After observing for some time, Yu Fei discovered that there was an unwritten rule within Tenda: when in doubt, consult Mr. Pei.

Many department heads would report to Mr. Pei whenever they couldn’t make a decision.

However, this behavior wasn’t like some companies where everything, big or small, would be reported.

Tenda’s department heads seemed to have their own filtering mechanism. Some problems they would absolutely not consult Mr. Pei about, even if they had to rack their brains for days—they would definitely solve these using their own abilities. Other problems, they would immediately consult him about.

So far, Yu Fei hadn’t quite figured out what the filtering mechanism behind this was.

Perhaps the essential quality of becoming a Tenda department head was being able to distinguish which problems needed to be reported and which didn’t?

Yu Fei thought for a moment. Although he was only a substitute lead designer, he still had to fill in for a month.

A month wasn’t a long time, but there were still many essential skills he needed to master, otherwise wouldn’t he be holding others back?

Hmm, perhaps Bao Xu, as a veteran employee, would know about this?

With this thought, Yu Fei expressed his doubt and added that Mr. Pei’s intention seemed to be for him to gradually figure things out on his own, so would it be inappropriate to call and ask?

Bao Xu thought for a moment and said, “You mean you’re confused about when you should call for instructions and when you shouldn’t?”

“Yes, that’s definitely a skill.”

“Let me explain it to you briefly. This is a pattern I’ve observed from the department heads, and now that you’re also a department head, you definitely need to master this pattern.”

“From my observations, department heads may encounter three types of situations in their daily work.”

“The first type is everyday trivial matters. If you can’t handle these well, it’s purely a matter of personal ability. You definitely need to find ways to overcome these on your own without bothering Mr. Pei.”

“The second type involves very high-level issues concerning the future development direction of the entire industry. These definitely need to be reported to Mr. Pei, because only he can comprehensively consider the situations across various industries and make the most reasonable plan.”

“The third type of situation falls between these two.”

“It’s neither a purely everyday trivial matter, nor the kind of major decision that would directly affect an entire industry. It’s the kind of problem that would cause some damage if mistakes were made, but wouldn’t be completely irredeemable.”

“Generally speaking, these problems don’t need to be brought to Mr. Pei either.”

“Because when Mr. Pei assigns tasks, he often gives certain limitations and hints. The reason he doesn’t make things completely clear is mainly to cultivate the department heads’ ability to think independently and to improve their perspective, horizon, and professional skills.”

“Mr. Pei’s goal is to cultivate every department head into an ‘all-rounder’ who not only has a deep understanding and insight into the industry, becoming a true leader, but also masters work in different fields.”

“After assigning tasks, the department heads deduce Mr. Pei’s true intentions from the conditions he provides. This is like a form of practice—the more you do it, the more your work ability will naturally improve.”

Yu Fei nodded in agreement.

He had been with Tenda for some time now, and being in Tenda’s gaming department, he had heard many stories from veteran employees about how Mr. Pei developed each game. Each game was a puzzle that the head of the gaming department had to solve through great effort.

And this indeed seemed like a form of cultivation, a kind of test, like a cloze exercise.

Bao Xu changed the subject: “But there are special circumstances where you should consult Mr. Pei.”

“For example, if you truly have no progress, or it might affect the schedule and cause the project to be uncompleted.”

“Or, after Mr. Pei has assigned the task, the situation and environment have changed, making the original plan potentially unsuitable.”

“Although Mr. Pei can see the strengths and weaknesses of each person, he can’t be 100% omniscient. Sometimes he might overestimate or underestimate employees.”

“When encountering these problems, you should also report promptly, and let Mr. Pei decide whether some adjustments need to be made to the plan.”

Yu Fei nodded, fully understanding now.

It was obvious that this was a special circumstance that required consultation.

On one hand, Yu Fei had made no progress after two days of racking his brains, and continuing to struggle might affect the schedule and project progress; on the other hand, Mr. Pei might have indeed been overly trusting, or overestimated Yu Fei’s talent in game design, making this cloze exercise too difficult.

He should indeed consult.

“Thank you, Brother Bao! Now that you’ve explained it, I understand much better!”

Yu Fei couldn’t help but exclaim that this visit had brought unexpected gains.

Having mastered this reporting mechanism, he wouldn’t be at a loss when encountering problems at work, and wouldn’t have to agonize over whether a problem that seemed neither big nor small should be brought to Mr. Pei’s attention.

Soon, Bao Xu dialed Mr. Pei’s number and briefly explained why Yu Fei had come to him.

“Mr. Pei, that’s basically the situation.”

“Although I also have a general, vague idea, in my opinion, the difficulty of this task is a bit too high for Yu Fei, and he might not be able to handle it.”

“If the progress is not smooth, it might not be completed within the timeframe.”

“So I wanted to confirm with you how to handle this. Should Yu Fei continue to work on it, or should I help him?”

…

On the other end of the phone, Pei Qian fell silent.

This… was a bit difficult.

Pei Qian didn’t know that Yu Fei and Bao Xu had repeatedly discussed the feasibility before calling him. He had always hoped that employees would ask more questions.

Because the more they asked, the clearer the communication would be, and the less likely they would be to misinterpret his intentions!

Moreover, Pei Qian’s motivation for assigning this task to Yu Fei was very simple—purely to lose money.

But now it seemed that the difficulty might indeed be a bit high for Yu Fei?

Previous lead designers had at least gone through basic work experience and were quite capable, so there had never been an issue with missing deadlines.

But Yu Fei had just stepped into the role, having only been a substitute lead designer for two months, and was responsible for fighting games, which others in the department weren’t good at either.

According to the current development, there was indeed a significant risk that the game might not be completed before the settlement deadline.

Delayed settlement was definitely unacceptable.

After considering for a moment, Pei Qian said, “Hmm, you make a good point. I didn’t think it through.”

“Let’s do this: you stay and help Yu Fei.”

“But be sure to note that you can’t take over everything yourself. Focus on guiding, assisting, and inspiring, and don’t interfere too much with Yu Fei’s own design.”

Pei Qian was very clear about Bao Xu’s capabilities.

Although his brilliance had been overshadowed by one trip after another, in Pei Qian’s eyes, Bao Xu’s potential for harm in the gaming field was on par with people like Huang Sibo.

After all, the original design of “Sea Fortress” was done by Bao Xu, with Huang Sibo only responsible for the overall planning and execution.

That’s why Pei Qian repeatedly emphasized that Bao Xu should only serve as a safeguard to ensure the game could be completed on time, letting him and Yu Fei balance each other.

Bao Xu immediately said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Pei, I’ll be mindful of boundaries.”

“After all, I’m now in charge of the suffering journey and have my own work to complete. I won’t overstep.”

Speaking of this, Pei Qian suddenly realized an issue.

“Hey, that’s right. The suffering journey is going to Shennongjia this month. Didn’t you say you would also be going? It seems there’s a time conflict.”

Bao Xu was silent for a moment: “Well, there’s no help for it. The gaming department’s matters are more important.”

“If it’s really not possible, I won’t go, and I’ll let Sa Ziran keep an eye on things.”

“They get off easy this time, and I’ll go with them next time.”

It was clear that Bao Xu was making a significant sacrifice.

Pei Qian thought about it—this wouldn’t do.

If Bao Xu didn’t go, Sa Ziran definitely wouldn’t have the heart to be tough on them.

Although Pei Qian had repeatedly instructed Sa Ziran not to go easy on these department heads, from observing the training at the special training base, Sa Ziran still couldn’t be as ruthless as Bao Xu.

This was normal—after all, it’s the people you know well who are the toughest on you.

The Shennongjia trip would last for a month. If Bao Xu didn’t go, wouldn’t these department heads escape their fate? That would greatly reduce the level of suffering!

At that time, as long as they complained about being tired or uncomfortable, Sa Ziran would definitely let them rest.

This definitely wouldn’t work! It went completely against the original intention of the suffering journey!

Moreover, having Bao Xu stay in the gaming department for a month would be too dangerous and somewhat uncontrollable.

After considering for a moment, Pei Qian quickly came up with a good solution.

“Let’s do this, we can’t let you sacrifice too much.”

“I’ll give you a week to help Yu Fei complete the design plan.”

“As long as there’s a clear plan, the game will definitely be made in the end, and you don’t need to supervise for the entire month.”

“The Shennongjia trip will proceed as scheduled. I remember the previous itinerary was to arrange a simple wilderness survival for the first half, and then visit nearby popular attractions for the second half?”

“So, you’ll go a week late, and then make up for this time at the end.”

In other words, the previous itinerary calculated in weeks was like this: 2 weeks of wilderness survival, 2 weeks of visiting popular attractions.

And now it would become: 1 week of wilderness survival (without Bao Xu), 1 week of wilderness survival (with Bao Xu), 2 weeks of visiting popular attractions, 1 week of wilderness survival (with Bao Xu).

Bao Xu was stunned: “Huh? Is that appropriate?”

Pei Qian said, “What’s inappropriate about it? This is all for work requirements.”

“The work of the gaming department is important, but the work of the suffering journey is also important. We have to balance both sides, and can only make a tiny, insignificant adjustment to the itinerary.”

“It’s just spending a bit more money, nothing major.”

“Everyone works too hard usually. It’s not a big deal to spend a few more days, or even an extra week or two, on a rare vacation.”

“And don’t you think this itinerary arrangement is more scientific? It’s like a sandwich cookie, with emotions rising and falling like waves.”

“According to the original itinerary, they suffer for the first half of the month and then completely relax for the second half, which doesn’t provide enough sensory stimulation.”

“The way it’s arranged now will leave a deeper impression on everyone.”