Chapter 1 Becoming the Richest Man Starts With Losing Money in Games

The moment CEO Pei said this, both He Desheng and Meng Chang were stunned.

Meng Chang, who had been brimming with confidence and ready to continue his presentation, was doused with cold water, chilling him to the bone.

Meng Chang's expression shifted from shock to confusion, then to bewilderment.

His usual calm and composed demeanor vanished without a trace, and he even stammered, "CEO, P-Pei, what are you saying? You're not joking, are you? If Lengmian Guniang (Cold Noodles Girl) has done something wrong, you can point it out!"

Meng Chang instantly panicked.

For him, getting money from CEO Pei today was important, but not getting it wouldn't be a fatal blow, as he still had enough funds to last for a while.

In this situation, it never hurt to try his luck.

However, Meng Chang never expected CEO Pei to withdraw!

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Meng Chang!

Because what Meng Chang needed most right now wasn't money, but the confidence of investors.

Whether it was getting investment from CEO Pei or burning money on speeches and hyping things up, it was all to boost the confidence of investors.

Only if the investors had confidence in the Lengmian Guniang brand and kept pouring money in could the company's valuation keep rising, allowing him to play this game, cash out, and achieve financial freedom.

But conversely, once the investors' confidence collapsed and no one was optimistic about the Lengmian Guniang brand, Meng Chang's current rate of burning money wouldn't be sustainable for long.

CEO Pei's withdrawal would be impossible to conceal, and it could very well lead to a complete collapse of Lengmian Guniang!

Therefore, even Meng Chang, who was usually calm and composed and able to handle any situation, couldn't help but panic.

Pei Qian smiled very politely, "There's nothing wrong with the Lengmian Guniang brand. I'm doing this purely because of some internal reasons at Tengda, it has nothing to do with you."

Meng Chang's lips twitched slightly, feeling that his intelligence had been insulted.

What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? Do you think I'm an idiot?

We were talking just fine when I arrived, but halfway through my PPT presentation, you suddenly say you want to withdraw, and then you say it has nothing to do with me?

Who are you trying to fool!

CEO Pei is definitely doing this on purpose!

But there was nothing Meng Chang could do. He couldn't just point at CEO Pei's nose and curse him out, could he?

Pei Qian took a sip of tea, "Given the current situation of Lengmian Guniang, there should be many investors who are fighting tooth and nail to invest. Tengda will definitely find someone to buy the shares it sells, so Lengmian Guniang's valuation won't be affected. Moreover, since it's already profitable, there's nothing to worry about, right?"

Meng Chang opened his mouth, momentarily speechless.

What CEO Pei said made so much sense that he was speechless.

Indeed, according to Meng Chang's hype, Tengda's withdrawal wouldn't affect Lengmian Guniang, since there were plenty of people waiting to take over. But the question was, why would Tengda withdraw?

Wouldn't it be better to keep the shares and wait for them to appreciate in value?

Or has CEO Pei already seen through my plan and is deliberately putting on a show to tease me?

Is this irony, or humiliation?

Meng Chang froze for a moment. With his talent and cunning, he couldn't figure out what CEO Pei was really thinking at this moment, and he suddenly felt at a loss.

He Desheng, who was sitting on the side, didn't speak, but closely observed CEO Pei's subtle expressions.

In his opinion, although there were indeed some clever tricks in Meng Chang's PPT data, and he had obviously played some number games with the finances, this was a common phenomenon, and the flaws didn't outweigh the merits. Lengmian Guniang was still a company worth investing in.

CEO Pei was considering not selling a portion to cash out while retaining a portion of the shares, but withdrawing completely and completely severing ties with Lengmian Guniang.

Could it be that CEO Pei was still firmly implementing his previous investment strategy? Even for brands like Lengmian Guniang?

But... strictly speaking, Lengmian Guniang's so-called "turning a profit" was actually very misleading. It was a "profit on the PPT" after spreading a lot of costs into the future and deducting some marketing expenses. It wasn't really making money.

He Desheng felt that as a subordinate, it was necessary to offer a reminder.

He leaned close to CEO Pei's ear and said in a low voice, "CEO Pei, Lengmian Guniang hasn't really made a profit yet, it's just showing a trend of profitability. Are we strictly following the investment rules we set before and withdrawing only after Lengmian Guniang is really profitable, or are we withdrawing now?"

Hmm?

Pei Qian couldn't help but frown slightly, and hesitated for a moment.

If he withdrew the investment, he was afraid of wrongly killing a loyal subject; if he didn't withdraw, he was afraid that the valuation would become higher and higher later on, and the later he withdrew, the more he would earn, which would be troublesome.

After considering for a moment, Pei Qian decided to give Meng Chang the last chance.

He looked at Meng Chang, "Don't talk about those fancy things on the PPT. Just tell me the truth, what is the probability of Lengmian Guniang making me money, and how much will I earn?"

"Is there any possibility of loss? How much can I lose at most?"

"Tell me the truth, give me an accurate number."

Meng Chang saw He Desheng whispering a few words in CEO Pei's ear. Although he didn't know exactly what he said, judging from CEO Pei's attitude, this matter seemed to have taken a turn for the better.

Meng Chang instantly felt as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, overjoyed.

In his opinion, CEO Pei was obviously trying to knock him down a peg and make him express his determination!

Meng Chang couldn't help but feel a little regret, because he felt that he had shown weakness just now.

When CEO Pei said he wanted to withdraw, his reaction was a little too extreme, which actually showed that Lengmian Guniang was indeed very dependent on Tengda's financial support.

And CEO Pei's subsequent questions were like accurately grasping Lengmian Guniang's weakness and then questioning Meng Chang about how much benefit he could bring to Tengda Group.

At this time, Meng Chang didn't have many choices. He had to stand firmly on CEO Pei's side and promise CEO Pei a bright future in order to gain CEO Pei's continued support.

Thinking of this, Meng Chang immediately became very serious and solemnly guaranteed, "CEO Pei, don't worry, Lengmian Guniang will definitely make you money! It's just a matter of how much!"

"I guarantee you, at least one of the two ways to make money will definitely work for you."

"The first is that Lengmian Guniang continues to be profitable. As a major shareholder of Lengmian Guniang, you can hold the shares for a long time and receive dividends until it goes public, and get long-term benefits; the second is that when more capital enters, you can leave at any time if you want to, the longer you hold it, the higher the valuation, the more you will earn!"

"As for losses, I guarantee you that this will never happen."

"So far, every step of Lengmian Guniang's development is within my plan. As long as it develops step by step, your investment will definitely get a rich return, and there will be no risk of any loss!"

"So, I hope you can persevere for at least three months, no, one month, and you will definitely see a return! Of course, if you can invest some more money, that would be even better..."

Pei Qian fell into a minute-long silence.

Then, he picked up his teacup, "See the guests out!"

Meng Chang was instantly shocked, "Hey? CEO Pei!"

He looked at CEO Pei, then at He Desheng, his mind blank.

What's going on? Didn't things just take a turn for the better? Why did CEO Pei's face suddenly fall?

What did I say wrong?

He Desheng had already stood up, "Please."

Meng Chang wasn't willing to give up and wanted to say something more to try to persuade CEO Pei to change his mind, but seeing CEO Pei's resolute attitude, he hesitated again and again and finally gave up.

Because he knew that worry would lead to chaos, and if he lost his composure because he was anxious, it would be easier to expose his flaws in front of CEO Pei, and CEO Pei would only withdraw more resolutely.

He would withdraw first and let CEO Pei's emotions settle down. Maybe in a few days, things would take a turn for the better.

This was also a last resort.

Thinking of this, Meng Chang had no choice but to nod very unwillingly, "Okay, CEO Pei, please take your time to consider."

He Desheng saw Meng Chang off, and then returned to the reception room.

"CEO Pei, are you sure you want to sell all of Lengmian Guniang's shares? Won't you consider it anymore?" He Desheng asked.

Pei Qian's attitude was firm, "Sell! Sell it immediately!"

"If we sell it now, will we make a lot of money again?"

Pei Qian had already prepared for the worst in his heart.

He Desheng shook his head, "CEO Pei, it's hard to say. Lengmian Guniang is not listed yet, and the valuation is very imaginary. The specific value of these shares depends on the negotiations between the two parties and how much the buyer is willing to pay."

"But CEO Pei, don't worry, I will do my best to negotiate and strive for the highest price."

"Moreover, Meng Chang won't let you sell your shares cheaply, after all, this affects Lengmian Guniang's valuation and also affects the confidence of other investors. He will definitely try to facilitate a high-value transaction. If the two of us negotiate together, it should be a sure thing, but it's difficult to guarantee a specific number."

The corner of Pei Qian's mouth twitched slightly.

Strive to sell it at a high price?

How could that be allowed!

Pei Qian had invested a total of eight million in Lengmian Guniang before and after. If he earned back twenty or thirty million, wouldn't he vomit blood on the spot?

It must be sold cheaply, preferably for less than 8 million!

Pei Qian thought for a while and said, "Can we... sell it a little lower?"

He Desheng was stunned for a moment.

What do you mean sell it a little lower? Is CEO Pei worried about making too much money?

But he quickly reacted, "Oh, CEO Pei, you mean, don't negotiate repeatedly in order to sell it at a high price, but sell it as soon as possible? In order to sell it as soon as possible, it doesn't matter if we sell it a little lower?"

Pei Qian, "...more or less."

He couldn't directly tell He Desheng to sell it cheaply, so he could only hint at it like this, but He Desheng's understanding was not too wrong, and the result should be the same.

He Desheng nodded, "Understood, CEO Pei, I will definitely handle this matter properly!"

...

...

December 14th, Wednesday.

"Mission and Choice" filming site.

"Cut!"

"Okay, this take is good, we'll keep it as a backup later, and we can wrap up for today."

"Not bad, your performance has been getting better and better recently, and the filming progress is faster than expected. As expected, we knew we didn't choose the wrong person for the lead role!"

Zhu Xiaoce didn't hold back in his praise for Lu Zhiyao.

Lu Zhiyao smiled a little embarrassedly, "Hey, it's all thanks to CEO Pei's guidance, and the script is also good, I'm just icing on the cake."

Zhu Xiaoce patted him on the shoulder, "Why are you being so humble? Here, this is the script for the next stage, take some time to read it and get a feel for it."

Lu Zhiyao reached out and took it.

According to Director Zhu Xiaoce's plan, the "Mission and Choice" movie must be completely filmed and officially completed around March, because there is still a lot of time needed for post-production and special effects.

Almost all the scenes in "Mission and Choice" have special effects, which takes a lot of time, so enough time must be reserved to ensure that it is released in June as originally planned.

The pressure on the filming is also quite high.

The current filming progress is not completely following the script. Many scenes in the previous plot have not been completely filmed or reached the most satisfactory state, but Zhu Xiaoce believes that Lu Zhiyao's acting skills and state have been adjusted almost, and he can basically perfectly control the role of Qin Yi in the previous stage. He can almost give him the script for the next stage and let him ponder Qin Yi in the next stage in advance.

The filming progress is relatively smooth, thanks to CEO Pei.

On the one hand, CEO Pei gave Lu Zhiyao confidence and stimulated his potential, allowing him to ponder the role and hone his acting skills on his own. His acting skills have improved again without guidance; on the other hand, CEO Pei arranged for someone to make a fully automatic intelligent heckling machine, so that Lu Zhiyao can act with Aeeis whenever he has time, and can more immersively ponder the role.

Now, Lu Zhiyao is about to accept new challenges.

Lu Zhiyao couldn't wait to open the script and check the later plot.

In the previous plot, Qin Yi has already understood the inevitability of the previous commander and Aeeis's command. Lu Zhiyao couldn't wait to welcome the final battle between humans and the Zerg.

...

Qin Yi commanded battle after battle expressionlessly and methodically. Around him, countless starships were destroyed, and countless humans and Zergs were blown to pieces, leaving no bones.

He was like a perfect war machine, issuing order after order, commanding battle after battle. The death of soldiers seemed to be difficult to cause emotional fluctuations in him.

If the death of one person is a tragedy, then the death of too many people is just a number.

And during this long shot, Aeeis has a dispassionate voice-over, which seems to be said to Qin Yi, and also to the audience in front of the camera and the players playing the game.

"Command is the most critical link in war. It brings countless soldiers together to form a powerful synergy."

"And command can be divided into two aspects: information processing, action decision-making."

"In war, information processing is especially important, because wrong information means wrong decisions. The warring parties will receive a huge amount of information at every moment. How to process this information and judge its authenticity and importance often determines whether the final decision is correct."

"Information can be regarded as a 'transmission chain': whether a piece of information is uploaded or sent down, it needs to go through various levels and channels like a chain. And the transmission chain determines the efficiency of information utilization."

"In any case, the transmitted information is 'selective', otherwise, whether it is the commander or the subordinate, they will be drowned in a huge amount of information and become at a loss."

"This selectivity is the most basic logical setting, so deception has always been associated with war."

"In ancient China, there was the story of 'wishing for plums to quench thirst'; in modern warfare, the Japanese army deliberately concealed the truth of the war after the Battle of Midway."

"The truth of the Battle of Midway was neither told to the public nor to senior officials. Instead, it was announced that the war was 'one battle to determine the overall situation', and the deceived citizens also celebrated the 'victory' with lights and decorations."

"And in more cases, 'deception' is not 'telling the wrong truth', but 'deliberately concealing some information'."

"In order to ensure that soldiers obey orders, very few superiors will directly order soldiers: 'Go and give your life', which will not only not give soldiers any sense of honor, but also have a fatal blow to morale."

"In war command, commanders often just issue a clear task, such as holding a certain position for 2 hours, and then retreating. But the commander will never say anything more: 'This action has a very high probability of causing the entire army to be wiped out.'"

"Therefore, deception is not a hypocritical trick. In most cases, it is just the most efficient processing of the information transmission chain, in order to expand the results of the war, reduce losses, and achieve greater victories."

Accompanied by Aeeis's voice-over, Qin Yi began to command battle after battle.

Because of the existence of the simulated elements, these battles are mixed with real battles and virtual battles.

If Qin Yi fails in a certain battle or is not satisfied with the results, he can ask Aeeis to review and simulate the battle. It will restore the initial troop deployment of both sides, but the war process will still have a series of random events due to the system's calculations, so that each review is different.

In this case, Qin Yi can judge that this is simulated by Aeeis, not a real battle, because in reality, these people have already died because of the failure of the initial battle.

And those battles that Qin Yi encountered for the first time are also a mixture of truth and falsehood. According to Aeeis, sometimes he is commanding the real army, and sometimes he is commanding a virtual battle.

But no matter whether these battles are true or false, Qin Yi will command them with 120% focus, because between the mixture of truth and falsehood, he has become accustomed to treating every unit on the screen as a living person.

It is precisely because of this mentality that Qin Yi began to rely more and more on the various data provided by Aeeis.

Because Qin Yi found that in most cases, data is more reliable than people. If a soldier's morale has dropped to freezing point, then the result of commanding him to perform an important task will be obvious.

In this long process, Qin Yi began to gradually become numb.

In addition to the necessary sleep every day, Qin Yi is constantly conducting battle after battle, performing mechanical operations.

If he succeeds, he will continue to the next battle; if he fails, he will review it countless times until he wins.

Endless loops and endless repetitions day after day.

There is no day or night in the command module. Only Aeeis accurately calculates the time, letting Qin Yi go to sleep or wake up.

Qin Yi didn't bother to remember how many times he had slept or how many days had passed, because the decisive battle could come at any time, and he had to seize every moment to prepare.

Finally, one day, Qin Yi was awakened by Aeeis in his sleep.

On the surrounding holographic images, Qin Yi saw the overwhelming swarm of Zergs densely entering and exiting the reorganized nest. The human strongholds on the planet and the starships floating in the starry sky were already on high alert.

The status quo is self-evident, and a new round of large-scale battles is about to break out.

This battle may be protracted, or it may collapse instantly due to a negligible mistake and end quickly.

Qin Yi stepped towards the control panel. When this day really came, he felt unprecedentedly calm.