Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

Obviously, H4 could only come in second place because of the lessons they had learned from DGE.

Put in another way, GOG's competition displayed high standards across the board, mainly because of the DGE Club's lessons!

If DGE had not repeatedly trained all the other clubs, they would not have developed their battle tactics so quickly, much less put up such an exciting performance.

Team Leader Su knew full well that, if the DGE Club had been allowed to take part in the competition, the championship trophy would have gone to them. The only question would have been which of DGE's teams would have won.

It was a pity that DGE was Boss Pei's own team and that it was directly connected to the organizers. As a result, they regrettably could not take part in the competition.

Feeling emotional, Team Leader Su said, "Boss Zhang, I heard that several clubs that had been observing all this time had just decided to set up GOG teams after watching yesterday's competition."

Before this, Team Leader Su had thought that Zhang Yuan was a team leader, just like him. However, after visiting DGE, he realized that a more accurate title for Zhang Yuan would have been 'Team Manager'. Thus, he started addressing Zhang Yuan differently as well.

"The situation is clear now. IOI is finished in the local industry. GOG has an unshakable stronghold.

"IOI's three attacks in the arms race stood no chance against GOG's. More importantly, IOI had not done anything wrong. It had made use of all the right marketing channels, and yet it still could not win GOG. That's enough to prove how impressive and powerful GOG is.

"That's why all the clubs are responding in this manner. If they had to choose one team to set up, they would choose GOG.

"After all, it would be far more worth it to focus on reaping all the benefits available within the country before trying to take part in an illusory international competition."

Zhang Yuan casually asked, "How sure are they that there are so many benefits to reap?"

Team Leader Su smiled. "Boss Zhang, you're asking the obvious.

"Before this, GOG came up with a rewards system based on the ranking charts and partnered Fish-Catching Internet Cafe to create a Great Esports Ecosystem. Now, it has even organized a competition… aren't the intentions clear as day?

"Boss Pei has big plans for the game!

"For all we know, Boss Pei would continue to organize large-scale competitions or even establish a complete professional league. Then, our clubs would benefit from Tengda's success, and our days would get better.

"We're not blind. Of course, we can still see these things for ourselves.

"Alright, Boss Zhang. We'll meet again in the future. You're welcome in Shanghai—Nevermind, we will come to Jingzhou more often."

Team Leader Su had intended to extend a warm invitation to Zhang Yuan at first. However, he quickly recalled the state of their training ground at home and then decided to drop it.

Zhang Yuan laughed and said, "Alright, you're always welcome!"

Team members from both teams shook hands.

"We've already agreed—we'll play a ranked game together when we get back!"

"We'll organize another mock competition in the near future!"

As he saw the two rented cars driving away, Huang Wang sighed.

"Too bad we couldn't take part. We would have been the champions for sure."

Old Zhou: "D*mn right, we would."

Obviously, both teams were very disappointed.

Although DGE's environment and treatment far surpassed the other clubs', the team members still wanted to compete on stage, win a trophy, and enjoy being applauded and cheered for.

That was every professional athlete's ultimate dream. Material conditions alone could not replace that.

Coach Yaling smiled. "Don't think too much, everyone. Boss Pei definitely has other plans for you."

They all looked at her suspiciously. "Is that so?"

Coach Yaling nodded. "Of course.

"Boss Pei personally set your training schedule, hired me to train you, planned additional meals and adequate nutrition for you, and hired a professional masseuse. He even provided a lot of funds for all of you to travel to various cities for mock competitions…

"Just think about it. If the DGE Club remained hidden under wraps without participating in any competitions, who would stand to lose the most?

"Boss Pei, obviously!

"If Boss Pei didn't have other plans for you, would it make sense for him to cultivate two strong esports teams and keep them under wraps? Of course not.

"That means Boss Pei probably does have other plans. Don't think about it, everyone. Just train hard. I believe that you will get a chance to stand on that stage one day!"

Everyone nodded one by one, thinking that what Coach Yaling had said made sense.

That's right. Boss Pei had invested so much money into the club. He can't possibly intend for us not to be seen or heard, right?

He must have other plans!

Don't overthink—just train hard to maintain our standard. Our chance will come!

…

"Achoo!"

Back in his office, Pei Qian sneezed out of nowhere. He quickly wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

Zhang Wang had just paid him a visit earlier to deliver a piece of good news. Manufacturing of the Fully-Automated Bicker Machines was complete! All of them were stacked up in the warehouses!

The warehouses couldn't fit anything else now, but Upwind Logistics and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe both needed a lot more storage space. That was why Zhang Wang's head hurt and also why he had come to ask Boss Pei for advice.

Pei Qian had waved his hand and said, "Isn't that easy?

"If the warehouses are full, just rent a few more! How big of a problem is that?"

Zhang Wang had originally intended to ask Boss Pei for tips on how to sell all the Fully-Automated Bickering Machines off.

The last thing that he had expected was for Boss Pei not to take the bait. Instead, he skipped the problem with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machines entirely and told them to rent a few more warehouses.

Helpless, Zhang Wang could only follow his instructions.

Once Zhang Wang left, Pei Qian checked how all of his businesses were doing and then decided that he had to make a trip to Shang Yang Games.

GOG's competition had completely overshadowed IOI's over the weekend. That must have been a big blow for everyone at Shang Yang Games, who had probably lost their fighting spirit and enthusiasm.

Still, that couldn't be helped. Boss Pei had tried his best.

In fact, Pei Qian concluded that continuing to struggle would be pointless. He wanted to shorten their pain and turn IOI's local server into a loss-incurring machine.

At that thought, he stood up to leave his office for Shang Yang Games, where he could check in on his employees.

…

In Shang Yang Games' conference room…

Pei Qian and everyone at the office had nothing to say to one another. The atmosphere took a slight downturn.

That's right… What should I say?

Ever since they started managing IOI's local server, they had made three attacks. Yet, each time, GOG managed to completely deflect it. They had spent a considerable amount of money, but all of it had only served to aid GOG.

Now, GOG's place in the market was as stable and unshakable as a mountain.

They already lost three times; could they still avoid admitting defeat? Did they really have to be defeated seven times before they gave up?

In short, this was Shang Yang Games' first time failing so helplessly ever since they started working under Boss Pei. Of course, everyone was extremely low in spirits.

One could say that they had truly experienced the genuine frustration that other companies did when competing against Tengda Corporation.

Thus, what IOI should do next was the key question.

Pei Qian thought about letting it continue to run in its lifeless state so that he could burn more money. It'll be good to have a loss-incurring tool like that.

After considering for a moment, he said, "Don't be sad, everyone. The loss of IOI's local server is not your fault. The problem lies with Finger Games.

"After this, we'll leave a few people to continue cooperating with Finger Games to run IOI's local server. The rest of you can take a break and prepare to work on the new project."

Pei Qian was speaking very nonchalantly as if this was an everyday occurrence. He had indeed gotten over IOI's loss. After all, between GOG and IOI, the loser would have been made his loss-incurring tool. There was no point being hung up over who exactly had lost.

Although IOI's defeat would have created more problems for him, there were already far too many things that he had to worry about. Comparatively, IOI's local server was a negligible issue.

After a moment of silence, Ye Zhizhou said, "Boss Pei, are you planning to give up on IOI's local server…?"

Pei Qian cleared his throat and rushed to comfort him. "It's alright, they're all the same."

He was just about to say more comforting words, but he suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say.

At that moment, Lin Wan, who had been sitting beside him, spoke up. "That's right. Boss Pei is right. They're all the same.

"GOG and IOI's 'arms race' had significantly pushed the boundaries of this game genre. We competed three times in total and attracted many new gamers who had been used to playing other kinds of games.

"That means we did not waste our money. All of those gamers would be taken in by GOG, and the results would be even greater than if GOG had been on its own!

"Whether GOG or IOI wins, Tengda would still be the winner. In fact, GOG's win would be better news for Tengda Corporation!

"What's more, we didn't fail because of our management… but because of Finger Games. IOI's game design is outdated, and its response is not as quick as GOG's. Of course, it failed in the local market.

"So…

"Boss Pei, did you plan for all of this to happen?"

Lin Wan thought backward based on the results and suddenly realized that creating a 'dog-eat-dog competition' had indeed been the best publicity strategy!

On top of that, Boss Pei had been jumping back and forth between GOG and IOI while they had been competing. First, he hinted at Min Jingchao to crowdsource heroes, and then he instructed Shang Yang Games to incite a Sino-foreign confrontation. All of it forced Lin Wan to conclude that Boss Pei had planned for this outcome all along.

Pei Qian remained silent for a moment and then nodded and said, "More or less."

At first, he wanted to say that the current situation was far from his hopes. However, on second thought, he realized that everyone would just conjure things up in their heads if he said that.

Maybe everyone would wonder what Boss Pei's original plan looked like, whether they were lacking in any aspect or not, whether they could salvage the situation or not, and why Boss Pei was not directly pointing their mistakes out to them.

If they let their unlimited imaginations run wild, the consequences could be dire.

Thus, he was better off admitting that he had planned everything, so that everyone would give up on IOI in peace.

Hearing Boss Pei's response, everyone visibly relaxed.

It looks like the problem didn't lie with us - Boss Pei's plan had been like that from the beginning! What's more, Finger Games is mainly to blame for our loss. It has nothing to do with us!

Now that they could shirk the blame, everyone naturally felt better. Strictly speaking, this had not been a failure. Everyone had only done what was expected of them and worked with Tengda Games to push GOG to the top.

From another angle, it was a good thing. They were all under the same company, and it did not matter who won in the end. What's more, GOG was Tengda's biological child, and it could generate far more profits for the company.

At the same time, Pei Qian was inwardly celebrating what Lin Wan had said.

Lin Wan was so open-minded. It went to show that she did not feel overly defeated by the entire fiasco. Pei Qian could still work harder to bluff her into going home and inheriting her family business…

Yet, Lin Wan started at that moment. Sounding emotional, she said, "However, this period made me see more clearly where I fall short. I'm still a long way from where I want to be. I think I should remain in Tengda and work harder! Boss Pei, please give Shang Yang Games more tasks!"

Pei Qian: "?"

Wait, didn't you manage to shirk responsibility? Why do you still want to remain in Tengda to work hard? Stop working so hard! Can you just go home?!

Pei Qian quickly said, "The problem doesn't lie with you. You've already done very well! Don't be too critical of yourself!"

Lin Wan shook her head. "Boss Pei, don't bother comforting me. I know my own standards very well.

"I led Shang Yang Games to play our roles very well this time, and I shouldn't blame myself for the failures of IOI's local server. However, I didn't manage to understand your true intentions early enough. That means I am still a long way from sharing your vision!

"I can only truly go out on my own when I can plan and strategize far into the future, just like Boss Pei!"

Boss Pei rested his head in his hands, feeling extremely exhausted. He was finished. From the looks of the current situation, this lady was not planning to leave!

Forget it, he had to cast aside the plan to chase Lin Wan away for now. He could take it one step at a time in the future.

Now, after working so hard for so long, he had finally turned IOI's local server into a loss-incurring machine. At least he had not wasted his efforts.

He should be satisfied for now.

Pei Qian scanned everyone around him. "You've worked hard, everyone. Get some rest during this period. Take a holiday. Don't think about anything related to IOI anymore."

Everyone was stunned. Don't think about anything related to IOI anymore? They had failed to win GOG, but that did not mean they had to give up completely, did it?

They still had to maintain daily operations, didn't they?

After all, Tengda still had the management rights of IOI's local server and shares in Finger Games!

Wang Xiaobin looked confused. "Boss Pei, are you telling us to stop managing IOI's local server altogether?"

Pei Qian nodded. "Yes, stop for a couple of days. We'll discuss it again after that."

Now that he had gotten Boss Pei's confirmation, Wang Xiaobin found it inappropriate to question him even further.

Pei Qian stood up. "Alright, if there's nothing else, please be dismissed, everyone."

Everyone stood back up with strange expressions. Some looked indignant, and others looked burdened. Yet, Pei Qian was deep in thought about how to make IOI's local server incur losses without causing everyone to become suspicious.

This was a highly technical task that he had to consider carefully.

At that moment, Lin Wan let out an 'eh' while surfing her cell phone.

"Boss Pei, it seems like Handong Province wants to introduce a full-scale garbage sorting! What's more, I heard that the garbage would be very strictly sorted. The garbage sorting list looks very complicated as well!"

Pei Qian looked nonchalant. "And so?"

Garbage sorting was no big deal. Was there a need for such a huge reaction? At worst, throwing rubbish would be a bit more troublesome.

What's more, I always order Fish-Catching Take-Out. I don't have to throw rubbish. Why would I be concerned about garbage sorting?

Eh?

Wait a minute—Fish-Catching Take-Out?

All of a sudden, Pei Qian realized that things were not as simple as they seemed. His expression froze.

The words 'garbage sorting' felt like countless daggers piercing his back.

He was in big trouble!