544 Your Tengda can Run, but It can't Hide!

That question stumped Pei Qian. That's right. If GOG mindlessly follows suit, what should they do?

Pei Qian knew that there had already been inconsistencies in his decisions. Before this, Tengda had been competing with other companies, which could not compete with Tengda when it came to burning money.

After all, other companies would either burn their bosses' money or their investors' money. Unless the boss did not care for money—just like Pei Qian, they would not be as carefree when it came to spending.

Thus, Tengda would always be able to burn the most money.

However, GOG was Tengda's game, and it had the same spending capacity!

Still, Pei Qian quickly calmed himself down. It was just a minor problem with the system.

I just have to make sure that IOI perpetually has more funds than GOG, right?

If they were comparing who could spend more—of course, the one with more ammunition would have the greater advantage! What's more, if both games tried hard to spend as much money as possible, it would be excellent for Pei Qian!

He had just been worried that there were not enough avenues to spend on.

At that thought, Pei Qian smiled. "Don't worry. I will make sure that you always have more money than GOG."

It was not possible to limit GOG's funds. After all, Pei Qian had just allowed them to freely spend fifty percent of their profits a while ago. He could not change that policy all of a sudden.

If anything, he was more worried that people might misunderstand him. What if they started thinking hard about Boss Pei's 'deeper intentions'? What if they assumed that he was hinting at everyone to stop spending money freely?

That would achieve the exact opposite of what Pei Qian wanted.

Thus, GOG should still be allowed to spend whatever they had. All Pei Qian had to do was ensure that IOI's local server always had more funds than GOG.

GOG wouldn't be able to turn the tables around now, would it?

Everyone's eyes lit up again.

Indeed, Boss Pei lived up to his reputation! Just a single move from him could solve all of their problems! It was not hard to think of spending money, but he was being so decisive and firm about it, without displaying any hint of worry. Not everyone had that amount of courage.

On top of that, only someone like Boss Pei could promise that IOI would always have more money than GOG.

With renewed motivation, Ye Zhizhou said, "Alright, Boss Pei. We'll start planning immediately to regain our foothold!"

…

After leaving Shang Yang Games, Pei Qian relaxed.

He glanced at his watch; it was past 3 PM. It did not seem like a bad idea to go home, lie down on the sofa in his living room, and bask in the afternoon sun.

At that moment, his cell phone rang. It was Li Shi.

Pei Qian: "?"

All of a sudden, he felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.

Don't tell me that something went wrong with Thriller Hostel. Otherwise, could this be about the Golden Maze?

Could Li Shi be interested in investing in Dream Realization Ventures as well?

That's not right. Li Sh could not possibly want to invest in the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine, right? He was not high on drugs; how could he be so irrational?

Pei Qian immediately began to panic upon seeing Li Shi's name. He was afraid that Li Shi would invest in his projects without any hesitation and then cause the projects that had been secretly incurring losses to become popular.

Yet, he could not ignore Li Shi's call. Behaving like an ostrich would not save him from being stabbed in the back.

Pei Qian had no choice but to accept the call.

"Hello? Boss Li, what's the matter?"

Li Shi's voice sounded through the phone. "Boss Pei, it's nothing much. I have a friend who wants to meet you to talk about something. I wonder if you have the time.

"I think you've heard of this friend of mine before. You might even have met him. He's Wang Peng, one of the creators of Quanmin Reviews.

"Wang Peng, Xue Zhebin, and I are partners. We started Ming House together. Do you remember?"

Pei Qian's eyes widened. He did remember. He remembered him very well.

That name is still in my little notebook!

Although he was pretty low on the list, Pei Qian could never forget about him.

Back then, Wang Peng and Xue Zhebin had a meal at Ming Yun Private Kitchen and then marked it out on Quanmin Reviews' application. They had written a long review and instructed their programmer to leave the name of the restaurant blank.

That was how Ming Yun Private Kitchen's losses turned to profits. Pei Qian's hatred for him ran deep!

How dare he come and see me?

Pei Qian wanted to turn down the invitation by saying that he was overwhelmed with work. However, on further thought, he decided that it would be best to meet him.

What if this man secretly plots against me? If I don't meet him, I would remain in the dark, wouldn't I?

Pei Qian pondered for a moment. "I have time right now and tomorrow. I'll leave it up to Boss Wang."

Li Shi was overjoyed. "That's great! Shall we meet at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Handong University branch in an hour?"

Pei Qian: "Alright, but… what is this about?"

Li Shi laughed. "Boss Pei, you'll find out when we meet. We wouldn't waste your precious time!"

Pei Qian: "…"

Why was it that the more he heard, the more terrified he felt?

…

At Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Handong University branch…

A short while after Pei Qian arrived, Li Shi and Wang Peng walked into the restaurant.

"Boss Pei!"

"Boss Li, Boss Wang."

After exchanging a couple of hypocritical pleasantries with both men, Pei Qian sat down with them. A bad feeling arose in Pei Qian's gut as he observed Wang Peng's wide grin.

What was he so happy about?

"Boss Wang, why did you want to meet me?" Pei Qian asked, feeling slightly worried. Pei Qian had an ominous feeling every time someone met him full of smiles!

Wang Peng grinned at Boss Pei but did not answer his question. Instead, he glanced at Li Shi and said, "I heard from Boss Li that you're a lucky charm, Boss Pei. Whoever gets close to you will get lucky!

"If they treat you kindly, they would reap extremely generous rewards as well.

"After what happened with Ming House, I was still half-doubtful. However, I am completely convinced now!"

Pei Qian looked confused. After a moment of silence, question marks filled his mind.

?

What's he trying to say? I'm a lucky charm? Why don't I feel the same way?

Your good luck is bad luck to me!

Seeing Boss Pei's indifference, Li Shi smiled and said to Wang Peng, "Boss Wang, just cut to the chase. Boss Pei doesn't like being left hanging.

"What's more, Boss Pei is extremely busy all the time. There are a lot of things that require his attention. I don't think he even knows about this."

Pei Qian opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. Something about what Boss Li had said didn't sit right with Pei Qian, but he could not find any major mistakes either.

Wang Peng nodded. "Alright, I'll cut to the chase, then. Boss Pei, do you know that the nameless restaurant has become famous on foreign websites thanks to a famous food blogger?!"

Pei Qian, "??"

I didn't know that!

Li Shi noticed Boss Pei's unchanging expression and sniggered. "See, I told you that Boss Pei's extremely busy. How could something as small as this bother him?

"Branch Manager Lin must have handled everything on his own. If he had to report every little thing to Boss Pei, wouldn't he be as good as useless?"

After realizing that Pei Qian knew nothing about this, Wang Peng became even more excited.

"Boss Pei, you didn't know about this? That's great. Let me tell you all about it! My job requires me to keep an eye on famous food bloggers overseas. Many of them frequently travel around the world just to try gourmet food with three Michelin stars.

"On Tuesday night, I noticed one food blogger with a few million followers publish a new post. What's more, that post had been shared multiple times by others.

"Excited, I went to take a look. That's when I realized that there were no pictures. It was just a long post filled with words.

"At that moment, I felt confused. Due to the time difference, this blogger often posts extremely late at night. She often travels to various parts of the world, takes pictures of classic delicacies, and then accompanies those pictures with her own reviews.

"The difference between this blogger and amateur food bloggers is that she has a very good appreciation of food. At the same time, she knows how to satisfy the hopes of ordinary people, so that her reviews do not look too over-the-top and unrelatable. That's why she has so many followers.

"However, based on my recollection, she rarely published posts that are made up of pure words.

"On closer inspection, I realized that she was talking about your nameless restaurant, Boss Pei. It was no wonder that there were no pictures. It's because the nameless restaurant forbids customers from taking any, haha!"

The hand that Pei Qian was using to hold his coffee cup stopped in mid-air. All of a sudden, he understood why Ming Yun Private Kitchen was seeing an increasing number of foreigners making reservations.

Obviously, it was all thanks to this food blogger!

Fortunately, he had already been mentally prepared for this. Pei Qian maintained a calm expression and repeatedly told himself: "Don't panic. Even if Ming Yun Private Kitchen becomes famous, it cannot generate more profits for you!"

He sipped his coffee and asked, "And then?"

Wang Peng could not help but feel moved. "Boss Pei, your calmness in the face of great waves is really admirable.

"You know, that's a blogger who would even pick on Michelin restaurants. She has an extremely picky taste. Yet, this time, she wrote a long article, praising the nameless restaurant in every way possible!

"She wrote about details like service and the taste of the various dishes she had. She included a lot of details and praise for two dishes in particular—Verjus in Egg and Steamed Chinese Cabbage in Supreme Soup!

"She also emphasized something that satisfied her the most: No matter what questions are asked, the waiter was able to answer her smoothly.

"What's more, Branch Manager Lin had many extraordinary and thought-provoking insights into the development of the food and beverage industry, which helped to deepen her understanding of Chinese food culture!

"Boss Pei, that's rare praise.

"Sadly, the Michelin Guide has not entered China yet. Otherwise, Michelin reviewers would surely have paid a sneak visit to the nameless restaurant as soon as the blog post was published. Then, you could get two or three Michelin stars and…"

Pei Qian's heart thudded as he listened to this.

What the hell? Was this food blogger that influential?

It was a good thing that the Michelin Guide had not entered China yet, or… the consequences would be dire!

Pei Qian did not think that Michelin was that impressive. After all, it had standards that favored Western cuisine, and it was not that helpful for studying Chinese cuisine.

Still, Pei Qian knew that many people followed Michelin guides! Even if Michelin wanted to award the restaurant three stars, Pei Qian would immediately turn it down.

Otherwise, what would he do once crazy diners from all around the world fought to visit the place? Wouldn't he lose control of the situation?

It was just as well that the Michelin Guide had not entered China yet. Even if it would in a few years, it would start from bigger cities like Shanghai and Beijing and not a small city like Jingzhou.

Pei Qian instinctively heaved a sigh of relief.

However, on further thought, something seemed amiss. Had Wang Peng come all the way down just to tell him about this?

The food blogger did sound impressive, and she had praised Ming Yun Private Kitchen. Yet, so what if more foreigners were making reservations and having meals there?

The outcome was still the same. Ming Yun Private Kitchen was already fully booked for the next two months. Even if its reputation improved, it would not earn Pei Qian any more money.

What was there to be afraid of?

Li Shi nodded. "It's a pity that you can't get three Michelin stars. Although you can't trust Michelin to review Chinese food, it still wouldn't be a bad thing to have.

"Honestly, after trying my hand in the high-end food industry, I have a newfound respect for you, Boss Pei. It's easy to get a high-end restaurant from thirty to sixty marks out of one hundred, but it's extremely difficult to get it from ninety to 95 marks!

"Boss Pei, you were able to improve the nameless restaurant even after it hit ninety marks, precisely because you put effort into working on things that are invisible to everyone else!"

Pei Qian: "…"

Before Pei Qian could say anything, Wang Peng spoke up. "We all know it's a pity, but there's an ancient saying that this is a blessing in disguise!

"Boss Pei, Boss Li, have you ever thought about this question?

"The Michelin guide hasn't entered our country yet. In other words, foreigners would not be able to visit local restaurants based on it. What would both of you refer to when thinking about enjoying local delicacies, then?"

Pei Qian's heart sank. "I would rely on… food bloggers' recommendations?"

Wang Peng laughed. "That's right, Boss Pei! Just think about it. None of the local restaurants have any Michelin stars, but the nameless restaurant has been praised by a famous food blogger who has criticized Michelin restaurants before

"If you think about it, it's as good as awarding the nameless restaurant with three Michelin stars, right? That's akin to placing the nameless restaurant's flashing signboard on the map of delicacies!

"Both foreigners and locals alike would want to try it!"

Pei Qian: ??

Wang Peng continued speaking. "What's more, Boss Pei, you've only gotten it half-right. People would rely on recommendations of reliable food bloggers, but they would also rely on our Quanmin Reviews!

"Boss Pei, ever since your nameless restaurant became popular, our Quanmin Reviews has benefited as well. That's because Quanmin Reviews was the first to discover the restaurant and the one responsible for giving it its name. Quanmin Reviews also contains the most and the best reviews for the nameless restaurant!

"Those who search the nameless restaurant would be led to Quanmin Reviews. That page alone has saved us a lot on advertising expenses!

"Thus, my co-founders and I convened an urgent telephone conference and decided to take this opportunity to write a topical promotion. We will combine the ultimate dining experience at the nameless restaurant with Quanmin Reviews and then ride on this food blogger's popularity to make this as hot as it can be!"

"For good sales, only a single spark is needed to cause an explosion!

"That's why I say that you're a lucky charm, Boss Pei! You didn't even have to do anything to direct so much traffic to Quanmin Reviews! Of course, you don't have to worry. Quanmin Reviews will not forget your kindness.

"To express our thanks, we have decided to recommend all of Tengda Corporation's physical stores in our topical promotion as well."

Pei Qian had already felt light-headed when he first heard about this news, but he recalled that Ming Yun Private Kitchen would not be able to earn more money no matter how much more popular it became. That had calmed him down.

Now, hearing these words, Pei Qian's mind instantly filled with question marks again.

"???"

Wang Peng did not seem to notice Boss Pei's confusion. He continued speaking happily. "Our topical promotion will be called 'Beautiful Jingzhou'. In it, we will list all of Jingzhou's famous scenic spots, historical sites, high-end restaurants, and the like.

"The highlight would be the nameless restaurant, but we would also mention Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Fish-Catching Take-Out, the shared phone booths, Deposit Fitness, and even Thriller Hostel!

"After all, it's extremely difficult to make a reservation in the nameless restaurant. It wouldn't be easy for everyone to travel all the way to Jingzhou either. Of course, they should experience all of those special activities and places.

"On top of that, we have decided to give Tengda's businesses perpetual benefits. The businesses like Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and Deposit Fitness would be ranked among the first few on Quanmin Reviews' search results. It would also be given a special star, and recommendation efforts would be intensified!

"This is what it means to reciprocate kind gestures, right, Boss Li?"

Once Wang Peng finished talking, he turned to Li Shi. Li Shi was grinning as he nodded subtly as if to say 'you're very teachable'.

Obviously, Boss Li had taught Wang Peng to do all of those things.

On the other hand, Pei Qian fell into a long silence.

Wang Peng smiled at him as if to say "I may not be able to deal with the nameless restaurant, but how about your other businesses? Tengda Corporation is huge. You can run, but you can't hide.

"Your nameless restaurant can't earn any more money now, but your other businesses can! At the end of the day, you can't escape it! Someone, come and throw more money at Boss Pei!"

Pei Qian had intended to research the reason behind the increasing number of foreigners visiting Ming Yun Private Kitchen tomorrow. However, from the looks of the current situation, there was no need to anymore.

It was too late!

Pei Qian was speechless. Are all of you on steroids?!

The Management Trainee only reported the news to me at noon today, and yet you've already completed scheming against me by the afternoon?