Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 430: A Pride Only Tengda Group Employees Understand
Netizens following the thread quickly noticed the same phenomenon. Among a long list of websites where ratings were constantly fluctuating, the TPDb site—completely unmoved—stood out like a firefly in the dark.
"Strange… why hasn't this site's rating changed at all?"
"Is it because the site is too small, so the paid commentators didn't notice it?"
"No way. Those guys don't discriminate when they spam ratings. Several sites much smaller than this one were hit, how could they just skip this one?"
"And this site doesn't have a small user base at all. If you haven't heard of it, that's just your own ignorance."
"Wait, what site is this?"
"It's the Tengda Group Project Database. It contains ratings and reviews for all of Tengda Group's projects—every game, every physical store—everything is rated."
"A site run by Tengda Group themselves? Then they probably locked the ratings… no wonder the paid commentators can't affect it."
"Definitely not. If you've been following this site, you'd know the scores do change. Many projects start with low ratings and gradually rise. And overall, the scores are basically objective and fair!"
"Exactly! This movie deserves a 9 anyway!"
Originally, the thread was meant to document the devastation caused by the paid commentators across different platforms. But as more and more people joined the discussion, at some point, the topic veered off course.
It turned into: "Why isn't TPDb affected by the paid commentators?"
There were all kinds of theories—but not a single one was correct.
Because from the very beginning, TPDb's scoring rules had been kept hidden and never disclosed to the public.
Internal evaluations from Tengda Group's senior management, aggregated ratings from ordinary employees, reviews from authoritative media, consumer feedback, and general user ratings—each type was assigned a different weight. Then, after being processed through a special formula, a final score was calculated.
This system certainly wasn't perfect—after all, evaluation is inherently subjective. But it minimized the impact of spam and malicious ratings as much as possible, allowing the final score to approach the value the work truly deserved.
As everyone read through the discussions in the thread, they found it quite interesting.
Huang Sibo smiled. "I think even if they guessed for half a year, they still wouldn't figure out TPDb's exact scoring mechanism."
Zhu Xiaoce stroked his chin. "Hmm… but wouldn't that make audiences question the site's objectivity? After all, it's our own platform. Being both the player and the referee could invite criticism."
Huang Sibo's smile widened. "Of course some people—well, nitpickers—will question its objectivity. That's unavoidable. Those kinds of people can always find something to argue about."
"But… does that really matter?"
"We don't need to explain this at all."
"A website's credibility isn't built overnight. Only under the scrutiny of countless users—after enough projects are listed over a long enough period, and their scores consistently align with public expectations—can true credibility be established."
"TPDb is part of Tengda Group's internal evaluation system. It directly determines the bonuses for each department. Every employee operates under President Pei's oversight—who would dare manipulate the system?"
"Like a towering cliff—strength comes from having no desires."
"As long as there's no greed and no influence from capital, this site will remain fair and impartial."
"In other words, as long as President Pei is around, it's only a matter of time before this site becomes the industry standard!"
"And now, thanks to A Better Tomorrow, TPDb has officially entered the view of the general public. That's a great start!"
"One day, the ratings on this site will become the most authoritative—setting the standard for every industry!"
Zhu Xiaoce thought for a moment. "Then… what if other review sites adopt a similar system?"
Huang Sibo smiled, a hint of pride in his voice.
"I don't think that's very likely. There are too many conflicting interests involved. I don't believe the owners of other websites can completely set aside their personal interests the way President Pei does."
"Of course, if other film review sites also establish similar systems so that the paid commentators have nowhere to operate, then it would mean Tengda Group has pushed the entire industry forward. I'm sure President Pei would be very happy to see that happen."
"Anyway, no matter what happens on other platforms, this film will always receive a fair evaluation on TPDb."
"The same goes for all Tengda Group's other projects. No matter how the outside world attacks or smears them, TPDb will remain like a warm harbor—where every project receives the fair and just evaluation it deserves."
"It's as if President Pei is telling all employees: don't worry, I see all your efforts. No one's hard work will go to waste."
"I think that's probably one of the original intentions behind creating this site."
On Huang Sibo's face was a kind of pride that only Tengda Group employees could truly understand.
…
"Ah-choo!"
"Who's talking about me behind my back…"
Pei Qian rubbed his nose and continued scrolling through webpages.
He hadn't noticed that TPDb was beginning to enter the public eye, because at that moment, he was focused on something far more important.
The advertisements in A Better Tomorrow… were being overanalyzed!
Originally, many viewers hadn't paid much attention to these ads, treating them as meaningless background elements in the film.
After all, all the ads were original creations. None of them matched any real-world campaigns, and the logos had been collected from various departments—completely different from anything currently on the market.
So at first glance, nothing seemed unusual.
But as more and more reviewers dug deeper, people began to realize that these ads might carry hidden meanings—and a wave of intense analysis began!
Many viewers even watched the film two or three times just to study every single advertisement.
After comparing them with projects listed on TPDb, people were shocked to discover that the logos in these ads bore striking similarities to Tengda Group's existing businesses.
For example, a fictional online novel platform shown in the movie clearly resembled the logo of Terminal Chinese Web with slight modifications.
And the logo of a virtual reality entertainment center in the film had a strangely familiar resemblance to Moyu Internet Café's logo—you wouldn't notice it at first, but the more you looked, the more familiar it felt!
As a result, many viewers developed a strong curiosity about these brands.
Some went to surf the web at Moyu Internet Café, some ordered ROF computers online, and others went to Terminal Chinese Web to read novels…
What made Pei Qian feel the most despair, however, was the Moyu Complex in Lin City.
He had visited it once on opening day. At the time, he thought that a 60–70% occupancy rate for Moyu Internet Café would already be the limit.
But on opening day, it was packed to full capacity!
And what about now?
Just imagine—you're a resident of Lin City.
One day, with nothing better to do, you wander into a movie theater.
After watching A Better Tomorrow, you casually browse some reviews and come across a post titled "An In-Depth Analysis of the Real-World Inspirations Behind the Film's Advertisements."
To your surprise, you realize that the businesses mentioned in the post—Moyu Internet Café, Moyu Delivery, ROF computer assembly, Against the Wind Logistics, and so on—are all nearby, or even right at your doorstep!
At that moment, what would you choose?
Go check them out, buy something casually, and take some photos Suppress your curiosity and go home to sleep
The answer for most people is painfully obvious.
Pei Qian didn't dare ask Xiao Peng, the person in charge of Moyu Internet Café in Lin City, because he was worried his fragile heart wouldn't be able to handle the devastating truth.
Just imagining it was already unbearable…
Closing the webpage, Pei Qian gazed out the window gloomily.
Forget it. Better hurry up and think about what employee benefits might still be lacking…
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