The Capable Rem

Setting everything else aside, Rem's housekeeping skills were maxed out.

She was top-notch not only at sweeping and mopping, but also at cleaning windows, organizing wardrobes, and everything else.

In a single afternoon, she did as much work on her own as all the Filipino maids before her combined, and she could cook too.

Cooking was one of Rem's specialties as a maid. She was best at desserts and home-style dishes.

But since she came from a different world, Li Chen wasn't quite used to the food.

Li Chen undoubtedly had an Eastern palate. Even though it had been a while since he transmigrated, he still couldn't get used to what people called "white people food."

So he mostly ate things like grilled meat every day. At least it had some flavor.

Rem made home-style dishes from another world. They looked excellent and had rich flavors, resembling Japanese food more than anything.

"Not bad."

Li Chen praised her. "Rem, you're so capable."

Rem, however, wasn't happy to receive the praise. Instead, she said calmly, "But Master didn't finish his food. Clearly, it wasn't to Master's taste."

"What dishes does Master like? Please tell Rem!"

She looked earnestly at Li Chen, and his heart softened. "What are you planning to do, Rem?"

"Rem will learn to make those dishes for Master."

Rem was calm, but her tone was firm.

Li Chen was a little touched. No one had ever said anything like that to him before, much less a soft, sweet-smelling girl like Rem.

Sure enough, 2D girls were the best!

So he began listing dishes. "I like sweet and sour pork ribs, pork stir-fried with chili peppers, dry-fried beef..."

China was vast and rich in resources, and Li Chen had favorite dishes in almost every regional cuisine.

He went from listing Hunan dishes to Cantonese ones. Rem listened carefully at first, but soon her head was covered in sweat. Why were there so many?

"Rem, tell me if you're having any trouble."

"N-no, Master, don't worry!"

Rem replied, sounding a little unsure of herself.

Li Chen nodded in satisfaction. He hadn't dismissed the Filipino maids. Instead, he called the company that employed them and had them do other jobs, like buying groceries.

After all, Rem wasn't from this world, and she couldn't drive. It was best for her not to leave the estate, and even if she did go out, she should stay by Li Chen's side.

But inside the estate, everything could only be left to Rem.

That was what Rem herself had asked for, though. She didn't like cleaning with strangers.

Besides, she thought those ordinary people never got things clean enough.

The only thing Li Chen could do was summon her older sister Ram as soon as possible, so the sisters could be reunited.

A family ought to be together, every last member.

Li Chen had also figured out a pattern in the draws: the fragments for each character varied in how difficult they were to obtain.

They were probably divided according to strength and status.

For example, the fragments of his adjutant Faora, which he had drawn right at the start, were actually very hard to get. Their drop rate wasn't even as high as it had been in his first draw.

But that was normal. The more things there were in the prize pool, the lower the chance of drawing a specific item...

It was like the prize draws in certain Tencent games. They always stuffed the prize pool with a bunch of junk, lowering your chance of drawing something good.

On the other hand, the more things there were in the prize pool, the higher his chance of not drawing a blank.

You win some, you lose some.

As the weekend passed, Starlight Pictures' two comics continued to gain popularity.

People who liked them became grassroots promoters online, strongly recommending them to other netizens or to friends and family around them.

That created a buzz within a certain circle.

Of course, there was an age range to it.

But for "capitalists" like Li Chen and the others, people's enthusiastic discussions weren't important. The numbers were what mattered.

"A large proportion of the readers who bought the latest issue of DC Comics are strongly demanding a standalone Pirate King publication."

"Readers of Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World aren't as enthusiastic or as numerous, but their voices are just as loud, and they're very devoted."

Harry Sloan reported to Li Chen with a smile on his face.

He had been a CEO for so long and had even driven MGM into bankruptcy, but his results had never been this good.

"Then talk to DC and have them get Pirate King its own publication as soon as possible."

Li Chen spoke up. He didn't care about profit, only popularity.

He could clearly feel the popularity because his reputation points kept rising.

This was different from a movie.

No matter how good a movie was, it would basically only generate one wave of popularity.

But comics were serialized over the long term. In his previous life, Pirate King had influenced several generations over the course of decades.

Just how incredible was that level of popularity?

No matter how good a movie was, even if it became a classic, its popularity would inevitably decline over time, because few people would watch it repeatedly.

But whenever a serialized comic released a new chapter, it would stir up a fresh wave of popularity.

Harry Sloan said, "DC isn't the problem now. Our animation department can't keep up with the schedule."

"They can keep up. Give them a raise."

Li Chen put it bluntly.

Who said capitalism didn't like overtime? Try paying them and see what happened.

It was just that many so-called entrepreneurs were used to exploiting labor for free. They wanted people to "volunteer" for overtime without paying them, so naturally they would suffer the iron fist of capitalism...

"Yes."

Harry Sloan was thinking furiously about profits and such.

"And keep hiring."

Li Chen really was a great benefactor.

Other bosses would have been eager to squeeze their employees for all they were worth. Having one person do the work of two or three was fine by them.

But he thought there was strength in numbers. He had to get what he wanted made as quickly as possible.

For example, the first season of Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World only had a little over ten episodes. Once they finished producing it quickly, they could move on to the next project.

If they dragged their feet, how was he supposed to do more draws?

Next, they discussed the film project.

After all, they were a film and television company. Movies were still the most important thing.

"Hasbro has shown preliminary interest and agreed to work with us on a live-action Transformers movie."

Harry Sloan continued.

Li Chen smiled. "Good. Reach an agreement with them as soon as possible. Don't waste time."

Harry gave a wry smile. Negotiations always dragged on, with days of arguing over the smallest share of the profits.

But his boss didn't seem to care at all... It had been the same with the DC deal.

Still, he was gradually getting used to this method of cutting through the mess.

The main thing was working efficiently.

Harry continued, "What about the film's director and the rest?"

Hearing that, Li Chen immediately said, "Get Michael Bay to direct. Send him an invitation. The cast doesn't matter; people are watching for the Transformers."

If he were still an ordinary person, Li Chen might have been interested in Megan Fox. After all, before she became Kardashianized, she really was alluring.

But now, an ordinary person's physique simply couldn't withstand his basic attacks, much less what would happen after he used a skill.