Chapter 161: Rekindling Old Ma’s Passion

Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief in the car after he left the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. He was absolutely treading on thin ice.

This is so tough for me!

Pei Qian recalled the things that happened today. If he had discovered it one or two weeks later, the situation might have gone out of control. When that happened, not only would problems crop up in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, but the efforts spent on all the other projects would also be wasted!

“Fortunately, I have everything under control in my hands and have resolved the situation before it took a turn for the worst. Not only did I successfully console Old Ma, but I have also managed to clear out all potential risks. This is simply a perfect strategy to resolve the situation.

“I am indeed a genius!”

Pei Qian was worried that this incident would deal a terrible blow to Ma Yang such that he would not be able to recover from the setback. Therefore, he built a castle in the sky for Ma Yang at the end.

Of course, Pei Qian’s words were not entirely true. However, the ‘castle’ that he had built for Ma Yang was different from what other bosses would say.

The ‘castles’ that other bosses built were complete lies. But, Pei Qian was different. He did plan on fulfilling his promise.

Ma Yang’s actions gave Pei Qian a reminder. It made him think of the live-streaming industry.

Pei Qian was certain that in the next few years, live-streaming would quickly become a valuable investment opportunity. The war between live-stream platforms would soon erupt. People’s lifestyles would be changed dramatically.

However, who said that investment opportunities would guarantee profits?

Choosing the right investment opportunity could indeed help one build a huge business empire. However, there was an even greater chance of being burned to ashes in the battle of financial power. In the end, most people would leave the scene in dejection.

After all, other people were not blind. If one could see this investment opportunity, others could as well.

In the internet age, one’s financial power determined if he could ultimately win this investment opportunity.

Many companies burned money in terms of hundreds of millions. Pei Qian questioned himself if he was willing to burn the money. The answer in his heart was a yes. Yet, the ultimate problem was that Tengda did not have enough money for him to burn.

Whatever the case, the most important thing was that he must be able to lose money!

Pei Qian knew many classic case studies where companies consistently lost money:

The ofo yellow bikes (a bicycle-sharing service), Didi Chuxing (a ride-hailing service), Meituan Food Delivery, Panda TV (a live-stream platform), JD Logistics…

Weren’t all these great examples of losing money?

Pei Qian felt that as long as he chose one of those case studies to copy, he would be able to lose money consistently. He could then use the system’s money to fill the money hole. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Pei Qian did not do these previously as he had to meet certain criteria before he could step foot into those industries. He did not even have the money to create a shell for the projects, not to mention the operating costs.

However, during this period, Pei Qian realized that his goal was gradually moving towards losing tens of millions. Therefore, he would naturally plan his projects with the aim of reaching this targeted amount in mind.

Of course, he had to contemplate further on his detailed strategies.

After all, the system regulated that the settlement date would be postponed in the event when there were unfinished products.

If Pei Qian decided to enter a certain industry unprepared and his capital chain ruptured in the production stages, he would not be able to reach a settlement. Neither would he have enough money to continue with the production. He would then be stuck in an awkward situation.

If he could successfully lose money during these two cycles, he would choose not to enter those industries for the moment.

If he had profited again for some unknown reasons…

Boss Pei would then go down the road of no return in terms of giving money away.

Amongst the many choices, live-stream sounded like a good option. Pei Qian wanted to comfort Ma Yang after seeing how upset he was. Thus, he decided to give Ma Yang the title of the CEO of Fish-Catching TV.

He could also claim that the idea for Fish-Catching TV came from the display screen that Ma Yang placed in the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.

…

June 3rd…

The other two Fish-Catching Internet Cafes had opened its doors to customers. Pei Qian was there personally. He was finally assured after seeing how empty the two stores were with his own eyes.

Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were there, too. However, Ma Yang seemed a little confused and depressed.

Pei Qian pulled Zhang Yuan over to one side secretly. “I feel like Old Ma seems to be out of sorts.”

Zhang Yuan replied truthfully, “It’s fine, Boss Pei. Brother Ma has lost his goals temporarily. That’s why he appears to be a little depressed sometimes. Yet, his appetite did not decrease at all. His meal portions have even increased.”

Pei Qian thought to himself, “This is Old Ma for you. He is very tough psychologically indeed. Even after suffering such a huge blow, his appetite was not affected at all.

“What about the flagship store? How is it going?”

Zhang Yuan replied, “Business was okay. After Chen Lei left, we found a new resident singer. There were gifts occasionally, but the number of audiences is gradually decreasing.

“We still gave the singer a commission. The revenue now is better than how it was at the start. However, to turn our losses into profits… I don’t know how long it would take to achieve that.”

Pei Qian nodded his head. He could finally put down his worries.

As long as the stores did not turn their losses into profits, everything was good.

However, how could the revenue now be better than the revenue when the store just opened? That implied that giving commissions based on the number of drinks ordered was indeed a useful operating model. It could earn him profits. Therefore, this was ultimately still a hazard.

As Pei Qian looked at the frowning and gloomy Ma Yang, he suddenly had an idea.

Was there a way that he could settle the drinks commission issue over at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe while finding something new for Ma Yang to do so he could pick himself up?

An idea flashed past in a breeze in Pei Qian’s mind.

Some of those classic case studies to lose money needed hundreds of millions to work. He could not venture into those avenues currently. However, some projects did not need a lot of starting capital to operate.

Such as… food delivery services!

Pei Qian noticed that the branch manager at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was a chef. During the selection process for the branch manager, other than the four waiters, there was also a chef who raised his hand. He became the branch manager naturally.

He happened to be suitable!

“Zhang Yuan, call the branch manager of this store over. Call Ma Yang over, too. I have a new task for you guys.”

The four people sat down at the coffee area.

Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were already used to this while the newly-promoted branch manager-cum-chef was still not accustomed to his role change. He appeared to be a little uneasy and fidgety.

“How do I address you, branch manager?” Pei Qian asked.

He had never paid attention to the names of the few branch managers. They were just human props to him. It did not matter what their names were.

Thinking about it from another perspective, this was a good thing. If he knew the name of a human prop, that would imply that this human prop had performed remarkably at work. That was bad news to Pei Qian.

This newly-promoted branch manager-cum-chef looked like he was in his forties. He did not appear as ‘greasy’ as most middle-aged men. In fact, he had maintained a toned body and had taken good care of his appearance.

After hearing Boss Pei’s question, the branch manager hurriedly replied, “I am Lin Canrong.”

Pei Qian nodded his head. He only remembered that his surname was Lin.

“Old Ma, I heard that you seemed to have lost your goals recently. That is fine because I have a new and very important task for you! This would further expand the blueprint of our Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. It is an integral part of Tengda’s business empire strategy.

“Are you confident to take on the task?”

Pei Qian looked at Ma Yang with encouragement in his eyes.

Ma Yang was instantly energized. “Brother Qian, tell me everything! I have been worried that I could not find an avenue to showcase my talent!”

Pei Qian nodded his head. As he had expected, a simple task was enough to rekindle the fire in Ma Yang’s heart.

“We… are going to continue invading the F&B industry!”

Ma Yang, Zhang Yuan, and Lin Canrong looked at each other.

Continue invading the F&B industry?

Indeed, they had already started their conquest with the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. The Fish-Catching Internet Cafe did serve food. Its menu had western wine on one side and home-cooked meals on the other.

Chef Lin’s previous job at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was to ‘catch fish (laze around)’—oh! No. His job was to cook for the customers. However, most customers at the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe did not order food. Thus, Chef Lin was mainly ‘catching fishes’ every day.

Pei Qian wanted to continue on his conquest with just that?