That's right... What should I say?
Ever since they started managing IOI's local server, they had made three attacks. Yet, each time, GOG managed to completely deflect it. They had spent a considerable amount of money, but all of it had only served to aid GOG.
Now, GOG's place in the market was as stable and unshakable as a mountain.
They already lost three times; could they still avoid admitting defeat? Did they really have to be defeated seven times before they gave up?
In short, this was Shang Yang Games' first time failing so helplessly ever since they started working under Boss Pei. Of course, everyone was extremely low in spirits.
One could say that they had truly experienced the genuine frustration that other companies did when competing against Tengda Corporation.
Thus, what IOI should do next was the key question.
Pei Qian thought about letting it continue to run in its lifeless state so that he could burn more money. It'll be good to have a loss-incurring tool like that.
After considering for a moment, he said, "Don't be sad, everyone. The loss of IOI's local server is not your fault. The problem lies with Finger Games.
"After this, we'll leave a few people to continue cooperating with Finger Games to run IOI's local server. The rest of you can take a break and prepare to work on the new project."
Pei Qian was speaking very nonchalantly as if this was an everyday occurrence. He had indeed gotten over IOI's loss. After all, between GOG and IOI, the loser would have been made his loss-incurring tool. There was no point being hung up over who exactly had lost.
Although IOI's defeat would have created more problems for him, there were already far too many things that he had to worry about. Comparatively, IOI's local server was a negligible issue.
After a moment of silence, Ye Zhizhou said, "Boss Pei, are you planning to give up on IOI's local server...?"
Pei Qian cleared his throat and rushed to comfort him. "It's alright, they're all the same."
He was just about to say more comforting words, but he suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say.
At that moment, Lin Wan, who had been sitting beside him, spoke up. "That's right. Boss Pei is right. They're all the same.
"GOG and IOI's 'arms race' had significantly pushed the boundaries of this game genre. We competed three times in total and attracted many new gamers who had been used to playing other kinds of games.
"That means we did not waste our money. All of those gamers would be taken in by GOG, and the results would be even greater than if GOG had been on its own!
"Whether GOG or IOI wins, Tengda would still be the winner. In fact, GOG's win would be better news for Tengda Corporation!
"What's more, we didn't fail because of our management... but because of Finger Games. IOI's game design is outdated, and its response is not as quick as GOG's. Of course, it failed in the local market.
"So...
"Boss Pei, did you plan for all of this to happen?"
Lin Wan thought backward based on the results and suddenly realized that creating a 'dog-eat-dog competition' had indeed been the best publicity strategy!
On top of that, Boss Pei had been jumping back and forth between GOG and IOI while they had been competing. First, he hinted at Min Jingchao to crowdsource heroes, and then he instructed Shang Yang Games to incite a Sino-foreign confrontation. All of it forced Lin Wan to conclude that Boss Pei had planned for this outcome all along.
Pei Qian remained silent for a moment and then nodded and said, "More or less."
At first, he wanted to say that the current situation was far from his hopes. However, on second thought, he realized that everyone would just conjure things up in their heads if he said that.
Maybe everyone would wonder what Boss Pei's original plan looked like, whether they were lacking in any aspect or not, whether they could salvage the situation or not, and why Boss Pei was not directly pointing their mistakes out to them.
If they let their unlimited imaginations run wild, the consequences could be dire.
Thus, he was better off admitting that he had planned everything, so that everyone would give up on IOI in peace.
Hearing Boss Pei's response, everyone visibly relaxed.
It looks like the problem didn't lie with us – Boss Pei's plan had been like that from the beginning! What's more, Finger Games is mainly to blame for our loss. It has nothing to do with us!
Now that they could shirk the blame, everyone naturally felt better. Strictly speaking, this had not been a failure. Everyone had only done what was expected of them and worked with Tengda Games to push GOG to the top.
From another angle, it was a good thing. They were all under the same company, and it did not matter who won in the end. What's more, GOG was Tengda's biological child, and it could generate far more profits for the company.
At the same time, Pei Qian was inwardly celebrating what Lin Wan had said.
Lin Wan was so open-minded. It went to show that she did not feel overly defeated by the entire fiasco. Pei Qian could still work harder to bluff her into going home and inheriting her family business...
Yet, Lin Wan started at that moment. Sounding emotional, she said, "However, this period made me see more clearly where I fall short. I'm still a long way from where I want to be. I think I should remain in Tengda and work harder! Boss Pei, please give Shang Yang Games more tasks!"
Pei Qian: "?"
Wait, didn't you manage to shirk responsibility? Why do you still want to remain in Tengda to work hard? Stop working so hard! Can you just go home?!
Pei Qian quickly said, "The problem doesn't lie with you. You've already done very well! Don't be too critical of yourself!"
Lin Wan shook her head. "Boss Pei, don't bother comforting me. I know my own standards very well.
"I led Shang Yang Games to play our roles very well this time, and I shouldn't blame myself for the failures of IOI's local server. However, I didn't manage to understand your true intentions early enough. That means I am still a long way from sharing your vision!
"I can only truly go out on my own when I can plan and strategize far into the future, just like Boss Pei!"
Boss Pei rested his head in his hands, feeling extremely exhausted. He was finished. From the looks of the current situation, this lady was not planning to leave!
Forget it, he had to cast aside the plan to chase Lin Wan away for now. He could take it one step at a time in the future.
Now, after working so hard for so long, he had finally turned IOI's local server into a loss-incurring machine. At least he had not wasted his efforts.
He should be satisfied for now.
Pei Qian scanned everyone around him. "You've worked hard, everyone. Get some rest during this period. Take a holiday. Don't think about anything related to IOI anymore."
Everyone was stunned. Don't think about anything related to IOI anymore? They had failed to win GOG, but that did not mean they had to give up completely, did it?
They still had to maintain daily operations, didn't they?
After all, Tengda still had the management rights of IOI's local server and shares in Finger Games!
Wang Xiaobin looked confused. "Boss Pei, are you telling us to stop managing IOI's local server altogether?"
Pei Qian nodded. "Yes, stop for a couple of days. We'll discuss it again after that."
Now that he had gotten Boss Pei's confirmation, Wang Xiaobin found it inappropriate to question him even further.
Pei Qian stood up. "Alright, if there's nothing else, please be dismissed, everyone."
Everyone stood back up with strange expressions. Some looked indignant, and others looked burdened. Yet, Pei Qian was deep in thought about how to make IOI's local server incur losses without causing everyone to become suspicious.
This was a highly technical task that he had to consider carefully.
At that moment, Lin Wan let out an 'eh' while surfing her cell phone.
"Boss Pei, it seems like Handong Province wants to introduce a full-scale garbage sorting! What's more, I heard that the garbage would be very strictly sorted. The garbage sorting list looks very complicated as well!"
Pei Qian looked nonchalant. "And so?"
Garbage sorting was no big deal. Was there a need for such a huge reaction? At worst, throwing rubbish would be a bit more troublesome.
What's more, I always order Fish-Catching Take-Out. I don't have to throw rubbish. Why would I be concerned about garbage sorting?
Eh?
Wait a minute—Fish-Catching Take-Out?
All of a sudden, Pei Qian realized that things were not as simple as they seemed. His expression froze.
The words 'garbage sorting' felt like countless daggers piercing his back.
He was in big trouble!
Chapter 597: Could Boss Pei also Predicted This?
Pei Qian did not notice any danger when he first heard about 'garbage sorting'.
Garbage sorting was a big trend, and countries all over the world were doing it after all. It might be only 2011 and a little early to do garbage sorting domestically, but there were some advanced developments in this world. Pei Qian had experienced it many times.
Moreover, garbage sorting was nothing more than cultivating everyone's awareness of the environment and making it a little more troublesome for them in their daily lives. It would not have much impact on everyone's lives.
Therefore, Pei Qian did not immediately realize what 'garbage sorting' meant to him.
However, Pei Qian suddenly reacted after freezing for a short while.
Garbage sorting did have nothing to do with him, but it had a lot to do with Fish-Catching Take-Out!
Currently, all Fish-Catching Take-Out had a unified process:
The white porcelain bowls were packed and delivered to the doorstep. The customers leave the leftovers in the tableware for recycling after their meals are completed. The delivery guy would collect the tableware and handle the leftovers centrally before the dishes were cleaned, disinfected, and then reused.
The bad thing was in this 'centralized handling of leftovers'!
In fact, Pei Qian did not think of this when he first started. He only felt that recycling the tableware would allow the delivery guy to make more trips and could spend more money. At the same time, he could pay more for lost tableware.
However, the situation was completely different once garbage sorting was implemented!
The customers did not have to worry about their leftovers or about the disposable lunch boxes and tableware with Fish-Catching Take-Out, unlike the other takeaways.
Customers would have to throw away the boxes, cutlery, and leftovers separately after they were done with their takeaways with other brands.
However, Fish-Catching Take-Out did not need to be bothered with that. They could just put the entire set of tableware outside their door and wait for the recycling. It would have saved them a lot of trouble!
Originally, Fish-Catching Take-Out was going at a premium. Other takeaways could always compete with Fish-Catching Take-Out by virtue of 'cheap, convenience' advantages, but now...
The more Pei Qian thought about it, the more panicky he felt. He moved immediately and went to Fish-Catching Take-Out Shop Number One to look at the disaster!
...
At Fish-Catching Take-Out Shop Number One, the Gourmet Laboratory...
Rui Yuchen was worrying about the prospect of Fish-Catching Take-Out.
Boss Pei did not pay attention to the data that he reported to him at all but made a wave of reverse operation with unknown meaning.
Fish-Catching Take-Out obviously performed better in super first-tier cities and first-tier cities with fewer shops outside Handong Province. However, Boss Pei did the opposite, asking Rui Yuchen to open all new branches in Jingzhou City and other cities in Handong Province.
At present, the Fish-Catching Take-Out stores in the entire Handong Province were obviously saturated, especially in Jingzhou, where Fish-Catching Take-Out stores were competing against each other for business.
Of course, 'saturation' was a concept. It did not mean that the entire Jingzhou was fully covered with Fish-Catching Take-Out. It would be more accurate to say that the supply of Fish-Catching Take-Out had exceeded demand from the current number of users.
There was no helping it. Rui Yuchen had already tried avoiding an overlap of coverage of any two stores before the opening of the stores, but there were really too many Fish-Catching Take-Outs in Jingzhou!
In the end, there was no helping it; it could only be done this way.
In short, Fish-Catching Take-Outs were currently in a state of oversupply in most cities in Handong Province, especially in Jingzhou.
Other than that, Rui Yuchen was having a headache about the Food Harmony brand.
The reputation of Food Harmony was indeed good judging from the pilot situation. However, it was only open to Tengda's loyal users who were required to reach a certain credit rating. Such a pool of users was small in the first place.
Food Harmony might have a certain premium in itself, but a large amount of money must be invested in custom-made food boxes, purchase of ingredients, chef training, cleaning of tableware, etc. There was no way to recover it when they sold so few.
Rui Yuchen's original idea was to make Food Harmony a high-end brand, just like how carmakers made additional high-end luxury brands not to make money but to show their muscles to attack the other brands, thereby enhancing the main brand's performance.
If they were to follow this line of thinking, Food Harmony should be small and beautiful with such high-end services provided only in certain large cities and major stores. It should not be expected to meet everyone's needs but show muscles and high-end meals rather.
However, Boss Pei's thinking was still unpredictable.
Boss Pei asked them to promote Food Harmony immediately to all Fish-Catching Take-Out stores, even if they were in third-tier cities.
That simultaneously included all Fish-Catching Take-Outs in Fish-Catching Internet Cafes.
That way, every store had to reinvest a lot of money to buy food boxes, train chefs, and buy ingredients. All the stores' losses were now greatly increased again!
Originally, Rui Yuchen had seen a little profit which instantly became a black hole of losses with the new maneuvers from Boss Pei.
What did Boss Pei mean?
Rui Yuchen was really puzzled.
He had also discussed these issues with Lin Canrong from the Nameless restaurant. However, Lin Canrong could not say anything. He could only wait patiently if he could not figure it out. Boss Pei must have certain other arrangements.
Therefore, Rui Yuchen was busy these days opening stores, promoting Food Harmony while trying to figure out Boss Pei's true intentions 24 hours a day.
However, all was still for naught.
Rui Yuchen found an empty seat to continue pondering over what Boss Pei meant after giving some guests the samples of Fish-Catching Take-Out at Shop Number One.
However, there were plenty of new order notifications in the store suddenly.
Ding, new order.
Ding, new order.
Ding, new, ding, ding, new order.
Rui Yuchen did not care at the beginning because it was already after five in the afternoon. It was normal for new orders to come in near dinner time.
However, Rui Yuchen suddenly realized that something was wrong after a while.
This new order was too frequent, it had never happened before!
In particular, the voice prompts for many new orders were connected together. This would only be the case when several people placed orders at the same time.
Rui Yuchen hurriedly checked the platform and found that the number of orders in Fish-Catching Take-Out Shop Number One was rapidly growing. It obviously increased nearly 40% as compared with dinner time yesterday!
Rui Yuchen was pleasantly surprised. "Business is rather good today!"
However, he was confused at the same time. What was with everyone today? Why did they order Fish-Catching Take-Out?
Actually, many people in Jingzhou had ordered Fish-Catching Take-Out before, but they did not eat it every day. They would only order it every once in a while for a change in taste. They would usually order other takeaways as well.
There might be many types of meals available for Fish-Catching Take-Out, but one would definitely get tired of eating it all the time.
Therefore, there might be a lot of users of Fish-Catching Take-Out in Jingzhou with a good reputation, but everyone did not order it frequently so it was difficult to achieve payback.
However, with the situation being such now...
Rui Yuchen could not help but be pleasantly surprised. "We'll be able to make profits if we have such an order quantity every day!
"Forget it, what am I thinking? How would it be possible for us to have such an order quantity every day?
"Wait, that's not right. It isn't any special occasion today. Why are people ordering from Fish-Catching Take-Out?"
The more Rui Yuchen thought of it, the more he felt it wasn't right. He quickly went to the chat group consisting of branch managers of Fish-Catching Take-Out to check.
Only then did he realize that the chat group was swarmed with messages!
"Quickly look at this news!"
"[Link] The strictest garbage sorting in Handong Province is fully implemented!"
"[Link] It was imperative to cultivate the awareness of garbage sorting"
"[Link] Leading garbage sorting into a new fashion and new habit!"
"Has it been implemented?"
"Yes, the stage of soliciting opinions is now over. It is now fully implemented in Handong Province, and Jingzhou is a key model city."
"Some small districts are already inspecting garbage sorting, and any litter no longer exists."
"So fast? No wonder I was thinking why the orders are exploding today!"
"My order has also exploded! An ordinary store in a small third-tier city with not many customers usually received more than a dozen orders suddenly—I was shocked!"
"I'm getting off here. I have to rush the back kitchen."
Rui Yuchen hurriedly clicked on the links in the group chat to read the news. Only then did he realize why the orders were skyrocketing.
Handong Province was undergoing garbage sorting!
Every city had its own regulations on garbage sorting, but it was clear that the garbage sorting policy in Handong Province was the strictest in history. It was divided into four categories: Food waste, recyclable waste, hazardous waste, and other large waste.
Food waste and recyclables should not be mixed together!
Most plastic lunch boxes and plastic bags used in take-outs were all recyclable garbage that had to be thrown into the blue trash can while food waste must be thrown into the green trash.
That meant that the leftovers in the takeaway had to be thrown separately from the plastic box and the plastic bag after ordering an ordinary takeaway!
Rui Yuchen banged the table with his fist with enlightenment. "I understand now!
"Boss Pei actually had such a meaning! If you consider the garbage sorting policy, then the series of actions by Boss Pei is the best solution!
"Opening Fish-Catching Take-Out mainly in Handong Province, especially in Jingzhou City, would be able to satisfy consumers' demands to the greatest extent.
"If I were to follow my original idea to open stores all over other cities, then the local demand for garbage sorting in Handong Province would not be able to be met!
"And opening Food Harmony in all stores is even more important now; it can achieve two key effects.
"In addition to showing all diners the high-end brands of Fish-Catching Take-Out, that will diversify the demand. Those who want a high-end experience will order Food Harmony while the ordinary folks can order Fish-Catching Take-Out.
"Perfect!
"Could Boss Pei have heard about it a while ago and had predicted the trend?"
Chapter 598: Microbial Waste Processor
Rui Yuchen once again felt that it must be Boss Pei's magical maneuvers, but he felt that it was simply too outrageous after thinking clearly about it.
"Such a possibility might exist, but... Fish-Catching Take-Out had been around for so long. Handong Province had no sign of undergoing garbage sorting when it was founded.
"Boss Pei had thought of using recycled cutlery with such a take-out model? However, the prediction was too early so it had been losing money?
"Even so, Boss Pei insisted on losing money, separating Fish-Catching Take-Out from Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, continuously opening branches... and after a series of operations...
"It is obviously too late to do it once words got out so Boss Pei made a prediction about the general trend of future development!
"Or perhaps, Boss Pei always wanted to use the concept of environmental protection and a healthy lifestyle to promote Fish-Catching Take-Out, which happened to be in line with the garbage sorting policy! Then, it is a beautiful coincidence!"
The more Rui Yuchen thought about it, the more he felt that Boss Pei's maneuver was breathtaking!
How could ordinary people think of Fish-Catching Take-Out would be able to benefit from the special conditions of garbage sorting? Most would have given up after making so much loss!
However, not only did Boss Pei not give up, but he kept opening branches and expanded on a large scale. He finally managed to see the light!
It was conceivable that with the implementation of garbage sorting, the market share of Fish-Catching Take-Out would continue to increase. It was hard to say whether the current number of stores would be able to meet all needs or not.
Rui Yuchen was originally lost or confused, but these emotions had been wiped out and were replaced by excitement!
He immediately took out his laptop and opened the data backend platform to analyze future situations and work out subsequent development strategies.
Boss Pei had accurately judged the general trend and bet on the right questions; only a few detailed solutions were left.
How could he be the head of Fish-Catching Take-Out if he could not even answer this open-book exam?
Rui Yuchen knew that he had worked so hard for so long, just to wait for this opportunity to make a profit.
The opportunity was here now; he had to seize it!
...
Pei Qian got out of the car outside Fish-Catching Take-Out Store Number One, feeling extremely nervous. He was afraid of seeing the explosion of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe like before.
It seemed to be... okay from what he could see?
There were a few customers in the store, but it was not full. Rui Yuchen was tapping away at his laptop, and Boss Pei did not know what he was doing. The state of the store did not seem to have changed much from before.
There seemed to be something different, but he could not put his finger on it. It seemed that something was missing.
Pei Qian suddenly realized what was missing.
The delivery guys!
Where did the delivery guys go? Their electric scooters were also gone!
Pei Qian made all the support facilities for Fish-Catching Take-Out exceed regular demand just to lose money previously. That included the number of stoves, tableware... number of delivery guys...
In the case where there were limited daily orders, one would be able to lose a lot the more one made it available. Take the delivery guys for example. There were always many delivery guys who were not in use.
However, all the delivery guys were gone!
Pei Qian instantly realized that something went wrong!
The Fish-Catching Take-Out had been idle for a long time but started to run at full speed!
Even though Rui Yuchen was immersed in work, he was also playing attention to the situation outside the store with the corner of his eye. That was how he immediately discovered Boss Pei.
"Boss Pei!"
Rui Yuchen was surprised and happy.
Obviously, Boss Pei was here to inspect!
The reason why he came here to inspect on purpose was simple. Boss Pei was probably worried that it would be difficult for Fish-Catching Take-Out to meet the demands of the customers after it soared. Therefore, he came to take a look!
Rui Yuchen took the lead and said, "Boss Pei, you can rest assured that, even though the demand for orders in the stores has skyrocketed, we have been making preparations like what you told us. There will be no explosive orders and delayed delivery!
"We will arrange for the store managers to prepare more ingredients, urgently recruit some new delivery guys, buy new tableware, etc. I promise to be able to meet the needs of the customer right away!"
Pei Qian: "..."
I have yet to f*cking say anything!
Pei Qian knew that Fish-Catching Take-Out was in very bad condition, seeing Rui Yuchen's excited expression! It was impossible to cut off the current orders they had received.
They could only seize the time to think of solutions. If Fish-Catching Take-Out were to really turn around, then such a big amount of money...
Where was he going to spend?
Pei Qian took a deep breath and found a random place to sit down.
"Tell me about the current situation."
Rui Yuchen nodded. He had sorted out the relevant data in his notebook previously and recalled it all.
"Boss Pei, Fish-Catching Take-Out will definitely be able to turn around in the next month!"
"After a long period of development, Fish-Catching Take-Out has a set of loyal customers and popularity. However, there was no special advantage in the price, and resources of each store were over-allocated. This was why the expenses remained high and had been making losses.
"This time, with the opportunity given up garbage sorting, the popularity we have accumulated exploded in an instant. Old customers had given up other takeaways and made Fish-Catching Take-Out their main takeaway. They would also drive a large number of new customers into our pit, plus various other stores which could be fully utilized..."
"Boss Pei, you were right. The entire market potential of Handong Province had yet to be tapped. Fish-Catching Internet Cafe will not need you to allocate additional resources anymore as long as the net profit is invested in new stores. It will expand continuously!"
The corners of Pei Qian's mouth twitched.
No need for me to allocate additional resources anymore?
That would be an ultimate nightmare!
Pei Qian fell silent; he knew he had to do something.
Allow Rui Yuchen to invest all profits into new stores that would make profits and continue this infinite loop? How could he continue that way?
It was even more inappropriate for Rui Yuchen to send him the money!
That was because Pei Qian simply did not know where to spend the money either. It would be a hot potato in his hand.
It was still necessary to implement the principle of who made the money should spend it. However, for such a profitable project... the more branches someone opened, the more money they would make. Therefore, one should not play the model of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
Pei Qian thought about it. Since Fish-Catching Take-Out was now turning profitable...
Then, he could only think of ways to increase the cost and let every store continue to lose money!
If the capital cost of each store could not be increased, there would be no way to fight the fire and solve the problem fundamentally.
However, how could he increase the capital cost of each store?
Pei Qian could not think of a viable solution.
That was because Fish-Catching Take-Out had been equipped with high specifications so far; even their electric scooters were not spared.
However, Pei Qian had other means.
Reverse the use of employees' imagination. Every single one of his employees was masters of imagination after all. He would let his employees think of those that he could not think of himself.
Pei Qian coughed lightly. "There is no need to rush the opening of branches for now. The current Fish-Catching Take-Out model is not perfect yet.
"Think about it carefully, what else does Fish-Catching Take-Out lack?"
Rui Yuchen was taken aback. "Lack? We are not lacking in anything... I think?"
They exchanged glances.
Pei Qian was feeling very guilty, but he firmly believed that as long as his expression was serious enough, his employees would be able to make something up.
Rui Yuchen started to doubt himself again looking at Boss Pei's determined eyes. He thought again carefully from another angle. Boss Pei had been looking out for the configurations of Fish-Catching Take-Out. There should be nothing short there.
Then, the key should be... the difference between Fish-Catching Take-Out of the past and of the present? What Boss Pei meant should be something that was not necessary before but was necessary now?
There was no garbage sorting previously, but now the pressure of handling of trash would be increased greatly.
Therefore, Boss Pei should be talking about the handling of food waste?
Rui Yuchen thought for a while. "Perhaps... every store is missing a microbial waste processor?"
Pei Qian was a little lost.
What was this... microbial waste processor?
He did not know, but he could not ask directly.
Pei Qian continued to smile, stimulating his imagination. "Then, why do we need this?"
Rui Yuchen thought for a moment. "Because... in the past, garbage was all thrown away directly. Now, Fish-Catching Take-Out must also abide by the principles of garbage sorting.
"Food waste is more troublesome, but if we have a microbial waste processor, then we will be able to decompose the food waste generated by each store into fertilizer. Is that right, Boss Pei?"
Pei Qian nodded. "Then, what is its price?"
Rui Yuchen consulted his laptop hurriedly. "Please wait, Boss Pei, let me search.
"Uh, the prices vary with size. The appropriate machine for the store... ranges from 50,000 yuan to 130,000 yuan..."
Pei Qian nodded. "Very good, we're lacking that! Purchase one for every store, buy the 130,000 yuan version."
Pei Qian would not have bought it if it was cheap, but he immediately decided to purchase it when he heard 130,000 yuan!
If every store were to spend 130,000 yuan, it would largely increase the capital cost!
In the future—if they were to open 100 new stores, then the money spent on the microbial waste processors would cost more than 10 million yuan.
When would they be able to earn it all back?
He could at least sit back and relax during this settlement cycle if all the Fish-Catching Take-Out stores were equipped with them, right?
Hurry up and spend the money!
As expected the imagination of his employees was a double-edged sword. It caught him off guard at times, but he could generate some new ideas at times!
If he met any problems that he could not figure out, he would ask his employees 'what do you think I mean?', and his problems would be solved!
Pei Qian could not help but feel a little inflated.
These were experiences; anything that could not kill him would make him stronger!
Rui Yuchen nodded immediately. "Alright, Boss Pei, I'll get the branch managers on it immediately!"
Chapter 599: IOI Domestic Server Agency? Absolutely would not Sell It!
July 29th, Friday...
Pei Qian had been overwhelmed by the matters of Fish-Catching Take-Out this week. He had coffee in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and could see the delivery guys outside picking up food, delivering the food, and repeat. There was no need for it.
Fish-Catching Take-Out 1.0 also had Fish-Catching Take-Out Business, but the delivery guys would not enter from the main entrance. They entered through the side door to pick up the meal to avoid affecting the customers of the internet cafe.
However, Pei Qian felt very uncomfortable when he saw the Fish-Catching Take-Out!
The market share of Fish-Catching Take-Out was visibly expanding. The other take-outs simply could not fight back. The original biggest advantage of recycling tableware had now become Fish-Catching Take-Out's biggest advantage!
The other takeaways could not learn from it.
Every store had a dishwasher, ready-made tableware, and perfected recipes. The key was that, after such a long period of promotion, the first takeaway they would think of would be Fish-Catching Take-Out—not any other brands.
Moreover, there were so many Fish-Catching Take-Out stores that had a very strong first-mover advantage. The other shops could not learn from it even if they wanted to.
Pei Qian felt so sad.
Could Fish-Catching Take-Out also leave me hanging? Could it also not be able to return once it was on the road to profits?
Pei Qian felt his heart prick with pain. A project that had lost so much money suddenly began to become profitable. That was twice as painful.
He could only hope that the microbial waste processor with a price of 130,000 yuan could increase the cost of the store and make the store as non-profitable as possible.
Pei Qian thought melancholy while drinking his coffee.
Just at this time, the cell phone on the table vibrated. It was a call from Lin Wan.
"Hm?"
Pei Qian frowned.
Didn't I get everyone in the Shang Yang Games to rest? What was so urgent that there was a need to call?
Pei Qian instinctively felt something was wrong.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Boss Pei, bad news, Finger Games is about to be acquired!" Lin Wan's slightly worried voice came from the other end of the phone.
"By?" Pei Qian was taken aback.
"Dayak Corporation. I heard that they offered 180 million US dollars to buy 80% controlling stake in Finger Games!" Lin Wan replied.
Pei Qian was lost. He had no impression of this name.
However, wouldn't 80% controlling stake mean that the 20% stake he held in hand and other shareholders would be bought out by the Dayak Corporation?
180 million US dollars...
Pei Qian could only sigh; someone could really do anything with money! He had to admit that Tengda would not be able to obtain that much money now even if he had problems with too much money.
That was indeed big news, but it did not seem to have much impact on Pei Qian.
Finger Games's IOI momentum of development was going well. It was almost time for the local rich man to focus on this piece of fat meat.
Pei Qian's current expectation of the IOI domestic server was for it to become a money-burning tree. Therefore, he was no longer concerned with what was happening with Finger Games.
Besides, Tengda did not have enough money even if it wanted to fight Dayak. It was just a small company that had been established for two years; how could they compete with these giants?
Pei Qian nodded. "Okay, I know now. This matter has nothing to do with us; there is no need to pay too much attention to it."
Lin Wan was silent for a short while. "Boss Pei..."
"You told us to relax in the near future during the recent meeting and not to worry about the IOI domestic server. Is that because you had this news in advance?
"You've already decided to sell all 20% shares and agency rights for the domestic server?
"I understand now, Boss Pei! I have nothing else; goodbye!"
Lin Wan hung up.
Pei Qian remained silent as question marks filled his mind.
?
Who said I want to sell the shares and agency rights for IOI's domestic server? Don't interpret it blindly!
How could he sell it?
The shares in Pei Qian's hands were at least worth 40 million US dollars. If he were to sell all of them, according to the ratio of 1000:1, it could only be converted into nearly 300,000 yuan.
Pei Qian's goal this cycle was to lose eight million yuan, to transform it to 800,000 yuan! There would be a difference of 500,000 yuan if he were to do it!
Moreover, Pei Qian did not want to give up the IOI domestic server which was a money-burning tree. Finally, it was something good to be used. If he were to keep it, it was possible for him to lose millions easily; how could he sell it?
What nonsense!
Pei Qian did not bother to say anything. Do what you want, Dayak Corporation. I concede defeat if I say I 'will sell'.
However, Pei Qian still checked some information about Dayak Corporation.
It was a world-class multinational group that occupied an important position in the water business, transportation, energy, media, and the like. It was one of the top five media companies in the world with more than two billion US dollars in yearly sales. They were notorious in their preference for acquiring game companies.
Many large companies acquired game companies because of the decision-making power of the games companies so they would allow the companies to maintain independence without excessive interference.
The reason why Dayak Corporation was notorious was that it would interfere and influence the original company after acquisition, aiming for rapid and massive profits and squeezing the value of the company in a short period.
No matter whether it was rapid development or resetting a large number of profitable IPs, it forcibly compressed the development cycle and led to a decline in game quality. In short, Dayak Corporation was a company that did not know much about games. All acquisition plans were made for a quick profit.
Similar tragedies had occurred more than once, but the targeted company had no choice. Someone could do whatever they wanted if they had the money.
Pei Qian thought for a while. This matter seemed to have little to do with him.
So what if Dayak Corporation were to forcibly intervene in the development of Finger Games and cause IOI's reputation to plummet? I was already planning to use the IOI domestic server as a money-burning tree. It was all set; how could it hurt me?!
Therefore, Pei Qian did not think too much and continued to fret over Fish-Catching Take-Out.
...
...
July 30th, Saturday...
H4 E-Sports Club, IOI division...
"Piss off, this isn't fair!"
"We won the championship so why are we inferior to those idiots at GOG when it comes to online popularity or the attitude from the bosses of our club!"
"What meaning does the championship hold then?!"
The members of the IOI division complained while there were no outsiders in the room.
Last weekend, the IOI division of H4 successfully defeated foreign teams and other veteran clubs and took the international trophy home. It should have been a very happy thing, but the plot development of the next week did not unfold as they imagined!
No one discussed the IOI competition online at all. The club praised them verbally after they won and seemed to have no other plans at all.
On the other hand, the treatment of the GOG division was worlds apart!
It might only be a runner-up, but Captain Pang Ling performed well in the game which was all over the internet. Pang Ling started a live broadcast, and the popularity continued to increase.
Even the club was discussing the reinforcement plan of the GOG division, obviously preparing to invest more resources into them!
How could the members of the IOI division bear it? They would feel imbalanced. The ones who obtained the championship were ignored as everyone gathered around the runner-up.
Why was it like that?!
Especially when he thought about how the members of the GOG division were abused by a newly established club in the mock competition previously. They obtained very good results in both mock competition and in the actual competition; that was so unfair.
Of course, they might be unhappy, but they would only complain in private. The strategic direction of the club was not something they could decide.
Suddenly, there were footsteps outside the door so they stopped their discussions immediately. The manager of the IOI division pushed the door to enter.
"The mock competition today has been canceled. Everyone, try out GOG. See if there is any possibility of transiting to that game."
The players were shocked, almost thinking that they heard wrongly.
"Team Leader, you mean... for us to transit to GOG?"
"Why?"
"We just obtained the championship!"
The team members were upset.
The Team Leader sighed softly. "I can understand everyone's feelings. I was even angrier than you previously. However, the club just had a high-level meeting which I participated in. I realized that things are not what everyone thinks.
"Do you know why there is such a big gap between the popularity of GOG and IOI? There are indeed reasons for it, but the most important reason is the competition level and viewership!"
"The GOG division was abused so badly previously because H4 was playing against Tengda's own club! The DGE club abused all domestic clubs and objectively improved their competitive level which was why they did better than us.
"We are very reluctant to admit, but IOI does not enjoy such treatment because the competitive teams are all rookies; even the foreign teams aren't strong.
"Therefore, Tengda's attitude towards this is very clear, which is to promote GOG! The club has decided to tilt its strategic focus to GOG.
"Everyone, don't be angry, you should also be able to see that the enthusiasm on GOG is significantly higher. If you transition into a professional GOG player, everyone will be able to receive more attention, regardless of whether you will be livestreaming or in related esports industry in the future. The prospects will be broader.
"That is the current situation. You decide what you want to do."
The players went silent. Everyone understood after the explanation from the Team Leader. It wasn't that the GOG division was weak. Everyone was just noobs, but they encountered more abnormal opponents...
They might be very dissatisfied, but they realized that the Team Leader was right after they calmed down to think carefully.
The career of a professional player was so short; one false step would bring everlasting grief. On the contrary, choosing the right project would grant them a steady career. It was meaningless to be angry. The only considerations in the adult world were interests and profits.
After a long silence, a team member silently opened the GOG official website and started downloading the game.
Soon, more members also began to download the game, ready to make the transition.