Losing Money to Be a Tycoon - Chapter 265
Chapter 265: Take This as Black Rice!
September 20th…
Pei Qian had booked Ming Yun Private Kitchen on the 20th of every month. Although Boss Pei was disappointed that Ming Yun Private Kitchen was now generating profits, he could not save on such expenses.
In fact, it was precisely because Ming Yun Private Kitchen was no longer incurring losses that he had to pull all stops. He had to channel his sorrow to his appetite and stuff himself with food from Ming Yun Private Kitchen, so that he could spend as much money as possible!
Although Ming Yun Private Kitchen was his own restaurant, he had to pay for the food he ate. Take the King Crab that he ate the last time for example. Based on the price of the ingredients alone, each bite cost him thousands of yuan.
It would be a great help to Boss Pei if everyone ate all the expensive food to their heart’s content!
Lin Canrong and the staff at Ming Yun Private Kitchen were already extremely busy. Apart from preparing the ingredients, Ming Yun Private Kitchen also had to prepare the decorations, the tables, the cutleries, and whatnot in the most high-class way possible.
Pei Qian had nothing better to do that day. Thus, he decided to go to the restaurant early to have a cup of tea and watch the staff hustle and bustle around him.
They worked in a very organized manner, taking care of every detail as they moved tables, changed table cloths, and laid out the cutlery.
The waiters were all wearing a pair of white gloves. Coupled with the elegant dining environment, the place looked extremely impressive.
Pei Qian sipped his tea, feeling sorrowful. This beautiful place is no longer mine alone to enjoy. What a pity.
Lin Canrong gave the waiters a few simple instructions and then sat opposite Boss Pei to keep him company.
After hosting so many banquets, the waiters seemed to be running on auto-pilot. Each of them knew their own responsibilities well and did not need Lin Canrong to guide them every step of the way.
“Boss Pei, let me tell you about the private kitchen’s situation and revenue…” Lin Canrong looked very proud.
Pei Qian quickly set his cup down and raised his hand to stop him. “There’s no need!
“I trust that you’ll take good care of this place. You don’t have to report the results to me anymore! Remember, reputation should be prioritized over making a profit. As long as the restaurant’s rating on TPDb remains good, you can relax.”
Lin Canrong felt comforted as he nodded. “Alright, Boss Pei.”
Ai, it’s so rare for bosses to be like Boss Pei, who is so easy-going and has complete trust in his employees!
Pei Qian felt speechless.
D*mn it, Lin Canrong. I came here in a good mood, ready to have a good meal. Why are you trying to hurt me like that?
I’m in enough pain knowing that Ming Yun Private Kitchen has become popular. Now, you’re rubbing salt in my wounds. Just wait. You’ll be in my first-place-elimination system soon!
A while later, the employees of Shang Yang Games arrived.
When he saw Ye Zhizhou, Wang Xiaobin, and Lin Wan—his beloved generals—Boss Pei could not help but smile.
These are my good employees!
Ever since I bought Shang Yang Games, it has been burning money on my behalf. I even managed to burn over ten million yuan by producing Bloody Battle Song: The Powerful Version.
These results were outstanding to Boss Pei.
Everyone in Ming Yun Private Kitchen, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, and Tengda is only interested in making money for me. All of them should learn from you guys!
Pei Qian stopped short of rewarding outstanding employees in Shang Yang Games and inviting employees of Tengda’s group of companies to learn from them.
Pei Qian looked pleased as a punch—as he gestured for everyone to take their seats.
As the backbone of Shang Yang Games, Ye Zhizhou, Wang Xiaobin, and Lin Wan had been invited to Ming Yun Private Kitchen once before. However, this was the first time for many other employees of Shang Yang Games.
Pei Qian did not trust Shang Yang Games before; that was why he had not treated them like his own employees. He wanted to give himself some time to observe them.
Now, the observation period was almost over. Everyone in Shang Yang Games had successfully burned enough money to earn Boss Pei’s appreciation and favor.
After this, Pei Qian planned to invest more money in the company so that he could happily incur losses!
Everyone took their seats.
The dining tables in the hall had already been changed. Before this, the hall was filled with tables for two, arranged far apart from one another. Now, there was a big, round table in the center of the hall which could seat more than twenty people. The other employees were sent into various private rooms.
The tables, chairs, and cutlery looked gorgeous, and they made everyone feel like they were having a feast in a European court.
Even before the food was served, one of the employees began to salivate purely from looking at the beautiful plates and cutlery on the table.
“I’m glad I didn’t eat lunch. I was waiting for this feast!”
The slightly older employee next to him quickly nudged him. Boss Pei is still here—mind your words!
He was sure that Boss Pei could hear his colleague from this distance.
Indeed, Boss Pei turned around. “Young man, what is your name?”
The young man who said he skipped lunch jumped. In his heart, he wondered if he said something wrong.
However, since Boss Pei was the one speaking to him, he did not dare to lie. He had no choice but to answer truthfully. “I… I am Hao Qiong[1].”
Pei Qian immediately sat upright. What a good name! From the name alone, I can tell that you’re just the employee I need!
“Everyone, learn from Little Hao, understand?
“I won’t lay down hard and fast rules for this meal, but come with an empty stomach next time—just like Little Hao!
“Of course, I’m not saying you should skip lunch. Just eat enough so that you wouldn’t starve to death.
“I’ve worked so hard to prepare the best food for you. Don’t let it go to waste. Even if you want to puke after eating the food, at least it would have been in your system!
“Quick, the food is here! Everyone, eat as much as you can. If you leave any food untouched after tonight, you’ll remain here and eat until tomorrow morning!”
Everyone was reserved at first, but after hearing Boss Pei’s speech, they all laughed.
“No problem, Boss Pei! Even if we puke, we’ll make sure we finish every bit of food!”
“Aiya, I ate too much for lunch. I regret that now.”
“If you really cannot finish the food, you’ll have no choice but to work overtime. I’m sure you can finish all the food if you’re given the entire night, right?”
“No way! We have to uphold Tengda’s tradition of not working overtime! Work hard, everyone!”
The waiters had served the food. Everyone joked around with one another while stuffing their faces with food. The atmosphere was extremely harmonious.
When he saw how everyone in Shang Yang Games was acting, Pei Qian felt elated. He was beginning to like these employees more and more.
He loved the way they bummed around!
This was an excellent quality that Tengda’s employees lacked!
Now, Bloody Battle Song: The Powerful Version’s figures were a mess. It was a long way from recovering its capital. Any employee with the slightest sense of responsibility would not think about feasting at this moment. Instead, they would be preoccupied with how to bring the game back to life.
Even if they did not really care, they should at least act like they did and remain low-profile, right?
Yet, how were these employees acting? They looked completely elated. Nobody would have been able to tell that the game they just released was an absolute failure and that they were upset about it.
How could such slackers achieve anything for the company?
Pei Qian waved his hand, and a waiter served an opened bottle of red wine.
“Pour a glass for everyone. Drink less and eat more. The wine is not cheap, but it still fills your stomach. You must choose the most expensive food to enjoy!
“Ai, Little Hao, why aren’t you using your chopsticks?”
Pei Qian was walking around the restaurant when he saw that Hao Qiong was not digging into the lobster and sashimi in front of him. Instead, he was staring at the kitchen as if waiting for something.
When he heard Boss Pei’s question, Hao Qiong quickly explained, “Boss Pei, from a young age, I’ve eaten carbohydrates to pad my stomach before eating other food. Can I have a bowl of rice?”
Pei Qian could not help but frown. “What’s wrong with you?”
Pei Qian had not ordered any carbohydrates when he planned the menu.
Although there were rice and noodles in the kitchen, Pei Qian could not bear to fill his employees’ stomachs with such food. He scanned the food on the table and then placed a plate of caviar in front of Hao Qiong.
“You can take this as rice.”
Hao Qiong looked confused. He had never seen anything like that. “Boss Pei, what is this?”
“Take this as black rice! Eat it with a bit of soya sauce or crab roe. Don’t hesitate, just try it!”
Pei Qian patted Hao Qiong on the shoulder and then walked away. He believed that Hao Qiong would be able to overcome this minor psychological barrier. Indeed, after making his rounds, Pei Qian returned to find Hao Qiong gnawing at the huge lobster.
“Boss Pei, I saw online that some particularly awesome chefs can turn an entire watermelon into a flower. Can the chef here do that? I’m suddenly craving that!” An employee asked as he stuffed his face with Matsutake.
Pei Qian frowned. “How can a rotten watermelon be any good? How expensive can it get? Would the watermelon skin or seeds be made of gold? Stop thinking about all that cheap food. Finish these valuable dishes in front of you first.
“If you can finish these huge crabs, I’ll reward you with a Watermelon Rose.”
“Ai!” The employee felt motivated all of a sudden.
Pei Qian could not help but shake his head inwardly.
How could a crappy watermelon be that delicious?
Of course, the professional chefs in Ming Yun Private Kitchen could produce a Watermelon Rose. However, those were too cheap. Even if they were expensive, one would be paying for the chef’s skills in carving the rose.
Pei Qian did not even consider ordering dishes that used cheap ingredients. One had to consume expensive ingredients in order to waste money.
Just like that, Ming Yun Private Kitchen was filled with happiness and celebration.
Lin Wan and Ye Zhizhou exchanged a knowing look. Each of them understood what the other was thinking. The atmosphere was just right. It was about time to share the good news with Boss Pei.
They were thinking about how to deliver the news when Boss Pei turned around, holding his glass.
Pei Qian was growing fonder of these two trusted generals of his.
This was especially true for Ye Zhizhou. Ever since Pei Qian promoted Ye Zhizhou to chief planner in order to fill in the gap left behind by Old Liu, Ye Zhizhou had not let Pei Qian down.
This young man had a bright future ahead of him!
However, both of them looked troubled.
That was expected. Pei Qian would have been worried if Lin Wan did not look troubled.
Pei Qian knew full well that Lin Wan was ambitious. She wanted the game to become popular. She probably could not even think about eating or drinking now.
He could not kick her while she was already down and employ reverse psychology.
“It’s not a big deal that Bloody Battle Song has failed. The key is to learn from your experience of failure. It doesn’t matter as long as you succeed the next time.
“Friends, you have worked hard during this period. Have a good rest. I will invest another twenty million yuan in the company at the end of the year. Then, you can work hard to create a game that you like!”
Pei Qian was clearly emotional.
Ye Zhizhou nodded profusely and said, “Yes, Boss Pei!
“I wasn’t confident enough before. Our recent success has greatly encouraged me. I believe that with twenty million yuan, we will be able to create an outstanding game!”
Pei Qian nodded, satisfied. “Hmm, that’s the way… huh?”
He was about to praise Ye Zhizhou out of habit when he realized that something was amiss.
“Recent success?” Beads of perspiration began to form on Pei Qian’s forehead.
Ye Zhizhou and Lin Wan exchanged a knowing look and grinned.
Lin Wan retrieved her phone, accessed Shenhua’s application store, and said, “Boss Pei, look!”
Pei Qian took the phone and immediately froze.
Bloody Battle Song was first place on Shenhua’s application store!
What’s happening?! Isn’t this an application store for mobile games?!
Pei Qian accessed the game’s details page incredulously and read more about the game. That’s right, it was Bloody Battle Song: The Powerful Version!
However, the web-based game was now a mobile game. What’s more, it looked extremely popular!
[1] This sounds like ‘very poor’ in Mandarin.
