Chapter 188: President Pei's Little Experiment
However, this didn't mean he could do whatever he wanted.
Companies with no connection to the system's funds likely didn't know him personally either, so why would they ever offer him a sky-high appearance fee?
He also couldn't resort to backdoor deals or subtle hints, because the system had a strict rule: no one could be allowed to suspect the existence of the system or the challenge.
In other words, if someone were to pay him a high fee, it had to be done willingly, without any doubts, and in a way that made perfect sense.
As long as those conditions were met, the system wouldn't interfere—no matter how high the payment.
But... that condition was already incredibly difficult to achieve.
"Sure enough, the system's airtight. Every possible shortcut is basically blocked."
He did have a vague idea, but it would require someone else's cooperation, so he had to set it aside for now.
Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Ma Yang.
"Brother Qian! President Lin said he hopes to meet you in person and talk about something. Can you come over?"
…
…
At a Moyu Internet Café branch.
Pei Qian and Lin Chang didn't meet at the flagship store—it was too crowded and noisy.
So Ma Yang suggested they meet at another branch instead.
Pei Qian arrived at the branch and pushed the door open.
It was immediately clear that the place was much more crowded than before.
This was clearly because of Chen Lei.
After Chen Lei's breakout success on Searching for a Good Voice, his connection to Moyu Internet Café became a popular story among viewers, indirectly giving the brand a golden halo.
Most of the fans went to the flagship store, since that was where Chen Lei used to work.
But the other branches still benefited from the brand boost.
Many people who had previously thought Moyu Internet Café was overpriced were now willing to pay the premium, just because of the brand.
Of course, due to the remote locations of the branches, the local consumer base was limited, so these branches were still hovering on the edge between breaking even and losing money.
Pei Qian sat down across from Lin Chang.
Even though Lin Chang had dropped tens of thousands of yuan at Moyu Internet Café, Pei Qian didn't feel particularly grateful—after all, he'd only seen a few thousand of that himself.
And Lin Chang clearly didn't care much about the money either.
"President Pei, pleasure to meet you," Lin Chang said with a smile.
"My sister's been in your care lately. That private booking the other day—think of it as a small token of thanks."
The moment that came up, Pei Qian felt a surge of annoyance.
Yeah, you did spend tens of thousands, but I didn't see a dime of it!
Pei Qian smiled and replied, "President Lin, saying that is a bit disingenuous. You obviously spent that money just to show off in front of everyone. How can that count as a thank-you gift?"
Lin Chang was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. "Fair point, fair point."
That little joke helped break the ice between the two.
Lin Chang sighed, "My sister's always been the most stubborn one in the family. Even our dad doesn't know how to deal with her. But I heard she's been very well-behaved and diligent here with you. I was honestly surprised. That's why I came all the way to Jingzhou—to see just what kind of person the famed President Pei really is."
Pei Qian: "…"
She's been well-behaved and diligent here?!
She almost sank the whole ship, dammit!
Pei Qian had a thousand complaints running through his head, but he quietly took a sip of coffee and decided not to respond. Better to just steer the conversation forward.
"I heard your father doesn't want her to stay in the gaming industry," Pei Qian casually probed.
He wasn't sure whether Lin Chang, as the older brother, shared the same stance as their father—or what the family's situation really was.
A bit of probing could help him get a clearer picture of Lin Chang's views.
That way, when it was time to send Lin Wan away, he wouldn't step on any landmines.
Lin Chang looked a little helpless.
"This whole thing... I'm honestly quite conflicted."
"Logically speaking, what Wan'er is doing right now doesn't make much sense. If she were willing to come home and inherit the family business, she could easily fund her own game company."
"But she's just so stubborn—insists on being a game producer herself."
"From a rational standpoint, I agree with my father's view. But emotionally, I understand her choice."
"After all… my own dream used to be to become the lead singer of a band. Looking back now, I still kind of regret not sticking with it..."
Pei Qian's mouth twitched slightly.
Wow. So the four of you siblings are all multitalented and full of passions, huh?
From the sound of it, Lin Chang had once tried to chase his own dreams too—only to be overruled by his father and forced to abandon his dream of becoming a singer, returning home to inherit the family business instead. And now, he's president of Shenhua Film & Media Co., Ltd.
Lin Chang took a sip of coffee and continued, "Actually, I think it's a good thing for Wan'er to go out and experience more. A bit of life experience never hurts."
"First, she's young—she's got plenty of time to spare. Second, if she goes through some ups and downs now, she won't be so lost when she eventually takes over the family business."
"So I'll have to ask President Pei to look after her."
"I'm really sorry if she's caused you any trouble. How about this: Tenda is a game company, and I personally love Ocean Fortress."
"I'll buy 500 Fire Qilins as a small token of appreciation. What do you think?"
Pei Qian was stunned.
Five hundred Fire Qilins?
That's over 400,000 yuan!
Why the hell don't you just give that money directly to me instead of buying a bunch of stupid Fire Qilins?!
In Lin Chang's mind, buying Fire Qilins was probably the same as directly handing Pei Qian money. It would also boost the game's revenue metrics—win-win, right?
But from Pei Qian's perspective, this was a disaster. After the 30-70 revenue split and factoring in the profit-sharing formula, he'd personally only end up with a measly two thousand yuan or so...
"No need."
Pei Qian kept his expression calm and spoke slowly, "If you really want to show your appreciation, President Lin, I actually have a suggestion."
"I'm planning to run a little experiment with a small budget. If you're willing to cover it, I won't object."
Lin Chang blinked, then his eyes lit up with interest.
"A small budget? No problem."
"How much are we talking about?"
Pei Qian replied casually, "200,000 yuan. Half for my appearance fee, and half for props. It'll be a short-form video series—20 episodes total."
"But I should warn you, President Lin: you need to be ready for the possibility that this money will just go up in smoke."
Lin Chang did a quick mental calculation.
"President Pei's fee is only 5,000 yuan per episode? That's way too low. Let's make it 10,000!"
He had originally been planning to spend 400,000 yuan on Fire Qilins, but since Pei Qian had a better idea, he was happy to go along with it.
As he looked at Pei Qian's calm expression, Lin Chang felt like he understood.
'To President Pei, 400,000 yuan is probably just pocket change.'
'He clearly just wants to have a little fun with it. Since we happened to be talking, he figured he might as well toss me the idea and let me fund it.'
'Great! I get to do him a favor and build some rapport—win-win.'
Lin Chang was actually quite pleased, thinking Pei Qian was treating him like a real friend.
To him, it felt like this: one friend has a birthday coming up, and when asked what he wants, he says, "I found a game I like, it's 200 bucks—why don't you just buy it for me?" Simple and casual.
In Lin Chang's mind, this 400,000 yuan was just a little welcome gift, a thank-you for looking after Lin Wan.
Meanwhile, Pei Qian was still slightly dazed.
He hadn't even managed to react properly out of sheer disbelief.
The system didn't warn me?
I really just got 200,000 yuan that easily?
Then what the hell was all that effort I put into money conversion in the past few months even for?!