Although Pei Qian had verbally agreed, he knew very well that this matter couldn’t be rushed. It required long-term planning and gradual implementation.

Lin Wan was currently in a state of extreme confidence and, simultaneously, extremely wary of her family.

She knew that now that her game was successful, old man Lin would certainly be more restless and would try everything possible to get her to come back.

If Pei Qian’s actions were even slightly obvious, Lin Wan might notice.

So, Pei Qian not only needed to find a way to arrange for Lin Wan to leave, but also had to make Lin Wan feel that this had nothing to do with her family, that it wasn’t because old man Lin and Lin Yu were secretly interfering.

How should he approach this?

Originally, the Best Employee selection would have been a good excuse, but the next one was still a long way off.

What if he made an exception for Lin Wan and arranged another Best Employee selection soon?

On one hand, it seemed a bit artificial; on the other hand, there was no guarantee that everyone would vote for Lin Wan—Bao Xu, and others were strong competitors.

To ensure Lin Wan was selected would require some behind-the-scenes manipulation, which was too troublesome.

Pei Qian thought for a moment. The best excuse was still business expansion.

Tell Lin Wan that Tenda was now planning new industries, and as a long-time employee with outstanding business capabilities, she needed to take on some new responsibilities.

Then, increase the difficulty for her, making her retreat in the face of challenges.

But how exactly to implement this…

Pei Qian didn’t have very good ideas at the moment.

So, Pei Qian only agreed to this matter but wasn’t in a hurry to act immediately.

After all, “Return to Shore” would be launching in about a week, and Pei Qian’s primary goal now was to ensure losses before the settlement.

…

September 29th, Wednesday.

Pei Qian first went to check on the new Slackin’ Internet Café.

Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan had strictly followed Pei Qian’s requirements, prioritizing a quick opening, so they hadn’t spent too much time on decoration. The overall style of the internet café looked relatively simple.

However, the purchased tables, chairs, computers, etc., were still completely consistent with the previous Slackin’ Internet Café. Combined with the familiar Slackin’ Internet Café logo at the entrance, the recognizability was quite high.

Pei Qian took a tour around this new store and was quite satisfied.

After removing the coffee and bar areas, the main part of the store was all computers, making it look more compact than the original Slackin’ Internet Café.

There was a rest area and a projector, consistent with the mini-viewing area of the previous Slackin’ Internet Café.

After all, in Pei Qian’s view, this mini-viewing area both took up space and didn’t make money, so there was no reason to remove it.

The computers and peripherals were still high-end configurations, absolutely able to ensure all major games ran at maximum settings, with even some excess performance.

Pei Qian took a tour, verbally praised Zhang Yuan and Ma Yang for their efficiency, and then left.

How the internet café was doing now wasn’t important; what mattered was whether it could successfully lose money in a week or two.

So, he would come back to check in a week.

Pei Qian returned to the Slackin’ Internet Café, Handong University Branch.

The development of “Return to Shore” had been declared complete, scheduled for official release on October 1st, and the final optimization work was also basically completed.

In other words, Qiao Laoshi had completed his historical mission.

During this month and more, Qiao Laoshi had made outstanding contributions to the value planning of “Return to Shore,” for which Pei Qian was deeply grateful.

However, now, Pei Qian had some heartfelt words to say to Qiao Laoshi.

“Mr. Pei, thank you for taking care of me during this time. This trip to Jingzhou has been very meaningful for me!”

“‘Return to Shore’ is a game with very rich spiritual content. When I return to the capital, I will definitely release a video as quickly as possible to share my experiences and insights from playing ‘Return to Shore’ with everyone!”

Qiao Liang looked spirited.

Since coming to Jingzhou, Qiao Liang’s mental state could be described as having many ups and downs, experiencing many fluctuations.

There had been joy, confusion, and moments of questioning life itself.

But now, he had only one feeling, and that was a sense of fulfillment!

Besides the material rewards, he had also seen Mr. Pei’s true face, eaten excellent food at the Nameless Restaurant, and beaten the game “Return to Shore” ahead of all other players.

Qiao Liang felt that compared to other content creators, he had already established a good first-mover advantage, and his technical knowledge and understanding of the game could crush other content creators.

Once this game introduction video is made, it will be another hit video!

Thinking of this, Qiao Liang felt his fighting spirit burning intensely.

The time to gain followers had come!

Pei Qian fell silent, especially after hearing the phrase “release a video as quickly as possible.” his hands trembled involuntarily.

Pei Qian had experienced the power of Qiao Laoshi’s videos many times.

From “Lonely Desert Highway” to “Game Producer,” Qiao Laoshi’s videos had each time brought a large amount of attention to the games, causing Pei Qian heavy losses.

So, this time he had to consider this unstable factor and at least not make the same mistakes as before.

Pei Qian’s expression immediately became serious: “No, Qiao Laoshi, you can’t post the video.”

Qiao Liang was stunned: “Why not?”

He didn’t understand. Wouldn’t posting videos be better promotion for them?

Moreover, given how difficult “Return to Shore” was and how profound its storyline was, wouldn’t they need a hardcore player like him to provide some interpretation?

Besides, Mr. Pei had specifically invited him to playtest. Surely there was an intention for him to help with video promotion?

Pei Qian coughed twice: “Qiao Laoshi, would you write a review spoiling a movie as soon as it’s released?”

Qiao Liang was taken aback: “Uh… no.”

Spoilers? That would be too unethical!

It would be like circling the culprit on the first page of a detective manga—not something a decent person would do.

Pei Qian nodded: “That’s right.”

“For viewers, if they watch a movie after being spoiled, the excitement of the film is greatly diminished. The experience of seeing it for the first time versus the second time is completely different.”

“The same is true for games, and the more special the game, the more this applies!”

Qiao Liang was still confused, but he seemed to vaguely understand a bit.

Indeed, “Return to Shore” was a very special game, and he had been badly beaten when he first encountered it.

Pei Qian spoke earnestly: “Think about what it felt like when you first encountered this game.”

“Didn’t you feel surprised, amazed, with a touch of mystery?”

“This is because before playing, you didn’t have clear expectations about the specifics of the game, which is why you had this wonderful feeling.”

“If you release a video hinting to players in advance that this is a very difficult game, that it’s a content-rich game requiring constant exploration, then players will have set standards before playing, and the experience they get will be completely different. Do you understand?”

“So what I mean is, don’t be the one who spoils it.”

Qiao Liang blinked, understanding Mr. Pei’s meaning.

And he felt that Mr. Pei’s words made quite a bit of sense?

Recalling how it felt when he first encountered “Return to Shore,” although he was brutally beaten and full of confusion, this feeling of confusion… seemed quite wonderful?

It was like when playing many games, when you’re a newbie at first and always get beaten, yet you find the game especially enjoyable, even addictive.

By the time you truly become an expert, playing the game comes with a completely different mindset, and you can never again experience that feeling of the first encounter.

If he released a detailed video about “Return to Shore,” and players already knew this game was difficult before entering it, wouldn’t their mindset when playing the game also change?

Most likely it would.

So, Mr. Pei had been very thoughtful.

But… what about the popularity…

Qiao Liang was silent for a moment: “Indeed, Mr. Pei, you’re right. My video might indeed affect players’ first impressions of the game.”

“But even if I don’t make a video, other content creators will…”

Qiao Liang was slightly reluctant. The first content creator to release a guide video would have a huge advantage. Was he going to give up this excellent opportunity to gain followers?

Pei Qian had anticipated this and nodded: “I know, this is unavoidable.”

“But you’ve played for a long time and are the content creator with the deepest understanding of this game.”

“My suggestion is that you can release the video a week after the game’s release, at least ensuring that the first batch of players can experience the game in its most initial form.”

“Even if it’s a week later, it still ensures that you’re one step ahead of other content creators.”

“At the same time, it allows players to truly experience the suffering you felt at that time.”

Qiao Liang suddenly realized—that’s right!

When I first played this game, I suffered so much, figuring everything out by myself. How could I just make it easy for others?

It’s better to let everyone suffer a bit!

After players are beaten like dogs, seeing my guide video will be like seeing a savior. Won’t they be grateful to me?

Brilliant!

With this thought, Qiao Liang nodded vigorously: “No problem!”

“I really shouldn’t affect players’ experience. I’ll post the video a week later, then.”

“Mr. Pei is indeed thoughtful. Truly great designers are indeed good at controlling players’ mentality!”

Pei Qian couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Good, the deception was successful!

In fact, Pei Qian’s purpose wasn’t at all about player experience; he mainly wanted to reduce the influence of Qiao Laoshi’s video as much as possible.

If Qiao Laoshi released a video at the same time as the game’s release, players who watched his video would have a significantly increased tolerance for the game.

If the game’s deterrent effect weakened and fewer people asked for refunds, wouldn’t that mean the game’s profitability would increase?

That was unacceptable!

Conversely, as long as Qiao Laoshi didn’t release a video in the first week, players would crash and burn in the game. At that time, negative reviews for “Return to Shore” would explode online instantly.

After a week, those who wanted refunds would have gotten them, those who wanted to complain would have finished complaining, and most hardcore players would have figured out the path. Naturally, someone would release guide videos. By then, if Qiao Laoshi released his video, the impact wouldn’t be as significant.

In this way, the impact of “Return to Shore” would naturally be minimized.

Pei Qian couldn’t help but feel pleased with himself. Look at how I resolved a crisis with just a few words.

Hopefully, players would all turn into angry netizens, causing “Return to Shore’s” reputation to crash to the bottom in the first week, beyond repair.

By then, even if Qiao Laoshi released his video, it would be too late!