“Come, please sit, please sit.”

Pei Qian was very polite, gesturing for Zhang Yuan to sit on the nearby sofa. Assistant Xin served tea and then exited the reception room.

Ma Yang also left the reception room, leaving Pei Qian to talk with Zhang Yuan alone.

Zhang Yuan glanced around with the corner of his eye.

Everything exuded an aura of wealth!

Looking at this young boss’s attire and the company’s layout, Zhang Yuan couldn’t estimate the value of almost anything!

He just felt that everything was very expensive!

Pei Qian smiled kindly: “Don’t be formal, make yourself at home, please don’t stand on ceremony, come, drink some tea.”

Zhang Yuan tried hard to appear calm, but his slightly constrained posture betrayed him.

Pei Qian pondered where to begin the conversation.

He had learned from Ma Yang that the square-faced young man with a slight northeastern accent sitting before him was an expert at computer assembly, knowledgeable about all kinds of digital products and computer hardware like the back of his hand.

But beyond that, he knew nothing else.

Pei Qian needed to confirm whether this guy had any special talents besides building computers. For example, if he happened to be a marketing genius in business, then he definitely couldn’t be hired.

Better start with computer assembly.

After thinking for a moment, Pei Qian asked: “For a computer that can smoothly run today’s major games, what’s your ideal configuration? What price would be appropriate?”

Pei Qian thought again and added, “Meeting gaming requirements should be the primary goal; some aesthetic effects are fine, but don’t go for style over substance.”

For just a DIY computer, reaching 60,000-70,000 yuan would be quite simple.

But according to the system’s quirks, computers that far exceeded normal gaming requirements used for internet cafes would likely trigger a violation.

The current workstations Pei Qian provided for employees included high-end office desks, high-end gaming chairs, high-performance computer towers, two high refresh rate gaming monitors, mechanical keyboards… all together costing just over 20,000 yuan.

Any higher would far exceed usage needs, and the system wouldn’t approve.

Pei Qian could completely use the current office computer standards for the internet cafe.

But when Assistant Xin purchased office computers, she bought high-end commercial units designed for office use with understated appearances, which didn’t quite meet internet cafe needs or customer preferences.

So, Pei Qian wanted to ask Zhang Yuan’s opinion.

…

Zhang Yuan understood immediately. Oh, so he was being asked to build computers!

Indeed, the title of minor forum moderator did have some use.

Zhang Yuan figured that this Mr. Pei was not short of money.

The laptop on his desk was probably an Alienware high-end gaming laptop, which would cost at least 10,000 yuan.

Which meant…

This big shot wasn’t satisfied with just a gaming laptop and planned to build a wealthy-class high-performance DIY computer!

But he didn’t know how to build one himself and was afraid of being cheated at a computer mall.

So he found me through the forum and offered me 3,000 yuan to build it!

Yes, that must be it.

The requirement was to prioritize gaming needs without being too flashy, without substance.

Zhang Yuan thought quickly.

The dream configuration… that wasn’t difficult for him. He could list it off the top of his head, and he was clear about the prices, too.

But Zhang Yuan was considering something else.

He wondered if he should try to get on this big shot’s good side.

Cheating was something Zhang Yuan had never considered.

Once the configuration was provided, this boss might still consult others. If he dared to cheat, there would likely be consequences.

So, this computer had to be beautifully configured, and the price had to be reasonable, making the boss feel that the 3,000 yuan was well spent!

Just for assembling a computer, taking 3,000 yuan from the boss made Zhang Yuan feel a bit guilty.

As the saying goes, the more friends, the more paths.

After a brief internal struggle, Zhang Yuan felt he could set aside 1,000 yuan from the 3,000 to add to the computer’s configuration.

This way, he could befriend the big shot while still earning 2,000 yuan for his trip, which wasn’t bad.

Win-win, how great!

After considering for a moment, Zhang Yuan began to speak confidently.

From CPU to graphics card to various hardware components, even the case and its accessories, he went through everything.

For instance, adding an eye-shaped decoration could greatly enhance the prestige, while installing RGB lighting could significantly boost performance.

Monitors, keyboards, mice, gaming headsets, etc., were all covered in detail!

Finally, Zhang Yuan quoted the price.

“All together, around 15,000 yuan should cover it.”

The verbal quote was 15,000 yuan, but the actual cost of this configuration was around 16,000 yuan. If one went to a computer mall for assembly, being charged 20,000 yuan wouldn’t be surprising.

Zhang Yuan considered taking 1,000 yuan from the fee Boss Pei offered to subsidize the cost, making a friend, so he settled on the final price of 15,000 yuan.

Pei Qian frowned slightly.

He wasn’t very satisfied with this price.

This DIY gaming computer costs less than the office computers I’ve been getting?

Seeing Boss Pei’s expression, Zhang Yuan was startled.

This looked like a “who are you underestimating?” expression!

Sure enough, Boss Pei spoke up.

“I asked about your ideal configuration, and this setup, how should I put it… It could be more ‘ideal,’ you understand what I mean?”

Zhang Yuan hesitated: “But Boss Pei, you said to prioritize gaming needs, and with current games, this configuration can run everything at maximum settings without any issues…”

Pei Qian was momentarily speechless.

It seemed… he was right.

Adding more to this configuration really wouldn’t improve the cost-performance ratio. Considering current mainstream gaming requirements, this configuration was already almost excessive.

Zhang Yuan had provided a conscientious configuration that could run all mainstream games smoothly at high settings.

But, more money still needed to be spent.

Pei Qian coughed twice and said, “You’re not wrong. Current games can indeed run smoothly, but what if new, resource-intensive games come out in the future?”

“We need to look ahead, think long-term, understand?”

“How about this, add another 10,000 yuan to the budget, okay?”

“…” Zhang Yuan nodded, “Uh, sure.”

It’s your money being spent, not mine, what’s not to like!

If you want, I could even build you a 9.8 billion yuan computer!

Zhang Yuan quickly thought and raised the configuration to another level.

This time, he came up with a DIY computer setup worth around 25,000 yuan!

In Zhang Yuan’s view, this was a completely excessive performance.

All current games on the market could have their graphics settings mindlessly maxed out, and this configuration wouldn’t become outdated for the next two or three years!

Moreover, all the peripherals were top-notch, absolutely providing a huge leap and improvement in the gaming experience!

Of course, the price Zhang Yuan quoted to Pei Qian was 25,000 yuan, while the actual cost of the pure configuration was around 26,000 yuan. This 1,000 yuan difference was what Zhang Yuan considered a subsidy from his 3,000 yuan fee to make friends with Boss Pei.

Pei Qian listened and nodded.

This was about right!

For internet cafe needs, it maximized spending without triggering the system’s warnings.

“This configuration is good,” Pei Qian nodded.

Zhang Yuan was very happy: “I’m glad Boss Pei likes it.”

Subsidizing one thousand to make friends with Boss Pei, this was a good deal!

“Then, let’s start with fifty units,” Pei Qian said casually, taking a sip of tea.