Random Chapters of MTL Novel

February 13th, Monday...

Jingzhou high-speed rail station.

Bao Xu was almost moved to tears when he stepped onto Jingzhou's land again.

I, Bao Xu, am finally back!

The long paid holiday was finally over!

Bao Xu felt like a lifetime had passed when he saw the familiar city scenery outside.

The group from FV Club took a plane from United States to Shanghai. Then, the members of FV Club stayed in Shanghai. Ye Zhizhou, Min Jingchao, Bao Xu, and Coach Old Zhou took the high-speed rail back to Beijing.

They still took business class on the plane back so they had a good rest. After getting off the plane, they rested for a while and then took the high-speed rail back to Beijing. They did not feel tired at all.

Ye Zhizhou and Min Jingchao rubbed their palms together, ready to go all out.

They had been paying attention to Finger Games' latest move when they were in the United States. They knew that IOI's local server was going to start a price war with GOG.

The work that both of them were in charge of was related to GOG. After this period of leave, their conditions had been adjusted to their best state. They would be able to invest 120% of their passion into their work once Boss Pei gave the order.

On the other hand, Bao Xu only had one thought in his mind. That was to return to his desk, take a cup of coffee, play games to his heart's content, and never go out again!

No amount of good scenery could compare to the comfort of being at home to a homebody. Bao Xu had not experienced such comfort in a long time.

The seven commercial cars responsible for fetching them stopped at the underground garage of Shenhua View. Bao Xu followed Ye Zhizhou, Min Jingchao, and the others into the elevator. He suddenly realized that something was amiss.

Why was Ye Zhizhou here as well?

Ye Zhizhou was a member of Shang Yang Games which was not in Shenhua View.

Puzzled, Bao Xu asked Ye Zhizhou, "Are you here because... you have work to report?"

Ye Zhizhou shook his head. "No."

Bao Xu looked confused. Why were you here then?

Coming to visit?

It did not make sense.

Ye Zhizhou smiled. "Brother Bao, today is the selection for outstanding employees. I'm a person-in-charge, of course, I have to come!"

A bolt flashed past. Bao Xu froze, his expression becoming blank.

Outstanding Employee Selection!

That's right, it was already February!

Tengda's outstanding employee selection was held twice a year, in February and August respectively. The exact date was not fixed, and it was decided based on Boss Pei's work arrangements. However, it would definitely be completed by that month.

It was now February, indeed time for the Outstanding Employee Selection!

Bao Xu had been traveling overseas since before Chinese New Year and was about to faint from all the traveling. He had long forgotten about the selection of outstanding employees.

What's more, the selection of outstanding employees only required the heads of the various departments to be present. That was why they only informed people like Ye Zhizhou and Min Jingchao.

Bao Xu might be experienced, but he was just an ordinary employee. That was why he had not been notified.

His face turned pale and his vision turned black. He held onto the handrails in the elevator.

An ominous feeling filled his heart. Oh no!

Bao Xu had no reason to be brought up for the Best Employee Selection if he were to judge based on his work situation for the past six months.

'Mission and Choice' was still under development. The competition between GOG and IOI had also come to an end. The games department did not have any particularly outstanding results. On the other hand, Bao Xu had tried his best to reduce his presence. He had become almost invisible in the games department. The chances of him being on the list were close to zero.

However, Bao Xu knew his limits and had already prepared for the worst.

That was what he had thought the last time the Best Employee Selection was held. However, he had not expected that Huang Sibo would get second place for the Best Employee Selection and asked him to accompany him!

Bao Xu had brought Huang Sibo to Africa for a tour unwillingly. He had greeted everyone in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa and the Sahara Desert. He had wanted to make an example out of Huang Sibo so that those who obtained second place in the outstanding employee category would back off and stop bringing him along.

However, Bao Xu was not sure if his plan would work.

After all, his experience in traveling had told him that it was useless not to believe in the supernatural. It would definitely be linked to him as long as there was a tourist project.

Thus, Bao Xu, who had gradually accepted his fate and reality, broke down from the bottom of his heart.

...

At the same time, the early stages of the Best Employee Selection had been prepared.

The heads of the various departments gathered together. The employees of the departments were also ready to vote on TPDb's application.

Everyone welcomed Min Jingchao, Ye Zhizhou, Bao Xu, and the others.

"You're back from your holiday? You've worked hard!"

"I feel like you've become tanner and thinner. The schedule for this week is quite tight, right?"

"Come, sit down and rest. The voting is about to begin."

Bao Xu quietly found a corner to hide in and sighed softly. Then, he opened his suitcase and began sorting it out.

He had returned to the office before he could even return to his accommodation after he had returned from the United States. Thus, he had brought his luggage with him.

In the past, Bao Xu had felt that there was no reason for him to be selected. That was why he was caught off guard when the results came out.

This time, he thought about it. If he were to think in the opposite direction and I took the initiative to pack my luggage, would he be spared?

The voting officially began since all the department heads were here!

A column image appeared on the big screen. Everyone took out their cell phones and opened Tengda Life App's TPDb section. They found the best employee selection channel through the employee entrance and voted their precious votes.

Bao Xu did not want to watch anymore this time. He was prepared to be an ostrich with its head buried in the sand. He lowered his head and tossed his luggage around, trying to find some psychological comfort for himself.

Finally, the column diagram jumped a few times imperceptibly. A few numbers changed slightly and finally settled down.

Best Employee: Chang You.

Second best employee: Liang Qingfan.

Third best employee: Zhang Yuan.

Everyone applauded enthusiastically when they saw this list!

The Best Employee Selection this time seemed to be slightly worse than the previous ones.

The results of these few people were not as outstanding as the previous best employees.

It was mainly because of the period. The huge project 'Mission and Choice' had not been completed yet. The game and the movie had not been released. Therefore, there were no extremely explosive projects. Many departments had similar votes.

The E-Sports Department that Zhang Yuan was in charge of was actually very eye-catching in the past six months. The GPL league was very successful. A large amount of capital entered the establishment of the club and successfully pulled in a large amount of investment and sponsorship.

What's more, FV Club had won the IOI global finals and made Tengda Corporation extremely famous. The coach team played a very important role, which was also related to the eSports Division.

However, the problem was that in the eyes of others, most of the credit should go to Boss Pei and not Zhang Yuan.

The various large capital clubs and sponsored competitions were mainly because of Boss Pei's personal charm. FV Club also won the championship because of Boss Pei's comprehensive plan and foresight.

Zhang Yuan only took up a small portion of the credit. Thus, he ended up in third place.

Liang Qingfan's Sloth Apartments was doing well. He had established the Tengda standards for furniture and had built up a good reputation. At the same time, he had also made some profits by customizing furniture, selling design plans, and working with real estate developers to build model houses.

However, Sloth Apartments did not make enough money, so they could only get second place.

On the other hand, Otto Technologies' new operating system had achieved great success and gained a good reputation even though they had yet to release a new cell phone in the past six months. Artificial intelligence AEEIS and the Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine had also received good reviews. Their results were the most outstanding amongst the rest.

Of course, there was not much difference in the votes of these three people. They could be said to be on par with each other, searching for the best suited candidate.

In fact, some other departments had achieved results as well. However, due to some special reasons, it was not within the scope of this selection. For example, the independent game incubation base that Qiu Hong was in charge of was still in a state of confidentiality. There were also some department heads who had already won the best employee award. They could not win anymore and could only get second place.

The three people who appeared on the big screen had different expressions.

Zhang Yuan was stunned for a moment. Then, he patted his chest and rejoiced.

That was close! He had almost gone on a holiday!

Zhang Yuan was not very interested in traveling. He was actually quite a homebody though still a far cry from Bao Xu's level. Tengda had so many holidays and he was not short of money. If he wanted to travel, he could do so at any time. Naturally, he was not interested.

Liang Qingfan, on the other hand, looked rather expectant.

He had only joined Tengda for less than a year. He had not been given a chance to travel on public funds previously, so he was rather looking forward to it.

Chang You, on the other hand, looked confused. His expression was the same as when Zhang Yuan won the Best Employee Award.

He did not want to change departments at all!

Being chosen as the Best employee would mean that he would have a dream fund, but at the same time, he would have to leave the original department and start a new department on his own.

Zhang Yuan was originally the person-in-charge of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. He had also set up ROF Computer-Installation while he was at it. At first, he was doing very well and was very satisfied with the situation at that time. In the end, he was forced out of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe by Boss Pei because he obtained the best employee. He had no choice but to set up DGE E-Sports Club.

Chang You was in a similar situation. His hobby was to make cell phones. Now that the design plan for the new cell phone model was out, and all the employees of Otto Technologies were seriously preparing for it, Chang You, the person-in-charge, would be leaving at this critical juncture?

That was terrible!

Chang You was extremely unwilling. He just wanted to stay at Otto Technologies.

Pei Qian held the trophy in front of Chang You. "Boss Chang, congratulations! There's no need to say anything for the thank you speech. You should think about how to use the Dream Fund!"

Chang You took the trophy from Boss Pei with a bitter expression, his face filled with "happiness".

Thank you speech? Thank my a*s!

Chapter 891: Target Place: Pyramids and Mummies!

Chang You wanted to give this award to others right now. He only wanted to continue being the person-in-charge of Otto Technologies, continue developing new cell phones, and continue to do crosstalks at the news conference.

However, Boss Pei's determined gaze hinted that rules were rules that no one could violate!

Zhang Yuan did not want to accept this award back then, but there was no room for negotiation.

After a moment of silence, Chang You said, "Boss Pei, I have to leave Otto Technologies, right?"

Pei Qian smiled and nodded. "Yes."

In fact, Pei Qian did not think that Chang You had to be eliminated. Compared to the other departments, Otto Technologies was still making money, but it was burning a lot of money after all. Its profit margin was not high either. It was far from making a killing.

However, Pei Qian believed that the eyes of the masses were clear.

The original intention of the Best Employee Selection System was to eliminate Pei Qian's own subjectivity as much as possible so that all employees could vote together and choose the employees who posed the greatest threat to losing money.

Thus, Pei Qian had to stick to his principles. The best employee had to leave the current department no matter who it was. The rules could not be changed.

After a moment of silence, Chang You said, "I've thought about it. I want to set up another company. I'll be in charge of making ecosystem products for technological products, such as wearable equipment, smart furniture, and so on."

Pei Qian: "?"

Chang You continued, "Boss Pei, according to the Dream Fund's regulations, the winners must leave the original department. However, they can invest this money into any industry that they like. There are no clear restrictions on the industry. Otto Technologies' current main business is cell phones. I'll set up a new department. Instead of making cell phones, I'll make Ecosystem Products. That should be completely in line with the regulations, right?"

Pei Qian was speechless.

Zhang Yuan, who was standing at the side, widened his eyes in shock.

He could do that?

On further thought, that seemed to be the case. The best employee indeed had to leave the original department, but he was not explicitly prohibited from using the Dream Fund to do any work related to the original department!

Huang Sibo, Zhang Yuan, and the other employees had obviously fallen into a blind spot.

Take Zhang Yuan for example. After he left Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, he could not possibly use the money to open a new internet cafe, right? Subconsciously, he felt that this would not work. That was why he started an E-Sports Club.

These people were obviously not experienced enough and had not carefully studied the loophole in this rule.

Chang You, on the other hand, was different. He was older than all of them. Naturally, he was cunning and easily found loopholes in the Best Employee Selection system.

Otto Technologies' main business was cell phones, but strictly speaking, intelligent ecosystems were also within its business scope. They would be available sooner or later.

However, after all, apart from the smart bickering machine and the "Get-off-work-on-time-mouse", Otto Technologies did not have a clear plan to enter the intelligent ecosystem.

Chang You expressed that he did not use the Dream Fund to make cell phones but to make "provision stores". There was a difference in the scope of this business.

It was just like someone who made refrigerators received a Dream Fund and said that he wanted to make air conditioners. It looked like products of the same type, but it was actually very far from it.

Therefore, it was completely in line with the rules!

Chang You's move was akin to a cicada shedding its shell. After establishing a new company to create an intelligent ecosystem, he would still maintain a very close relationship with Otto Technologies. He could still exert influence on Otto Technologies. The situation had not changed fundamentally.

Zhang Yuan could not help but be shocked.

Why the f*ck didn't I think of this at that time?

If I had known earlier, I would have started a business related to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and ROF Computer-Installation. That way, Xiao Peng would still be the person-in-charge of the internet cafe in name. However, I could still continue to manage Fish-Catching Internet Cafe with Xiao Peng under the guise of 'cooperation'!

However, it was useless to regret. After all, his DGE Club and E-Sports career were on the right track.

Pei Qian was confused.

Chang You's behavior was obviously the opposite of his original intention for establishing the Best Employee Selection system. However, it was in line with the rules. He could only say that he had exploited a loophole.

He had to block this loophole, but he could only block it later, not now.

What's more, Pei Qian had thought about it. It would still have a negative impact on Otto Technologies' development when Chang You stepped down as the person-in-charge.

Pei Qian could only nod and say, "Alright, this is a loophole in the rules. Since you've caught it, there won't be a next time."

"However, those who get the best employee award in the future can forget about taking advantage of this loophole!"

He then looked at Liang Qingfan. "Have you decided where you want to go? You can choose a colleague to be your tour guide and accompany you."

Liang Qingfan smiled, a little embarrassed. "Well... I didn't think about going anywhere before."

"As for selecting colleagues to be tour guides... I don't have any suitable candidates. Do you have any recommendations?"

Everyone looked at each other and saw the same answer in each other's eyes.

"That must be Brother Bao!"

"That's right. Brother Bao is very experienced. It would be most appropriate for him to be the tour guide."

"What's more, the job that Brother Bao is in charge of is not very important. Traveling would not affect the work progress."

"As expected, there can only be one standard answer."

"Traveler Bao Xu, let's go!"

The others were all enjoying the show.

Bao Xu, who was hiding in the corner of the crowd, froze on the spot. It was as if he had been struck by a bolt of lighting.

He still found it difficult to accept this tragic fate even though he had already mentally prepared himself.

Bao Xu looked at Liang Qingfan in despair.

Liang Qingfan was a little embarrassed as he said to Boss Pei, "Ah, I've heard of Traveller Bao Xu for a long time. However... we're not very familiar with each other after all. We haven't interacted before. What's more, I heard that he's been out for almost two months. He must be exhausted from the journey. It wouldn't be good for me to ask him to accompany me as a tour guide..."

Bao Xu's hopeless face lit up with hope when he heard that.

Oh god, am I hallucinating?

There are actually people in this world who empathize with me. They think that I'm tired from traveling for two months, so they want me to stay and rest!

Great!

He had finally met a colleague with a conscience!

Bao Xu was so moved that he wanted to cry. At that moment, he wanted to close the suitcase that he had already opened.

At that moment, Liang Qingfan followed everyone's gaze and saw Bao Xu.

"Eh? Brother Bao is already packing?"

"Brother Bao is so eager?"

"There's no problem if Brother Bao is so eager. I'll choose Brother Bao!"

At first, Liang Qingfan felt a little embarrassed. However, he saw that Bao Xu had already packed his luggage and was prepared to accompany him out. Wouldn't he be lacking in EQ if he did not bring him along? Wouldn't that not be slapping his face?

What's more, he had long heard that Traveller Bao Xu was experienced in traveling. He met all sorts of criteria. It was the best choice to let him accompany him on a trip.

Liang Qingfan wanted to be polite, but he felt like he was being too polite seeing Bao Xu being so direct.

What's more, Brother Bao seemed to be smiling faintly, which confirmed Liang Qingfan's guess.

Bao Xu's smile froze on his face. He quickly waved his hand. "No, no, no, you're mistaken! I don't mean that at all! You should choose someone else!"

Liang Qingfan thought that Bao Xu was just being polite. "Brother Bao, I didn't have a better candidate in the first place. Since everyone is recommending you, you should come with me!"

"Don't stand on ceremony. Look at your expectant expression!"

Bao Xu nearly fainted from anger.

The look of anticipation was written all over his face. Which eye of yours saw that?!

This is me being angry!

Bao Xu wanted to continue explaining himself, but the voices of the people around him quickly drowned him out.

"Look, Boss Liang made the right choice!"

"Brother Bao, don't decline. Who else can take on this job?!"

"That's right. Boss Liang is Boss Pei's trusted confidant. He wouldn't feel at ease even if he handed him over to others. Brother Bao, you have to do it personally to make everyone feel at ease!"

Everyone laughed and cheered, feeling that the Best Employee Selection was finally complete.

The Best Employee Selection should end with Brother Bao going on a holiday!

Bao Xu felt uncomfortable. He looked at the eager Liang Qingfan and gritted his teeth. "I want to go to Egypt! I want to see the pyramids in the desert and the mummies of the Pharaohs. If you don't dare to go, look for someone else! I won't go anywhere except Egypt!"

He had already been to Africa once. Thinking back to his experience in the Sahara Desert and the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, Bao Xu did not want to experience it a second time.

Thus, he slapped his forehead and chose a place that was relatively close but also had a bad natural environment.

Would he be able to scare Huang Sibo away or not?

Bao Xu felt that Liang Qingfan was a refined architect and would not be able to tolerate traveling in such a harsh environment, right?

I've already made it so obvious, he would probably back off, right?

However, Liang Qingfan looked very surprised and expectant.

"Egypt?"

"That's great! This is the place I've always dreamed of going!"

"As an architect, I've long wanted to take a closer look at the pyramid. It's a pity that I haven't had the time and no one to accompany me."

"Brother Bao, it's great that you took the initiative to bring it up. Let's go to Egypt. We'll get ready and set off immediately!"

Bao Xu fell into a daze as he watched the elated Liang Qingfan.

He looked at Boss Pei. "I..."

Pei Qian suppressed his laughter. "Alright, since you're the one who suggested it and Liang Qingfan wants to go, we'll set it in Egypt. Take a good look at the pyramid, the mummy, and experience the scenery on both sides of the Nile River. Take more photos and videos as well. You might be able to use these materials to develop games in the future."

"That's settled then! Hurry up and apply for an urgent visa. We'll meet again in a month!"

"Alright, the Best Employee Selection has ended. Everyone, go back to work!"

Satisfied, everyone left, laughing and joking.

Liang Qingfan walked up to Bao Xu and said expectantly, "Brother Bao, please take care of me!"

Soon, everyone left. Those who had been working on this floor returned to their desks and continued working seriously.

Bao Xu looked at the suitcase by his feet and stood there silently like a statue in the office.

It was so redundant and out of place.

Chapter 892: Post-Production Work

Tuesday, morning.

Pei Qian was sleeping soundly when his phone rang.

He opened his sleepy eyes and looked at the caller ID. It was Huang Sibo.

Pei Qian picked up his phone. "Hello?"

Huang Sibo's slightly excited voice came from the other end of the line. "Boss Pei, I have good news to report to you! The movie 'Mission and Choice' has been completed. We just finished filming the last scene this morning!"

Pei Qian was still in a daze. "Oh?"

However, he reacted in the next second.

The movie was done!

The day still arrived even though he did not look forward to it.

Pei Qian did not pay much attention to the joint project of 'Mission and Choice'.

The reason was complicated. On one hand, Pei Qian was afraid that his attention would cause the observer effect. On the other hand, a subconscious suggestion of his would inexplicably have the finishing effect. Instead, it would backfire. On the other hand, this project would span two settlement cycles. Pei Qian had more important projects to deal with.

Of course, one of the reasons was that Pei Qian felt that he had made enough preparations before the project. Mission and Choice had gathered all the causes of failures. Even He An felt that it would definitely fail. Thus, Pei Qian was filled with confidence in this project.

Pei Qian only thought of going to Tengda Games to take a look at the research and development of Mission and Choice after he met He An a while ago.

As for the movie, Pei Qian had not been to the studio at all. He did not even know the story outline of the movie.

The only thing he knew was that the background story of 'Mission and Choice' was decided by him. It should be about the war between humans and Zergs.

That was because the 'Mission and Choice', which was known as 'international shame' more than a decade ago, was used in this background. Pei Qian had requested for Director Zhu Xiaoce to continue using it, and Director Zhu Xiaoce must have done so as well.

He just did not know what would happen after the movie was released.

At that thought, Pei Qian sat up straight in bed.

"It's a good thing that the filming is done. We have to celebrate!"

"How about this? We'll go to Boss Li's Ming House for lunch today. I'll treat everyone!"

"Then, you can organize everyone to play in Jingzhou for a few days. Next Monday is the 20th. We'll have another meal at the nameless restaurant!"

Previously, when Tomorrow is Beautiful was done with filming, it had received the same treatment and specifications: two high-end gatherings and a week of touring in Jingzhou. To Pei Qian, the treatment of spending money could only be increased but not reduced. He could not spend a single cent less.

Huang Sibo was elated. "Alright, Boss Pei!"

...

At noon, at Ming House.

Today was Tuesday. There were few customers to begin with, and Pei Qian had called early to book the entire restaurant. Thus, the entire restaurant was filled with crew members.

Huang Sibo, Zhu Xiaoce, Lu Zhiyao, and the filming crew, the editor, as well as the filming crew, were all present.

Logically speaking, it should be the busiest time for editing and post-production right now. However, 'Mission and Choice' was filmed part by part. They could roughly edit and do the post-production every time they finished filming a segment. Thus, the pressure of editing and post-production was not that great.

What's more, no matter how busy they were with work, they had to come and eat when Boss Pei was the one treating them!

Everyone knew that Boss Pei did not have many rules when it came to treating people to meals. Thus, they sat down casually and waited for Boss Pei to arrive.

Huang Sibo, Zhu Xiaoce, Lu Zhiyao, and the others sat at the same table, waiting for Boss Pei to arrive.

"He's here, he's here!"

"Boss Pei, over here!"

Huang Sibo stood up and waved at Pei Qian.

Pei Qian immediately said to the waiter, "What are you waiting for? Serve all the good wine and dishes. Just serve the most expensive dishes. Hurry."

Then, he sat down at Zhu Xiaoce's table.

It was only now that Pei Qian finally met the crew.

After looking around, his gaze stopped on Lu Zhiyao.

Alright, there was Lu Zhiyao again.

Pei Qian was already mentally prepared for this. After all, Lu Zhiyao and Fei Huang Workspace had a close relationship. They had worked well together, and it was only natural that they would work together again.

Previously, when he was talking about the actors, Pei Qian had requested that only one main actor could be hired. The others could only be extras. What's more, the protagonist could be anyone. It did not matter if he was a big shot, but he could not show too much expression.

How could Lu Zhiyao perform without any expression even though his acting was good?

Thus, Pei Qian did not get angry. Instead, he accepted it calmly.

It would be best if the movie died and they lost all their hard-earned money. Lu Zhiyao would return to being the 'toxicity of the box office' and cut off the possibility of everyone working together in the future. They would let each other off!

After exchanging some pleasantries, the waiters began to serve the dishes.

Pei Qian looked around and suddenly realized a problem.

That was not right. Why was Lu Zhiyao alone? Where were the other actors?

Pei Qian had previously requested Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce to only have one main lead. The rest could only be minor roles.

What about the bit-role actors?

Could it be that they did not bother about their food just because they were bit-role actors?

That would be ridiculous! It would not fit the Tengda spirit!

Pei Qian's expression turned serious as he looked at Huang Sibo. "Why aren't the other bit-role actors here? Since it's a celebratory feast, none of them can be missing!"

Huang Sibo was stunned for a moment before he quickly explained, "Oh, Boss Pei, everyone from the production team is here, including the errand managers."

"There are no bit-role actors because we did not hire any at all. Lu Zhiyao is the only actor."

Pei Qian: "?"

This Huang Sibo had actually exceeded his quota?

Pei Qian's requirement for them was that they could only have one main lead while the rest were minor roles.

In the end, Huang Sibo did not even bother with minor roles!

Was the entire movie done by Lu Zhiyao alone?

It sounded very unreliable. It was very likely that the box office would become dead!

Pei Qian could not help but raise his thumb. "Very good! Well done!"

Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce looked at each other and smiled. They could see pride in each other's eyes.

Boss Pei was indeed Boss Pei. He instantly guessed the brilliance of our one-man show script. That's why he praised us.

What a bosom friend!

Pei Qian looked at Lu Zhiyao. "How did you feel during the performance?"

Lu Zhiyao smiled with some guilt. "Boss Pei, to be honest, it doesn't feel particularly good."

"It was a one-man show the entire time. It was too difficult for me!"

"What's more, Director Zhu asked me not to have too many expressions. My facial muscles had to change as little as possible. I feel so suffocated that I'm going crazy..."

Pei Qian was elated.

Hm, not bad!

It was a one-man show, and the main actor's acting skills had not been fully displayed. It was definitely the premonition of a lousy movie. There was no escape!

Pei Qian had wanted to ask Zhu Xiaoce for a script, but on second thought, what was so good about the script of a lousy movie?

What's more, they had already finished filming the movie. The rice had already been cooked. Even if he saw the script now, he could not reshoot it. Otherwise, the settlement would be affected if the movie was not released in time.

Thus, Pei Qian did not want to make things difficult for himself. He raised his drink and said, "Everyone has worked hard for the past few months! Have a good meal today and have fun in Jingzhou for a few days. I'll treat everyone to a meal at the nameless restaurant on the 20th!"

Everyone immediately cheered.

Ordinarily, one would not be able to eat at the nameless restaurant. Everyone had been waiting for this meal for months. How could they not be excited?

Once the filming was officially done, everyone relaxed. They enjoyed the delicacies while chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was harmonious.

...

After Pei Qian had his fill, he excused himself by saying that he was busy with work. Obviously, the crew had not had their fill yet. Some of them even started drinking and chatting.

Zhu Xiaoce and Huang Sibo continued discussing the later stages of 'Mission and Choice'.

The filming crew, crew, and other staff could rest now, unless there were other scenes that needed to be filmed. However, there were still many problems with precision editing and post-production. Zhu Xiaoce and Huang Sibo could not rest just like that.

Huang Sibo's phone rang as they were discussing.

Huang Sibo took a look. It was Rui Yuchen.

"Hm?"

Huang Sibo was a little surprised because his usual work had nothing to do with Rui Yuchen.

Rui Yuchen was in charge of Fish-Catching Take-Out. Why was he calling him? Could it be that Rui Yuchen wanted to advertise Fish-Catching Take-Out in the movie?

It was impossible even if that was the case. 'Mission and Choice' was a sci-fi genre. Would it be appropriate to include an advertisement for Fish-Catching Take-Out?

Confused, Huang Sibo picked up the call.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Rui Yuchen explained his intentions. "Brother Huang, it's like this. You know that Boss Pei bought a company called Cold-Faced Lady, right? I spoke to the person-in-charge here a few days ago and found out that they want to shoot a documentary about street food."

"I heard that you guys filmed a documentary before, so I wanted to set a link for you guys. It's not impossible to find someone else to film it. The key is that I don't know how good the people outside are. I'm afraid that their results won't be satisfactory."

"The only problem is that you guys were doing E-Sports documentary previously. I wonder if you guys can handle a Gourmet documentary?"

Huang Sibo said, "Wait a moment, I'll ask Director Zhu."

He briefly repeated Rui Yuchen's words, and then got an affirmative answer from Zhu Xiaoce.

Huang Sibo said, "Sure, Director Zhu said that if we can film a movie, there would be no problem with a documentary about delicacies!"

"However, in order to achieve the best picture effect, we might need to prepare some special photography equipment. That's all easy to say. Our studio was going to use these things anyway. We just have to purchase them."

"You're quite good at picking your timing. We had just finished filming our movie and you're already here!"

Rui Yuchen was elated. "Really? What a coincidence."

"Alright, it's a deal then! I'll give you her contact details later. You can discuss with the person-in-charge how to shoot the video and how much budget you need."

Huang Sibo: "Sure, sure."

He might have many concerns if it was a cooperation with other companies.

For example, what should he do if the other party bargained with him? What if the other party was not satisfied with what he filmed? What if there was some wrangling over the expenses during filming?

All of these would be very frustrating.

However, they would not have so much to worry about if it was Tengda's internal department. Everyone would take money from Boss Pei. The money was just travelling from left pocket to right pocket depending on who was the client and who was the service provider. They would not have to worry about such a ridiculous situation happening.

It just so happened that the movie was done. Many people in the production team were free and had nothing to do. They could take the opportunity to film a gourmet promotional video. The work could not be considered tiring since they were filming roadside snacks. They could just take it as a diversion.

Thus, Huang Sibo agreed to it readily.

Chapter 893: Fitness Battle

February 15th, Wednesday...

Chang You, Guo Licheng, Wang Xiaobin, and Little Jiang formed a "fitness equipment development team" in the conference room of Otto Technologies.

The meeting today was partly to hand over to the next person-in-charge of Otto Technologies and also to further determine the product and game design form.

Chang You had won the best employee award, so he had to leave Otto Technologies.

Chang You might have taken advantage of the loophole and could continue to influence the development of Otto Technologies, but rules were the rules. He had to give up his position as the person-in-charge.

Chang You looked at Guo Licheng and Wang Xiaobin. "As everyone knows, the person-in-charge of Otto Technologies from now on will be Jiang Yuan. Everyone has met him before, so I won't introduce him."

"Of course, you can call me if you need me at any time."

Jiang Yuan nodded and said cautiously, "Everyone, just call me Little Jiang. I don't have much experience, so I'll have to trouble everyone to take care of me in the future."

Chang You: "Little Jiang is a little nervous. He even declined a few times. Obviously, he's not very confident. Please help him out in the future."

Wang Xiaobin smiled at Jiang Yuan. "It's alright. I was just as nervous as you when I was the person-in-charge. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do well."

"However, there is a magical thing in Tengda. Everyone would be encouraged by the Tengda spirit no matter who was chosen to be the person-in-charge and would definitely be able to do a good job. I was afraid that I would not be able to do it well at first. However, Boss Pei kept giving me projects and trained me. Thus, I slowly got better."

"What's more, since Boss Chang chose you, it must mean that you have the potential. You will be able to perform as long as you get the stage to. What's more, we can back you up even if something happens."

Jiang Yuan was very touched. "Thank you, Brother Wang."

In fact, he had just received this news two days ago. He felt... quite sudden and lost.

The next person-in-charge of Otto Technologies had to be decided by Chang You even though he had to give up the position.

Jiang Yuan was filled with fear and trepidation when he found out that Chang You had chosen him in the end. However, Chang You was only changing departments. He could still consult Chang You if he had any questions. Secondly, the change of person-in-charge of Tengda's department had always been so casual. It seemed like nothing had gone wrong until now. On the contrary, it had been very successful. Thus, Jiang Yuan did not feel conflicted anymore. He calmly accepted the fact that it fell into his lap.

He felt much more at ease with everyone so supportive of him.

Chang You looked at Jiang Yuan. "You're the person-in-charge now. You'll be the host of this meeting."

Jiang Yuan nodded. "Alright, I'll briefly explain the design plan for the smart fitness drying rack. Then, our focus today is to discuss the game plan with the equipment."

Wang Xiaobin nodded. He had already written his game design draft.

Jiang Yuan distributed the first design draft of the Intelligent Fitness drying rack to everyone before introducing it.

"We made slight adjustments to the previous design plan mainly in terms of safety and some details after we discussed it repeatedly with the factory. However, the changes were not huge."

"There was also some controversy during our internal discussions. I think we need to clarify the market positioning of this machine."

"Domestic fitness equipment itself is a niche market. The Chinese don't have fitness habits to begin with. This equipment is expensive and takes up a lot of space. This is a natural disadvantage. It's difficult to turn the situation around with just the products."

"It is unrealistic to expect to sell this equipment to millions of people."

"We actually only have two choices: either make a small, unproductive, light, and cheap equipment, or make an expensive, bulky, but professional equipment."

"The former might be easy to make and sell, but it would definitely not have a good fitness effect. It would also be difficult to distinguish it from the existing equipment in the market."

"That's why we chose the latter. Even though it will be expensive and takes up space, we have to ensure its fitness effect as much as possible.Our reputation and fame can be built up as long as the fitness effect is good. Then, our products can be sold from the gym to ordinary households. There's still room for profit."

"Our product is not competing with cheap equipment such as yoga mats or abdominal wheels. Instead, we are targeting to compete with large-scale fitness equipment.

"Those who did not intend to buy would not have bought it in the first place. We don't have to bother about people other than our target users. We just have to satisfy the customers who have urgent fitness needs and are more likely to persevere."

"Therefore, there are two key points to our product:

"First, how can we compete for market share from other large-scale fitness equipment?"

"Our equipment would definitely have a premium on price compared to these fitness equipment, because we added smart modules, have the game's development costs, and carried out unique designs. The first problem we need to solve is how to make professional users accept this premium."

"Second, after professional users accept us, how should we 'breakthrough' and get ordinary users without fitness habits to buy our products?"

Everyone nodded as they listened.

Intelligent fitness drying rack was actually a professional composite fitness equipment. It would be interesting to match it with games.

Its target customers could be divided into two types: the first type was professional users with strong fitness requirements. They might have already considered buying large-scale fitness equipment, so how should they persuade them to pay more to buy the smart fitness drying rack?

The second type would be ordinary users with certain fitness requirements, but they found it difficult to make up their minds to buy this large equipment. How to dispel their worries and make them buy this large equipment was also a very important question.

Jiang Yuan continued, "I think the key to breaking out of this situation lies in fun."

"People are lazy when it comes to learning and fitness. The biggest problem is not skills or physical conditions, but willpower and perseverance."

"We want to guide customers to focus more on fitness through fun to achieve a better fitness effect. Our product's reputation would explode as long as most of the first batch of users persevere and achieve fitness effect. Then, we can continue to spread to the masses through publicity."

"Just like how Deposit Fitness began."

Guo Licheng nodded.

The key to the success of Deposit Fitness was that it was indeed more effective than other gyms.

Of course, there were prerequisites for this effect: screening most customers who could not persevere, forcing users to stick to training time, and tying up with healthy meals.

After solving the problem of 'perseverance', people who did not know how to exercise would be able to achieve results.

Jiang Yuan looked at Wang Xiaobin. "Brother Wang, it would depend mainly on whether the game is fun or not. Whether this product succeeds or not depends on you."

Wang Xiaobin nodded and distributed the game design plan to everyone.

"This is the design concept manuscript that I wrote for the game. It is only a framework and many details have not been perfected, but the direction is very clear."

"I'll talk while you guys read. You can ask any questions you want."

Wang Xiaobin paused for a moment and continued, "The game's name this time is' Fitness Battle'. There's nothing much to say about the name. It's easy to understand, easy to remember, and easy to spread."

"The important thing is the specific design inside."

"First, it is a mobile game from its genre. At the same time, it supports cell phone screen projection."

"This game is meant to be used with a set of equipment. We can't possibly put a display screen on the equipment to sell it. That would make it difficult to sell."

"If you make it into a mobile game, you can choose the equipment that you want to display based on your actual situation. If you feel that there's no need to spend more money, you can use a cell phone or a tablet computer. If you want to have a better experience, you can specially buy a monitor that costs a few hundred yuan or a one or two thousand yuan television."

"This mobile game can be directly tied to Tengda Life App, and can be linked to the data of Deposit Fitness. It can also recommend players to purchase Fish-Catching Take-Out's fitness meals to achieve better training effects."

"The focus is on the specific design of the game."

Chapter 894: Educational+Fitness Game

Wang Xiaobin continued, "I've thought about it repeatedly. I feel that most fitness games and fitness software are not doing well at the moment, so I've adopted a new idea."

"At the moment, most of the fitness software that users see are fitness trainers. The fitness trainers show the users standard movements, record the number of sets done and encourage the players... This is the usual way."

"However, I thought about it. We would definitely fade into the crowd if we were to do the same. Fitness trainers might be all handsome men and beautiful women but it was boring if they watched too much of it too. They would not be able to motivate users."

"Therefore, my idea is to set up eight characters with different personalities in the game, four men and four women. They will also do the same actions with users, prompting users to do standard actions and count, but the difference is that their settings are not fitness trainers but someone who needs to work out."

Everyone was stunned and confused.

Wang Xiaobin explained, "Simply put, everyone in the game will be slightly plump. For example, we can make a slightly plump and cute girl. The characters in the game will also train while players use the smart fitness drying racks to train."

"The girl's figure in this game would also change when the player's exercise level reaches a certain level. She would become more and more perfect from her original figure with elephant legs and small belly. Her legs and waist would become thinner and her buttocks would become more perky."

"The difference between these eight characters will be their appearance and character.

"In terms of appearance, we will prepare various types of fashion design for these characters. User training can unlock the fashion designs and help these characters change. Some beautiful clothes can only be worn by characters who have to work out to a certain extent."

"That way, we can use our gaming thinking to give users a clear purpose and drive."

"What's more, if these characters don't work out for a long time, their figures would gradually lose shape. However, as long as they restart their basic training, the characters would be able to recover to their previous size very quickly."

"On top of that, our game has to be very cool.

"The enemy in the game is a round fat monster. It looks like a balloon with the appearance of a little devil. It's rather stupid and cute. It's very flexible, but it has a strong vitality and is difficult to destroy."

"If a player uses a smart fitness drying rack to make a move, the character in the game will also make a corresponding action in the game."

"For example, when players are doing chest clamps, the characters in the game would also do chest clamps. However, their arms would have combat special effects. After accumulating strength, a huge substitute would appear behind the character in the game and attack the fat monster: Squeeze it from both sides, and then a flame special effect would appear with a pop. Then, the fat monster would shrink."

"This implies that players use these actions to consume calories and reduce some fat."

"What's more, the longer the training, the higher the damage. This is hinting to players that the longer they persevere, the better the effect of the training. It allows players to feel their improvement every time they train."

"The same monster could only be killed by making thirty moves at the beginning. However, at the end of the training process, fifteen moves would be enough to kill it. That way, players would be exhausted every time they train in order to advance the game faster."

"Of course, the specific training amount is calculated based on the player's physical fitness."

"Before the game starts, we will do a test to find the most suitable weight for the player. We will estimate his physical fitness based on his weight, heartbeat, and other data. On this basis, we will formulate a daily training plan. We must achieve the effect but not overload."

"There are many different scenes in the game, such as ice, snow, lava, desert, and the like. Players can change their environment every once in a while."

"In addition, the artificial intelligence AEEIS in the fitness equipment would occasionally interact with the characters in the game, and bring about more fun: AEEIS uses the loudspeakers on the drying rack while the characters in the game would use the cell phone speakers. Their conversation would feel mulit-dimensional."

"What's more, AEEIS would use the loudspeakers on the drying rack to 'kindly remind' users who had not worked out for a while.

Everyone looked pleasantly surprised after hearing Wang Xiaobin's introduction.

He could even turn fitness games into educational games?

Wang Xiaobin was right. There were some fitness games and software in the market at the moment, but they all had a common flaw: they did not give players enough purpose.

Fitness was something that required long-term perseverance, and most people did not have enough willpower to persevere.

Users would have to constantly train their characters from 'slightly plump' to 'hot babe' before changing into beautiful clothes through the design of this 'educational gameplay'.

As time went by, it would become a habit they could naturally be able to persevere.

Of course, people were lazy. No matter how good the equipment and game were, they could not guarantee that they would not be left to collect dust.

There might be eight characters in the game, four handsome guys and four beautiful ladies. What if the players did not like them? It was not impossible.

However, the current design had indeed minimized the possibility of them collecting dust.

Jiang Yuan was very happy. "Brother Wang is indeed a professional. I think this game is very attractive to me!"

"However, I wonder how much would the game cost to create with so many characters."

Wang Xiaobin said, "The cost would not be very high because the resources involved in the game are relatively limited. There are only a few scenes, movements, and monsters. Perhaps the models of these eight characters at different stages have to be done more meticulously. That would be the most expensive part."

"However, we still have to be prepared that the game itself cannot recoup its costs."

"My plan is to set the game itself free, but I want to add in some in-game purchases to sell some little things like clothes. Players can buy pretty little dresses if they want to, and if they don't, they can work out and slowly earn it."

"What's more, this game and equipment would basically be advertising Deposit Fitness and Tengda's other industries.

"We can accept incurring losses, as long as we can generate good advertising effects."

"I suddenly have an idea. I don't know if it's right." Chang You said after listening to Wang Xiaobin's explanation.

"This game sounds quite interesting. The pool of users would definitely be too limited if we have to match the equipment in order to play it."

"Can we make an additional low-quality version? The resources are ready-made anyway. We just have to make a few more moves."

"The so-called low-quality version is prepared for those who did not buy a smart fitness drying rack. In this low-quality version, all the movements are fitness movements on the yoga mat, such as push-ups, belly rolls, squats, and burpees. That way, players can also have a certain fitness effect."

"However, simply doing these movements on a yoga mat would definitely not be as good as the matching equipment."

"On the one hand, one version would be to expand the user group. With more players, more players would be willing to pay, and it would be easier to recoup our costs. The other version would have a subtle inducing effect. When a player plays a low-quality version for a period of time, he would be attracted and feel that he could persevere. Then, he would look at the reviews and feedback of other players on the internet. Naturally, he would consider the equipment. Therefore, we can make two versions."

Wang Xiaobin said with realization. "What Boss Chang said makes sense! Yes, we should make a low-quality version."

"The flaw of the low-quality version is that it cannot monitor the players' movements and whether they have achieved the training effect. However, it is better than nothing."

"This idea is not bad. I'll add it when I get back!"

"However... Coach Guo, I'll have to trouble you to come up with another training plan and standard action."

Guo Licheng nodded. "No problem. This is very simple for me."

The design of the smart fitness equipment and the game "Fitness Battle" was finally decided after a lively discussion.

They would have to perfect some details and enter the formal preparation stage from thereon.

They had to get a sample of the fitness equipment from an original equipment manufacturer and they had to start developing the game.

After a few discussions, everyone realized that the product's positioning was becoming clearer and the design was becoming more mature under Boss Pei's guidance and group strategy!

Everyone was filled with anticipation for this never seen before intelligent fitness equipment as well as the educational fitness game!