Chapter 220 A Baller Smashed the Shenhua N7 in Anger, the Reason Was…
After settling the matters regarding the Outstanding Employee Selection, Pei Qian returned to his rented apartment. He took out the express delivery package that had just arrived.
Pei Qian bought two phones this time around.
The first phone was Shenhua's latest flagship phone model-Shenhua N7. It was priced at 4199 yuan and was mainly targeted at office workers. The other phone was the latest flagship phone model of an overseas company called MSC—the B90 model. It was priced around 4600 yuan.
Many industries in that universe were a little different from those in Pei Qian's memory. In the current year, domestic phone companies should only be at their developing stages. They found it hard to fight against overseas phone companies. However, in that universe, Shenhua's mobile phones were developing very quickly.
Although the overall strength of their flagship phone model could not be compared with Pineapple phones, the value of their phones could be reasonably priced at the 4000 range. What they achieved was three or four years ahead of the progress of the domestic phone companies in Pei Qian's memory.
Of course, considering the development stages of cell phone and mobile games in that universe, Shenhua's achievements did not give Pei Qian too much of a shock.
Anyways, those were just a side note.
The main thing was that the Shenhua N7 was about to become the second victim today.
He should leave the MSC cell phone for the next episode.
Similar to the previous episode, Pei Qian shot the video with his cell phone and ran through the procedures. He dipped it into the water, threw it from midair, smashed it apart, and rewound the clips. Anyways, he did whatever he could to give the phone a hard time.
After completing the standard procedures, he did some simple editing and rendering to the clips and uploaded the final video.
"Good. I'm done!"
Pei Qian stretched his body. Working was really tiring
To his surprise, the Shenhua N7 model had pretty good drop protection. Its rear cover was even sturdier than the Pineapple phones. Pei Qian had some difficulty trying to pry the rear cover of the phone open, and he spent quite some effort in doing so. However, as the saying went, blunt force led to miracles. There was not a single phone in the world that Pei Qian could not pry open.
After completing all of that, Pei Qian felt that the duration was shorter than he had expected. He still had some time to do other things.
"Umm… that's great, why don't we finish the MSC flagship cell phone model today as well?
"After that, we can stop working on cell phones temporarily. We can explore other digital products, such as headphones, cameras, and laptops. Those were all worth considering."
Pei Qian yawned and opened a can of cola to wake himself up. He continued working on the third episode of Hardcore Reviews.
He most certainly could not upload two episodes at the same time. Pei Qian wanted to wait for the responses of this video that he had just uploaded. If the responses were good, he could upload the MSC episode either tomorrow or two days later.
After 'Hardcore Reviews Episode 2: Shenhua N7' had been uploaded onto Aili Island, viewers that had previously subscribed to this account quickly received a notification.
Even if the 'Hardcore Reviews' account did not have many fans, many viewers that saw the first episode had subscribed to this account. Therefore, when the second video was uploaded, there were quickly many voices in the comments section.
"Holy sh*t. Episode 2 was uploaded so quickly!"
"Previously, it was Pineapple 4, now Shenhua N7? The total number of views for these two videos had not even reached 5000, and yet the production cost of both videos reached 10,000?!"
"Pineapple 4 was almost 5000 yuan while Shenhua N7 was 4199. The cost was around 9000 in total! I can only say that we cannot understand the life of a baller!"
"Could these videos be reposted?"
"They are not reposted. You can't find the 'Hardcore Reviews' account at any other platforms. Aili Island seems to be the first platform that these videos had been uploaded onto."
"That's a real baller!"
"There's no need to say anything. Like. Tip. Share. I need to support this video no matter what simply because of its production cost!"
Many viewers shared the video.
Because of the user volume from the first video, there were more views for this episode.
Moreover, there was no news conference for new products during this period. Therefore, the electronics area in the platform was rather inactive. There was not much new content that was uploaded.
Since the video was uploaded at such timing, it naturally had more views.
Furthermore, the keywords of the video's caption included words such as hardcore, reviews, and Shenhua N7. If people searched for similar words, this video would appear in the search results.
At night…
Shenzhen…
Hu Xiao had just finished a 'battle' with an enthusiastic netizen in the forum. He was still trying to calm himself down.
As the creator of Shaohu Reviews, Hu Xiao had been living a rather lavish life due to the earnings from his videos. Viewers nowadays could be easily fooled, and it was easy earning the money of his fans. Many overseas companies were also very generous with the money they offered him.
As a professional hater of Shenhua, Hu Xiao took the responsibility of criticizing Shenhua. However, Shenhua's cell phones were becoming increasingly popular. That made him very angry.
He had just had a 'battle' with an enthusiastic netizen in the forum and had ended the conversation by demeaning each other's relatives.
Hu Xiao opened the page leading to the electronics area of Aili Island. He originally wanted to just scroll through the videos and check if there were any new videos.
"Huh? 'Hardcore Reviews Episode 2: Shenhua N7? I have never heard of this review organization. Is this new?"
Brimming with curiosity, Hu Xiao clicked on the video.
The video was not very long and was only about ten minutes. Although most of the content was recorded in a single shot, he could tell that there was some evidence of simple editing in some parts of the video.
However, the content caused Hu Xiao to almost laugh out loud.
How the f*ck was that a review? That's just aggressive testing!
He dipped it into the water, threw it onto the ground, and chopped it with a kitchen knife…
The dismantling part at the end was even more hilarious. He used a flat head screwdriver and pried the rear cover of the phone along its gaps. The way he dismantled the components of the phone proved the 'blunt force leads to miracles' theory. He did not care if the cables at the back were connected and was also unconcerned if there were any dispensing. He simply gouged the components out of the cell phone.
One could clearly see the veins on his hands. That showed how much force he was using.
When there was nothing more to dismantle, the phone was utterly ruined. It was similar to the scene of a car accident.
The most absurd part was that the video creator said that he would revive the phone, and yet the only thing that he did was to rewind the clips of him dismantling the phone aggressively.
"Good job! It feels nice watching someone smashing a Shenhua cell phone. I need to share this video! I want to smash it too. It's a pity I do not have the money for it."
After arguing with the netizen who supported Shenhua phones, Hu Xiao was still a little enraged. Seeing a video that smashed and cracked a Shenhua cell phone made his mood turn for the better.
No need to say anything. Share!
Hu Xiao mainly used Weibo for his Shaohu Reviews. However, his account at Aili Island had three to four hundred thousand subscribers.
Although he did not have many subscribers, they were all very active. Moreover, Hu Xiao also had the contacts of professional fake reviewer teams. Therefore, he had a strong influence on the internet.
After sharing the video, he added a caption: 'A Baller Smashed the Shenhua N7 in Anger. The Reason was…'
After writing those words, Hu Xiao almost laughed at what he wrote.
Those who did not know what happened might think that the baller smashed the Shenhua N7 phone because he was unhappy and angry about its quality.
ai
was
It was a little unethical of him to do so, and yet Hu Xiao did not go overboard. His actions could only be considered ordinary title sensationalism. It was not enough to spur public hate and cause him to be scolded by all netizens.
If there were people who really came to him looking for trouble, he could resolve it by teasing them: If you treated that seriously, that meant that you have a glass heart and you wanted to raise ordinary issues at the level of big issues about nation, society, morals or politics.
That was the highest realm of creating disgust for others. Hu Xiao was extremely familiar with that.
After sharing the video, Hu Xiao had a question.
What kind of team was behind Hardcore Reviews? Reviewers like Hu Xiao would normally make videos to earn money and get a free phone.
However, it was evident that Hardcore Reviews did not have any sponsored partnerships.
If Shenhua really wanted this review organization to promote their cell phones, they would definitely have some requests regarding the actual content of the video. How could they allow the video creator to demean their cell phone?
Moreover, everyone within the industry knew that Shenhua did not like to look for review organizations. Hu Xiao did not receive sponsored partnerships with Shenhua. Therefore, his love for Shenhua products gradually turned into hate, and he became a professional Shenhua hater.
Then… could it be that the Hardcore Reviews spent its own money to seek attention?
Before the testing, the display was on. The video creator had also toggled the functions of the phone after soaking it in water. It was obvious that he was using a real phone instead of a duplicate.
Ruin a real cell phone in each episode of the show?
Hu Xiao did not really understand the life of the ballers…
Hu Xiao did not take the matter to heart. Contented, he hummed a song and went to take a bath.
Chapter 221 Repaying Kindness with Hatred
The next afternoon…
Pei Qian woke up naturally, got up, and looked at his watch. It was already ten in the morning.
After washing up and making a simple lunch, he swiped his phone while eating to see if anything was buzzing.
He actually found out that Hardcore Reviews' account had a long list of notifications!
Pei Qian was stunned. He took a closer look and saw that the latest episode had become a hot topic in the electronics area. The broadcast, bullet screen comments, and comments sections were all vastly different from before.
"What's going on? Wasn't this still an unknown thing last night? What has happened?"
Pei Qian was a little flabbergasted.
His first response was to swear; there would be trouble if this video became popular again!
Wait a minute. I made the episodes using my own money; I hadn't used the System Funds!
Money from the incentive plan would be mine; this is a good thing and I don't need to fret!
The more popular this became, the more I would earn!
Pei Qian instantly became happy as he clicked on the comments section.
"People are getting paid to talk bad about Shenhua's cell phones?"
"This is just like Shaohu Reviews; foreign trash."
"Aye, domestically-produced cell phones are really subpar. Look at this phone's body; it would break with a single touch."
"The design is a little too messy, right? Cutting corners and shoddy workmanship."
"Talking about quality issues? I recommend you guys look up the previous UP Master episode. The Pineapple cell phone broke even faster…"
"Everyone has seen this, right? This UP Master is not targeting Shenhua's cell phones; it had released a Pineapple cell phone before."
"Have we been taken for a ride? I don't think that UP Master was talking bad about Shenhua's cell phones; isn't this the basic flow of a hardcore review?"
Pei Qian looked at quite a few comments as he was a little baffled.
What was going on; why were people arguing about this?
This episode had indeed gained in popularity. However, it evidently wasn't a normal type of popularity; it was the type that was triggered by arguing and fighting online.
Some people were talking bad about Shenhua's cell phones while some were offering rebuttals. Some people were sitting on the fence as well. All in all, the comments section was lighting up.
Pei Qian wasn't particularly biased towards any cell phone brand and wasn't interested in this sort of online bickering. However, after turning to the next page in the comments section, he finally found who was causing this ruckus.
The first major UP Master that shared this episode was the official account of 'Shaohu Reviews'. As this platform had misrepresented the episode, many viewers had misunderstood the true intention of it. Without even watching the episode, they had started scolding profusely; and Pei Qian had become the unfortunate target of such vitriol.
Pei Qian took a look at the main page of this UP Master. It looked like a very normal program offering reviews. However, embedded in it were many signs of sponsored partnerships.
"You guys have a knack at stirring trouble; not bad. En, I could learn from this. Perhaps this could come in handy in the future."
Pei Qian made a mental note of this company. This type of account that specialized in such methods was the most professional at taking money to execute all sorts of tasks. It might be useful for Boss Pei in the future.
Pei Qian didn't mind at all; notoriety was after all still a form of popularity!
Everyone could continue to scold as they pleased; I don't bother looking at the comments section. I'll continue with my plan of making my episodes, and I'm sure they will gain in popularity slowly.
You guys can bicker and fight all you want; it is none of my concern.
Even if no one showered any appreciation or praise in the end, money would still come in from the high viewership as part of the incentive plan. Although it wouldn't be much, it would at least be pocket money.
After all, all expenses of this program are being sponsored by Boss Lin; Pei Qian was making a windfall.
"This is great! While everyone is paying attention to this, I'll release the next episode regarding MSC as well."
"Three flagships; popularity would definitely be boosted!
On the other hand, Hu Xiao was directing his own fans and ardent online friends to be on the same page. He definitely wasn't going to do this dirty and tiresome work on his own; it would ruin his image.
However, he definitely still had to add some oil to the fire.
"I don't know why people in the comments section are so agitated. I had shared this episode purely from an entertainment point of view; many people then started to talk so much about this. Do you guys have persecution mania?
"Furthermore, I just felt that these episodes were rather interesting. Such a violent dismantling could also reveal some things such as the strengths of the cell phone's structure, the quality of the internal pieces, organization, etc.
"Actually, this video also shows that it isn't that Shenhua's cell phones are not of good quality; it is just that in comparison to foreign honchos such as MSC, there is still room for improvement.
"Take the rear cover of the phone. Although we can't say that corners were cut, it is evident that not much thought was put into its production. It actually broke apart after a few touches. If it was an MSC cell phone, it is highly improbable that such a problem could happen.
"Including some details of the internal structure of the cell phone—the thought process behind the materials used, we must acknowledge that we still have a long way to go. That Shenhua's cell phones are cheaper than foreign flagship models is not without reason…"
After seizing on the pretext to kick up a fuss, Hu Xiao immediately felt refreshed and content.
Stirring up trouble was rather comforting!
After sending these messages, Hu Xiao relaxed in the living room as he ate some fruit and waited for everyone's responses.
Half an hour later, Hu Xiao went to his computer and took a look at the discussions.
As he took a closer look, Hu Xiao started to frown; something was amiss.
"Hahaha, the coordination was done a little too well, right?"
"I had just released such a message and have already gotten a slap on my face?"
"MSC's flagship model is actually worse than Shenhua's; it broke with a single touch."
"This is so laughable. The UP Master had actually done a review on all three models but just hadn't released the rest. That was unexpected!"
Seeing so many comments of people taking pleasure in other's misfortune, Hu Xiao was a little stunned.
What was going on?
He hurriedly opened the 'Hardcore Reviews' page and found that a couple of minutes after his message had been posted, a new contribution had surfaced.
Hardcore Reviews Three: MSC-B90.
This episode was the same as before in terms of content: immersion in water, dropping from a height, smashing the rear cover, forced dismantling…
Hu Xiao had never expected that MSCB90's workmanship couldn't even be compared to Shenhua's!
Right from the first test on immersion in water, the MSCB90 had been switched on and placed in water for a time. After taking it out, although it looked as if nothing was wrong on the surface, when the UP Master reviewer used the phone; the audio was a little fuzzy, and the phone wasn't very responsive to touch. Something was evidently wrong!
Although the UP Master had not belabored on this point, all viewers could see this clearly.
Next was dropping the phone from a height as well as smashing the rear cover of the phone. MSCB90 performed even worse than Shenhua's flagship. After dismantling the phone, the internal mechanisms were extremely complicated-bordering on chaotic.
Of course, the chaos could be reasonably explained by a complex and exquisite structure.
However, the crux was MSC's rear cover was indeed incomparable to Shenhua's. Shenhua's rear cover had only cracked after three or four strikes on it; after one strike, the MSC phone had evidently cracked and could easily be torn apart!
The toughness of a phone's rear cover depended on the material used to make it. Nevertheless, the sturdier the rear cover was, the more protection it offered the phone. Hu Xiao had also specifically mentioned the flimsy quality of Shenhua's cell phone's rear cover, that it was still a distance away from foreign honchos such as MSC. In the end, he had gotten a slap on his face so quickly.
Hu Xiao was a little dazed. Although he was a reviewer himself, these two models had only been released in the market recently. Ordinary reviewers would also examine each cell phone's specifications. Even if they really dismantled the cell phones, they would do so carefully by heating the rear cover and cutting through the glue seal to take the phones apart. No one would use such a violent method to test which cell phone's rear cover was harder.
Hu Xiao had only casually briefly commented on Shenhua's cell phone, and he didn't expect that the UP Master had swiftly uploaded a new episode.
Furthermore, this evidently wasn't directed at him.
After Hu Xiao had sent the message on Weibo, a new episode had been uploaded two minutes; this was evidently a coincidence!
Hu Xiao had blood clotting in his throat. Damn it, why is the UP Master of 'Hardcore Reviews' repaying kindness with hatred!
Chapter 222 Upwind Courier Station Opening
August 3rd…
Pei Qian brought Lu Mingliang and went to the Upwind Courier station near Ming Yun Villas.
Ever since the idea of Upwind Courier stations had been raised the previous month, almost three weeks had passed. At present, many Upwind Courier stations had already been opened.
The preliminary preparations had been rather troublesome. All hundred Upwind Courier stations needed to recruit branch managers, express deliverymen, purchase warehouse racks, and office supplies; contact had to be established with all the various express delivery companies and custom-made software for the movement of goods had to be ordered as well.
Finally, most Upwind Courier stations could now begin operations.
Pei Qian took this matter very seriously. After all, there were risks in creating games; the risk of accidentally making profits from games was rather huge.
If he really wanted to lose much money, he had to rely on Upwind Logistics.
This type of labor-intensive industry was a sunset industry in Pei Qian's eyes. Fish-Catching Take-Out's consistent losses since their openings were an excellent success
case.
Of course, it wasn't that Fish-Catching Take-Out didn't have clients. More and more people were ordering meals, and repeat customers were increasing.
However, as labor costs were rather high and there were cases of cutlery getting lost or destroyed, only a huge number of users could help to fill this hole and generate profits.
Furthermore, Fish-Catching Take-Out's reputation was gaining. However, further expansion plans would also require more labor. Once profits went up a little, more investments would be needed as well.
Hence, to date, Fish-Catching Take-Out was still making losses and was maintaining such quite decently.
Having this successful experience, Pei Qian had a lot of hope for Upwind Logistics.
He had brought Lu Mingliang today to familiarize him with the operations so that he could take over as soon as possible.
The initial hundred Upwind Courier stations needed at least three workers and one branch manager (who were supposed to hold the fort and received deliveries from other companies, inflow and outflow of goods, receiving customers, and brand publicity) and two express deliverymen. The salaries of these workers would already be around ten thousand.
As a cut could be taken from other express delivery companies involved in the delivery process, the profits from these were sufficient to cover the most part of Upwind Courier stations' rent. The hundred Upwind Courier stations could at least result in a million loss monthly for Boss Pei.
As for the location of these Upwind Courier stations…
They were primarily in dense residential areas and buzzing economic districts in Jingzhou City.
In Pei Qian's eyes, this was entirely a matter of public interest: if they wanted to serve more people, they naturally had to open in places with significant human traffic. The more deliveries were made, the more losses he could make.
Of course, Pei Qian had his ulterior motives. He had opened Upwind Courier stations near his parents' place as well as near Handong University.
Regardless of where Pei Qian was at, there would always be express deliverymen that could service these places; and he wouldn't need to make the trip himself.
As for Shenhua View and the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes, express delivery companies basically could deliver to the front desk. There wasn't a need now to open Upwind Courier stations near them.
As they reached Ming Yun Villas' Upwind Courier station, Pei Qian first took a look at the storefront. This courier station was behind a Fish-Catching Internet Cafe in a rented shophouse; its location was very good.
Near this place were newly renovated and soon-to-open bar and mahjong and chess parlors. Although this area was actually rather deserted-after these three shops opened, this place would become rather happening!
As for why this location was chosen, the main reason was that Upwind Courier stations were not normal shops. Strictly speaking, these stations were just warehouses. No matter how good their locations might be, that would not earn them money; conversely, more rent had to be made.
Lu Mingliang followed Pei Qian to the front of this Upwind Courier station, and his first impression was one of shock.
This place seemed to be rather huge!
Originally, when Lu Mingliang had heard that he was to be responsible for logistics, he had instinctively thought of express delivery.
He had seen some other express delivery companies' stations. They had not been very professional and didn't even have proper signboards done up; some didn't even hang signboards.
As for the interior of these stations, they were basically warehouses that were extremely messy and filled with goods. No one was really maintaining the cleanliness of the place, and the ground was filled with dust.
The express deliverymen inside were wearing dirty-looking uniforms and were hurriedly tossing all sorts of express delivery boxes into motorized tricycles and then transported to nearby destinations.
However, that was how other companies' stations looked like.
Upwind Courier stations were entirely different.
A rather decent shop had been rented while the signboard outside was custom-made. It even had English words 'Upwind Station' on the signboard. The look of this place was even slightly nicer than the bar nearby.
Of course, the bar's decor was sleeker; perhaps it was a little gaudy. Upwind Courier stations' decor was more down-to-earth and had a certain standard to it. It was not that eye-catching though it could hold its own.
At the entrance of the courier station, two uniformed express deliverymen and the branch manager of this courier station were already waiting
Near them were two motor tricycles that cost below three thousand; it was part of the initial investments. The motor tricycles were custom-made with Upwind Logistics' logo on them as well.
Through the glass windows, the situation inside this Upwind Courier station could be seen. A huge counter was at the entrance of the shop with a beautiful office computer on it. That was where the branch manager would work normally.
On the counter were some simple office supplies as well as a special code reader. Once barcodes on goods were scanned, items could be deposited or retrieved easily.
Further in the shop were rows and rows of racks divided into sections.
According to the size of the parcels, they would automatically be divided up and stored in different sections. Some larger parcels were specifically stored in a designated area as well.
After taking in all these, Lu Mingliang could only think of one thing.
High-class, westernized!
This was miles apart from other express delivery companies.
The branch manager reported the preparations done to Lu Mingliang and Pei Qian as well as the current state of operations of this courier station. The courier station was still working on an eight-hour shift from eight in the morning to five in the afternoon. If overtime had to be done, extra pay would be given.
At the same time, there would be additional incentives for each express deliveryman according to the number of items delivered and ratings from customers. Two express deliverymen's daily responsibilities were to continuously deliver items from this courier station; when they were free, they were to keep the place clean and tidy.
The branch manager's job was more complex. Besides handling the storage and retrieval of goods and related matters, he still had to calculate the latest express delivery numbers and to keep up a rapport with other express delivery companies' express deliverymen. He also had to promote the courier station in the area as well.
Naturally, as Pei Qian had not made any stringent working criteria, if some branch managers wanted to slack off; Boss Pei wasn't going to mind as well.
The branch manager and two express deliverymen looked very energized.
They all had experience working in other express delivery companies. This time, they had switched to working for Upwind Logistics because of the attractive starting pay which was significantly higher than other such companies.
Furthermore, the working environment was also a plus point.
Upwind Logistics wasn't like other express delivery companies where they had to run all about the city. They were only responsible for a small area, and so it wasn't that taxing on them.
After taking a look at the whole place, Pei Qian and Lu Mingliang returned to the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe as they ordered their coffees and drank them.
"From now on, you will be responsible for Upwind Logistics. If you have any questions, you can ask me directly; you can settle the trivial matters on your own.
"You can keep the million-yuan Dream Fund. If you feel that the work in Upwind Logistics is not suitable for you, you can try your hand in another industry.
"As for any additional funds—if you feel that there's a need, just say the word. However much you require, it will be provided."
Chapter 223 Fei Huang Workspace's New Target
Pei Qian happily handed this task over. Of course, considering that Lu Mingliang was his trusted confidante after all, in order to not let Lu Mingliang have the wrong idea of Upwind Logistics; Pei Qian had to say a few more words.
"Upwind Logistics is part of my long-term plans; it would temporarily be in a loss-making state. However, you don't have to worry about this. No matter how much losses might be incurred in the future—no matter how many months or even years, that is not an issue.
"Making money is Upwind Logistics' final goal in the distant future; you have to bear this in mind."
Hearing Pei Qian's words, Lu Mingliang couldn't help it but be stunned.
Making money was the final goal? What were the goals before that?
Lu Mingliang thought for a while and asked, "Boss Pei, you mean that the task at hand now is to expand our customer base and the initial phase involves burning cash to fund a rapid expansion?"
Pei Qian sipped his coffee and replied, "This is one of the objectives; there are many others as well. For example, creating convenience for more people."
Lu Mingliang was baffled; he had not expected this point.
Pei Qian said earnestly, "In the express delivery industry now, almost everyone is pursuing profits at all costs; the actual delivery experience is rather bad. Upwind Logistics' main objective is to provide the best express delivery service.
"If other express delivery companies don't want to deliver to someone's doorsteps, we will. If other companies won't help in tearing boxes apart and throwing away trash, we will."
"While other companies might choose to ignore complaints—when we receive them, we will definitely think from both our employees and the customers' point of view to find a suitable solution.
"All in all, what we want is not only a large customer base and profits; we also want a good reputation. In fact, our reputation is our first priority!
"The task I am giving you is to improve Upwind Logistics' reputation as much as possible. I am even encouraging you to use as much money as necessary to clinch a good reputation for the company.
"Remember this: you are a Tengda employee. Don't be afraid of spending money, understand?"
Lu Mingliang nodded vigorously, "I understand, Boss Pei!"
Hearing Boss Pei's words, Lu Mingliang was even surer that he had made the right decision.
To put his heart and soul into a business that could bring convenience to the masses; even if money could not be made from this, it was still something very meaningful and worthwhile!
Seeing Lu Mingliang's response, Pei Qian was very happy. Indeed, he had asked the right person!
Pei Qian was the happiest about Lu Mingliang's willingness to listen to his orders. Whatever Pei Qian wanted done, Lu Mingliang would definitely act accordingly without making his own decisions.
Now, Lu Mingliang evidently had bought into Pei Qian's 'spending money to get a good reputation' thinking. For the foreseeable future, Upwind Logistics would definitely not be able to make profits.
Leaving Lu Mingliang in Tengda Games might be a risk; there was no certainty that losses could be made there. However, putting him in charge of Upwind Logistics was a different story!
As long as Lu Mingliang did exactly as Pei Qian desired, it was impossible to not create losses!
After finishing his discussion with Lu Mingliang, Pei Qian played games for a while in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. He could feel that the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe in Ming Yun Villas evidently had fewer customers recently. Some had been poached by the newly opened nearby shops.
The number of people surfing the net in the internet cafe area was extremely few.
As Pei Qian was playing, Ma Yang came over. "Brother Qian, something bad has happened! Recently, yet another new chain internet cafe brand has opened in Jingzhou City. It is called Xing Le Internet Cafe and is also a high-end chain.
"Furthermore, they have gotten investments from Fu Hui Investments; they seem to be on a
warpath!"
Pei Qian was stunned. "I remember that a new internet cafe had opened nearby recently…"
Ma Yang was a little anxious as he said, "That is precisely the Xing Le Internet Cafe's branch here!
"Also, I have found out that Xing Le Internet Cafe's environment is not that good as ours and the specifications of their computers cannot be compared to ours; however, they are significantly cheaper and are getting more and more popular!
"I had gone to take a look; they indeed have many more customers than us!"
Pei Qian had not spoken. He hurriedly thought about this matter thoroughly.
Xing Le Internet Cafe's model was clearly just a cheapened version of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. Although the computer specifications were slightly lower and the environment was not as nice and was a little more cramped, these factors allowed for a significant reduction in capital injections. That's how they could price their rates much lower as well.
This way, for customers who were used to traditional internal cafes, they would be willing to try this out and wouldn't be so easily dissuaded from a pricing point of view.
Furthermore, this chain internet cafe company had received funding from Fu Hui Investments.
Evidently, Boss Li had something to do with this.
Pei Qian knew that Boss Li wouldn't give up so easily and was still paying attention to Pei Qian. If not, why would Boss Li have invested in an internet cafe, bar, and mahjong and chess parlors in this deserted place?
Pei Qian was so emotional he wanted to cry.
This Boss Li really loved him very much! Boss Li was always doing his best to help Pei Qian; he was really a good person!
"What should we do, Brother Qian? We can't possibly continue the same as before?" Ma Yang asked slightly anxiously.
A similar situation had happened before once; that had been targeted at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's flagship store.
This time, the enemy was a chain internet cafe brand; the target was shifted to encompass all Fish-Catching Internet Cafes!
Furthermore, they had managed to turn the situation in their favor only because of Chen Lei, someone that Pei Qian had put in place secretly long ago.
Now, what could they rely on? Pei Qian might not have a second Chen Lei this time.
Pei Qian suppressed his smile with much difficulty, "Don't worry; I naturally have a way."
After assuring Ma Yang, Pei Qian felt warm and fuzzy internally as he decided to head home to rest.
His cell phone rang; it was from Huang Sibo. Pei Qian was a little stunned, and he immediately brought his guard up.
Why was he suddenly calling?!
Ever since Coming Out of the Cocoon as a Butterfly had concluded the previous time, Fei Huang Workspace had been in a state of flux.
As the documentary had generated lossesalthough Boss Pei had not commented on anything, Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce both felt responsible. They didn't dare to act as before anymore, filming a documentary based on their passion again.
As there was still time before the predetermined 'slacking and passive' time frame, Pei Qian naturally had not done anything with them yet.
This phone call was probably them having finally decided on their subsequent plans.
Pei Qian composed himself and picked up the phone.
Huang Sibo was a little agitated as he said, "Boss Pei, we have confirmed Fei Huang Workspace's new target. We have decided to merge digital product reviews and short videos together to film a brand new short show about reviews!"
Pei Qian, "???"
He didn't quite understand.
Combining digital product reviews and short videos? Who had thought of such an idea?
Pei Qian was a little confused and asked, "Why has this direction been taken?"
Huang Sibo was a little excited as he said, "The UP Master of 'Hardcore Reviews' on Aili Island had given us this inspiration!
"Actually, the reviewing of digital products has always been a sunrise industry. Previously, we have not considered this as we felt that we couldn't compete with other professional review platforms.
"However, after taking a look at 'Hardcore Reviews', we now have an inspiration. Doing something similar actually doesn't require that much professional knowledge and expertise! We can use short films to promote a certain product from ordinary consumers' experiences. This way, we can be more relatable; and the films would be more interesting
"Furthermore, it might be easier to generate profits from this; we won't make huge losses like before.
"Moreover, we had started out by making short videos, and we have a huge advantage in this field with our fixed customer base of viewers!"
Pei Qian was completely baffled.
I actually had a hand in this? I had made the episodes on Hardcore Reviews for other purposes; they were not supposed to be a source of innovation for you guys!
Chapter 224 Ming Yun Private Kitchen
Pei Qian felt a little faint.
I had done Hardcore Reviews to fool Lin Chang; why had this suddenly become the inspiration for Fei Huang Workspace?
Huang Sibo did not notice Boss Pei's astonishment as he continued to talk about the ideas that had exploded in his and Zhu Xiaoce's heads after they had watched Hardcore Reviews.
Digital reviews were up and coming now.
In the foreseeable future-as domestic consumption increased continuously with all sorts of digital products being developed, more ordinary consumers would start paying attention to reviews on such products.
Doing such reviews could attract the attention of fans as well as create possible sponsored partnerships with developers. As long as a balance could be sustained, viewership and material profits could both be garnered.
The inspiration Huang Sibo and his team had received from Hardcore Reviews was specifically regarding the format of reviews.
Presently, most review programs domestically were focusing their efforts on making serious videos where the product reviews and tests were done with increasing complexity with the usage of detailed specifications and figures. They were all trying to showcase their professionalism.
Previously, this was what Huang Sibo and company had thought of doing as well.
As Fei Huang Workspace lacked the professional expertise in this area, they had not thought of doing such product review shows; they couldn't compete on these grounds with other reviewers.
However, after watching Hardcore Reviews, Huang Sibo suddenly realized something.
Even if a certain level of professionalism wasn't reached, that was fine!
Hardcore Reviews seemed to have blazed its own trail. While everyone else was seriously reviewing digital products according to their specifications and using all sorts of data and figures, Hardcore Reviews had used a more unorthodox method to inform viewers of many other aspects of these products.
For example, a cell phone's degree of waterproofing, whether it could withstand heavy impact or not, whether the internal mechanisms could be tampered with or not…
Although there wasn't any professionalism involved, viewers were very happy with Hardcore Reviews; viewership was actually even higher than many professional reviews.
Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce realized something from this: professional reviews might not necessarily be the best reviews!
Of course, it didn't hurt to be more professional. After all, the more professional a video was, the less the content of the video could be criticized. People would be impressed by it.
However, if professionalism was overemphasized, the videos might no longer be of interest to the average doe. Viewers would be confused and baffled just by watching them.
Many viewers actually weren't particularly concerned with some specific figures or data; even if they knew about these, it would be hard for them to grasp what exactly these numbers meant.
Conversely, reviews that were more subjective and more emotive might be more readily acceptable by them.
Hardcore Reviews had adopted this direct presentation method. It had used a table knife to hack at the rear cover of phones; the harder it was to smash the cover, the better the phone. This was a much more direct and acceptable way of showing the durability of a cell phone rather than a truckload of technical information.
Hence, after Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce had done their research, they had decided to combine short videos with digital product reviews and for this to be the new direction for Fei Huang Workspace!
Two main reasons had led to this decision.
First, Fei Huang Workspace's documentary filming experience had racked in significant losses. Boss Pei had to step in to cover the deficit. All Fei Huang Workspace employees had felt a little dejected and that they had let Boss Pei down.
Hence, Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce decided that they had to find a way to start generating profits.
Digital product reviews were one of the best ways to do so. Occasional sponsored partnerships that were not overdone and did not involve false advertisements or lying to people could work. Adding to that-if viewers could participate in lucky draws as well, this model would be feasible.
Second, short videos were a forte of Fei Huang Workspace. Boss Pei's Daily Life had attained explosive success, and Zhu Xiaoce had already proved his mettle at persistently producing creative ideas for short videos as the director.
Compared to other platforms and companies, Fei Huang Workspace's short videos were more professional and interesting; this was a core advantage.
Huang Sibo was very excited as he elaborated on Fei Huang Workspace's future plans.
Pei Qian heard Huang Sibo talk as his heart suddenly grew cold.
Darn it; I knew that this call would not be anything good!
Pei Qian had not expected that a product review program he had casually created had given Huang Sibo and company such inspiration? Who could have predicted this?
However, Pei Qian calmed down and thought about this. He felt that things were not as bad as they seemed yet.
Digital products were being developed at such a fast pace while product review channels and programs abounded. Although it was still flourishing, all sorts of review programs were surfacing at lightning speed; the competition was extremely intense.
After all, since Huang Sibo and company could see prospects in digital product reviews, others could as well.
The barriers to entry for digital product reviews were not high.
Even an ordinary consumer could buy some digital equipment, play around with it, take a look at its specifications, and then speak about his real-life experiences using it. This could also become an episode on its own.
Furthermore, Huang Sibo and company's rivals would have a wealth of experience and various review programs already.
Under these circumstances—while Fei Huang Workspace might be able to make a name for itself, whether it would be a persistent hit or not was unknown.
Moreover, Fei Huang Workspace embarking on the filming of digital product reviews in the form of short videos would be better than them taking on some other easy money-making opportunity. For example, by making another short film series like Boss Pei's Daily Life.
All in all, the digital product reviews field was very deep and wide.
What's more—for Pei Qian, the massive loss-making machine that was Upwind Logistics was almost going to start business. Even if Fei Huang Workspace made some minor profits, that would not affect his grand loss-making scheme.
Thinking about this, Pei Qian nodded and said, "Alright, I'll support you guys. However, you all have to remember something: treasure Fei Huang Workspace's reputation. Don't force yourselves into taking unseemly sponsored partnerships, alright?
"Rest assured, Boss Pei, we understand!' Huang Sibo happily hung up the call.
August 7th…
Lu Mingliang reported to Pei Qian the first major decision he had made as CEO of Upwind Logistics. He had changed the delivery shifts for Upwind Courier stations' express deliverymen.
Considering that their customer base was mainly working adults who weren't at home most of the day, each express deliveryman would be responsible for a separate shift. One would take the morning shift from 6am to 3pm while the other would take the night shift from 2pm to 11pm.
As the night shift might be more tiring, additional remuneration would be provided.
The two express deliverymen could also rotate the shifts to prevent any implications to their health from working the night shift for an extended time.
This way, working adults could choose to have their deliveries done either early in the morning or later at night; this would be better than the previous time slots available.
Besides this, Lin Canrong had also reported to Pei Qian that the high-end restaurant's preparation works have basically been completed.
Pei Qian was very pleased by this high efficiency.
Lin Canrong had registered the name of the restaurant as Ming Yun Private Kitchen as the restaurant was in Ming Yun Villas while it was more like a private kitchen type of restaurant.
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Pei Qian felt that the name was rather nice. As he didn't intend for the restaurant to have a signboard or the sorts, he didn't mind the name at all.
He just wanted to go and have a meal there!
After the selection of 'best employee' on August 1st, Pei Qian had long thought of the reason for this round's company-paid gathering and meal.
The commendation of the outstanding employee as well as a send-off.
Bao Xu had already done up his visa applications with much regret and was about to embark on his overseas, fully-funded travels while Lu Mingliang had also started work at Upwind Logistics.
This gathering was a good chance to also signal that Tengda Games was moving into its third phase after Huang Sibo and then Lu Mingliang had been the chief planners.
Ming Yun Private Kitchen…
Lin Wan stood at the entrance and looked curiously inside. She had not expected that a quality private kitchen existed among the deserted and isolated villas here!
From the exterior, this place did not look extraordinary at all; it was just a normal villa within Ming Yun Villas. While its decorations might be slightly more lavish than other villas, it didn't particularly stand out.
Although it was a private kitchen, it did not have a signboard at all; there didn't seem to be other diners as well.
As she continued walking inside, the seven-meter-high hall had a huge long table decked out with exquisite cutlery and plating; it felt like a banquet dinner in some European palace.
lery and plating;
The service staff looked sharp and were serving dish after dish of delicacies.
A total of fifty-seven people had come to Ming Yun Private Kitchen this time. This included the core employees from Tengda Games as well as from its subsidiaries Shang Yang Games, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Upwind Logistics, and Fei Huang Workspace.
In other words, all that had been invited by Boss Pei this time were all talents that he had high hopes for!
As Lin Wan was after all the director of Shang Yang Games now, she naturally was on the name list as well.
This villa had three floors with the largest space being the living room on the first floor. More than twenty people could sit at a long table. As the ceiling was seven meters high, the entire space did not feel cramped or pressurized at all.
The long table was custom-made and seemed to only be used for such special occasions. Normally, a few small tables lined the hall.
All the other rooms had been redesigned into private rooms. As for who sat in the main hall and who sat in the private rooms; it was all free and easy. Pei Qian only wanted everyone to eat more and spend more money. He wasn't that particular about who sat where.
As everyone more or less knew each other, they didn't need to stand on formalities and could just sit and eat. Some people had not met each other for a long time due to work. Huang Sibo and Bao Xu, for example, were using this opportunity to catch up.
Huang Sibo told Bao Xu about his plans for the new short videos on digital product reviews while Bao Xu was sharing his woes about having to go on another paid overseas trip again.
"Everyone, eat to your hearts' delight; don't stand on ceremony. Whoever doesn't eat his fill today is saying that he has a work attitude problem!"
Pei Qian spoke as he watched the expensive dishes that were being served from the kitchen one by one; he was over the moon.
Many of these exorbitant dishes had been prepared according to the recipes of some celebrity chefs. Dishes such as 'crocodile tail soup' and 'sake with abalone', etc. cost four to five thousand a portion.
The black and white-grade caviar that everyone had was worth two thousand a portion. With fifty-seven people present, that was instantly more than a hundred thousand spent.
Of course, Pei Qian bringing his own employees to eat here was essentially like putting money from his left hand into his right. Nevertheless, the cost price of these ingredients was going to cost him.
These top-grade ingredients were sourced from all over the country; some even had to be ordered from overseas and transported with haste using special services. Boss Pei himself was going to fork out this money.
Furthermore, he also had to pay for many top-grade chefs and quality service staff. These together with the private kitchen's daily expenses were all coming from Boss Pei.
Hence, although he was having a meal at his own restaurant, he had to fork out quite a bit.
The Swan Lake Restaurant company dinners in the past were incomparable to this place.
Pei Qian estimated that at the rate they were eating tonight, even the cost of the raw ingredients itself would be about four to five thousand per head; that would be around three hundred thousand for all those present.
Although that didn't seem much at first glance, every little made a mickle while one's fortune could be consumed if one just did nothing. As long as everyone continued to eat like this to their hearts' content, they would someday make Boss Pei a poor man!
Lin Wan had thought that this was an ordinary gathering. After tasting a few dishes, she realized she was completely wrong!
Previously, all gatherings had been at Swan Lake Restaurant. That was already the highest-class buffet in the entire Jingzhou City and naturally had some pricier dishes.
However, that meal costs around four hundred per head.
Lin Wan thought that the dishes there weren't considered poor; however, they also weren't the best and at most could be said to be of standard.
The dishes in Ming Yun Private Kitchen, however, were of quality many times better than Swan Lake Restaurant's!
Even Lin Wan herself seldom could taste such delicacies!
Beyond that, the restaurant's decor and atmosphere were also very pleasing to Lin Wan. The dining table, cutlery, and decorations were all very exquisite and matched perfectly with the dishes served. The whole dining experience was elevated to its?peak.
All the service staff were polite while the service was attentive and yet not intrusive. When she asked a few questions occasionally, they would also answer fluently; they evidently had been rigorously trained.
All in all, this place was better than Swan Lake Restaurant in all aspects!
"Jingzhou actually had such a restaurant? Why have I not known about this?" Lin Wan was a little curious.
Seated next to her, Assistant Xin held onto her red wine and answered, "Boss Pei had just opened this place himself. Putting Jingzhou aside, this type of restaurant is probably also rare in Beijing and Shanghai."