Chapter 174: President Pei Is Always So Heartwarming
It was clear that Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce knew exactly what kind of story they wanted to tell.
This documentary didn't glamorize the professional players' success—it instead focused on their daily lives, revealing the hardship behind the scenes. It showed the reality that most people never see.
"You did a great job," Pei Qian said, sincerely.
He had seen many excellent esports documentaries before, and this one by Zhu Xiaoce was outstanding—both in terms of content and technical execution.
Huang Sibo gave a wry smile. "I'm satisfied with it too…"
"But… I'm afraid we won't be able to recover the costs."
"We approached several video platforms, but none could offer decent returns. If we just participate in the standard incentive programs, even with three million views, we'd only earn a few thousand yuan. A drop in the bucket."
Pei Qian nodded.
As expected, monetizing a documentary was far harder than short-form videos.
Short videos could cover a wide variety of topics, bring in quick income, and be produced consistently. For video platforms, signing content like that meant steady traffic and engagement.
But documentaries were a different beast entirely.
Huang Sibo and his team used high-end filming equipment, traveled back and forth between Jingzhou, Shanghai, and Li Zhengwei's hometown. On top of that, Pei Qian had insisted they follow Tengda's travel and lodging standards, which meant money poured out like water.
Typically, documentaries like this would be produced officially, as part of a game or event's promotional campaign—essentially a marketing expense that would be recouped later.
But in this case, Huang Sibo and his team had made the documentary out of a half-charitable intention. Failing to recover costs was only natural.
Huang Sibo also knew that recently, Lu Mingliang had led the development of a new version of their game. Several DLCs had achieved great success, and as lead executive designer, his accomplishments now clearly surpassed his.
Feihuang Studio had contributed nothing during that time, and in a team dinner like this, that left them feeling a little ashamed.
Pei Qian smiled.
"You're upset about that?" he asked casually.
Huang Sibo was momentarily stunned. "President Pei…"
Pei Qian raised his glass, swirling it lightly, his tone calm.
"Haven't I told you before?"
"Don't fixate on short-term gains. Don't stress over money."
"When we first started short videos, weren't we running purely on passion? We turned down all those low-grade sponsorship deals and didn't starve to death. Eventually, we found a way to make it work."
"To me, it was never about making money. It's about whether something is meaningful."
"You wanted to make a documentary—didn't you already mentally prepare for losses from the very start?"
"You've gotten what you sought. So what's there to regret?"
Huang Sibo felt a wave of warmth in his heart. "President Pei… thank you."
Both he and Zhu Xiaoce were genuinely moved. If those words had come from anyone else, they might've sounded fake or performative.
But coming from President Pei, they felt deeply sincere.
Maybe that was what made President Pei different from other bosses—he truly possessed an extraordinary generosity of spirit and a far-sighted vision that went beyond the ordinary.
Pei Qian smiled and added, "Never doubt yourselves."
"So what if it's powered by passion?"
"As long as this documentary gains enough attention, and resonates with the players, it means Feihuang Studio is on the right path!"
"Out of funding for the next project? No problem—just tell me how much you need!"
Pei Qian was practically overjoyed.
This documentary project had likely burned through most of Feihuang Studio's previously earned profits. There couldn't be much left.
Perfect—this gave him a solid reason to inject more funds into them so they could keep spending!
Zhu Xiaoce sighed softly. "President Pei, it's not just that we're out of filming funds…"
"We actually dipped into our personal savings, and even that wasn't enough. We're currently behind on one month of salaries for the team…"
"Excellent!" Pei Qian blurted out.
Zhu Xiaoce froze. "...?"
Pei Qian quickly cleared his throat. "You've done an outstanding job."
"This just shows that your team is united in heart and mind!"
"Despite the hardship, not a single employee left—that proves Feihuang Studio has become a truly resilient and mature team!"
"You shouldn't be covering things out of pocket. Go find Assistant Xin and report how much you're short—we'll reimburse every last cent."
"No—just covering the shortfall isn't enough. Delayed wages are a serious matter. We'll pay interest too. We can't let those who believe in us feel betrayed!"
Huang Sibo was stunned. "President Pei, isn't that… a bit much? I've never heard of back pay coming with interest…"
Pei Qian waved his hand, signaling him to stop.
"Huang Sibo," Pei Qian said, suddenly adopting a serious tone.
"I don't care what kind of films you shoot or how you fight for your vision."
"But I absolutely won't allow anything to damage the company's image."
"For those employees who stuck with Tengda through thick and thin, we must never let them feel let down. Understand?"
President Pei's tone was righteous and commanding.
Huang Sibo was so touched, his eyes welled up with tears.
This… this is what home feels like.
No matter what hardships you faced out there, coming back to Tengda felt like coming home. You never had to worry—because you had Tengda and President Pei as your solid backing.
Seeing how unconcerned Pei Qian was about money, both Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce felt a great weight lift off their shoulders.
Then Pei Qian asked, "So, what's the next project? Still planning to do another documentary?"
Huang Sibo shook his head. "We're not sure yet."
"We'll wait until this one is published online and see the response before deciding."
"But most likely, we won't continue with this subject matter. Not because it didn't make money—but because we've already captured most of what we wanted to express."
"We might move on to a completely new topic."
Pei Qian nodded. "Mm. Go try whatever you want. If you run out of money, just ask."
After a few more exchanges, Pei Qian suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right—how's Chen Lei doing these days?"
Chen Lei was genuinely talented, and Pei Qian was always a bit worried he might stir up some unexpected trouble—so he casually brought him up in conversation.
"Oh, him? I'm not too sure," Huang Sibo replied. "Per your instructions, I made sure he had his accommodation and meals taken care of. But we were really busy with filming, and he's been running around Shanghai on his own, so we haven't interacted much."
"We actually thought about asking him to sing the ending theme for the documentary, but we didn't have the budget for it, and couldn't find a good songwriter either—so we just didn't bring it up."
Huang Sibo spoke without much thought, but Pei Qian's heart skipped a beat—then quickly calmed down.
That gave me a scare!
Thank goodness Huang Sibo didn't mention the ending song to Chen Lei. If he had actually sung it, something might have gone wrong!
This documentary might not be profitable, but with its subject matter and the level of care put into the production, its view count was bound to be high.
If, by chance, Chen Lei's song went viral, caught the attention of a talent scout, and somehow boosted Feihuang Studio's popularity as a result...
That would be a complete disaster.
Fortunately, none of that happened.
Of course, it's not like he didn't want Chen Lei to succeed—he just hoped it wouldn't happen during this cycle. And definitely not in a way that would implicate him.
Go ahead and become famous—but do it quietly! Just don't drag me down with you!
"So, what about now?" Pei Qian followed up.
Huang Sibo thought for a moment. "I think he's still in Shanghai looking for opportunities. If you want, President Pei, I can give him a call and check in."
Pei Qian waved it off. "No need, no need. I was just curious."
As long as Chen Lei didn't interfere with this cycle's financial settlement, everything else was fine.
Zhu Xiaoce, sitting off to the side, couldn't help but be moved.
President Pei truly cares about every single one of his employees.
He'd heard a bit about Chen Lei—originally a resident singer at Moyu Internet Café, and from what he'd heard, his performances had brought in decent business.
Any other boss would have seen Chen Lei as a cash cow, milking him dry and never letting him go—like a goose that laid golden eggs.
But President Pei was different.
Instead of tying Chen Lei down, he personally paid to send him to Shanghai, giving him a chance to chase his dreams on a bigger stage.
It was a move that brought no benefit to President Pei himself—a purely altruistic act.
And now, even during a team dinner, President Pei still remembered to ask about Chen Lei, who was all the way in Shanghai.
What kind of spirit is that?
President Pei... is always so heartwarming.
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