After finishing another song, Chen Lei did not continue singing the next song. He cleared his throat on the microphone and said a slightly emotional speech, "I want to announce something today. From tomorrow onwards, I will no longer be singing here anymore."
There was instantly a commotion below the stage.
"It was not because of what you all are thinking. I like this place a lot, and I really enjoyed singing for you guys. Boss Ma, who is the manager of this Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, wants me to stay here as well. Moreover, you guys have been so loving by showering me with lots of gifts. I am very touched by that.
"The reason why I'm leaving is because of the big boss of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. He said that he enjoys my songs a lot and wants to send me to Shanghai to pursue my music dreams. He will also provide for my food and accommodation in the course of that.
"I enjoy singing for all of you, but at the same time, I cherish this opportunity a lot. I hope that I will be able to leave Jingzhou City and explore Shanghai…
"After all, this is my dream…"
As Chen Lei spoke, tears welled up in his eyes unwittingly.
"So that was the case. That's great news!"
"Although I can't bear for you to leave, I will still fully support your decision to chase after your dreams!"
"If things didn't go your way over in Shanghai, you must come back! This will always be your home!"
"Boohoo! I'm so sad… I'll gift you another ten glasses of Northern Lights whiskey. Hope you have a smooth sailing life ahead…"
Sorrow seemed to fill the atmosphere below the stage. Many people were sending Chen Lei off with wine at the bar counter. Some ladies were sobbing while drying their tears with a tissue.
Pei Qian stood at the corner silently and was feeling a little sentimental.
I am such a 'huge villain'. He thought sarcastically…
At a secluded corner on the second floor, Ma Yang was so heartbroken that he was about to cry.
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My money tree…
Zhang Yuan was beside him. He handed Ma Yang some tissue while consoling him, "Boss Ma, this is Chen Lei's dream. We should be supportive; it's not a big deal. We can always hire another permanent singer…"
However, Ma Yang was totally not consoled by what he said. His entire face was scrunched up in misery.
"I… of course, I will definitely support Chen Lei in pursuing his dreams…
"However, I just hoped that the internet cafe could stop suffering losses and profit instead…
"Forget it. I should respect Chen Lei's decision…"
Although Ma Yang could not tell if a song was good or bad, he understood that Chen Lei's singing skills were far above that of other permanent singers from these few days of observation. It was impossible for the new permanent singer to be as popular as Chen Lei.
Actually, the signs of profit for the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe were all because of Chen Lei. His songs were good, and he attracted a lot of regulars to the internet cafe. There were people buying drinks for him every night. That generated a lot of additional revenue for the internet cafe.
If Chen Lei really left, the abilities of the other singers would at most reach Zhang Yuan's standard. It was evident how the situation then would turn out to be.
Pei Qian went upstairs quietly. He handed a pack of tissue to Ma Yang and said, "Old Ma, it's fine. Chen Lei is really talented. It would be a waste of his talent if he stayed at the fish-catching internet cafe. If you really think that you are the person who discovered his talents, you should wish him luck."
Ma Yang blew his nose and replied, "Brother Qian, I'm not sad because of this. The main reason why I'm so sad is that the fish-catching internet cafe finally had a chance to earn money for you. However, the opportunity has now flown away. I am upset for you…"
Pei Qian was very touched. Look! Only my brothers would be so concerned for me!
However, it was not always good news that Ma Yang had such a strong sense of responsibility.
The good thing was that this should merely be a coincidence. Ma Yang was lucky to have unexpectedly met Chen Lei. Otherwise, there would not be so many issues cropping up.
Therefore, ultimately, this brother of his was still very trustworthy!
Pei Qian patted Ma Yang's shoulders and said, "Old Ma, I've told you countless times that you should not always be fixated on making money as the head of the fish-catching internet cafe! The most important thing for you is to help me maintain this window to showcase Tengda's corporate image. Do you understand?
"Let's go and send Chen Lei off."
On the first floor of the fish-catching internet cafe, Chen Lei's performance was about to end. However, most of the audience was still unwilling to leave. Chen Lei had already sung a few songs for the encore.
In the end, the crowd accompanied Chen Lei to the entrance of the internet cafe. Many female audiences had their make-up smudged from their tears. They made it seem as though they were about to be parted by death.
Pei Qian mumbled in his mind, "When will I get such a treatment…"
Ma Yang was also sobbing. He walked towards Chen Lei, bade him goodbye, and wished him a smooth journey ahead.
Chen Lei's eyes were red originally. When he saw Ma Yang's actions, he could not hold it in anymore. He was beyond thankful to Ma Yang.
Pei Qian was a little troubled. He knew that the reason behind why Ma Yang cried was that he had lost his money tree and not because of how deep his feelings for Chen Lei were.
However, Chen Lei did not know that. He felt that Boss Ma's was his benefactor and that there was no way he could ever repay the kindness that Boss Ma showed him.
Most of the crowd finally scattered at around 11 pm.
Pei Qian called Chen Lei over to one side and gave him a phone number.
"When you reach Shanghai, find this person directly. He is Huang Sibo, the manager of Fei Huang Workspace. You do not need to worry about anything else there. He will arrange everything for you."
Pei Qian had already informed Huang Sibo about this. Anyways, Huang Sibo would be in charge of Chen Lei's food and accommodation when he reached Shanghai. Chen Lei could do anything that he wanted to. Pei Qian thought through it and felt that the most Chen Lei would be able to achieve was to sing the theme song for documentaries. There was no way he could stir up any more trouble.
Furthermore, even if Huang Sibo's documentary was able to profit because of the theme song, the amount earned would be within Pei Qian's calculations. Sending Chen Lei over would reduce Pei Qian's loss as compared to if he had stayed at the fish-catching internet cafe.
"Thank you, Boss Pei, for your nurturing.
"I will forever be grateful to you and Boss Ma for recognizing my talents and supporting me. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely repay your kindness!" Chen Lei said while holding Pei Qian's hands. His gratitude towards them was indescribable.
"There is really no need for that." Pei Qian's sincerity was piercing through his eyes. It was obvious that he said those words from the bottom of his heart.
…
Back at the fish-catching internet cafe, Ma Yang was still in low-spirits. Pei Qian walked to Old Ma and said to him, "Old Ma, you should be happy for Chen Lei that he can pursue his dreams. Stop being so sad.
"Moreover, your efforts this time did not come to waste!"
The sorrow on Ma Yang's long face faded slightly. "My efforts… did not come to waste?"
Pei Qian nodded violently. "Of course, it was not wasted! You gave me a very important inspiration!"
Ma Yang looked at Pei Qian's expression closely and thought that he did not seem to be lying about that. He forgot about his misery momentarily and listened closely.
"Old Ma, you do not know how much potential there is in this idea of yours! It's a pity that this is just not the right time for it.
"The patrons giving the singer gifts as he sang… this mode could definitely be popularized. However, the stage at the fish-catching internet cafe is just way too small to bring this idea into play!
"Limiting this idea to the fish-catching internet cafe would instead waste your talent and limit what you could do. Do you understand?"
Ma Yang looked absolutely confused. "So?" he asked.
Pei Qian patted his shoulders and continued, "This creative idea could be used in live-streaming platforms! In about three to six months, you would be the CEO of the fish-catching live-stream platform!
"Therefore, you must believe that your work has value. It helps Tengda in ways more than you can imagine! Please continue to accumulate your power and display your talent in more appropriate places!"
Ma Yang's gloomy mood immediately turned for the better. His hands were shaking from the tumbling emotions inside him. "Brother Qian, I…"
Pei Qian suddenly grabbed his hands and continued saying, "Old Ma, you don't need to say anything else. I understand you! Please continue accumulating your power. In no time, you will naturally continue to shine on a much bigger stage!"
Chapter 161: Rekindling Old Ma's Passion
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief in the car after he left the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. He was absolutely treading on thin ice.
This is so tough for me!
Pei Qian recalled the things that happened today. If he had discovered it one or two weeks later, the situation might have gone out of control. When that happened, not only would problems crop up in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, but the efforts spent on all the other projects would also be wasted!
"Fortunately, I have everything under control in my hands and have resolved the situation before it took a turn for the worst. Not only did I successfully console Old Ma, but I have also managed to clear out all potential risks. This is simply a perfect strategy to resolve the situation.
"I am indeed a genius!"
Pei Qian was worried that this incident would deal a terrible blow to Ma Yang such that he would not be able to recover from the setback. Therefore, he built a castle in the sky for Ma Yang at the end.
Of course, Pei Qian's words were not entirely true. However, the 'castle' that he had built for Ma Yang was different from what other bosses would say.
The 'castles' that other bosses built were complete lies. But, Pei Qian was different. He did plan on fulfilling his promise.
Ma Yang's actions gave Pei Qian a reminder. It made him think of the live-streaming industry.
Pei Qian was certain that in the next few years, live-streaming would quickly become a valuable investment opportunity. The war between live-stream platforms would soon erupt. People's lifestyles would be changed dramatically.
However, who said that investment opportunities would guarantee profits?
Choosing the right investment opportunity could indeed help one build a huge business empire. However, there was an even greater chance of being burned to ashes in the battle of financial power. In the end, most people would leave the scene in dejection.
After all, other people were not blind. If one could see this investment opportunity, others could as well.
In the internet age, one's financial power determined if he could ultimately win this investment opportunity.
Many companies burned money in terms of hundreds of millions. Pei Qian questioned himself if he was willing to burn the money. The answer in his heart was a yes. Yet, the ultimate problem was that Tengda did not have enough money for him to burn.
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Whatever the case, the most important thing was that he must be able to lose money!
Pei Qian knew many classic case studies where companies consistently lost money:
The ofo yellow bikes (a bicycle-sharing service), Didi Chuxing (a ride-hailing service), Meituan Food Delivery, Panda TV (a live-stream platform), JD Logistics…
Weren't all these great examples of losing money?
Pei Qian felt that as long as he chose one of those case studies to copy, he would be able to lose money consistently. He could then use the system's money to fill the money hole. Wouldn't that be amazing?
Pei Qian did not do these previously as he had to meet certain criteria before he could step foot into those industries. He did not even have the money to create a shell for the projects, not to mention the operating costs.
However, during this period, Pei Qian realized that his goal was gradually moving towards losing tens of millions. Therefore, he would naturally plan his projects with the aim of reaching this targeted amount in mind.
Of course, he had to contemplate further on his detailed strategies.
After all, the system regulated that the settlement date would be postponed in the event when there were unfinished products.
If Pei Qian decided to enter a certain industry unprepared and his capital chain ruptured in the production stages, he would not be able to reach a settlement. Neither would he have enough money to continue with the production. He would then be stuck in an awkward situation.
If he could successfully lose money during these two cycles, he would choose not to enter those industries for the moment.
If he had profited again for some unknown reasons…
Boss Pei would then go down the road of no return in terms of giving money away.
Amongst the many choices, live-stream sounded like a good option. Pei Qian wanted to comfort Ma Yang after seeing how upset he was. Thus, he decided to give Ma Yang the title of the CEO of Fish-Catching TV.
He could also claim that the idea for Fish-Catching TV came from the display screen that Ma Yang placed in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
…
June 3rd…
The other two Fish-Catching Internet Cafes had opened its doors to customers. Pei Qian was there personally. He was finally assured after seeing how empty the two stores were with his own eyes.
Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were there, too. However, Ma Yang seemed a little confused and depressed.
Pei Qian pulled Zhang Yuan over to one side secretly. "I feel like Old Ma seems to be out of sorts."
Zhang Yuan replied truthfully, "It's fine, Boss Pei. Brother Ma has lost his goals temporarily. That's why he appears to be a little depressed sometimes. Yet, his appetite did not decrease at all. His meal portions have even increased."
Pei Qian thought to himself, "This is Old Ma for you. He is very tough psychologically indeed. Even after suffering such a huge blow, his appetite was not affected at all.
"What about the flagship store? How is it going?"
Zhang Yuan replied, "Business was okay. After Chen Lei left, we found a new resident singer. There were gifts occasionally, but the number of audiences is gradually decreasing.
"We still gave the singer a commission. The revenue now is better than how it was at the start. However, to turn our losses into profits… I don't know how long it would take to achieve that."
Pei Qian nodded his head. He could finally put down his worries.
As long as the stores did not turn their losses into profits, everything was good.
However, how could the revenue now be better than the revenue when the store just opened? That implied that giving commissions based on the number of drinks ordered was indeed a useful operating model. It could earn him profits. Therefore, this was ultimately still a hazard.
As Pei Qian looked at the frowning and gloomy Ma Yang, he suddenly had an idea.
Was there a way that he could settle the drinks commission issue over at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe while finding something new for Ma Yang to do so he could pick himself up?
An idea flashed past in a breeze in Pei Qian's mind.
Some of those classic case studies to lose money needed hundreds of millions to work. He could not venture into those avenues currently. However, some projects did not need a lot of starting capital to operate.
Such as… food delivery services!
Pei Qian noticed that the branch manager at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was a chef. During the selection process for the branch manager, other than the four waiters, there was also a chef who raised his hand. He became the branch manager naturally.
He happened to be suitable!
"Zhang Yuan, call the branch manager of this store over. Call Ma Yang over, too. I have a new task for you guys."
The four people sat down at the coffee area.
Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were already used to this while the newly-promoted branch manager-cum-chef was still not accustomed to his role change. He appeared to be a little uneasy and fidgety.
"How do I address you, branch manager?" Pei Qian asked.
He had never paid attention to the names of the few branch managers. They were just human props to him. It did not matter what their names were.
Thinking about it from another perspective, this was a good thing. If he knew the name of a human prop, that would imply that this human prop had performed remarkably at work. That was bad news to Pei Qian.
This newly-promoted branch manager-cum-chef looked like he was in his forties. He did not appear as 'greasy' as most middle-aged men. In fact, he had maintained a toned body and had taken good care of his appearance.
After hearing Boss Pei's question, the branch manager hurriedly replied, "I am Lin Canrong."
Pei Qian nodded his head. He only remembered that his surname was Lin.
"Old Ma, I heard that you seemed to have lost your goals recently. That is fine because I have a new and very important task for you! This would further expand the blueprint of our Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. It is an integral part of Tengda's business empire strategy.
"Are you confident to take on the task?"
Pei Qian looked at Ma Yang with encouragement in his eyes.
Ma Yang was instantly energized. "Brother Qian, tell me everything! I have been worried that I could not find an avenue to showcase my talent!"
Pei Qian nodded his head. As he had expected, a simple task was enough to rekindle the fire in Ma Yang's heart.
"We… are going to continue invading the F&B industry!"
Ma Yang, Zhang Yuan, and Lin Canrong looked at each other.
Continue invading the F&B industry?
Indeed, they had already started their conquest with the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. The Fish-Catching Internet Cafe did serve food. Its menu had western wine on one side and home-cooked meals on the other.
Chef Lin's previous job at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was to 'catch fish (laze around)'—oh! No. His job was to cook for the customers. However, most customers at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe did not order food. Thus, Chef Lin was mainly 'catching fishes' every day.
Pei Qian wanted to continue on his conquest with just that?
Chapter 162: Food Delivery with the Best Visuals!
Everyone was puzzled, especially Lin Canrong. His gaze was filled with confusion. Others might not know about the situation at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, but he knew that very well.
There was absolutely nothing to do there!
The number of dishes he made every day could not even add up to ten.
Thinking about it, that was normal. The Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was very stylish and classy. Who would want to order home-cooked meals there?
The beautiful lady at one table ordered a nice-looking cocktail. She enjoyed her wine while looking at the scenery outside the window. If she took a selfie then, she could flaunt it on her WeChat moments directly.
Meanwhile, the dude at the other table was munching on a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes?
That just did not make sense!
If there was really someone who ordered it, the scent of the food would permeate the entire coffee area. If looks could kill, he or she would be murdered hundreds of times by those around him or her.
Therefore, there wasn't a single person who ordered the food initially. Chef Lin merely stood on duty in the kitchen every single day. He was terribly bored.
After some time, the situation had a turn for the better.
To ensure the welfare of the employees, Pei Qian wanted the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to provide lunch for all of them. Hence, Chef Lin would become busy in the afternoon. However, his job was still very laid-back. That was because the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe hired two more cooks. This work intensity was like a vacation as compared to ordinary restaurants.
Therefore, up until now, the F&B sector at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was almost non-existent.
Not only was it non-profitable, but there wasn't even much patronage. It seemed to be gradually turning into Tengda's employees' restaurant.
How could he continue advancing with just that? Wasn't he afraid of losing everything that he had?
Chef Lin could not figure out how they could continue advancing.
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The three pairs of eyes stared at Pei Qian and waited for his amazing opinion.
Pei Qian coughed twice and said solemnly, "As the saying goes, the desire for food and sex is part of human nature. The F&B industry is closely tied to our everyday lives. It will never become outdated. Up until now, the food at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe has won many hearts with its nutrition value, delicious taste, and how close to home the food was.
"Therefore, we must make use of this advantage that we have further. We should allow others who do not come to the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to enjoy our delicious food in the comfort of their own homes!"
The passion in Ma Yang's eyes died down gradually. He looked at Pei Qian in confusion. "Brother Qian, after all that you have said, are you intending for the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to offer food delivery services as well?"
"Why do you have to make it sound so complicated? You can just state directly that the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe will provide delivery services in the future…"
Huh? This rascal understood my words so well. My plan is indeed to offer delivery services…
However, this was not any ordinary delivery service!
Pei Qian had a solemn expression. "Old Ma, this is not the right attitude that you should possess. For example, in terms of singing, you sound like a funeral singer while Chen Lei sounds like his voice has been kissed by god. How could you two be the same?
"As long as you took things to the extreme, anything that you do could be the start of a great industry!
"Think about it. In the future, our food delivery empire will venture out of Jingzhou City to all the big cities in the country. It will drastically change people's lifestyles. Will this then simply be a food delivery service?
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We are now about to take our most important first step!"
After listening to Pei Qian's speech, Ma Yang, Zhang Yuan, and Lin Canrong's expressions experienced a rollercoaster ride. It changed from disapproval to enlightenment… to being persuaded.
Lin Canrong could not help but feel sentimental.
Indeed, this was the result of having different horizons!
Boss Pei could conjure a future business empire from a simple food delivery service. He could reflect on the drastic changes to people's lifestyles once food delivery services become the way of life.
He truly has great foresight!
It was no wonder that he became a company president at such a young age. Lin Canrong could only remark about his talent!
Ma Yang had also switched away from his disapproving attitude. His interest had been ignited by Pei Qian again. "Brother Qian, tell us quickly. What should we do?"
"How about creating a food delivery website? We can work with the sellers in Jingzhou City and build an online food delivery platform."
Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan rained down their ideas. Lin Canrong also supplemented their ideas with more suggestions.
Pei Qian smiled without saying a word.
It was normal for Ma Yang and the others to raise such suggestions.
In 2010, the growth of PC internet became sluggish while mobile internet developed rapidly. In Pei Qian's memory, the percentage of mobile internet users reached 74.5%. It exceeded the 70.6% PC internet users. That would happen in two years.
In this universe, because the cell phone industry has developed faster than how it was in his memory, the mobile internet era has arrived earlier.
However, to this point in time, online food delivery services had yet to be taken over by large corporations. Those large corporations were still concentrated on another investment opportunity—group buying.
From the spring of 2010, many entrepreneurs saw the popularity of Groupon's group-buying strategy. The 'war of a hundred Groupons' and the 'war of a thousand Groupons' soon intensified. Dozens of companies emerged every day in the group-buying industry.
In such an intense situation, food delivery had been neglected. Only two years later would the industry rise to prominence and become the new popular investment opportunity in the eyes of the market players.
Nevertheless, many restaurants had already offered food delivery services as of now. However, most of the delivery arrangements were made through phone calls. It was very primitive and many problems would occur such as late deliveries and delivering wrong orders.
Therefore, ordinary people would have the idea to collate all the resources that the sellers had on one platform to facilitate customers in making food delivery arrangements online. The platform would profit by earning a commission from the orders.
However, Pei Qian obviously did not plan to do that.
"You guys are too rash.
"Just like how we must have our meals one spoon at a time, we should carry out our plan one step at a time. Currently, people do not have similar habits. Our Fish-Catching Internet Cafe is also not an independent F&B brand and has not built its reputation. Even if we have successfully created the website, how are we going to publicize it? How do we ensure that the website will achieve our desired effects?
"Moreover, the biggest problem with such industries is not in the publicity, seizing the cake in the market, or its inspection. Food is very important. If some roadside greasy spoons decided to join us, we have to take responsibility as the connecting platform if these stores were unhygienic and gave the customers food-poisoning.
"Your idea of creating a platform may sound easy, but have you ever thought of the solutions to such problems?"
Pei Qian's questions made Ma Yang and the rest speechless.
Yes. This idea seemed a little distant and impractical. However… if we did not do that, what could we do instead?
The trio looked at Pei Qian.
Pei Qian smiled and said, "Easy. We'll take one step at a time.
"Firstly, we have to create an F&B brand name for ourselves. We will produce a simple online food ordering app. However, this app only caters to our restaurants. Our chefs are top-notch, and our ingredients are all fresh and clean. There will definitely not be any problems.
"We will seize the high-end market, build our brand name, and expand our influence from Jingzhou City to the entire country!"
The trio looked at one another. That seems like a more feasible plan!
Just that…
The plan is brilliant, but there is something odd about it.
"So, what will the name of our F&B brand be?" Ma Yang asked.
Pei Qian smiled and replied, "Fish-Catching Take-Out!"
Lin Canrong looked confused. "But, Boss Pei, there are already many take-out restaurants currently. Even lesser-known restaurants offered food delivery services. Although our food tastes good, they are merely home-cooked dishes. It does not have an apparent edge over other restaurants, not to mention the publicity and price…"
Indeed, as a chef, he quickly pointed out the problem with the plan.
Pei Qian smiled gently. "Therefore, I said that we are appealing to the high-end market.
"Other retailers use plastic boxes and plastic bags to package their food. That is very unhygienic and unpleasant-looking. This is also a reason why many people prefer dining in rather than ordering food delivery.
"In reality, the food inside is still unchanged. The only difference will be the packaging. This shows that humans are visual animals. They look at the visuals more than the taste of the food.
"All our food will be packaged in custom-made white porcelain tableware and sent to their doors by assigned food delivery drivers. We will collect the tableware back at scheduled times. We will destroy other restaurants nearby directly with our tableware!"
Pei Qian sounded very confident. He had almost convinced himself with his speech.
Ma Yang was obviously moved by what Pei Qian said. The fire in his eyes rekindled.
Meanwhile, Lin Canrong looked at Zhang Yuan. They saw the confusion in each other's eyes.
They didn't understand it. How could that work?
Were Boss Pei's ideas too avant-garde, or were their ideas too old-fashioned?
Chapter 163: New Version, New Weapon
Pei Qian did not give the trio time to hesitate. He assigned them their respective tasks immediately.
"So, Chef Lin, you will be in charge of researching this thing and creating a pilot project at this internet cafe.
"As for the menu choices, delivery area, website or mobile application for ordering, initial publicity…
"Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan, you two will be in charge of these. Show me your proposal sometime later. It will be great if you two can provide me with a rough plan by this week, and our delivery services can officially open for business by next week."
Ma Yang patted his chest and said, "Rest assured, Brother Qian. You can count on me for that!"
There were similar delivery services that existed. After all, the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was currently also responsible for the meals of all Tengda employees. They had to deliver the food anyway.
However, they now had to perfect some details and hire more delivery men. After settling all of that, they could then cater to the delivery requirements in the vicinity.
Of course, the delivery services by Fish-Catching Take-Out would revolve around the surroundings of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe before gradually spreading to other areas.
They currently only offered delivery services to a two kilometers radius from the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. As they opened more outlets, they could then naturally accomplish their goal of catering to the entire city.
Strictly speaking, this hodgepodge-style method was not very economical and scientific.
However, non-economical and unscientific were what Pei Qian was aiming for. After all, he counted on the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to lose money for him!
If the brick-and-mortar store only did one thing, such as opening an internet cafe, restaurant, bar, or offering delivery services. There was still a possibility of earning money given the investment that Pei Qian injected.
After all, the system restricted Pei Qian in many ways. He could not produce sub-quality products. Therefore, no matter how much money he had spent, the services and goods that he provided were all within a floating range. No matter how cheap or expensive his products were, there was always a targeted crowd.
Turning the internet cafe into a hodgepodge could naturally make the various components influence and drag one another down. That would then successfully achieve Pei Qian's goal to lose money.
Pei Qian was very satisfied with the state which the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was in.
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Amongst the various services that the internet cafe offered, Pei Qian was the most satisfied with its F&B sales. He wanted to continue expanding on this aspect naturally.
It would not cost much to hire a few more chefs. However, if he hired more deliverymen, dishwashers who were in charge of cleaning and disinfecting the utensils, and R&D personnel for the website and app, it would be a completely different situation.
In the future—when there were more Fish-Catching Internet Cafes, his losses would be multiplied several times. Where else could he find such a good opportunity?
Pei Qian handed this crucial task over to Old Ma. In doing so, he had high expectations for him.
That gave Old Ma something to do so he would not turn to extreme overeating after Chen Lei left. It would be terrible if he gained weight.
After assigning the tasks for the following minutes, Pei Qian was finally at ease. The sparks that could have ignited over at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had been discovered and put out by Boss Pei in time before it turned into an inferno. Perfect!
…
June 10th…
Tengda Network Technology Co., Ltd…
Pei Qian paid some attention to the progress of the new versions for the games. The finalized update time was slightly more than a week away. They had to leave a few days for the checking process. Therefore, as of now, most functions had been completed.
The art resource had not been fully submitted. After all, Ruan Guangjian was in charge of all the concept art for Ghost General. This was something that took time to produce quality work and could not be rushed.
It would be fine as long as all the art resources were completed before the version update on the 18th of June.
After all, art resources were different from the different functions that needed to be programmed. There would not be bugs in it that could affect the gaming experience of players'.
Pei Qian ran through the various new functions in the new versions of the games. He also looked through the new items that would be sold.
Pei Qian knew that the new versions of these few games would definitely earn money. The amount earned was within his expected range. Therefore, he was not as concerned with the new purchasable items.
There was quite a lot of new content in the updates. However, most of the updates were regarding art resources.
The Lonely Desert Road had ten new maps and added a new infinity mode. Pei Qian felt that there was no way this new infinity mode would be profitable. Although a downloadable content priced at one yuan was very reasonable, Pei Qian did not think that there would be many people buying the downloadable content just to play the game again on a new map.
Ghost General had fifty new warriors. They were included in the new downloadable content that was priced at five yuan. In Pei Qian's opinion, there was a medium-to-high possibility of earning money. However, considering the huge amount of two hundred and fifty thousand yuan spent on creating these fifty warriors, they had to sell one hundred thousand downloadable packages to recover their principal.
Pei Qian estimated that they would most probably be able to recover their principal, but there wasn't a high possibility of them profiting too much from that.
Game Designer's downloadable content was priced at five yuan. The game should be floating near the fine line that separated profitable from non-profitable.
The biggest issue was with Ocean Stronghold.
Ocean Stronghold had included new story plots, new settings, new characters, and new weapons. Those updates were all for free. The only chargeable item was a new epic weapon that sold a limited quantity.
Each month, the game would only sell five hundred of the 888- yuan weapons. That meant that Pei Qian could at most earn two hundred thousand yuan each month after tax and deducting the commission for the platform.
The main source of revenue for Ocean Stronghold was the inflating number of users and the adjacent increase in the number of Red Kilins sold. There were about tens of thousands of new players each month. Even if only a small proportion of them bought the Red Kilin, the total profit was still significant.
Taking that into account, the money earned from the new epic weapon was pretty insignificant.
Looking at the ledger for this month, the two hundred thousand yuan revenue was too little to recover the R&D costs. However, the main reason why the system did not point that out as a violation was that the new weapon was a long-term revenue source.
Once the new content has been updated, the company could earn the same amount monthly for the following few months. At the same time, the R&D costs of the new version were only a one-time deduction. Considering the publicity effect the update has on the game as current players' interest in the game was maintained and past players returned to the game, this was not considered an intentional loss in the long term.
Therefore, while it was almost guaranteed the new epic weapon in Ocean Stronghold would send players injecting money into the game—no matter how much they wanted to spend, they had to snap up the weapon before other players do. Therefore, Tengda could never earn more than the estimated two hundred thousand yuan. Pei Qian was not worried at all.
After the release of the Red Kilin, the new epic weapon that Ocean Stronghold was releasing was the Barrett Doom.
Seeing how extravagant the sniper rifle, Pei Qian could not conceal the smile on his face.
He seemed to be able to sense Lu Mingliang's grievance just by looking at the gun.
Lu Mingliang had previously reported on how the 500 limited quantity of the new epic weapon in Ocean Stronghold incited protests from the players. He suggested changing the quota to 5000, but his suggestion was rejected by Pei Qian.
It was apparent that Lu Mingliang had spent a lot of effort on this gun and was aiming to use it to earn money for Pei Qian.
As a sniper rifle, Barrett Doom was superior to the Red Kilin in both its design and functionality. However, so what if it was superior?
Pei Qian did not care about that at all. He was bent on selling on 500 rifles. He would admit defeat if he sold more than that number!
There was no way he could profit from the limited weapons sold, wasn't it?
After checking all the updates for the new version, Pei Qian was very satisfied. He had everything at Tengda under control at the very least.
Over at Shang Yang Games, the reputation of the old games was revived. However, he had reduced most of the profitable content in the games. It was very hard for the games to recover their principal. Pei Qian estimated that there should not be any more problems cropping up before the settlement date this time around.
As long as he was on his guard and paid attention to the profit figures ever so often, there should not be any problems.
Even if Huang Sibo managed to profit from his documentary, Pei Qian had five Fish-Catching Internet Cafes which were steadily losing money. The losses should be more than enough to cover the possible profits.
Moreover, there were also daily expenses and employee benefits. If he had another sudden spending…
Pei Qian felt that he should have no problems with losing one to two hundred thousand yuan this time!
Of course, he could not lower his guard.
Previously, every time Pei Qian thought that he was going to lose money, his employees always managed to surprise him. The stimulation that they gave him was more than his heart could handle.
This time, Pei Qian acted as though he was treading on thin ice. Until the last second of the settlement, he must not let his guard down!
Chapter 164: I'm Blessed to be an Employee at Tengda
Ma Yiqun was in a good mood recently. He felt that he had finally been accepted by Tengda and had officially become a member of the company. He had studied hard for two entire months to earn this valuable work opportunity. Hence, Ma Yiqun valued this opportunity a lot.
Ma Yiqun had worked earnestly on all the story plot and synopsis in the new version of the games. He had also improved on the game narratives that Ma Yang originally wrote casually for Ghost General.
Of course, he did not flaunt his eloquence mindlessly. He wrote the narratives based on the requirements in the game.
For example, Ghost General was a game on the Three Kingdoms. There was a lot of content that he could have written to introduce the warriors.
However, if he wrote it as a biography would, it would not coincide with the characteristics of the game itself.
As Ma Yiqun was working on this, he discovered that although the original warrior descriptions were very simple, the artistic conception of the words was extremely vivid. It matched the concept art perfectly!
As Ma Yiqun was wowed by the words, he did not forget to ask about the master who created this masterpiece.
He later knew that the original writer also had the surname Ma. Ma Yang was one of the founding members who founded the company with Boss Pei, and he had since climbed up the ranks. He was transferred from the games department and had found a wider platform to showcase his talents. Ma Yiqun was a little envious when he heard about that.
Finally, on top of keeping the original eloquence of the narratives, Ma Yiqun edited some words to make the narratives stand out even more.
He had also earnestly edited the narratives in Ocean Stronghold and Game Designer and tried his best to perfect them.
Ma Yiqun did not dare to make a single mistake. After all, other than the chief planner Lu Mingliang, his work might also be vetted by the notable game designer Boss Pei.
If his narratives were not up to standard—even if others could not tell, Boss Pei would definitely be able to see it. He must not try his luck.
He had finally managed to earn Boss Pei's trust. He did not want to lose it so quickly.
After completing all his work, Ma Yiqun finally exhaled deeply.
He recalled his two brothers. Huang Sibo's Fei Huang Workspace had been performing exceptionally well, and he had already moved to Shanghai to shoot his new video. Ye Zhizhou had become the chief planner of his previous company Shang Yang Games. Under Boss Pei's guidance, he managed to revive two dying games and rebuild their reputation. Ma Yiqun was very sentimental as he thought about that.
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"From some aspects, Boss Pei could be considered the savior of Jingzhou City's game industry!"
Ma Yiqun was even more impressed the more he thought about it.
As he went through the comments on the internet, he found that these downloadable contents had become a hot topic before they were even released.
Speaking of The Lonely Desert Road, it stood a chance of becoming the lamest game of the year. In this update, the game released new lame downloadable content and provided ten new settings in one go. This was a huge talking point that the media was crazily sharing and reporting on.
Ghost General was a conscience-driven game that had not been updated in a million years. All its players were anticipating the sudden version update.
The response for Game Designer was less intense. However, it was a work based on reality and was full of satire. Many fervent players bought it as part of their games collection. Now that it had new downloadable content, graphics style, and voiceover; they would definitely buy the update to enhance their collection.
The most debated game was Ocean Stronghold.
Currently, there were no leaked pictures of the new epic weapon online. However, news about the limited numbers sold spread like wildfire. Many players did not believe that. There were different reasons for that.
Some questioned if the number of weapons sold would ever reach 500 because of its 888-yuan price. They questioned if the game producers really thought that they could earn the players' money so easily. They thought that this restriction was totally unnecessary.
Those were players who could not count at all.
Some were astonished about the 500-limit. Why didn't the game company want to earn more money? The weapons would be sold out within minutes!
However, this news was very detailed. Therefore, some players believed that. They did not care about the new content in the new version of the game. Yet, they made a note to purchase the new epic weapon once the new version was updated.
Seeing how intense the discussions were, Ma Yiqun could not hide his smile.
So this is what accomplishment feels like!
When he was still at Shang Yang Games, the players would be nonchalant to the release of the new game versions. They only received a few feedbacks, and most of them were criticizing the updates.
He looked at Tengda Games.
The players were begging for a new game version. Before the content of the new updated version was revealed, the players had really prepared their money and were waiting eagerly.
This was the difference!
Ma Yiqun could not wait to see what happened once the new version was released.
Buzz… Buzz…
The phone on the table vibrated. The caller ID was not displayed. There was only a long chain of numbers.
Ma Yiqun looked at it and saw that it was a number he was familiar with. He hesitated for a while before rejecting the call.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was already 12 in the afternoon.
There were three smartly-dressed delivery men at the entrance of the company. They were each carrying a huge insulated delivery box.
"Huh? The equipment of the deliverymen changed?" Ma Yiqun was stunned.
The delivery men yesterday were dressed casually, and they did not use the same insulated delivery box.
However, their appearance today changed drastically!
The three delivery men wore a standardized yellow and blue uniform. Their uniforms were different from ordinary uniforms that were cheap and of bad quality. Their uniform used high-quality fabric, had detailed tailoring, and was relatively fashionable.
The three deliverymen looked pretty energetic. Coupled with their uniform and the new, custom-made, and standardized insulated delivery box; they appeared pretty professional.
The key thing was the four gigantic words on it—Fish-Catching Take-Out!
The other employees stood up and were ready to have their lunch. They were also a little shocked at the changes to the appearance of the delivery men.
However, this was not all.
The crowd went to the pantry for their lunch. They saw the three delivery men open the insulated delivery box and take out many white porcelain bowls. The porcelain bowls were covered with an air-tight lid.
All the individual dishes were served on white porcelain dishes. The combo meals and rice bowls that some ordered were served using glass lunch boxes. The two-tier lunch boxes contained small compartments that contained various dishes and rice. The food was glistering under the light and looked greatly appetizing.
Lastly, the delivery men took out exquisite gold chopsticks and spoons. They were wrapped in clean paper bags and could be used directly after removing them from the paper bags.
The crowd collected the food that they ordered respectively. Some of them shared a few orders. They opened the lids together.
"Did our meal standards experience a complete upgrade?"
"I don't think so. I think the dishes are the same. It's just the utensils that were changed!"
"Really? The chef is still the same? Why do I feel like the visuals of the food improved tremendously?"
Ma Yiqun received his meal combo, too. There were two tiers in the lunch box. The proportion of meat and vegetables were adequate. It was totally unlike the greasy and salty food that one would find in ordinary restaurants. They were simple home-cooked meals, but they were served in a glass lunch box. The food looked extremely appetizing as the lights shone on it.
In no time, the delivery men had taken all the food out and were arranging their stuff. "Enjoy your food. You can simply pack the utensils in a bag after finishing your food. There will be an assigned person who will collect them later in the evening."
"You're collecting them back?"
"Of course. These utensils are expensive."
"True that. Thank you three for your hard work!"
"The welfare and benefits in our company are really awesome…"
Very soon, the delicious aroma from the food permeated the entire pantry.
As Ma Yiqun was eating his combo meal, he felt that this was the most delicious food he had ever eaten. As compared to restaurants outside, the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe used less oil and less salt. The various ingredients used were also very fresh. This was undeniable.
Although there wasn't a lot of seasoning and the taste was worse, the food was definitely healthy.
The original meals were delivered using lunch boxes. Although the food tasted good, their appearance seemed cheap. It made people feel like they were having ten-something yuan food sold at roadside stalls. There was also a lack of ceremony when they ate with disposable wooden chopsticks and plastic lunch boxes.
"I had originally planned to cook at home and bring it to work. I've thrown the idea away. There was no way the food I cooked would be better than this."
"This is nutritious and healthy. I do not need to worry about my health when eating. Moreover, these are all home-cooked meals. I wouldn't get tired of these dishes even after a long time. I'm blessed to be Boss Pei's employee! Other people would never enjoy such benefits!"
"How much do you think this combo cost for outsiders?"
"I think it costs at least twenty yuan."
"Twenty? Don't forget that these utensils need to be returned! The labor cost of that is twice that of other food delivery services. I think this costs thirty yuan."
"Thirty seems a little expensive. I doubt anyone could afford that for a long time…"
"What are you guys saying? These are internal employee benefits. Do you think that Boss Pei is doing charity? Why would he sell such good stuff to ordinary people?"
"Didn't this say Fish-Catching Take-Out? He is obviously planning to create a new food delivery brand!"
Lin Wan held her meal combo and was enjoying her food.
She was used to having all kinds of delicacies. It felt nicely different to taste this kind of exquisite home-cooked meals occasionally. She was a little emotional as she ate.
In the six months that she was at Tengda, she seemed to always be moved by the touching scenarios that happened here.
Boss Pei was treating his employees too well! How could the world not shower such a good boss with love?
Lin Wan finally made up her mind. She found a number on her phone. She had decided to do something within her means.