Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

Although he had verbally agreed, Pei Qian knew very well that he could not rush these things. He had to consider this at length and approach it carefully.

Lin Wan was now extremely confident. At the same time, she was extremely wary of her own family members.

Pei Qian was sure that she knew her father would be anxious about her game's success. She would expect him to plot for her return to the family. If Pei Qian made it just a little bit too obvious, Lin Wan would realize what he was up to for sure.

Thus, not only did Pei Qian have to think of a way to send Lin Wan away, but he could not also allow Lin Wan to think that it had anything to do with her own family. She could not suspect that her father, Lin Yu, and the others were trying to cause trouble for her behind the scenes.

How should he go about it?

It would have been a good choice to select her as the most outstanding employee, but it's still too early to select the most outstanding employee now.

What if he made an exception for Lin Wan and held a selection in the near future?

On one hand, it seemed too fake. On the other hand, he could not guarantee that everyone would vote for Lin Wan. Bao Xu was also a strong competitor.

If he wanted to make sure Lin Wan was selected, Pei Qian would have to resort to under-the-table tricks. That was too troublesome.

Pei Qian pondered for a moment and decided that the best way would be to expand the business.

He would tell Lin Wan that Tengda was planning to start a new business. As the most outstanding employee, Lin Wan would be put in charge of a new job.

Then, he would make her life more difficult so that she would back off. Yet, how should he go about it practically?

Pei Qian had not thought about a good idea yet.

For now, Pei Qian had no choice but to verbally promise Lin Chang and Lin Yu. He could not rush things.

After all, Repent and Be Saved would be released in about a week or so. Pei Qian's primary goal was to ensure that he would incur losses before settlement.

…

September 29th, Wednesday…

Pei Qian went to check on Fish Catching Internet Cafe's new branch.

Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan followed Pei Qian's requests strictly and made opening for business as soon as possible their first priority. Thus, they did not spend too much time on renovation. The internet cafe still looked largely simple.

However, they purchased identical tables and computers as before. In addition, they put up Fish Catching Internet Cafe's logo at the entrance. One would still be able to tell this branch belonged to them.

Pei Qian walked around the shop, feeling satisfied.

After getting rid of the coffee shop and bar, the entire shop became mostly occupied by computers. It looked much more compact than the existing branches.

There was a lounge area with a projector just like the mini cinema in the existing Fish Catching Internet Cafe branches.

After all, the mini cinema took up space but did not generate revenue. Pei Qian did not see a reason to get rid of it.

The hardware was still top-quality and guaranteed that bigger games would be able to run on them. In fact, it was more than enough to play games on.

After he surveyed the branch, he praised Zhang Yuan and Ma Yang's efficiency and then left. It did not matter what condition the internet cafe was in now—as long as it was able to incur losses with the next week or two.

Thus, Pei Qian had to observe the situation for the week.

Finally, Pei Qian returned to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Handong University branch. Research and development of Repent and Be Saved were almost complete. They were supposed to release the game on October 1st. At the moment, the final edits were mostly done.

In other words, Teacher Qiao had finished his historical assignment.

In this month or so, Teacher Qiao had made significant contributions to the system's design of Repent and Be Saved. Pei Qian remained deeply grateful for him.

It was time for Pei Qian to say some sincere words to Teacher Qiao.

"Boss Pei, thank you for taking care of me during this period. This trip to Jingzhou has been very meaningful to me!

"Repent and Be Saved is rich in content and meaning. Once I get back to Beijing, I will produce a video to share the lessons I have learned from playing this game!"

Qiao Liang looked extremely energetic. Ever since he arrived in Jingzhou, Qiao Liang had been on an emotional rollercoaster. He faced many setbacks and difficulties.

He felt overjoyed, confused, and doubtful of his own life.

Yet, now, he only had one feeling: a sense of achievement!

Apart from the material rewards, he also had the chance to see Boss Pei face to face. He ate top-quality delicacies in the nameless restaurant and completed Repent and Be Saved before anyone else had the chance to play it.

To Qiao Liang, he already had a significant edge over other UP Masters. In terms of skills or understanding of the game, he would be much better than others. Once he produced a video introducing the game, it would prove to be another explosive one!

At that thought, Qiao Liang felt the fighting spirit ignite in his heart. He was going to gain much more popularity!

However, Pei Qian remained quiet. This was especially so when he heard Qiao Liang say he would produce a video as soon as possible. At once, both his hands began to tremble.

Pei Qian knew how influential Teacher Qiao's videos could be. From The Lonely Desert Road to Game Designer, Teacher Qiao's videos brought huge waves of attention and players. They always caused huge losses to Pei Qian.

Thus, he had to take care of an unstable factor like Teacher Qiao. At the very least, Pei Qian could not allow history to repeat itself.

His expression still serious, Pei Qian said, "No, Teacher Qiao, you cannot publish a video."

Qiao Liang paused. "Why not?"

He looked confused. Aren't I advertising on your behalf by publishing videos?

What's more, Repent and Be Saved is such a difficult game. The plot is so deep. Don't you want a hardcore gamer like me to explain it to ordinary players?

Boss Pei had purposely invited me over here to try the game out. He must have intended for me to produce a video about it, right?

Pei Qian cleared his throat and said, "Teacher Qiao, would you reveal and review the entire plot of a movie the moment it's released?"

Qiao Liang hesitated. "Er… I wouldn't."

Spoil the plot? That would be too cruel! It would be like circling the murderer on the first page of a detective comic. That was inhumane behavior!

Pei Qian nodded. "Exactly.

"The audience's experience would be greatly discounted if they read the plot review before watching the actual movie. There was a great difference between the first and second time watching the same movie.

"It was the same for games as well. The more special a game was, the more it was so!"

Qiao Liang felt slightly confused, but he was beginning to understand. Indeed, Repent and be Saved was a special game. He had been tortured when he first played it.

Pei Qian tried to sound genuine as he said, "Think about the first time you played the game. How did you feel?

"Did you feel astonished, shocked, and slightly intrigued?

"That was because you had no clear expectation of the game before you actually played it. That was what contributed to these amazing feelings.

"If you publish a video about the game so soon, you would be hinting to other players that the game would be incredibly difficult, and they would have to keep digging to understand the plot of the game. If players come to the game with these expectations, they would not enjoy the same experience as you. Do you understand?

"All in all, I'm just trying to say don't be the person who spoils the plot."

Qiao Liang blinked hard, finally understanding what Boss Pei meant. What's more, he felt like the latter sounded quite logical.

When he first played Repent and be Saved, he was indeed tortured miserably. He was filled with confusion, but that confusion felt… quite beautiful at the same time.

He experienced the same thing for many other games as well. At first, he would always be the lousy one, being tortured by others. Yet, that was where the fun was. In fact, it could be quite addictive.

Once he became a professional at the games, his entire attitude towards them would change. He would not be able to recreate the same experience he had the first time around.

If he created a video explaining Repent and be Saved in detail, players would already expect the game to be hard before entering it. Wouldn't that affect their attitude towards it?

Qiao Liang guessed it most likely would.

Thus, Boss Pei was indeed thoughtful.

Yet… how about his popularity…?

Qiao Liang kept silent for a moment and said, "Boss Pei, you are right indeed. My video might affect players' first impression of the game.

"However, even if I don't create a video, other UP Masters might…"

Qiao Liang felt indignant. The first UP Master to create a video about the game would enjoy the greatest benefits. Was he supposed to give up such an excellent opportunity to gain more popularity?

Pei Qian expected that he would think that way. Thus, he nodded and said, "I know, that's unavoidable. However, you've spent such a long time on the game after all. You're the UP Master with the deepest understanding of the game.

"I suggest that you wait at least a week after its release before you upload a video about the game. At the very least, the first batch of players would be able to experience the game firsthand.

"Even if you wait a week more, you would surely still be faster than other UP Masters.

"At the same time, other players would experience the torture that you went through at first."

A realization dawned on Qiao Liang. That's right!

When I first started playing the game, I was tortured miserably! I navigated my way around the game on my own. How can I make it so easy for others, then?!

The rest must suffer as well!

If players watch my walkthrough only after being tortured, they would see me as their hero. They would be immensely grateful to me!

That's amazing!

At that thought, Qiao Liang nodded profusely. "No problem! I shouldn't affect the players' gaming experience. I'll only upload a walkthrough a week later.

"Boss Pei, you have really thought everything through. What a noble designer; you're always prioritizing gamer experience!"

Pei Qian could not help but smile slightly.

Alright, I've successfully hoodwinked him!

Actually, Pei Qian was not at all concerned about gamer experience. He was mainly concerned with lowering the influence of Teacher Qiao's videos.

If Teacher Qiao published a video immediately after the game was released, players would watch it and grow in tolerance and patience for the game.

That would weaken the game's ability to repel gamers, and result in fewer people refunding the game. Wouldn't that increase the amount of revenue generated by the game?

Pei Qian could not allow such a thing to happen!

On the flip side, if Teacher Qiao waited for a week before uploading a video, gamers would have no choice but to try completing the game on their own. After being battered and bruised by the game, they would surely leave a ton of negative comments on Repent and be Saved's page.

In a week, those who wanted to refund the game or curse its developers would have done so. Also, hardcore players would likely have roughly figured the game out. Naturally, others would start creating walkthroughs. Any video which Teacher Qiao released at that time would probably not be as influential.

Its effect on Repent and be Saved's revenue would also be minimized.

Pei Qian could not help but feel immensely proud of himself. He managed to deal with this threat with just a few words.

His hope was for gamers to become as irritated as possible with Repent and be Saved. That would cause its reputation to hit rock bottom and be unsalvageable within the first week after its release.

Even if Teacher Qiao published a video then, it would be useless!