Chapter 162: Rekindling Old Ma's Passion
Chapter 162: Rekindling Old Ma's Passion
After leaving the Moyu Internet Café, Pei Qian finally let out a long breath.
‘What a rollercoaster…’
‘I’m having such a hard time!’
Thinking back on the events of the day, Pei Qian realized that if he had discovered the situation even a week or two later, things could have spiraled completely out of control. Not only would the Moyu Internet Café have become a major issue, but all the other carefully sabotaged projects might have been undone.
‘Fortunately, thanks to my strategic thinking and masterful foresight, I calmed Old Ma down and neutralized the hidden danger. Truly a flawless solution.’
‘I really am a genius.’
Pei Qian had worried that Ma Yang might be crushed by the departure of Chen Lei and become disheartened, so at the end of the night, he drew him a "pie"—a metaphorical promise of a better future.
Of course, his "pie" was different from what other bosses might offer. When others made big promises, they were often just lying. But Pei Qian? He genuinely intended to go through with it.
Ma Yang’s approach had indeed sparked an idea in his mind, one that pointed toward the livestreaming industry.
Pei Qian was well aware that in the coming years, livestreaming would become a booming trend. Major platforms would go to war, changing how people consumed content and interacted online.
But… who said being at the forefront of a trend always meant making money?
Yes, catching a trend at the right moment could give birth to a giant commercial empire—but more often than not, it ended in a massive, fiery pile of money-burning failure.
After all, other people weren’t blind. If he could spot the trend, so could everyone else.
In the internet age, the one who dominates the trend is usually the one with the most cash to burn.
Many companies were known for burning through hundreds of millions just to fight for market share. Pei Qian asked himself honestly—he was willing to burn money, but Tengda simply didn’t have that much for him to torch just yet.
Still, as long as he could lose money—that’s all that mattered!
He could name plenty of classic money-burning disasters:
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Shared yellow bikes.
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Didi Ride-Sharing.
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Meituan food delivery.
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PandaTV (livestreaming).
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JD Logistics…
Each of these was a shining example of “spectacular, sustained financial losses.”
If he could successfully build something similar, it would be a stable money-losing machine. He could just use the system’s funds to fill the financial void forever—it would be perfect!
The reason Pei Qian hadn’t touched these sectors before was because of their high entry barriers. Without deep pockets, you couldn’t even build a basic framework, let alone operate.
But lately, his loss targets were slowly climbing toward the tens of millions range. That meant he could start planning for higher-budget ventures in future cycles.
Of course, the exact approach still needed careful consideration.
After all, the system had a rule: if a product wasn’t finished by the deadline, the settlement would be postponed.
If he recklessly jumped into a big project and ran out of funds halfway, unable to complete it or settle the losses, and the money was gone… that would be awkward.
So, if the next two cycles went smoothly and lost money, he could hold off on entering high-risk fields.
But if he made money again by some cruel twist of fate…
Then President Pei would be forced to charge down the path of unrelenting spending with no hope of return.
Among all the possible options, livestreaming seemed like a pretty good one. When Pei Qian saw Ma Yang down in the dumps, he decided to comfort him by officially making him the CEO of “Moyu Live.”
And conveniently, he could say that the idea was inspired by the screen Ma Yang had set up in the café.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
June 3rd.
Two more Moyu Internet Cafés officially opened for business.
Pei Qian was, as always, there in person to oversee the launch. Only when he saw with his own eyes that both new locations were utterly deserted did he feel truly at ease.
Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were also present, but Ma Yang’s eyes still held a hint of confusion, and perhaps even a touch of melancholy.
Pei Qian quietly pulled Zhang Yuan aside.
“Old Ma’s condition doesn’t look great.”
Zhang Yuan gave an honest reply: “It’s fine, President Pei. He’s just a little lost right now, a bit moody. But he hasn’t missed a meal. In fact… he’s eating more than ever.”
Pei Qian was moved. As expected of Old Ma—mentally resilient beyond belief. Even after such a heavy blow, he won’t miss a single bite.
Pei Qian smiled, then asked, “How’s the flagship store doing?”
Zhang Yuan responded plainly, “About the same.”
“After Chen Lei left, we brought in a new resident singer. There are still a few people tipping occasionally, but foot traffic is gradually declining.”
“We’re still getting some revenue from alcohol commissions—better than when we first started—but turning a profit? Still a distant dream.”
Pei Qian nodded in satisfaction.
As long as it’s not profitable, everything’s fine.
However, the fact that business was doing better than at the start meant that this alcohol commission model was genuinely effective—it could bring in money. And that, to Pei Qian, was a small but real threat.
He glanced over at Ma Yang, who looked dispirited, his long face sagging with gloom, and suddenly an idea flashed through Pei Qian’s mind.
What if there was a way to kill two birds with one stone—scrap the alcohol commission model and also give Old Ma something new to throw himself into, reigniting his drive?
Thoughts began racing through Pei Qian’s mind.
Among all those classic money-losing case studies, some required billions to get going—not something he could afford right now. But there were others… that didn’t require much upfront capital and could be started on a small scale.
For instance—
Food delivery!
Pei Qian suddenly remembered that the manager of this particular internet café… was actually a chef.
Back when they were selecting store managers, besides four waitstaff who applied, one of the chefs also volunteered—and naturally got the job.
Perfect!
“Zhang Yuan,” Pei Qian said, “call the store manager here, and bring Old Ma too. I’ve got a new job for you all.”
Soon, the four of them gathered in the café’s beverage area.
Zhang Yuan and Ma Yang were already used to this kind of thing. But the newly promoted store manager—originally a chef—hadn’t yet adjusted to his new role. He seemed visibly nervous and unsure of how to sit or behave.
Pei Qian asked, “What’s the store manager’s name again?”
He genuinely hadn’t paid attention to the names of these “tool people” before. They were just NPCs in his eyes—no need to remember their names unless they started doing something too well, which would be a problem in itself.
From a different angle, not knowing their names was actually a good sign—it meant they hadn’t accidentally made the business successful.
This store manager appeared to be nearly forty, but unlike the stereotypical greasy middle-aged man, he was in good shape and looked well-maintained.
Hearing the question, the manager quickly answered, “My name is Lin Canrong.”
Pei Qian nodded—he’d just remember the “Lin” part.
“Old Ma, I heard you’ve been feeling a bit aimless lately.”
“No worries. I have a new, very important task for you!”
“This will be the next major step in expanding the Moyu Internet Café brand. It’s a key part of Tengda’s broader business empire.”
“Do you have confidence you can handle it?”
Pei Qian looked at Ma Yang, eyes full of encouragement.
Ma Yang immediately perked up: “Brother Qian, say the word! I’ve been dying for a place to use my talents!”
Pei Qian nodded. As expected—just a simple mission, and Ma Yang’s flame of ambition was reignited.
“We… are going to further expand into the food and beverage industry!”
Ma Yang, Zhang Yuan, and Lin Canrong exchanged glances.
Further expand into F&B?
Technically, they’d already taken one step—that was the Moyu Internet Café.
After all, the café sold food, with a menu featuring “fine liquor on the front, homestyle dishes on the back.”
Chef Lin’s original job at the flagship store had been to cook meals for guests.
But since practically no one had ordered food, Chef Lin had spent most of his time slacking off—oh, sorry, “idling for inspiration.”
And now, they were going to take things even further?
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