In the afternoon...
Lu Zhiyao and Zhu Xiaoce arrived at the film studio.
It was the same film studio where they filmed the local scenes in Tomorrow is Beautiful. Lu Zhiyao and everyone else in the production crew were already quite familiar with this place.
The employees anxiously began setting up the backdrop and producing the props.
A portion of the backdrop and props had been used in Tomorrow is Beautiful. Since both films were of the sci-fi genre, they only had to make slight changes before they could use them again.
Still, compared to Tomorrow is Beautiful, this film needed far more backdrops and realistic props. Thus, there had been far more preparation work involved.
"Director Zhu, are you sure that we can start filming now?" Lu Zhiyao looked around at the busy employees, working hard at their own tasks all over the studio. At once, he felt confused.
Zhu Xiaoce nodded. "Of course, we can start filming today. Let's shoot some testing scenes first."
Lu Zhiyao remained confused. "But... neither the backdrops nor the scenes are ready.
"Where are the other actors? Until now, I haven't met a single one of them.
"I can't possibly be acting awkwardly on my own, can I?"
Zhu Xiaoce smiled subtly. "Don't worry. You have many more scenes, and I've already done the necessary arrangements for you. Both of us can prepare to shoot your scenes first. After that, we'll shoot with the background and props as the others get them ready."
Lu Zhiyao fell silent.
For some reason, he felt like he had been scammed.
They walked further into the studio. Zhu Xiaoce led Lu Zhiyao to a room that was surrounded by green screens. "Most of the filming time would be spent here.
"As for what exactly the scenes would be about... look at this diagram. It's very clearly written on it."
Zhu Xiaoce pulled up a diagram in his cell phone and then handed it to Lu Zhiyao.
Lu Zhiyao reached out to receive it.
The diagram looked like the inside of a spaceship in a sci-fi environment. The set-up was very simple. There was only a single cabin for sleeping and a huge console.
There was one huge screen and several small screens on the console. There was also a single seat, which seemed to be the driver seat of the spaceship. In front of the driver seat were a huge touch screen, a hemispherical instrument, and buttons of multiple colors.
Lu Zhiyao looked around at the filming location and quickly discovered that there was only one ready-made console, one seat, and one cabin for sleeping. All of those must have been the props that had been rushed out over the past few days. The rest of the scene was to be supplemented with the green screens.
"Director Zhu, this..."
Lu Zhiyao looked incredibly confused.
At least this room had been set up with real props when they were filming Tomorrow is Beautiful before.
Now, the scene for the new movie was filled with green screens.
All problems could be solved with special effects—the more money they spent, the better the effects would look. Still, real props and a real background would look more realistic no matter what.
Could it be that... Director Zhu was using this many green screens to cheat Boss Pei of his money?
Of course, Lu Zhiyao could not ask such a direct question. He cleared his throat and said, "Director Zhu, can't we just use the props from Tomorrow is Beautiful? They're both sci-fi films anyway. I'm sure we can make use of those props after making some simple alterations."
Zhu Xiaoce grinned. "We can. Look at that cabin and console. All of those were made from the props leftover from Tomorrow is Beautiful. Why else do you think we could finish them so quickly?
"As for why we're using green screens for everything else. Obviously, we'll need to make use of a lot of special effects to achieve a special result.
"The effects we'll be using exactly... well, you don't have to worry. You'll find out soon enough.
"Look at the first part of the script first."
As Zhu Xiaoce spoke, he retrieved a couple of pages of paper from his bag and handed them to Lu Zhiyao.
Lu Zhiyao took them and quickly scanned them from beginning to end.
"That's it?" Lu Zhiyao could not figure out what was going on. The scenes looked like they lacked a proper start and finish and were utterly confusing.
Zhu Xiaoce smiled again. "I told you before, didn't I? We'll film scene by scene, and I won't hand the entire script to you. Only then would you be able to experience what the protagonist in the movie should be feeling.
"Alright, look for a place to sit down, put on your make-up, and change. Memorize this part of the script while I go out and organize their tasks."
Lu Zhiyao nodded. "Alright, Director Zhu. Must I wear a spacesuit or an exoskeleton suit?"
Lu Zhiyao had heard that the movie would be about a war taking place in outer space. That meant he would have to be dressed in a cool combat suit, right?
For some reason, he was really looking forward to it.
Although an exoskeleton suit would be extremely heavy and he would be extremely tired after a while, it would look very cool!
"No, you don't. You just have to wear this." Zhu Xiaoce gestured the costume designer and make-up artist over, and the former was holding a set of ordinary-looking, figure-hugging, gray T-shirt and pants.
Lu Zhiyao was speechless.
"Director Zhu, are you sure that I'll be wearing this? Has there been some sort of mistake?"
Zhu Xiaoce smiled. "No problem, just wear this. If you're unsure, just read the script again."
Lu Zhiyao felt helpless, but he had no choice but to read the script once through in silence.
...
The first scene was a close-up of the cabin for sleeping.
Qin Yi's eyelids were shut, but his eyeballs were moving around quickly. He frowned as beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead. It was almost as if he was experiencing a terrifying nightmare.
All of a sudden, his eyes shot wide open!
His eyeballs were bloodshot, and there was pure terror in his eyes.
The camera slowly panned upwards as the cabin opened on its own. Qin Yi sat up with his chest heaving and brought his right hand up to his forehead. A long time passed before he finally regained his composure.
Countless hideous memories flooded in his mind. Instinctively, Qin Yi looked at his right forearm, which was covered with a ferocious-looking scar. It had once been a penetrating wound that had almost torn his arm into half, but scabs had already formed by now.
He vaguely remembered how he got wounded. He had been deep in the Zergs' lair, and he had intended to destroy the micro-reactor through the little opening in the chest of his combat uniform using his pistol. However, he had failed and ended up being injured by the razor-sharp claws of the Zergs.
"I'm still alive?"
Qin Yi felt confused. He had originally thought that he had died in the Zergs' lair.
However, soon after, pre-death flashbacks filled his mind.
Xu Kaile, Meng Yu, Zhao Yongxiu, Wu Shaojun... apart from Qin Yi, the other members of Team AS-371-45 had died in the Zergs' lair.
Qin Yi remembered every one of those people's looks and smiles, but in the blink of an eye, they were now separated by life and death.
Still, Qin Yi quickly snapped out of his misery and regained his composure once more. Finally, he got out of the cabin.
He saw the big screen, seat, and console not far from where he was. However, he did not walk over. Instead, he walked to the corner of the room and tried to leave.
There was no fixed exit within the spaceship. With the required permission, any part of the surrounding walls could turn into doors.
Qin Yi tried pushing on the wall, but to no avail. That meant that he did not have permission to leave the room yet.
"Captain Qin, I'm sorry. You haven't obtained permission to leave this room," said an extremely gentle and melodic female voice.
Qin Yi turned around and scanned the room, only to find a holographic projection of a female astronaut, standing in the middle of the room. She looked like a typical oriental female, with a gentle smile and a feminine beauty. Yet, she looked dashing and heroic like a soldier.
Qin Yi remained silent for a second and said, "The battle isn't over, is it?"
The holographic image of the female soldier nodded. "That's right."
Qin Yi sat down on his cabin, covered his face with both of his hands, and then heaved a long sigh.
The female soldier's holographic image tried to walk towards Qin Yi. However, Qin Yi's expression quickly turned icy as he said in a deep voice, "AEEIS, revert to the original image."
The female soldier halted, slowly became increasingly translucent, and finally disappeared.
After that, a light blue stream of data appeared in mid-air and gathered into an audio image, with waves that fluctuated with the sound.
AEEIS's electronic voice turned cold and emotionless. "Captain Qin Yi, you might be feeling infuriated now, but mankind needs you to continue fulfilling your mission as a soldier."
Qin Yi's voice was low with suppressed anger. "The Zerg Queen is already dead, but the battle is not yet over. Why? I want to know the truth."
AEEIS: "It's because of the reserves and the Zergs' consciousness.
"The Zerg Queen was a high-level life-form with advanced wisdom. She could take preventive measures to protect her entire race from being wiped out after her own death. The Zerg Queen could give birth to sub-queens and hide them in various Zerg lairs. Once she died, any one of those sub-queens could become the new Queen.
"The Zerg Queen can only control all the Zergs because it's programmed in their consciousness. Simply put, they have telepathy and can upload data from their consciousness. The Zerg Queen can control the entire race, precisely because of the existence of the Zergs' consciousness.
"At the moment that the Zerg Queen dies, she can upload all the data in her consciousness into the network of Zerg consciousness. After that, any sub-queen hidden among the Zergs can acquire all of that data and function as the new command center."
Qin Yi's expression hardened. "Was this information known before the Decapitation Operation or after it?
"I want to know the truth."
AEEIS remained silent for two seconds before answering, "Before."
Qin Yi sucked in a deep breath. "So we saw fragments of the Skylark II combat uniform as we journeyed deeper and deeper into the Zerg's nest.
"You lied to everyone. You knew that we were unlikely to succeed this time, and that even if we did, it would probably not mean anything. Yet, you allowed more than a hundred teams to send themselves to die?
"Is this your decision, the Supreme Executive Committee's decision, or the Commander's decision?"
AEEIS did not answer the question directly. "Of course, the mission was meaningful.
"The Zergs' consciousness has a wide scope, but it is not infinite. The sub-queens need time to download the data and become the new Queen. During this period, we can reap the best rewards on the battlefield.
"Everyone's sacrifice goes towards the ultimate victory."
Qin Yi coldly replied, "As a soldier, I can sacrifice my life. However, I cannot accept being lied to!"
Out of anger, his right hand clenched into a fist, but he soon relaxed. Once again, his teammates' faces flashed across his mind. However, there was nothing that he could do about it.
"I want to apply for three months off to return to the Blue Planet. Three months later, I will return to the fleet.
"Then, I will sacrifice my life as you wish."
AEEIS: "I'm sorry, Captain Qin, I cannot approve your request.
"The Supreme Executive Committee of the Blue Planet Alliance Fleet has appointed you as the new commander. You're to lead the battle against the Zergs.
"You need to save the Blue Planet."
Chapter 691: Test of Acting Skills
Qin Yi remained silent for a moment. "I'm only an ordinary soldier, and I don't have the ability to command the entire army. I can't accept this mission.
"What happened to the previous commander?"
As the AEISS replied matter-of-factly, its voice was devoid of any emotion. "While the mission to behead the Zerg Queen was underway, many Zerg ships tried to assassinate the commander as well.
"The commander perished together with those Zerg ships."
Qin Yi looked incredulously at the abstract image of the AEEIS. "The commander... sacrificed his life?"
AEEIS: "That's top-secret information.
"The Ansible communication technology that we are using is similar in principle to the Zergs' consciousness. Our communications can travel through space and be realized in real-time. However, they can also be interfered with and are limited by distance. We have to ensure that the commander is always within a certain range of the battlefield.
"We can roughly determine the Zerg Queen's position through our Ansible communication technology, but the Zergs can also roughly determine the commander's position.
"The previous commander believed that he had already completed his mission, and so he sacrificed his own life to severely injure the Zerg army.
"Captain Qin, AS-371-45 team members are not the only ones making sacrifices."
Once again, Qin Yi fell silent. "Why was I chosen as the new commander?
"I don't think we're short of people who are willing to make sacrifices."
AEEIS: "There are two main criteria for the position of Commander of the Alliance Fleet.
"First, one must be strong-willed and ever-ready to sacrifice oneself. What's more, under the severe mental stress of having to make huge sacrifices at any moment, one must also remain calm and logical enough to strategize.
"People who can only theorize without having fought Zergs on the frontline before would likely not have such mental tenacity.
"Second, one must have a good understanding of the Zergs' way of thinking and its horrifying characteristics.
"We need a commander that can make good choices when it comes to important decisions, and not someone to direct specific battles. Making the right decisions is far more important than executing decisions correctly.
"Mankind is limited by their life form. The original structure of command was too inefficient for mankind to defeat the Zerg army—it was only barely sufficient to help us endure through catastrophe for a longer period.
"Thus, the commander is now only responsible for receiving information about the battle and making decisions.
"Gathering information, screening information, integrating information, relaying specific orders and instructions, and answering questions of individual soldiers... would all be done by the AEEIS from now on.
"At every moment, the AEEIS would be making deductions about the battle and storing millions of strategies and war models. The AEEIS would learn about and absorb every commander's strategy and way of thinking before every commander sacrifices his own life. Then, it would make accurate predictions based on the data and seek a tactical strategy with the highest probability of success.
"Thus, as commander, you would not need to concern yourself with directing small teams in specific missions. All of those would be taken care of by the AEEIS. The commander needs to only observe the battle and make decisions.
"Captain Qin, the Blue Planet Alliance Fleet's Supreme Executive Committee and the AEEIS think that you are the most suitable candidate to become the next commander.
"Of course, mankind cannot entrust the fate of the entire Alliance Fleet in the new commander's hands immediately. Thus, the AEEIS will assist to train you for your role first.
"You can waste a lot of time on meaningless entanglements, but every second that you waste could reduce the probability of mankind's victory."
Qin Yi did not ask any more questions. Instead, he spent several minutes in silence. Then, he stood up, walked to the console in the middle of the space, and sat back down.
AEEIS: "Captain Qin, you really are the most outstanding soldier that the Blue Planet has ever seen.
"Here's to hoping that you also become the most outstanding commander that the Blue Planet has ever seen."
The moment Qin Yi sat down, the entire space changed.
It seemed like he was seated in an endless starry sky. Holographic images covered the walls of the ship, and no matter where Qin Yi looked, he could see holographic images appearing before him.
AEEIS: "The sphere by your right hand is called the 'observation sphere'. You can use it to move quickly, zoom in and out of view, and perform different gestures. Dragging it or tapping it with one finger or multiple fingers would have different operative effects.
"The touch screen in the center can help you process important messages and decisions. Some decisions would also need your confirmation by applying pressure.
"The big screen in front of you will display a panoramic simulation of the battlefield, so that you can get a full picture of what's happening at the frontlines.
"The screens on either side of the big screen would display less important information and decisions. You can choose to deal with the ones that you think are important through air gestures.
"The buttons by your left hand can help you to deal with quick instructions. Together with the 'observation sphere', it would allow you to make more detailed observations and give more precise commands.
"Of course, you can also issue instructions through the AEEIS, using the most primitive voice method. That's a good supplementary commanding method, but you shouldn't grow too reliant on it. That's because human language can only convey so much information. In the battlefield, where the entire situation can turn around in the blink of an eye, and even with the AEEIS processing large amounts of information and decisions on your behalf, you could still slip up.
"The panoramic simulation will give you a first person's view of every corner of the battlefield.
"The following is a simulation of when the Alliance Fleet first met with the Zergs. You can use the console to observe the entire battlefield. Use this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the observation sphere and various other operations."
What followed after that had nothing to do with Lu Zhiyao. It was mainly set in space. Simply put, it was the first time that mankind's Alliance Fleet met the Zergs. Since various little teams fought the battle in their own ways, they were quickly swallowed by the sea of Zergs and ultimately defeated.
...
Lu Zhiyao subconsciously read on, but there was nothing more in the script.
That was the portion that Zhu Xiaoce had given to him. In fact, Lu Zhiyao had no idea which part of the movie this was, and whether it was the beginning or the middle.
Although that portion seemed to be floating in mid-air, Lu Zhiyao was quite clear of his own role.
The protagonist, Qin Yi, was a soldier who had retired from the front lines. For some reason, he had been entrusted with an important task. He had to commence training with the assistance of artificial intelligence and take on the role of commander in the battle between mankind and the Zergs.
There was nothing particularly strange about the general framework, and many other movies had similar plots.
Furthermore, Lu Zhiyao knew that this movie would be related to Boss Pei's new RTS. Since the movie would also become the transition CGs of the game's plot, it made sense that the protagonist would be related to the gameplay of the RTS.
What bothered Lu Zhiyao more was the role that he had to play.
From that scene in the script, it looked like the role would be incredibly difficult!
In this scene alone, Qin Yi's emotions were very complicated:
His joy after realizing that he had narrowly escaped death...
His pain after recalling that his teammates were dead...
His confusion after being told that he had completed his mission, but the battle was not over...
His rage after learning that the commander had purposely hidden information from them...
His disappointment after learning that the previous commander had sacrificed himself...
The struggle after realizing that he would become the new commander, but the acceptance of that responsibility soon after...
The most important thing was that Lu Zhiyao could not act out these emotions in an exaggerated manner.
That was because Qin Yi was a soldier who constantly faced death while carrying out his mission. Naturally, he would have a lot of mental strength.
What's more, it was already written in the script that Qin Yi's expressions would largely remain unchanged, and he would have no hysteria. Most of the time, he would be listening to the AEEIS's explanation of the battle in silence.
In other words, Qin Yi had to minimize changes in his facial expressions while bringing across those complicated emotions.
What's more, he would be facing the green screen for most scenes. They would add the cool effects later on, but Lu Zhiyao would not be able to see them for now. He had to rely entirely on his imagination.
He would have to act alongside an electronic voice that was devoid of any emotion, without anyone as company.
The make-up, costume, and props were relatively simple as well. According to the script, Qin Yi had just recovered and woken up in his cabin. Of course, he could not do many fancy things.
In short, how well the movie turned out depended entirely on Lu Zhiyao's acting skills.
All the audience's eyes would be fixated on the protagonist. The voice of the artificial intelligence and the cool scenes on the green screen would just be like garnishing.
If Lu Zhiyao failed to act well, the special effects would be meaningless, no matter how well done they were.
Lu Zhiyao quietly wiped the perspiration from his forehead.
He had indeed said before that he wanted to play a more challenging role.
However, this role seemed to be a little too challenging.
After Zhu Xiaoce finished dealing with the work outside, he returned. "How are things going? Have you gotten a good grasp on the character?"
Lu Zhiyao felt an enormous weight on his shoulders. "Director Zhu, this is too challenging. I've never acted a role like that.
"Honestly, I'm not confident of doing a good job either. If the movie fails because of my acting skills, then...
"Director Zhu, if you find someone more suitable..."
Zhu Xiaoce was stunned. What was the meaning of this? Was Lu Zhiyao backing out at the last minute?
Don't do that! If you don't act, I won't be able to find anyone else to play the role here!
Zhu Xiaoce quickly responded very sternly. "No, this role was specially made for you by Boss Pei! It belongs to you alone!
"Boss Pei has already said that you are very suited for the role. You must not lose confidence in yourself. Both Boss Pei and I think that you're good!
"Playing this role well would give you a huge breakthrough in your acting!"
Lu Zhiyao looked doubtful. "Is that true? Is that really what Boss Pei said?"
Zhu Xiaoce nodded profusely. "That's right, Boss Pei specifically requested for you to act."
Zhu Xiaoce had no other choice. He could only give Lu Zhiyao more confidence by making use of Boss Pei's name.
Acting was about skills... but also about attitude.
If the actor lacked confidence in himself, how could he act well?
However, there would be no such problem if Boss Pei added a buff for Lu Zhiyao!
Lu Zhiyao fell into deep thought. "Does Boss Pei trust me that much?
"Could it be...
"He didn't give me the script before for fear that I wouldn't dare to come if I had read it?"
Zhu Xiaoce remained quiet for two seconds and then said, "That's right. That's the case."
Lu Zhiyao chewed on the decision again and then nodded seriously. "Alright! Since both Director Zhu and Boss Pei trust me so much, I'm willing to take on the challenge!
"I won't let Boss Pei down!
"I'll do it!"
Chapter 692: The Investment Policy of the Dumb People with Too Much Money
October 20th, the morning of Thursday...
At Dream Realization Ventures...
"So many companies are asking for investment?
"Is it because of the Old Ma?
"Impossible, doesn't his Weibo still only have tens of thousands of fans so far?"
Pei Qian looked at the list of companies in his hand with an incredible expression.
Since the beginning of the month, He Desheng has been reporting companies one after another that had found Dream Venture Capital in hopes for cooperation.
Some small companies were asking purely for investment, but some large companies also sought strategic cooperation.
In the beginning, Pei Qian didn't take it too seriously but asked He Desheng to push them away for a while, telling these companies that the investment of Dream Venture Capital should go through the process and let them wait patiently for a while.
Looking at the first half of October that had gone, it was not appropriate to postpone any further later. It must be dealt with.
As a result, he took a look at the list of applicants for investment today and discovered that there were already more than a dozen large and small companies, and that was not all.
He Desheng shook his head: "It should have nothing to do with Boss Ma... probably because of the previous financial program on TV."
Pei Qian's eyes widened.
In the previous program, Professor Bai analyzed Tengda's business model and then said terrible words: 'Other companies are unlikely to be able to learn Tengda's business model, but they can cooperate with Tengda!'
Also, 'I think that, given Boss Pei's awareness of risk and Tengda's defense against risk, Tengda Corporation would make an excellent working partner!'
Professor Bai was a great economist. He said that Tengda's model was very stable and healthy, and it would be a good partner. Was there anything to doubt?
Therefore, these companies came to seek cooperation!
Pei Qian sighed slightly. The situation took its own course regardless of his wishes.
Was it so difficult for Tengda to keep a low profile?
Pei Qian was confused, looking through the brief introduction materials of these companies.
He did not understand.
There was real and fake information, which were difficult to distinguish. Moreover, even if they were true, they would be exaggerated. Using these data to judge which one would lose money and which would make money was beyond Boss Pei's ability.
Would he definitely lose money by choosing companies that seemed particularly outrageous?
Pei Qian has already suffered a lot from shared phone booths and Fully-Automated Bickering Machine projects, and he really did not have this confidence.
What if he judged by the size of the company?
If a large company could develop, the chance of losing money was inherently small. If they were to cooperate with Tengda and garnered attention, the chance would be even smaller...
Small companies were more likely to fail, but once they make money, they would get more rewards than large companies...
The loss from ten small companies could be returned by the success of one small company.
So difficult!
Pei Qian found that Dream Venture Capital had become a bit of a hot potato. It was mainly because of several successful investments. It had become a bit overly deified. Coupled with the publicity of the TV show, too many companies were now seeking investment... which made it difficult to identify which ones are reliable and which ones were not.
Give up Dream Realization Ventures?
No, if he left it all to He Desheng, wouldn't it become a department that had already taken off to be handed over to professionals? The consequences would definitely be even more disastrous!
Pei Qian pondered; he had to think of a way.
Since the project he chose would make money and would also probably make money if he were to give it to He Desheng, then he had to find a way to minimize the possibility of profitability.
Just like the physical industries and the 'Destitution Plan'.
In the case that it was likely to make money—diluting the probability, let the person-in-charge spend all the money in accordance with the rules, and the less one made, the better.
"Boss Pei, take a look at this list. Which companies should we be working with?" He Desheng asked tentatively.
Pei Qian flipped through it casually and pushed the information aside.
"There is no need to look at it.
"I will determine the investment policy today. In the future, you will invest through Dream Realization Ventures in accordance with the established policy."
He Desheng's eyes couldn't help but shine.
Investment policy?
Could Dream Realization Ventures be finally entering the next stage?
When Dream Realization Ventures was first established—other than the first investment by Boss Ma, all other investments were basically made by Boss Pei.
Of course, Boss Ma's investment seemed to have some connection with Boss Pei in the dark.
As an investment genius, Boss Pei's move could indeed guarantee a 100% success rate for projects invested by Dream Realization Ventures.
However, such a model could hardly continue.
Boss Pei was busy with his work, and he had to consider the development direction of the entire Tengda Corporation while also considering brand-new business models for new industries and even take time to design games.
Ordinary people would be already exhausted just by taking care of one of the tasks. It was really surprising that Boss Pei could take care of all of them.
However, it would be too inefficient to always get Boss Pei to choose project investments in hand.
Now that the work of Dream Realization Ventures was gradually on the right track, Boss Pei could naturally let go.
As for the specific investment policy to be adopted?
He Desheng looked forward to it very much.
Most domestic giant companies basically had an investment business. Investment was not only to obtain income but also to expand the company's business and build a richer ecosystem.
At present, the investment models of large domestic companies could basically be divided into three types.
The Ally Model: give money and resources and will give some guidance, but do not pursue absolute control.
The Great Qin Empire model: a high degree of unification of thought, the pursuit of absolute control...
The Guanning cavalry model: look for companies and teams with strong combat effectiveness to purchase at high prices and send them out after ideological training. These departments would be more like mercenaries.
These three models had their pros and cons, but from He Desheng's perspective, it was clear that the Ally Model was the most successful.
The Great Qin Empire model pursued absolute control over investment companies, but in many cases, there would be situations where outsiders guide insiders, and the originally good projects were turned into rubbish.
The Ally Model did not pursue absolute control. It was a mutually beneficial symbolic model with partners, but it could also achieve a win-win situation.
What kind of investment model would Boss Pei establish for Dream Realization Ventures?
Pei Qian coughed slightly: "All companies requesting investment will be ranked on a first-come, first-served basis.
"We only do the most basic screening. These companies must be law-abiding and operating with integrity. We'll screen nothing else.
"In addition, I don't care how much the boss of this company pays himself, but we must ensure that all the money we invest is put into the operation of the company and cannot be used by the boss for his own consumption."
Pei Qian did not want Tengda's money to be used by these garbage companies to do bad things. This was his most basic bottom line.
Similarly, Pei Qian couldn't accept these company bosses squandering Tengda's money.
Boss Pei had worked so hard for a few months to earn just so much. If the bosses of these companies found ways to spend it on their own after getting the investment from Tengda, then Boss Pei's mentality would collapse.
Of course, most investment companies would have similar requirements when investing, but Pei Qian's requirements would be more stringent.
Pei Qian did not care about everything else.
As long as these companies operate with integrity—no matter how outrageous and failing their business models are, Pei Qian would not care.
Pei Qian continued: "Invest according to the size of each company, but the first investment amount cannot be too much.
"Give them in the order of first come, first served; thus, we are late waiting at the back of the line.
"If a company becomes profitable, we'll immediately divest and sell it.
"If you make money after selling, then immediately invest in the next company.
"If there is no profit, we will continue to invest more. We sell if we make a profit, and we continue to invest if we do not make a profit.
"In short, make sure that the company does not have too much spare money on the books. If all of them lose money and there is no more money, then ask me immediately. I will continue to support them according to the situation."
The system was relatively loose regarding investment.
It would be difficult for Pei Qian to control when an investment project would produce a product so the system would not force the invested company to have an output, but it would limit the amount of system funds used for investment.
In other words, the money earned by Dream Realization Ventures could be reinvested at will, regardless of the system; but if it was invested with Tengda Group's money, it would not be unlimited.
Pei Qian was also not so idealistic. It was alright as long as Dream Realization Ventures did not make money, it would be better if he could consume some system funds.
"That's about all... are there any questions?" Pei Qian looked at the dumbfounded He Desheng.
He Desheng blinked blankly.
Any questions?
A lot of them!
Others had the Ally Model, Great Qin Empire model, Guanning cavalry model; all of them sounded domineering.
In the end, we're...
'Dumb people with too much money' model?
Obviously, the probability of failure of these companies would be much greater than the probability of success!
In the end, what did Boss Pei's model mean? We would not continue investing if the company was profitable, but continue investing if the company keeps losing money?
It would be impossible to make money this way, right?
Moreover, the most basic thing for an investment company would be to screen projects, screen out all those unreliable companies, and leave only reliable companies to invest in.
Even when done this way, many investment companies still lost their money.
Yet, they would not be screening anything... but invest in everything they saw?
Boss Pei might have certain requirements, but they were only the most basic supervision.
There were still many ways to lose the money even if these companies do not deliberately do bad things and misappropriate the funds.
He Desheng was silent for a moment: "Boss Pei, are there no other screening conditions?
"Even if it is first come, first served... there must be a priority, right?"
Pei Qian shook his head: "There is no priority. Invest strictly in the order of first come, first served.
"You must stick to this policy, don't have any ideas of your own, and just do what you should do."
He Desheng was still full of doubts, but he stopped asking more questions seeing Boss Pei so determined.
Boss Pei was an investment genius after all, and the policy set by the investment genius would definitely not go wrong.
"Alright, Boss Pei, I'll make arrangements based on this."
Pei Qian nodded in satisfaction.
Very good, the work of Dream Realization Ventures had also been arranged!
It would probably be impossible to make a profit as long as they persisted with this investment model...
Profits would be something very far away down the road...
Even if there were short-term profits, they would withdraw and invest in other projects to ensure that there was no spare cash in Dream Realization Ventures.
Perfect!
Chapter 693: Return of Coach Ma
Pei Qian went to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe for a meal after he settled the matters with Dream Realization Ventures. He suddenly felt sleepy.
He, therefore, decided to take a nap at home.
In the end, he only woke up at three in the afternoon.
Pei Qian still felt confused when he got up.
He yawned and forced himself to get up.
No more, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sleep again tonight.
He took a can of Coca-Cola from the fridge and sipped. The caffeine had a very obvious refreshing effect on him.
"There have been too many things recently, and I'm a little overwhelmed. My energy is spent, and I've been very sleepy recently.
"Sleepy in spring and autumn, the three months of winter that I can't wake up. Yes, it has now transited from autumn to winter.
"Oh, yeah, should I be exercising?
"Find time to train in Deposit Fitness?
"Being healthy and energetic will enable me to lose money better after all.
"In the case where my body can't stand it anymore and I have no energy to keep up, the whole company can only follow the trend and make more money. Wouldn't it be wasted?"
Pei Qian pondered. He might be still young and had a healthy diet and adequate sleep, but he still lacked exercise.
He would tire and become sleepy easily without exercise.
However, Pei Qian really did not think he could persevere at Deposit Fitness.
'Boss Pei does not possess much perseverance.' If something like this was discovered, wouldn't his image collapse?
Of course, Pei Qian could use his busy schedule as an excuse, but he just did not feel it's right...
Therefore, Pei Qian had this idea for now, but he didn't have much motivation to put it into practice.
He took out his phone while leaning on the sofa and swiped his Weibo, especially focusing on Old Ma's account.
"Hmm? It seems like Old Ma will be live-streaming today?
"Oh, it has started!"
Pei Qian hurriedly used his mobile phone to cast onto the big TV, following the live broadcast of Old Ma.
At the end of the money-throwing session yesterday, Old Ma's Weibo had more than 80,000 fans. After a day of proliferation, it had now reached about 150,000.
During the period when Old Ma was resting, many people were reposting on Old Ma's Weibo, and there are also some big Vs so the speed of fans increasing was not to be underestimated.
However, this number of fans was still within the acceptable range of Pei Qian.
Old Ma threw real money after all.
There were indeed some things in this world that money could not buy, but this definitely did not include heat and traffic.
Pei Qian was very annoyed by heat and traffic, mainly because this kind of thing sometimes brought him profit.
However, if the heat and traffic were on Old Ma, Pei Qian felt that it would not necessarily turn into profit.
Old Ma did not look like someone who had real fans after all.
In any case, let's look at Old Ma's live-stream debut.
...
Old Ma's livestream appeared on the big screen.
He was playing GOG and had the camera turned on. Like many anchors, he had placed the camera in a position that did not block the game information.
Looking at the background, it should be in a certain Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and the environment was relatively noisy.
The most impressive thing was the long face of Old Ma.
He did not know if it was because of the position of the camera, or if Old Ma liked to get close to the screen so he was too close to the camera. The top of his head and chin was unable to appear in the camera picture at the same time.
Therefore, the few bullet screen comments were making fun of him.
"Boss Ma has the face of an empire!"
"Your face is too long—it's out of the frame!"
"Can a hippo live-stream?"
"Horse-faced live streamer, I'm following you!"
There were also some not-so-friendly bullet screen comments.
"How did this f*cker dare to live-stream?"
"How awkward, how can you play 0-2-1 in a matched game? You pure scammer, I'm reporting you!"
"Get lost, haters. He is a boss and does not have the time to play games usually so his poor skills are understandable."
"The problem is this f*cker does not have any awareness himself. It reminded me of the retarded teammates I met in Bronze Tier!"
"Boss Ma, do you want to continue going onto Weibo to throw money? This game really does not suit you!"
From time to time, there were a few barrage quarrels, but even that seemed to be delayed because the audience was too small.
Obviously, not all the audiences here were from Weibo. Some passers-by strayed into the live broadcast room. People on Weibo were still rather kind to Old Ma, but passers-by didn't leave any mercy. They scolded him without leaving any face.
Pei Qian could not help but smile slightly.
As expected, it was happening exactly as I predicted!
I said it earlier, didn't I? Old Ma's techniques were so lousy that he would definitely lose fans like crazy. It would only have a negative effect.
However, it seemed like Old Ma's attitude was pretty good. There might be no bullet screen comments in the livestream room—with only the occasional hater criticizing him for playing too poorly, but Old Ma did not take it to heart. He was playing happily.
At the end of the game, Old Ma stretched and said, "Sigh, my teammates are not great; please wait a moment. I will find some good teammates to play again."
Ma Yang pinched the live-streaming signal directly.
Many question marks floated throughout the livestream.
Pei Qian's mind immediately filled with question marks.
?
Find some good teammates?
It couldn't be...
Pei Qian suddenly had a very bad feeling, but Ma Yang's livestream resumed after only a few minutes. He did not have the time to think of countermeasures.
Ma Yang had reached the base of the DGE Club!
It turned out that Ma Yang had been broadcasting live at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe near Ming Yun Villas, which was only a few minutes away from the DGE club.
Zhang Yuan's voice came from the livestream: "Everyone, get ready to cooperate with Coach Ma to play the mock competition!"
"It's great that Huang Wang and Jiang Huan are back. Accompany Coach Ma to train these newcomers!"
Several familiar figures sat down in the opposite seats in Old Ma's livestream. It was vaguely distinguishable from their silhouette that they were the old players of the DGE club such as Huang Wang and Jiang Huan.
More question marks appeared on Pei Qian's head.
???
Weren't Huang Wang and the rest sold to other clubs? Why were you back to DGE?
Pei Qian suddenly realized a problem.
When he invited new members of the DGE club to dinner, the old members said that special training should be launched for these new members so that they could keep up with the rhythm of the game as soon as possible!
This was not only because of the feelings off the old DGE players for their previous DGE club, but this was also what all other clubs were willing to do.
For all other clubs, the interests of the DGE club were in line with them because DGE players could not play against them in competitions if they became stronger. Instead, they could let other clubs directly buy people to strengthen themselves.
Obviously, the old members of the DGE club—including Huang Wang and Jiang Huan—must return to the club periodically to guide them!
They were just in time for Ma Yang's livestream!
Ma Yang said while adjusting the machine: "Little Huang, Little Jiang, remember to turn on your livestream and help me gain more popularity."
The teammates nodded immediately. "Don't worry, Coach Ma, we'll do it immediately!"
Ma Yang and the other four members started their live-streams in no time.
They might be on different teams and different live-streaming platforms, but they were the core team members. Many of them had huge fan bases. This broadcast attracted many viewers immediately!
Moreover, these people also changed the title of the live broadcast room to 'DGE Club Gathers Again, Coach Ma instructs and Directs Internal Special Training'.
The popularity exploded in an instant!
Especially Huang Wang's live broadcast room, large bullet screen comments floated by, blocking the screen.
"Is the internal boxing match going on?"
"Who is the Coach Ma who joined in?"
"F*ck, I actually can see my baby Huang and baby Jiang play together again; Mom is so touched that I'm crying!"
"It's the Mom again!"
Pei Qian felt that things were not going in the right direction, seeing bullet screen comments.
Sh*t, he completely missed the DGE Club in his plan!
He thought that the old Ma silently opened a live broadcast to show his true level, and he would definitely be able to dissuade a large number of fans.
However, Old Ma did not even think about fighting alone. He came to cozy up to DGE Club after a while!
These big-time live streamers were diverting attention from him one by one; it had already exploded!
Pei Qian sipped his water and regained his calm.
"Be calm, even if there are four DGE players, they could not change the fact that Old Ma's a burden.
"He's so bad that would definitely become the burden of these four and would ignite the ire from the fans of the other four.
"Therefore, it might not be a bad thing..."
Pei Qian decided to continue observing. Things seemed to be still within the acceptable range.
The mock competition started very soon.
On one side were the old players of the DGE club with Coach Ma while there were four new players of the DGE club on the other side.
The other players and the audience in the livestreams were all closely watching the results of this game.
A lot of spectators who just entered didn't know the situation well. They thought this 'Coach Ma' must be a very powerful and mysterious figure. His operation and technique might not reach the level of the old DGE club members, but he should at least have the level of a high-ranking passerby, right?
Only after the game started did they realize that this was an actual shortcoming!
Huang Wang and Jiang Huan—among the four veteran players—had been assisting frantically since the beginning of the game, but Ma Yang was still rubbed on the ground repeatedly by the new DGE players in the bottom lane.
The strength of the old players could completely crush the new players, but they were dragged to the same level after Old Ma joined!
"Who the hell is this burden? Why can he get Huang Wang and Jiang Huan to play together with him even though he's so bad?!"
"Sh*t! I can do better."
"Yes, you wouldn't be this bad!"
"Don't be stupid. Didn't you hear that this is a special tactical coach? He is obviously balancing the strengths of both sides to give Huang Wang and the rest a chance to practice!"
"Baby Huang, baby Jiang, blink if you were kidnapped."
"This is Boss Ma of Tengda, Boss Pei's right-hand man and the man who earned 500 million yuan for Boss Pei. He's just playing around with the players, isn't it normal to play this poorly? No one really thinks that the boss of such a huge company would have as much time to play games as you group of internet addicts, right?"
"He paid for it?"
"I say, money really makes the world go round! I'm sore; I'll be able to get the entire DGE Club to play with me if I had the money!"
"But it's really unfair to Baby Huang and Baby Jiang! It reminds me of my trashy teammates!"
The battle on both sides was brilliant, and the audience was busy with the bullet screen comments.
Obviously, the audience was divided into two groups. Many people felt that Old Ma's skills were too lousy, but many people's perception of Old Ma had changed.
If Old Ma was just an ordinary burden, he must be drowned by the audience's saliva.
However, Old Ma was a high-level executive of Tengda, the man who invested in IOI, the right-hand man of Boss Pei who earned 500 million yuan...
It seemed absolutely understandable for him to play so poorly.
Pei Qian looked at the bullet screen comments, feeling as though he was watching an absurd drama regarding magic realism.
Old Ma had fans even though he played so poorly?
All of you are simply too ridiculous!
Chapter 694: Investors Driven by Interest!
Pei Qian watched Ma Yang's soaring livestream audience and Weibo fans, but he could do nothing.
However, the worst news was not the increase in fans, but that the netizens in the livestream and Weibo were starting to have fun bickering!
He had to say that Old Ma giving DGE players special training had become too good of entertainment for the audience.
There were also a large number of players who heard that Boss Ma would throw money on Weibo so they went to Weibo to follow him and left messages, turning into a carnival.
After the three games, a large number of viewers were attracted to the Old Ma's livestream, and his popularity exploded!
Ma Yang's huge face was full of smiles in the camera.
"Okay, let's stop here for today's practice. I should go to Weibo to do some business."
The DGE players finally heaved a sigh of relief, leaning on the gaming chairs and feeling like their souls were sucked out of them.
The mental stress playing with Boss Ma was greater than the global finals!
Ma Yang took a can of Coca-Cola from the club's fridge and opened it in his seat with a 'psst!' He raised his head and drank half a can, feeling that it seemed like a good opportunity to promote his popularity and began to communicate with fans in the livestream.
"Please follow me if you have not done so. You don't need to give gifts; I don't need this bit of money.
"Why follow me? Where can you find a player who can command and operate like me? Isn't my technique worthy of attention?
"I said before that I couldn't win the game at the very beginning because my teammates were too lousy. Didn't I immediately carry the game after changing to four ordinary teammates?
"Alright, I'll see if there are any new dreams on Weibo that I can realize."
The viewers in the livestream were already trying to adapt to Old Ma's thinking, but they showed a full screen of question marks when they heard his words.
"?????"
"Boss Ma really feels that he is very skilled?"
"You invited all the star players from each club and then told me that these are four 'ordinary teammates'?"
"I also want to have such 'ordinary teammates'!"
"What Boss Ma said really makes sense. I have found the reason why I kept losing in the Bronze Tier! You give me Huang Wang and Jiang Huan, and I will be in the Honor of Kings!"
"Boss Ma's expression is too serious. I can't tell if he is actually serious or joking."
"Boss Ma really did so much for this team! If it weren't for Boss Ma, this game would have ended in 20 minutes!"
The fans were entertained by Old Ma. It's not terrible to be bad at the game, but the terrible thing would be... that person himself not knowing about it!
However, it would make people feel that he was doing it deliberately if he really did not show that he knew, which is wonderful.
Many people felt that such a powerful investment genius like Boss Ma, who could easily make a 500-million profit, could not possibly be stupid! His behavior was completely illogical!
Therefore, it must be a performance!
Once most people thought that way, they would start to accompany Boss Ma in his performance. 'DGE special tactical coach', 'DGE Spiritual Leader', 'Boss Ma Toplaner Smash Jiang Huan, Boss Ma Mid-laner smash Huang Wang'... and the bullet screen comments were coming in at full speed.
Ma Yang flipped through his Weibo with a smile on his huge face.
His fans increased by hundreds of thousands with one afternoon's work!
Ma Yang could not help but sigh. "As expected, I have the potential to become an internet celebrity! How would Lu Zhiyao have his place today if I wasn't delayed by investments!
"Let me see if there are any new dreams to fulfill.
"Oh? There is a classmate here who does not have good computer and internet speed in the university dormitory, which is why he cannot enter the Honor of Kings. He hopes to be sponsored with a good set of equipment...
"No problem! Esports dreams must be supported. Your strength might be lower than mine, but it also shows that you still have a lot of room for improvement. Come, I've sent money to you to get your own ROF."
Ma Yang commented on these dreams while browsing Weibo.
"Sigh, so many dreams are not creative.
"It's very hard for me to send the Dream Fund into your hands if you are so superficial.
"Everyone must write sincerely to move me since they are dreams."
Ma Yang released the Dream Fund while broadcasting a livestream on Weibo. The atmosphere in the livestream was even more explosive now!
Their messages in Weibo refreshed every few seconds, which was even faster than Old Ma could read.
Most messages did not have any profound meaning to them, but Old Ma patiently searched for dreams to be completed within them.
In addition to the full screen of 666, some people started to become curious about the identity of Old Ma.
"Boss Ma, what is this Dream Fund? Tell us!"
"I heard that Boss Ma once invested in IOI and made 500 million yuan directly for Tengda Corporation. Moreover, you are an outstanding employee? Can you tell us what happened?"
"Investment genius Boss Ma, can you help me choose a stock?"
"Boss Ma, I heard that you are the able right-hand man of Boss Pei. When will you livestream with Boss Pei?"
"Boss Ma, can you talk about your career? Give some direction to this university dog who is about to graduate?"
Ma Yang paid attention to the bullet screen comments while flipping through his Weibo, answering them one by one.
Ma Yang's huge face was suddenly filled with seriousness, seeing 'investment genius'.
"I cannot be considered an investment genius!
"In fact, I haven't had any investment-related knowledge at all. Being responsible for investment was completely based on Boss Pei's trust in me.
"Boss Pei gave me 20 million yuan at the beginning and asked me to invest in what I liked based on my instinct. I happened to see that the foreign game IOI was doing well so I smashed all the money into it!
"Come to think of it now... a huge portion of it was actually luck.
"As to the investments after that were basically things that I felt more interested in...
"The Fully-Automated Bickering Machine for example was something that I felt was particularly interesting and managed to convince Boss Pei to invest in it.
"Therefore, please don't overly glorify me. The 500 million yuan was just luck.
"I'm just an investor of my interests."
Ma Yang's words were met with explosive bullet screen comments.
"F*ck, is this the real Boss Ma?"
"Boss Ma was doing entertaining effects when he boasted his own gaming level previously? Boss Ma is actually someone this humble?"
"Investors dictated by interest! Wow, other investors invest because of money while Boss Ma invests in interest, admiration... and admiration!"
"At that time, Boss Ma dared to directly use 20 million yuan on IOI. Such judgment of the situation and decisive power is really amazing! Boss Ma is too humble; this is definitely not something ordinary people can do!"
"I always think that all the bosses are silly, but I changed my mind seeing how Boss Ma is! Boss Ma is a truly admirable entrepreneur and investor, second only to Boss Pei in my mind!"
"No wonder Boss Ma is friends with Boss Pei, the same kind of mind, determination, and vision. They are so awesome!"
"To be honest, the image of Boss Pei is 'close to demonic intelligence', like a god who is aloof, too far away from ordinary people. People who are grounded like Boss Ma are like us. An example for ordinary people to learn!"
"I've become a fan; I'll support Boss Ma all the way!"
...
Pei Qian nearly fainted looking at the bullet screen comments in the livestream.
What the heck?!
Old Ma was telling the truth; how did you all supplement everything with your imagination?
His lousy skills in games had not become a point to be angry about him, but a cute point?
Pei Qian had a bad feeling that things had gone out of his expectation.
He did not think that a person like Old Ma could actually obtain fans?
Was something... wrong with this world?
However, thinking about his experience, he felt that this world seemed to be okay. It had always been this way; the one with the problem was himself...
"No, I cannot continue letting Old Ma gain fans like this. I have to think of something."
Pei Qian thought for a while. What did Old Ma rely on to obtain these fans?
The popularity of the DGE Club!
The four veteran players started a livestream with him and attracted fans, and the rate of increase in fans was simply leveraged.
Therefore, he could not allow Old Ma to live-stream with the DGE players to increase fans; he had to rely on himself.
He should show his original form if he had to rely on himself, right?
As the saying goes, it would show if one's virtue did not fit one's position.
A person like Old Ma who had no ability, a pure slacker, and with the occasional good luck was raised to such a position. A huge number of fans would naturally reject being a fan once his nature was exposed.
It was precisely because of this that Pei Qian was so resistant to being famous and had been trying hard to keep a low profile.
So, don't look at how Old Ma was attracting some fans now. His popularity would definitely drop soon as long as he left the DGE team!
There were so many Internet celebrities that have exploded in popularity overnight, but only a few could maintain it because there was no real talent and no real learning.
Pei Qian thought it over, and he called Ma Yang after his live broadcast ended today.
"Hello? Brother Qian, how did you know that I just stopped my livestream? My fans increased to nearly 200,000 today, so awesome! I really have the talent to become an internet celebrity!"
"..." Pei Qian was very speechless. "Erm, Old Ma, I have something to tell you."
Ma Yang: "Please tell me, Brother Qian."
Pei Qian stopped for a short while. "In the future, try not to find the DGE team for your livestream. That is going to affect their training.
"Moreover, it's enough to attract fans once. The audience wants something different and fresh, but they would get tired of it after a while. It's not good to lose them for that; what do you think?"
Ma Yang was silent for a while, pondering: "Well, Brother Qian, what you said makes sense! But... I'm too clever to match my teammates. I can't carry them; it's boring."
Pei Qian: "...then, you can think up something else. You said that you have the talent for being an Internet celebrity. That must mean learning to sing and being proficient in everything."
Old Ma realized it suddenly. "Yes, Brother Qian, I understand! I will think about new performances and change the way to grow my fans!"
Pei Qian nodded. "Yes, do your best; I'm sure you can do it!"
Pei Qian revealed a smile on his face after he hung the phone up.
Fortunately, Old Ma was a very easy person to fool. A few words cut off the possibility of him and the DGE Club stabbing himself in the back.
However, he did not know what sort of performances Old Ma would come up with.
His phone rang again after throwing it to one side.
He took it up. It was a message from Huang Sibo.
"Boss Pei, the overseas box office of 'Tomorrow is Beautiful' has been received in our accounts! 14 million US dollars, which is nearly 100 million yuan!"
The smile on Pei Qian's face froze when he saw the message.
Holy sh*t.
This... this was a little too fast, right?