Afternoon…
"Ah-chu!"
In the office, Pei Qian was just enjoying his air conditioning when he sneezed.
"This is weird; is there too much cold wind blowing at me?"
Pei Qian tugged at the small blanket on him as he turned off the drama he was watching and was intending to take a nap on his office chair.
A knock rang out; it was Lu Mingliang. "Boss Pei, I have a few things to report to you."
Pei Qian nodded, "Speak."
Lu Mingliang saw that Pei Qian was wrapped in a blanket and looked about to fall asleep as he felt a little touched.
Boss Pei looked like he wasn't feeling well; he could go home and rest but was still remaining at work to work alongside us!
Indeed, no matter how much success one had, maintaining a fighting spirit was important!
Lu Mingliang was afraid he was interrupting Boss Pei's rest as he hurriedly reported.
"First is regarding the new edition.
"Everything is going according to plan. However, for some reason, when the news regarding limits on the sales of Ocean Stronghold's epic weapon was spread, all the existing players started to protest violently.
"Boss Pei, should we relax the quantity restriction on this epic weapon a little? Say… to five thousand?"
Pei Qian adamantly shook his head, "No."
Five thousand weapons a month? What a
joke!
5000 x 888 was how much; do you know how to count?
Pei Qian said with a straight face, "A limit has been set for a reason. If it becomes so widely available, why would it be called a limited sale in the first place? Don't bother with their grumblings. Five hundred will be five hundred; we will not sell even one more."
Seeing Boss Pei's determined expression, Lu Mingliang couldn't do anything as he nodded, "Alright, Boss Pei.
"Second is regarding Ma Yiqun's responsibilities.
"He has already given feedback to me many times that he strongly wishes to take part in the development of the new editions for our existing games. I thought for a while, and for Ghost General and Game Designer, their new editions really needed an expert at synopsis like him to do the work.
"Could we let him try it out and polish his skills?"
Pei Qian did not reply immediately. He could not think of any good reasons to reject. However, if he didn't reject, Pei Qian was very reluctant to let Ma Yiqun take care of these synopses.
Ma Yiqun's expertise in this area was outstanding. The few synopses he had done for Shang Yang Games' games had been very well done. If he did a great job for Ghost General and Game Designer, the consequences would be dire!
However, how could he reject this?
Ma Yiqun had entered the company in March; it had been two months already. If he asked to continue to understudy, that was a little too much. Even if Ma Yiqun was not allowed to touch the games synopses, he had to be given some order work to do.
Send to Huang Sibo to film short videos? That didn't seem right. His writing prowess could probably also be fully used in the short videos.
Sent to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe? This was not a bad idea. However, Pei Qian did not have a suitable reason to just suddenly send Ma Yiqun away.
After thinking for a while, Pei Qian really didn't have any good suggestions. He could only begrudgingly nod. Pei Qian said unwillingly, "Alright; he has already understudied for so long. Ask him to be responsible for some basic tasks."
Lu Mingliang hurriedly nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei. Do continue to rest; I'll go and work
now."
Pei Qian leaned into his chair as he tugged at his blanket again. Somehow, he was a little restless; and he couldn't seem to fall asleep.
"This is strange; where is this feeling of danger coming from all directions coming from? It can't be Shang Yang Games, right?" Pei Qian speedily reviewed each of his projects in his mind.
For Tengda, the new editions would probably make money. However, this was controllable; and it wasn't that big an issue. As for Fei Huang Workspace, they said they wanted to film a documentary; but there have been no updates yet.
The Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was in a traditional position of strength; two new branches have just finished renovations and were preparing to open. As for the flagship store, he had gone over to take a look slightly more than a week ago; and there had not been any lurking dangers.
Thinking more about this, it seemed like the risks at Shang Yang Games were still the biggest! Pei Qian had requested for them to remove all their purchase options for their existing two games, leaving only one such purchase option. This was indeed a risky
move.
Removing the purchase options would definitely be beneficial for the game's reputation; this was given. However, reputation and income were two separate matters.
For a game like Bloody Battle Song that had trashy graphics and ordinary gameplay; its only selling point had been that ballers could whack and kill people within the game. In other words, this game's core selling point was in 'revenge buying'.
After one hacked another, the latter would immediately top up more money to hack the first person back. This was a core attraction of this kind of game.
Precisely because these games had a 'revenge buying' mentality that triggered the negative emotions of players—no matter how bad the graphics were and how inferior the gameplay was, people would still play this game.
If Pei Qian didn't change anything about it, this game might still have a chance of making a comeback; this chance was not small at that.
As long as Ye Zhizhou did a little promotion here and there to bring back old players, this game might actually return to its previous profitable state; Pei Qian would no longer be able to incur losses from it.
Hence, Pei Qian had decided to remove the purchase options in the game.
Bloody Battle Song had no other selling point when it came to graphics or gameplay in comparison to other games; it was a pipe dream to think of attracting new players.
Even if the game became fair and its reputation became good, so what? As long as it didn't earn money, Pei Qian was fine with that.
Of course, what if this game started to attract many new players because of its improved reputation and the player base became so big that profits actually grew? This was not entirely impossible; the possibility was rather small, however.
Pei Qian thought about this for a while, and it seemed that only Shang Yang Games still had a certain risk factor to it. He decided to pay special attention to them.
He was going to head to Bloody Battle Song's official site to take a look.
Indeed, it seemed as if its popularity had risen a little. After its reputation had changed for the better, a portion of old players had returned to this game. However, Pei Qian wasn't flustered. He immediately sent a message to Ye Zhizhou: "Send me some backend statistics regarding top-ups for Bloody Battle Song."
A few minutes later, Ye Zhizhou sent over a screenshot.
This was the top-up platform figures for Bloody Battle Song. Pei Qian took a casual look and saw that on average, the per capita spending was indeed rising-not insignificantly either. However, the total top-up amount had actually fallen by seventy to eighty percent!
Based on a situation like this, Bloody Battle Song's monthly revenue might not be able to hit one hundred thousand.
En, no need to panic; this is part of the plan!
Whether a game could survive depended mainly on profits. Hence, all game companies would push for top-up gaming activities despite the objections and curses from players; they all wanted to become profitable.
If a game kept on losing money, so what if its reputation was good?
The revamped Bloody Battle Song was indeed now rather wallet-friendly; the crux was who it was compared to now! Compared to games with paywalls—as ballers no longer found satisfaction in this game, income from ballers would fall drastically.
Compared to other wallet-friendly games such as Fantasy World, Bloody Battle Song's graphics were trashy; and its gameplay was ordinary. It could not compete with those.
This meant that the new Bloody Battle Song would not be able to compete against these two types of games and their targeted gamer profiles.
"Not bad, let's maintain this."
After replying to Ye Zhizhou, Pei Qian relaxed as he laid his blanket well and went to sleep soundly.
In another two days, the two new branches were going to be open for business. He had to go and take a look then in order to have peace of mind.
At Shang Yang Games…
Ye Zhizhou saw Boss Pei's message as he suddenly felt warmth in his heart. Although Boss Pei had so many things to attend to and was busy with his work, he was still concerned about Shang Yang Games!
Although our games' income has fallen drastically now, this is evidently part of Boss Pei's plan; hence, he wants us to maintain this!
This meant that our trajectory is right!
Ye Zhizhou instantly was filled with vigor. Indeed, this was the effect a good boss had on a company, right?
May 20th…
The two Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branches officially opened for business! Pei Qian, Ma Yang, and Zhang Yuan, the three management level personnel of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe naturally had to be present for the grand openings.
However, the situation at the venue was a little awkward. It was so deserted!
It was even worse than when Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's flagship store had first opened.
These two branches' location was even worse than the flagship store's. Pei Qian had also repeatedly emphasized that they couldn't pull any stunts during the opening, couldn't let off fireworks, and couldn't give out flyers; the more low-key, the better.
To open a business without any promotion or publicity in such a deserted place, it was naturally going to be so cold and empty.
Pei Qian was actually rather satisfied. He sat in the empty coffee area as he looked outside, enjoying the pleasantly warm sunlight very much.
The two branch managers looked a little awkward. However, they had after all been redeployed from the flagship store; and they were used to such sights. They knew that Boss Pei would not blame them, and so the duo wasn't flustered at all.
On the other hand, the newly-recruited servers have never seen such a strange sight before as they all felt as if they didn't know where best to stand or put their hands at; they all seemed to feel that this place was a little eerie.
In the internet cafe section, Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan muttered to themselves softly.
"Why are you stopping me? Ma Yang asked, looking confused.
Just now, Ma Yang had thought that the place was too empty. As morale seemed low, he had wanted to go over and share with Pei Qian the latest good news of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. With Chen Lei's star appearances, the internet cafe's drinks sales had been increasing daily; the customer flow was also evidently increasing!
Ma Yang felt that this method could be replicated at all Fish-Catching Internet Cafes. However, he had not managed to say anything when Zhang Yuan stopped him.
Zhang Yuan seemed to know what Ma Yang wanted to say. Zhang Yuan said, "Brother Ma, it's not that I'm stopping you from saying. It is not the right time now; it's a little rash."
Ma Yang was confused. "En? Why?"
"Brother Ma, we only have an improvement in sales for our drinks; we would only make an additional twenty to thirty thousand a month. Compared to the monthly losses of three hundred thousand, that isn't much!
"If we raise this up now, it would not be very significant!
"If you keep on bragging about this and Boss Pei finally asks 'Not bad, how much money did you make?' and you say 'We are still making a loss', what would be the point of telling Boss Pei this?!
"If we say nothing now, no one would be wiser. If we do so now and raise Boss Pei's expectations, wouldn't he be even more disappointed when he found out the truth?
"I think that we should wait till we turned our losses into a profit before telling Boss Pei, to give him a surprise. This way, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and our position in Boss Pei's heart would be elevated; this would be more impactful!
"Brother Ma, don't you agree with this?"
Ma Yang contemplated for a while; this seemed to make sense.
They were still far away from making a profit. If they informed Pei Qian of the good news now, it actually wouldn't amount to much. It would also make Ma Yang seem as if he was eager to take credit for something, that he wanted to come and boast after just achieving minimal success.
This was indeed not the way to do things.
Ma Yang nodded. "En, you make a lot of sense. Let's raise this matter another time. When Fish-Catching Internet Cafe finally turns its losses into a profit, we can then give Brother Qian a surprise!"
Chapter 156 What an Embarrassment to Tengda!
May 21st…
Pei Qian received the report that Ye Zhizhou sent to him. Shang Yang Games was still incurring losses; it was not showing signs of looking up
In the report, Ye Zhizhou tallied how the number of active players in the game was increasing, along with the number of purchases being made, in detail. It was obvious he was taking these as indications of his success. That was why he was reporting the numbers to Boss Pei.
Of course, all of these results were achieved thanks to Boss Pei's instructions. Pei Qian did not even pay attention to these. Instead, he focused on total top-up values.
En, there's still no improvement!
Pei Qian already guessed what was going to happen. He replied, "Not bad, maintain it this way."
Ye Zhizhou excitedly went back to work.
Pei Qian was quite satisfied with Shang Yang Games' current situation. It did not matter whether its reputation was good or bad. As long as the top-up values did not increase, everything would be fine.
Ye Zhizhou thought that everything was in Boss Pei's hands.
Of course, this was true. It was just that what Boss Pei was controlling and what Ye Zhizhou thought Boss Pei was controlling were two completely different things.
Knock, knock! There was knocking on the door. Pei Qian looked up and saw that it was Huang Sibo.
"En? A rare guest."
They had not met in a long time. The frustration that Pei Qian felt towards Huang Sibo had already dissipated by now. Actually, on second thought, Fei Huang Workspace had not done much to let him down!
Although they made two million yuan-after Pei Qian distributed the profits, the real amount that was added to Tengda was only over four hundred thousand yuan. What's more, the amount of money Director Zhu Xiaoce gave to Pei Qian as remuneration ended up contributing significantly to Pei Qian's purchase of new home appliances.
Thus, Pei Qian's anger dissipated a long time ago.
Huang Sibo carried a bag of fruits into the office. "I passed by the office so I decided to come up and say farewell to you, Boss Pei."
"Oh? Say farewell?" Pei Qian was stunned. "Where are you going?"
Huang Sibo smiled. "Didn't we confirm a while ago that Fei Huang Workspace was going to start filming a documentary? Director Zhu Xiaoce and I, as well as a few workers, have to make a trip down to Shanghai. All the filming will take place there. I might have to stay there until next month. So I decided to come down here before leaving to say farewell."
To Shanghai?"
Pei Qian nodded. "En, Shanghai is a good place."
He knew in his heart that going to Shanghai would cost a lot of money!
Excluding those who would be involved in editing later on, Fei Huang Workspace had about five or six employees. If this group of people all went to Shanghai, the costs of train tickets there and back coupled with accommodation would not be cheap.
Pei Qian did not give Fei Huang Workspace any funds for the post-filming stage. This time, all of their expenses were being paid for by profits earned from Boss Pei's Daily Life. In total, that was only about a million yuan. A portion of that money still had to be used for new filming equipment.
They could use a DSLR to film Boss Pei's Daily Life in portrait mode. It was alright for them to improvise here and there. However, filming a documentary would be different. They would surely have to use all sorts of filming equipment to produce the documentary; otherwise, it would not look professional at all.
At that thought, Pei Qian did not feel any more disdain. In fact, he was mildly interested. Although he was prepared for Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce's new project to reap in profits, Pei Qian could not help but ask questions.
Whether big or small, profits were profits; however, there was still going to be a big difference. If they earned less profit, Boss Pei could make up for this using other projects. If they earned huge profits, Boss Pei would be at a loss.
"En, you have to be careful on the road." Pei Qian acted nonchalant as he asked, "You have to go to Shanghai specifically to film this documentary?"
Huang Sibo looked embarrassed as he smiled. "Boss Pei, let me tell you the truth. Don't be offended. Our project this time might lose all of our hard-earned money."
Huh?
Lose all the hard-earned money?
Boss Pei sat upright at once.
Talking to me about this would cure me of my boredom!
"Here, have some tea." Pei Qian immediately poured a cup of tea and handed it to Huang Sibo. The way he treated the latter was immediately different.
Huang Sibo did not seem to notice this change in Boss Pei's attitude. Instead, he sipped the tea and began giving a brief explanation of Fei Huang Workspace's most recent arrangements for the project.
"Boss Pei, Director Zhu Xiaoce and I were very moved by your words. We decided to move out of the realm of short videos and produce something meaningful instead. We thought of different ideas but still felt like they were missing something.
"Some topics we thought of were ones that we were good at; some were ones that we thought would be profitable. However, none of them were urgent or necessary to embark on. Subsequently, we finally found a topic that would be necessary for us to embark on. That's a documentary on eSports players!"
Pei Qian was very interested now. "A documentary on eSports players?"
Huang Sibo was not lying to him. A topic like this could really lose all of their hard-earned money!
What year was this? 2010!
The eSports players at that time were still homeless men sleeping on streets, drinking water from the springs, and eating cup noodles.
It was not like what it would be ten years later, where they would be sipping red wine, holding models on their arms, and driving Ferraris. They were not yet earning tens of millions of yuan a year.
The hot capital had not yet been injected into the industry. Games were still regarded as extremely dangerous to society. Whether one was playing games professionally or purely for entertainment made no difference to the bulk of the population. Anyone who spent time on games could be described as not engaging in honest work.
It was possible to film a documentary on eSports players now. One would be able to find suitable material, but how would such a documentary produce cash?
Boss Pei's Daily Life could earn money because Aili Island was coincidentally looking for premium video content. That was why they managed to sign such a special agreement to split the profits.
Short videos could be updated and renewed and draw steady traffic to a site. Furthermore, they could be broadcasted all over the internet. The IP value they generated from three seasons, as well as the reputation they earned, was all bargaining chips they could use with video websites.
However, documentaries were different.
Firstly, people would not keep an eye out for them.
Secondly, they could not be updated, and so they would not be able to draw steady traffic to the video websites. Naturally, video websites would not be interested in signing for exclusive broadcasting rights. The most they would do is offer a basic incentive plan —the kind that offered about twenty to thirty yuan for every ten thousand views.
Thirdly, they could not accept advertisements. That meant they would not be able to find sponsors.
Documentaries were very serious. They were real and therefore meaningful. They could not possibly show interviews of eSports players and then broadcast an advertisement -"Want to win? Take Aofeng."-halfway through the interview.
One could say that most documentaries are not profitable. Only a few documentaries were exceptions to this rule.
Take A Bite of China[1], for example.
When Pei Qian first heard that Huang Sibo was interested in doing documentaries, he was worried that they would produce something like A Bite of China. However, he could now be sure that that was not the case.
That was reasonable. Zhu Xiaoce was talented, but he was not a transmigrator. To create something wildly popular once was talent. To consecutively create wildly popular films was cheating.
At this point, Pei Qian was very relieved.
It was not important to discuss exactly how they were planning to film this documentary now. As long as Pei Qian could invest a huge amount and reap little in return, he would consider this a good project.
Pei Qian's expression immediately became very warm. "Lose all our hard-earned money? That's not a problem. With me funding Fei Huang Workspace, relax and do what you want to!
"Money does not matter. We cannot live so cautiously!"
Huang Sibo sipped his tea, and a grin spread across his face. "Indeed. I knew that Boss Pei would support us!
"Boss Pei, don't worry. We are very clear about the risks involved this time. That's why we decided to take the green-skin train[2] to Shanghai. We will also save as much as possible in terms of accommodation and food
Before Huang Sibo could finish, Pei Qian's face fell.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Huang Sibo paused. He rarely saw Boss Pei get angry. Stuttering, he answered, "No, nothing. We're just controlling our expenses
–
Pei Qian looked as if he expected better from Huang Sibo. "Controlling your expenses? Huang Sibo, be clear of your own identity!"
Huang Sibo was shocked. The teacup in his hands vibrated.
Boss Pei rarely blows up in this manner. Did I say something wrong?
Pei Qian said in a serious tone, "Fei Huang Workspace is a subsidiary of Tengda. You, and all the employees in Fei Huang Workspace, are employees of Tengda! You're making them take the green-skin train and making them save on accommodation and food. What if they eat something wrong?
"Even if they're healthy and their stomachs can take it, this trip would be tiring on their bodies. If they don't eat and sleep well and this affects their work productivity, the filming will not go well. If the project does not go smoothly and the film is ruined as a result, who will take responsibility?"
Huang Sibo felt his own hands trembling. "It'll… it'll be mine.
"Oh, no, no, no, no…" Huang Sibo understood what Boss Pei was getting at. "Boss Pei, don't worry. I'm only trying to minimize our costs. I'm not going to be a ruthless slave-driver. I will take care of the workers' health for sure…"
Pei Qian still seemed to expect more of Huang Sibo. "You are an embarrassment to Tengda! What have I taught you all this time?"
Huang Sibo was speechless.
Pei Qian continued seriously, "Listen to me. Take an airplane. Time is money, understand? Once you get there, take care of food and lodging according to normal traveling standards. If you don't know the standards, ask Assistant Xin.
"Once you get to Shanghai, don't panic or be anxious. If you cannot finish filming, extend the timeline. Film leisurely. As long as you can finish by June 18th, that would be alright.
"If you extend the timeline, the most that would happen is you spend more on accommodation. How much could you possibly spend that way? If you don't have enough money, ask me for more. That's not a big deal.
"Remember. Tengda stands behind Fei Huang Workspace. If you have any difficulties, just open your mouth!"
Huang Sibo quickly nodded. "Yes, Boss Pei. I'll listen to you."
Pei Qian's expression finally relaxed as he nodded. Sincerely and earnestly, he said, "You are an employee of Tengda, too. Do not let me worry about little things like that.
"You were even thinking of taking the green-skin train to Shanghai? Tengda would not tolerate such embarrassing employees like you!"
Huang Sibo's face flushed. From the bottom of his heart, he was ashamed. "That's right. Boss Pei, you are right. In the future, Fei Huang Workspace will follow in Tengda's footsteps. We will do everything according to your standards."
Pei Qian finally nodded, satisfied. "En, that's the way. Remember: if you face any difficulties in the future, inform me at once!"
Pei Qian was only satisfied after repeating these instructions several times.
This brat, Huang Sibo… they were finally able to find a project that would incur huge losses; how dare he still try to minimize expenses?!
Pei Qian spent so much time and effort nurturing the company, and yet people were still pulling stunts like these. He was an old employee of Tengda, no less!
This made Boss Pei feel very exhausted.
[1] This is a Chinese documentary television series.
[2] This is a nickname for slow sleeper trains in China.
Chapter 157: Where is the Huge Fish-Catching Internet Cafe I Put Here?
Huang Sibo left. Pei Qian then distributed the fruits that Huang Sibo gave him, washed an apple, and then returned to his office to munch on it.
In the blink of an eye, the month was almost over. From the way the current situation looked, it looked like he would be alright.
As long as he did not make profits out of nowhere, he would probably have no problem incurring a small loss.
Pei Qian began to consider what other company benefits he could give to his employees.
Now that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was opening more branches, there were more and more employees under Boss Pei. As long as he distributed some benefits to each of them, he would be able to incur huge expenses.
Whether the projects reaped profits or not was out of his control to a certain extent. However, Pei Qian could try his best to spend as much money as possible.
As he munched on his apple, he used Qiandu to search for 'employee benefits'.
The search results showed several companies that allegedly distributed 'great company benefits'. Pei Qian clicked on them and immediately scrunched up his nose.
This was it?
Forget it. Since there was no precedent, he would have to depend on his own imagination.
He continued searching. As he searched, he felt exhaustion taking over. He pushed his chair back into a horizontal position, adjusted his little blanket, and then took a nap.
A long time later…
When Pei Qian woke up, the sun was setting. Pei Qian suddenly felt his right eyelid twitching.
"En? What's the matter?"
Pei Qian rubbed his right eye, but it continued to twitch.
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"If the left eyelid twitches, it's good luck; if the right eyelid twitches, it's bad luck. That's not a good sign."
Pei Qian quickly stood up and walked two rounds around his office. Then, he looked out his window, at the faraway scenery.
Before long, his right eyelid stopped twitching.
"Phew, it was just a fake scare. I must have been watching too many dramas lately; my eyes might just be tired."
Pei Qian threw the core of his apple into his rubbish bin, sat back down on his chair, and prepared to watch more dramas again.
At that moment, his left eyelid began twitching! What's more, even after rubbing his left eye, it continued twitching!
"If the left eyelid twitches, it's good luck; if the right eyelid twitches, it's bad luck. That's alright. That's a good sign. It's better than having my right eyelid twitch.
"En?"
"Wait, that's not right…"
If the left eyelid twitched, it's good luck! That's a sign that he was going to gain something!
Pei Qian jumped out of his chair. He could not sit still anymore. He suddenly realized that there was indeed a problem! Other people might take their left eyelid twitching as a good sign. After all, who did not want to have good luck and get rich?
However, to Pei Qian, whether it was his left eyelid or right eyelid that was twitching, it made no difference! They were both bad omens!
"There's a problem. There must be a problem somewhere. A few days ago, I felt uneasy. Even during my afternoon naps, I dreamed that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe began reaping profits. Today, both my eyelids twitched. That must be a bad sign."
Pei Qian straightened his back and walked briskly around his own office. "I must find where the problem is…"
Pei Qian ran through all the various projects in his mind. At last, he focused on Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. The two new branches had just opened for business. He guessed that they would not be making much money just yet.
The only possibility was the flagship store!
Pei Qian thought harder and recalled that it had been more than a week since he last visited Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's flagship store. At that thought, he immediately walked out the door.
It was already evening time. Many people were packing up and getting ready to leave.
Pei Qian immediately called out to Assistant Xin. "Send me to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe tonight."
"Yes, Boss Pei." Assistant Xin did not hesitate. After all, she could be sure that she would get overtime pay without her even reminding Boss Pei about it.
…
At Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's flagship store…
It was seven in the evening. More and more people were arriving at the entrance. A few waiters were moving tables to the empty land outside the internet cafe.
This place used to be a restaurant. There was a lot of space outside, which doubled up as parking. However, since they turned it into an internet cafe, there was no need for parking space. That was why the space remained empty until now.
However, today, a few waiters filled that empty space up with beautiful tables and chairs that came with umbrellas attached. It was evening on a summer day. The entire place resembled a little seaside town in Europe.
Of course, given the climate here, the comfort level in Jingzhou could not be compared to that in Europe. Nevertheless, in terms of style alone, the place did not look bad.
The bar area in the internet cafe was almost full. There were many people seated outside. People seated outside could see the stage through the glass panels. What's more, Ma Yang purposely placed speakers outside so that the customers there could hear Chen Lei sing.
Seeing that more and more customers were coming, a long-absent grin spread across Ma Yang's face.
"Look. This way, the problem of the lack of seats is solved, isn't it?" Ma Yang looked very happy with the situation before him.
Zhang Yuan held up his big thumb and said, "En, Brother Ma, that was a good idea indeed!"
As more and more of Chen Lei's fans arrived, the seats inside were being filled up. Ma Yang naturally thought of creating more seats outside.
It was summer, and it was a common practice among many restaurants to create seating areas outdoors. Of course, Zhang Yuan thought about this, too. However, since there was an opportunity to suck up to Ma Yang, there was nothing to complain about.
A trendy-looking young lady walked up to the bar counter and took out two red notes. "Three glasses of Aurora; one to drink, and the other two for Chen Lei. As for the note… en, just write: 'The fangirl who will love Chen Lei forever'!"
The bartender immediately mixed the Aurora Jungle-Juice like a pro. Soon, a glass of Aurora appeared in the lady's hand.
"Remember, give the drink to Chen Lei the moment he gets on stage." After reminding the bartender one more time, the lady left the bar counter.
Ma Yang watched this exchange, and the grin on his face deepened.
Zhang Yuan praised him again. "If this carries on, perhaps we will be able to report to Boss Pei that our losses have turned into profit!"
Ma Yang became more arrogant. "Hmph, I must prove that I am better than that Huang Sibo!"
This idea was not thought of by Ma Yang or Zhang Yuan. Instead, they accidentally stumbled upon it when a customer was 'rewarding' Chen Lei.
Based on Ma Yang's original proposal—for each drink a customer ordered, half of the profit would go to Chen Lei. This idea really took off. It became very popular among the customers, and everyone showed great support!
A few rich fangirls even began to flirt using this method.
One of them wanted to order a second glass of cocktail but found that she could not finish it. She asked the bartender if she could forego the second cup and give Chen Lei the profits directly.
The bartender did not dare to make the call so he reported this to the branch manager. The branch manager then reported this to Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan.
Ma Yang immediately answered, "No problem!"
A glass of cocktail was sold for sixty yuan. If customers did not want to drink it but only wanted to reward Chen Lei with it, they could give Chen Lei thirty yuan and keep the thirty yuan as the internet cafe's revenue!
This way, fans would be able to show their sincerity, and Chen Lei and the internet cafe would both benefit. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
That explained what was happening today. Many people ordered two drinks at a go; one for themselves and the other to be given to Chen Lei.
Ma Yang sat at the bar counter, holding his own cup of cocktail and feeling delighted. From the way things were going, they could turn their losses into profits next month.
As the saying went: if everyone was good, all would be good.
I can bring Chen Lei to the two other Fish-Catching Internet Cafes; he could take turns to sing at each of them. Once the crowd is drawn to those Fish-Catching Internet Cafes, I would be halfway to success!
After turning the third internet cafe's losses into profit, I would inform Pei Qian of the good news. That would be a pleasant surprise for him for sure!
Then, I—Ma Yang—will hold a higher position in Brother Qian's eyes than Huang Sibo, Bao Xu, Lu Mingliang, and all the others! I want to prove to everyone that I—Ma Yang—am the real valuable worker in Tengda!
At that thought, a blissful grin spread across Ma Yang's face.
…
Outside Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Pei Qian alighted from the car and went into shock.
Who am I? Where am I?
Where's my Fish-Catching Internet Cafe? Where is the huge, cold, and deserted Fish-Catching Internet Cafe that I put here?!
What is this open-air restaurant about?!
Who did this?!
Chapter 158: Boss Pei was Very Angry
Many people were at the door of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe; Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were very busy inside and didn't even notice Pei Qian standing outside. Pei Qian brought Assistant Xin along as he observed silently.
One server recognized Boss Pei and just wanted to go and inform Ma Yang when Pei Qian halted him and did a 'hush' sign. That server immediately got the hint.
"Boss Pei wanted to give Boss Ma a surprise, right? Alright!"
The server pretended not to have noticed as he continued to busy himself. Pei Qian felt as if he was about to have a heart seizure as he spun around outside the internet cafe. The entrance of the internet cafe was packed with tables and chairs and sunshades; they all looked rather fancy and classy.
Ma Yang evidently wanted to give a European small town beach feel using this set-up.
However, in Pei Qian's eyes, if the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe became so popular; was it still his original Fish-Catching Internet Cafe?
He was extremely pained, and his heart ached! He just intended to head inside when a note from a guitar rang from outside.
A singer was about to start singing.
People weren't that excited outside; after all, they were just passersby here to listen to songs; and they weren't that crazed. However, within Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, especially in the pub area; thunderous applause and cheers broke out. The atmosphere was rather boisterous! If someone didn't know, they would think that someone was holding a concert here!
Pei Qian and Assistant Xin mingled with the crowd as they headed inside. They realized the seats at the bar were almost all filled; many were still standing around.
Many people headed straight for the bar counter, and Pei Qian watched as they took out two red notes[1]. However, they only took one drink and left without even asking for change.
He then looked on the stage.
Chen Lei was playing his guitar and singing folk songs. Although he was a little shy facing the crowd and he was blushing, he wasn't experiencing that much of stage fright. Perhaps after he sang and entered into a trance, he also started to forget about his stage fright.
On the nondescript wall nearby hung a very beautiful panel. It was showing which table, which customer had ordered what drink and how much commission had been given to Chen Lei. Following that was also some well-wishing message for him.
Row after row of well-wishes and congratulatory messages ran one after another, making the atmosphere even more boisterous.
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Pei Qian's mouth twitched heavily. He had never seen Chen Lei before. However, by the looks of it, he could guess that this was the internet cafe's new resident singer. However, with regard to everything else going on, Pei Qian felt it was a little hard for him to accept.
However, Boss Pei was after all a smart person. After he thought for a moment, he was able to guess what had been going on.
What a nice Fish-Catching Internet Cafe—it has now become Fish-Catching TV? There's no difference between giving gifts and money and buying drinks, right?
If I came two days later, wouldn't this place really turn around and start making profits?
Seeing as the panel kept on flashing number after number, Pei Qian was extremely shocked and jittery. He even saw someone continuously gifting ten cocktails; that was an instant 500-yuan reward.
Pei Qian wouldn't feel that this person was silly and wasting their money. After all, he knew that ballers on live-streams could be even more crazed than this; these were but peanuts to the true ballers.
Furthermore, Chen Lei was really good at singing and was worth that much.
Pei Qian really wanted to ask now: who had dug out such a talented singer? Who?! Although Pei Qian felt a little helpless, he also was internally feeling a little lucky.
Fortunately, I had been worrying and stewing these few days that something was not right; and I discovered this early.
If I had forgotten about this matter and kept on assuming that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe would make three hundred thousand in losses monthly, I would definitely puke out blood during the next settlement!
The crux was that such a huge thing had happened; no one had bothered to report to me!
Xin Hailu was also observing as she sighed with emotion internally.
This was not bad; it was still so deserted and empty last week. Within a week, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had become so lively and happening? If this continued, perhaps all the shops in the neighborhood would benefit from this human traffic; a virtuous cycle would be formed!
Furthermore, it was strange that this singer was just singing and the atmosphere wasn't that boisterous as a normal bar, that everyone was forking out so much money. The sales from drinks tonight would definitely be very good.
Boss Pei had been so nonchalant about Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's losses previously; could he have predicted this would happen?
Assistant Xin continued to follow behind Pei Qian silently, not asking anything. After all, such things happening have already become commonplace for her.
Pei Qian silently squeezed through the crowd as he tried to make his way towards Ma Yang who was talking loudly and animatedly.
…
Ma Yang was just discussing with Zhang Yuan the future plans for the internet cafe.
"I feel that this flagship store can still be improved! We can't open the curtain now; this is a pity. I intend to find some workers to redo the curtains. It would be best if people outside could also feel the atmosphere in here…"
Ma Yang was very confident now and felt as if his flair for business had never been so well-displayed as it was now.
Zhang Yuan listened seriously as he suddenly looked behind Ma Yang and saw Pei Qian whose face had been half-hidden by the fluorescent light.
"Boss Pei! You're here," Zhang Yuan hurriedly greeted.
Ma Yang was stunned as he turned as well and saw Pei Qian's pale face. "Eh, Brother Qian? What a pity; we had wanted to give you a surprise, but you have found out beforehand."
Pei Qian's lips twitched slightly; it was indeed Old Ma who was stirring things up!
"So many changes had taken place; why didn't you mention them to me?" Pei Qian felt that he had been cheated and by someone he felt was his best brother as well. He felt rather tired.
Ma Yang was confused, "Brother Qian, I wanted to only give you good news and not the bad! I felt that the good news wasn't good enough yet and didn't want to alarm you!"
Pei Qian was speechless. "…"
What did he mean by only giving good news and not the bad! If all my employees were like you, I'd be finished!
However, Pei Qian couldn't bring himself to speak so harshly to Ma Yang. After all, Ma Yang's intentions had been good; he wanted to increase the internet cafe's profits. If Pei Qian really went on to criticize Ma Yang for spoiling Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's reputation and set-up, that might be a little inappropriate.
Regardless, Old Ma had really used his brains this time to help Pei Qian make money. However, why did Pei Qian still feel a little heartache?
Could it be that my most loyal pillar of support was going to leave me as well?
"Since Boss Pei had already found out; please give some guidance. Could you look at the internet cafe now and if anything else needed to be changed?" Zhang Yuan smiled slightly and asked.
Pei Qian's mouth twitched, "Everything… looks good. However… changes still can be made. This panel is a little old-fashioned. Although your intention is good and wanted to let everyone see how much they are giving and to write some well-wishes to fulfill everyone's desires.
"However, as this panel keeps on flashing, it actually ruins the atmosphere; also, stimulating customers to spend more and more is not in-line with our internet cafe's style.
"Hence, I feel that taking the panel off would be better. Customers are here to drink wine, and that's already very good; we shouldn't make them compare their expenses."
Pei Qian looked very wise and insightful.
Ma Yang looked at Zhang Yuan as the latter thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, what Boss Pei says makes sense! Previously, I had thought this panel was a little distasteful; however, I couldn't say what was distasteful about it.
"Now, it seems as if it is indeed as Boss Pei's has said; it does not fit in with our internet cafe's style!"
Ma Yang still looked a little reluctant, "In that case… let's take it down."
Pei Qian felt a little more assured now. Without that panel, everyone's excitement at spending more and giving more… would be lessened, right?
"Also, the tables and chairs outside, they are too cramped together! It isn't stylish. You guys can take a few of them away."
"En… that's true." Ma Yang nodded as he felt that made a little sense.
Pei Qian said seriously, "Old Ma, you're doing your best to help the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe make profits; I am very grateful. However, you must remember that for Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, profits are not a priority. The number-one priority is to create an image for Tengda!"
"Alright, Brother Qian. I understand!" Ma Yang nodded vigorously, "Rest assured that our hearts are aligned; even if you don't say anything, I'll understand what you want!"
Hehe, you know my foot.
Pei Qian silently complained as he walked away.
[1] These red notes were worth 100 yuan apiece
Chapter 159: Taking a Drastic Measure to Solve a Problem
Pei Qian was rather pained by what he had seen. It was alright if Fish-Catching Internet Cafe made a bit of profit. The crux was this 'bit' of profits could possibly put all of Pei Qian's efforts this cycle to waste!
This cycle was only two months long; a month had already passed.
Pei Qian had long roughly calculated the profits and losses for this cycle. Taking into account any sudden shopping sprees or spending, he would probably be able to make a few hundreds of thousands of losses at settlement.
Among this, all the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes were to make more than a million in losses; this was a very important part of his plan!
If the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes started to make money or recouped the initial investments, Pei Qian might have more than a million in additional income that he wouldn't be able to spend by the next settlement!
Although a million-odd yuan didn't seem like much, it could very likely change the originally calculated losses into profits; this was the crux. Wouldn't that be putting all his efforts to waste and all his other projects had been for nothing?
Pei Qian's original intention was to create a giant hodgepodge, to have a shop called 'Fish-Catching Internet Cafe' that had a pub area, a book area, a small theater, a dining place, etc. All of these would revolve around an internet cafe.
At the end of the day, he wanted Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to become an unprofitable internet cafe. However, he could never have expected that the peripheral pub area had surpassed the internet cafe area; it had become popular because of a resident singer!
Just like this, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had become Fish-Catching Pub; how could he let that happen?
This was going completely against Pei Qian's original intentions!
What should he do?
Take away all the tables and chairs outside the internet cafe? Not allow any more commissions for the singer from the drinks sales? Or perhaps to completely remove the resident singer?
They were not very feasible; these acts were not appropriate, and there was no justification for them.
Pei Qian had asked Ma Yang to take away the panel and reduce the number of tables and chairs outside; those were still explainable. After all, he wanted Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to retain its style and character.
However, if he took any further steps, that would no longer be reasonable. If he completely removed the tables and chairs, where would the customers outside sit?
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Allowing commissions from drinks sales; that gave the internet cafe revenue while provided motivation for the resident singer to sing to his best. What reason could he use to get rid of this system?
All these actions would be rather hard to justify and would raise suspicions. He might also receive a warning from the system.
Furthermore, these were not the crux of the issue.
If Pei Qian wanted to change all of these, he had to take extreme drastic measures! So what if he removed the tables and chairs and took away the commissions system? These people were here to hear Chen Lei sing!
If they didn't have a place to sit, they would stand and listen; this problem would still not be resolved.
Hence, to solve this problem, Pei Qian had to get rid of Chen Lei!
"I wonder whether this lad has any dreams that I could help him fulfill."
…
It was already 10 PM; the performance had just ended. Chen Lei bowed and left the stage as many in the audience were still clapping and cheering.
Ma Yang, Zhang Yuan, and the servers started to send the customers out.
Pei Qian immediately pulled Chen Lei to a quiet spot in the internet cafe and sat him down. Chen Lei had not seen Pei Qian before. After hearing Pei Qian introduce himself, he immediately knew that Pei Qian was the 'Boss Pei' that Ma Yang always talked about. He felt a little intimidated and constrained.
Pei Qian casually asked Chen Lei a few questions and knew that he had not continued schooling after graduating from high school. He was rather introverted, even to the point of being a little autistic.
Chen Lei had been obsessed with music in his home and had incidentally walked by Fish-Catching Internet Cafe one day, heard someone singing, and then plucked up the courage to audition to be the resident singer.
When his family members knew he had found a job, they had been very happy and even told him to do a good job and be amicable with his colleagues.
"You have been in Jingzhou your entire life; have you not thought of seeing the world? If you really want to pursue your dream for music, you should go to Shanghai or Beijing; those places would be perfect."
Pei Qian's words were rather bewitching.
Chen Lei was stunned for a moment as he immediately said, "Of course, I want to! In my dreams, I even go to Shanghai and Beijing to take a look! I have told people this before that I would become a singer one day. However, no one believed in me. I know that Jingzhou is too small a place, and I can't fulfill my ambition.
"However, Shanghai and Beijing are very far from home; my parents wouldn't agree. Furthermore, I heard that Beijing and Shanghai's cost of living is rather high; I probably won't be able to afford it."
Pei Qian was internally elated.
Since you have a dream, then we can now talk things through!
Boss Pei was the best at helping others fulfill their dreams!
Pei Qian smiled slightly as he nodded, "You underestimate yourself too much. You don't even know how good you are at singing! At your level, once you start singing, it would be like a lethal weapon. Do you know how many girls would love to hear you sing!
"Hence, you shouldn't belittle yourself. In a bigger city, you would have better prospects. When you make it big and then return here to Jingzhou, you can prove to your classmates and friends that looked down on you; you will make them envious!"
Pei Qian's words had their intended effect. He could see Chen Lei's eyes shining with light.
An introverted person whose looks weren't that outstanding, a 'freak' who had stopped school after high school; Chen Lei was someone who had had to endure pressure coming nonstop from all aspects of his life.
Whether it was his parents, classmates, or his classmate's parents; they were probably always using Chen Lei as a bad example of what not to become.
So what if he was good at singing? In a second-tier city like Jingzhou, there was no suitable platform for him to showcase his talents.
Chen Lei was definitely someone who craved recognition.
Hence, hearing what Pei Qian had described, Chen Lei was evidently influenced and touched. He had long wanted to go to a big city and take a look, broaden his horizons, and try his luck in the vast world out there. He hoped that his talent could be recognized by more people in the future.
It seemed as if Boss Pei wanted to provide some material assistance?
Chen Lei's only consideration now was money. As he earned so much commission here in the internet cafe and he had many fans, this was Chen Lei's comfort zone. He didn't want to get out of it.
When he reached Beijing or Shanghai—besides the fact that he had to restart in a foreign environment, Chen Lei would also not be able to afford accommodations and the cost of living in these places.
After all, he wouldn't have an income anymore.
Hence, Pei Qian definitely must help Chen Lei to get rid of this last stumbling block so that he could go in peace.
Pei Qian considered for a while and said, "If you wish to head to a big city like Shanghai to pursue your music career and dreams, I can help you with that.
"Tengda's Fei Huang Workspace is now based in Shanghai. I can transfer you to Fei Huang Workspace there, and you'd actually don't have to do anything. They would help you arrange your food and accommodations, and you won't actually have to work. You can relax and pursue your music dreams; what do you think of this plan?"
On one hand was his current enjoyable life; on the other was a new and distant place.
Chen Lei actually didn't hesitate much. "Boss Pei, I… I am willing to go!"
…
The next day…
At night…
The crowd was considerable. However, everyone noticed that Chen Lei seemed to be a little troubled.
"Outside the pavilion / on the ancient road / the fresh grass so green stretches into the sky…
"To ask my friend when he will be back after we part ways this time…"
Chen Lei was as per normal, stringing each stanza together; he was engrossed in the song and didn't utter any other words.
However, his fans in the audience could hear something was amiss in his singing.
"This is weird; why are all the songs tonight about farewells?"
"Indeed, I'm feeling a little down…"
"I'll gift another two glasses of Northern Lights whiskey."
"Speaking of which, why is the display panel gone?"
"I don't know. However, it doesn't affect me. I'm here mainly to support Chen Lei, not to posture."
Everyone drank and continued to chatter idly like usual. However, for some reason, they felt the atmosphere today was not right.