Chapter 220: My Employees All Have Hidden Talents, Yet They're Overly Humble:
When Pei Qian's gaze fell on him, hesitating as if he were about to speak, Bao Xu instantly panicked.
'Shit, don't tell me it's me again?!'
Last time, with that one-month paid vacation, he had traveled all over the country until he nearly collapsed, like he'd burned through an entire year's worth of "going out" in just a month.
And now, only a few months later—it is happening again??
Bao Xu quickly said, "President Pei, I voluntarily give up my spot! Please award it to someone who needs it more!"
Pei Qian shook his head.
"If we keep passing it around, what's the point of voting? The results of the vote can't be changed. Whoever gets picked, gets it."
"Take the next couple of days to pack up."
Bao Xu's heart sank.
"President Pei, I've already been to almost all the famous scenic spots in the country! I even checked in at each place, with photos and GPS location as proof! There's really nowhere left worth going!"
Pei Qian smiled slightly.
"Oh? So you've seen pretty much all the famous spots in China?"
"In that case, tomorrow you can start applying for a visa. Go abroad, take in the sights of foreign lands, immerse yourself in different cultures, and while you're at it, study how game development is done in the advanced nations of the West."
Bao Xu wanted to protest further, but Pei Qian cut him off.
"That's settled. Tomorrow, go handle the visa."
Bao Xu: "..."
'This is absolute bullshit!'
He felt completely crushed.
'I really don't want to leave the house! President Pei, I'd rather work overtime! Really, overtime is fine with me!'
But one look at President Pei's expression told him this decision was final.
The Best Employee Selection Process and rewards had been long-established company policy. In the end, this was just a case of "you play, you pay."
Bao Xu silently vowed: When I get back from this paid vacation, I'll make it clear to everyone—never vote for me again! I don't care about the million-yuan Dream Fund or a month of paid vacation. Please, vote rationally, and give it to someone who actually wants it!
But for now, it was too late. All he could do was wait until after this trip to slowly convince people otherwise.
Pei Qian then turned to Lu Mingliang.
"Say a few words."
If it had been anyone else receiving the Best Employee trophy, Pei Qian would have offered heartfelt congratulations—maybe even a little schadenfreude.
But seeing Lu Mingliang win left him reluctant.
It was… complicated.
Clutching the trophy, Lu Mingliang spoke, visibly moved.
"I really don't deserve this award. The only reason I managed to achieve anything at all is because President Pei provided a clear direction for success. I simply followed his instructions to the letter."
"I believe that no matter who takes up the role of lead executive designer, as long as they resolutely follow President Pei's strategic vision, they'll definitely achieve results too!"
"I hope Tengda continues to thrive. Thank you, everyone!"
The office erupted into warm applause, and Pei Qian found himself joining in with genuine enthusiasm.
Look at that—well said!
Although Pei Qian didn't entirely agree with everything Lu Mingliang said, there was one particular line he was thrilled to hear:
"No matter who takes up the role of lead executive designer, as long as they resolutely follow President Pei's strategic vision."
That was exactly what Pei Qian wanted!
What was he most afraid of?
That his employees wouldn't listen to him, of course!
They always overanalyzed his intentions, adding all sorts of "innovations" to the games, and every time the finished product ended up completely different from what he had in mind!
By contrast, although Lu Mingliang's games still succeeded—which was a bit of a pity—his attitude was far better than that of Huang Sibo and Bao Xu.
Little Lu is a good employee.
He deserves a reward!
Pei Qian smiled and asked,
"So, have you thought about how you'll use the one million yuan Dream Fund?"
Lu Mingliang hesitated.
"Uh… President Pei, here's what I was thinking."
"On one hand, Turn Back Before It's Too Late is at a critical stage of development. I'd rather stay here and finish this phase of the project."
"On the other hand, I haven't really decided what to do. Outside of making games, I don't seem to have any other strong skills."
"So… maybe we could set this aside for now? You could hold onto the money until I figure it out?"
Pei Qian frowned.
Set it aside? Absolutely not!
I already prepared this money. How could you not spend it? Besides, rules are rules. If we start making exceptions in just the second round of Best Employee Selection Process, how can I ever run this properly again? The sacred tradition of "winner leaves" would collapse on the spot!
Even if you're my trusted right-hand man, I can't let this slide. If the team loses faith in the rules, it'll be chaos.
Pei Qian immediately shook his head.
"No."
"If you don't have a plan for it right now, then I'll give you an assignment: you'll become the CEO of Against the Wind Logistics."
Lu Mingliang was stunned.
"Huh? President Pei, I don't know the first thing about logistics!"
Pei Qian gave him a small smile.
Don't know? Perfect.
"As the saying goes, knowledge in one area can transfer to another. You've worked at Tengda Games, which proves your management ability is solid. Just give it a try. If you really feel it's not for you, you can still take the Dream Fund and start something else."
Lu Mingliang still looked uncertain.
But seeing the firmness in President Pei's eyes, he realized staying at Tengda Games was no longer an option.
Since that was the case… he might as well give Against the Wind Logistics a try.
Unlike Huang Sibo, who was brimming with ideas, eager to try new ventures, and knew exactly what he wanted—setting up Feihuang Studio without hesitation—Lu Mingliang was more conventional.
He wasn't particularly curious about other fields, and his personality leaned toward following instructions to the letter.
It showed in game development: Huang Sibo and Bao Xu always inserted their own ideas, while Lu Mingliang faithfully executed President Pei's directives.
After thinking it over, he decided that even if logistics wasn't his passion, since it was a business opened up by President Pei, it had to be promising.
And in terms of career trajectory, being a lead executive designer had a much lower ceiling than being the CEO of a large logistics company.
So, he stopped resisting and accepted the position.
After all, President Pei had said it himself: if it didn't work out, he could still take the million yuan and pursue something he actually liked.
With the two Best Employees reassigned, a new problem immediately presented itself.
The lead executive designer was gone. They needed a replacement immediately, otherwise the work couldn't move forward.
But the problem was… most of the employees he was familiar with at Tengda Games had already been reassigned.
Huang Sibo, Bao Xu, Lu Mingliang, Lin Wan… Pei Qian had already reassigned them all.
As for the other employees, Pei Qian could only say their faces looked familiar. He didn't know much about them.
Most of them were only responsible for execution-level tasks and didn't report directly to him, so he'd never had a chance to get to know them.
But that was fine—wasn't that what the Best Employee vote was for? The names and rankings were right there, a perfect reference.
Of course, picking from the bottom would be a bit too much. Some people hadn't even gotten a single vote—choosing them would just look bizarre.
So Pei Qian simply picked someone from the top ten, someone with neither too many nor too few votes.
"Li Yada, you're up!"
From a corner desk, a young woman with thick-framed glasses raised her head, looking utterly bewildered.
She had no idea why President Pei had chosen her as the new lead executive designer, and for a moment, she just froze.
Pei Qian, however, was very pleased with his choice.
In the endless list of names, hers had stood out instantly.
Auspicious!
Li Yada—wasn't her English name "Yada Li"?
And "Yada Li" sounded just like Atari! That was a legendary company, a pioneer in gaming. President Pei's ultimate goal!
Li Yada looked around the office, then back at President Pei, who was smiling at her.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, she quickly stood up.
"P-President Pei! I… I don't have enough experience…"
Pei Qian's expression darkened.
Not this again.
You think I don't know you lack experience? If you had plenty of it, I wouldn't be picking you!
Every time he promoted a new lead executive designer, they pulled this same routine.
Pei Qian's face grew even more stern.
Seeing his displeasure, Li Yada instantly realized she had said the wrong thing.
Hadn't the previous lead executive designers also been promoted just like this? And hadn't they done well in the end?
So why was she hesitating now? Wasn't she betraying President Pei's trust?
She hurriedly added,
"But— I will give it my all! I'll make sure to complete the final stage of Turn Back Before It's Too Late!"
Pei Qian nodded with satisfaction.
Now that's more like it.
The right attitude is all that matters. Even if you mess it up because of inexperience, I won't blame you.
<+>
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