April 9th, Saturday.
Slackin’ Internet Café, Handu University Branch.
After finishing the preliminary work for the two game departments and the gym, Pei Qian decided to enjoy this rare leisurely weekend.
He found a window seat at Slackin’ Internet Café, casually sipping coffee and looking at the street view outside, thinking about what else needed to be done next.
The box office revenue share for the movie seemed to be arriving soon, which would be a significant sum of money.
Pei Qian had already considered how to spend this money: on an apartment project.
Just like Managed Fitness, it could both lose money and serve as employee benefits—double happiness, killing two birds with one stone!
Of course, this money was a bit excessive, so he needed to plan before spending it.
Pei Qian was considering buying a building and converting it into apartments to test the waters. If everything went smoothly, he would use the remaining money to rent more properties for renovation.
The system prohibited real estate speculation, meaning that purchased properties must be used for production and business activities, not left idle or hoarded to drive up prices.
Whether opening a restaurant or running a hotel, both could be considered production and business activities.
But after buying the villa for Mingcloud Private Kitchen, Pei Qian hadn’t considered buying buildings again, mainly because the initial system funds in previous cycles had been too low.
Fixed assets were calculated at 10% of their value toward system funds, affecting settlement.
If he spent thirty to forty million buying a building, it would count as three to four million after the calculation. The initial system funds for the last cycle were only ten million, immediately taking up thirty to forty percent.
This would make losing money too difficult and could easily go wrong.
In this cycle, the initial system funds had already reached twenty million. Spending thirty to forty million on a building wouldn’t have such a significant impact on the settlement.
Of course, this approach also had risks: property prices might rise.
After considering this factor, Pei Qian still decided to continue buying buildings, mainly for three reasons.
First, this world had changed significantly from what he remembered, so property prices might not rise so quickly; second, even if they rose rapidly, it certainly wouldn’t happen within the next two years; third, even if property prices rose, the increase would be far less than the growth rate of the initial system funds.
Under current circumstances, the initial system funds increased by at least ten million every six months, meaning it was very cost-effective for Pei Qian to spend about thirty to fifty million on fixed assets each cycle.
This could be treated as a fixed expense for each cycle.
Besides this, Pei Qian also needed to check on Dreamfulfill Ventures and Zhang Yuan.
After arranging work for Old Ma last time, he still hadn’t found any new investment projects.
Pei Qian was very satisfied with this and didn’t plan to push him.
But to prevent Ma Yang and He Desheng from working in isolation for too long and accidentally creating too much of a stir, Pei Qian still needed to remain vigilant.
As for Zhang Yuan, although he talked about creating an esports club, he didn’t seem very focused on it himself and was still in the preparation stage.
Pei Qian also planned to make time to check on him and provide some “guidance.”
Beyond this, there were other miscellaneous matters:
Pei Qian felt that his main problem with repeated failures was poor information, so he planned to find a way to monitor the movements of all departments at any time.
The “invest in yourself” task from the system still had no leads.
Other industries that currently seemed non-threatening also needed constant attention, as any industry might suddenly emerge with a backstab…
The more Pei Qian thought, the more melancholic he felt.
Life, as lonely as snow.
While feeling melancholic, Pei Qian saw a familiar figure push open the door and enter Slackin’ Internet Café.
“Oh? Mr. Pei?”
“What a rare guest!”
Ruan Guangjian exclaimed in surprise when he saw Pei Qian sitting in the corner drinking coffee.
Pei Qian: “?”
Wait, what did he mean by “rare guest”?
I’ve been busy with work and haven’t been to this Slackin’ Internet Café for some time, but if I remember correctly, this café is my business, right?
Ruan Guangjian instantly realized the issue with his statement and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: “Ah, sorry Mr. Pei, I was thinking about something and had a brain lapse.”
“This café was opened by you in the first place, haha.”
“I must say, the coffee is excellent.”
Currently, Ruan Guangjian was the number one person in Pei Qian’s little black book.
Qiao Laoshi had also been a strong contender, but since Pei Qian had made Qiao Laoshi suffer before, he had become much more tolerant of him.
As for the others in his little black book, a set of roller coasters, pendulum rides, bungee jumping, and haunted house experiences would generally make them obedient.
Only Ruan Guangjian was a complete anomaly!
Playing on roller coasters and pendulum rides made him more excited.
He claimed to be afraid of ghosts, screamed louder than anyone in the haunted house, but came out energized and glowing!
He was like an ultimate tank with maxed-out physical and magical resistance—all of Pei Qian’s attack methods were worthless against him.
To get revenge, he would probably need to use true damage.
But Pei Qian didn’t currently possess such means.
So he could only allow Ruan Guangjian to jump around on his face and show off.
Pei Qian sipped his coffee and smiled: “How have you been since moving to Jingzhou? Are you having trouble adjusting? If you’re not adapting well, I think Magic City might be better…”
Before Pei Qian could finish, Ruan Guangjian had already spoken: “Don’t worry, Mr. Pei, I’ve adapted, adapted extremely well!”
“Everyone in our studio even regrets not moving sooner!”
“We really should have moved to Jingzhou when the studio was first established!”
Pei Qian’s hand holding the coffee stopped midair: “?”
He had intended to be sarcastic, but Ruan Guangjian seemed to have taken it as concern and a greeting.
A service staff member came over with two large paper bags, containing what appeared to be seven or eight cups of coffee.
“Brother Ruan, your coffee is ready.”
Ruan Guangjian reached out to take them: “Great, thanks.”
It seemed Ruan Guangjian was a regular here; the service staff were already familiar with him. These coffees were probably ordered in advance by phone, and he was just coming to pick them up.
Pei Qian was surprised: “A studio boss personally fetching coffee for employees?”
Ruan Guangjian smiled: “I also wanted to get some fresh air. Usually, we take turns coming to get coffee.”
“Mr. Pei, do you have time to come and tour our studio?”
Pei Qian instinctively wanted to refuse.
Why would I go see the arsenal developing backstabbing weapons when I have nothing better to do?
But then he thought, know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll never be defeated.
Since the enemy had already advanced deep into Jingzhou territory and danger was close at hand, it was better to investigate the enemy’s situation clearly and prepare in advance.
With this in mind, Pei Qian stood up: “Alright, let’s go.”
Ruan Guangjian carried the coffee and walked with Pei Qian across the street to Halo Studio.
This was Pei Qian’s first visit to Halo Studio.
It had originally been a two-story bookstore that couldn’t stay in business and was forced to transfer ownership. Ruan Guangjian had chosen this location because it was diagonally across from Slackin’ Internet Café and also close to Shenhua Luxury Apartments, so he had gladly rented it.
Upon entering the studio, Pei Qian’s first impression was of a place full of spring vitality and artistic atmosphere.
The indoor temperature was comfortable, and warm sunlight shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows gave a cozy feeling.
The entrance, desks, and corners were filled with various plants and decorative art pieces, including sculptures and paintings.
The arrangement of workstations and overall layout was quite casual but not disorderly, clearly the result of careful planning.
The entire environment gave a relaxed and leisurely feeling, a place that could fully inspire imagination and creativity.
People had already noticed Pei Qian entering with Ruan Guangjian and greeted him one after another.
“Oh? Mr. Pei!”
“Hello, Mr. Pei!”
“Welcome, Mr. Pei! Do visit often!”
Everyone was extremely enthusiastic.
After all, in everyone’s mind, Mr. Pei was Ruan Guangjian’s close friend, an important partner of Halo Studio, and a powerful backer they could rely on in Jingzhou.
But in Pei Qian’s view, if Ruan Guangjian was the assassin who would ultimately plunge the knife into his back, then these people were the ones pushing him from behind, making the knife go deeper.
To be honest, they all needed to be recorded in his little notebook!
However, being a person of quality, Pei Qian responded to everyone’s warm welcome with a smile and a wave.
Ruan Guangjian handed the coffee to a fellow nearby: “Old Huang, please distribute these. I’ll show Mr. Pei around.”
Pei Qian followed Ruan Guangjian upstairs and toured the entire studio.
Ruan Guangjian introduced the various details of the studio while expressing his feelings.
“Coming to Jingzhou was the right decision!”
“Jingzhou’s prices are already much lower than Magic City’s.”
“Whether it’s renting houses or daily expenses, we save a lot of money.”
“The studio space is larger, the working environment has improved, everyone’s work efficiency has notably increased, and mental and physical conditions have also improved.”
“Plus, life is especially convenient!”
“Now all our work meals are ordered from Slackin’ Takeout—nutritious, healthy, delicious, and not expensive.”
“Slackin’ Internet Café and Headwind Logistics have greatly enhanced our quality of life.”
“Most importantly, with Tenda Group here, life in Jingzhou City will become increasingly convenient, and the overall economic development will improve. This kind of prospect is not available in ordinary second-tier cities…”
Listening to Ruan Guangjian’s introduction, Pei Qian had only one feeling.
It was heartache.
Look, this was a case of being so happy that he had forgotten his old home!
Coming to Jingzhou, he had immediately abandoned Magic City completely.
What a scoundrel!
However, Pei Qian could indeed see from Ruan Guangjian’s excited expression how much he loved Jingzhou.
Sigh, it seemed impossible to drive Halo Studio away…
How depressing.
After giving Pei Qian a tour, Ruan Guangjian returned to his workstation.
There was no separate office, partly because artists needed to learn from each other, progress together, and find inspiration through communication, and partly because Ruan Guangjian was responsible for reviewing all projects and ensuring consistency in art style.
Pei Qian noticed an extremely detailed portrait on Ruan Guangjian’s computer screen.
In the lower left quarter of the screen was a photo of a real person.
A Caucasian who appeared to be in his forties, handsome, with a kind expression, but otherwise not particularly memorable.
What surprised Pei Qian more was that this portrait hadn’t been drawn entirely according to the photo. It not only enriched many details that weren’t originally there but also modified certain aspects of this person’s image.
For example, the model’s face had more wrinkles, but these didn’t give an aged or weathered feeling at all—instead, they enhanced his charm;
The beard and hairstyle had been meticulously trimmed, especially the beard, which was the style that only very wealthy and leisured people would have time to maintain.
The expression had also changed—originally very kind, now appearing ambitious, with an intense confidence in the eyes;
The slightly receding hairline had been filled in, with lush hair seemingly showcasing his powerful vitality.
If the photo was “a middle-aged Caucasian in decent condition,” then the portrait was “an elite Caucasian at his peak in all aspects.”
Comparing the photo and the portrait, Pei Qian deeply understood what “artistic exaggeration and reprocessing” meant.
Pei Qian couldn’t help but exclaim: “It’s so well-drawn! If this person’s original appearance was 70 points, this portrait directly reaches 95 points!”
“It not only preserves the original facial features but further highlights the characteristics of the appearance and comprehensively enhances the temperament!”
“Is this some kind of daily practice for you, artists?”
“Randomly finding a photo and then, based on this photo, drawing a vivid character?”
“The path of art truly never ends.”
Pei Qian looked at this portrait with great interest, clicking his tongue in admiration.
Ruan Guangjian’s expression became somewhat strange: “Uh… Mr. Pei.”
“Our schedule is quite tight, and generally, we don’t have so much time for such detailed drawing practice.”
“This is our recent work content… Haven’t you realized? This is the latest art requirement from Tenda Games.”
“The rich protagonist in ‘Struggle.'”
Pei Qian: “…”
Surprises always come so unexpectedly.