Chapter 127: President Pei’s Far-Sighted Wisdom
Chapter 127: President Pei’s Far-Sighted Wisdom
“You don’t have to disclose any information about your boss, nor any specific salary or benefit details,” Hu Yue said. “You can answer in a very vague way! Don’t worry, the interview will be completely anonymous, and I’m only doing shorthand notes—no video or audio recordings at all.”
She had clearly come prepared. She pulled out a notepad and emptied her pockets to show she had no recording devices.
Ma Yiqun was a bit stunned. “You’re really this dedicated? Is it really worth it? Tengda’s just a normal game company, right? Why insist on this interview?”
“No way!” Hu Yue replied seriously. “I’m doing this interview for the sake of the healthy development of China’s gaming industry!”
Ma Yiqun was confused. “Huh? What do you mean?”
Hu Yue’s eyes sparkled with determination. “If this were just a normal interview, I wouldn’t insist.”
“But Tengda is different!”
“I’m not doing this for a meager article fee. I want to prove to the entire Chinese gaming industry that ethical, quality-first game companies really exist!”
“For a long time, the domestic industry has been criticized by players—for churning out low-quality content, for focusing only on monetization, for lacking innovation… As someone who works in game media, I’ve been heartbroken over it, but felt powerless to change anything.”
“But Tengda gives me hope. A studio that pursues quality with great care, that dares to innovate, that treats money as secondary and regards games as art!”
“I believe Tengda must be fundamentally different on the inside too!”
“If I can finish this interview, it could have a massive impact on the domestic game industry.”
“I want Tengda to become a symbol, a guiding light—to help lead Chinese game development down a better path. I want gamers to be able to trust domestic studios again!”
Ma Yiqun fell into silence.
Originally, if Hu Yue were just here to dig for gossip or write some clickbait headline, Ma Yiqun would have flat-out refused her without hesitation.
But now… her words had moved him.
If Tengda could become a positive example, help shift the overall tone of the industry—even just a little—that would be an amazing thing, wouldn’t it?
In that sense, the interview should go forward.
But President Pei had explicitly said not to reveal his real identity, or disclose detailed benefits and salaries.
That made things tricky.
After thinking for a moment, Ma Yiqun said, “How about this—let’s exchange contact info. Give me a day to think it over.”
“Okay!” Hu Yue understood she couldn’t rush it, so she gave him her contact details.
. . . . . . . . .
That night, Ma Yiqun remained undecided.
After some thought, he decided he’d better ask for Bao Xu’s advice once he got back to the office.
Sure, the interview would be anonymous—but if it ended up upsetting President Pei, Ma Yiqun would feel terribly guilty.
Going to ask President Pei directly felt way too abrupt.
But Bao Xu had always been the one who understood President Pei best—if anyone could figure out what he’d want, it would be him.
The next morning, Ma Yiqun found Bao Xu and briefly explained the situation.
After thinking for a moment, Bao Xu said, “I think you should do the interview.”
Ma Yiqun hesitated. “But President Pei clearly said not to reveal his identity or talk about salaries…”
Bao Xu shook his head. “Don’t be so rigid—try to understand President Pei’s real intentions.”
Ma Yiqun’s eyes lit up. “President Pei’s… real intentions?”
He had definitely asked the right person!
Only a true sage like Bao Xu could interpret President Pei’s deeper meaning!
Whatever Bao Xu said—it had to be right!
Bao Xu gathered his thoughts and began to analyze:
“President Pei told us not to reveal his real identity or disclose Tengda’s specific benefits. I used to find that hard to understand too.”
“After all, who doesn’t want to be famous?”
“But eventually, I came to understand.”
“Why doesn’t President Pei want us to reveal his identity?”
“Because he’s a low-key person.”
“He’s an extremely charismatic game developer. If his real identity were made public, players might start focusing on him instead of on the games.”
“So, President Pei would much rather have players pay attention to the games he makes—not him as a person.”
“He doesn’t want people to become blind fanatics obsessed with him. He hopes everyone can look past his personal charm and evaluate the games fairly and objectively.”
Ma Yiqun’s eyes lit up in realization:
“I get it now! It’s like that one author once said: ‘If you’ve eaten an egg and thought it tasted good, why bother finding out which chicken laid it?’”
Bao Xu nodded approvingly.
“Exactly. That’s the idea. You really are a literature major, huh!”
Ma Yiqun scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
“You flatter me, Brother Bao. I just happened to think of it. It seems that true masters really are humble and modest…”
“So then… why doesn’t President Pei want us to talk about the company’s salaries and benefits either?” Ma Yiqun continued to ask.
Bao Xu sighed.
“I think it’s because President Pei is looking at the bigger picture—for the sake of the entire domestic gaming industry.”
“We all know that Tengda’s salary and benefits are basically unmatched. Other game companies are miles behind.”
“So what would happen if our benefits were made public?”
“It would shock the entire industry.”
Huang Sibo, who had been listening in, asked,
“Wouldn’t that be a good thing? Wouldn’t all the top talent flock to Tengda?”
Bao Xu shook his head.
“That’s a bit short-sighted.”
“Tengda has broken the industry norms and provided such generous benefits to its employees. But wouldn’t that stir resentment from other companies?”
“Tengda could become a target. That risk may be low, but it’s still something we can’t ignore.”
“And more than that—publicizing our benefits might actually hurt other small companies that are still in their startup phase. High benefits are great, yes—but not every boss is as capable as President Pei!”
“Just because a company can’t provide high salaries doesn’t mean it’s some evil, exploitative place. Some of them are just struggling through hard times. Many startup teams have bosses working side by side with their employees, pulling all-nighters and eating instant noodles together. It’s not uncommon.”
“If Tengda suddenly announces how amazing our benefits are, those other teams might fall apart. What was meant as goodwill ends up doing harm.”
“The whole environment needs to shift gradually. If Tengda suddenly raises the bar too high, it could backfire.”
Ma Yiqun’s eyes widened again.
“Ah, I get it—it’s like that story about Zigong ransoming the prisoner!”
“...?”
Bao Xu was momentarily confused. Talking with a Chinese literature major was always a bit of a challenge.
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