In the evening, at the Mingyun Mountain Villa branch of Slackin’ Internet Café.
Qiao Liang was drinking coffee while checking online reviews about Haunted Lodge.
His brows alternated between relaxing and furrowing.
Currently, there aren’t many reviews about Haunted Lodge online. The situation was nowhere near comparable to when Tenda released a new game.
Among the searchable comments, while there were no malicious criticisms, there weren’t many praises either.
Qiao Liang could sense something wasn’t right.
The absence of criticism wasn’t necessarily a good thing—it might simply mean people hadn’t shown enough interest to generate any heated discussion!
This suggested that Mr. Pei’s painstaking efforts for Haunted Lodge hadn’t yet been understood by everyone.
If this situation continued, the result would be obvious: Haunted Lodge would gradually fall into disuse due to insufficient subsequent traffic and exposure, never to recover!
Qiao Liang knew he absolutely couldn’t allow this to happen.
Explaining Mr. Pei’s profound intentions to everyone was his mission!
His gaze quickly scanned through these comments, locking onto some representative viewpoints.
“I think there’s nothing wrong with the haunted house itself; they invested a lot of resources, and the details inside are well-done… but it’s a haunted house, not a comprehensive amusement park, and that’s the biggest problem!”
“Besides a few horror enthusiasts, who would specifically travel all that way just to get scared?”
“I think Haunted Lodge’s pricing strategy is problematic. ‘Desperate Escape’ is the most fun and suitable for multiple people to experience repeatedly, but the ticket is only 10 yuan? Everyone is queuing at the entrance…”
“The location doesn’t seem very good either. It would be better if it were near an amusement park in Jingzhou, or at least somewhere with convenient transportation.”
“‘Ultimate Horror’ is a bit too expensive. Who would pay 100 yuan to torture themselves…”
“I’m not optimistic about this place’s future development. Choosing to make a haunted house is already niche, the location is remote, and the pricing is strange. If not for Tenda’s powerful promotion, it probably wouldn’t be known at all. Even now with Tenda’s promotion, it’s just wasting promotional resources and will probably lose its pants soon…”
There were many similar comments. Most people had no issues with Haunted Lodge itself—as a haunted house, it certainly ranked among the best nationwide—but its subsequent appeal was insufficient.
Most people concluded that if you were a Jingzhou local going with friends, it was quite worthwhile, but if you were from out of town and not a horror enthusiast, traveling a long way just to get scared was not worth it.
The most discussed issues centered on Haunted Lodge’s positioning and pricing, which were considered the key factors that would lead to the project’s subsequent weakness.
As for who should take the blame, opinions varied.
Some said Mr. Pei would never make such a basic mistake; it must be the project manager’s fault.
Others said that for such a major issue as pricing strategy, Mr. Pei must have been informed; he couldn’t not know—don’t deify Mr. Pei, he’s an ordinary person who makes mistakes too.
In short, Haunted Lodge’s current situation was precarious.
Although some content creators on AiLiDao had already comprehensively introduced their experiences at Haunted Lodge, all had mediocre responses—none were viral videos or created good transmission effects.
Qiao Liang couldn’t help feeling indignant on Mr. Pei’s behalf, especially about one particularly outrageous comment: “I think the project manager’s brain must be broken, feeling like they have too much money and need to burn some.”
“Misinterpretation! This is an absolute misinterpretation!”
“Being misunderstood is truly the fate of the expresser. How dare they say Mr. Pei’s brain is broken? That he have too much money? What nonsense!”
“Mr. Pei is a business genius!”
“Most people don’t understand Mr. Pei’s positioning and special pricing strategy for Haunted Lodge?”
“It seems that to restore the truth for everyone, it still requires me, Qiao Laoshi!”
Qiao Liang switched webpages and reviewed his already-produced video once more.
Thanks to the close cooperation of the staff from Haunted Lodge, Shangyang Games, and others, the new episode had finally been completed.
These past few days, Qiao Liang hadn’t contacted Mr. Pei again, instead immersing himself in video production.
Collecting materials online;
Discussing the details of Haunted Lodge’s construction with Chen Kangtuo and others;
Repeatedly contemplating Mr. Pei’s deeper meaning.
Actually, the video had been rendered yesterday, but Qiao Liang wasn’t 100% satisfied, so he hadn’t immediately published it.
What exactly was the unsatisfactory point?
This was precisely what confused Qiao Liang the most.
He carefully reviewed his script many times and repeatedly watched the completed video. The content seemed flawless, but he felt something was missing.
He didn’t have that “it’s solid” feeling like after making the “Masterpiece” series videos. Instead, he felt somewhat anxious.
He felt this episode lacked sufficient persuasiveness and didn’t reach the perfect standard in his mind, even feeling a bit like “forced praise” after watching it multiple times.
But the problem was, even after countless reflections, Qiao Liang still couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was missing, which troubled him greatly.
It was like finishing an exam paper, checking for errors repeatedly against a 100-point standard, finding no mistakes, yet still feeling a certain question might be missing a crucial step.
This feeling was truly uncomfortable.
But time waits for no one.
Qiao Liang felt he must release this video to correct everyone’s misconceptions and vindicate Haunted Lodge. Besides, continuing to agonize wouldn’t necessarily yield better results.
With this thought, Qiao Liang made up his mind and, before publishing, confirmed the video’s title one last time.
“The Silent Expresser Episode One: The Soul-Healing Haunted Lodge!”
The series title had changed from the original “Lonely Expresser” to “Silent Expresser.”
This change was primarily based on two reasons:
First, Qiao Liang felt Mr. Pei wasn’t lonely. Although ordinary people didn’t understand him, didn’t they, Senior Ruan, Wu Bin, and Tenda’s employees all understood Mr. Pei?
With so many people understanding Mr. Pei, sharing his feelings, how could Mr. Pei be considered lonely? It seemed a bit affected.
Second, Qiao Liang felt “silent” better represented Mr. Pei’s attitude than “lonely.”
Mr. Pei worked quietly, deliberately not explaining to everyone, but eventually his true intentions would always be understood.
So, “silent” was more fitting, and the combination of the seemingly contradictory words “silent” and “expresser” would be more philosophical.
Finally, Qiao Liang sent the video link to Ye Zhizhou, the person in charge at Shangyang Games.
…
That evening, Pei Qian was comfortably nestled on his couch, playing with his phone.
Suddenly, his grip slipped, and the phone fell directly onto his face.
“Damn it!”
Pei Qian was stunned by the impact, rubbing his reddened forehead, he couldn’t help but lament.
This phone was too damn heavy! Hard to hold steady, and it hurt when it hit you!
Who would make a phone this heavy?
Oh, it seems like I did.
Never mind then.
Pei Qian adjusted to a more comfortable position, planning to cast his phone screen to the big TV for a relaxing evening of anime before bed.
However, just after opening the AiLiDao app, he saw a push notification.
A followed content creator has updated!
Pei Qian jolted, a bad premonition washing over him.
Looking carefully, it was indeed Qiao Laoshi!
“Games are one thing, but I make a haunted house, and you still won’t leave me alone?”
Pei Qian was shocked. He’d assumed Qiao Liang would at least return to the capital before making a video—a week at minimum, right?
But in just four days, everything was already done!
Are you in a rush to be reborn or something?!
Pei Qian didn’t want to open the video, but had no choice.
“Let’s see. Qiao Laoshi is a gaming content creator, so his praise for a haunted house probably won’t be very professional. Maybe the influence won’t be too great?”
…
Unlike previous videos, this time Qiao Laoshi appeared in person.
The background seemed to be the coffee area of a Slackin’ Internet Café, recorded in the morning with good lighting and not many customers.
Pei Qian instantly realized that Qiao Liang hadn’t left at all—he had stayed in Jingzhou and edited this video at the Slackin’ Internet Café!
Qiao Liang took a sip of coffee and began explaining the series’ origin to his fans.
“Dear viewer-fathers, long time no see! I am still your ‘game-father’ Qiao Laoshi!”
“I know many fans are seeing my face in a video for the first time. Don’t be surprised—sometimes handsomeness and talent can coexist. Those conquered by my looks can type ‘handsome’ in the comments.”
“Now, let’s get to the point. Many of you might ask, ‘Qiao Laoshi, what does this series title mean? Why is it so poetic? Are you starting a literature program?”
“Of course not! Here, ‘expresser’ is a broad concept. Expression doesn’t necessarily happen through speech or text—it can also be through actions.”
“Everything we do expresses something, whether it’s a certain philosophy or a certain demand.”
“The protagonist of this video series is the same as the protagonist of the ‘Masterpiece’ series.”
“He is a silent expresser, also a lonely expresser. His thoughts are often misread, his intentions often misinterpreted. But even so, he has always persisted in being himself, never compromising with this world!”
“Next, let me unveil the mysterious veil of this unique theme park, explore those seemingly unreasonable aspects, and present my exclusive ‘Qiao-style interpretation’!”
…
Seeing this, Pei Qian felt his heart could barely take it.
He had to admit, Qiao Laoshi had said something right.
Indeed, my thoughts are often misread, my intentions misinterpreted, and I’ve always persisted in being myself, never compromising with this world.
But you guys are the ones who’ve been misinterpreting me all along!
If it weren’t for all of you eagerly explaining my “true intentions,” would I have ended up in such a predicament?
And this Qiao Laoshi—interpreting my games and making them hugely profitable is one thing, but now I secretly make a haunted house, and you won’t let that go either?
Are you even human?
Must you annihilate me?
Pei Qian felt his blood run cold—the whole world would never be good again!
But he quickly adjusted his mindset, after all, he’d experienced this many times before.
Pei Qian continued watching.
…
The following video content was mainly shot at Haunted Lodge and Slackin’ Internet Café, though the connection between images and content wasn’t strong. It also didn’t film scenes inside the three projects, probably to avoid spoilers.
The focus of the video was still the “interpretation” part.
Qiao Liang’s distinctive voice was very recognizable, neither hurried nor slow, speaking eloquently.
“Currently, people’s doubts about Haunted Lodge can be summarized in three points.”
“First, it’s just a haunted house. Although the playability is good, it’s not worth making a special trip for.”
“Second, it’s very scary, only suitable for hardcore horror enthusiasts.”
“Third, its pricing has major issues which will directly constrain its future development, making its prospects worrying.”
“So, many people feel it’s well-made but only suitable for haunted house enthusiasts, not for ordinary people.”
“My conclusion is exactly the opposite—Haunted Lodge’s target audience is precisely every ordinary person!”