Chapter 215 Hardcore Reviewer Wa-Oh

That was two hundred thousand yuan in remuneration after all. There was also a hundred thousand yuan for props. To Lin Chang, this wasn't a huge sum. However, Pei Qian still had to make something out of it.

Pei Qian knew very well that this project was bound to fail. Yet, it did not matter. As long as Pei Qian showed that he did not really need the money and that he was just playing around, Lin Chang would not grow suspicious. That would take care of things.

Lin Chang called this remuneration, but Pei Qian had no intention to produce short videos or short films.

It was simple: he did not have enough capital.

Pei Qian wanted to earn the remuneration and just leave a hundred thousand yuan for props. However, this much money was not enough to pay the director, supporting actors, and salaries, much less to pay for video equipment and whatnot.

Fei Huang Workspace had these available, but Pei Qian did not want to involve Fei Huang Workspace in any way.

After all, Huang Sibo and the others might question why Boss Pei wanted to film short videos on his own. He would not be able to answer them.

Thus, Pei Qian decided to do everything on his own and try his best not to let anyone apart from Lin Chang find out what he was up to.

He would use his own cell phone to film. He did not know how to do complicated editing, but he would just cut out additional scenes and piece the other pieces together.

He would try his best to fill everything in a single shot. Whether the product was good or bad, he would upload it onto Aili Island once he was done.

As for whether people would see it or not…

It would be best if no one did.

What's more, Pei Qian had no intention to reveal his face. He would either cover his entire face or half of it. In case the video became popular, he could not allow his employees to recognize him.

His only aim in filming this short video was earning that two hundred thousand yuan.

If Lin Chang really asked about how the three hundred thousand yuan was spent, at least Pei Qian could produce videos to show him. He would prove that he really did work hard at filming something.

As for whether his productions would become popular or not…

He could not do much; just as horses stumbled, humans made mistakes. Boss Pei's performance art was too deep, and society was too shallow. Even if nobody caught on, Boss Pei could not be blamed.

Lin Chang would not look too deeply into it, and he would not grow suspicious either.

At that thought, Pei Qian packed up his things and collected the delivery which he received that day. Then, he left the office and returned to his rented apartment.

He would have to produce the first episode tonight!

Although he was not given a deadline, Pei Qian had to produce twenty episodes. Even if he started now and produced two episodes a week, it would take him more than two months to finish everything. That meant he had to start as soon as possible.

The earlier he finished, the more relieved he would feel spending that two hundred thousand yuan!

Pei Qian set up his cell phone and then placed the package on his table.

This was a cell phone that had only been released over a month ago overseas. It was Pineapple 4, and it was selling for 4,999 yuan. It fell nicely within his five thousand yuan budget.

The most popular domestically-produced cell phone model at the moment was Shenhua's annual flagship product. However, that was a second-tier at best. Only Pineapple phones could be considered high-end and first-tier. Based on Pei Qian's recollection, they had almost the same status as Apple phones would be in the future-or perhaps just slightly worse.

All in all, this cell phone hit a high volume of sales and was quite well-received. It would be fitting to work on this cell phone in his first episode.

Pei Qian had thought about it before. In fact, it did not matter what content he filled his short videos with. It also did not matter whether they succeeded or not. The most important thing was to allow Lin Chang to think that this entire project fitted Boss Pei's character.

Before this, Pei Qian had told Lin Chang that he wanted to use this sum of money to conduct a test. That meant that this test had to be unique.

He had to do things his own way!

Take when Pei Qian played the role of 'Boss Pei' for example. Although he was playing himself, he still had to follow a script. It was only natural that he should receive remuneration.

This time was no different.

Pei Qian planned to act as a 'professional' reviewer of digital products. First, he took out a sheet of paper. On it, he wrote a brief plan for the episode. Then, he began filming.

In order to keep his face hidden, Pei Qian took a sheet of paper and wrote the words 'Hardcore Reviews' on it.

He retrieved a spectacle frame—which he bought with his own money-and put it on with the piece of paper. Thus, he successfully created a mask out of it.

After that, Pei Qian changed into more ordinary-looking clothes. After pondering for a couple of minutes, he wrote the plan for the beginning of the video.

"Hardcore Reviews…

"Day One of non-independent reviewing…

"Hardcore Reviews is a non-independent reviewer. The outcome of the review depends on how much manufacturers pay. Any reviewed product featured in the videos was probably paid for by the manufacturer. Please close this video immediately. If any manufacturers are interested in working with me, please contact me in private."

He would create a scene filled with pure words and place it at the beginning of the video. This would dissuade a good number of people from watching it.

Once Pei Qian finished preparing, he accessed the camera on his cell phone and began recording.

"Welcome to the country's strictest and most professional unboxing review show. I am a professional reviewer of digital products, Wa-Oh.

"The product that I'll be reviewing for you today is called Pineapple 4. Let us open this box very carefully."

Pei Qian was careful to speak emotionlessly so that nobody would recognize his voice.

After that, he grabbed a table knife next to him and cut a few holes in the package. Finally, he reached into the box and grabbed the cell phone.

He tore the film off in a callous manner and purposely rolled it up into a ball and tossed it aside. Then, he closed the box—which contained the charging cable, the head plug, and the stack of unnecessary instructionsand pushed it aside as well.

"The first thing we'll do is a water-resistance test."

He already had a small pail of water ready next to him. Pei Qian switched the Pineapple cell phone on and then tossed it into the pail.

A few minutes later, he took it out. It was quite water-resistant; no water managed to seep through the outer casing.

"The second thing to do is a crashproof test."

Pei Qian held his own cell phone in his left hand while he picked up the Pineapple 4 with his right. Then, he began to drop the Pineapple 4 onto the ground from different heights and angles.

He started off by dropping it with the corner facing the ground, then he dropped it with the back of the phone facing the ground… then he dropped it with the screen facing the ground. He repeated the same movements from heights of one, two, and three meters.

Once he was done, he moved the camera closer to film a close-up of the cell phone.

After dropping the phone from a height of three meters, the entire cell phone looked damaged. Although it could still be switched on and operated, the screen was completely shattered, the corner looked dented, and paint had been scratched off the back cover.

"The third thing to do is a shockproof test."

Pei Qian grabbed his table knife and stabbed the back cover several times.

At first, he started with little energy. Nothing much happened. However, as he stabbed at the cover with more energy, obvious cracks began to appear. What's more, these cracks became increasingly defined.

"The fourth thing to do is to disassemble it.

"Everyone knows that disassembling the cell phone is the best way to tell if the internal structure and make-up of a cell phone was done by good-hearted manufacturers. Let us disassemble this cell phone in an extremely professional way."

Pei Qian grabbed a #1 screwdriver, stuck it through a crack on the back cover, and pulled the entire cover off. Then, he successively removed the battery, camera, and motherboard from within.

By the time he was done removing everything from inside the phone, the cell phone looked unrecognizable.

"Alright. This is Pineapple 4's internal structure. Everyone, take a look at the handiwork and material. I'm sure all of you are familiar with the various parts. I won't have to introduce them to you.

"Next, let us re-assemble it."

Pei Qian did not do this. In any case, when the time came, he would just rewind the video.

Finally, he had to record his conclusion.

"That was a review of the Pineapple 4 cell phone. I'm going to remind Pineapple 4 to transfer the payment to my personal bank account.

"This has been Hardcore Reviews. See you in the next episode!"

Once he finished filming everything, Pei Qian downloaded a random editing software. He used it to cut some raw footage out and then added the introduction at the start of the video. Finally, he added the rewound footage.

Pei Qian rendered the video and watched it once through.

There was a very big problem with it. Boss Pei was very happy.

Pei Qian logged onto Aili Island and registered for a new account named 'Hardcore Reviews'. Then, he uploaded the video.

"Alright, pack up!"

Pei Qian put the piece of paper and spectacles away neatly so he could use them for the next recording

There were still nineteen episodes to go. He would unbox a digital product for each episode and do exactly what he did for the first episode. The twenty episodes would be easily completed. Finally, he would be able to relax and spend the two hundred thousand yuan!

Chapter 216 Fixed Assets Calculation Method

The next morning-after Pei Qian woke up, he opened the creator platform in Aili Island and looked at the statistics of the video.

There were some views and a few comments and bullet screen comments. However, they did not add up too much. The video was still very unpopular.

Most comments and bullet screen comments were along the lines of 'oh sh*t', 'baller', 'an explosion of funding' and 'they had too much money so they chose to burn them'.

Pei Qian's account was new. After uploading the video at the electronics area, he did not receive publicity from the platform; and he did not have any subscribers to begin with. There was only some insignificant organic traffic. There was almost no exposure for the video throughout the night.

Pei Qian did not care about that. He did not expect the video to have many views.

If there was really someone who tipped his video or if he could join the incentive plans of the platform, he could just think of it as he had earned some pocket money. It seemed like a nice plan to him.

Pei Qian was eating snacks as he binge-watched some videos. All of a sudden, the system screen expanded in front of him.

<10% of the system's valuation of the company's fixed assets shall be recorded into the System Funds. That will affect the settlement results.>

The chips that Pei Qian held near his mouth stopped mid-air.

What was the meaning of this?!

He read the content on the system screen carefully. When he saw the 'Fixed Assets' column, he vaguely understood what happened.

Previously, most of the expensive resources he had were all rented, including the office building and cars. Therefore, the 'Fixed Assets' column was not triggered.

Of course, the tables and chairs, furniture and office products that he had bought for the company and the internet cafes should all be considered the company assets. However, they did not trigger the 'Fixed Assets' column.

It was likely because the system disregarded these things as their prices were too insignificant.

However, now that Pei Qian bought a 6-million yuan villa, the system could not disregard that anymore.

According to the rules of the system, such fixed assets in the form of commodities would undergo valuation by the system. 10% of its estimated worth would be converted into the System Funds and would affect the settlement results.

Pei Qian had just spent a large sum of money on the villa. The company's current book balance was 2,430,000 yuan while the starting sum of the System Funds was 8,000,000 yuan. According to his previous calculations, he should suffer a loss of 5,570,000 yuan.

However, according to this new calculation method, if he converted and recorded 10% of the estimated worth of 6,220,000 yuan villa, he would only suffer a loss of 4,950,000 yuan! 8,000,000 – 2,430,000 + (6,220,000×10%) = 4,950,000

The newly indicated System Funds was 2,430,000+620,000. The first 2,430,000 was the working capital on the company's ledger. That was the money they could spend. The following 620,000 was 10% of the villa's estimated worth. Even though it was converted into a virtual number that could not be spent, it was still considered a part of the System Funds and would affect the settlement.

Pei Qian scratched his head. His first reaction was that he was actually unsure if that was a good deal for him.

Evidently, this rule that the system set reduced the restrictions Pei Qian had to when buying commodities as fixed assets.

For instance, if such commodities were not recorded under the System Funds, Pei Qian could totally buy anything he wanted. As long as he ensured that the capital chain would not break, he could buy as many properties as he liked to create a loss.

(Of course, a prerequisite was that he must justify his purpose when buying them. He was not allowed to do real estate speculation or live in those properties. He could only use them for production management like he did this time around.)

For example, if there was 10 million yuan left in the System Funds and Pei Qian took out 7 million to buy another villa (and found a random use for it), he was left with 3 million. He could easily create a loss of 5 million when compared to the initial 8 million System Funds in the beginning.

That evidently reduced the difficulty of creating a loss.

Therefore, Fixed Assets also needed to be recorded as the System Funds.

However, if the entire sum of the fixed assets was recorded under System Funds, another huge problem would arise.

The starting sum of the System Funds was only 8 million. If Pei Qian bought a 10-million villa and the entire 10 million was recorded into the System Funds, it was difficult for him to lose the starting sum of 8 million unless he mortgaged the property or sold it.

Therefore, the system chose this method to avoid both aforementioned situations.

Such commodities under one's fixed assets would be recorded into the System Funds on a 10% basis. On one hand, that would give Pei Qian some room to purchase fixed assets when he wanted to create a loss. On the other hand, Pei Qian could not easily achieve a huge loss by purchasing fixed assets mindlessly.

"Ah… thinking about it from a pessimistic perspective, the system has yet again blocked off another path that I could have taken to earn fortunes. The system is always one step ahead of me…

"However, thinking from the positive side of things, if the system did not give me a reminder; I would not be able to come up with that idea easily…"

Pei Qian suddenly realized that although purchasing fixed assets could affect the settlement results, it was ultimately still a good way to spend money!

Assuming that Pei Qian had about 10 million yuan left in the System Funds, he could simply buy another villa or shop. If he spent 5 million yuan on that, the amount left in the System Funds would be:

10 million – 5 million + (5 million x 10%) = 5.5 million.

In that case, the system would conclude that he had suffered a loss of 8 million – 5.5 million = 2.5 million!

Of course, there were some risks involved in that. If Pei Qian had multiple fixed assets, the appreciation of a single fixed asset would result in the System Funds increasing rapidly as well.

If the value of the villa that Pei Qian had suddenly increased insanely and appreciated to 30 million yuan, the amount recorded into the System Funds would then increase to 3 million based on the stated 10% ratio.

10 million – 5 million + (30 million x 10%) = 8 million.

He would not be able to suffer a loss then!

If the situation worsened—when Pei Qian had too many fixed assets, their total value could surpass the starting sum even if only 10% of their estimated value was recorded in the System Funds. If that happened-even if Pei Qian spent all the money in the company's book balance, he would still be unable to create a loss.

The only way out was if those fixed assets depreciated or if Pei Qian sold them all and spent the money he earned.

Anyways…

Opportunities and risks coexist.

After some calculation, Pei Qian felt that his head was throbbing.

"What is happening? Why do I have to use so many brain cells to find a way to lose money? Why are the rules getting more and more complicated…?"

Pei Qian decided that he was not going to think about that anymore.

In the future—when the amount of System Funds increased to about 20 or 30 million, he would then spend a few million yuan to purchase some shops. That would only add a few hundred thousand yuan to the System Funds and was a good deal for him.

Currently, he did not have much money in the System Funds. Buying too many shops could easily turn things against his intentions. He had to take it slow.

If he was cautious, he should only spend the money at the last moment.

During this cycle, it was sufficient for him to purchase the semi-commercial villa and open the high-end restaurant to lose money.

Since the system gave him a reminder, that showed that the villa had been purchased and the relevant procedures had been completed.

Pei Qian gave Assistant Xin a call and asked her to drive him to the Ming Yun Villas branch of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.

He wanted to settle the interior design of the high-end restaurant and check if there were any unexpected changes to the business environment there.

Chapter 217 Our Restaurant had a Diverse Style!

At Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's branch at Ming Yun Villas…

On the way there, Pei Qian paid special attention to the shops that he noticed were renovating previously. Those included internet cafes, coffee shops, bars, and board game cafes.

The location of those shops had been carefully decided. For example, there was an internet cafe right outside the entrance of Handong Jiaotong University's East Campus.

As compared to the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe which was a twenty-minute walk away, the new internet cafe located right at the school's entrance was much nearer. Naturally, that internet cafe was more popular among students.

Moreover, Pei Qian looked at the interior design and layout of the new internet cafe and saw that it was deliberately copying the style of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes.

The furnishing and equipment within the internet cafe appeared brand new, including computers, keyboards, mouses, and tables, and chairs. There was also a bar counter in the internet cafe that sold coffee and all types of drinks.

However, the layout there was not as lavish as the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and appeared a little cramped. There were many computers available, but their configurations most probably could not reach the standard of those at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes.

All the computers at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes were all assembled by Zhang Yuan. They could run almost all the huge Triple-A games in the market with full special effects. They had an incredibly high configuration.

However, strictly speaking, such configurations were a little wasteful.

Comparatively, the computers at this new internet cafe were a little smarter. They used configurations that could run mainstream games smoothly, and yet their prices should be almost half the computers at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes. The computers had similar peripherals and appeared similarly glamorous, and yet the difference in their prices was huge.

However, as compared to other ordinary internet cafes, their configurations and environment were considered pretty good.

A few people were giving out flyers at the crossings near the internet cafe. They appeared to be students.

With this internet cafe around to steal customers, it was highly possible that it could make some people, who originally wanted to go to the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, change their minds.

After all, many people did not have such high expectations for the computers and the environment. They would not choose to travel such a long distance for that.

The situation at the board game cafe, bars, and coffee shops was similar.

Although the customer volume was not high, their locations were all much better than the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and could successfully steal many customers from the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.

Pei Qian was delighted.

That's great! Although Pei Qian did not know who helped him, he remembered that person's kind deed and would definitely seek a chance to thank him or her in person!

Looking at the current situation-because of the low human traffic in the vicinity, those shops might not be able to profit regardless. However, the only difference was that so many would suffer a greater loss than the others.

The internet cafes should have the best revenues, and the board games cafe should not be far off. As for the bar and coffee shop… Pei Qian was afraid that their situation might not be very optimistic.

That person who opened these shops to help Boss Pei lose money must be a huge philanthropist!

Speaking of that, Pei Qian recalled Boss Li who had done him a great favor at the flagship store of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.

Could it be him? After the huge misunderstanding previously, how could Boss Li not lay a grudge on me? How could he stick by my side instead?

Pei Qian's heart was warmed. Look at that! I do not only have enemies!

People like Teacher Qiao and Ruan Guangjian were Boss Pei's enemies. However, Boss Li was different. He was definitely Boss Pei's true love!

Pei Qian thought about investigating that. He wanted to see if Boss Li was really the one who did the kind deed without asking for acknowledgment. If he was truly the person behind it, Pei Qian had to find a way to thank him properly!

After circling the area, Pei Qian, Zhang Yuan, Assistant Xin, and Lin Canrong headed to the Ming Yun Villas to check on the situation there.

Lin Canrong was previously a chef cum branch manager. He had been in charge of the Fish-Catching Take-Out recently and had not been able to achieve any results. He had been losing money steadily.

Pei Qian saw that strength of his, thus making him the branch manager of the new restaurant.

Before this trip, Lin Canrong had already completed some early-stages preparation based on Boss Pei's instructions.

The original chairs, tables, and other furniture in the villa had been moved away by the estate management. The entire villa looked extremely empty.

The previous time he was here, Pei Qian had already walked through the place and knew what to expect.

He only needed to propose vague advice or opinion. He would definitely leave it to the professionals to plan the relevant details such as the actual decor and the type of tables and cutlery.

The living room was about 7 meters tall. It occupied two storys and was extremely spacious. That made it appear extremely elegant.

Pei Qian led Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan into the living room and started talking about it.

"Build a special wine cabinet here and prepare all sorts of expensive wine. Make sure that the tables and chairs in the hall are of top quality. The tables must be spaced far apart from one another. There should be about seven or eight tables here and at most four chairs for each table. You must not exceed that number.

"You can purchase some tables, chairs, and parasols for the garden outside. Diners could dine outside when the weather is suitable and enjoy the scenery.

"As for the interior design style, prepare five types—minimalistic, Chinese, Japanese, European, and natural. They must each have their individual decor, table cloths, lighting, and cutlery.

"We will decorate the restaurant according to the cuisines that the customers ordered. This applies especially to this private room as it has the best scenery. We must build a ceiling window and prepare furniture and decoration pieces of all styles so we can design the room elaborately.

"Other than having to match the cuisines, the lighting and decorations must be as comfortable as possible. This restaurant mainly caters to our employees so we do not have to be so formal.

"Most cuisines here needed to be reserved. For example, if the customer ordered western cuisine, we must change the design and layout of the room beforehand so that it fits the European style interior design. If the customer ordered Japanese cuisine, we would then change it to Japanese style.

"There will be two categories of dishes here. One will be made using normal ingredients that will be available at all times. The employees will be eating that. The other will be made using high-end ingredients such as the fugu shirako, Tahiti vanilla, Bluefin tuna, and Parma ham. Make sure that you contact the suppliers beforehand. After reservation, the customers have to pay a deposit before they can come over and taste the food."

Pei Qian showed Lin Canrong around the place and spoke about wherever they went.

He had two goals ultimately.

First, the main purpose of the restaurant was to cater to the needs of his employees. The main goal was to make the place as comfortable and high-end as possible. Pei Qian did not plan on hosting many people at the villa. His ideal maximum number of customers was around seventy to eighty people.

The hall could seat about twenty people, and each private room could seat about six to seven people. If the weather was nice, they could also have a few tables in the balcony and garden.

Pei Qian did not plan to bring all his employees there at the same time. There were more than two hundred of them, and the villa could not accommodate so many of them. They could only come and have gatherings there in batches.

He could bring the seventy or eighty core employees here to have a meal together. The persons in charge of each department could then bring their respective employees over and have a meal together.

Anyways, the main purpose of the meals was to spend money. There was not much difference if they ate together or not.

Second, he wanted to spend as much money as he could.

Preparing furniture, cutlery, lighting, and decoration pieces of various styles could burn a lot of money. It could raise the cost of human labor by a huge margin. However, he had a valid reason for doing so, and the system could not pick on him because of that.

After all, all his efforts were to offer customers a better dining experience although the cost of such improvements was huge and it was not a cost-effective decision.

Furthermore, Pei Qian did not care about the opinions of the other customers. This restaurant was originally built to host employee and company gatherings. It was built to burn money for Boss Pei. Therefore, it was better if the restaurant maintained a low profile.

The best result was that no one else knew about this place. In that case, the restaurant could keep on losing money steadily. That was what Boss Pei wanted.

After giving his instructions for all the areas of the restaurant, Pei Qian looked at Lin Canrong and said, "That's the rough arrangements. Do you have any questions?"

Lin Canrong appeared a little hesitant. "Boss Pei, I'm okay with everything else. However, is there really a need to prepare so many interior design styles?"

Chapter 218 Cutting Mingliang Loose Tearfully

That was the first time Lin Canrong heard that a restaurant had to prepare different styles of cutlery and even tables and chairs. There was enough space to store all of that. The underground parking lot had room for many tables and chairs. However, they had to re-decorate those things after every meal.

Lin Canrong's head hurt just by thinking about it.

Pei Qian shook his head and said, "Of course, there is a need!"

"We are a high-end restaurant. Other than good quality ingredients, culinary skills, and great dishes; we must also have a sufficiently good environment.

"Just like the scholars in ancient times. They use different wine glasses to consume different types of wine. There were also many more complicated and cumbersome procedures. However, what they did was not merely for ritual purposes; more suitable cutlery could showcase the wine even better. It could also make the special atmosphere stand out even more!

"The other restaurants only have one type of cuisines; therefore, they could afford to have a single style.

"We, on the other hand, offer all types of cuisines, including western, Chinese, Japanese, and French cuisines. To provide customers the best dining experience, we must definitely prepare various interior design styles. We must give them the best that we could offer from the decorations, dining tables, and cutlery… to a specific atmosphere and dining environment!

"The details determine our success. Do you understand?"

Lin Canrong's mouth parted slightly. He was completely shocked.

This…

Although that sounded very reasonable, he felt that there was something amiss. The dining environment was indeed important, but was there really a need to change the decorations and cutlery repeatedly?

Could it be… Boss Pei was not merely expecting them to stick by the rules and do things by ritual? Maybe he was looking for an attitude to pursue perfection?

By creating the perfect dining environment, they could provide customers a better and top-notch dining experience.

Yes. That must be the case!

Lin Canrong nodded his head violently and replied, "Yes, Boss Pei. I understand!

"I will research the relevant knowledge when I get home and organize systematic training for our attendants. They will then be able to serve all sorts of cuisines—including Chinese, western, and Japanese cuisines—without making a single mistake. We will aim to achieve perfection from the environment and service to the specific ways to enjoy the food!"

"Ugh…"

Pei Qian was momentarily speechless.

He did not plan on being so stringent at the beginning. After all, the food was for his own employees. Why was there a need to make things so perfect?

In the end, Lin Canrong misunderstood him. Pei Qian could not correct him as that might make things awkward.

Lin Canrong thought of another problem. "Boss Pei, what is the name of our restaurant?"

Pei Qian was solemn for a while before he asked in return, "Must we have a name?"

Lin Canrong was baffled. "…"

Why did he ask that question? Of course, there must be a name!

Otherwise, how could the conversation go on when other customers wanted to recommend us to their friends?

"Ay, I went to a restaurant with really good food the other day!"

"Really? What is it called?"

"It doesn't have a name!"

That seemed a little absurd.

When they wanted to promote the restaurant on food critique websites in the future, they must enter a restaurant name somehow!

Moreover, the restaurant was located in a villa.

There was not much human traffic here to begin with. If they did not hang a signboard outside, no one would know that this was a restaurant. They might think that this was just a normal resident unit!

Pei Qian shook his head confidently. "Things like the name are not important. We conquer our diners with our food and not a popular brand name.

"Good food speaks for itself. Even if we do not promote it, it will still become popular someday."

Lin Canrong's mouth was agape. "But, Boss Pei, we must have a name for our shop. We have to apply for a business license!"

"Oh," Pei Qian thought for a while and replied, "You can decide on it. You are the branch manager after all. I'll leave it to you to register whatever name you want. However, there is no need to make a signboard or to hang it outside. We will win over our customers using our food!

"Anyways, prepare for it carefully. I will bring the employees at Tengda over to support you when you open for business!"

Lin Canrong was a little uneasy when he heard that he had to come up with a name for the restaurant. However, when he saw the trust in Pei Qian's eyes, he nodded his head.

"Okay, Boss Pei! I will give it my best!"

When he was back at the rented apartment, Pei Qian opened Aili Island and looked at the video that he had posted.

The number of views was still low. There did not seem to be many fluctuations as compared to when he left in the morning.

That was normal. No exposure meant no views. No views meant no likes and no tips. Therefore, it was only natural that the video would be buried by other content on the platform.

The content-heavy UP Masters did not become popular in a day. They accumulated popularity slowly using their consistently high-quality content.

Pei Qian ordered another new flagship phone model that Shenhua had. That would be the victim in his next video.

However, according to the current delivery speed, it would take two to three days for the phone to be delivered.

"Haiz, I miss JD.com. I can only hope that my Upwind Logistics could develop quickly. I can then experience how it was like to order the product in the morning and receive it in the evening."

Pei Qian yawned. He covered himself with his blanket and took an afternoon nap.

August 1st…

Pei Qian came to the office in the morning looking very energetic.

Today was the biannual outstanding employee selection day. All employees knew about that, and they were all either excited or nervous. Only Bao Xu looked upset. He was not interested in the selection process at all. He was secretly praying that he would not be voted as the second place!

Bao Xu had been deliberately lowering his presence these few days. However, when it came to votes… who knew what could happen?

"Okay. Straight to business. Let's vote."

Pei Qian was tired of saying the formalities. Anyways, no matter who the two lucky people were, he just had to arrange for the 1 million yuan Dream Fund and the one month of paid leave.

The only bias that Pei Qian had was towards Lu Mingliang. He hoped that everyone would not vote for Lu Mingliang.

After all, as compared to Huang Sibo and Bao Xu, Pei Qian was very satisfied with Lu Mingliang. He was obedient and did not let his thoughts run wild. If the chief planner was another person, Pei Qian was unsure if the successor could live up to his expectations like Lu Mingliang did.

The crowd clicked on their mouses and finished voting. Some employees were not present at the company, but they could also vote online.

Very quickly, the voting ended.

Pei Qian looked at the results, and his heart dropped.

F*ck. The first person was really Lu Mingliang!

The situation that he was afraid of happened.

Pei Qian was very reluctant. After all, it was tough finding a chief planner that followed by the book. If the new chief planner was similar to Huang Sibo and carried Boss Pei to a win, wouldn't it be the end for him?

However, rules are rules. Although Pei Qian was biased towards Lu Mingliang, he could not break the rules because of him.

Pei Qian sorted out his emotions and handed the trophy to Lu Mingliang. "Congratulations!"

Lu Mingliang was stunned. He stood up. He did not expect himself to win the votes! Lu Mingliang looked at Bao Xu. He felt that Bao Xu was more experienced than him and was more worthy of the award.

Pei Qian guesses what he was thinking. He shook his head lightly and said, "The results were voted by everyone. You deserve this."

After hesitating for a while, Lu Mingliang received the trophy from Pei Qian's hands.

The trophy appeared small, but it was very heavy!

Was this how Brother Huang felt when he received the Best Employee Trophy? Lu Mingliang felt that what he was holding was not merely a trophy. It represented Boss Pei's trust in him. It represented the heavy responsibility he had!

At that moment, Lu Mingliang had a train of words to say; but he did not know where to start.

Pei Qian looked at the second place.

Bao Xu.

That was beyond his control. After all, Lu Mingliang was the main person in charge of Game Designer and had been developing new versions of the game and also other new games. Although Bao Xu had also put in a lot of effort, Lu Mingliang was ultimately still the chief planner and was the face that the other employees saw most frequently.

Although Bao Xu did not show his face at a lot of places, he had a part in testing the games and adjusting the details of the games. Therefore, he also had a high number of votes during the Outstanding Employee Selection. He had scored the second place.

Therefore, an awkward situation arose again.

Pei Qian looked at Bao Xu solemnly and showed a kind smile.

Brother, I am not targeting you. This is the crowd's choice…

Chapter 219 All My Employees are Talented yet Too Humble

When Bao Xu saw that Pei Qian was looking towards him and appeared hesitant about speaking, he was instantly flustered.

Oh, sh*t. Not me again?

During the month-long paid leave previously, Bao Xu had almost coughed out blood having to travel the entire country. When he returned, he felt that he had almost used up his share of traveling for the year.

However, after just a few months of rest, was that going to happen again?

Bao Xu said hurriedly, "Boss Pei, I forfeit this opportunity willingly! Please give it to someone who needs it more!"

Pei Qian shook his head and said, "What is the purpose of voting if everyone gives away their award? There is no way we will change the results of the vote. Whoever won it will have it. Prepare your suitcase these few days."

Bao Xu was flustered, "Boss Pei, I have visited all the places of interest in the country! I have checked in at every site, and I can prove it with my photos and location tracker. There is nowhere else for me to go!"

Pei Qian smiled slightly. "You have almost visited all the places of interest in the country?

"Then, settle your visa tomorrow. You can head overseas to have a look. While you experience the world's culture and enjoy the exoticism there, you can also take the chance to learn from the game producing experience that the developed western countries have."

Bao Xu wanted to say something else, but Pei Qian cut him off. "That's settled then. Settle your visa tomorrow."

Bao Xu was speechless. "…"

What the f*ck!

Bao Xu felt horrible. He did not want to leave!

Boss Pei, I would even be willing to work overtime!

However, looking at Boss Pei's expression, it was apparent that the decision was final and could not be changed.

The rules regarding the Outstanding Employee Selection had been set a long time ago. It was in some way a form of accepting his defeat.

Bao Xu thought to himself solemnly. When I come back from the paid leave, I must make it clear to everyone and tell them not to vote for me during the Outstanding Employee Selection ever again!

I am not interested in both the million-yuan Dream Fund and the one month of paid leave. Please vote rationally. Please vote for someone who needs it more!

However, it was too late for that. He could only instill that thought into the others when he came back from the paid leave.

Pei Qian looked at Lu Mingliang again and said, "Say a few words."

If others received the Best Employee Award, Pei Qian might be able to congratulate them from the bottom of his heart. He might even laugh at their misfortune. However, now that Lu Mingliang received the Best Employee Award, Pei Qian was a little reluctant for him to leave.

Anyways, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Lu Mingliang held the trophy in his hand and said excitedly, "I am not worthy of this award. The results that I have previously achieved were mainly because Boss Pei provided me a general direction to success, and I have followed his instructions strictly.

"I think that no matter who takes over the position as the chief planner, you will definitely achieve something if you follow Boss Pei's strategies and ideas from the start to the end!

"I hope that Tengda will reach greater heights. Thank you to all of you!"

Loud rounds of applause sounded in the office. Pei Qian joined everyone involuntarily and clapped wholeheartedly.

Look at that. Such a great speech!

Although Pei Qian did not agree with Lu Mingliang's words completely, one of the sentences Lu Mingliang said spoke to him.

No matter who took over the position as the chief planner, he must listen to Boss Pei completely.

That was exactly what Pei Qian hoped for!

What was he most worried about?

He was most worried about his employees not listening to him!

They would always try to look into his mind and create many new elements in the game without telling him. In the end, the outcomes of the games were completely different from what Pei Qian anticipated!

On the other hand, looking at Lu Mingliang, although it was a pity that the game succeeded, ultimately, his attitude was much better than Huang Sibo and Bao Xu!

Xiao Lu was really a great employee.

He needed to reward him!

Pei Qian smiled and asked, "Have you thought about how to spend the million-yuan Dream Fund?"

Lu Mingliang was a little hesitant. "Umm… Boss Pei, here is my plan. On one hand, Repent and be Saved is at the crucial phases of its R&D. I think I shall stay and complete the current phase first. On the other hand, I'm not really sure what I want to do. I don't think I have any skills and expertise in other fields except for the game industry.

"Therefore, should I put this matter aside for now? You can keep the money for now. We can talk about it after I have some ideas about what I want to do."

Pei Qian furrowed his eyebrows.

Put the matter aside? No way! I have already prepared the money. How could you not spend it?

Furthermore, rules are rules. How could such a thing happen during the second Outstanding Employee Selection? How can I continue to organize it in the future? How can the outstanding tradition of the Outstanding Employee Selection be carried forward into the future?

Although Lu Mingliang was a trusted subordinate of mine, I will not be able to continue leading the team smoothly if I lost their trust. There is no way I will be the first to compromise the integrity of these rules!

Pei Qian shook his head immediately and said, "No. If you do not have any good ideas currently, I have a task for you. You can be the CEO of Upwind Logistics."

Lu Mingliang was stunned. "Huh? Boss Lu, I know nothing about that."

Pei Qian smiled slightly. Knows nothing about that? That's perfect!

"As the saying goes, grasp a typical example; and you will understand the rest. Your experience working at Tengda Games proved that you definitely have some talent in management. You can try it out there first. If it doesn't work out, you can still take away the 1-million Dream Fund to start a new company in other fields."

Lu Mingliang was still a little hesitant. However, when he saw the determination in Boss Pei's eyes, he knew that there was only a slim chance of him staying at Tengda Games.

That being the case, he shall head over to Upwind Logistics and have a look there!

Lu Mingliang's personality was different from Huang Sibo. Huang Sibo had many ideas and would actively attempt to have a shot at other fields. He had a clear understanding of what he wanted. Therefore, after receiving the Dream Fund, he started Fei Huang Workspace immediately.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingliang was comparatively less curious about other fields. He was a dutiful and unadventurous employee.

One could tell that difference from the games that they produced. Huang Sibo and Bao Xu would try to involve more of their ideas into the games while Lu Mingliang would obediently follow Boss Pei's orders closely.

He thought about it for a while. Although he was not very interested in logistics, he believed that there was definitely potential for development in all the industries that Boss Pei invested in. Speaking from his career life, the ceiling of a chief planner was obviously way lower than that of the CEO of a large logistics company.

Therefore, Lu Mingliang did not decline any further and accepted the job offer.

Anyways, Boss Pei had said that if he was uncomfortable with that job in the future, he could still take the 1-million Dream Fund and use it on things that he enjoyed.

After settling the two best employees, a new problem arose.

The chief planner was gone, and he needed someone to step up to that position. Otherwise, the work at the company could not run smoothly.

However, the problem Pei Qian now faced was that those employees that he was familiar with at Tengda Games all had their assigned jobs.

Huang Sibo, Bao Xu, Lu Mingliang, Lin Wan. They had all been assigned to their respective jobs by Pei Qian.

Pei Qian only recognized a few faces amongst the rest of the employees, but he was unfamiliar with them.

Most of them were working on the execution phases of the plans. They were not expected to report to Pei Qian directly. Therefore, Pei Qian did not have many chances to get to know them.

However, that was not a big problem. After all, he still had the results of the Outstanding Employee Selection. He had the name list and votes in his hands, and that information had a very strong reference value.

It would be too much if he started selecting from the bottom to the top. After all, many people did not even have a single vote. It would be too bizarre if they were chosen.

Pei Qian randomly chose one person from the top ten list who had an average number of votes.

"Li Yada, you are the one!"

The female employee who was wearing a pair of spectacles with a huge frame and was sitting at her work desk near the corner of the room looked up in a daze. She had absolutely no idea why Boss Pei chose her as the chief planner. She did not know how to react to the news and was stunned.

Pei Qian was very pleased with the new chief planner. Her name caught his eye amongst the long list of employee names.

It was auspicious!

Her Chinese name was Li Yada. That meant that her English name would be Yada Li.

Yada Li sounded similar to Atari, which was a great company. It was one of the industry leaders in the game industry. Boss Pei's ultimate goal was to be like them.

Li Yada looked at her surroundings and saw Boss Pei smiling at her.

She was stunned for a moment before standing up hurriedly. "Bo-Boss Pei! I do not have sufficient work experience…"

Pei Qian appeared unhappy.

This again?! Why wouldn't I know that you lack experience? If you have sufficient experience, I would not have chosen you!

Every time that I promote someone as the chief planner, they would always use that as an excuse to decline the promotion.

Pei Qian's face fell.

Li Yada noticed that Boss Pei's expression turned dark and instantly realized her mistake. Weren't the previous few chief planners all promoted similarly as she did? They had all done well in that position.

How could she fumble the ball?

That would disappoint Boss Pei!

Li Yada said hastily, "However, I will do my best to complete the final phases of Repent and be Saved!"

Pei Qian nodded in satisfaction.

Yes. That was it. As long as the attitude was good, I would not blame you even if the game failed because of your inability.