Pei Qian was even happier after Assistant Xin was done with her explanation.
As expected, the fitness industry was promising! What was there to worry about since there were so many successful stories of failed gyms?
Pei Qian nodded. "Hm, let me give it some thoughts.
"By the way, are there any newly opened gyms nearby? Or any ready-made venues that can be used directly by setting up some equipment? Look for them, save time for renovation by using money."
Pei Qian wanted to open the first gym as soon as possible and see what would happen.
He would open a few more if everything went well so that he could lose more money in this
cycle.
It could also stop loss quickly if he accidentally made money and think of other ways.
Assistant Xin considered it for a moment. "I do know a few... high-end gyms nearby. However, they might not necessarily be willing to transfer ownership. I'll get someone to ask."
Pei Qian began considering his plans for his gym after Assistant Xin left.
He tried to digest and absorb as much 'gym failure experience' from Assistant Xin's investigation report as possible. He would integrate all the characteristics of failed gyms into one!
Pei Qian knew very well that Tengda Corporation had grown rather big and had abundant funds. He would definitely invest a lot no matter which industry he were to enter.
The large amount of initial investment would increase revenue pressure, but it will also be easier to attract customers, especially high-quality customers with high net worth.
The difficulty of losing money was getting higher.
Therefore, he had to steel himself and not be led around by fate if he wanted to lose money!
He shouldn't think 'I can lose money if others can lose money if they do this'. If he really thought so, he would probably make a dogmatic mistake.
According to the analysis of the report, the fundamental reason why many gyms did not make money lied in the relatively large investment in the gym itself such as venues, equipment, labor, or other expenses.
Selling membership cards alone could also get good benefits if it was in some developed countries where people generally have fitness habits. It would then enter into a virtuous circle.
However, due to the economic development level and people's perception in China, most people had no fitness habits. Moreover, they were not willing to spend more money. It would be difficult to make money by selling membership so they must sell private training sessions.
This idea would be the same as the domestic Krypton Gold Online Games. First, use low prices to attract more people into the gym as much as possible and then pick out those richer ones.
There were three kinds of people in the gym to put it bluntly:
The first were the hot-headed lazy bums. They were those who felt the excitement for a short while and would cool off after a while.
People who did not need money and wanted a healthy body. They were afraid that they would not be able to sustain themselves so they signed up for a private training session to supervise themselves.
Those who could persist by themselves.
The gyms like the first two types of people, but it was such people that would resist the offers from the gyms.
However, there were too few of such people around.
The gym mainly earned through membership fees from the first type of people while they earned through private training sessions from the second type of people. They attracted both rich and poor.
Therefore, Pei Qian thought for a while and decided to do the opposite.
It would be the same as the previous idea, to cut expenditures and reduce resources. On the one hand, he had to increase daily expenditures as much as possible; on the other, minimize their target user groups and make less money.
First, do not earn anything from the hot-headed lazy bums!
Other gyms sell half-yearly cards and annual cards. The longer the time, the more discounts there would be. That was to take advantage of their hot-headed characteristics and use discounts to encourage them to apply for long membership cards.
However, these hot-blooded people generally could not sustain this effect. The longer they set it to be, the more they lost out.
Pei Qian decided to calculate the price for the day!
Other gyms are members who sell for half a year or a year and count whether they come or not. The membership that Pei Qian wanted to sell would only be deducted based on the day the customer came.
It was also impossible for the other gyms to refund the membership fees. They could only transfer the membership to others, which was very troublesome. The gym that Pei Qian wanted to open would allow the users to withdraw their balance in their accounts at any time.
This way, the hot-headed lazy bums would not be able to give the gym more money!
Next, he would not earn a penny more from a whale!
The other gyms were frantically selling private training sessions, providing better services for high-net-worth users to obtain greater profits.
Pei Qian decided not to sell any private training sessions.
All personal trainers would have the same benefits and wages and would not earn commissions.
The personal trainers would be on standby all the time. They would answer any questions the clients had. They would also let them know if they see clients doing something wrong. However, they would never talk too much, let alone promote any courses. Want to find an exclusive personal trainer? Want to pay for a private training session?
Sorry, we do not offer one-to-one services.
The more Pei Qian thought about it, the more satisfied he was.
This plan would shut out most of the clients' money.
The hot-blooded would first be dissuaded by the high price. Even if they applied for the card on a whim, the balance could be refunded at any time.
Those who were rich and wanted one-on-one training would not be able to find such services here.
Those who really understood fitness would definitely choose cheaper gyms as long as there was equipment. There was no need to pay extra to come to this gym. The only people who were interested in such a model would be those who were slightly affluent, enthusiastic about exercise, and dismissive of hiring private trainers.
However, the current level of economic development had not reached that lifestyle level, and Jingzhou was a less developed second-tier city. The number of this group of people was small, and it was unlikely that the gym would be profitable.
In this way, the gym would become a pure loss. The more he opened, the more he would lose!
Of course, the system was not so foolish.
The requirement of the system was that this industry must have theoretical profitability. The profitability could be reduced to a certain extent if it could earn him a certain reputation.
Pei Qian was going to provide a better fitness environment so he naturally had to set a higher price.
After consideration, Pei Qian decided to set the price much higher than the minimum price allowed by the system.
It was likely to result in small profits but a quick turnover if the price was set based on the lowest price allowed by the system.
If he were to continue increasing the price to a level that most ordinary people couldn't bear, he would be able to dissuade the target group directly from the price!
At present, the gyms in Jingzhou cost about 2,000 yuan per year, and all Tengda employees signed up for it.
That was a relatively high-end gym. A cheaper one could cost even less than one thousand yuan.
According to the mid- to high-end standard of 2,000 yuan per year, it averaged to about five yuan a day.
However, it was obviously impossible for most to go to the gym every day. It was good enough if most of them patronized once or twice.
According to this frequency, the real price per day would work out to about 20 yuan a day.
It would be more worthwhile with a higher frequency of patrons.
Since Pei Qian had decided to use better equipment, create a better environment, hire better coaches; he would use the price to further dissuade consumers. He would set the daily price at 40 yuan!
He should add on to the price, considering that clients would need to spend more money to enjoy personal training in other gyms which could be enjoyed here for free.
Of course, the private training sessions at the other places were one-to-one training. This gym would be a one-to-many so the price could definitely not be set too high.
Pei Qian considered it for a while and raised the price to 50 yuan!
This price should be able to dissuade many people, right?
If one used this premise to calculate how much they had to pay if they visited the gym twice a week, it would cost them 400 yuan a month and 4,800 yuan a year.
If it was more extreme-going to the gym four times a week, then this amount would double at 9,600 yuan. It was a very outrageous price for the local consumption level in Jingzhou in the year 2011. It should be an unreasonable figure compared to the price of the other gyms.
"Hmmm... it seems like it was not enough. Is this all I can do to lose money?
"Let me think again."
Pei Qian felt that there was still a certain chance of failure with just the current setting of doing the opposite of these profitable gyms.
What if some people felt that this gym had a conscience and applied for a 'secondary' membership card?
Or what if a big bodybuilder were to come to Jingzhou temporarily and didn't want to apply for a long-term fitness card and applied for a short-term card?
It seemed as though it would still be profitable if there were enough people who came once in a while and the daily flow of people was guaranteed.
Therefore, he had to think of ways to persuade these people to not join them as much as possible! It was impossible for them to mandate the application of a long-term card. It would be contradictory to the previous rules so he had to think of other ways. Pei Qian considered it for a while and decided to implement a 'check-in system', using a special method to achieve this effect of persuading clients to leave! When registering their membership, different training programs were formulated according to each person's physical fitness, work, and life status.
For example, they were required to use the gym three or more times a week; eat and drink in accordance with the prescribed content; and make it mandatory for them to eat only healthy meals launched by Fish-Catching Take-Out.
In this way, consumers would not only have to pay for the gym but also for the mandatory healthy meals!
There were much fewer people willing to spend so much money!
If one failed to complete the check-in goal, there would be a penalty. First, there would be a warning, then allow them to refund. After that, they would not be able to sign up for some time.
In this way, those 'experience parties' who wanted to go to the gym once in a while would also be disgusted and would reduce their savings by a large amount. Yes, that would be perfect! After several rounds of considerations, Pei Qian finalized the specific rules for the gym:
After one became a member, they could recharge as much as they liked without any discount.
Take physical examinations and develop training plans as soon as possible, including how many times a week the client would visit the gym; what to train; and what to eat. All the contents would be formulated after consultation with the customer. Once established, it would become mandatory and must be followed through.
The cost of each visit to the gym was 50 yuan if one were to add them all up. The healthy Fish-Catching Take-Out would be mandatory so the price would be calculated separately. The takeaway order system and the gym's app exchange data would be linked. Of course, the Fish-Catching Take-Out would have to make a loss, too. Healthy meals would be sold at a cost, but the forced food purchase itself was a form of dissuasion to the consumers.
He was losing money and adding a threshold for the clients-perfect. Clients would be interviewed if they did not eat the healthy meal or did not come to the gyms for a certain number of times. The first two times would be warnings, and the third time would be a direct refund and that client would not be accepted within a month.
Of course, if they corrected it immediately after the first warning, then this consecutive warning effect would be eliminated after two weeks.
Pei Qian decided to name this gym as 'Deposit Fitness'.
On the surface, it meant to 'deposit your body with us!!
The actual meaning meant was for the mentally handicapped AI to beat the crap out of the clients!
A crazy gym like this would be patronized by whales at best.
However, there were not many whales in Jingzhou. The real whales would look for personal trains so the Deposit Fitness would probably not be very competitive.
Many stores would be open, and no one would care about them. It would be simply beautiful because all of them could be used to distribute employee benefits!
Of course, Pei Qian also thought of some other methods such as discounts for successful weight loss, but he rejected them after careful consideration.
These operations seemed to be able to lose money on the surface, but they also seemed to be able to motivate clients and propagate spontaneously—which could be counterproductive.
Therefore, Pei Qian decided to abandon these seemingly beautiful operations and chose to take the safe route after careful consideration.
Losing money required a long term strategy as well.
Then, Pei Qian briefly considered the equipment in the gym.
All fitness equipment must be the most high-end.
Every piece of aerobic exercise equipmentincluding treadmills, ellipticals, etc.—would be equipped with a small TV in front, so that one could adjust what one wanted to watch.
Showers, changing rooms, restrooms, etc. would all be made in accordance with the highest specifications. All kinds of high-end shampoos, shower gels, hairdryers, and the like would all be provided. In short, wherever they could spend money on.
Moreover, they had to wear a wristband in the gym and download the exercise data from the wristband when they were done. They would only complete the check-in when the amount of exercise reached the standard.
...
Pei Qian nodded in satisfaction after everything was finalized. He would strive to make this gym an exclusive gym for Tengda employees, so that no one else would be interested in it!
Double happiness when the gym would lose money daily and make more losses when giving benefits to his employees. He should make fitness plans for all Tengda employees so that they were exhausted from exercise and have no intention of working. Boss Pei would lose money, happily obtaining the best of both worlds!
Chapter 476 Don't You Want to Hear How Much I'm Going to Pay You First?
April 8th, Friday...
Pei Qian followed Assistant Xin into a high-end gym near the office. It was not far away; it was only a five-minute walk from the office. Of course, it was not far from Handong University either.
The gym occupied a shop space by the road. There was a signboard on the entrance: Bo Sha Gym, Handong University branch. The words looked very artistic, making it look dynamic and modern. Apart from bright and clean full-length windows, there were also dynamic and abstract artworks drawn on either side of the entrance. All the artworks were of people exercising. Some were slam-dunking, some were playing badminton, and some were boxing.
The artworks were separated by lines. Anyone who looked at them would involuntarily think about comics. At the same time, they looked extraordinarily dynamic and youthful.
Pei Qian frowned.
He was quite satisfied with the way the gym had been renovated. After taking over the gym, he would be able to open for business within a short period, without having to waste too much time. However, he was not pleased with the fancy entrance.
It was too eye-catching!
Tengda's businesses had to be as low-profile as possible.
Still, it was easy to deal with. After taking over the gym, Pei Qian could engage workers to clean the entire entrance and paint a soft color over it instead. Everything would be alright as long as they avoided drawing attention to the gym as much as possible. All of those were small problems.
Upon entering, Assistant Xin briefly introduced the current situation to Boss Pei: "Boss Pei, I've sent people to the few gyms in the area. Only three are willing to sell their businesses. This gym is very nicely renovated, and it suits your requirements the best. "Bo Sha Gym is a well-known brand that has chain stores all around the country. It has several branches in Jingzhou as well. It has been expanding very quickly in recent years, but the rapid expansion caused problems for the business.
"Bo Sha Gym's Handong University branch was intended to be a high-end gym in the vicinity of Handong University. Its target audience was Handong University's students and the white-collar workers in nearby office buildings. However, a problem soon surfaced.
"There are too many gyms near Handong University. Many small gyms engaged in price wars and sold their memberships at very low prices. Nearly all the people who love exercise in the area have been divided up among them.
"There's even another Bo Sha Gym just over a kilometer from this place. That exacerbated the problem. The branch manager of this branch had already set his sights on the high-income group, and so the membership was quite expensive.
"It was fine in the beginning. The gym's environment attracted many high-income people. However, as they sold more and more cards, potential customers dwindled, and the revenue from membership sign-ups and personal training failed to cover the gym's operating costs. At last, the gym failed to make ends meet and started incurring losses.
"If you like this place, we have two options:
"First, we could buy the entire place as it is, including the gym's members and coaches. Of course, the branch manager would love it if we could do that, but we could use that as an excuse to negotiate a better price. We could even spend less than we budgeted. "The downside to doing that is that we would earn little to no revenue from membership sign-ups. That would only allow us to ask for a better price from the owners. Of course, we
the existing members and personal training sessions.
"Second, we could buy the shop space, and not retain the members or the coaches. We could even refuse to buy the equipment and ask the owners to empty the place. Then, we can renovate the gym from scratch. Since there's another Bo Sha Gym nearby, we could ask the owners to transfer the members from this branch to that branch.
"That would ease our burdens, but there are only so many people in the area who have the habit of going to the gym. It could cause us to fail to pull in members from the very start."
Fail to pull in members?
That's great!
Pei Qian remained expressionless. "Alright, I understand. I'll deal with the project from now on. You can focus on the procedural work."
Assistant Xin nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei."
Both of them walked towards Bo Sha Gym's Handong University branch. The moment they entered, what looked like a thirty-year-old man dressed in a suit and leather shoes walked up and welcomed them.
"Boss Pei! How are you? I'm the branch manager of this gym. My surname is Wei."
Obviously, Assistant Xin had told the branch manager about Pei Qian before. That was probably why he was being so hospitable. There were many heroic buyers in the world, but they could be split into different tiers!
The extremely rich buyers would no longer be referred to as 'heroic buyers', but as 'cash cows'!
Once Branch Manager Wei heard that Tengda Corporation had set its sights on this branch, he beamed with excitement. This branch had been steadily incurring losses. Branch Manager Wei had already decided to transfer all the members to the branch next door, close down, and stop the bleeding.
Now, Tengda Corporation had expressed interest in taking over the shop. Although Branch Manager Wei would still incur losses in the end, the problem would be minimized. Of course, he was over the moon.
"Boss Pei, let me bring you around first."
Branch Manager Wei led Pei Qian around the gym, letting him see every corner of the area. The area was huge, and the renovations were well done. Among the gyms in Jingzhou, one could say that this gym had a better environment. However, there was no swimming pool, sauna, massages, or other fancy things.
Pei Qian knew very well that, among all the high-end gyms, Bo Sha Gym would only be considered average.
The more facilities there were in a traditional gym, the better. Gyms with fancy facilities like swimming pools and saunas often drew customers in better than other gyms.
The reason was simple. Many noobs had the same mentality when it came to gyms: 'it's better to have excess than find myself lacking'. Even if they did not know how to swim, they would plan for the day that they felt like learning.
Thus, if a gym had all the necessary facilities, even if it charged more for membership; people would still be willing to sign up.
While this gym might look bad to others, it looked good to Pei Qian. The gym would look less attractive to others! Obviously, Branch Manager Wei did not tell Pei Qian about this. Instead, he boasted about superficial things like how much they had invested in the gym and how good its potential was.
Pei Qian did not pay much attention to him. Instead, he barely processed Branch Manager Wei's words. In any case, he could just send Assistant Xin to do the negotiating when the time came for it.
After walking around the gym, Branch Manager Wei called all the gym trainers over. They formed two lines in front of Pei Qian. The gym trainers all had well-sculpted chests, and they looked to be full of energy.
It was not easy to be a gym trainer in this day and age.
If the gym closed down, all the gym trainers would have to apply for jobs in other gyms. Not all of them would succeed. Of course, they had to put on a show in front of someone who was potentially taking over the branch. It would be best if they could convince Boss Pei to retain them as he bought over the gym.
Branch Manager Wei's intentions were clear. He was not hoping for Boss Pei to retain all the gym trainers. In fact, he would be satisfied if Boss Pei picked a few of the trainers and allowed them to remain in the gym.
"Boss Pei, let me introduce to you a few of our gym's most popular golden instructors—".
Pei Qian raised his hand, stopping Branch Manager Wei mid-sentence. Boss Pei trusted his own eyes more than Branch Manager Wei's recommendations. He scanned the gym trainers at lightning speed and then filtered them one by one.
He could not accept those with bad figures.
Those people probably could only remain in the gym for so long because they could make a lot of sales. They were likely good and quick-thinking liars. If Pei Qian retained such business geniuses, he would possibly end up generating a lot of profit.
He could not accept those whose eyes were filled with hope and who looked to be in a good mental state either.
Such people were probably hard workers who were very enthusiastic in their work and who had probably been brain-washed by several other gyms before. They did not match Pei Qian's requirements.
Finally, Pei Qian skipped over the few gym trainers in the front row who had bulging muscles. He focused on the humble-looking coach at the back, who stood by the side with his head lowered.
He was not tall, and he had glasses on. From his face, Pei Qian guessed that he was quite old. Since he hid behind the others, Pei Qian could not tell how fit he was.
"You, the man with the spectacles. Step out."
Pei Qian wagged his finger.
The gym trainers turned around one by one to look at the man with spectacles. He looked up, incredulous and confused, as he pointed to himself.
Pei Qian nodded. "That's right-it's you. Step out."
The man walked through the middle of the front row and stepped in front of Pei Qian, still looking puzzled.
Pei Qian looked at the small-looking man and instinctively thought of a scene in the movie 'Kung Fu'. The man had looked so short before, and he had looked so unassuming behind the other gym trainers. Pei Qian could not tell that his muscles were so developed.
"What's your name?" Pei Qian asked.
The personal trainer spoke in a low muffled voice. "Guo Licheng."
Pei Qian was stunned. "I'm asking for your real name, not your nickname." Branch Manager Wei quickly explained, "Boss Pei, this trainer is called Guo Licheng. His surname is Guo, and 'Licheng' is his name. Licheng means rhetorical and honest."
Pei Qian, "...I'm sorry, I'm uncultured. However, your name doesn't sound very motivating to those who want to lose weight."
Branch Manager Wei walked towards Boss Pei and said, "Hehe, Boss Pei, I need to tell you something first. I'm not saying this trainer isn't good, but he's not very smart. He's not very good at management, and he's not very sociable either. In fact, he's the worst at sales in the entire team.
"Of course, if you only want him to be a personal trainer, there'll be no issue. He's very professional. However, if you want him to manage the gym, there'll probably be issues...
"What's more, Coach Guo has been thinking about quitting the industry for some time.
"I can recommend another man to you. He's not worse off than Coach Guo, and he's smart and bright. I promise that you'll be satisfied!"
Pei Qian shook his head. "There's no need! I don't want anyone but him." "Er... alright." Branch Manager Wei had intended to try harder at persuading Pei Qian, but he soon recalled that he was not related to the gym trainers in any way. Thus, he decided not to poke his nose into their business.
Branch Manager Wei dismissed all the other trainers and asked Guo Licheng to remain behind and wait for Boss Pei's instructions.
Pei Qian left Assistant Xin with a few words. "Get rid of all the equipment in the gym. Sell them second-hand to other gyms. We'll buy new ones.
"Ask them to transfer their members to the other branch as well. We'll not take them. We'll only retain Coach Guo. I want to speak to him.
"Pick out some problems and negotiate for a better price. Of course, don't go overboard; just don't let the branch manager take us for a ride."
Assistant Xin nodded and then proceeded to discuss the contract with Branch Manager Wei. At the same time, Pei Qian went to speak to Guo Licheng. Before he could say anything, Guo Licheng spoke. "Boss Pei! I'm very sorry, but I have something to clarify. I thought of leaving the industry for a long time. I apologize, but you'll have to find another coach."
Pei Qian remained silent for a moment and then asked, "Are you sure you don't want to hear how much I'm going to pay you first?"
Chapter 477 Let Me Change This Industry Then!
The mysterious question stumped Guo Licheng at that moment. Pei Qian continued speaking. "What's your base salary now?"
Guo Licheng answered honestly, "1,500 yuan." Pei Qian asked, "How do you earn commission?"
Guo Licheng: "It varies from trainer to trainer. On average, we get thirty percent as commission and two hundred yuan per personal training session."
The personal training sessions cost as much as Pei Qian remembered. That was the price he was paying for his employees' personal training as well. Of course, in ten years, this would look cheap. In fact, it looked like peanuts.
Pei Qian quickly calculated in his head. "If you teach three sessions per day on average and don't rest for the entire month, you would earn 5,400 yuan from commission. In addition to your basic salary, that would be 6,900 yuan."
At the moment, that income was not considered bad in Jingzhou.
Guo Licheng hesitated. "In reality, I don't earn that much. Many customers that I teach were transferred to me by other trainers. That means I have to split my commission with them. Each month, I only earn about five to six thousand yuan."
Pei Qian nodded. The man lived up to his name. He was very forthcoming and honest with all of his answers.
For personal trainers, the main competition was in selling training sessions. The more one sold, the more commission one earned. Many personal trainers in large cities could earn thirty to forty thousand yuan per month from selling training sessions alone. However, those kinds of marketing geniuses were rare.
Naturally, personal trainers like Guo Lichengwho were inarticulate, quiet, honest, and forthcoming-would not be able to bluff many students into buying his training sessions. On the other hand, personal trainers who were good at sales and bluffing sold more personal training sessions than they could handle. Thus, they could transfer some customers to trainers with more time on their hands, like Guo Licheng.
However, they would not have transferred customers over for free, unless they were extremely close.
Pei Qian nodded. "I'll give you a basic salary of eight thousand yuan. There'll be no commission, but we'll provide food and lodging allowance and various other benefits like regular physical examinations."
Guo Licheng was shocked. "Er, Boss Pei... it's not the basic salary that's the problem. I want to leave the industry because—".
"I'll make it ten thousand yuan and give you more benefits, but there still won't be commission."
Guo Licheng, "..."
He was moved. A basic salary of ten thousand yuan... even if he left the fitness industry, he would not be able to draw a salary like that.
What's more, Guo Licheng really liked the fitness industry. He had only wanted to leave because he felt disappointed in its current situation. A basic salary of ten thousand yuan was ridiculously high, but the words 'no commission' were even more shocking.
Boss Pei's sincerity had moved him.
However, it also caused Guo Licheng to worry about Boss Pei. He did not want such a genuine man to become a pushover in the industry and end up losing everything after taking over the gym.
Guo Licheng hesitated and then asked, "Boss Pei, you don't understand the fitness industry very well, do you?" Pei Qian answered frankly, "No."
Guo Licheng looked like he had expected the answer. "To tell you the truth, you have an overly simplistic view. Your proposal sounds very tempting to me, and having 'no commission' is a good thing. However, it would not be in the gym's interests!
"Trainers would only try to sell memberships and training sessions if they would be paid a commission. That's how the gym would generate revenue and profit. If you don't pay your trainers commission, they would not make sales enthusiastically. Who would pay the gym, then?"
Pei Qian laughed. "Nobody has to. Our gym can just do away with personal training."
Guo Licheng, "Huh?" Pei Qian found Guo Licheng's confused expression very interesting. He briefly explained various aspects of his plan for Deposit Fitness to the latter.
Guo Licheng's expression changed from confusion to shock, to doubt, to bewilderment, and then to pity. Once Pei Qian was done speaking, Guo Licheng sighed softly. "Boss Pei, I can now confirm that you don't understand the fitness industry at all! Honestly, gyms with a conscience would not last long in this industry.
"If you want to run your gym this way, you would not achieve either of your goals. You would neither have a good reputation nor be able to generate profits."
Oh?
Pei Qian was elated. It seemed like his own plan had been validated by an experienced insider of the industry! It was a good sign.
Still, he had to bury his joy deep in his heart as he asked, "What do you mean?"
Guo Licheng cleared his throat and then glanced at Assistant Xin and Branch Manager Wei who were negotiating the contract at that moment. He whispered, "I'll tell you the truth, Boss Pei. The fitness industry is now a gambling den. "The trainees are betting that they would go to the gym every day upon signing a membership, while the gym is betting that they would not.
"Often, the gym wins.
"Still, local gyms are closing down and winding up in batches. Some people don't visit the gym for several months, even after signing up for a membership. When they finally decide to go, they realize that the gym has closed down. That's very common.
"That's why I say that this is an industry where bad money drives out the good. It's... very similar to other industries that eagerly push people to sign up for things and then run away.
"You can only earn profits if you have a dark heart. Those who survive based on their good hearts or good foresight are few and far between."
Guo Licheng sounded very upset, but Pei Qian was over the moon.
If what you're saying is true, then the situation is much better than I thought!
Pei Qian inwardly celebrated what he was hearing
"Tell me more about it in detail," said Pei Qian, his expression unchanging.
It looked like Guo Licheng had a strong desire to diss the industry more as well. In a low voice, he said, "Boss Pei, honestly, pricing usage of the gym at fifty yuan per day would not please either side.
"Most customers only visit the gym four times a week. That means they would have to spend ten thousand yuan a year. That's five times more expensive than ordinary gym memberships! They would surely think that our gym is extraordinarily expensive.
"However, in reality, gyms price their membership at two thousand yuan and then depend on people wasting their membership and buying private training sessions to generate profits.
"In other words, setting a fixed price might make customers find this gym expensive, and you might not be able to generate profit. To me, you're just being good-hearted, especially to the noobs who don't have any motivation. Yet, those noobs might not even thank you.
"They would imagine visiting the gym every day with a membership card. Thus, they would not find your pricing worth their money.
"That's also why I said that bad money drives out the good in this industry. There are too many noobs, and it won't be easy to earn money good-heartedly. Instead, being despicable would be more profitable.
"Gym memberships are sold at two thousand yuan for a year and three thousand yuan for two years. Obviously, the memberships that last two years are more cost-efficient. Since the gyms bet that customers would not visit very frequently, the longer one's membership extends for, the cheaper it would be priced.
"Still, gyms only focus on the situation before them! They would think about future problems in the future, as long as they get their hands on the three thousand yuan first. Only one gym had to start doing this before the others had to follow suit. Otherwise, the first gym would have won all the customers over.
"These gyms sell as many memberships as they can, which last for one to three years. After receiving cash upfront, they distribute flyers, rope customers in, and sell as many private training sessions as they can, without caring about the gym's capacity. Still, such gyms become more famous than others.
"They would attract all the nearby customers so that the other gyms have no source of revenue.
"If you start a gym with a conscience and give up earning quick bucks, you would be pushed out of the market by the other gyms' aggressive marketing strategy before long. What future would you be able to plan for, then?
"Gyms that try to earn quick bucks are flooding the market and making a surplus on all the future consumption potential. Once they see the situation getting worse, they pack everything up and go, leaving a mess behind.
"Another important point is that training is very painful for beginners. The consumers in our country don't have the right view of fitness and training. The barriers are too high, consumer experience is horrible, and there are too many newbies. That's why gyms have to adopt the current model.
"If you want to make money the good-hearted way, then you must be prepared to incur losses for the first few years. You would have to invest more resources and manpower than you can imagine. Not only must you provide good products, but you would also have to nurture the market and change people's lifestyles. That's way too difficult!
"All in all, if you're only interested in making a quick buck and running away, just act like I haven't said anything. However, I know that Tengda is a business with a conscience. That's why I hope that you'll give it a bit more thought. Don't jump into the industry too rashly."
After hearing these words from Guo Licheng, Pei Qian fell into deep thought.
He was elated!
Hear ye, hear ye! My plan has been validated by a professional! What's more, it's been strongly validated!
If I do what he says, it would be much easier for me to incur losses, right?
Seeing Boss Pei in deep thought, Guo Licheng quickly said, "Boss Pei, I don't think they've signed the contract. It's not too late to back out now."
Pei Qian sniggered. "Back out? No, no, no. I've thought about this long and hard.
"You think that bad money drives out the good in this industry, and you want me to be prepared to incur losses for a few years if I want to earn money the good-hearted way... let me change this industry, then!
"From now on, you will be the branch manager of Deposit Fitness' branch near Handong University. You'll have three tasks to work on in the next few days.
"First, recruit a team of coaches. Their basic salary would be seven thousand yuan. They'll be given various benefits, but no commission. All the trainers must model after you. Look for introverted ones and reject those who can speak very well.
"The trainers would take turns to have a break -two days per week. There will also be two shifts-morning and night. Make sure that there would be enough trainers to guide the students on normal days.
"You can figure out exactly how many trainers we need to hire. Err on the side of hiring more trainers. I'm thinking that twenty-odd of them would be enough. If someone falls sick and takes sick leave, we would have to find someone else to substitute him immediately. Do not let anyone work overtime for no reason under any circumstances.
"Second, hire a renovation team. Redo the entrance and paint it so that it looks less eye-catching
"Third, purchase new gym equipment. Buy equipment of the best quality. Don't be afraid of spending too much money, understand?"
Guo Licheng was confused. Had he spoken so much in vain?
"But Boss Pei-"
Pei Qian patted his firm shoulder. "No 'but's. Get ready."
On the other side of the gym, Assistant Xin had finished speaking to Branch Manager Wei.
"Boss Pei, the agreement has been signed. The gym is 1,800 square meters large, and the original owners invested 1.7 million yuan in it. These were their main expenses: five hundred thousand yuan on the mid- to low-end equipment, some of which were secondhand; fifty to eighty thousand yuan on other products, including the equipment and machines used for private training, computers, and office desks; nine hundred yuan on renovation; and a little more on salaries, advertising fees, and the like.
"If we had opted to take over everything, we would have had to pay them five to six hundred thousand yuan in assignment fees. However, since we only want the space and not the equipment, we would only have to pay three hundred thousand yuan.
"Branch Manager Wei will remove all the equipment. We can purchase new gym equipment, recruit new trainers, and pay the rent for the space... "We want to purchase equipment of the best quality, and we want to pay trainers higher than the market standard. That means the initial investment would be about 1.5 million yuan, which would include the equipment, assignment fees, and other miscellaneous expenses. Our annual expenses, including rent, utilities, and manpower, would add up to about three million yuan... that's 250 thousand yuan per month on average."
Pei Qian nodded, realizing that the investment was not as huge as he had expected.
He would be making an initial investment of 1.5 million yuan and paying 250 thousand yuan each month. Even if the gym did not draw in any customers, he would not lose that much money.
Still, on further thought, this was only one branch.
If he opened ten branches, he would easily be able to lose tens of millions of yuan each year, right? He would set up this branch and observe the situation. If no one cared about the gym, he would open more branches. In any case, he would surely incur more losses if he set up more branches!
Chapter 478 Is This Some Sort of Daily Training?
April 9th, Saturday...
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Handong University branch...
After settling the two gaming departments and the initial preparation for the gym, Pei Qian planned to enjoy the relaxing weekend that he rarely had.
He found a seat near the window in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and then sipped his coffee nonchalantly as he watched the busy street outside. He began to think about all the work he had to do from now on.
The company was going to receive the shared revenue from the sale of the movie tickets soon. Then, a huge sum of money would be transferred to the company's bank account.
Pei Qian had already thought about how to spend the money: he would build a condominium.
It would be just like Deposit Fitness. Not only would he be able to incur losses, but he would also be able to use it to provide benefits for his employees. He would be killing two birds with one stone and getting twice the happiness with a single move!
Of course, he would have to spend a bit more money. Thus, he had to plan things carefully.
Pei Qian thought about buying a suitable building, converting it into a condominium, and then using it to test waters. If everything went well, he would use the rest of the money to rent the remaining houses and renovate them.
The System prohibited him from dabbling in the property market. In other words, he could only buy houses if he planned to use them for business operations. He could not leave them lying around and wait for their value to appreciate.
In this regard, starting a restaurant or a hotel would count as 'business operations'.
However, after buying the villa for Ming Yun Private Kitchen back then, Pei Qian had not thought about buying another property. That was mainly because the starting sum in the System Funds had been too low for the past few cycles.
Ten percent of the value of the company's fixed assets would be included in the System Funds. That would affect settlement. If Pei Qian bought a building worth thirty to forty million yuan, three to four million yuan would be considered part of his System Funds. He only had ten million yuan at the start of the previous cycle. The value of the fixed assets alone would have accounted for thirty to forty percent of that amount.
It would have been more difficult for Pei Qian to incur losses and easier for him to go out of line.
However, this cycle started with twenty million yuan in the System Funds. Spending thirty to forty million yuan on a building would probably not affect settlement that much.
Of course, there were risks to doing this. The building's value could appreciate.
After accounting for that, Pei Qian still decided to buy the building. He had three main reasons for that.
First, this world was very different from the world that he remembered. Property prices would likely not rise so quickly. Second, even if the property prices increased rapidly, it would not happen in the next two years. Third, even if property prices increased during this period, it would not surpass the rate at which the starting sum in the System Funds increased.
At the rate things were going, the starting sum in the System Funds was increasing by ten million yuan every half a year. That meant that it would be worth it for Pei Qian to buy a fixed asset worth thirty to fifty million yuan in each cycle. That could be a fixed expenditure for every cycle.
On top of that, Pei Qian had to check on Dream Realization Ventures and Zhang Yuan. Pei Qian had not heard about any new investment projects since he had assigned Old Ma tasks earlier.
Pei Qian was very happy with this, and he had no intention to rush Old Ma.
However, he had to prevent Ma Yang and He Desheng from locking themselves away and causing chaos behind the scenes. Otherwise, if Pei Qian was not careful, something big could happen again. He had to be very cautious.
As for Zhang Yuan, he was supposed to work on the E-Sports Club, but he did not seem to be very interested in it. Until now, preparations were still ongoing. Pei Qian planned to make some time to take a look and offer him some 'guidance' while he was there.
In addition, there were other small matters that Pei Qian had to tend to:
Pei Qian felt that he was failing in almost everything that he did, mainly because he was not well-informed. He had to think of a way to keep an eye on every department's every move.
He had also not made any headway on the System's assignment for him to 'invest in himself'.
He also had to observe the other businesses that did not look threatening at the moment. For all he knew, one of the subsidiaries could cause trouble and suddenly stab him in the back...
The more Pei Qian thought, the more sorrowful he became.
Life was as lonely as winter.
Just as he was wallowing in self-pity, Pei Qian caught sight of a familiar figure walking into Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
"Eh? Boss Pei? A rare guest, a rare guest."
Seeing Pei Qian in the corner and sipping coffee, Ruan Guangjian could not help but feel surprised and curious. Pei Qian, "?"
Wait, what do you mean 'a rare guest?!
I've been busy working, and I haven't had time to visit Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. However, if I'm not wrong, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe is my business, right?
At the same time, Ruan Guangjian noticed a problem with his words. He made an embarrassed smile and said, "Ah, I'm sorry, Boss Pei. I was thinking about something, and my mind grew cramped. "This internet cafe is yours to begin with, hahaha. I have to admit, the coffee is really good."
At the moment, Ruan Guangjian was top on the list in Boss Pei's notebook. Teacher Qiao had been a strong competitor, but Pei Qian had made Teacher Qiao suffer before. That was why he felt much more forgiving to him.
As for the other people on the list, Pei Qian could normally force obedience out of them by making them go through roller coasters, pendulum rides, bungee jumps, and haunted houses.
Ruan Guangjian was the only one who was completely different!
He was happy and excited after sitting through roller coasters and pendulum rides! He claimed to be afraid of ghosts, and he screamed louder than anyone else upon entering a haunted house. However, once he emerged, he looked lively and full of color!
He was an unstoppable human shield who could withstand anything and everything. Pei Qian's methods of dealing with people counted for nothing to Ruan Guangjian.
If Pei Qian really wanted to take revenge, he would have no choice but to cause Ruan Guangjian real hurt.
was
However, Pei Qian was not prepared to do that yet. Thus, he had no choice but to allow Ruan Guangjian to bounce around and show off in front of him.
Pei Qian sipped his coffee and smiled. "How have things been since you've moved to Jingzhou? Have you adjusted to life here? If not, maybe it'll be better if you move back to Shanghai—"
Before Pei Qian could finish speaking, Ruan Guangjian interrupted him. "Don't worry, Boss Pei. I've adjusted. I've adjusted very well! Everyone in our workspace is regretting not moving here earlier! "We should have moved to Jingzhou the moment our workspace was established!" The hand that Pei Qian was using to hold his coffee cup stopped in midair. "?"
He had intended to sound sarcastic, and yet Ruan Guangjian seemed to have taken his words for genuine care and concern.
A waiter walked towards them, carrying two huge paper bags. There were seven or eight cups of coffee inside.
"Brother Ruan, your coffee is ready."
Ruan Guangjian reached out to grab the bags. "Alright, thank you."
It looked like Ruan Guangjian was a regular here. Even the waiters knew him well. He had probably called in advance to order the coffee and was only here to collect them.
Pei Qian was shocked. "The boss of the workspace is coming to collect coffee for his employees?"
Ruan Guangjian laughed. "I needed to walk around to clear my mind, anyway. We ordinarily take turns to collect coffee. Boss Pei, do you have time to walk around our workspace?"
Pei Qian instinctively wanted to turn down the invitation.
Do I have nothing better to do? Why would I want to look at the factory that manufactures back-stabbing weapons?
However, on further thought, he had to keep his friends close and his enemies closer to win his battles.
His enemy had already marched into his territory, Jingzhou. Danger was at his doorstep. All the more, Pei Qian should take the chance to understand his enemy well and make the necessary preparations.
At that thought, Pei Qian stood up. "Alright, let's take a walk."
Ruan Guangjian carried the bags of coffee and crossed the road with Pei Qian, leading him straight into Halo Workspace. This was Pei Qian's first time visiting Halo Workspace.
It had been a two-story bookstore before, which failed and had been forced to sell the space. Ruan Guangjian chose this spot because it was opposite Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and near Shenhua View. Thus, he happily began renting it.
Pei Qian's first impression as he stepped into the workspace was that it was full of life and artistic vibes. The temperature was just nice, and the genial sunlight shone through the full-length windows, making one feel comfortably warm.
Various plants were lined up against the entrance, on the desks, and in the corners. There were also many pieces of artwork, like sculptures and portraits, meant for decoration. The desks, chairs, and the entire structure of the office were quite casual, but it did not come across as messy or unorganized. Obviously, the layout was carefully planned.
Overall, the environment made one feel relaxed, which was optimal for activating one's imagination and creativity. Someone had already noticed Pei Qian walking in with Ruan Guangjian. One by one, they greeted him.
"Eh? Boss Pei!"
"Hello, Boss Pei!"
"Welcome, Boss Pei!"
All of them looked very passionate.
After all, everyone saw Boss Pei as a close friend of Ruan Guangjian and an important partner of Halo Workspace. He was an important source of income that they could cling onto now that they had moved to Jingzhou. However, Pei Qian saw them differently. If Ruan Guangjian was the assassin who would ultimately stab Pei Qian in the back, all of his employees were the people who would push him so that the knife went in deeper.
Pei Qian had to be objective and noted all of their names down in his little notebook!
Nevertheless, Boss Pei was a man of character. In the face of their warm welcome, he smiled and waved.
Ruan Guangjian handed the bags of coffee to one of his employees. "Old Huang, distribute this. I'll bring Boss Pei around."
Pei Qian followed Ruan Guangjian upstairs and walked around the entire workspace. As Ruan Guangjian introduced the various parts of the workspace, he could not help but feel emotional.
"Coming to Jingzhou was a very good decision!
"Jingzhou's cost of living is a lot lower than in Shanghai. We've saved a lot, both in terms of rent and in terms of daily expenses.
"The workspace is bigger, and our working environment is better. Everyone has obviously become more productive, and their physical and mental health has improved as well.
"What's more, life is much more convenient here!
"Now, we always order Fish-Catching Take-Out for all of our meals. It's nutritious and delicious, and yet it's not expensive.
"Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and Upwind Logistics have improved our standard of living as well.
"Most importantly, with Tengda Corporation around, life in Jingzhou City will only continue to get more convenient. The economy will improve as well. Not all second-tier cities have prospects like that..."
Pei Qian only had one feeling as he listened to Ruan Guangjian.
He was extremely pained!
Look, Ruan Guangjian's enjoying so much that he's forgetting his duties! Now that he's here in Jingzhou, he's completely abandoned Shanghai!
B*stard!
Still, Pei Qian could tell how much Ruan Guangjian loved Jingzhou from his excited expression.
Ai, it looks like persuading Halo Workspace to move back to Shanghai would be impossible...
How upsetting
Ruan Guangjian continued to lead Pei Qian around the workspace and finally returned to his own desk.
He did not have an individual office. On one hand, it was because those in the art industry had to work together with others, learn from others, and improve together. Inspiration came from conversation. On the other hand, Ruan Guangjian had to check the quality of all the projects that the workspace handled to ensure that their styles aligned.
Pei Qian noticed that Ruan Guangjian's computer screen was displaying an extremely fine portrait. A picture of a real person took up one-fourth of the space in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
He was a white male who looked to be in his forties. He was handsome, and he looked kind. Apart from those, there was nothing extraordinary about his looks.
What shocked Pei Qian was that the portrait did not look exactly the same as the photograph. Not only were there many additional details that were lacking in the photograph, but some parts of the photograph had also been edited.
For example, a few wrinkles had been added on the model's face. However, far from making him look older and more exhausted, the wrinkles made him look more charming.
His mustache and hairstyle had been meticulously edited as well. His mustache, in particular, made him look like a very rich and free man, who had the time to take care of his own facial hair.
His expression was different as well. He looked very kind in the photograph but very ambitious in the portrait. There was intense confidence in his eyes. The slightly-receding hairline had been covered in the portrait, and his head full of hair made him look to be full of life.
If one described the man in the photograph as a 'middle-aged white man in an average state', then the man in the portrait could be described as 'an elite white man who has excelled in every area of his life'.
Only by comparing the photograph and the portrait did Pei Qian finally understand what 'artistic exaggeration' and 'art processing' meant.
He could not help but feel moved. "This is so well-drawn! If the man in the photograph scored 70 marks for looks, I would give the man in the portrait 95 marks.
"Not only did you keep his main characteristics, but you've also enhanced his special characteristics and enhanced his qualities!
"Is this some sort of daily training for you artists? Do you find a random photograph and then come up with a living character based on it?
"Artists really never stop working on their skills."
Feeling extremely interested, Pei Qian studied the portrait and praised Ruan Guangjian.
Ruan Guangjian's expression became strange. "Er... Boss Pei. We have tight timelines. Normally, we wouldn't spend so much time drawing such a fine portrait as practice.
"This is what we've been working on lately... can't you tell? This is the latest request for art resources that we've received from Tengda Games.
"It's the rich protagonist in Struggle."
Pei Qian, "..."
These surprises always caught Pei Qian off-guard.
Chapter 479 Great Grandmaster Ruan Guangjian
If he had known that the portrait was for his own project, Pei Qian would have forcefully given more guidance.
For instance, he would have made unreasonable requests for the painting style, details, character's expressions, and the like.
However, Pei Qian had just praised the portrait to no end. He could not possibly raise objections now that he had found out it was for his own project, could he?
That would be too obvious and illogical.
He had no choice. Pei Qian forced a smile and said, "Ah, that's quite nice."
Ruan Guangjian clicked his tablet a few times with his pen to open a folder.
"There are other sketches here, too. Boss Pei, please take a look and see if there are any problems. At least we'll be able to make edits earlier."
There were various sketches and thumbnails in the folder, but each one was attached to a photograph.
Obviously, after deciding on the characters in the game, Hu Xianbin had sourced for motion capture actors who fit the criteria.
Motion capture actors did not have to look completely identical to the characters in the game, but they had to look largely similar. If the two looked too different, the data would turn out weird after the movements of the actor had been captured. The entire mechanism could break down.
To draw the best effects from the motion capture system, the motion capture actors had to be carefully selected. What's more, the characters in the game had to look very similar to the real-life actors.
Clearly, while Pei Qian had been occupied with Deposit Fitness, Hu Xianbin had made huge progress with Struggle.
Isn't he a newbie? He's way too efficient, isn't he?
Am I that unlucky? Did I accidentally promote an outstanding employee to become the chief planner?
Eh?
As Pei Qian thought about it, he realized that something was wrong.
Even if Hu Xianbin was extremely efficient, he could not have found so many foreign actors within such a short period, could he?
Such problems could not be solved with efficiency!
Pei Qian took a closer look at the photographs.
They were looking increasingly familiar! Pei Qian pondered hard for two minutes and suddenly remembered where he had seen the actors before.
Weren't they the freaking foreigners who had played supporting roles in Tomorrow is Beautiful?
The three local actors had had the most scenes in Tomorrow is Beautiful, but there had also been many supporting actors in the background. They were of various nationalities and skin colors. Huang Sibo and his team had searched high and low in Jingzhou for friends from all over the world.
However, they had had too little screen time in the film. What's more, so much time had already passed. Pei Qian's memory of the film had become blurry, and so he had not recognized them immediately.
Now, Pei Qian could be sure that Hu Xianbin was not that efficient. He had just been cheating!
He must have found a way to contact Huang Sibo and then copied his homework!
It was no wonder that the people in the photographs looked so familiar!
Pei Qian was speechless.
Hu Xianbin, Hu Xianbin... you with big eyes and thick eyebrows... you looked so loyal and honest. Why did copying others' homework come so naturally to you?
Pei Qian looked through the photographs and sketches.
The actors were of various nationalities and skin colors. It was obvious who were to act as the poor characters and who were to act as the rich.
That was to be expected. After all, the poor and rich existed in reality as well. It wasn't easy changing the posture that one accumulated over a long period.
Pei Qian tried hard to find a critical angle from which he could criticize Ruan Guangjian's work.
However, he couldn't no matter how hard he tried!
Everything made too much sense!
Hu Xianbin had obviously selected the actors based on their family and financial background in real life. They fit perfectly into their roles in the game.
On top of that, Ruan Guangjian had used the photographs as the foundation and added just the right amount of emphasis on certain characteristics of the actors. The fictitious images were not that detached from reality. Pei Qian could not find anything wrong with the sketches at such short notice.
He fell into deep thought.
es
Er... images only form one aspect of games. This game would primarily be turning gamers away with its content and gameplay. I should be able to relax about the drawing style...
Wait. I can't have this wrong mindset!
That's what I thought about Repent and be Saved, too!
Pei Qian had wanted to let it go, but he suddenly recalled the lessons that he had learned from Repent and be Saved and jolted.
He could not make the same mistake twice!
Since he had already seen the weapons that Ruan Guangjian had prepared to stab him in the back, Pei Qian had to think of a way to make the weapons malfunction!
Any magnanimity that he showed now would come back and hurt him in the future!
Quick, think of something to mislead him...
Er... the portraits prioritize a sense of proportion...
Aha!
Pei Qian realized that, while creating the images, Ruan Guangjian had been worried that excessively art-processing the photographs would cause them to look too different from the original actors. Thus, Ruan Guangjian had exercised some restraint.
That made Pei Qian think about Lu Zhiyao's acting skills back then.
Lu Zhiyao's greatest problem had been his excessiveness.
Pei Qian had attempted to offer wrong advice, so that Lu Zhiyao's acting would become more restrained. However, Lu Zhiyao ended up being praised.
That had been a serious mistake on Pei Qian's
part!
Ruan Guangjian's attainments in art were obviously much better than Li Zhiyao. He understood that going beyond the limit was as bad as falling short, and so he knew how to hold back when creating new works.
That was an entry point for Pei Qian!
All he had to do was ask Ruan Guangjian to be excessive, right?
Pei Qian cleared his throat. "The drawings are nice, but I have a minor suggestion."
Ruan Guangjian immediately paid close attention. "Oh? Boss Pei, please tell me about it in detail. I'll make the changes at once."
After all, Boss Pei was the chief designer of the game. Of course, he could make the final call about the game's art resources.
With a somber expression, Pei Qian said, "The images don't look that different from the real-life motion capture actors. You exercised a lot of restraint while drawing these images, right?"
Ruan Guangjian, "That's right. Adding too much artistic exaggeration would cause these images to lose their sense of reality."
Pei Qian clapped. "That's right! That's exactly what I want!"
Ruan Guangjian, "Huh?"
"Hehe." Pei Qian realized that he had been too excited, and so he quickly regained his composure.
"I want the images to lose their sense of reality.
"I want to express the game in a more extreme and artistic manner. Adjectives like 'realistic' and 'reserved' should not be used to describe this game.
"All in all, you should make the images look as weird as possible. Try hard to make them look excessive!"
Ruan Guangjian frowned and fell into deep thought.
Hu Xianbin of Tengda Games had not specified those requirements when he briefed Ruan Guangjian about the project before. In fact, Hu Xianbin had not even made specific requests. Of course, that didn't mean there was a problem with Hu Xianbin's work attitude. It was just the Tengda Games' culture.
All of the past and present heads of Tengda Games knew about Ghost General. Back then, Boss Pei had given Big Boss Ruan complete freedom to work on the game's art. That was what gave rise to the classic artwork for Ghost General.
From then on, Ruan Guangjian had been given free rein to create the art resources for Tengda's games including Game Designer, Repent and be Saved, and the like.
Naturally, Hu Xianbin had kept to the tradition when he briefed Ruan Guangjian about Struggle's art requirements. Ruan Guangjian had been left to decide on the style on his own.
However, Boss Pei was making a specific request now. Ruan Guangjian had to take that into consideration.
"Er..." Ruan Guangjian frowned, still in deep thought.
Pei Qian could not help but feel overjoyed. Excellent!
This is the expression of a designer being pressed by a retarded customer!
Pei Qian could relate to that feeling especially well. Ruan Guangjian had already finished the sketches for all of the characters. The images were more or less complete, and he was only left with the details. Yet, his client was suddenly requesting an overhaul.
Which designer wouldn't feel pissed? That was exactly what Boss Pei wanted!
He had already prepared himself. Once Ruan Guangjian tried to reason with him, he would play the role of an unreasonable client and a domineering President, just as he had mastered. Then, he would reject every one of Ruan Guangjian's reasonable suggestions.
Pei Qian could almost taste the sweetness of revenge.
Ruan Guangjian quietly pondered for five minutes with a deep frown on his face. He was obviously holding back his response to Boss Pei's words.
However, what Pei Qian found strange was that
-after suppressing his emotions for five minutes—Ruan Guangjian did not utter a single objection. In fact, he did not even show any intention of discussing with Pei Qian! After a long time, Ruan Guangjian made up his mind. He sucked in a deep breath and looked at Pei Qian.
Pei Qian braced himself.
It's time! He's finally going to battle with me!
Come on, I've already prepared my unreasonable speech as a customer!
'I don't care about what you think; I only care about what I think. What you think won't work well, but what I think would. Change everything. I don't care what excuses you have. Just change everything!
All of those words were already at the back of Pei Qian's throat. He was just waiting to turn them into bullets and shoot them at the top person in his little notebook!
However, Ruan Guangjian set his jaw and said, "Alright! No problem!
"Boss Pei, I haven't thought about a good way to do it yet, but don't worry. Since you've made the request, I'll fulfill it for sure!"
Pei Qian, "?"
He was light-headed.
What was going on? That was not how things were supposed to go. Shouldn't Ruan Guangjian have tried to reason and battle with Pei Qian?
Hadn't Pei Qian prepared his script in vain, then?
Could it be that Ruan Guangjian did not dare to offend Pei Qian because the former was relying on the latter's charity? Was that why he insisted on trying his best to fulfill any unreasonable requests Pei Qian had, no matter how much he personally disagreed?
That was horrible!
Pei Qian felt like he had become a vile man, and he instantly felt guilt.
Hurriedly, he said, "Er... don't force yourself!"
Ruan Guangjian nodded. "Don't worry, Boss Pei, I won't. I understand what you mean!"
Pei Qian, "?"
Ruan Guangjian continued speaking. "In the creative work industry, one has to strike a balance between satisfying the customer's request and fulfilling one's desires. Only by doing so can one create perfect works.
"I believe that Boss Pei must have a deeper intention for making this request.
"Although I haven't thought of a good resolution, I've already chewed on it for a while earlier. I think that I can use other methods to achieve your requests.
"I can always go down a different line of thought. For all we know, we might reap greater rewards!
"Don't worry, Boss Pei. I will prioritize quality and hold myself to a strict standard. No matter what sort of style I choose, I will make sure that you're satisfied!"
Pei Qian, "..."
For some reason, Pei Qian felt like he was fighting with a great grandmaster when dealing with Ruan Guangjian.
Whatever he did proved ineffective. In fact, he was being defeated with little effort from Ruan Guangjian, who seemed to be leveraging on the power of Pei Qian's attacks.
All of a sudden, Pei Qian was overwhelmed by an ominous feeling. As a customer, he really wanted to say 'let's just stick to the first draft'.
However, on further thought, he feared that people would think he was suffering from intermittent psychosis.
Since he had already said what he did, he could no longer take his words back.
Pei Qian had no choice but to nod reluctantly. "Alright, I'll leave it to you, then. Hopefully, the final product would fulfill my expectations..."