Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 401: A Position Tailor-Made
At the Mingfu Family Banquet, Pei Qian sat smiling as he looked at Cui Geng, to the point that Cui Geng started to feel a little uneasy.
"President Pei… you should eat too."
To Cui Geng, the dishes on the table looked excellent in both color and aroma. Every dish was delicious. Although the portions weren't large, there were so many dishes that he definitely couldn't finish them all by himself.
However, President Pei didn't seem particularly interested in the food. He only picked at a few bites perfunctorily, almost as casually as if he were eating at home.
Seeing President Pei staring at him the whole time—with what even seemed like a hint of admiration in his eyes—Cui Geng suddenly felt nervous, and his mind subconsciously began spinning up some rather absurd scenarios.
After all, the imagination of web novel authors was never ordinary.
Pei Qian, of course, had no idea what Cui Geng was thinking. The reason he kept staring at him was simply because he felt he had discovered an extraordinary talent.
Originally, Pei Qian hadn't thought too much about it.
He had asked the author in the training class who wrote the fewest words to come to the company and experience the Tengda Group spirit, mainly so that the author could experience Tengda's atmosphere of slacking off. Then he would go back and spread that spirit, gradually undermining the training class—full of hardworking overachievers—from the inside.
But Pei Qian never expected that this Cui Geng would perform beyond expectations.
Not only had he perfectly fulfilled Pei Qian's hopes, he had even delivered a pleasant surprise!
In the morning, he had just arrived at Tengda's headquarters and spent time playing games in the game room.
By the afternoon, he had already posted a completion notice, basically declaring: From now on I'll just casually finish this book—ending soon whether you like it or not!
How carefree!
How casual!
Pei Qian couldn't help but think: If all the authors on Terminal Chinese Web were like Cui Geng, how could great success possibly fail?
The more he thought about it, the more satisfied he became. He even started considering entrusting Cui Geng with an important responsibility.
However, Pei Qian didn't reveal that immediately. Instead, he decided to be a bit cautious.
At the very least, he should test him first and see whether Cui Geng was truly the kind of talent he needed.
Thinking this, Pei Qian said, "I have a few questions. Just a casual chat."
Cui Geng quickly nodded. "Alright, President Pei, please go ahead."
He was also somewhat puzzled, unsure what President Pei was really getting at.
But one thing was certain—this definitely wasn't just a simple meal.
Judging by the scale of this company, President Pei had to be a big boss worth hundreds of millions. A boss like that must have an incredibly packed schedule. Why would he have time to eat with a nobody like him?
Although Cui Geng had always been rather confident about himself, he also knew that he was just an ordinary writer. Even on Terminal Chinese Web, a relatively small platform, he wasn't considered among the very top.
Cui Geng might be a laid-back slacker, but he wasn't stupid or naive. Even if he disliked social maneuvering, he still understood it.
So he instantly became extremely alert, his mind racing as he prepared to answer President Pei's questions.
While eating, Pei Qian asked casually, "Your book was doing pretty well, why did you suddenly post a completion notice?"
He deliberately made his tone sound very relaxed and even kept a smile on his face, afraid of putting pressure on Cui Geng.
Even so, Cui Geng's heart skipped a beat.
What's going on? I posted that completion notice less than two hours ago, and President Pei already knows about it?
But how did he find out?
Did President Ma tell him? That can't be right… something this trivial wouldn't possibly be worth bothering President Pei about, would it?
So… that left only one possible explanation…
Could it be that President Pei is actually reading my book?!
Cui Geng suddenly panicked. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized this was the only possibility.
And that made President Pei's attitude extremely intriguing…
Cui Geng looked at President Pei sitting across from him. Under the soft lighting, Pei Qian wore a warm smile on his face—but behind that smile seemed to hide an indescribable sense of mystery.
Cui Geng instantly understood.
Oh no. President Pei is urging me to update in person!
Inviting me to dinner—this is courtesy before applying pressure!
Cui Geng wasn't someone who failed to appreciate kindness, so he hurriedly said:
"If President Pei likes reading it, I'll delete that announcement immediately! If President Pei doesn't approve, I won't end this book! I'll write it to five million—no, ten million words!"
Pei Qian: "?"
Oh no. This Cui Geng completely misunderstood.
Pei Qian quickly explained, "No, no, no. I actually think ending it now is very good—the sooner the better. I'm serious."
"A real man must know when to make decisive cuts. When it's time to act, act cleanly and swiftly. I really admire that about you."
Cui Geng blinked, somewhat confused.
What kind of heavenly reader is this?!
If every reader were as understanding as President Pei, how happy would he be as an author!
Immediately moved, Cui Geng picked up a glass of wine.
"President Pei, there's nothing more to say—it's all in this drink!"
Seeing how excited Cui Geng was, Pei Qian became even more certain: this guy's decision to cut the book really did come from the heart.
Pei Qian asked again, "Why post the completion notice today?"
Cui Geng let out a long breath. As long as President Pei wasn't here to demand updates, everything was easier to explain.
"President Pei, today I was deeply inspired by the Tengda Group spirit, so that announcement was written on impulse."
Pei Qian's eyes instantly lit up.
Good. This kid really gets it!
But one question wasn't enough insurance—he needed to ask a few more.
"After finishing this book, what's your plan?"
"I'll probably gather material for a while, then start a new book. What else could I do?"
"What if readers curse you?"
"I just won't read the comments."
Pei Qian nodded slightly, then asked:
"Well… what if I tell Ma Yiqun to let you leave the training class and find you another job instead? What do you think?"
Cui Geng was puzzled.
Leave the training class and find another job?
Why?
Did President Pei notice my work ability and want me to manage one of his departments?
Impossible. I'm just a novelist—what work ability do I even have?
Unless… President Pei wants to arrange some position for me so I can gather better material?
Thinking this, Cui Geng nodded.
"Of course that would be great."
Pei Qian studied him carefully and noticed that, aside from the final question, Cui Geng had answered all of his questions almost without hesitation. And in his eyes there was a faint but unmistakable sense of determination.
Pei Qian was delighted.
This was definitely a talent worth cultivating!
He took a sip of wine and began considering how best to make use of this promising talent.
Right now, many departments in Tengda Group had problems. Although the recent Tengda Spirit Test had somewhat curbed the unhealthy culture of overachievers, the progress was far too slow.
Pei Qian thought to himself: since this Cui Geng was so "talented," leaving him in a mere training class would clearly waste his abilities.
He should be assigned to some of Tengda Group's toughest departments!
These departments had repeatedly betrayed expectations since their founding, and lately it had been happening even more frequently. The situation was already becoming difficult to reverse.
For President Pei, they were practically a heavy burden.
Maybe assigning Cui Geng there could help change the atmosphere a bit!
But which department should he go to…?
Pei Qian felt a little troubled.
How about… letting him decide for himself?
Pei Qian casually asked, "Which department of Tengda Group do you like the most?"
Cui Geng paused for a moment.
"Uh… President Pei, I'm actually not too familiar with what departments Tengda Group has."
Pei Qian thought for a moment, then simply took out his phone, logged into the TPDb website, and pulled up the full list of Tengda Group's current businesses.
When Cui Geng took the phone and looked at it, he was secretly shocked.
Tengda Group has already grown into a massive giant!
There were so many divisions that he felt dazzled. Many of them seemed interesting to him—but to choose just one favorite?
He couldn't decide.
From the perspective of gathering novel-writing material, any of these departments would be useful.
Thinking about it, Cui Geng said, "President Pei… I'd actually like to visit all of them. Is that okay? Of course, if it's inconvenient on your side, then forget it…"
Pei Qian was overjoyed.
"Inconvenient? How could it be inconvenient?"
"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Since you have this need, of course we'll satisfy it!"
"How about this, I'll give you a special position…"
"You can freely go to any department within Tengda Group. The department heads must prepare a workstation for you and pay you a salary. Everything will follow the standards of a regular employee."
"If you have any needs, everyone in the department must cooperate with you unconditionally."
"You will set your own work tasks, and no one else has the right to question them."
"If you want to change departments, you can do so directly. If you want to return to a previous department, you can go right back. No department head is allowed to block you for any reason!"
When Pei Qian heard Cui Geng say he wanted to go everywhere, not only was he not angry—he was thrilled.
If Cui Geng was truly a pure golden troublemaker, using him only to disrupt the training class would be a waste.
He should stir up the entire Tengda Group!
In Pei Qian's mind, the plan was perfect.
Cui Geng was clearly a genius who deeply understood the Tengda Group spirit.
Letting him wander through different departments would:
Spread the Tengda Group spirit, helping weaken the overly hardworking culture in those departments.
Since each department must prepare a workstation and treat him like a full employee—with salary, bonuses, and benefits—he could set his own work tasks, slack off every day, and make the other employees jealous.
Because every department had to cooperate with him unconditionally—and he could come and go freely without managers stopping him—he would inevitably disrupt their workflows.
One could imagine that sooner or later, Cui Geng would stir up a storm inside Tengda Group…
Cui Geng's eyes widened slightly.
President Pei truly understands me!
Wasn't this position custom-made for gathering writing material?
A salary would eliminate his financial worries.Departments would cooperate unconditionally, greatly improving the efficiency of collecting material.Complete freedom to move between departments would allow him to gather material from different fields and connect them within his stories.
Cui Geng excitedly raised his glass and clinked it with President Pei's.
"President Pei, I will definitely not fail this mission!"
"Excellent. I hope you'll accomplish great things!"
Both men wore bright smiles on their faces—each filled with limitless expectations for the future.
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