Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

November 29th, Monday…

Pei Qian arrived at Tengda and began his patrols as per usual. The moment he entered, he felt a different atmosphere in the office compared to before. As for what exactly was different…

On closer inspection, Pei Qian realized that everyone seemed to be much busier than usual.

"Have you fixed the bug we talked about earlier?"

"Yes, I have."

"Why is it appearing again, then?"

"It can't be… let me check. That's not right; I've already submitted it!"

"Holy sh*t, why are there bugs even in Repent and be Saved?!"

It was a chaotic scene.

From the looks of the situation, bugs were not only appearing in GOG, which had just been developed. Instead, deeply-hidden bugs were appearing even in earlier games like Repent and be Saved and Game Designer.

Everyone became extremely distraught by the appearance of these bugs. They no longer looked as calm as before.

Pei Qian could not help but smile.

Good! Very good!

Having bugs meant that the research and development process would be delayed. The game would also require much more work than they had initially expected.

Pei Qian's requirement for the research and development process was very simple. They just had to finish it within the System's stipulated time.

However, as the company developed more games, it earned more funds and everyone gained more research and development experience. Thus, Tengda Games' efficiency improved along the way as well.

That gave rise to a very awkward problem for Pei Qian.

Pei Qian had initially planned for research and development to take more than four months, but it was complete in just over three!

That meant they had another month extra.

What was Pei Qian to do?

The game was already done. Pei Qian could not possibly have stopped it from being released, right? There was no good reason for him to do so.

Thus, he had to tearfully release the game early.

However, bugs had suddenly appeared in the game now. The team needed more time to work on them, and Pei Qian had a reason to push back the game's official release.

He could aim for the game to be released a week before settlement, so that he could forego an entire month's worth of revenue!

That was too important. Foregoing a month's worth of revenue could potentially save Pei Qian's life!

At that thought, Pei Qian grabbed Glabella—laying on the ground for its afternoon nap—and forcefully patted it. Then, satisfied, he walked into his office.

Indeed, Pei Qian felt much more relaxed after adding the halo effect to the company!

Tang Yishu had been reading at her work desk when she saw Pei Qian walking towards her. She thought he had instructions for her at first, but Pei Qian ended up walking past her without saying a single word.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but felt too embarrassed to stop Pei Qian midway. Thinking that she would have many opportunities to speak to him in the future, she decided that she would ask her questions next time.

Glabella, whose afternoon nap had been disrupted, ran to Tang Yishu's legs and started meowing as if trying to show its displeasure or cursing Pei Qian.

…

…

Pei Qian had just sat down for a while when he heard a knock on his office door.

Hao Yun walked in and said, "Boss Pei, preparation for the recruitment examinations has been more or less completed.

"The papers have been set and sealed away. The seals would only be removed on the day of the examination.

"We've booked an auditorium in a hotel to hold the examinations. The hotel will set it up in the examination format on the day itself. It'll be able to hold hundreds of people.

"As you had instructed earlier, we have also booked accommodation for applicants coming from other cities.

"We've also discussed with the postgraduate students from Handong University regarding invigilation and marking of the papers. Their remuneration has been set for three hundred yuan per day.

"If there are no other questions or issues, we can set the date and make the relevant announcements."

Pei Qian nodded. "Thank you."

Actually, he was not that anxious about recruitment. However, the HR department had been extremely efficient throughout the entire process. Everything had been put together much quicker than he had expected.

All in all, the preparation had taken them less than a month.

Although Tengda's recruitment inbox was practically overflowing, Pei Qian guessed that not many people would come down to take the examinations.

That was because Pei Qian had created too long a process. After taking the examinations, applicants would have to wait for the papers to be marked. After the results were released, applicants would be called to attend interviews. Only after the results of those were out would applicants be considered selected by Tengda.

Yet, even then, they had to pass the Tengda Spirit compatibility test.

The entire process was written very clearly on the recruitment website where applicants had to print their entry proof.

Foreign applicants looking for a job at Tengda would have to travel back and forth at least twice—once for the written examinations and another for the interview.

Although Tengda would cover their accommodation fees, they still had to waste a considerable amount of time.

Since many applicants were already working at another job, they would find it difficult to apply for leave. Furthermore, even if they expended all the necessary time and effort, they could end up failing and wasting it all.

Applicants with rich working experience would not be more advantaged compared to fresh graduates in a recruitment process like this. Thus, their willingness to be put through the process would likely be significantly reduced.

Thus, the first recruitment drive would likely not be large-scale.

Pei Qian glanced at the calendar. "Let's set it for next Monday. It may be a bit rushed, but we can't drag this any further. We have to try and finish the recruitment process by December."

If they delayed it any further, companies would have held their year-end meetings and distributed the year-end bonuses. In other words, more people would seek to switch jobs, and there would be more talents in the market.

Hao Yun nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei. I'll set a time based on your instructions and send an announcement to the applicants."

Immediately after Hao Yun left, Li Yada entered.

"Boss Pei, there are two things I need to ask you.

"First, more and more bugs have been appearing in our games for some reason. What's more, they're not just appearing in our new game, GOG. They're also appearing in our earlier games…

"Can we allow our design team to work overtime over these few days?"

Instinctively, Pei Qian wanted to turn down the request. However, on second thought, he realized that slowing down the entire research and development process could prevent the game from being released before settlement.

He was allowed to leave one project unreleased during this cycle, but there were other projects which would possibly not be completed in time such as the cell phone.

Thus, he had to make sure that settlement would not be delayed as a result of the game's research and development progress.

Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, ease up the overtime limit, but make sure you keep track of how much everyone is working. This won't just be for the sake of distributing overtime pay; we also have to make sure everyone has enough rest. We have to strike a good work-life balance, understand?"

It looked like Tang Yishu's halo effect was not only slowing down the game's research and development but also allowing Boss Pei to distribute more overtime pay. It was so worth it!

Li Yada nodded. "Alright. The second thing is that Big Boss Ruan Guangjian is intending to come to Jingzhou. Should we house him?"

Pei Qian frowned.

Ruan Guangjian?

There was no need to flip his little notebook to confirm this; he was Pei Qian's second target after Teacher Qiao.

"What's he coming to Jingzhou for?" Pei Qian asked.

Li Yada explained, "We have been working with him all this time, right? We're also working with him to design GOG's characters now.

"However, while designing our heroes, Ruan Guangjian increasingly felt that long-distance communication was inefficient and inadequate for explaining a lot of details. He became worried that he would not fully capture our ideas for our heroes.

"After all, this game would be different from all the others. Designing original heroes would be much more complicated as well since Ruan Guangjian has no existing images to refer to. The slightest difference could lead to huge losses.

"That was why he decided to come over to improve communication. He could even visit you while he's in the city."

Once again, Pei Qian was at a loss for words.

"We'll host him; of course, we'll host him! Book Ming Yun Private Kitchen and all the roller coaster rides! These exciting activities can give him more inspiration for sure!

"Don't inform him about it either. Let it be a surprise!"

Li Yada was shocked. "Oh… alright."

Pei Qian leaned back in his chair, obviously pleased with himself.

Ruan Guangjian is coming to Jingzhou? Hmph, watch how I set you up once you arrive in my territory!

…

Pei Qian watched more shows for a while and began to feel bored. There hadn't been much for him to do recently. That was because nothing had been produced, and he could not interfere in anything.

The only project he could oversee was Fei Huang Workspace's production of the movie. He could cause some trouble there.

However, a careless 'word of advice' from Pei Qian had helped improve Lu Zhiyao's performance last week. Now, he did not dare to return.

Pei Qian felt melancholic.

All of a sudden, he recalled Tang Yishu and wondered if the little girl was getting used to working in the company. Harboring genuine concern for his employees, Pei Qian sent a message to Tang Yishu, asking her to come into the office.

Half a minute later, a figure appeared outside his door. She reluctantly reached out and then put her hand down again as if she was plucking up the courage just to knock on the door.

"Come in," said Pei Qian.

Tang Yishu carefully pushed the door open and walked in with her head lowered. While pinching her fingers nervously, she greeted Pei Qian. "S-Senior."

"The down jacket looks quite nice." Pei Qian casually praised her. "Are you getting used to working here?"

Tang Yishu nodded and softly replied, "Yes, it's just that… I have nothing much to do."

Pei Qian pondered for a moment and realized that it was probably true.

Cats generally did not require much attention or care. All Tang Yishu had to do was clear its poop once and feed it twice every day.

Unlike dogs, cats did not have to be walked or bathed.

After some consideration, Pei Qian said, "If you see stray cats outside in the future, you can bring them into the office as well. Of course, you must first bring them to the vet to be vaccinated and rid of any fleas. If you need to incur any expenses, feel free to report it to the finance department."

Tang Yishu answered, "A-Alright, Senior."

Pei Qian was merely using Tang Yishu to produce the halo effect. At the moment, it looked like it was working pretty well. The money was very well-spent.

Since Tang Yishu was feeling bored, Pei Qian did not mind taking in more cats. In any case, they would only produce a bit more poop. It wouldn't make much of a difference to Tang Yishu.

Pei Qian was just about to ask Tang Yishu to go back to work when he realized that she was looking quite conflicted. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she was also holding back her words.

"Do you have something to say?"

Tang Yishu hesitated for a couple of seconds and finally plucked up the courage to speak. "Senior, do people in this company try to steal business secrets?"

"Steal business secrets?" Pei Qian looked shocked for a moment, and then he smiled. "What are you thinking about? You don't have to worry about this at all."

Tang Yishu heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Alright. That's all I had to say, Senior. I-I'm going back to work."

Pei Qian could not help but smile and shake his head as he watched Tang Yishu leave his office.

This girl was really simple and honest. She must have watched too many dramas to think that people in the company would steal business secrets. They were just an ordinary games company. What kind of business secrets were there to steal…?

Pei Qian went back to watching his shows. All of a sudden, he realized that there was a problem.

"That's not right. Tang Yishu had only started work last week. Why would she be worried about others stealing business secrets?

"Had she noticed someone acting sneakily?

"That's not right either. On normal days, everyone would be working hard at their desks. No matter who Tang Yishu noticed, she would probably not think that they were stealing business secrets, right?

"Why did she suspect that someone was stealing business secrets?

"…Wait a moment. Did she see someone over the weekend?"

All of a sudden, Pei Qian realized that things were not as simple as they seemed!