Self-sabotage—failed.
It wasn't until Zhu Xiaoce had already left that Pei Qian finally realized: this short video didn't need any acting at all!
All he had to do was strike a few poses and keep a blank face!
The story was told entirely through voice-over narration—and that narration was done by Director Zhu himself.
Pei Qian might have been billed as the "lead," but in reality, he was nothing more than a human prop. Blank expressions were all the "acting" that was ever required of him!
Pei Qian rubbed his forehead, feeling like things were rapidly going downhill.
The first layer of his triple insurance plan… was already halfway down the drain.
Now all he could do was pin his hopes on Game Producer and Moyu Internet Café to turn the tide!
. . . . . . .
Before the Spring Festival holiday.
Ma Yang sent over the interior design proposal for the internet café.
Pei Qian reviewed it—it was done exactly according to his instructions, no corners cut.
Even the small theater setup was included!
There were no special discounts in the lease contract either. Rent was paid quarterly. Between three months' rent and the deposit, that was 1.2 million yuan gone in an instant.
Renovation would cost another 400,000 to 500,000 yuan.
Fortunately, the building was already a stand-alone structure with a glass curtain wall exterior and fine interior finishes from when it was a restaurant, so it wasn't like starting from bare concrete.
As a result, renovation wasn't outrageously expensive—mostly structural tweaks like partitioning the space between café and net café zones, installing counters, and so on.
Then came the cost of all the hardware.
50 high-end PCs, each costing 26,000 yuan, for a total of 1.3 million yuan.
All this, plus other expenses—furnishings, hiring receptionists, IT staff, chefs, etc.—meant over 3 million yuan would be sunk in upfront.
And Pei Qian… wasn't even remotely upset. He was thrilled.
The higher the cost, the bigger the loss. That's a good thing!
Besides, he didn't have to fork out the money all at once.
They'd pay for the lease and renovation first. After the New Year, construction would begin. Only once that was done would they buy PCs and hire staff.
In the meantime, his two ongoing games were still making money, so the costs were manageable.
Ma Yang, meanwhile, was fired up—he even proposed staying behind during the holiday to supervise construction.
Pei Qian immediately vetoed that.
If you don't go home, what about the workers? They still have to go back to their hometowns!
But seeing Ma Yang so motivated and enthusiastic gave Pei Qian a sense of relief.
The more serious Ma Yang gets, the more likely this project is to fail!
Meanwhile, on another front, the design doc for Game Producer was basically done.
Pei Qian reviewed the game flow again—especially the narration script.
After reading it, he still wasn't satisfied.
He spent three full hours revising the voice-over lines, pushing the sarcastic tone up two more notches.
Some parts… even he felt embarrassed writing them.
Too much!
Way too harsh!
But in the name of losing money, Pei Qian gritted his teeth and kept writing—conscience be damned!
After finalizing the edits, he sent the document to Lu Mingliang, making it the official script.
"Next step is finding an art outsourcing studio on the asset platform."
"Get me the most expensive concept artist out there, got it?"
Pei Qian reminded him over and over.
Lu Mingliang nodded fiercely. "Got it, President Pei! When it comes to art assets, I'll be just as meticulous and demanding as Brother Huang!"
"…Uh, after I find a suitable artist, do I need to run it by you first?"
Pei Qian thought about it. "Nah, no need."
If they were the most expensive concept artists, their skill probably wouldn't be an issue. Pei Qian didn't really understand illustration anyway, so reviewing or not wouldn't make much difference.
"Understood, President Pei!"
As he walked out of Pei Qian's office, Lu Mingliang couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion...
President Pei not only insists on the highest quality for art assets… he even trusts a lowly subordinate like me this much!
I'm seriously touched!
I'll make sure to do everything I can to carry out his instructions!
. . . . . . .
Art assets are a huge part of game development.
A beautiful visual "skin" gives players a great first impression—and that helps boost a game's profitability.
Pei Qian knew this perfectly well.
So why did he keep dumping truckloads of cash into art assets? Didn't he realize this went completely against his goal of losing money?
The issue was—he had no better options!
The system placed restrictions: he wasn't allowed to deliberately purchase low-quality services. Everything Pei Qian bought had to be roughly equivalent to its actual value.
He could mark up costs a bit, but not outrageously.
If he went with cheap, mediocre art assets… he couldn't even spend all the money!
Just think about it—when making a game, what costs the most?
Art. Always art.
If Pei Qian didn't burn money there, where else could he?
That's why, to drive up development costs, he had to sink a fortune into visuals.
Besides, was going cheap even safe?
The debacle with Ghost General was still fresh in his memory…
He'd tried hiring some low-rate illustrators, but by sheer misfortune, ended up snagging someone like Ruan Guangjian—a hidden god disguised as a rookie. That almost ruined his whole plan!
Not only did he fail to blow the budget, the game ended up looking amazing.
Complete disaster.
So after weighing the pros and cons, Pei Qian concluded: spending big on art was still the safest route.
Anyway, Game Producer wasn't even a title that relied on visuals to succeed.
His real hopes of losing money were pinned on boring gameplay and obnoxious narration.
In Pei Qian's eyes, as long as the core mechanics and punchable narrator lines successfully pissed off players, this game would be a masterpiece—in his twisted definition of the word.
So what if it looks good? Big deal.
. . . . . . .
Back at his desk, Lu Mingliang opened the asset platform and began hunting for a suitable concept artist.
In his opinion, concept design was critical for Game Producer.
Why? Because much of the game's content involved turning abstract ideas into visual form.
For example, when players choose between "whale" and "light spender" options, those concepts were reflected in two different in-game rooms. Each room would feature different visual elements to reinforce the concept.
"Whale" spending is an abstract idea. But in-game, it might take the form of silhouettes throwing around cash, floors covered in virtual currency, flashy, golden whales next to half-naked free-to-play players, etc.
Bringing the abstract into the tangible required artistic reinvention.
If done poorly, it was just box-checking.
But if done right? It could elevate the game into a work of art.
That's why Lu Mingliang wasn't taking this lightly. He combed through the asset platform, carefully reviewing high-priced, well-reviewed, highly skilled concept artists.
"This one… hmm, not bad, but the style's too one-note."
"This one's overly realistic. Doesn't really fit."
"Hmm? This one's good."
As he filtered quickly, one particular illustration caught his eye.
"Why does this style feel so familiar…"
There was something about the artwork—bold, striking, unforgettable.
Then he checked the artist's profile.
Name: Ruan Guangjian
Notable Work: Ghost General
One of the most expensive concept designers on the entire platform.
"Wait a second— isn't this the artist from Ghost General?!"
"He's already worked with President Pei before. Versatile style. Excellent track record. This guy's perfect!"
<+>
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