Chapter 21 May 21st

Pei Qian received the report sent by Ye Zhizhou. Shang Yang Games was still in a state of stable losses, showing no signs of improvement.

In the report, Ye Zhizhou detailed the increase in the game's active players and payment rate, obviously presenting these as successes in performance to report to Boss Pei.

Of course, all these achievements were accomplished under Boss Pei's guidance.

Pei Qian didn't pay attention to any of this, but went straight to the total revenue column.

Well, still no improvement!

Pei Qian had expected this, and as usual, replied, "Not bad, keep it up."

Ye Zhizhou continued to work with renewed vigor.

Pei Qian was quite satisfied with the current state of Shang Yang Games. Anyway, whether the reputation was good or bad didn't matter, as long as Pei Qian kept an eye on it and the game's revenue didn't increase, everything would be fine.

Ye Zhizhou still thought that everything was under Boss Pei's control.

Of course, that was true, but what Boss Pei controlled and what Ye Zhizhou thought Boss Pei controlled were two completely different things.

"Knock, knock, knock."

There was a knock on the door.

Pei Qian looked up and saw Huang Sibo.

"Oh? A rare guest."

It had been a long time since they last met, and Pei Qian's little resentment towards Huang Sibo had faded a lot.

Actually, when he thought about it carefully, Fei Huang Studio hadn't done anything that really wronged him!

Although they had earned nearly two million, according to Pei Qian's profit-sharing method, only about four hundred thousand actually went to Tengda. What’s more, Director Zhu Xiaoce had given Pei Qian a considerable remuneration and provided a great excuse for Pei Qian to buy home appliances.

So, Pei Qian was no longer so angry.

Huang Sibo carried a bag of fruit, "I came by the way to see you, and also to say goodbye to Boss Pei."

"Oh? Goodbye?" Pei Qian was a little confused, "Where are you going?"

Huang Sibo smiled, "Didn't we confirm earlier that Fei Huang Studio would be making a documentary? Director Zhu Xiaoce and I, along with some stagehands, are going to Shanghai. The entire filming process will be done there and may take until next month."

"So, I came to see you before leaving and say goodbye."

Going to Shanghai?

Pei Qian nodded, "Well, Shanghai is a good place."

He knew in his heart that going to Shanghai would be quite expensive!

Even excluding the post-editing staff, Fei Huang Studio still had five or six people. This group of people going to Shanghai, round-trip train tickets, accommodation, and so on, wouldn't be cheap.

Pei Qian hadn't provided subsequent funding for Fei Huang Studio. Their filming funds this time all came from the profits of *Pei Zong's Daily Life*. At most, it was only about a million, and some of the money had to be used to update the photography equipment.

Filming short videos like *Pei Zong's Daily Life* could be done with an SLR camera, using vertical screens, and being more casual; but filming a documentary definitely required professional equipment, otherwise it would seem very unprofessional.

Thinking of this, Pei Qian was no longer so resistant, but rather a little interested.

Although he had mentally prepared himself that Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce's new project would probably make money, Pei Qian still had to ask about it.

After all, a small profit was still a profit, and a big profit was also a profit. There was still a big difference between the two.

If it was a small profit, it could be compensated with other projects; if it was a big profit, then Boss Pei would be done for.

"Well, remember to be careful on the road." Pei Qian asked casually, "What kind of documentary are you filming that you have to go all the way to Shanghai?"

Huang Sibo smiled a little embarrassedly, "Boss Pei, to be honest with you, don't be offended. The subject matter we're filming this time is very likely to be a complete loss."

Huh?

A complete loss?

Boss Pei instantly sat up straight.

If you're talking to me about this, then I'm not sleepy anymore!

"Come, have some tea." Pei Qian immediately poured a cup of tea for Huang Sibo and handed it over. The treatment was instantly different.

Huang Sibo didn't realize the change in Boss Pei's attitude. He took a sip of tea and briefly explained Fei Huang Studio's recent work arrangements.

"Boss Pei, Director Zhu Xiaoce and I were deeply moved by your words and decided to step out of the comfort zone of short videos and do something truly meaningful."

"Later, we thought about many directions, but we always felt that something was missing."

"Some topics we were good at doing, some topics we thought we could make money from, but none of them were the kind that felt particularly urgent, that we had to do."

"Later, we finally found a topic that we felt we had to do, which is a documentary about esports players!"

Pei Qian was even more interested, "A documentary about esports players?"

Huang Sibo wasn't lying to him. This topic was indeed very likely to be a complete loss!

What year was this? 2010!

The current esports players were still sleeping on the side of the road, drinking tap water, and eating instant noodles.

Not like ten years later, with red wine, models, Ferraris, and annual salaries of tens of millions.

Capital's hot money hadn't entered yet, and games were still regarded as a scourge in society. Playing games, whether you were playing professionally or just for entertainment and relaxation, was no different in the eyes of most people, and could be described in four words: "wasting your time."

Making a documentary about esports players now was possible. You could find suitable material, but how would you monetize it?

*Pei Zong's Daily Life* was able to make money because Allie Island happened to be looking for some high-quality video content, so they signed a special profit-sharing agreement.

Short videos could be continuously updated and continue to attract traffic to the website, and the IP and reputation accumulated over three seasons, these were all things that could be used to negotiate prices with video websites.

But documentaries were different.

First, not many people were interested.

Second, they couldn't be continuously updated and continue to attract traffic to the website, so it was naturally impossible to sign exclusive broadcasting or profit-sharing agreements with websites. At most, they would follow the most basic incentive plan, with twenty or thirty yuan as a reward for ten thousand views.

Third, you couldn't insert advertisements or make money from product placements.

Documentaries were very rigorous. Because they were real, they had meaning. You couldn't be interviewing a player and suddenly insert an advertisement: "Want to win? Sit on Aofeng!"

It could be said that most documentaries didn't make money, with a few exceptions.

Like *A Bite of China*.

When Pei Qian first heard that Huang Sibo and the others were going to make a documentary, he was really worried that they were going to make *A Bite of China*, but now he was sure that it wasn't.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Zhu Xiaoce was indeed very talented, but he wasn't a time traveler.

Making one hit was skill;

Making many hits in a row was cheating.

Pei Qian felt much more relieved after hearing this.

How this documentary was specifically filmed would be discussed later. As long as the investment was large and the return was small, it was a good project.

Pei Qian's expression instantly became much more cheerful, "A complete loss? That's no big deal. Fei Huang Studio has me to back you up. Feel free to mess around!"

"What is money? We can't live so vulgarly!"

Huang Sibo drank his tea, his face full of smiles, "Sure enough, I knew Boss Pei would definitely support us!"

"Boss Pei, don't worry, we are also very clear about the risks of this project, so we plan to take the slow train to Shanghai, and we will save as much as possible on accommodation and food..."

Before Huang Sibo could finish speaking, Pei Qian's face instantly fell.

"What do you mean?"

Huang Sibo was stunned. He had rarely seen Boss Pei get angry, and he stammered, "No, it doesn't mean anything, just controlling costs..."

Pei Qian looked like he hated iron for not becoming steel, "Control costs? Huang Sibo, clarify your identity!"

Huang Sibo was taken aback, and the teacup in his hand shook.

He had rarely seen Boss Pei so angry. Which word did I say wrong?

Pei Qian said seriously, "Fei Huang Studio is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tengda. You, and all the employees of Fei Huang Studio, are Tengda employees! You're letting them take the slow train, and saving on accommodation and food. What if they get sick?"

"Even if they're healthy and don't get sick, this journey is tiring and exhausting. If they don't eat well and sleep well, it will affect their work efficiency, the video won't be filmed well, the work won't be completed smoothly, and a good documentary will be ruined. Whose responsibility is that?"

Huang Sibo felt his hands trembling a little, "It's... it's mine."

"Oh, no, no, no..." Huang Sibo realized that he had been tricked by Boss Pei, "Boss Pei, don't worry, I'm just saving costs. I'm not a black-hearted contractor. The health of the employees can definitely be guaranteed..."

Pei Qian looked like he hated iron for not becoming steel, "The face of Tengda has been completely disgraced by you! How have I taught you by example?"

Huang Sibo was speechless.

Pei Qian said seriously, "Listen to me, take a plane both ways. Time is money, understand? When you get there, the food and accommodation should be handled according to the normal travel standards. If you don't know the specific standards, ask Assistant Xin."

"When you get to Shanghai, don't rush. If you can't finish filming, postpone it. Film slowly, as long as it can be filmed before June 18th, that's fine."

"Postponing it will just cost a little more for accommodation. How much can that cost? If you don't have enough money, ask me. It's not a big deal."

"Remember, Fei Huang Studio is backed by Tengda. If you have any difficulties, feel free to speak up!"

Huang Sibo hurriedly nodded, "Yes, Boss Pei, I'll listen to you."

Pei Qian's expression softened a little, and he nodded, saying earnestly, "You are also an old employee of Tengda, don't make me worry about such trivial matters."

"You were planning to take the slow train to Shanghai? We, Tengda, don't have such embarrassing employees!"

Huang Sibo's face flushed slightly, and he felt very ashamed, "Yes, what Boss Pei said is right. Fei Huang Studio will definitely follow in the footsteps of Tengda and do everything according to your standards."

Pei Qian nodded in satisfaction, "Well, that's right. Remember, if you have any difficulties, be sure to report them to me as soon as possible!"

After repeatedly urging him, Pei Qian was finally satisfied.

This guy Huang Sibo, such a good project that could lose a lot of money, and he's still trying to control costs for me!

Despite repeated orders, there are still people who are so stingy, and they're even old employees of Tengda!

This made Boss Pei feel very tired.