Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 346: I've Decided to Move the Studio to Jingzhou
Ruan Guangjian took a few bites, and to his surprise, it was actually delicious!
Back when he was in Shanghai, Ruan Guangjian ate takeout all the time and had practically tried every place near his company.
Even so, he still had to agonize every day over what to eat.
Some tasty options—like spicy hotpot stir-fry, skewers, or rice bowls—were usually extremely greasy and unhealthy. Eat them for too long and you'd either gain weight or end up with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol.
On the other hand, takeout that branded itself as "healthy meals" often tasted awful. Most of the time, it was just a pile of chopped lettuce arranged on a plate—hardly filling at all. By the afternoon you'd be starving again, which directly affected work efficiency.
There was really no helping it. To improve flavor, most restaurants went all-out with seasonings. After all, people who ordered takeout usually didn't care whether it was healthy; they only cared about taste.
If it was bland or unremarkable, they simply wouldn't order it again.
To make food that was both healthy and tasty, the ingredients had to be fresh, the chef's skills had to be solid, and customers had to be willing to pay a higher price.
So although Ruan Guangjian had eaten at a few passable "healthy meal" places in Shanghai, something this home-style and healthy was still quite rare.
Curious, he asked, "How much does this set cost?"
Li Yada replied, "Employees don't pay for meals. For outside customers, it's a bit over twenty yuan per serving."
Ruan Guangjian sighed sincerely. "That's not expensive. Are these tableware sets complimentary?"
Li Yada shook her head. "Of course not. There are dedicated staff responsible for collecting and sterilizing them."
Ruan Guangjian was even more surprised. "Then it's really not expensive! Can you actually cover the costs by selling it for just over twenty yuan?"
Li Yada smiled. "Apparently, Moyu Delivery has been operating at a loss the whole time. President Pei has been paying out of pocket to subsidize it."
"But looking purely at raw materials and costs, there should be a profit. It's just that the scale isn't big enough yet, and the order volume isn't high, so it's still losing money."
"Maybe it'll make money in the future, it's hard to say."
"I think for President Pei, this takeout service is purely an employee benefit, kind of like how many schools subsidize their cafeterias."
Ruan Guangjian ate quietly, saying nothing.
After the meal, everyone tidied up their tableware and placed it at the front desk, then returned to their desks—some to watch shows, some to take a nap.
Li Yada didn't have the habit of napping, so the two of them continued chatting.
Ruan Guangjian asked about Jingzhou's rent and everyday living costs. As they talked, he couldn't help but feel envious.
After all, Jingzhou was a second-tier city. Compared to Shanghai, its daily expenses were on an entirely different level, it naturally made everything seem cheap.
Li Yada also talked about Against the Wind Logistics, Moyu Internet Café, the ROF PC assembly business, and more, her pride clearly showing.
The more Ruan Guangjian listened, the quieter he became, until he stopped talking altogether.
All he could do was sigh softly and go back to drawing.
…
Li Yada stood up and went to the coffee bar.
Then she took out her phone and secretly sent a message to Pei Qian.
"President Pei, I've followed your instructions and given Boss Ruan a detailed introduction to Tengda's benefits!"
Pei Qian replied quickly.
"How did he react?"
Li Yada: "He didn't say much, but he seemed kind of down. I was wondering—are Tengda's benefits too good? Did we stimulate him a bit too much? He's not going to hold a grudge, is he?"
Pei Qian: "Excellent work. I'm on my way right now!"
…
Pei Qian sprang up from his bed like a salted fish flipping over and quickly changed clothes.
His 'salted-fish syndrome' had relapsed today—his noon nap had stretched all the way past two in the afternoon before he finally woke up.
He had only just watched a bit of a show when he saw Li Yada's good-news message, and immediately rushed to the company, unable to wait any longer.
Yesterday, Pei Qian had been thoroughly choked up by Ruan Guangjian's words, so he'd spent the whole time racking his brain over how to regain the upper hand.
On Jingzhou's home turf, how could President Pei possibly be knocked down?
After thinking it over, Pei Qian concluded that the only thing capable of dealing real damage to Ruan Guangjian was Tengda's employee benefits.
Businesses like Against the Wind Logistics, Moyu Internet Café, and Moyu Delivery were all money-burning ventures. They required massive investment, yet their quality was absolutely top-tier, something rarely seen even in major cities like Shanghai, Beijing, or Guangzhou.
Moreover, Ruan Guangjian's studio was based in Shanghai. Whether it was rent or daily expenses, the costs had to be extremely high. There was no way they could live as comfortably as Tengda did.
So Pei Qian decided to seize on this point and make a big deal out of it, give Ruan Guangjian a solid blow and repay yesterday's humiliation!
Judging from the situation so far, things were going very smoothly.
By now, Ruan Guangjian should have been thoroughly battered, feeling that life had lost all its flavor!
Pei Qian didn't want to miss this moment.
A few minutes later, Pei Qian arrived.
He walked into the company with a radiant smile and greeted Ruan Guangjian, who was buried in his drawing.
"Brother Ruan! How did you sleep last night? Everything going smoothly with work today?"
"Sorry, things were a bit busy today. I didn't have time to come by this morning."
"How was lunch? Still getting used to it? Are you satisfied with the office environment?"
Pei Qian was all smiles, ready to sprinkle another handful of salt onto Ruan Guangjian's already fragile wound.
Compared to yesterday, Ruan Guangjian's mood was clearly much lower.
It seemed… as though he was thinking something through.
He looked at Pei Qian, then finally made up his mind.
"President Pei, I've decided."
"I'm moving my studio to Jingzhou!"
Ruan Guangjian's expression was extremely serious.
Pei Qian froze. After a moment, a question mark slowly formed in his mind.
"Huh?"
He had never imagined that this would be the first thing Ruan Guangjian said upon seeing him…
Sensing that something was very wrong, Pei Qian hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
"Brother Ruan, this isn't something you should rush into!"
"Relocating a studio is a huge deal!"
"What about the office building you've already rented? What about the office desks, chairs, and computers you've already bought?"
"Your employees would have to move too, leaving their homes behind and travel all the way to Jingzhou…"
"This needs careful consideration, long-term planning!"
Pei Qian felt dizzy.
Was it not enough that Ruan Guangjian himself had come here to stab him in the back, now he wanted to bring his entire studio to Jingzhou as well?
Was Ruan Guangjian trying to kill him?!
Previously, Tengda's designers and the artists from Halo Studio had communicated online. Although the efficiency was relatively low, under Ruan Guangjian's supervision and quality control, they had still completed the art assets outstandingly well.
But if the entire Halo Studio moved to Jingzhou…
Then if any communication issues came up, they could just hop in a taxi and discuss things face to face!
That was why Pei Qian hurriedly tried to stop him, hoping Ruan Guangjian would quickly abandon this unrealistic idea.
Ruan Guangjian smiled slightly. "President Pei, I understand your good intentions."
"Moving the entire studio really is quite troublesome. To be honest, it's not just me, most people in our studio don't want to relocate either."
"But after thinking it over, I realized the advantages of moving to Jingzhou are simply too many!"
"The rent here is much cheaper than in Shanghai, the cost of living is far lower, and with Against the Wind Logistics and Moyu Delivery, both quality of life and convenience are guaranteed."
"For the rest of the studio, coming to work in Jingzhou means lower rent. With their income staying the same, their standard of living would improve significantly."
"As for the relocation plan, I've basically thought it through."
"We'll sublease the place over there, depreciate and dispose of all the office equipment, and then buy new ones after we arrive in Jingzhou."
"A long-distance move like this will indeed cost quite a bit, but taking everything into account, we'll earn that money back after some time."
Pei Qian felt a little dizzy. "It's hard to leave one's home behind. Will the employees over there really follow you here so wholeheartedly?"
Ruan Guangjian smiled. "What 'home' is there to leave behind? Our studio doesn't have a single local from Shanghai. Most of them are just drifting there—can't afford a house, can't win a license plate lottery, don't even have local residency."
"Once in Jingzhou, the only real problem is that there aren't many companies, so changing jobs would be difficult. But the core members of our studio are all my old roommates. They're dead set on working with me—wherever I go, they go."
"As for the other employees, I won't force anyone. Those who want to come can come; those who don't can find other jobs."
"Anyway, long pain is worse than short pain. If the studio can be anywhere, why not move to a city with less pressure on daily life?"
"And besides, we have acquaintances here."
Ruan Guangjian cast an eager look at Pei Qian.
Pei Qian: "?"
He instantly realized that the "acquaintance" Ruan Guangjian was referring to… was himself.
Ruan Guangjian continued, "In short, once we're in Jingzhou, our studio will be relying on President Pei to look after us! President Pei is such a righteous guy—I trust you!"
Pei Qian: "???"
He was genuinely dizzy.
Pei Qian felt that things had been going just fine, but suddenly the script took a wild turn—spiraling further and further out of control…
No, this couldn't go on!
Ruan Guangjian actually wanted to move his entire studio here. This was way too absurd!
Pei Qian hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Brother Ruan, I understand how you feel."
"But with the workload being so heavy recently, if the studio relocates, I'm afraid the handover for these projects won't go smoothly…"
"This definitely needs careful, long-term planning. There's no need to rush!"
Ruan Guangjian thought for a moment. "Hmm… that's true."
"Alright then. Once Tengda's current batch of art asset requirements is finished, I'll start preparing for the studio's relocation!"
After saying that, Ruan Guangjian returned to drawing, full of motivation and anticipation for a bright future.
Watching the confidence-filled Ruan Guangjian, Pei Qian fell into a daze.
This was bad. Very bad.
If Halo Studio really moved over in three or four months, what would he do then?!
Before, with Ruan Guangjian stuck in Shanghai, he was at least somewhat out of reach. But once he moved to Jingzhou, wouldn't he be able to jump right into his face and apply pressure directly?
What the hell was he supposed to do then?!
Pei Qian felt a headache coming on. He silently went to the reception room, sipped some tea, and pondered life.
Ding ding
His phone rang.
Pei Qian picked it up and saw that it was a message from Li Yada.
"President Pei, was this also part of your plan?"
"This move was truly brilliant!"
"With just a few words, you lured Boss Ruan to Jingzhou—and even brought his entire studio along!"
"As expected, this is President Pei's personal charisma."
"Respect! Truly impressive!"
Several messages in a row—her admiration was unmistakable.
Pei Qian: "…"
He really wanted to say that this was all a misunderstanding.
But after typing a few words, he deleted them all.
All he could do was sigh silently in his heart.
Life is just too hard.
<+>
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