Chapter 225: Mingyun Private Kitchen
Pei Qian felt a little dizzy.
I only made Hardcore Review to fob off Lin Chang—how on earth did it end up inspiring Feihuang Studio?
Huang Sibo, oblivious to President Pei's bewilderment, continued enthusiastically explaining the ideas he and Zhu Xiaoce had brainstormed after watching Hardcore Review.
Right now, digital product reviews are in a booming phase.
In the foreseeable future, as the overall consumer spending power in the country increased and digital products developed at a rapid pace, ordinary consumers would become more and more interested in such reviews.
Doing this kind of review could attract attention from fans while also getting sponsorships from manufacturers. As long as the balance between the two was maintained, they could gain both popularity and financial returns.
The inspiration they took from Hardcore Review lay in the format of the reviews.
Currently, most review shows in the country are working hard to make their content more rigorous, with increasingly complex tests and ever more detailed data—in short, striving to showcase their professionalism in every aspect.
And previously, Huang Sibo and his team thought this was the only way forward.
Because Feihuang Studio lacked that level of professionalism, they had never considered doing review shows, as they felt it would be hard to compete with other established programs.
But after watching Hardcore Review, Huang Sibo suddenly realized something.
Even if the level of professionalism isn't that high, it doesn't matter!
Hardcore Review carved out its own path. While others solemnly compared various phone specs, Hardcore Review used quirky methods to show different aspects of the products.
For example, whether a phone was waterproof, drop-resistant, or how much punishment its internal structure could take—
The professionalism was practically zero, but audiences still watched with great interest—sometimes the view counts even surpassed those of professional review videos!
Thus, Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce came to a conclusion: professional does not necessarily mean best!
Of course, having a high level of professionalism is never a bad thing. The higher the professionalism, the more flawless and convincing the content.
But if professionalism is overemphasized, the show risks becoming too detached from everyday life, boring the audience to sleep.
In truth, many viewers don't particularly care about specific parameters or data. Even if they learn a specific value, they might not really grasp what it means.
On the other hand, more intuitive and subjective reviews are easier for them to accept.
Hardcore Review used exactly this kind of approach—smashing phone backs with a dinner knife, declaring the hardest to break as the best.
This was far more straightforward and accessible than listing endless details about back cover materials.
So, after studying this, Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce decided to combine short videos with digital product reviews as Feihuang Studio's next development goal!
There were two main reasons behind this decision.
First, the last documentary project had lost a lot of money, and it was President Pei who had stepped in to cover the hole. That left the staff of Feihuang Studio feeling dejected, as though they had let him down.
So this time, Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce resolved to secure monetization channels in advance.
Digital product reviews are one of the easiest fields to monetize. Occasional sponsorships are fine—as long as there's no false advertising, no scamming, and the sponsorships are handled tactfully, maybe with some fan giveaways or raffles—it's basically impossible to backfire.
Second, short videos were Feihuang Studio's specialty. Previously, President Pei's Daily Life had become a viral hit, and Director Zhu Xiaoce had already proven that he could consistently produce high-quality short video concepts.
Compared to other review programs, Feihuang Studio was more professional—and more entertaining—when it came to shooting short videos. That was their core advantage.
Huang Sibo spoke with great excitement about Feihuang Studio's future plans.
Pei Qian, however, felt a chill creeping into his heart.
'Damn it, I knew this wouldn't be good news!'
He had never expected that the half-baked review show he casually put together would end up inspiring Huang Sibo's team this much.
Who could've predicted this?
But after calming down and thinking it over, Pei Qian realized the situation wasn't that bad yet.
The digital product industry was developing rapidly in this world, and review programs were growing just as fast. Though the market was still booming, new review channels were popping up like mushrooms after the rain. Competition was nothing short of fierce.
After all, if Huang Sibo and his team could see potential in digital reviews, so could plenty of others.
And the barrier to entry wasn't particularly high.
Even an ordinary consumer could buy a gadget, mess around with it, look at a few numbers, share their impressions, and call it a review video.
Not to mention, their competitors included many well-established review channels with years of experience and resources.
In this environment, Feihuang Studio—though professional enough to produce something decent—still had no guarantee of going viral.
And besides, Pei Qian figured, short digital review videos were at least better than the studio doing something even more profitable… like making another President Pei's Daily Life.
All in all, the waters in the digital review scene ran deep.
More importantly, Pei Qian now had Invincible Loss-Maker No. 1, Against the Wind Logistics, already fully set up. Even if Feihuang Studio made a little money, it wouldn't shake his grand plan of overall losses.
With that thought, Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, I support you guys."
"But you must remember—protect Feihuang Studio's reputation. If you don't have to take sponsorships, then don't. Understood?"
"Don't worry, President Pei, we understand!" Huang Sibo said happily before hanging up.
…
…
August 7th.
Lu Mingliang reported to Pei Qian that after becoming CEO of Against the Wind Logistics, his very first decision was to slightly optimize the delivery schedules of the two couriers at the logistics station.
Considering that many customers were office workers with no one home during the day, he staggered the couriers' shifts: one took the morning shift, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the other the evening shift, from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.
To account for the difficulty of night work, extra allowances would be given.
The couriers could also alternate between morning and evening shifts, preventing long-term night shifts from harming their health.
This way, office workers could choose to receive deliveries in the morning or at night, making the service more convenient than before.
In addition, Lin Canrong reported to Pei Qian that preparations for the high-end restaurant were essentially complete.
The efficiency was impressively high, and Pei Qian was quite satisfied.
Lin Canrong registered the restaurant under the name Mingyun Private Kitchen, since it was located in Mingyun Villa Estate and was run in a style quite similar to a private kitchen.
Pei Qian felt the name was fine—after all, he hadn't planned on putting up a signboard anyway, so what it was called didn't really matter.
The key thing was: hurry up and go eat!
After the Best Employee Selection Process on August 1st, Pei Qian had already come up with a perfect excuse for this company-sponsored dinner party:
Employee Recognition + Farewell Party.
Bao Xu was already despairing over the visa process for his all-expenses-paid overseas trip, and Lu Mingliang had just begun transitioning into his new role at Against the Wind Logistics.
This gathering was also meant to give the two of them a proper send-off, marking the beginning of the third phase for Tengda Games, now entering the era where Huang Sibo and Lu Mingliang would take the lead as lead executive designers.
. . .
Mingyun Private Kitchen
Lin Wan stood at the villa entrance, peering curiously inside.
She hadn't expected that in such a seemingly quiet and ordinary villa district, there would be a hidden private kitchen of such quality!
From the outside, it looked unremarkable—just one more villa in the Mingyun Villa Estate. Aside from the slightly more lavish decoration compared to its neighbors, nothing about it stood out.
Though called a "private kitchen," there was no signboard, nor were there any other diners in sight.
Stepping further in, she found the grand hall—over seven meters high—already set with a long dining table and exquisite tableware, carrying the air of an elegant European palace banquet.
Waiters bustled back and forth, bringing out one delicacy after another to the table.
This time, a total of 57 people had come to Mingyun Private Kitchen, including core employees from Tengda Games, Shangyang Games, Moyu Internet Café, Against the Wind Logistics, Feihuang Studio, and other subsidiaries.
In other words, everyone Pei Qian had invited to the dinner was considered a reserve talent with great potential.
And since Lin Wan was now the director of Shangyang Games, she was, of course, among them.
The villa had three floors, with the first-floor living room being the most spacious. The long dining table there could seat more than twenty people, and with its seven-meter ceiling, the space felt anything but cramped.
The long table was custom-made, only brought out for special occasions like this; normally, the hall was furnished with several smaller tables.
The rest of the rooms had been converted into private dining rooms. As for who sat in the hall and who sat in the private rooms, that was left entirely to personal choice.
Pei Qian only hoped that everyone would eat plenty of dishes and spend lots of money. As for seating arrangements, he had no particular requirements.
Since everyone knew each other well, there was no need for formalities—they just sat down and started eating.
Many hadn't seen each other in a long time due to work—such as Huang Sibo and Bao Xu—so this was the perfect chance to catch up.
Huang Sibo chatted with Bao Xu about his plans to film a new short video, while Bao Xu complained bitterly in return about how he was about to be sent off on yet another all-expenses-paid trip.
"Everyone, eat to your heart's content! Don't hold back. Anyone who doesn't enjoy themselves today clearly has a problem with their work attitude!"
Pei Qian bustled about, beaming inside as he watched plate after plate of exorbitantly priced dishes carried out from the kitchen.
Many of these dishes were prepared according to recipes from celebrity chefs—things like crocodile tail soup and sake-jellied whole abalone, each costing four to five thousand yuan per serving.
Everyone also received an individual portion of top-grade black-and-white caviar, priced at 2,000 yuan per serving. With 57 people at the table, that alone amounted to over a hundred thousand.
Of course, technically speaking, Pei Qian footing the bill for his own employees at his own restaurant was just a case of money moving from one pocket to another. But no matter how you looked at it, the cost of those ingredients was real.
These premium ingredients had been specially ordered from all over the country and even abroad, shipped in via express logistics. That expense was something Pei Qian paid for out of pocket.
On top of that, the place had to maintain a staff of first-rate chefs and highly trained waiters, plus cover the daily costs of utilities and maintenance. All of that came from Pei Qian's wallet too.
So even though the meal was being held in his own restaurant, it certainly wasn't cheap.
Compared with this, Swan Lake Restaurant was nothing more than a little brother among little brothers.
By Pei Qian's estimate, at the current rate of consumption, even if calculated by ingredient costs alone, each person was eating at least four to five thousand yuan's worth of food. This one meal would wipe out around 300,000 yuan.
It might not sound like much on its own, but as the saying goes: many little drops make a flood; constant eating will empty the mountain of gold.
So long as everyone kept eating—steadily, wholeheartedly—one day they'd succeed in eating him into bankruptcy!
At first, Lin Wan assumed this was just another ordinary company dinner. But after tasting a few dishes, she realized she had been completely mistaken!
Their previous company meals had always been at Swan Lake Restaurant, which was already considered the most high-end buffet in all of Jingzhou and did offer its share of expensive dishes.
But the average cost there was only about 400 yuan per person.
In Lin Wan's opinion, the food there wasn't bad, but it wasn't exceptional either—just passable.
But the dishes at Mingyun Private Kitchen were on an entirely different level—several levels higher, in fact!
Even Lin Wan, who wasn't easily impressed, found herself rarely having eaten food of such quality.
And beyond the food, the dining environment here also left her deeply satisfied.
The tableware, décor, and atmosphere were all exquisitely refined, perfectly matching the dishes and creating an invisible sense of luxury.
The waitstaff were all impeccably polite and attentive without being intrusive.
Whenever she asked a question, they responded fluently and knowledgeably, clearly the result of rigorous training.
In short, in every respect, this place was leagues above Swan Lake Restaurant!
"Has Jingzhou always had a place this good? How did I never know about it?" Lin Wan asked curiously.
Sitting beside her, Assistant Xin sipped his red wine and said, "That's because it was just opened by President Pei. Forget Jingzhou—even in Beijing or Shanghai, private kitchens of this level are extremely rare."
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