At the same time, in the reception room of Dream Venture Capital, Pei Qian was reading through the thick stack of materials submitted by He Desheng, getting a headache from it all.

These were all companies related to Dream Venture Capital—some had already received investments, others were still waiting in line for funding.

There was also a portion of companies that had previously received investments but had sold all their shares once they became profitable.

Looking at the materials of these companies, Pei Qian was somewhat shocked.

So many companies had actually started making money?

Fortunately, He Desheng had followed his instructions completely, selling as soon as they made profits, without any delay.

As long as they sold early, there was no way to make much money.

Watching Mr. Pei’s brow furrow then relax, He Desheng couldn’t tell what remarkable things Mr. Pei was discovering in these materials, so he didn’t dare ask much.

He tentatively suggested: “Mr. Pei, shall I call Jing Hailu to explain the details to you?”

Pei Qian shook his head: “No need to trouble her.”

These materials were written quite plainly and concisely, perfectly understandable to Pei Qian. Besides, Pei Qian’s investments were always spontaneous—losses were good, small gains didn’t matter, so there was no need to have their finance person Jing Hailu make a special trip to explain.

Pei Qian flipped through the companies that had made profits and sold their shares, casually saying: “Among these profitable companies, some are developing better and better, while others have declined terribly.”

Pei Qian certainly didn’t feel bad about those profitable companies, but those that collapsed immediately after Dream Venture Capital’s divestment made him feel slightly regretful.

Pei Qian found this situation somewhat strange.

Every company that wasn’t making money continued receiving funding from Dream Venture Capital; every company Dream Venture Capital divested from had already achieved profitability.

Once they achieved profitability, it meant the company had found a healthy business model. As long as nothing unexpected happened, they should gradually grow stronger.

But some of these companies not only failed to grow after Dream Venture Capital’s exit—they suddenly collapsed. This was peculiar.

He Desheng smiled slightly: “Exactly, Mr. Pei. Among profitable companies, some have genuine profits, while others are like the Cold Noodle Girl—they create the appearance of profitability through financial manipulation. Their reports look good, but the company’s actual situation is poor. Their purpose is to use these reports to attract more investment.”

“With divestment, the former have passed their most difficult period and will surely improve; while the latter are immediately exposed for what they are.”

Pei Qian was quite angry: “Can’t people have some basic trust? Wouldn’t less scheming and more sincerity be better?”

Incompetence was one thing, but ill intentions would backfire!

These companies pretending to be profitable could have continued receiving support from Dream Venture Capital if they had honestly admitted to losses. But they had to claim profitability, and now Dream Venture Capital had divested.

This showed that without basic integrity, even the good fortune of spending Mr. Pei’s money wasn’t available to them!

He Desheng sighed: “Indeed, everyone knows business is built on trust, that treating others honestly brings rewards. Yet in reality, how many can truly do this when tempted by profits?”

“I must say, Mr. Pei, this strategy of yours is brilliant!”

“Selling profitable companies on one hand helps those genuinely working on their business, building good relationships; on the other hand, it kicks out those with fake profits and ill intentions, avoiding risks.”

“Though it means slightly less profit, gaining reputation while punishing frauds is truly achieving two goals at once!”

Pei Qian: “…”

What “two goals at once”!

I don’t need any two goals at once. I just want to spend more money outward—is that so difficult?

Pei Qian set aside the materials of profitable, sold companies and continued examining those still making losses and receiving continued funding from Dream Venture Capital.

“Hmm? What’s happening with this company? I remember they used to spend lavishly, with grand marketing campaigns. How did they suddenly cut marketing expenses by two-thirds and redirect it to product development?”

When pursuing the six million investment for the Cold Noodle Girl, Pei Qian had reviewed other companies’ materials and had some understanding of them.

Particularly those companies fond of advertising, marketing, and quick spending had left strong impressions.

These companies were originally big spenders, key targets of Pei Qian’s attention. However, the latest materials showed they either cut some marketing expenses and reduced costs or redirected spending to product refinement and talent recruitment.

Since Dream Venture Capital had stationed accountants at these companies, all this information was clearly documented and presented to Pei Qian.

Less spending made Pei Qian somewhat unhappy.

He Desheng chuckled: “Mr. Pei, clearly your warning example has worked! With the Cold Noodle Girl as a cautionary tale, who dares to mess around?”

A confused question mark appeared above Pei Qian’s head.

?

Warning example?

Cold Noodle Girl as a cautionary tale?

What are you talking about?

Each word was clear, but together they made no sense to Pei Qian.

He Desheng continued: “These continually loss-making companies receiving funding from Dream Venture Capital basically fall into two categories.”

“First category: seriously developing products but lacking money, capability, or resources. These companies continue receiving Dream Venture Capital funding, hiring talent and securing resources, gradually improving. Their founders feel they’ve done their best, have clear consciences, and naturally don’t need to change anything.”

“Second category: somewhat similar to Meng Chang’s behavior.”

“They don’t focus on products but spend everything on marketing. Some want to inflate valuations for quick profits; others might simply be confused about which matters more—product or marketing.”

“Meng Chang and the Cold Noodle Girl’s case clearly served as a warning example that frightened the hesitant!”

“Even someone as capable and clever as Meng Chang was severely punished by Mr. Pei for ill intentions, becoming a judgment debtor and losing everything. How much worse would it be for these small-time players?”

“If they don’t change, they’ll share Meng Chang’s fate!”

“These cunning entrepreneurs all panicked.”

“Previously, many small companies waiting for our investment voluntarily withdrew; those already funded completely changed their behavior, not daring to lavishly spend on marketing anymore, focusing more on the product itself.”

“Clearly these people had guilty consciences. They don’t want to be the next Meng Chang. The Cold Noodle Girl’s situation hangs over them like the Sword of Damocles, making them trembling and not daring to scheme anymore!”

“This Cold Noodle Girl battle could be called a decisive victory: many entrepreneurs used to think Dream Venture Capital’s money was easiest to get, but now they’ve learned that while it’s easy to get Dream Venture Capital’s money, the consequences of taking it without delivering results are most severe!”

“This way, even if Mr. Pei shifts focus to other industries, Dream Venture Capital can continue operating perfectly—no one dares to fraud us for money anymore!”

Pei Qian fell silent.

He never imagined a small Cold Noodle Girl could have such far-reaching effects?

Previously, the worst scenario Pei Qian could imagine was making huge profits from selling Cold Noodle Girl shares, increasing pressure to spend money.

But looking at it now, it was far more than just huge profits?

The Cold Noodle Girl objectively served as a warning example. Future chances of Dream Venture Capital losing money through investments dramatically decreased!

Pei Qian silently sipped his tea, overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

When setting the policy of “sell when profitable, keep investing when losing” for Dream Venture Capital, Pei Qian thought it was a foolproof, one hundred percent strategy.

Now, after a series of events, Pei Qian’s expectations were completely dashed, and this policy had perfectly achieved the opposite effect!

Pei Qian tossed the thick stack of materials onto the coffee table, silently drinking two sips of tea.

“That’s all for today.”

“I’ll give you more money later; just invest it as you see fit.”

Pei Qian had begun considering strategically abandoning Dream Venture Capital, so he wasn’t making many demands on He Desheng’s investments anymore.

But abandoning was one thing—the money still needed to be provided. Relying solely on the “Mission and Choice” project to burn money was still a bit difficult.

As the saying goes, don’t put all eggs in one basket—Dream Venture Capital needed to share some pressure too.

As for future profits… that could be considered later. First, get through this cycle.

He Desheng checked his watch: “Very well, Mr. Pei. It’s time for our scheduled meeting with Meng Chang. He should be arriving soon; I’ll go greet him.”

He Desheng left, and Pei Qian sat in the reception room, sipping tea while somewhat melancholically contemplating life.

The initial plans were all perfect—how did things turn out this way?

Life is truly unpredictable.

Soon after, Meng Chang arrived.

Seeing Meng Chang’s disheveled appearance, Pei Qian was somewhat surprised.

What’s this—haven’t seen him for a while and he’s become depressed?

Pei Qian originally thought Meng Chang had extremely strong psychological resilience, the type who wouldn’t be affected by becoming a judgment debtor. Apparently not.

Pei Qian poured a cup of tea: “Come, sit and have some tea.”

Meng Chang was full of wariness and apprehension, tinged with fear.

What exactly was Mr. Pei planning?

You invested in me, you ruined me, and now you’re calling me here to offer work.

Meng Chang felt played by Mr. Pei, completely unable to guess his next move. This feeling was extremely uncomfortable.

Meng Chang had always considered himself among the smartest people, until he met Mr. Pei.

Seeing through all his plans, secretly calculating every move so thoroughly, then calmly smiling and offering tea after meeting… This Mr. Pei was truly terrifying!

If not for Meng Chang wanting to earn more money to quickly shed his status as a judgment debtor, he would never meet Mr. Pei again. Even just talking created enormous pressure!