Chapter 192: Zhongdian Chinese Web
It wasn't that Pei Qian was trying to be modest—it was just that things like worldbuilding were honestly beyond him.
Not just worldbuilding—even many detailed design elements, he wasn't going to lay out too rigidly.
Once the design drafts were ready, he could just make a few tweaks here and there, and that would be good enough.
Ma Yiqun was listening very attentively.
This was the first time he had been involved in the development of a brand-new project from scratch after taking over as head of narrative design. And from the sound of it, this game would heavily emphasize story, which was a huge challenge.
He can't let President Pei down!
He already had a rough concept in mind, and President Pei's requirements were very clear—soon, everyone began to head out.
Just then, Pei Qian called Ma Yiqun to stay behind.
Ma Yiqun's heart skipped a beat, filled with excitement.
'President Pei is calling me aside—it must be to talk about the game's plot!'
'This is great! Ever since I joined Tengda, I've been trying to grasp President Pei's intentions. Now I finally get to talk with him one-on-one—I'll definitely learn a lot.'
'I wonder what kind of worldbuilding President Pei has planned for "Turn Back Before It's Too Late"? Even a small hint would help…'
Ma Yiqun was already imagining all sorts of possibilities.
Pei Qian looked at him with a faint smile and said:
"Starting tomorrow, you'll no longer be part of Tengda Games."
Ma Yiqun froze.
'What does that mean?'
'Am I being let go?'
'That can't be right—Lu Mingliang and the others all speak highly of me. Did I mess something up and disappoint President Pei? Was it the story I wrote? But the players seemed to like it…'
Pei Qian continued with a calm smile:
"I have a more important task for you. Tengda is going to launch an online web novel platform. I know web novels have always been your passion and dream—so I want you to be in charge."
Ma Yiqun's eyes went wide in shock, completely dazed.
Happiness had come so suddenly, he couldn't process it at all.
Just a moment ago, he thought he was about to be fired—he broke into a cold sweat.
Now he understood—he wasn't being let go, he was being reassigned.
From games… to web novels!
Ma Yiqun felt like he was dreaming.
He had never imagined he'd cross paths with web novel again.
Back in the day, he had believed he had a natural talent for writing. He came from a literary family, and had been nurtured from a young age. His writing skills were quite solid.
In university, he started experimenting with writing books and gradually built a small but dedicated fanbase.
He loved interacting with readers, and really enjoyed the feeling of having his work liked and recognized.
But after graduating, reality hit hard. Despite finally building up some momentum, none of his books even broke 100 first-day subscriptions, and he almost starved.
In the end, he had no choice but to abandon his account on Infinite Chinese Web, and he settled for a job at Shangyang Games as a story designer.
Since then, he hadn't written a single word of a web novel for over a year.
Although he still kept up with popular series, he had long since put down the pen.
With a shaky voice, Ma Yiqun asked:
"You want me to be the person in charge? What's the current state… of this company?"
Pei Qian smiled and said:
"It's still being assembled. But don't worry—finance and admin staff will be arranged by Assistant Xin. What you need to handle is just the daily operation of the site."
"The office is just upstairs. As for staff… we've recruited some new grads from the liberal arts major at Handong University. Since web novels don't require any specific technical background, just assign them work as you see fit."
What Pei Qian said was entirely true—these new hires really were complete rookies. He didn't even know if any of them had ever read a web novel before.
But Ma Yiqun clearly didn't see it that way.
'Why would President Pei suddenly decide to start a web novel site?'
'It can't be just to join the hype—there must be a deeper reason!'
Up to this point, Tengda's development strategy had always seemed multifaceted. Whether it was Feihuang Studio or the Moyu Internet Cafés, they all looked completely unrelated on the surface—but together, they clearly formed a grand strategy!
If Feihuang Studio represented Tengda's expansion into the film industry, and Moyu Internet Café was a push into brick-and-mortar businesses, then this web novel site was likely a key step in IP acquisition and licensing!
As long as the site could produce a successful original IP, Feihuang Studio could adapt it into a show or film, and Tengda Games could develop games around it.
This kind of forward-thinking strategy could prove tremendously valuable in the long run!
Even though this site was still in its infancy, with President Pei's razor-sharp strategic vision and Tengda's deep financial backing…
'If I can't pull this off,' Ma Yiqun thought, 'I might as well offer up my head in apology!'
Realizing that President Pei had entrusted him with such a critical piece of the overall plan, Ma Yiqun felt deeply moved.
But alongside that emotion came a sudden wave of self-doubt.
"President Pei, you know my background… I'm afraid I'm not the right person for this."
"I couldn't even write a successful novel myself—now I'm supposed to guide others? I'm worried I'll just lead them down the wrong path. If this ends up having a big negative impact, I… I don't know if I can handle it…"
Pei Qian smiled gently.
Lead them down the wrong path?
'Exactly. Why do you think I made you the person in charge in the first place?'
Pei Qian understood that once the site was live, it wouldn't do to just sit back and do nothing. He'd have to accept some submissions, sign some underperforming authors, and fill the site with low-quality but "active" content. That was part of the plan.
His biggest worry was that, given his ridiculous lucky streak, some web novel genius would accidentally emerge, write a wildly successful hit, and take the entire site viral—ruining everything.
Given his track record, he had to take precautions.
That's where Ma Yiqun came in—the perfect insurance policy.
The fact that Ma Yiqun had failed so consistently meant he had a fundamentally flawed understanding of web novel trends. His writing went completely against the preferences of mainstream readers, and didn't even appeal to most niche audiences.
And his batch of new hires? Even if a few of them had read web novels before, they likely knew nothing about the creative principles behind them.
If any of them had real talent, they'd already be full-time web authors. Why would they be waiting around for this?
And now Ma Yiqun—with his skewed creative instincts—was going to be training these new hires, managing manuscript reviews, recommendation systems, and editorial strategy?
That could only go one way—disaster.
The manuscripts would be trash, the resident authors would all be low-effort writers grinding for minimum pay, and readers wouldn't be able to find a single decent book—creating a downward spiral of failure.
Perfect. That's exactly what he wants.
Of course, Pei Qian realized he was maybe overthinking it a bit.
Success isn't that easy to stumble into.
Even if he took the web novel business completely seriously, hiring veteran editors and throwing money at superstar authors, the odds were still high that it would flop.
The web novel industry just wasn't that easy to profit from.
And since the outcome couldn't be changed, he might as well take it easy—and let Ma Yiqun live his dream one last time.
What's money, really?
Fulfilling an employee's dream—that's President Pei's true lifelong pursuit!