Chapter 199 The Midas Touch

This question stumped Pei Qian.

What if GOG blindly followed suit?

Pei Qian realized that he had fallen into a slight mental trap. Previously, Tengda's opponents were other companies, and in terms of burning money, none could match Tengda.

After all, other companies were burning either the boss's money or the investors' money. Unless the boss was as reckless with money as Pei Qian, it was impossible to burn it so freely.

Therefore, Tengda always emerged victorious in the money-burning wars.

But now, GOG was also a Tengda game, and it also had a budget for burning money!

However, Pei Qian quickly calmed down. This was just a matter of numbers.

All he had to do was ensure that IOI always had more funds than GOG, right?

In a money-burning contest, the side with more ammunition would definitely have the advantage!

Moreover, both sides burning money together was a great thing for him!

He was just worried about not having enough places to spend the money.

Thinking of this, Pei Qian smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll make sure you always have more money than GOG."

It was impossible to restrict GOG's funds. After all, Pei Qian had only recently proposed the policy of "freely allocating 50% of revenue," and he couldn't change his mind so quickly.

It wasn't that he was worried about anything else, but mainly he was afraid of causing misunderstandings.

What if everyone started to overthink things, wondering what Pei Qian's deeper meaning was? Was he implying that everyone should stop wasting money?

That would be counterproductive.

Therefore, Pei Qian was considering that GOG should still burn money as needed, as long as he ensured that IOI's national server always had more money than GOG.

Surely, GOG couldn't turn the tables again, right?

The hope returned to everyone's eyes.

As expected of Boss Pei!

With a single move, the problem was solved!

Although the idea of burning money wasn't difficult to come up with, being able to burn it so decisively, so cleanly, and so fearlessly was something that not everyone had the courage to do.

And making the guarantee that IOI would always have more money than GOG was something that only Boss Pei could do.

Ye Zhizhou was invigorated, "Okay, Boss Pei, we'll arrange it immediately and definitely win back the audience!"

…

Leaving Shang Yang Games, Pei Qian felt relaxed.

He looked at his watch. It was just after three in the afternoon. Going home to lie on the living room sofa and soak up the sun seemed like a good choice.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was Li Shi.

Pei Qian: "?"

He instantly felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.

Could something have gone wrong with Thriller Hostel? Or was it about the Golden Maze?

Or was it that Li Shi wanted to co-invest in Dream Chasing Capital?

No, President Li wouldn't want to co-invest in a fully automatic heckling machine, would he? He wasn't drinking a potion that made him lose his mind, right?

Pei Qian felt a sense of panic whenever he saw the name "Li Shi," fearing that Li Shi would start throwing money at him without a word, and set fire to the projects he was secretly trying to lose money on.

But he couldn't just ignore the call. Having an ostrich mentality wouldn't help him avoid a few cuts.

He had no choice but to answer.

"Hello? President Li, what's up?"

Li Shi's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Boss Pei, nothing special. Just a friend of mine wants to meet you and talk about something. I was wondering if you have time?"

"You should have heard of this friend of mine, and you may have even met him. His name is Wang Peng, and he's one of the co-founders of Quanmin Dianping."

"Wang Peng, Xue ZhebIn and I are partners. We opened Mingfu Family Feast together. Do you remember?"

Pei Qian suddenly understood.

He remembered, he remembered very well.

This person was still on his little notebook!

Although his position was relatively far back, Pei Qian would definitely not forget.

It was this Wang Peng and Xue Zhebin who had a meal at Ming Yun Private Kitchen, and then specifically marked it on the Quanmin Dianping App, wrote a long review, and finally arranged for a programmer to make the name blank.

As a result, Ming Yun Private Kitchen turned a profit.

This was an irreconcilable hatred!

How dare he come to see me?

Pei Qian was about to make an excuse about being busy with work, but then he thought that he should meet him after all.

What if this person was brewing some new conspiracy behind the scenes?

If he didn't meet him, wouldn't he continue to be kept in the dark?

Pei Qian thought for a moment, "I'm free now and tomorrow. Let President Wang arrange it."

Li Shi was very happy, "That's great. How about an hour from now, we meet at Moyu Internet Cafe in Handong University?"

Pei Qian, "Okay, but… what's this about?"

Li Shi chuckled, "Boss Pei, you'll know when you get here. It definitely won't waste your valuable time!"

Pei Qian: "…"

Why was he getting more and more scared?

…

Moyu Internet Cafe, Handong University Branch.

Pei Qian had only just arrived when Li Shi and Wang Peng arrived one after the other.

"Boss Pei!"

"President Li, President Wang."

Pei Qian exchanged a few insincere pleasantries with the two of them before they each took their seats.

Seeing the smile on Wang Peng's face, Pei Qian instinctively felt that something was wrong.

What could be making him so happy?

"President Wang, what exactly do you want to talk about?" Pei Qian asked with concern.

He always felt that when someone came to him with a smile on their face, it was never a good thing!

Wang Peng smiled slightly, but didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked at Li Shi, "I've heard President Li say before that Boss Pei, you have the Midas touch. Anyone who gets close to you will definitely have good luck!"

"And if they happen to show some goodwill, they'll receive extremely generous rewards."

"After what happened with Mingfu Family Feast, I was still a little skeptical."

"But this time, I'm completely convinced!"

Pei Qian looked blank and silent for a moment, before a question mark slowly appeared over his head.

?

What was he trying to say?

He had the Midas touch? Why didn't he feel it?

Your good luck is my misfortune!

Seeing that Boss Pei was unmoved, Li Shi smiled and said to Wang Peng, "President Wang, just say what you want to say directly. Boss Pei doesn't like people being coy with him."

"Besides, Boss Pei is usually very busy and has too much work to handle. He really might not know about this."

Pei Qian opened his mouth, hesitating.

Although there was something off about what President Li said, he couldn't really find anything wrong with it…

Wang Peng nodded, "Okay, then I'll get straight to the point. Boss Pei, do you know that No Name Restaurant has become popular on the foreign internet because of a famous food blogger!"

Pei Qian: "??"

He didn't know!

Looking at Boss Pei's unmoved expression, Li Shi chuckled, "See, I told you Boss Pei is busy with work. How could such a small matter alarm him?"

"It's probably something that Manager Lin arranged himself. If he told Boss Pei everything, wouldn't Manager Lin be useless?"

Wang Peng was even more excited when he saw that Pei Qian didn't know about this.

"Boss Pei doesn't know yet? That's great, let me explain the whole story in detail!"

"Because of my profession, I follow some well-known foreign food bloggers, many of whom often fly around the world to eat Michelin three-star cuisine."

"On Tuesday night, I noticed that a food blogger I had been following who had millions of followers updated their content, and this content was reposted many times."

"I excitedly clicked on it, only to find that there were no pictures, just a long article."

"I was very puzzled at the time, because due to the time difference, this blogger loved to post about food late at night, always flying around the world, taking pictures of classic delicacies, and then adding their own comments."

"Unlike other more amateur food bloggers, she has a very good sense of appreciation and knows how to meet the expectations of ordinary people, so that her food reviews don't seem too out of touch. That's why she has so many fans abroad."

"But in my memory, she really rarely posts such purely textual blog posts."

"Then I took a closer look and realized that this was talking about Boss Pei's No Name Restaurant!"

"No wonder there were no pictures, because No Name Restaurant doesn't allow pictures, haha!"

Pei Qian's hand holding the coffee froze in mid-air.

He suddenly understood why Ming Yun Private Kitchen had so many foreign reservations recently.

Clearly, this food blogger was the one behind it!

Fortunately, he had been mentally prepared. Pei Qian maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, while repeatedly telling himself in his heart, "Don't panic, even if Ming Yun Private Kitchen becomes more popular, it won't make me any more money!"

After taking a sip of coffee, he said, "And then?"

Wang Peng couldn't help but sigh, "Boss Pei's calm and composed mentality is really worth learning."

"You have to know, that's a blogger who has even criticized Michelin restaurants. She has a very discerning palate. But this time, she praised No Name Restaurant in a long article, comprehensively and without any blind spots!"

"Including the details of the service, the taste of various dishes, and even the final two dishes, Verjusinegg and Boiled Water and Cabbage, she was full of praise and detailed descriptions!"

"She also especially emphasized that her most satisfying point was that no matter what questions she asked, the waiters could answer fluently, and Manager Lin had very insightful views on the development of the catering industry, which deepened her understanding of Chinese food culture!"

"Boss Pei, this kind of praise is rare."

"The only pity is that the Michelin Guide hasn't entered the mainland yet, otherwise, with this blog post, Michelin reviewers would definitely come to visit incognito. If we could really get two or even three stars, then…"

Pei Qian listened with trepidation.

What the hell?

Did this food blogger have that much influence?

Fortunately, the tire company's guide hadn't entered the mainland, otherwise this… the consequences would be unimaginable!

Pei Qian didn't think that Michelin was anything special. After all, it was a Western food evaluation standard and not very useful for Chinese food.

But Pei Qian also knew very well that many people recognized it!

If he really got a Michelin three-star, Pei Qian would have to take the initiative to ask for it to be revoked.

Otherwise, if crazy foodies from all over the world ran over here, wouldn't things get completely out of control?

Fortunately, the Michelin Guide hadn't entered the mainland yet. Even if it did enter in a few years, it would start with big cities like Shanghai and Beijing first. It shouldn't be Jingzhou's turn.

Pei Qian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But then he thought about it and felt that something wasn't right.

Was this the only reason Wang Peng came to see him?

Although this food blogger was quite powerful, and had praised Ming Yun Private Kitchen, causing many foreign friends to come to make reservations and eat, what of it?

As he said before, Ming Yun Private Kitchen was already booked two months in advance. Even if it became more popular, it wouldn't make him any more money.

What was he afraid of?

Li Shi also nodded, "It's a pity that we don't have the opportunity to get a Michelin three-star. Although the Michelin evaluation of Chinese food isn't reliable, there's no harm in getting one."

"To be honest, after getting into high-end catering myself, I admire Boss Pei even more. It's easy to take high-end catering from 30 points to 60 points, but it's much harder to take it from 90 points to 95 points!"

"Boss Pei was able to continue to improve No Name Restaurant after it was already at 90 points. He must have put in a lot of effort in places we can't see!"

Pei Qian: "…"

But before Pei Qian could speak, Wang Peng picked up Li Shi's thread.

"It's a pity, but there's also an old saying, 'A blessing in disguise!'"

"Boss Pei, President Li, have you thought about a question?"

"The Michelin Guide hasn't entered the mainland yet, which means that foreigners can't use Michelin to evaluate mainland restaurants. So, what do you think they rely on to enjoy mainland cuisine?"

Pei Qian's heart skipped a beat. "They rely on… food blogger recommendations?"

Wang Peng laughed, "That's right, Boss Pei! Think about it, mainland restaurants haven't been starred by Michelin, but No Name Restaurant has been endorsed by a well-known food blogger who has criticized Michelin… Doesn't that mean that No Name Restaurant is on the same level as a Michelin three-star restaurant?"

"That's like No Name Restaurant suddenly being highlighted on the food map!"

"Then whether they're foreigners or locals, they'll definitely want to try it!"

Pei Qian: ??

Wang Peng continued, "And, Boss Pei, you only said half of it right. They do rely on food blogger recommendations to find food, but they also rely on our Quanmin Dianping!"

"Boss Pei, your No Name Restaurant is becoming popular, and Quanmin Dianping is also benefiting because Quanmin Dianping was the first to discover No Name Restaurant and gave it its name. When it comes to evaluating No Name Restaurant, Quanmin Dianping has the most and the most comprehensive reviews!"

"Those who want to search for No Name Restaurant and take a look will definitely be directed to Quanmin Dianping. That alone saves us a lot of promotion expenses!"

"Therefore, our co-founders held an emergency conference call and decided to take advantage of this opportunity to create a promotional feature, combining the ultimate dining experience of No Name Restaurant with our Quanmin Dianping and riding on the popularity of this food blogger to make this matter go viral!"

"Good marketing is like only needing a small spark to explode instantly!"

"That's why I say that Boss Pei, you really have the Midas touch! You didn't do anything, and you sent such a big wave of traffic to our Quanmin Dianping!"

"Of course, Boss Pei, don't worry, our Quanmin Dianping will definitely not forget your kindness."

"To show our gratitude, we've decided to recommend all of Tengda Group's physical industries in this feature!"

Pei Qian had already felt a little dazed, but remembering that Ming Yun Private Kitchen couldn't make him any more money no matter how popular it became, he could barely maintain his composure.

But now, hearing these words, countless question marks instantly floated above Pei Qian's head.

???

Wang Peng didn't notice the confusion on Boss Pei's face and continued excitedly, "Our feature is called 'Beautiful Jingzhou.' In this feature, we've reviewed all of Jingzhou's famous attractions, historical sites, high-end restaurants, and so on. The highlight is No Name Restaurant, but we've also added Moyu Internet Cafe, Moyu Delivery, Shared Phone Booths, Managed Gyms, and even Thriller Hostel!"

"After all, it's so difficult to make a reservation at No Name Restaurant, and it's not easy for everyone to come all the way to Jingzhou, so they'll definitely want to experience these special projects."

"In addition, we've decided to give Tengda's industries permanent preferential treatment. Including Moyu Internet Cafe and Managed Gyms, they'll be ranked higher in the search results on Quanmin Dianping, and there will also be special star selection badges to continue to increase the promotion!"

"This is called returning a favor. Don't you think so, President Li?"

After Wang Peng finished speaking, he looked at Li Shi, who was sitting next to him.

Li Shi had a smile on his face and nodded slightly, as if to say "He is a promising fellow."

This style of doing things was clearly taught to him by President Li.

And Pei Qian fell into a long silence.

Wang Peng's smile seemed to say, "I can't control your No Name Restaurant, but can't I control your other industries? Tengda is so big, there's no escaping it. If your No Name Restaurant doesn't make money, then your other industries will. Anyway, you can't escape! Someone, help Boss Pei make money!"

Pei Qian had been planning to research tomorrow what exactly was going on with so many foreigners coming to Ming Yun Private Kitchen, but now it seemed like he didn't need to.

It was too late!

Pei Qian was speechless. Were they all hopped up on something?

Guan Peisheng had just reported this to him at noon, and they had already arranged everything by the afternoon?