Chapter 292: Good Thing I Noticed Early!
Wednesday.
Pei Qian woke up and felt hungry.
He unlocked his phone and ordered from Moyu Delivery.
Although President Pei's grand plan to lose money had been repeatedly thwarted, one thing had to be admitted: thanks to his relentless efforts, both his own life and the lives of Jingzhou's citizens had indeed improved considerably.
If you ordered something online, Against the Wind Logistics would deliver it to your door.
If you wanted takeout, Moyu Delivery offered healthy and nutritious meals.
Not to mention the major improvement Moyu Internet Café brought to the city's internet café environment.
Moyu Delivery had now been running steadily for more than four months and was still operating at a loss.
On this point, Pei Qian was extremely satisfied.
The only pity was that Moyu Delivery's business scope still wasn't big enough—although it consistently lost money, it didn't lose enough.
After waiting a little more than twenty minutes, the food arrived.
The Moyu Internet Café Handong University branch was close to where Pei Qian lived, so delivery was fairly quick.
While eating, Pei Qian pondered what he should do next.
Right now, the pressure to spend money was quite high. Beyond the usual expenses, he had to come up with more ways to burn cash.
Looking at the refined tableware and familiar home-style dishes in front of him, Pei Qian suddenly wondered:
Maybe he could let the delivery service shoulder more of the money-burning burden?
After all, Moyu Delivery had already earned his trust with its stable, reliable losses.
"If worst comes to worst, maybe I'll… drink poison to quench my thirst for a bit?"
Pei Qian considered it—problems for the next cycle could stay in the next cycle.
Right now, he first had to ensure that this month's settlement ended in a loss. It wasn't just about the money—this was tied to the system's special rewards.
As for what to do next cycle if the businesses suddenly turned profitable…
Well, he'd just create even more money-burning industries by then.
In short: focus on the present!
With that thought, Pei Qian took out his phone and checked the calendar.
Today was October 13th, and until the 24th, he could keep pouring money into Moyu Internet Café and Against the Wind Logistics. After the 24th, it wouldn't work anymore.
During the final week, if he wanted to spend, he'd have to target his employees.
Tengda had grown into a fairly large company now:
– The game division + Terminal Chinese Web + TPDb had over 100 employees.
– Shangyang Games had over 40 employees.
– Moyu Internet Café had over 100 employees.
– Against the Wind Logistics and Moyu Delivery had around six to seven hundred couriers between them.
Of course, he couldn't treat every department the same—no way would he give core employees in Tengda Games the same benefits as delivery couriers.
But the more he could distribute to each person, the less pressure he would have.
Still… employee benefits had limits.
If he still couldn't spend enough?
Pei Qian thought about it.
Then he would have no choice but to drink poison again, he would need to launch a promotional event.
He hadn't been able to use this method during the last settlement, because his only physical business at the time was Moyu Internet Café, and that café had suddenly become shockingly popular right before settlement—catching him completely off guard and leaving him helpless.
But this time, the money had come in earlier, giving Pei Qian plenty of time to react.
He looked at the date again, his gaze stopping on October 24th.
1024 was Programmer's Day, although the term wasn't widely recognized yet.
Just like how November 11th is still commonly seen as Singles' Day rather than "the day to chop off your hands" from overspending.
Pei Qian definitely won't make it in time for Double 11 next cycle, but 1024 is still well within reach.
Using this holiday to run a week-long discount and promotion event—if he can get certain industries to lose more money for a bit—that would greatly reduce his pressure, wouldn't it?
Thinking of this, Pei Qian felt his future brighten a little. He hurriedly reviewed the businesses he currently had on hand.
He needed to think very carefully about which industries he should pick.
Games absolutely couldn't be discounted. Games had no production cost, so lowering the price would only make them sell more, which would be suicide.
His ultimate goal wasn't promotion, and it wasn't trying to generate buzz—it was a sudden spending spree.
So after some thought, Pei Qian realized that Moyu Internet Café and Against the Wind Logistics were the most suitable targets.
Especially Against the Wind Logistics. It was already losing money due to labor costs. If every courier station sent out more packages during this period, and if delivery workers got extra performance pay, then all those small losses would add up into a large amount of spending, right?
Besides, even if it's losing money, as long as the losses stay within a reasonable limit and actually improve its reputation, the system would tolerate it.
After running a few simple tests with the system, Pei Qian quickly finalized a subsidy plan for the 1024 Programmer's Day event.
First was the subsidy for Moyu Delivery: all dishes would be discounted, and delivery fees completely waived.
Next was the subsidy for Against the Wind Logistics.
At the moment, he had nearly 200 courier stations open, and he expected to add another forty to fifty before the 24th. They already covered the vast majority of Jingzhou City.
By then, anyone using these stations to ship packages would receive discounted shipping fees.
At the same time, normally the company would take a commission from all door-to-door deliveries. During the event, all commissions would be canceled to attract more couriers to hand their parcels to Against the Wind Logistics for delivery.
They would also purchase small gifts in bulk to deliver along with the packages, which would burn another chunk of cash.
Other people make money as middlemen; President Pei is the only one who pays out of his own pocket as a middleman.
They began some small-scale promotion recently. The event would run from October 24th until October 31st.
Pei Qian didn't dare advertise too boldly. Spending money this way could burn a lot, but it also came with great risks—he couldn't afford to be reckless.
He cleverly arranged the payday to fall on the last day of every month. This way, just before settlement, he could send out a large batch of employee wages and lower the system funds as much as possible.
During the event, Pei Qian would also give extra performance pay to all delivery riders and couriers. Every additional meal delivered or package dispatched would earn them a bonus.
Although each person wouldn't receive much individually, with so many courier stations and so many employees across Jingzhou City, this would amount to a significant lump of spending.
As for the consequences…
Obviously, during 1024 Programmer's Day, Moyu Delivery and Against the Wind Logistics would see some increase in users. But these two industries had always been in the red—expanding their scale only made them lose more money. Nothing to worry about.
And even if they did somehow make money, that would be next cycle's problem.
This was precisely why Pei Qian didn't dare touch the other industries. He couldn't drastically lower prices at the internet café or make it free, nor could he discount games. The risks and side effects were far too great.
Pei Qian roughly mapped out the plan and felt that this idea had real potential. So he prepared to call Lu Mingliang and Ma Yang, wanting to bring them together and briefly explain the matter.
Before long, Lu Mingliang picked up the phone.
"Are you free today? Come to the Moyu Internet Café, Handong University branch. I have a promotional event to discuss regarding Moyu Internet Café and Against the Wind Logistics."
Lu Mingliang was stunned. "President Pei, I'm already at the Handong University branch."
Pei Qian: "Huh?"
"What are you doing there?"
Lu Mingliang: "President Ma asked me to come. We're discussing the details of the PC assembly business."
Pei Qian: "???"
For a moment, he was completely confused.
What the hell? PC assembly business?
"Wait for me there. I'll be right over!"
Pei Qian hurried to get dressed, wrapping himself tightly with a thick coat and scarf before getting ready to head out.
Fortunately, his cold wasn't too severe. After resting for a day, he felt better. The weather today was nice—bright sunshine and hardly any wind—so going out shouldn't be a problem.
Besides, at such a crucial moment, how could a minor illness stop President Pei from executing his grand money-losing strategy!
He made a call, and the company car soon arrived to pick him up.
…
Moyu Internet Café—Handong University branch.
Shortly after the call, Pei Qian arrived.
Seeing President Pei bundled up like this, the three of them were a little stunned.
"President Pei, you…?" Lu Mingliang remembered that Pei Qian didn't look like this the last time they met.
Pei Qian pressed his scarf down a little, speaking with a nasal tone. "Caught a cold."
"Brother Qian, you're sick and you're still not resting properly? I have to criticize you for this! You can't just keep working nonstop—you're not taking care of your body at all!" Ma Yang waved at a nearby staff member. "Quick, get Brother Qian a cup of hot water."
Pei Qian: "…No need. I'm sick of hot water already. Get me a coffee."
Pei Qian glanced at the PC on the table and immediately noticed something different from the previous Moyu Internet Café machines.
There was a glowing logo on it!
Right away, Pei Qian sensed that something was definitely off.
Oh great, the three of you are secretly working on something behind my back again! Luckily I arrived in time!
Pei Qian was speechless. If it weren't for him forcing himself to think about money-losing strategies despite being sick, he might have let this slip by again!
Ma Yang chuckled. "Brother Qian, we were planning to give you a surprise, but I didn't expect you to find out so soon."
"This time, Zhang Yuan and I were thinking of using Moyu Internet Café and Against the Wind Logistics as a foundation to launch a custom-built PC assembly business…"
Ma Yang gave a brief introduction to the origin and development of the ROF brand.
In short, Turn Back Before It's Too Late had attracted many wealthy customers to the internet café—people who needed high-end hardware to run the game properly. Naturally, these rich customers also had the desire to buy the same high-end PCs they were using in the café. As a PC-building enthusiast, Zhang Yuan spotted this opportunity and decided to start a custom-built PC service, using Against the Wind Logistics for delivery and on-site support to open up a new business line.
The investment required was small. Each PC could earn anywhere from five hundred to a thousand yuan in profit. All Zhang Yuan and the café's system administrators needed to do was order the parts online, assemble the PC, deliver it to the customer, and handle the after-sales service. It didn't require any major funding.
Even if the business didn't take off, they wouldn't lose much—Zhang Yuan wasn't planning to stockpile components anyway. They would only place orders when a wealthy customer requested one.
After listening to Ma Yang's explanation, Pei Qian fell silent.
If they really went ahead with this… it would definitely make money!
Good job, Ma Yang. Even you, with those thick eyebrows and honest face, are going to betray me now!?
But after thinking it over, Pei Qian realized the blame didn't lie with Ma Yang—after all, Ma Yang was far too easy to persuade.
No, the blame had to fall on Zhang Yuan!
Clearly, Zhang Yuan needed to be transferred away from Ma Yang sooner rather than later. Remove the hidden threat at the source!
Pei Qian looked again at the "ROF first-generation prototype" sitting on the table.
To be honest, the idea actually sounded quite promising. If they really went ahead with it, they might actually turn a profit and surprise him right before the settlement.
Pei Qian couldn't help but feel relieved.
'I almost fell for it… that was close.'
'Fortunately, I came prepared this time!'
Pei Qian wasn't angry—in fact, he felt a bit lucky.
Fine then. If you guys are so eager to start a new business, then do me a favor and lose more money with it!
This project was originally meant to be profitable, but now that he had discovered it and set his sights on it… there was absolutely no way he would let it make money!
Seeing President Pei smiling silently, Ma Yang had no idea whether that meant he supported the project or not.
"Brother Qian, what do you think about this project? Does it have potential?" Ma Yang asked.
Pei Qian nodded. "I think it's good, but there's one problem."
"It doesn't spend enough money!"
"Small-scale stuff like this is boring. If you're going to do it, do it big. Don't worry about the budget—I'll pay!"
Zhang Yuan froze, unsure whether he should be happy or concerned.
"Of course, it's great if President Pei supports us, but… there really isn't much to spend money on…"
In Zhang Yuan's mind, it was just selling a few custom PCs with a brand sticker slapped on. Plenty of online shops were already doing this, and it didn't require much initial capital.
Even if President Pei handed him a few million yuan right now, Zhang Yuan honestly had no idea what he would even spend it on.
Pei Qian shook his head. "You're too conservative! You don't even have the imagination to spend money—how can that work?"
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 294: Keep the Money for Yourself, Don't Transfer It Back to Me![2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144949310?collection=1399284[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1399284?view=expanded[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1399284?view=expanded
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/144949310?collection=1399284
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/144949310?collection=1399284
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1399284?view=expanded