Manager Zhang never expected this reaction. Usually, companies complained that the rent was too expensive. Most office buildings had rates around two or three yuan per square meter, while Shenhua Luxury Mansion charged four yuan—almost double.
Yet President Pei actually thought it was cheap?!
Was he being sarcastic?
Or did he genuinely have no concept of money?
Pei Qian frowned slightly, quickly calculating in his mind.
He originally expected the price here to be around five yuan.
At 5 yuan per square meter per day, a 3,000-square-meter office space would cost 450,000 yuan per month.
Losing 450,000 yuan monthly by doing absolutely nothing—where else could he find such a perfect deal?
But now, the price was a whole yuan cheaper than anticipated.
This one yuan difference meant losing about 90,000 yuan less each month!
It was indeed somewhat troubling.
Still, it was within acceptable limits.
Pei Qian's urgency came from the fact that Ghost General was earning money daily!
Since Ghost General was still on the rise, receiving increasing promotion from the gaming platform and attracting more players each day, its revenue naturally soared.
It wasn't easy to waste all that money.
He had to step up his game!
. . .
"I'll take this entire floor. Prepare the contract," Pei Qian said decisively.
Manager Zhang was stunned for a moment, then burst into a joyful smile: "Wonderful! Please follow me."
Customers this decisive were rare!
Pei Qian and Xin Hailu followed Manager Zhang into his office. Transferring funds, signing contracts—all was completed swiftly.
With the deposit plus the first month's rent paid, 700,000 yuan instantly flew out of Pei Qian's account.
He didn't even flinch; instead, he felt secretly pleased.
Money was meant to flow freely!
If he didn't quickly lose all the system's money, how could he ever convert it into his own assets?
As for the specifics of the contract… Pei Qian didn't worry. He had Assistant Xin to handle it.
Xin Hailu was also highly skilled in finance and legal matters. With her overseeing it, Pei Qian felt completely at ease.
"Then, welcome your esteemed company to Shenhua Luxury Mansion! Please feel free to contact me if any problems arise—I'll ensure they're resolved immediately," Manager Zhang said with a beaming smile.
Pei Qian casually exchanged a few pleasantries, accepted the rental contract from Manager Zhang, and handed it to Assistant Xin for safekeeping.
Afterward, Pei Qian and Xin Hailu left Manager Zhang's office, returning again to the empty 17th floor.
. . .
Pei Qian paced back and forth through the vacant office space, mentally planning the company's layout.
This was also a crucial step in losing money!
"A good working environment can enhance employee efficiency and elevate our company's image!"
"Assistant Xin, please note this down. Later, prepare a procurement list for me."
"The office furniture must be expensive—well, not merely expensive—but classy and prestigious! It has to stand out from other companies!"
"The computers must be top-of-the-line. Mechanical keyboards and premium mice are a must. Dual monitors as well. We're living in the information age, and as a gaming company, computers equal productivity!"
"We also need greenery. When employees feel tired, looking at plants can help them relax. Plants aren't easy to maintain, so we'll hire someone specifically to look after them."
"I think that space over there would be perfect for a small gym. Occupational health issues are common in the gaming industry. Exercise will help employees perform better."
"The reception area needs quality sofas and coffee tables. Get an elegant tea set too, and seven or eight varieties of premium tea. When we have business meetings, we can't just serve our guests plain water."
Pei Qian passionately listed items one by one.
Since it was all system money, he could spend recklessly!
Whatever the company needed—buy the best available.
Even if the company didn't really need it—still buy the best!
As he spoke, Pei Qian carefully observed the system's reactions.
The system remained quiet—no warnings. Clearly, Pei Qian's behavior was within the rules!
Xin Hailu quickly noted everything down in her notebook.
"Understood, President Pei. I'll arrange this for you promptly."
"What's the total acceptable budget for all this?" Xin Hailu asked.
Pei Qian thought briefly: "Around 500,000 to 800,000 yuan. Aim toward the upper limit."
Xin Hailu nodded: "Got it."
Pei Qian didn't dare to be too blatant. He intended to splurge, but the spending had to be reasonably justifiable within the company's scope.
Take office computers, for example.
Normally, regular computers would suffice.
But since he aimed to lose money, only high-end setups would do.
The system wouldn't question a slightly more expensive PC. But if he tried spending millions on supercomputers, that would trigger a violation warning.
Hence, he had to keep things within reasonable limits. Setting the budget at around 800,000 yuan was already testing the system's boundaries.
. . .
. . .
The next day.
"This is the procurement list we discussed earlier. Please take a look."
Xin Hailu handed Pei Qian a document from her folder.
It included everything: desks, chairs, computers, greenery, gym equipment, sofas, coffee tables, tea sets, teas—every single thing Pei Qian had painstakingly thought of.
Glancing over the list, Pei Qian felt genuinely surprised.
These things were ridiculously expensive!
Just looking at the prices of the plants made it clear.
One Luohansong bonsai—988 yuan.
Yet, this wasn't the kind of overpriced plant where someone got scammed. Judging from the picture, this bonsai was exquisitely sculpted and expertly cared for. In fact, one could even argue the 988 yuan was justified!
Ten fortune trees, 188 yuan each.
As for why ten trees—placing just one by the floor-to-ceiling windows would look lonely. They had to be arranged neatly in a row.
Ten trees symbolized perfection and prosperity.
There was also a luxurious sofa set for 60,000 yuan.
For tea, there was a handcrafted pure silver tea set for 22,000 yuan, and another natural Duan inkstone tea tray priced at 13,000 yuan—alternating for variety.
Then there were the teas themselves—several varieties, each extravagantly expensive.
Pei Qian felt his eyelids twitch slightly as he stared at the series of zeros in front of him.
Pretending to be serious, he flipped to the end of the document.
Total: 780,000 yuan!
Most of the cost was from workstations.
Each employee would be equipped with a high-end office desk, premium gaming chair, high-performance PC, dual high-refresh-rate gaming monitors, and mechanical keyboard—Each workstation alone cost over 20,000 yuan.
Setting up 30 workstations would already amount to over 600,000 yuan.
With casual spending on other areas, the budget easily reached 780,000 yuan.
After reviewing the individual item prices, Pei Qian even had an odd thought:
Only 780,000 yuan—wasn't this too cheap?!
Thirty workstations were what Pei Qian settled on after careful consideration.
His goal was to lose money, but within the system's rules, he had to maintain normal business operations. He couldn't just hire a few people to loaf around, playing games all day.
Such blatant loopholes would trigger system warnings.
Considering the availability of cloud editors, 30 employees could just barely develop a large-scale game, though not polished to perfection.
As for the issue of the vast office space accommodating only 30 employees—that was easily resolved.
Pei Qian planned billiards tables, a recreation room, cinema room, café area, snack corner, lounges, and more.
The actual workspace would occupy only a small portion.
Additionally, each workstation would be generously spaced apart, ensuring ample personal space for every employee.
He'd also bought the largest desks available—big enough to hold anything an employee desired, even if they spent their entire salary on collectibles.
With this setup, 30 workstations wouldn't completely fill the space but would come reasonably close.
Pei Qian glanced at Xin Hailu appreciatively, his expression saying, "You've done exceptionally well!"
This was the mark of a true professional!
Xin Hailu maintained her professional smile and reported, "All products were purchased through official channels at the lowest internal prices. The company will not waste a single unnecessary yuan."
Pei Qian nodded approvingly.
He fully trusted that Xin Hailu could achieve this.
Purchasing through official channels at minimal prices meant the system had no reason to warn him.
Pei Qian truly liked this assistant.
She fully grasped her boss's intentions, had excellent execution, was both intelligent and attractive, and left no room for criticism.
Collaborating with smart people was indeed refreshing!
"Excellent. I'm very satisfied. Proceed with the purchases exactly as listed," Pei Qian praised openly. "Starting next week, I'll interview applicants in the small meeting room. Please prepare the materials by then."
Xin Hailu smiled and nodded: "Of course, that's part of my job."
Pei Qian felt things were finally looking up.
The upcoming recruitment would be crucial. Everything depended on this!
Seeing Pei Qian's energetic enthusiasm, Xin Hailu gently reminded him with a smile, "I believe you may have overlooked something important."
"Shouldn't you also consider upgrading your own wardrobe?"
- - - - - -
If you want to see more chapter of this fic for free, please go to my Scribblehub Account[1], I cross-poted this fic in there too.
Link: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1589938/losing-money-to-become-a-tycoon-starting-with-games/[2]
[1] https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1589938/losing-money-to-become-a-tycoon-starting-with-games/
[2] https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1589938/losing-money-to-become-a-tycoon-starting-with-games/