Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

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.