Chapter 33 The Hidden Master

The Cayenne parked at the south gate of the school.

Pei Qian prepared to push the car door open and get out.

Xin Hailu sat in the driver's seat, extending a slender, jade-like hand holding a small cardholder.

"Here's what you asked for earlier. I've rented a two-bedroom apartment near the school for you. Inside is the access card and key."

Pei Qian didn't take it immediately, but observed the system's reaction.

Well, the system didn't say it was not allowed, so it must be allowed!

Buying clothes and renting a house might seem unrelated to the company's business, but they also concern the boss's personal image.

It wouldn't make sense to pile up the clothes he bought in the dormitory, right?

What if he needs to work overtime or go on a business trip, and the dormitory has a curfew? How will he get out in the middle of the night?

So, renting a house is reasonable and logical!

Besides, the rent is not expensive. He has already bought suits worth tens of thousands of yuan, so how much could renting a house cost?

It's 2009 now, and the rent for a well-decorated two-bedroom apartment in a high-end residential area in Handong is less than 2,000 yuan at most.

Nothing like ten years later, when even an old and shabby one-bedroom apartment in the capital would cost seven or eight thousand yuan.

Since the system didn't prompt that it was not allowed, Pei Qian had no psychological burden and took the cardholder.

After flipping through it, he found the key, access card, and a small piece of paper with Xin Hailu's delicate handwriting, which contained the address of the house.

The residential area was not far from the south gate of the school, just a few dozen meters away.

"Well, you get some rest. The newly purchased clothes will be delivered to your place in the next few days."

The Cayenne drove away.

Pei Qian felt great.

The system did not prohibit these actions, so it was still quite righteous!

He swiped the access card and entered the high-end residential area near the school.

When he was a student, Pei Qian had only seen the place from the outside and had never been inside.

Following the address on the paper, Pei Qian found his two-bedroom apartment.

Upon opening the door, Pei Qian was a bit shocked.

Though it was called a two-bedroom apartment, the actual area was not much different from a three-bedroom apartment, with an estimated area of about 130 to 140 square meters.

All the furniture was complete.

Even the bed sheets, quilts, and toiletries were all prepared.

It was truly move-in ready.

He could even move in without carrying a bag.

Pei Qian sat on the sofa and didn't want to move his butt anymore.

Compared to this place, the dormitory was like a birdcage!

No, even a birdcage would be more spacious and cooler than the dormitory!

After enjoying a comfortable moment on the sofa, Pei Qian regained his energy and prepared to get down to business.

He couldn't just enjoy himself without thinking about the future. He needed to have dreams!

He hadn't lost all his money yet!

Pei Qian called the system to check his current financial situation.

[Wealth Conversion System]

[Host: Pei Qian]

[Profit conversion ratio 100:1, loss conversion ratio 1:1]

[System funds: 275.5 (↓228854.5)]

[Personal assets: 1957.6]

The first week's income was more than 500,000, the second week's income was over 700,000, and the third week's income hasn't been accounted for yet, but it is estimated to be around 700,000 to 800,000.

Looking at it this way, Pei Qian's estimate of a monthly turnover of 5 million was quite accurate, although it was still slightly underestimated.

Renting the office space cost him more than 700,000 at once, and in the following months, he still had to spend more than 300,000 each month.

The office supplies he planned to purchase were around 800,000, which he hadn't spent yet. Pei Qian intended to spend it quickly after receiving the next week's income.

As for the expenses of buying clothes, renting a car, and renting a house, they added up to over 100,000, which Pei Qian didn't feel too concerned about.

The system still had some funds left, but based on the original standard of 500,000, it had already lost more than 200,000!

The results were promising!

Of course, there were still things to be done.

The office space had been rented, and now employees needed to be hired. Otherwise, leaving such a large office space vacant would be considered a violation and result in a system warning.

"Let me think about what kind of people to hire."

"Definitely not too outstanding, as it would affect my plan."

"Too lousy is also not an option, as the game still needs to be developed, or the system's requirements won't be met."

"Well... this is a delicate task. I need to think carefully."

The more Pei Qian thought about it, the more challenging it seemed.

But for the sake of his present and future happiness, he was more willing to attempt difficult tasks.

After much consideration, Pei Qian decided on one thing.

Employees can't just be recruited online, you also need to dig for them yourself!

When posting job ads online, the only people who apply are those who "believe they can meet the job requirements."

Some people Pei Qian might consider valuable might give up on their own and not dare to come for an interview.

In other words, the lower limit is not low enough.

The job postings posted online must be written professionally.

Pei Qian couldn't possibly write "slackers" blatantly in the job description, as the system would definitely warn him.

Having only one trusted employee like Ma Yang wasn't enough.

Where else could he find talents like Ma Yang?

After much thought, Pei Qian suddenly thought of someone.

If he could convince this person to join, great things could be accomplished!

...

After searching three internet cafes near the school, Pei Qian finally found the person he was looking for.

This person was a bit of a drifter, but overall, he was either in one internet cafe or another; if not in an internet cafe, he was on his way to one.

Perhaps he would get tired of staying in the same internet cafe, so he would occasionally change the environment and stay in another internet cafe for ten days or half a month.

This legendary person was named Bao Xu, and people in the internet cafes loved to call him "Bao Su."

The term "liver emperor" didn't become popular until a few years later.

But judging by Bao Xu's performance, calling him a "liver emperor" seemed to underestimate him.

He should be called the "super liver emperor"!

Bao Xu was not yet well-known at this time.

But soon, his name would spread throughout the school, and everyone would know him.

He was known for two things.

The first thing was that during his freshman year, from the end of winter through spring and into summer, he would spend every day in the internet cafe, grinding through games non-stop.

Entering the hot summer, while others wore shorts and short sleeves, he still wore a sweater and long underwear, with his coat draped over the back of the chair.

That's because he never went back to the dormitory and had no time to change clothes.

When tired, he would lay the chair flat and take a nap.

When he woke up, he would go to the bathroom to wash his face and continue grinding.

This continued, ignoring the four seasons.

After this incident, he was called "Autumn Pants Brother."

The second thing was that in his sophomore year, due to failing too many courses, he was advised to withdraw from the school.

After being advised to withdraw, he continued to spend time in internet cafes.

His family couldn't contact him, and they thought he had died.

Bao Xu survived by being a leveling agent, grinding levels, and reselling equipment, living in the internet cafe for two to three years.

Such was this incredible person.

Of course, in the eyes of ordinary people, he was a late-stage internet addiction patient who needed electroconvulsive therapy.

But Pei Qian could see his shining points.

This kind of person was a true veteran gamer.

He had a deep understanding of most games on the market, and he could answer any questions about the many detailed settings in the games.

It would be reasonable to hire such a veteran gamer as an employee, right?

Of course, the premise was to make him take care of his personal hygiene.

Moreover, Pei Qian also appreciated his other trait, which was that he was good at playing games but didn't understand game design!

Such people were very prone to going astray.

For example, if a person wants to be a good chef, they must be able to taste the difference between good and bad dishes.

But on the other hand, if a person can taste the difference between good and bad dishes and has very strict taste, does that mean they can become a good chef?

The answer is often negative.

In fact, people who are overly picky about food may find it even more difficult to become a good chef.

There is a balance here – moderation is key.

Creating games does require passion and love for games, but being too passionate isn't a good thing either.

Being overly passionate about games often makes it difficult to maintain enough rationality and objectivity, and one might easily assume their understanding of games is the same as the majority of ordinary players.

So, Pei Qian felt that Bao Xu was a person who met his requirements.

On the one hand, he was an enthusiastic gamer and a gaming expert. Hiring him as an employee and giving him a higher salary would not be considered a violation in the system.

On the other hand, he was not too good at game design and had a high probability of going off track and messing things up.

Look, what a perfect employee!

However, Pei Qian wasn't sure if he could persuade him.

After all, this was someone who would make his family think he was dead in just two years.

It was hard to imagine what kind of event would make him leave the internet cafe.