Pei Qian checked the time—it was already Friday, so he couldn’t arrange too many things.
First, he would briefly communicate with Meng Chang to let him prepare, then arrange some paid commenters to create some buzz and lay the groundwork over the weekend.
Then starting Monday, Tenda would issue an official statement, Meng Chang would shoot the promotional video and post on Weibo to tell players he was collaborating with Zhixing Studio…
Gradually, the work would get on track.
Next month would likely be busy with Zhixing Studio and VR headset matters. Once that was done, it would almost be time for settlement.
Although many projects had failed during this cycle, there were still projects like the experience stores and food markets that were well-received but not very profitable. Combined with the money spent buying numerous commercial properties and the two money-burning activities of the 515 Game Festival and summer promotion, with some effort, there was still hope to earn a commission.
Anyway, next cycle’s issues could wait until the next cycle. For now, he needed to focus on perfectly concluding this cycle.
Having made up his mind, Pei Qian immediately took a car to the Shenhua Luxury Building. Instead of going to his own office, he headed straight to the Advertising and Marketing Department.
…
Meanwhile, in the Advertising and Marketing Department.
Meng Chang was at his workstation, playing a game out of boredom.
He wasn’t particularly fond of gaming, but he had no choice—it was too boring here with nothing else to do except watch TV series or play games.
Meng Chang had frequently created game-related marketing plans before, so naturally, he needed to play more games to understand them better for his reverse marketing strategies.
Although he could cram right before a project, for an outsider, cramming wouldn’t really help much. He needed to study extensively and integrate the knowledge thoroughly.
Now, although Meng Chang had already quit, his habit of playing games remained.
On the other side, Yu Yao was whispering with a colleague beside him.
“It feels like Brother Meng’s mood has been a bit low recently? It’s only improved slightly in the last couple of days. What’s going on? Wasn’t the marketing plan for the inspiration class hugely successful?”
“Why do I feel that Brother Meng’s working style is becoming more and more like Mr. Pei’s? Is he now worrying about Tenda’s concerns first?” the colleague asked, confused.
Yu Yao shook his head slightly: “I don’t think so, or at least, not entirely.”
“First of all, people are influenced by those around them. Brother Meng has been working under Mr. Pei for quite a while now, and Mr. Pei has fully shared his sales strategies with him. It’s normal for Brother Meng to be influenced by Mr. Pei and undergo some changes.”
“But to say he’s ‘worrying about Tenda’s concerns first’… I don’t think so.”
“After all, they play different roles. Mr. Pei is the helmsman of Tenda Group, while Brother Meng is just the head of the Advertising and Marketing Department. No matter how much he’s influenced, his ideological level probably can’t reach Mr. Pei’s standard.”
“I think Brother Meng’s reaction, more accurately, should be… a state of dissatisfaction with himself and striving for improvement?”
The colleague was somewhat confused: “What do you mean?”
Yu Yao explained: “Look, Brother Meng should have been very confident in his marketing strategies originally. Back when he was with Cold Face Girl, he could manipulate online attention with ease, attracting the gaze of all netizens—it was quite impressive.”
“But after coming to Tenda, under Mr. Pei’s guidance, Brother Meng completely rejected his past marketing methods. Yet the plans he made became even more popular and successful than before.”
“This is enough to prove that Mr. Pei’s marketing philosophy is far superior to his!”
“So, the more successful our plans are, the more Brother Meng sees the huge gap between himself and Mr. Pei. This gap makes it difficult for him to be happy—he feels dissatisfied and pressured, naturally displaying a state of anxiety.”
“I believe this is the essential difference between him and Mr. Pei.”
The colleague nodded in sudden realization: “I see!”
As the two were quietly discussing, they saw Mr. Pei walk quickly in from outside and go straight to Meng Chang’s workstation.
“Come to the meeting room, I want to discuss the marketing plan with you.”
Watching the two enter the meeting room one after another, Yu Yao and his colleague exchanged glances, becoming more certain of their guess.
“See, I told you, Mr. Pei’s shadow is behind all of Brother Meng’s marketing plans! This time, it must be because the upcoming marketing plan is particularly important, so Mr. Pei has personally come to the Advertising and Marketing Department.”
“I wonder what the next marketing plan will be… I’m so excited!”
…
Pei Qian and Meng Chang entered the meeting room and sat down.
“As we agreed earlier, you’ll be fully involved in this marketing plan. Since you’re fully involved, there’s no problem with lending a hand and executing it, right?” Pei Qian asked.
Meng Chang immediately nodded: “Of course not!”
This proposal was exactly what Meng Chang had been hoping for.
He was genuinely curious about how Mr. Pei would operate. As an observer, he couldn’t see many details and wasn’t sure if Mr. Pei would use any small tricks.
But if he participated in the marketing activities and executed the plan himself, he would definitely understand far more than by simply observing.
Pei Qian briefly explained to Meng Chang the parts he needed to cooperate with.
Mainly shooting the promotional video and announcing his collaboration with Zhixing Studio on his personal Weibo, effectively tying Meng Chang’s personal image to Zhixing Studio’s series of upcoming marketing activities.
“As for how to shoot the promotional video… do as you see fit. I only have three requirements.”
“First, try not to show the real appearance of the Doubt VR headset in the promotional video. Instead, use a very exaggerated, over-the-top, highly technological virtual image as a substitute.”
“Second, make it abstract enough, even to the point of seeming nonsensical, making most people feel very confused after watching it. Also, make sure the prestige level isn’t too high.”
“Third, add some exaggerated slogans, such as ‘Once in a Lifetime’ or ‘The Best VR Product You Can Buy Within Three Years,’ and so on—use your creativity.”
“I’ll provide sufficient funding for the promotional video—you decide how much to spend.”
Pei Qian didn’t need to explain the funding issue; Meng Chang naturally understood.
Spending had to be substantial so that the converted commission would be higher. If they weren’t willing to spend money from the start and only earned a thousand or two in commission after success, that would be a huge loss.
But the more adequate the funding, the more likely the outcome would be explosive, so the balance had to be carefully managed.
Pei Qian believed that Meng Chang should be able to handle this well.
Meanwhile, Meng Chang was carefully considering Mr. Pei’s three requirements.
After a moment, he asked: “Mr. Pei, are you trying to… raise expectations first, then disappoint?”
“This promotional video repeatedly hints to everyone that our VR headset is a revolutionary product, creating an unrealistic sense of anticipation for them while simultaneously generating controversy among different audience groups. This way, when the product is released, they’ll experience a sense of letdown, right?”
Pei Qian couldn’t help but feel elated.
Good! Finally, someone wasn’t blindly misinterpreting his intentions but actually understood his true purpose!
How refreshing!
So this was the blissful feeling of not being misunderstood!
Talking with someone who understood was so straightforward.
Pei Qian nodded: “That’s right.”
Meng Chang hesitated before saying: “But, Mr. Pei, I’m afraid just this won’t be nearly enough…”
Pei Qian couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Do you think I don’t know that?
Pei Qian continued: “This is just the beginning. There are other follow-up arrangements—listen patiently.”
“Then we need to tie your image to Zhixing Studio’s marketing activities. I remember your Weibo still has many followers—make use of it and announce it at the right time.”
“I’ll inform Zhixing Studio in advance, so they won’t undermine you.”
Meng Chang was stunned: “Mr. Pei, you really know how to maximize resources…”
Being so intelligent, he instantly understood Mr. Pei’s intention.
He planned to use Meng Chang’s bad reputation to drag down Zhixing Studio, while making everyone view this series of marketing activities through colored glasses.
Meng Chang instantly felt a slight regret.
Why didn’t I think of this good idea before?
But then he realized that it probably wouldn’t have worked well even if he had thought of it.
Because this marketing campaign revolved around Zhixing Studio, Mr. Pei needed to first separate Zhixing Studio from Tenda Group before bringing in Meng Chang to be effective.
But the previous projects Meng Chang was responsible for were all Tenda’s own projects, so the effect definitely wouldn’t be as good as this time.
So Meng Chang stopped dwelling on it.
Besides, Mr. Pei’s approach also provided Meng Chang with some inspiration.
Could he find ways to utilize his bad reputation in the future?
For the sake of commission, I, Meng Chang, will do anything!
Pei Qian was very happy to confirm that Meng Chang fully understood and hadn’t misinterpreted his intentions.
“Good, that’s about it. Today, you should familiarize yourself with this process and conceptualize the promotional video. Starting next Monday, the entire marketing campaign will officially begin.”
“Let me tell you, I’ve put in a lot of effort to try to get a commission for you this time, so you absolutely cannot mess up on your end.”
Meng Chang inwardly scoffed, not believing a word.
But he still nodded: “I understand.”
The two left the meeting room. Pei Qian walked straight out, while Meng Chang returned to his workstation, closed his game, and opened a document to start conceptualizing the promotional video.
Yu Yao and his colleague exchanged glances, nodding slightly, everything understood without words.
…
Leaving Shenhua Luxury Building, Pei Qian checked the time—it was already past three in the afternoon.
He could go home now and enjoy a pleasant weekend.
But just at that moment, his phone rang.
“Who could this be?!”
“How can someone still be working on Friday afternoon when it’s almost time to get off work, and even calling me for instructions?”
“Let me see who it is—I’ll definitely reduce the overtime allowance for their department!”
Pei Qian took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and then answered silently.
“Mom? What’s up? Do you want me to come home this weekend?”
His mother’s voice came through the phone: “Huh? No need, you can stay there and focus on your work. Mom wants to ask you something—how much money have you saved up now?”
Pei Qian was taken aback: “Huh?”
Since he lived nearby, Pei Qian went home quite often.
But his parents actually discouraged him from visiting too much because they knew their son was doing well with Fei Huang Studio and must be very busy with work, so they encouraged him to focus on his career while he was still young.
Especially after “Mission and Choice” had another box office hit recently, his parents were overjoyed.
They thought that with such high box office numbers, their son must have received quite a bit in dividends, right?
They were genuinely happy for their son.
But why was she asking about money this time?
Pei Qian answered truthfully: “About three million.”
His mother was clearly surprised: “Oh? You’re making money so quickly?”
“Make sure you don’t work too hard—you must take care of your health.”
Pei Qian felt somewhat helpless: “I know. Work isn’t actually that busy.”
Every word he said was true—work wasn’t busy at all and was even somewhat leisurely. It just required an extremely strong psychological adjustment ability; otherwise, he’d eventually get ill from frustration.
Parents were always like this—advising their sons to work hard when their careers were just starting, but once they began making good money, parents immediately became concerned about their health.
But for Pei Qian, this really wasn’t much money at all!
For someone with the system, after three years, he’d only accumulated a bit over three million in personal assets. Even adding the house he’d bought before, it still wasn’t five million!
It was simply humiliating!
Actually, if things went smoothly, he could rake in three to four million in one cycle, but things were never that smooth.
Well, looking on the bright side, at least he had navigated through each cycle with thrills but no accidents. The system’s initial funding limit was getting higher and higher, and the theoretical maximum income from losing money was also increasing.
Pei Qian asked: “Mom, do you need money urgently for something? How much do you need? I can transfer it to you this afternoon.”
His mother replied: “No, what would I urgently need money for?”
“I just heard recently that property prices in the old industrial area are about to rise, and buying now would bring profit. I thought that since you’re busy with work, you probably wouldn’t notice this kind of news. Why don’t you take this opportunity to quickly buy a property? Don’t just let your savings lie in the bank earning interest.”
Pei Qian was silent for a moment, then said: “This news about property prices rising in the old industrial area… where did it come from? You shouldn’t be fooled by real estate agents.”
His mother’s tone was very certain: “Rest assured, this is absolutely reliable information! I have a childhood friend whose son is a core employee at Fuihui Capital, and his son said it came directly from Mr. Li at Fuihui Capital!”
“They’ve already identified properties in the old industrial area, and the paperwork will probably be completed this weekend.”
“Fuihui Capital is one of the top investment companies in Jingzhou—could Mr. Li’s words be false? They must have learned some inside information and heard the news in advance to say such things!”
“He also said that this news is currently only circulating within a small circle. If your mother didn’t have such a good relationship with them, she definitely wouldn’t have been able to find out about this kind of information.”
“Hurry up and buy a property before the prices completely rise. We’re not hoping to invest—just one property for our own use is enough. You should also keep some money on hand for emergencies.”
Pei Qian: “…”
This information acquisition channel was simply divine!
What the hell does Mr. Li know? Is he just blindly buying there because he saw me buying some commercial properties and setting up a food market?
But my buying commercial properties there was completely accidental, and the food market wasn’t even considered for profit!
I invested there to burn money—I have the system! Why are all of you blindly jumping on this bandwagon?
Pei Qian was speechless: “Mom, this fourth-hand information might not be reliable. You know what the old industrial area is like—that rundown place won’t develop. If you buy there, you’ll probably be stuck with it.”
His mother was clearly unconvinced: “At times like this, you have to trust the professionals. In terms of investment, do you know more than Mr. Li?”
“Besides, isn’t there a food market there that’s supposed to be transformed into a food street in the future? There will be plenty to eat. Buying a property nearby means you can go eat there every day. It will definitely become more lively in the future—I think it’s definitely right.”
“But it’s your hard-earned money, so you decide. Your mother is just letting you know about this news.”
“Don’t blame me when property prices rise later.”
Pei Qian: “…Alright, alright, Mom, I understand.”
After hanging up, Pei Qian had a stomach full of complaints but didn’t know where to begin venting them.
So his unintentional money-burning act had formed a bizarre circle!
First, he had the sudden idea of creating a food market to stop Cold Face Girl’s impulsive plan, then Liang Qingfan had impulsively bought nearly half a street of commercial properties.
Somehow, Mr. Li took notice. Seeing this, he assumed there must be some major development and immediately invested there without hesitation.
Then Mr. Li told several core employees about it, one of whom told his parents. Coincidentally, his parent was a childhood friend of Pei Qian’s mother, so the news eventually reached Pei Qian…
Others thought Li Shi had some extraordinary inside information, but Pei Qian knew all too well that there was no inside information at all!
It was purely coincidence, a misunderstanding!
Buy property in the old industrial area? Only someone with too much free time would do that!
Pei Qian originally thought this was completely unreliable, but after a second thought, he still opened an app to take a brief look at the properties there.
Although these properties were unlikely to appreciate in value, his mother had a point—the surrounding environment would definitely become more livable in the future.
The old industrial area was originally quite run-down with a poor environment, completely unrelated to the word “livable.” But with the establishment of the Jumpscare Inn and the food market, the surrounding economy had been stimulated somewhat.
Living there meant being able to stroll through the food market and enjoy delicious food right outside your door—it definitely had a lively, homey atmosphere.
The current house near the high-speed rail station had a good location and convenient transportation, but for his parents, it clearly lacked some of the everyday liveliness, which was a slight imperfection.
Elderly people didn’t need convenient transportation and didn’t particularly like large shopping malls, but strolling through small streets and food markets should be quite nice.
Moreover, properties in the old industrial area should be quite cheap. Finding a newer, better-located community and buying a unit there wouldn’t be a big deal.
However, after browsing the app, Pei Qian was shocked.
“How has the property price risen so quickly?!”
“How can such rundown houses be worth so much? This is ridiculous!”
“Bubble, it’s definitely a bubble!”
Seeing the prices, Pei Qian immediately tossed his phone aside.
Two years ago, Pei Qian had checked Jingzhou’s property prices—downtown properties were around 15,000-16,000 yuan per square meter, while properties near the high-speed rail station were generally around 11,000-12,000 yuan per square meter.
At that time, properties in the old industrial area were considered the lowest-priced in all of Jingzhou, at most 6,000-7,000 yuan per square meter.
This was because Jingzhou’s development trend was westward and southward. The old industrial area was old and dilapidated with no development prospects, and most of the communities were old, with only a few new developments, so prices were naturally very low.
But now, Pei Qian saw online that the average price in this area had already risen to over 8,000 yuan per square meter!
Although property prices had shown an overall upward trend over the two years, this was a general increase, but how could the old industrial area’s prices have reached 8,000?
And this was just the average price—some good communities must have exceeded 10,000 yuan per square meter.
Pei Qian found this completely unacceptable!
Clearly, this was all a bubble created by people like Li Shi buying frantically, with others mindlessly following the trend, pushing property prices higher.
“People these days, can’t they think independently?”
“They blindly follow trends. Once they buy properties and the hype dies down, prices will fall, and they’ll be stuck with them, won’t they?”
“Sigh, really.”
Pei Qian was very speechless and concerned for these people.
However, after calming down, he picked up his phone again.
“Alright, alright, even at 11,000 yuan per square meter, a 150-square-meter house would only cost 1.5 million—it’s not like I can’t afford it. I’m not expecting it to appreciate anyway, so if it falls, it falls.”
This time, Pei Qian carefully examined the communities in the area.
It had to be said that although property prices in the entire area had risen, the rate of increase varied.
The speed of increase clearly depended on three factors: proximity to the food market, community environment, and educational factors.
Those with good locations, school districts, and new schools were obviously the most popular and had the most outrageous price increases.
Communities farther away had minimal price increases.
This was normal—the food market or even the entire food street could only influence a very small radius. Properties too far away had no investment value at all.
But Pei Qian wasn’t planning to invest anyway—he just needed to buy in a new community within walking distance of the food market, with relatively complete surrounding facilities.