After surveying the building, Pei Qian instructed Little Sun to send Liang Qingfan back to the hotel for some rest while he returned to his office at Shenhua View. Until now, Pei Qian had already taken a lot of precautions with Sloth Apartments.
The apartment looked too fancy for those who preferred practicality.
To prevent ballers from taking a liking to the condominium, the apartments would take on a minimalistic style, so that it would not look too much like 'garden villas'.
What's more, Pei Qian had purchased the building and was planning to rent the apartments out. That meant no matter whether he could rent them out or not, for the next few cycles-or even tens of cycles after this; he would not get to recover his capital.
The soft renovations for each apartment would cost about 3.5 million yuan. If he fixed rent at eight or nine thousand yuan per month, even if people consistently rented the apartments, after accounting for expenses like cleaning and maintenance; he still wouldn't be able to do so.
Based on what Pei Qian could remember, the price-to-rent ratio in the country had always been unimpressive. Many people liked buying houses because of the advantages like registered residence, schools in the vicinity, and the potential for property prices to rise. Of course, houses could retain their value well and were even likely to increase in value. Still, as long as Pei Qian refused to sell the apartments, he would not be able to cash out.
To Pei Qian, the fact that the condominium could appreciate in value was not a good thing. Still, no matter how much its value appreciated, the System would only include ten percent of the total value of fixed assets into the System Funds. Pei Qian just had to prevent himself from being greedy and keep the total value of his fixed assets less than half of the starting sum in the System Funds. Then, he could limit the impact of the value of his fixed assets.
Thus, whether Sloth Apartments succeeded or not and whether it became popular or not, Pei Qian thought that the project was worth investing in. Obviously, it would be best if it did not become popular. That way, he would incur over a hundred thousand yuan less in rent each month.
To Pei Qian, all of those things combined were not enough. He still had to think of a way to dissuade the target audience-young people who liked to act like yuppies—from renting the apartments.
He had one simple method: increase the prices aggressively.
At the moment, an apartment like that would reasonably cost about six thousand yuan per month to rent based on market standards. If it was split among four to six people, each would only be paying about a thousand yuan.
That was slightly higher compared to the average rent in the market. However, considering the exquisite renovations and the fact that the apartment would be fully-furnished, that price was reasonable.
That meant that if Pei Qian priced the rent at six thousand yuan, many people from the huge city of Jingzhou would be attracted.
At the same time, the System restricted Pei Qian from setting a price outside of an acceptable range and too far from reasonable standards. If he insisted on raising the price, he would have to throw in goods and services of approximately the same value, whether the customers wanted it or not.
Thus, Pei Qian decided to provide additional services to tenants of these apartments!
Cleaning: cleaning services would be provided for all of the units in Sloth Apartments. Tenants could reject the cleaning services, but they would still have to pay.
Pei Qian would hire a fixed number of cleaners to conduct a minor cleaning every three days and a full cleaning every week. It would be just like hotel services.
A butler: every building would have a dedicated butler, who would be prepared to handle all problems. The butler would also hold all the information about various tenants and prevent all unauthorized personnel from entering. He would also work hard to protect the tenants' rights.
If something was wrong with the house, the manager could use Sloth Apartments' funds to conduct repair and maintenance. Boss Pei would be very happy.
Regular upgrading: every now and then, the smart facilities would be upgraded. For instance, the smart appliances would be upgraded; the newest gaming facilities would be installed; and tenants would get the newest games and accounts for the newest video websites.
Of course, all of those things would belong to Sloth Apartments. The tenants would have no right to take them away.
After adding all of those things, Pei Qian would try asking the System if the entire packageincluding rent-could be set at nine thousand
yuan!
The apartments had five rooms. One of the rooms was slightly smaller and was not suitable for anyone to sleep in. Thus, Pei Qian intended to turn it into a study.
That way, the apartment would only have four bedrooms. Assuming that there were thirty days in a month, the daily rent of every room would be about eighty yuan. Although that would be cheaper than most high-end hotels in Jingzhou, it would already be more expensive than 99% of the rooms available for rent in the city.
That meant that, if he rented the apartments out short-term, the price-quality ratio would still be pegged at a certain standard.
However, Pei Qian still had a final trick on top of that.
He would not allow co-renting or short-term tenancy! They would only accept entire tenancies. Every tenant and visitor's details would have to be registered with the butler.
They could pay rent monthly, and they would not have to pay a deposit. However, there would only be six-month and one-year contracts. They had to finish the entire term of the contract.
They could change their minds within a fixed period in the beginning without having to pay a penalty. The remainder of their rent would also be refunded back to them. However, the tenants would not be allowed to rent any other apartment in Sloth Apartments for a year after that.
That way, those who wanted to treat Sloth Apartments like a hotel would think twice before doing so.
According to the income levels in Jingzhou at the moment, those who would be able to afford to rent an apartment in Sloth Apartments had to be very rich. However, if rich people could afford to buy apartments, why would they have to rent them?
As for ordinary working adults, perhaps only Tengda's employees would be able to afford an apartment in the condominium. Yet, would Tengda's employees be allowed to pay for an apartment in Sloth Apartments? Of course not! Pei Qian considered prohibiting Tengda's employees from renting units in Sloth Apartments in the beginning. Once he was sure that Sloth Apartments could not generate profits, he would build more buildings and arrange for Tengda's employees to move in. Then, they would be allowed to use their employee benefits to pay for the rent.
That would allow Pei Qian to kill two birds with one stone!
Of course, the System limited Pei Qian to converting only a small portion of Sloth Apartments' units into employee accommodations. That was probably to ensure that the project's character remained roughly the same and that it had a chance of generating profits.
However, Pei Qian would only have to build enough Sloth Apartments to accommodate all of his employees.
Then, a small portion of the apartments would be used for employee accommodations while the remaining would be left unrented. Wouldn't Pei Qian surely incur losses, then?
Lastly, Pei Qian had to select someone to head the Sloth Apartments project.
Before this, he had selected employees from the other departments to head the new projects. This time, Pei Qian decided to go down a different path.
It did not seem like a bad idea to make Liang Qingfan, the architect, in charge of Sloth Apartments.
Of course, he was still an employee of Gaoling Construction and Design at the moment. However, Pei Qian firmly believed that-as long as he wielded his hammer correctly–he would be able to crack the wall.
It seemed unfitting to make a young architect in charge of managing a condominium, right?
Still, Pei Qian had to consider carefully whether he would ultimately poach him or not. If Sloth Apartments developed exactly as Pei Qian imagined and Liang Qingfan obeyed Pei Qian throughout the process without showing any talent in management or sales, then Pei Qian could think about poaching him.
April 14th, Thursday...
At Deposit Fitness... The trainers were either sitting or standing in the resting area. Obviously, they were at a loss as to what to do.
There were a total of twenty trainersfourteen males and six females. All of them had passed Guo Licheng's analysis and tests and were ultimately hired.
Jingzhou's fitness industry was not big, and Guo Licheng had a couple of friends. After introductions, Guo Licheng had briefly explained Deposit Fitness's payment structure. At once, he had gathered this group of employees.
Guo Licheng had followed Boss Pei's instructions carefully as he selected those employees. He had chosen trainers who seemed excessively professional. All of them were honest people who did not like making sales, just like Guo Licheng.
"Boss Ye, shouldn't we be distributing flyers or something?" A well-shaped and sweet-looking female trainer asked.
The female trainer's name was Li Yaling. For now, one could only see part of her appearance. Once she took off her jacket, one would be able to see her bulging biceps and four distinct pecs at her abdominal area. They seemed to be saying 'you could die with just one punch from me'.
Other trainers turned to face Guo Licheng, waiting for him to make the call.
Guo Licheng nodded. "The boss says we don't have to do anything. We just have to wait for customers to visit our gym."
Li Yaling sighed softly. "Can we trust the boss? Which gym in the country doesn't distribute flyers, sell memberships, or sell training sessions? "Everyone's doing the same thing. We might be reluctant, but we still have to suck it up and work. I think that, no matter what the boss says, we should take the initiative to do some work."
Guo Licheng hesitated for a moment but quickly made up his mind. "No, Boss Pei seems different from other bosses."
Li Yaling was frustrated. "The bosses only look different on the surface. Some are strict, some are easy-going, and some look approachable. However, they're all the same inside. They all want their employees to take the initiative and work.
"We don't have to sell memberships here, and we're being treated much better than in other gyms. We can't just sit around and wait. That'll be inappropriate."
ners
Guo Licheng shook his head, insistent. "So what if we distribute flyers and rope customers in? Just think about our gym's membership system.
"They have to come for a certain number of times each week. What's more, the package comes with fitness meals.
"Even if we distribute flyers, how many people would sign up for such a strict plan?"
Li Yaling was stumped. "Well... what should we do, then?"
Guo Licheng scanned the group of trainers and said, "If we can't tell what the boss is trying to do, we should just follow his instructions closely. Boss Pei must have his own reasons for giving these instructions. We aren't good at sales to begin with, and so we shouldn't blindly interfere.
"At the end of the day, we shouldn't overthink. If Boss Pei finds fault with us, I will bear all the consequences.
"We don't have any customers now. Everyone, go and warm up. This gym is filled with good equipment. Let's not waste them.
"Remember to try out the fitness meals as well."
Since there were no customers in the gym, the trainers had nothing to do. Thus, they split up and warmed up.
All the fitness equipment had just been purchased. They were not the most expensive, but they were from world-standard, top-grade, commercial fitness equipment brands. They were long-lasting, modern, and ergonomically updated. At the moment, such equipment could only be found in very few gyms in high-end hotels. Ordinarily, people would not get to try them out.
Guo Licheng had also ordered uniforms for all of the trainers. They were bright yellow and very eye-catching.
At the same time, someone from a Fish-Catching Take-Out branch nearby had been put in charge of delivering fitness meals to the gym regularly. However, since there were no customers in the gym yet, fitness meals were only being delivered to the trainers.
For now, the Gourmet Laboratory was still not complete. The chefs at Fish-Catching Take-Out were coming up with a trial for the fitness meals by using less oil and less salt. Still, there was a lot of room for improvement.
Guo Licheng planned to get his trainers to try the meals out first. They could raise any suggestions or feedback, and the chefs at Fish-Catching Take-Out could continue to work on them.At noon, the delivery man from Fish-Catching Take-Out arrived.
Guo Licheng and a few other trainers laid the fitness meals out in the resting area and then waited for everyone to gather and have lunch together. The gym's resting area had not been big at first. It had only been meant for selling membership and lessons before.
However, to accommodate customers' mealtime needs, Guo Licheng had re-designed the resting area and expanded it. He had also purchased a couple of high-end tables and chairs, so that customers could take turns to eat.
Guo Licheng was just about to gather the trainers for lunch when he saw a familiar figure entering the gym. Boss Pei was here!
Guo Licheng immediately went up to welcome him.
Upon entering, Pei Qian looked around the gym. Some trainers were preparing to eat lunch, and others were working out with the equipment. There was not a single customer in the gym, and none of the trainers had gone out to distribute flyers.
Hmm...
It was a very satisfying sight!
Chapter 486 Speedy Success?
Guo Licheng felt slightly awkward. Ordinarily, fitness trainers were not supposed to use gym equipment during working hours. In most gyms, fitness trainers' priority was supposed to be training their students and selling training sessions. Maintaining their own fitness would not have been that important.
Guo Licheng had only allowed the trainers to test the equipment because there were no customers in the gym. Yet, Boss Pei happened to walk in just then. "Boss Pei, I was the one who asked them to test the equipment. I'll gather them now and ask them to get back to work..."
Guo Licheng turned around, prepared to ask all the trainers to gather back there.
However, Pei Qian quickly stopped him. "What are you talking about?! Isn't it natural for trainers to work on their own fitness?!"
Guo Licheng, "Huh?"
In a strict tone, Pei Qian said, "As fitness trainers, you should obviously work on your own physiques first. If you can't maintain your own physique, how are you meant to instruct others?
"What's more, all the equipment would just be lying there anyway. Of course, you'll have to make good use of it. "Let me emphasize this: as long as they've done their basic work, all trainers would be allowed to use the equipment during working hours.
"You're the branch manager. You should be setting an example! Your physique has to be the best out of all the trainers!"
Guo Licheng's heart warmed at once. "Alright, Boss Pei! Would we... be allowed to use the equipment when we're not working, then?"
Pei Qian looked at him sternly. "You can use the equipment when you're not working, but you cannot be in the gym because you're strictly prohibited from working overtime."
Guo Licheng, "..."
Although Pei Qian sounded ridiculous, Guo Licheng still felt moved.
The previous gym had not treated the trainers like humans. Many trainers in the industry competed with one another intensely. One could sell a few memberships one day while another sold several training sessions the next. Every month, everyone would be kept on their toes. Sometimes, those who could not hit their quotas would even be fired.
The previous gym could not have cared less about the trainers' personal fitness.
Most trainers had no choice but to train for one or two hours late at night after the gym closed each day. How could they spare the time and energy to work out during working hours when it was so important for them to make more sales?
Yet, Boss Pei was different. He did not care about results at all. Instead, he prioritized his trainers' physique, fitness, and health! Having a generous boss like him was truly a blessing! Pei Qian scanned the trainers who were training very seriously. He began thinking about how much time and effort Guo Licheng would have to spend trying to have a better physique than everyone else. It would be a considerable amount of time and effort, right?
That would take time and effort away from managing the gym and drawing customers in.
It worked!
Soon, the trainers walked over one by one. After greeting Pei Qian, they began eating.
Pei Qian looked at the fitness meals on the table.
The fitness meals were packed in Fish-Catching Take-Out's transparent lunch boxes. There was a pile of brown rice, two boiled sweet potatoes, chicken breast, shrimp, salmon, boiled eggs, avocadoes, cherry tomatoes, and lettuce.
Less oil and salt were used, but the servings were very generous so that they were guaranteed to be full after the meal.
On top of that, Fish-Catching Take-Out provided fruits and cooked corn as side dishes.
Taking fitness meals meant having more meals but eating less for each meal. People were asked to have an additional meal in the morning or afternoon even if it was a cup of milk, an apple, or a corn cob. It could make one feel more satiated and increase one's basal metabolism, thus reducing one's lunch and dinner intake... and fats that came with it.
As Guo Licheng ate his fitness meal, he reported his feedback for the fitness meal to Boss Pei: "The ingredients are fresh, and there's a good quantity. I think it'll provide enough nutrition."
Pei Qian paid close attention to Guo Licheng and the other trainers' expressions but did not find anything strange. Their eyes did not suddenly light up, and background music had not suddenly played.
That meant the food was not delicious!
At least, compared to the fitness meals that they were used to, this food did not stand out.
However, just to be safe, Pei Qian asked a question. "How does the food taste?"
TO
Guo Licheng pondered for a moment, and he said, "It's about the same as ordinary fitness meals. Healthy meals can only be so yummy; one just has to exercise portion control."
Pei Qian was relieved.
As long as the fitness meals were not much better than those sold outside-apart from in terms of price and quantity, then Pei Qian would not have to feel threatened.
Chefs of Fish-Catching Take-Out had prepared this version of fitness meals. They had just reduced the calories in the meal while ensuring that the food remained nutritious. Thus, they had not focused on improving the taste of the food.
At the same time, the trainers were obviously used to having healthy meals like that. The only merits of the food from Fish-Catching Take-Out were that they were free of charge, and their portions were controlled.
Most customers would not be happy about being forced to purchase those meals. Soon, everyone finished their lunch. The trainers kept their cutlery and waited for the delivery man to return and collect them. While this was happening, Guo Licheng led Pei Qian around the gym to survey its situation.
The gym had ordered a bunch of bracelets with serial numbers, just as Pei Qian had requested. Members could claim a bracelet from the front counter once they entered and then find the locker that corresponded to the serial numbers on their bracelets. All they would have to do was scan their bracelets to unlock the lockers.
As one was leaving, the staff at the front desk would collect the bracelets back and enter the serial number of the bracelet into the computer.
That way, members' exercise data could be recorded.
Of course, at the moment, one still had to stupidly and manually enter the data into the system. Guo Licheng thought about creating an application in the future to resolve this problem. However, the gym did not even have customers now. It did not seem necessary to work on the system.
Pei Qian looked at the other facilities like the changing room, the bathroom, and the toilets. He felt quite satisfied.
High-end shampoo and soap had also been provided in every shower cubicle, just like in high-end hotels. Since they were stored in soap dispensers, visitors of the gym would not be able to tell their price.
Pei Qian found it a good idea to increase expenses in areas that customers would not notice. He turned around, satisfied.
"Alright, maintain things in this state. I'm making a move now."
Pei Qian was just about to open the door when he was stunned again. He noticed a couple walking into the gym after looking around outside!
There were customers!
He turned to Guo Licheng. "Go and greet them. I'll wait for a little longer."
This place was a high-end gym near a university. It was not in a very good location, but not in a bad one either. Although the gym's members had already been transferred away, it was expected that new people would seek to become members.
Pei Qian decided to stay behind to see the couple's reaction after discovering the gym's prices. It wouldn't be too late to leave after that!
Guo Licheng was just about to welcome them, but Yaling beat him to it. She shot Guo Licheng a look as she walked by him.
Guo Licheng immediately understood and backed away.
Obviously, to get through to the couple, they first had to get through to the lady. Of course, the man would not want any male trainer to get close to his girlfriend. Naturally, Yaling would have an advantage as a female trainer.
In addition, she was well-sculpted and beautiful. Males would be attracted to a certain extent. Thus, she had a better shot at making the sale compared to Guo Licheng, who was not good with words.
Pei Qian frowned when he saw this.
"What's her name?"
Guo Licheng immediately answered, "She's Li Yaling, and she's an amazing female trainer. She did not take any initiative to sell training sessions in her previous gym, and yet it was filled with die-hard members. We know each other very well, and so I poached her over. Pei Qian, "?"
She didn't even have to take initiative to sell training sessions, and yet the gym was filled with die-hard members?
Why did you bring this unstable element over here?!
What's more, Yaling had gone up to welcome the guests of her own accord. That wouldn't do!
Everything would be fine if she failed to rope the customers in, but if she did...
Hmph, Pei Qian had to think of a way to 'promote' her.
Pei Qian remained silent and casually grabbed a banana. He ate as he observed her closely. Yaling led the couple around the gym and then led them to a seat in the resting area for a chat. It was ten minutes before the couple finally left.
Yaling walked towards Guo Licheng, frustrated.
"It failed?" Guo Licheng asked.
Yaling shook her head. "It failed."
Pei Qian rejoiced inwardly. However, he maintained his expression as he asked, "What happened?"
Yaling was obviously frustrated. "Boss Pei, it was all going well in the beginning. I showed them our gym's facilities, the quality of our trainers, and the accompanying services. Both of them were obviously tempted. "Yet, the moment I said the price, the man's expression changed. Obviously, he had been a member of other gyms before. After doing some brief calculations, he concluded that our gym is way too expensive. "The lady liked the environment and the fact that we only charge by the session. To a newbie like her, that's a good thing.
"The man was about to give in to the lady, but both of them found it hard to accept the gym's specific requests, which I started to introduce...
"They already thought that the training sessions were expensive. In addition to the mandatory fitness meals, the package was out of their budget.
"That was why... they decided to leave. I think they went to check out the other gyms nearby."
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief.
What was this? He had escaped unscathed and achieved speedy success.
Indeed, the strategies that he had put in place to turn customers away had proven effective. Even though Coach Yaling stepped up, she failed to rope in customers!
Still, although the beginning was looking good, Pei Qian reminded himself to remain steady.
He cleared his throat and said, "It doesn't matter. Those were just two customers. Our gym has good potential. A few customers wouldn't make a difference. "We just have to be patient, and the customers would come!
"That's right. Coach Guo, remember to order a sign with our gym's prices and requests on it. Set it up at the entrance, so that people wouldn't bother coming in and disturbing the trainers to ask questions.
"Those who cannot accept our requests would be turned away by the sign.
"As opposed to answering people's queries, your time would be much better spent working on your physiques. Your bodies would be walking advertisements for Deposit Fitness!"
Yaling looked confused. "Huh?"
Were they to put their prices and requests on a sign outside the gym? Were they afraid of roping in too many customers?
It was one thing not to be distributing flyers, but it was another to resort to negative advertising. What was Boss Pei thinking?Pei Qian stood up. "Alright, I'll make a move first. Get the sign done as soon as possible." Guo Licheng quickly answered, "Alright, Boss Pei. Don't worry."
At the moment, Guo Licheng seemed very obedient. While Li Yaling seemed slightly threatening, Guo Licheng was still the branch manager after all. As long as Guo Licheng stuck strictly to Boss Pei's requests, everything would be alright.
Pei Qian walked out of the gym in a good mood.
However, he noticed another problem. He was dealing with too many things at the same time.
He had too many businesses at the moment. What's more, all the people in charge remained silent as they worked on their respective plans. They would only report 'good news' to Boss Pei once they achieved a measure of success. That was not a good thing.
The more he thought about it, the more Pei Qian realized that he had to keep all the departments in check. He had to increase the level of control he had in his company.
Otherwise, it would become increasingly difficult for him to incur losses. Even if he dedicated himself to fighting fire full-time, he would eventually burn out.
He had to appoint an imperial guard in Tengda as soon as possible!
Chapter 487 Four Bare Walls
April 15th, Friday...
In the office's guest room... Liang Qingfan handed his tablet computer over to Pei Qian. "Boss Pei, I've done a few renovation plans. Please see which one you like the best." Once Boss Pei took the tablet computer, Liang Qingfan sipped his tea and licked his lips. He savored the sweet aftertaste of the tea, looking quite proud of himself.
He was happy with most of the plans he had handed in.
For some reason, he had had a lot of inspiration after looking at the apartments. After returning to the hotel, he started work at once and had not rested much. In fact, he had worked all the way until now. After rushing a few renderings out, he had let his colleagues at his workspace vet them and then rushed over to hand them to Boss Pei.
Liang Qingfan had put in a lot of effort into the designing work this time. On one hand, it was because Boss Pei was paying him a high designer fee. On the other hand, it was because Liang Qingfan was a young designer who had had few opportunities to work on such projects alone. Thus, he wanted to make full use of this opportunity. Every piece of work that he handed in would become name cards that he handed out to the world.
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Liang Qingfan was confident. He knew that every customer would be bought over by his designs in the end!
Pei Qian looked through the renderings on the tablet computer. As he studied them, Liang Qingfan briefly introduced the different aspects of each rendering. Every design was very minimalistic. It was not magnificent in a way that it would appeal to ballers, and it did not look like a fancy 'garden villa' either. On that point, Liang Qingfan had taken Pei Qian's instructions very seriously. However, each rendering was very different even though they were all minimalistic.
The first rendering used white and brown as the theme colors, thus creating a warm feeling. The furniture was minimalistic, and Pei Qian could tell that the brown of the television wall hid a lot of storage space. However, the storage space was very well-hidden and not easily noticeable.
At first glance, the place looked neat and tidy and gave off a certain yuppie vibe.
Liang Qingfan explained, "This style hangs on to the concept of minimalism while satisfying tenants' daily needs.
"The apartment has four bedrooms and would be rented instead of sold. More tenants means more storage space would be required. Yet, the idea of storage space normally conflicts with the concept of minimalism. Thus, I designed the apartment to hide the storage spaces. "Tenants who stay here can experience high-end, minimalistic, and modern living. Yet, they can continue to enjoy convenience. One can say that this design kills two birds with one stone. Young people would like it for
sure."
Pei Qian remained silent for a moment and then said, "Pass."
The design would be too appealing to the tenants. Pei Qian could almost see the yuppies eagerly holding out their money and fighting to stay in Sloth Apartments. Of course, he had to reject this design.
It was the most acceptable minimalistic design he had ever seen, and it included so much storage space as well. If Pei Qian chose this design, the consequences would be dire.
Liang Qingfan, "..."
His first design has been rejected so quickly. Liang Qingfan could not help but feel discouraged. Still, he quickly regained his composure.
"Alright. The storage spaces are well hidden, but it still conflicts with the concept of minimalism to a certain extent. It could make the apartment feel cheap. Boss Pei, it's understandable that you don't like this design.
"Please look at the others, then."
Pei Qian swiped to the next rendering.
This one still looked minimalistic, but the theme colors were bolder-gray and green. Although it was simple, it looked luxurious and high-quality. The chosen furniture and decorations were more muted, calmer, and bigger; making it similar to suites in many high-end hotels.
Liang Qingfan explained, "This design, the Ultimate Extravagant Gray, exudes a subtle extravagance. This renovation style no longer targets younger yuppies, but an older groupmiddle-aged, successful businessmen." Pei Qian, "Pass."
With a single look, Pei Qian could tell that middle-aged businessmen would fancy the apartments. He could easily get into trouble.
Liang Qingfan, "..."
Another one of his designs got rejected, and Liang Qingfan was slightly more hurt now. To him, Sloth Apartments was meant to be exquisitely designed. There were only two types of target customers: white-collared workers who wanted to enjoy high standards of living and businessmen who were visiting Jingzhou for business purposes.
Yet, Boss Pei had rejected both of Liang Qingfan's designs for those groups.
What kind of style did Boss Pei like, then?
Liang Qingfan was confused, but he did not ask any questions. That was because he had other plans as well. Boss Pei would probably find one that he fancied.
Pei Qian swiped to the next rendering.
This one used black and white as the theme colors and looked comparatively fresh. Pei Qian could feel the intense artistic vibes through the image, and it almost felt as if high-end designers would fancy the style.
While it was minimalistic, it also looked Zen and optimal for triggering one's creative juices.
Pei Qian thought that Ruan Guangjian would fancy an apartment like that.
Liang Qingfan had not even begun introducing the design when Pei Qian swiped to the next image.
"Pass."
This style looked less practical than the first one but more attractive to white-collared workers and yuppies. It could be seen as the better version of the first design.
Still no!
Liang Qingfan opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly swallowed his words again. He personally liked that design the most because it looked the classiest. Yet, Boss Pei had rejected it without a single word. This time, Liang Qingfan was even more hurt.
At the same time, he became very confused and puzzled.
Exactly what style did Boss Pei like?
All of those were pretty good minimalistic designs. Even if Boss Pei wasn't satisfied, he could have picked a few details for Liang Qingfan to improve on. Why was he passing on all of them immediately?
Liang Qingfan could not find it in him to introduce any more designs. Most designs he had submitted had already been rejected by Boss Pei. Thus, he decided to wait until all of them were rejected before he asked Boss Pei more about his expectations.
However, after swiping the images once more, Pei Qian paused at the last rendering.
In the extremely wide and empty space, only one huge television hung on the wall. There was also a television cabinet that stood about as tall as one layer of drawers and a long, dark-colored sofa.
On top of that, there were two pure black chairs and one small, pure black table by the full-length windows. The entire place looked like an open exhibition hall. Apart from the two small cabinets in the corner, there was no more storage space.
After some consideration, Pei Qian pointed at the cabinet, the small table, and the pure black chairs. "This is not bad, but all of these have to
go."
The television cabinet was going to store the game machine and game discs while the sofa was going to be used for gaming. Of course, they had to stay. The other storage spaces and chairs were not needed!
To most people, the more storage spaces, the better. That was because most people could not curb their desires nor stop themselves from buying, buying, and buying.
As they bought more and more items, their houses would become increasingly cluttered.
Once they collected too much rubbish, no matter where they stored it, the apartment would look messy. Thus, they needed storage spaces to accommodate all of their things and make the house look neat and tidy. However, what Pei Qian wanted to do was dissuade the white-collared workers and yuppies from buying the apartments. He wanted to tell them to stay away!
Of course, that alone wasn't enough. Pei Qian knew that he had to add an additional term in the contract for Sloth Apartments: tenants would be prohibited from purchasing their own furniture.
That way, the apartments would not be practical at all. Even if they looked nice, their high price and lack of practicality would be sufficient to dissuade most tenants from renting the place!
At that moment, Liang Qingfan was at a loss for words. This had been his first design for the apartment, but Liang Qingfan himself had quickly rejected it.
That was because he had thought that minimalism did not necessarily mean leaving the four walls bare.
At first, when he had tried to conceptualize minimalism, he had approached the apartment from a purely artistic point of view. This rendering's theme colors and furnishing had been direct results of that approach.
Yet, the design's biggest problem was the lack of practicality. Although Liang Qingfan had added small cabinets, a small table, and some chairs; the apartment would still be impractical and difficult to live in.
However, Boss Pei thought well of the design. In fact, he wanted Liang Qingfan to get rid of the cabinets, the table, and the chairs altogether!
That way, there would not be any storage space in the apartment, except for the wardrobe in the bedrooms and the kitchen cabinets. The four walls would really be bare.
Liang Qingfan looked uncertainly at Boss Pei. Boss Pei looked back at him with extreme confidence.
"Work according to this design. The budget remains the same. You can exceed it, but you cannot spend less."
Pei Qian handed the tablet computer back to Liang Qingfan.
Seeing Liang Qingfan's confused expression, Pei Qian felt all the more sure that he had decided correctly!
Pei Qian had no need for storage space at all. He only had a couple of clothes, which he could put in his wardrobe. As for his other random belongings, he could throw away as much as possible. There was no need to move them to his new apartment at all.
Although the apartment would look very bare and empty, all Pei Qian needed was to game. He would be satisfied.
In fact, it would be best if everyone else found the apartment impractical!
As Liang Qingfan looked at the last rendering, the cogs in his mind turned quickly to guess the reasons behind Boss Pei's decision.
Does Boss Pei just want the apartment to look beautiful? Is that why he wants it to look this minimalistic? Yes, from an artistic point of view, the space would look uniquely beautiful without all the cabinets and additional furniture.
Ah, it was the design that I did when I was feeling the most inspired after all. Of course it's the most beautiful.
If Boss Pei's own home was designed in this manner, I would not find it strange at all. Instead, I would admire Boss Pei's taste.
However, these apartments are meant to be rented out...
Would anyone want to rent the apartments if they only look artistic and beautiful but are not practical at all?
What's more, I can only exceed the budget, but not spend less. If the apartment is going to look this minimalistic, I won't have to buy much furniture. It'll be difficult to spend all the money... I guess I have to look at the big international brands.
Many thoughts filled Liang Qingfan's mind in a short while. However, after looking at Boss Pei's determined expression, he decided to bury all of his questions at the bottom of his heart.
"Alright, Boss Pei. I'll renovate the apartments based on this design!"
Chapter 488 Keeper of the Encourager cum Commander of the Secret Service
April 16th, Saturday...
Tang Yishu swiped her card to open the door and entered Tengda's office with a few books tucked under her armpit. Most of her salary might be used to subsidize her family, but her own financial situation was much better than before.
Tang Yishu still used neither cosmetics nor skincare products probably because of her living habits. However, being young was her greatest capital. She exuded a youthful radiance after having more nutrition.
Tang Yishu put the books on her desk and began her keeper duties to clean the Encourager's poop and have its food bowl full.
"Glabella, you should eat less. Both Disaster-Free and you should go on a diet. Aiya, Glabella, leave some for your younger sister Fei Huang; eat your own canned food!"
Tang Yishu grabbed the back of the black cat's neck reluctantly, its head aiming at the other cat's food bowl. However, Glabella ignored it and went to squeeze with the orange cat next to it after taking two bites.
There were three encouragers in the office
now.
Cat number 1 was the black Glabella with white claws. Its name had the meaning 'blackened forehead[1]'.
The other two were also stray cats adopted from the pet hospitals, a white cat and an orange cat. The white cat, cat number 2, was round and fat which made it very loveable. Many people felt that it looked like a cat of fortune.
Pei Qian named it "Disaster-Free" seemed like an auspicious meaning on the surface, but in reality, it was part of a full sentence 'losing wealth to remain disaster-free'. He hoped that it would lose wealth, not attract wealth.
This orange cat, cat number 3, was given the same name as Fei Huang Workspace. On the surface, it seemed to mean to be as light and agile as the swallow. However, it had the meaning of becoming aged and withering quickly. The three cats finished their canned food in no time.
Tang Yishu threw out the trash, then carefully groomed and trimmed the nails of the three cats, and finally patted them until they fell asleep while basking in the sunshine. Her tasks were considered to be completed in this way.
She came to her workstation and started to study. She could self-study in the library and the self-study room in school, but it was still somewhat noisy. She preferred to study in the company during weekends.
It was very empty and quiet. There were also coffee and snacks available.
Suddenly, the office door was pushed open.
Tang Yishu was momentarily stunned and instantly remembered that she had a Special Task: that was to record everyone who came back to the office to work overtime and report to Pei Qian!
However, no one worked overtime recently so that task disappeared from Tang Yishu's mind.
It seemed as though someone came to work overtime again. Tang Yishu quickly turned her head to see who it was. She recognized everyone on this level after working together during this period. She would not be caught unaware again.
However, she turned around only to find Pei Qian standing there. Ah, nevermind then.
Tang Yishu stood up. "Senior, why are you
here?"
Pei Qian quickly scanned the office and nodded with satisfaction seeing that no one came to work overtime secretly.
"I just happened to pass by," Pei Qian replied casually. Pei Qian purposely came to make a surprise inspection today.
He had not received secret tips from Tang Yishu about people coming back secretly to work overtime. Pei Qian was curious to know if it was true that everyone stopped working overtime or if Tang Yishu learned how to lie.
Now, it seemed as though everyone really stopped working overtime.
It seemed reasonable. First, there was the no-overtime competition, and then there was the cornerstone award. Pei Qian worked so hard to prevent everyone from working overtime; he must have some results, right? The empty office on a weekend was the best result of Boss Pei's hard work. It seemed like there would be rewards as long as he worked hard!
"Come with me to the guest room," Pei Qian said to Tang Yishu.
Pei Qian had been thinking about the establishment of the 'Tengda Secret Service' for two whole days. The reason for the demands was because Pei Qian realized that there were too many industries at present and he really could not manage it.
The most important thing was that he did not obtain timely updates!
The founders of many huge companies were much busier than Pei Qian, but they had appointed many senior executives to be in charge of various affairs. The executives would ask for instructions on important issues while dealing with the minor ones themselves.
These business empires could still operate efficiently and with order using such mode.
Pei Qian was also adopting this model recently. However, the largest problem was that Pei Qian's goal was totally opposite of the other company bosses! The attitude of the bosses of the other companies was that senior executives should develop their own departments well. Report major problems that could not be solved as soon as possible and give commendations if the business were to develop well.
While Boss Pei's requirement was for these executives to not be able to develop their own departments and report signs of business development as soon as possible, he would also give commendation when major problems which could not be solved happened.
This requirement was totally reversed for the bosses of the other companies.
The bosses of the other companies needed to understand the company's current problems. They would request for all of the departments to report such issues at any time.
What Pei Qian needed to understand was the company's current profitability. There was no need to report this matter in the eyes of most department heads.
Especially since Pei Qian had long left the impression of 'disliking employees asking for credit', this problem was even more serious.
Therefore, Pei Qian felt that he must set up an information collection department to better control the information of each department to find the problem as soon as possible.
The members of this department would be known as Management Trainees.
The management trainees were originally a concept from foreign companies to cultivate the company's future leaders for special projects. It could be regarded as a talent reserve plan for cultivating mid-high level managers. Management Trainees usually intern in different departments of the company to understand the operations of the entire company. They would then be posted based on their expertise.
Generally speaking, the selection of management trainees was strict. They were usually highly competent to be heads of departments or branches. Of course, that was being used too frequently nowadays. Any company would hire a few management trainees. They end up becoming 'firefighters', moving to wherever needed help.
Putting these aside, the Management Trainee system was very much in line with Pei Qian's current needs.
These people would be placed in different departments of the company through the Management Trainee. Boss Pei would be able to know everything as long as he ensured that he controlled the Management Trainees.
Moreover, Pei Qian rather liked the post 'Management Trainee'.
Management Trainee, Manage Loss Trainee[2].
It would be great if these people could be brought here to manage losses!
However, Pei Qian had hard time thinking about how to select these Management Trainees and who should be the person-in-charge.
Assistant Xin was very capable; her actions were clean and slick. She never probed into the reasons and seemed to be a good candidate.
However, the problem was that she was a little too capable. Most other departments were also very familiar with her.
Pei Qian set up this department purely to be his eyes. Getting Assistant Xin involved would be an overkill. Moreover, Pei Qian had a lot of work for Assistant Xin to do.
Moreover, the department heads knew Assistant Xin. They might be subconsciously defensive and not conceal enough.
Pei Qian pondered over and still felt that Little Tang was the most suitable.
On the one hand, she was the Keeper of the Encouragers on the surface. She looked completely harmless. Her gentle, soft, and cute nature was a natural protective color for herself. No one would be too wary of her.
On the other hand, Little Tang was simple-minded. She would do her best to carry out whatever she promised. She had been providing Pei Qian with the overtime list previously and had done very well.
The only problem would be the halo effect that occurred from time to time. It would cause many hidden bugs to surface, but everyone seemed to be rather used to it.
Who would think that the little girl who cleaned the cats' poop day in and out was actually the commander of the secret service in the dark?
Yes, very suitable indeed!
Of course, it was not enough to have just one person. He had to have plenty of management trainees as well.
If it was other companies, Management Trainees would have been recruits of outstanding fresh graduates from school or selection prominent employees. However, the management trainees that Pei Qian wanted must not be from existing prominent employees.
Who knew what kind of trouble these employees would make if they were to travel freely around the various departments?!
Boss Pei would have more knives in his back in the unlikely event that some of them become well-rounded.
Therefore, Pei Qian decided that these Manage Loss Trainees must not have worked in Tengda before. They would skip the bi-annual recruitment drive from Tengda and be directly selected by Little Tang.
Those selected would only obey Boss Pei's commands and ensure that Boss Pei's orders were above everything else.
Pei Qian sipped his tea in the guest room while he briefed parts of his thoughts that could be out in the open in.
"In short, find some freshmen and sophomore students who have plenty of time on hand and minimal classes for internship in our company Arrange for them to go to various departments
гс
"You will be responsible for the Management Trainees program. Let me know once you have made progress.
"These Management Trainees must be chosen carefully. They must be honest and reliable.
"They can adjust their timings based on their class arrangement after they are assigned to their departments. They would mainly study and not participate in the work of the departments. However, they must know every movement of their assigned departments. "They have to come to the company once in a while to report directly to me about what they have seen during this period. I will also check on some information from time to time. I want everyone to be able to answer them whenever I ask about them.
"Also, this publicity is currently confidential so do not spread any publicity about it. However, it is not considered an absolute secret.
"There should be no problem, right?"
Tang Yishu was a little bewildered as she carefully squeezed her fingers. "Senior, I... I'm afraid I can't be responsible, I haven't even been a class monitor..."
Pei Qian smiled slightly. "No problem, this is a very simple job. I believe you will be able to do it well with your level of patience and care.
"You'll still care for the cats in the company. You only need to come preside over the meeting when it is time for it. You will also be aware of the movements of the Management Trainees. Report any problem to me as soon as possible.
"That's all, isn't it simple?"
Tang Yishu pursed her lips. "Okay, Senior, I-I'll try it out."
[1] A blackened forehead means bad luck for the Chinese.
[2] Both phrases sound extremely similar in Mandarin.
Chapter 489 Crowdfund to Make a Game
April 18th, Monday...
The matter of the Secret Service had been handed over to Little Tang. He had no idea what kind of people she would find.
There were many departments in Tengda now. They would need at least a dozen people even if each department were to have one Manage Loss Trainee. It was impossible to get so many of them in a hurry.
Pei Qian's request was to gather everyone before next Saturday. That was so that he could hold a secret meeting on Saturday, when no one else was there, to arrange their work. There was a slight sense of mystery to it.
Pei Qian slept until he woke up naturally today. He came to the office after eating to show his face.
A knock from outside the door happened before he could open the Aili Island website to watch his drama.
"Eh?"
Pei Qian could not help but frown. What was so urgent?
This person had obviously been waiting outside for quite some time since he knocked two minutes after he entered the office.
"Enter."
Hu Xianbin pushed the door open.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the development of Struggle?" Pei Qian could not help but harbor some expectations in his heart.
Hu Xianbin shook his head. "No, the development of Struggle has been rather smooth. It's regarding GOG!"
Pei Qian could not help but feel bothered.
On the one hand, it was because Struggle was developing well. On the other hand, Hu Xianbin was still worried about GOG. That was rather inconsistent with the Tengda spirit.
Pei Qian coughed lightly. "There is no need to tell me about GOG. There is something wrong with your thinking about work.
"The energy of a human is limited. You can only do one thing at one time. How can you manage the development of Struggle and operate GOG at the same time? "Hurry relinquish GOG's operations."
Hu Xianbin was an R&D staff member in the second half of GOG. He was responsible for the launch of the mobile game version. He was very familiar with the GOG project.
Pei Qian got Hu Xianbin to be responsible for Struggle, so that he would no longer be bothered about the operations of GOG. As a result, he was trying to do both jobs together. That was simply too much.
Hu Xianbin was slightly shocked. "Uh, Okay Boss Pei, I'll delegate the entire work to Min Jingchao. However... I do have something urgent to report regarding the GOG project!"
Pei Qian nodded. "Um, continue."
Hu Xianbin seemed very urgent. "Boss Pei, I hope you can make an exception to urgently recruit some people for Tengda Games' gaming department!"
Pei Qian frowned. Make an exception? Urgently recruit some people? Bro, that's a very dangerous thought!
Tengda had a bi-annual recruitment drive in May and November. It was set at such timing to avoid the peak recruitment season. The recruitment process was relatively cumbersome, and so it required enough time for new employees to go through resignation procedures and handover work. The actual entry would only be one month later.
However, Pei Qian looked at the date and realized that it was already April 18th. What was so urgent at GOG that they could not hold out for a month?
There was definitely something wrong here!
Pei Qian attached great importance to it in his heart, but he still asked calmly on the surface. "What is the rush for recruitment?"
"Boss Pei, IOI wants to engage in an 'arms race' with us. GOG's project is now in urgent need of manpower expansion. Otherwise, our first-mover advantage would be lost!"
Pei Qian could not help but be delighted. He did not know what an 'arms race' meant here, but he was very clear on one point: Lin Wan made her move!
The domestic server for IOI should be almost ready by now. A series of publicity strategies should be formulated, and they're ready to start from the GOG market.
He did not know how Hu Xianbin obtained the news. However, considering that Tengda Games and Shang Yang Games were brother divisions, it was not surprising that they would obtain information from certain channels.
Pei Qian smiled with anticipation. "Really? Tell me about it."
Hu Xianbin hurriedly replied, "The strategy at IOI is to win by volume. They are desperately updating with two new heroes every month according to the current plan. That is too fast!
"We have slightly fewer heroes in GOG than in IOI. However, it is still within an acceptable range.
"We will definitely be left behind if we were to update a new hero once every two months. GOG will be able to obtain the advantage, and we will be gone!"
Pei Qian nodded his head at the criticisms.
Great, both Finger Games and Lin Wan were very reliable, eh! The scenario still panned out like how it should in my imagination. I really have no other qualms.
Pei Qian's expression became calmer and lighter. "Therefore, you want to recruit more people to compete in speed?"
Hu Xianbin nodded. "Yes, we have no reason to lose to them in speed! Whoever can update faster would be able to better maintain the stickiness of the players and the overall popularity of the game. The advantage in this respect is too great! "Whoever can prevail now shall win. GOG will absolutely not give in!"
Pei Qian was silent for a moment. "I don't agree with your views.
"It's definitely not possible to recruit in advance. I do not recommend for the gaming department to recruit too many people even in the recruitment drive next month."
Hu Xianbin was stunned. "W-why?"
Pei Qian leaned back in his big boss chair and said seriously. "Manpower should be of quality, not quantity. "With more manpower, the speed of generating ideas would increase, and you would have more ideas. This seems like a good thing.
"However, having more people might be either a treasure chest or shackles. Don't just try to use clumsy overwhelming tactics once you run into problems. That will limit your thinking and obliterate your inspiration.
"In short, don't hire too many people." Hu Xianbin was a little anxious. "But Boss Pei..."
Pei Qian emphasized again. "Don't hire too many people." Hu Xianbin had nothing else to say. He did not dare to let Boss Pei repeat a third time. He could only sigh and quietly exit the office.
Pei Qian gave a satisfied smile.
Lin Wan, I can only help you to this point. You have to hurry to accomplish your mission!
Hu Xianbin returned to his desk and sat down dejectedly upstairs.
Min Jingchao quickly came over, seeing Hu Xianbin return. "How did it go? Did Boss Pei
agree?"
Hu Xianbin shook his head. "No, Boss Pei rejected."
Min Jingchao was taken aback. "Rejected? Impossible! Boss Pei had always been generous to the various expenses of the company. How could he reject the recruitment of a few new designers? This is really strange."
Hu Xianbin sighed. "Sigh. I don't know what Boss Pei is thinking either, but he had a really firm attitude. He said that not only can we not make an exception for early recruitment, but we will also not be able to recruit too many people a month later."
Min Jingchao frowned, obviously at a loss. "How could Boss Pei say something like this for no reason? Did he say anything else? Usually, there would be some hidden clues in Boss Pei's words."
Hu Xianbin tried his best to recall. "Let me think...
"He seemed to say something like having more people might be either a treasure chest or a shackle. But this sentence does not seem to have any profound meaning to it...
"Should we seek Brother Bao and Big Sister Li's advice?"
Min Jingchao shook his head. "I think it is better not to push all the questions that require analysis to Brother Bao. It is a necessary skill to read and understand Boss Pei in Tengda. We have to train in it as well."
Hu Xianbin gave it some thought. "That's true, but what Boss Pei said this time really does not seem to have any meaning to it. I don't have a clue at all."
Min Jingchao frowned, lost in thoughts. His brows relaxed slightly after a short while.
"From the original point of view, this sentence means that every designer would have different ideas. More people can indeed provide different perspectives and ideas, but having so many angles and ideas would trap us and become shackled.
"Others' perspectives and ideas would conversely limit your thinking. Your ideas will limit others' thinking in the same way. If everyone were to do their own thing, it would drag each other down and reduce efficiency. "Therefore, creating new heroes for GOG is a tiring job, but it is also a technical job that requires continuous creative production. The key here is not how many people we have, but if the main designer can accurately control the direction of the game.
"No matter the number of designers we hire, only one person should be calling the shots and unifying the style. At the same time, that person should be making the overall planning balance. Otherwise, the game would become a stitched-up monster."
Hu Xianbin was no stranger to this way of interpretation, and he immediately understood it. "Yes, it makes sense! However, that does not solve the problem.
"The ability of everyone to generate the idea is limited. If there are too few people, then there will not be enough ideas. You can do the overall planning, but you still need people to provide inspiration and design new heroes."
Min Jingchao pondered for a slightly longer time. He only slowly opened his mouth after some time. "It seemed like it wasn't necessarily the case.
"Everyone has limited inspiration and ideas. That is true, but not only designers can provide inspiration and design new heroes.
"Boss Pei expressed a type of dialectical thinking. He did not deny the power of a large number of people. His words were 'could either be a treasure chest or shackles'. We have only analyzed the shackles part but not the treasure part.
"How can the wisdom of designers be matched up to the wisdom of the majority of the players? "Designers are only a small treasure chest; players make up the large chest! "Boss Pei did not allow us to recruit more designers because it was inefficient and would not solve the fundamental problem.
"In other words, we can also let the players participate in GOG's hero design!
"So what if IOI could develop the heroes in no time? Inspiration and ideas would be inexhaustible if players' enthusiasm could be fully mobilized!"
Hu Xianbin suddenly realized. "That makes sense! Boss Pei actually had such a meaning?
"Indeed, fully mobilizing the enthusiasm of the players and letting them provide the ideas and contents. Our designers will only need to be responsible for screening, modification, and balancing. It would solve this problem perfectly!"
Min Jingchao stood up suddenly. "I'm going to make an activity plan!"
Pei Qian watched some drama for a while after Hu Xianbin left. He looked at the time. It was already three in the afternoon.
"I haven't seen Old Ma for a while. I'll head to Dream Realization Ventures for a while."
Pei Qian just remembered about it. He wanted to go to Dream Realization Ventures to ask Old Ma about the projects that he was optimistic about, but he was so busy that it slipped his mind.
The weather today was just fine to head out. He would also be able to understand the current situation with Old Ma and Dream Realization Ventures.
Pei Qian told Old Ma previously to let him know immediately once he found a suitable project. However, Old Ma seemed to have made no movement even after so long. Pei Qian could not help but feel bothered. What the hell was the b*stard Ma Yang busy with?
He was not worried about Ma Yang lazing around and spending money in secret. That was because Pei Qian had requested that all investments in Dream Realization Ventures had to be approved by him after the previous venture into Finger Games.
Dream Realization Ventures must not have spent a single cent if no one had asked for instructions.
Here was the question then. What was he doing if Ma Yang was not spending any money?