Previously at Longyu Group, whenever Eric and Zhao Xuming had disagreements, the aftermath was often difficult to resolve.

Because there was no authoritative arbitrator.

They were already the highest officials for IOI in the domestic server, so if disagreements arose, they could only let the Longyu Group executives and Finger Company executives mediate.

But those executives rarely engaged with specific operations at lower levels, so how could they understand the details of the situation? They could only smooth things over and blame both sides equally.

So once a disagreement emerged, the most likely outcome was internal conflict, wasting time on meaningless communication.

But at Tenda, things were different.

If the two had conflicting plans, there was an easy solution—go to Mr. Pei!

Mr. Pei would need only a minute to judge who was right and who was wrong, and the wrong party would absolutely accept the verdict without complaint.

Under these circumstances, continuing with their previous collaborative model was no longer appropriate.

An individual’s abilities are ultimately limited, and keeping Zhao Xuming as just an assistant was quite wasteful.

Mr. Pei had pointed out their positions as a kind of reminder.

Eric was responsible for overseas operations, while Zhao Xuming handled domestic operations. Since conditions in different server regions varied, the two should each focus deeply on their respective domains.

At the same time, Zhao Xuming should also take initiative in managing some events, with the two collaborating more naturally.

As for what to do if their plans conflicted?

With Mr. Pei around, there was absolutely no need to worry about internal friction.

Eric suddenly felt that Mr. Pei truly lived up to his reputation.

He had long heard that Mr. Pei was skilled at finding problems within success and remaining optimistic in failure, and now it seemed true!

With just a few sentences since arriving here, he had directly pointed out the crux of the issue.

Eric and Zhao Xuming had different mindsets, but both sincerely admired Mr. Pei and had no objections to this arrangement.

Eric didn’t feel his position was being challenged; rather, he felt he could breathe a little easier and focus most of his energy on the international server.

After hearing Eric’s explanation, Zhao Xuming understood.

“I see.”

“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it then…”

Zhao Xuming knew that trying to coast by was no longer possible.

Mr. Pei was too perceptive to be fooled. Even with this plan being so successful, Mr. Pei hadn’t spared him and had pointed out his issues without mercy. He would have to make some changes.

Fortunately, this was Tenda, not Longyu Group.

He had heard that at Tenda, Mr. Pei was very forgiving of employees who made mistakes. Besides, with Mr. Pei overseeing everything, employees rarely had the chance to make mistakes, since everything had been planned out by Mr. Pei in advance, and most plans could be described as thrilling but ultimately safe.

Zhao Xuming sighed and reluctantly began conceptualizing his first plan at Tenda.

Fortunately, the opponent was the familiar IOI. If he was a bit more aggressive and left a good impression on Mr. Pei, things should be easier afterward.

…

Shortly after Pei Qian returned to his office, Meng Chang arrived.

“Mr. Pei, here’s the promotional video we made for the Suffering Travel program. Please take a look.” Meng Chang handed over his phone.

Pei Qian took the phone and casually asked, “How are things going with Suffering Travel? Are the managers adapting well?”

Meng Chang was silent for a moment: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking to hear about and devastating to witness…”

“I’ve been there overseeing the documentary filming, watching them suffer, and I’ve started to empathize with them.”

“It’s hard to imagine what it would feel like to experience it firsthand.”

Pei Qian smiled slightly, thinking that Meng Chang didn’t need to go suffer yet, and he hoped that day would never come.

Because if that day arrived, it would mean that this good friend had also left his side…

Meng Chang added, “Also, these managers seem to be deliberately acting more miserable in front of the camera, perhaps hoping to evoke sympathy and be relieved of their duties sooner.”

“Oh?” Pei Qian raised an eyebrow.

Well, you’re wishing in vain.

The more miserable you appear, the more meaningful Suffering Travel becomes!

If all of you were enjoying it and experiencing the joy of suffering, then I’d have to consider bringing you back quickly.

Pei Qian asked, “So how did you film it?”

Meng Chang: “Of course we filmed it normally, documenting faithfully. Whether or not they were acting, the suffering is real.”

“This promotional plan is divided into two parts.”

“The first part is this promotional video, which is only a few minutes long. If there are no issues, it will be released today.”

“The second part is a relatively longer documentary, about thirty minutes to an hour, which will record the travel experience in more detail. It will be released two or three days after the promotional video. It hasn’t been edited yet.”

Pei Qian nodded: “Remember what the ultimate goal of your promotional plan is.”

This was a reminder to Meng Chang that the ultimate goal of the promotional plan was to spend big money and achieve negative publicity effects. He needed to think carefully and not let his commission disappear again.

Meng Chang confidently assured him: “Don’t worry, Mr. Pei. I’ve thought this plan through pretty thoroughly.”

Ultimate goal?

The ultimate goal was obviously to make everyone see the suffering aspect of Suffering Travel in the short term, discouraging most people who wanted to participate, but in the long term to let everyone recognize the value of Suffering Travel!

Meng Chang already fully understood this point without Mr. Pei having to spell it out.

Pei Qian opened the video to check the promotional clip.

The content of the video was fairly standard, basically divided into two types of shots: one showcasing aerial or various other angles of beautiful scenery, and the other showing people engaged in rock climbing, rappelling, wilderness survival, and other activities.

The background melody was relatively subdued, but not in an artistic way—rather, it had a slightly rousing rhythm.

Accompanying these images, a male voice narrated.

“There are many experiences in life you haven’t had, places you haven’t been. Whether you see them or not, they are there waiting.”

“You can travel many times, and beautiful distant places can take many forms, but when they meet you, they become unique.”

“Don’t let the mundane smoke of everyday life turn you into an ordinary person. Travel is not for beautiful scenery and chance encounters, but to dispel life’s trivialities through fatigue.”

“Don’t forget the things you promised yourself you would do, the distant places you would go, the beauty you would feel.”

“In dense forests, in the wilderness, in suffering pilgrimage-like journeys, free the mind that has been shackled by concrete jungles, and search for life’s true meaning.”

“In the suffering journey, meet the soul that accompanies your entire voyage.”

“Suffering Travel, taking you to see the distance with your soul.”

The narrator’s voice was quite masculine, giving people a sense of passionate excitement. The voice also carried a hint of bewitchment, as if enticing viewers to embark on a spontaneous journey.

Of course, these were just some of the more representative lines from the video. The actual promotional video, which was several minutes long, wouldn’t contain only these few lines, but the overall style was consistent and conveyed more or less the same message.

After watching the promotional video, Pei Qian couldn’t help but frown slightly.

This…

He looked up at Meng Chang: “Are you sure this will work?”

From every angle, it seemed like a perfectly normal promotional video?

The video content featured aerial shots of beautiful scenery. Shennongjia was a scenic area, so finding attractive landscapes wasn’t difficult.

When people were rock climbing, rappelling, or engaged in wilderness survival, their equipment was complete, and such images naturally gave people a sense of excitement and motivation.

And from the promotional copy, it also seemed quite positive, completely beautifying Suffering Travel as a form of self-challenge.

If this video were released, Meng Chang, are you sure you can earn your commission?

Pei Qian was quite doubtful about this.

Meng Chang smiled slightly: “Mr. Pei, you don’t realize, but there’s some deeper meaning to this video.”

“First, I didn’t choose to use a more artistic female voice for the narration, but rather opted for a relatively masculine male voice, and incorporated words like ‘suffering’ and ‘pilgrimage’ in the copy, specifically to discourage ordinary tourists as much as possible, especially more artistically inclined female tourists.”

“This way, only those hardcore tourists with a spirit of challenge, who naturally align with the characteristics of Suffering Travel, will be attracted by this promotional video.”

“Second, this promotional video is just the first step.”

“Next comes the documentary, which can show viewers a more authentic situation.”

“After that, we’ll also announce the price of a trip on our official website…”

Upon hearing Meng Chang’s explanation, Pei Qian immediately understood.

I see!

This was clearly a multi-tiered screening process.

First, it filtered out ordinary tourists by promoting the “suffering” element.

By emphasizing suffering in the promotional video, most people would know what Suffering Travel was about just by watching the clip.

Of course, there might be some masochists who, upon hearing about the suffering, would be especially eager to try it.

That’s when the documentary’s reality would be needed, presenting the most authentic side of Suffering Travel to them, using cruel reality to shatter their beautiful fantasies.

After this screening process, basically those tourists who were merely curious and watching from the sidelines would know better and retreat, leaving only those who truly had determination, perseverance, and a passion for such high-difficulty challenges.

At this point came the final killer move—the price!

Upon seeing the price, even this last batch of people would be discouraged.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it; the key was, if someone had determination, perseverance, and initiative, why would they join a tour group?

They could easily organize a few like-minded friends, plan their own route, and achieve the goal of challenging themselves with much less money.

Even after the price was announced, the content of the promotional video would likely provoke annoyance, since many people naturally disliked this kind of artistic rhetoric, considering it deceptive.

Some products were positioned as “the rich don’t need it, the poor can’t afford it.”

And Suffering Travel’s positioning was roughly in this awkward state—neither here nor there. After all the screening, only a tiny handful of people would remain.

And these people were clearly insufficient to support Suffering Travel’s enormous expenses.

Pei Qian was delighted.

This Meng Chang was impressive, making rapid progress!

His way of thinking was becoming more and more aligned with Pei Qian’s own!