June 24th, Friday.

Dreamrealization Venture Capital.

He Desheng checked his watch. In less than ten minutes, Mr. Pei would arrive.

Looking at Zhang Wang, who appeared slightly anxious but completely unaware of the true severity of the problem, then at Ma Yang, who was happily playing with the Automatic Contrarian Machine, He Desheng couldn’t help but hold his head, feeling a bit of a headache.

Today, either on a whim or after calculating the timing, Mr. Pei had notified them in advance that he would visit Dreamrealization Venture Capital to understand the current progress of the Automatic Contrarian Machine.

So He Desheng had called Zhang Wang and Ma Yang over to report together.

Because He Desheng himself didn’t know how to report properly!

Up until now, several thousand Automatic Contrarian Machines had been produced. Although there was still a significant gap from the final goal of stocking twenty thousand units, the troubling situation was already evident.

Those several thousand Automatic Contrarian Machines were all piling up in the warehouse, impossible to sell!

During this period, He Desheng and Zhang Wang had each thought of some promotional methods, such as listing them in online stores, running some advertisements, and marketing to handicraft shops.

But without exception, all attempts met with a cold reception!

The trial advertisements they ran had a conversion rate that was downright absurdly low.

In simpler terms, the advertisements went out, many people saw them, but nobody bought!

He Desheng sighed helplessly, having known this would be the result all along.

When Zhang Wang first proposed this project, He Desheng already felt it was hopeless.

After all, the previous Shared Phone Booth project had practical uses—it provided rest, singing opportunities, and could serve as an urban landmark. Its complete form had profit-making potential.

But this Automatic Contrarian Machine had absolutely no practical significance!

Moreover, as a handicraft or joke toy, it was too expensive, completely beyond what most consumers could afford.

So far, out of several thousand Automatic Contrarian Machines, only a two-digit number had been sold, and many of those were returned.

Presumably, people got bored after playing for a day and began to question whether spending five hundred yuan on this thing meant they had water in their brains. After coming to their senses, they immediately regretted it.

In short, it was a painful sight.

He Desheng was very conflicted now because Mr. Pei would arrive soon.

If He Desheng were to report himself, he would recommend that Mr. Pei stop production, try to sell the current stock of Automatic Contrarian Machines at a discount, and cut losses promptly.

But that way, he would inevitably face criticism.

So He Desheng called Zhang Wang and Ma Yang over to shift the blame.

After all, the Automatic Contrarian Machine had been strongly advocated by these two, so if anyone was to be held accountable, it should be them first.

Looking at Ma Yang, who was still happily playing with the Automatic Contrarian Machine, He Desheng couldn’t help but wonder if Manager Ma had taken atomic bombs for Mr. Pei. Today, he would know the accurate answer.

While He Desheng was still worried, Mr. Pei arrived.

He quickly stood up to welcome him: “Mr. Pei!”

Ma Yang reluctantly put down the Automatic Contrarian Machine, waiting until the “Consecutive Contrarian” number disappeared before coming to the conference table to greet Pei Qian.

“Brother Qian!” Ma Yang’s face showed no signs of worry whatsoever.

Pei Qian’s gaze swept over the expressions of Ma Yang, Zhang Wang, and He Desheng, noticing that the anxiety among the three seemed to follow a geometric progression pattern, instantly making him feel more at ease.

It seemed things were stable!

“When is DGE E-sports Club planning to depart?” Pei Qian first asked Ma Yang a relatively unimportant question.

Ma Yang answered: “Next week. Brother Qian, it’s not that we’re not being proactive; it’s mainly because many clubs need time to form their teams and hold player tryouts.”

Pei Qian nodded: “Mm, I understand.”

“Alright, let’s get to the main topic. How is the progress of the Automatic Contrarian Machine project so far?”

Ma Yang immediately replied: “Very smoothly! So far, we’ve mass-produced several thousand units, stock is very adequate, and all products have undergone thorough inspection. The few defective units have all been returned for repair!”

He Desheng secretly gave a thumbs up. Manager Ma was impressive!

He dared to only report the good and hide the bad in front of Mr. Pei? Did he think Mr. Pei was a three-year-old child, so easily fooled?

Sure enough, Pei Qian lightly coughed twice: “What about sales?”

Zhang Wang stood up: “Mr. Pei, I’m willing to take full responsibility for the poor sales. It has absolutely nothing to do with Manager Ma!”

Pei Qian raised his hand: “Don’t rush. First, tell me exactly how many units have been sold. Give me a specific number.”

Zhang Wang pressed his lips together: “Thirty-one units.”

Pei Qian was stunned for two seconds, almost blurting out, “That many have been sold?”

Thirty-one bored people had spent five hundred yuan to buy this thing?

Truly, the world is full of all kinds of wonders!

Zhang Wang paused, then added: “Among them, one unit was delivered to your residence, and seven were returned…”

“Mr. Pei, I bear the main responsibility for this loss. I’m willing to pay out of my pocket to bear part of the loss…”

Zhang Wang’s voice grew less confident as he spoke.

Obviously, as a great inventor, having his invention so unpopular was a heavy blow.

Moreover, although Zhang Wang had earned a considerable share from the Shared Phone Booth project, paying for losses out of his pocket would be a drop in the bucket compared to the eight million yuan investment.

When Pei Qian heard this, his brows immediately furrowed.

What did he mean? He wanted to compete with Pei Qian for the opportunity to lose money?

Dream on!

Pei Qian immediately raised his hand: “What kind of reasoning is that? Dreamrealization Venture Capital does risk investment, so naturally, Dreamrealization Venture Capital bears the risk.”

“These days, everyone scams investors’ money. Who reimburses investors?”

“Don’t worry about anything, just continue production according to the original plan! Take down all the advertisements that have been put out, just keep the online store.”

The online store couldn’t be removed because products must have a sales channel, otherwise, it would violate regulations.

Zhang Wang was stunned: “But Mr. Pei…”

Pei Qian interrupted him: “But what? The biggest problem with this project right now is that production is too slow. It’s been almost a month, and only a few thousand units have been produced. When will twenty thousand units be produced?”

“Focus on production capacity and quickly fill our warehouse with Automatic Contrarian Machines. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Chang You, screwing bolts on the production line!”

Zhang Wang’s eyes were filled with tears, deeply moved: “Yes, Mr. Pei!”

Ma Yang nodded: “See, I told you not to worry. How could something this fun not sell? As long as we have enough stock, with a little promotion, orders will come flying in like snowflakes!”

Pei Qian gave him an approving look: “Well said! Everyone should be optimistic like Manager Ma!”

He Desheng: “…”

Confirmed, Manager Ma must have taken atomic bombs for Mr. Pei.

Probably more than one.

…

After learning about the Automatic Contrarian Machine’s situation, Pei Qian left, feeling completely satisfied.

He had originally thought, since the Automatic Contrarian Machines weren’t selling, perhaps they could be given away?

After all, keeping them in the warehouse meant they were still in his possession, and even selling them as scrap metal would be worth something. But giving them away would be a pure loss, wouldn’t it?

But on second thought, he immediately dismissed the idea.

Absolutely not to be given away!

If they were sent to the DGE E-sports Club, what if they became toys for practicing hand speed?

If they were given to Mr. Li and others, what if they started a trend among the wealthy?

After all, it seemed that anything associated with Mr. Pei couldn’t escape the fate of being over-interpreted.

So Pei Qian decided that this matter should be kept strictly confidential. Neither giving them away nor advertising them was best; just letting the pile of Automatic Contrarian Machines gather dust in the warehouse was ideal.

…

Watching Mr. Pei leave, Zhang Wang’s feelings were complicated.

Without Mr. Pei, there wouldn’t have been the success of the Shared Phone Booth.

And now, despite the Automatic Contrarian Machine project’s poor start, Mr. Pei still had such trust in him.

Besides being moved, Zhang Wang also felt somewhat ashamed.

He Desheng walked over and patted his shoulder: “Mr. Pei has already said to speed up production, so don’t overthink it.”

Although He Desheng couldn’t guess what plans Mr. Pei had, following Mr. Pei’s requirements was the right choice.

Zhang Wang nodded: “I know, I just feel like I’ve let Mr. Pei down. I wonder if there’s any way I can help Mr. Pei, to contribute a little?”

“Hmm?” He Desheng was surprised and thought for a moment. “Do you have any inventions that could be used for the Thriller Lodge? Mr. Pei’s recent work focus seems to be on this large haunted house.”

Zhang Wang frowned slightly: “This… I’m afraid not. The mechanisms in the Thriller Lodge are certainly well-designed. My rustic inventions wouldn’t meet such high standards.”

“However… does the Thriller Lodge need promotion?”

He Desheng nodded: “Promotion? Of course, it needs it. Can there ever be too much promotion?”

Zhang Wang thought seriously: “Then… how about I use the Shared Phone Booths to promote the Thriller Lodge?”

The Shared Phone Booths had outward-facing display screens that were originally intended for advertising. Various advertising content could be arranged.

He Desheng suddenly realized: “Oh? That’s a good idea! I’ll message Chen Kangtuo right away and ask him to send over the promotional materials.”

Zhang Wang couldn’t help but feel happy, his previous guilt greatly alleviated.

Although the current situation of the Automatic Contrarian Machine wasn’t optimistic and would likely lose money, helping Mr. Pei advertise through the Shared Phone Booths by broadcasting the Thriller Lodge’s opening news to shopping malls in major cities nationwide was a great help!

Wouldn’t this count as repaying Mr. Pei’s kindness?

Surely, Mr. Pei would feel gratified by this?

Just after sending the message, He Desheng suddenly thought of something else: “If that’s the case, the Study Master Come Quick APP now also has an advertising module. Could we also give some promotion to the Thriller Lodge project there?”

“It’s a bit forced.”

“But it doesn’t matter, after all, they’re all our businesses.”