On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu went to the capital together.
Shi Zhen didn't plan to meet the Mu family, but fearing that Guan Baiyu would be mistreated if he went, he went along with them.
Upon arriving in the capital, he and Guan Baiyu moved directly into Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng's house.
In the following days, Guan Baiyu accompanied Mu Tian and the others to meet Mu Tian's family and Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng's friends, while he himself traveled to various places every day.
He doesn't plan to develop his career here, so getting to know these people is pointless. He'd rather use that time to visit the construction site.
Shi Zhen walked around for a while and then felt that... houses these days are really too cheap.
At that time, people did not have the idea of buying houses to wait for appreciation; they bought houses to live in themselves. Land prices did not rise higher and higher, so the housing prices in the capital were particularly low in Shi Zhen's eyes.
Unfortunately, he doesn't have the money to buy it now.
It's not that we don't have money, but we have many other expenses to cover, so we can't use it to buy a house for the time being.
Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu stayed there until the tenth day of the lunar month before returning to Changxi City and starting to work on company matters. As for Guan Baiyu... he also got busy.
He plans to open an internet cafe.
Guan Baiyu had this idea long ago.
In another part of his life, before he passed away, he read reports about internet cafes and knew someone who made a lot of money running an internet cafe. He thought about it carefully and realized that running an internet cafe was definitely a good business for him.
The computer skills he has learned now are enough for him to open an internet cafe.
The only problem... is that opening an internet cafe in this day and age is a bit too expensive.
Compared to average income, computers are too expensive now.
But it's not that he can't handle it.
After making the decision to open an internet cafe, Guan Baiyu conducted some research.
As far as he knows, the earliest internet cafe opened in Shanghai two years ago. Back then, it wasn't called an internet cafe, but a computer room, and the price for internet access was 40 yuan per hour.
Back in 1996, pork was only 3 yuan per jin (500g). In Anshan Town, most ordinary workers earned only 300-400 yuan a month.
However, this era is somewhat divided.
The internet cafe boom likely started this year, peaking in the early 2000s. Back then, opening a large internet cafe could easily generate an annual income of over a million.
If we open a few more stores... we could earn millions a year.
At that time, the average wage was only seven or eight hundred.
Of course, in this era, opening an internet cafe requires a huge investment and a lot of money, which is beyond the reach of most people.
Guan Baiyu dared to open the business because Huaguang was doing quite well. Although his shares had been diluted, he still received a dividend of 100,000 yuan at the end of the year.
In addition, he had worked as a study abroad agent and ran a printing shop for the previous six months, plus the red envelopes and other gifts he received from Mu Tian and others... He had saved up 300,000 yuan in total.
He had 400,000 yuan in his hands. Although it wasn't as much as Shi Zhen's money, Shi Zhen's money was all for a purpose and couldn't be misappropriated. But it was different for him; he could spend this money however he wanted.
Of course, this money was still not enough, so Guan Baiyu planned to get some more money. As for how to get it... he could ask Liang Qinxuan, as well as the many rich second-generation heirs he knew through Liang Qinxuan's connections.
Liang Qinxuan also had the dividends he had just received from Huaguang, plus the money his father gave him for the New Year, so he had at least several hundred thousand yuan.
Needless to say, those rich kids! Who doesn't have at least 100,000 or 200,000 yuan in their pocket?
Guan Baiyu arranged to meet Liang Qinxuan.
After Mu Tian and the others left Changxi City before the Lunar New Year, Guan Baiyu and Liang Qinxuan met once, but never saw each other again.
This time, Guan Baiyu took the initiative to arrange to meet Liang Qinxuan at the newly opened coffee shop in Changxi City. As soon as Liang Qinxuan saw him, he said sarcastically, "Oh, busy man, you finally have time to see me!"
Liang Qinxuan looked like a wronged woman, while Guan Baiyu laughed and said, "Sorry, I was too busy before."
“Sigh, never mind, I can’t blame you… By the way, how did you feel about going to the capital?” Liang Qinxuan asked.
Although Liang Qinxuan didn't meet Guan Baiyu often, he would call Guan Baiyu from time to time, and their contact never stopped.
He knew that Guan Baiyu had recognized his biological parents and even went to the capital. His first thought after finding out was that Guan Baiyu was becoming more and more awesome.
As the only child of two professors... Guan Baiyu could probably roam freely at H University.
As for Guan Baiyu not having time to see him... that's normal.
Isn't this a trip to the capital to visit relatives?
Now that Guan Baiyu has returned, he immediately sought him out, which clearly shows that he values this friend very much!
Guan Baiyu ordered two cups of coffee and two small cakes, and told Liang Qinxuan about his experiences in the capital.
Liang Qinxuan has traveled around a lot in recent years, including the capital, but he can't meet the people that Guan Baiyu has met, which makes him marvel.
As they chatted, Guan Baiyu asked, "Liang Qinxuan, would you like to go into business with me?"
"What kind of business are you going to do?" Liang Qinxuan asked.
"I'm planning to open an internet cafe... How much money do you have?"
Liang Qinxuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat smugly: "I made a fortune over the New Year, and I have about 400,000 yuan on hand now."
"If you invest this 400,000 yuan, I'll give you 30% of the internet cafe's shares, how about it?" Guan Baiyu asked.
He hadn't expected Liang Qinxuan to have 400,000 yuan... With so much money, he wouldn't need to seek cooperation with those rich second-generation heirs anymore.
Liang Qinxuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "That won't do. If I give you all the money, what will I spend?"
"Doesn't your dad give you living expenses every month?" Guan Baiyu said, "If you don't give me this money, it will just be spent in the end. But if you give it to me... it becomes a golden goose, isn't that good?"
Liang Qinxuan believed this.
Guan Baiyu is truly capable. Not to mention that opening Huaguang Stationery was Guan Baiyu's idea in the first place, just look at the previous six months...
Guan Baiyu was in high school before, so he didn't have the time or place to develop his talents. But once he went to college... look at that! In just half a year, Guan Baiyu earned at least 200,000 yuan!
Now Guan Baiyu wants to open an internet cafe... To be honest, he doesn't know what that is, but Guan Baiyu thinks that if it can make money, it probably can.
But he doesn't actually live off the 1,000 yuan monthly allowance his dad gives him!
He has a car and a girlfriend to support, and he also needs to eat, drink, and have fun with his friends... What he spends is always Huaguang's dividends and the red envelopes given by his parents.
The worst part is that, all his current funds combined are actually a few thousand short of 400,000...
“I’ll invest 300,000…” Liang Qinxuan said, leaving 100,000 would be enough for him to live on for a year.
“I’ve prepared nearly 500,000 yuan this time, and I’ll also be responsible for the decoration and operation, etc. You’re only investing 300,000 yuan… You won’t get many shares or much dividends… It’s a flat price of 400,000 yuan, no less.” Guan Baiyu was short 400,000 yuan.
Although he had other ways to make money, he was too lazy to fleece more than he could fleece one sheep.
As for borrowing money from Shi Zhen... Shi Zhen has taken on such a big project and is about to start construction, so he needs more working capital. He doesn't plan to ask Shi Zhen for money.
Liang Qinxuan hesitated.
Guan Baiyu then said, "How about this, you put up 400,000, and out of respect for our brotherhood, I'll give you 40% of the shares. Of course, in that case, you can't ignore the various things happening at the internet cafe; you have to help me share some of the burden."
He actually only had 400,000 in cash on hand, and if Liang Qinxuan also contributed 400,000... he originally planned to give Liang Qinxuan 40% of the shares.
He'd be at a loss if he got half, since it was his idea, and he'd probably have to worry about things like decorating and installing the computer.
Liang Qinxuan was still a little hesitant.
Guan Baiyu continued, "Liang Qinxuan, you opened Huaguang when you were in high school. Don't you plan to do anything during college? Are you really going to just eat, drink, and have fun all day and do nothing?"
Liang Qinxuan hadn't realized it before, but after Guan Baiyu said that... he suddenly realized that he really hadn't done anything during his university years.
Actually, compared to others, he did accomplish some things. At least because he had been discouraged by Guan Baiyu, he interned at his father's company during winter and summer vacations, gaining a clear understanding of the company's operations.
But he really has no career in the provincial capital... He just eats and plays every day.
He can't go on like this; he has to fight!
Liang Qinxuan was about to scrape together the 400,000 yuan, but just as he was about to agree, he suddenly thought of something and said, "How about this, Guan Baiyu, tell me who your girlfriend is, and I'll invest the 400,000 yuan. I'll also help you out later!"
He really wanted to know who Guan Baiyu's girlfriend was!
He's been curious about this for months!
Upon hearing this, Guan Baiyu immediately laughed and said, "Okay."
Liang Qinxuan looked at Guan Baiyu with a gossipy expression, seemingly all ears.
Guan Baiyu stirred the coffee in his cup with a spoon, paused for a moment, and then said, "I've been in a relationship for more than half a year, but I don't have a girlfriend, I have a boyfriend."
"Huh?" Liang Qinxuan thought he had misheard.
Guan Baiyu chose this coffee shop because it was quiet and not crowded. He even chose a corner seat to make it easier to talk.
After looking around and making sure no one could hear him, Guan Baiyu laughed: "The summer after the college entrance exam... I won over my brother."
"You...you..." Liang Qinxuan was stunned: "Did I hear that right?"
"No." Guan Baiyu laughed.
"That's your brother..."
“We’re not related by blood at all. He’s got the wrong person… When I was in my senior year of high school, he found out about this and started helping me find my biological parents, but I liked him,” Guan Baiyu laughed. “Coincidentally, he liked me too, so we got together.”
He would use different versions of his story with Shi Zhen to describe it to different people.
Liang Qinxuan: "..."
Guan Baiyu ate and drank coffee with an air of nonchalance.
After a long while, Liang Qinxuan couldn't help but curse out, "Damn it!"
After uttering a curse, he finally found his voice: "I knew you two were too close. You're always thinking about your brother..."
Liang Qinxuan talked on and on for a long time, but eventually had to accept it.
Guan Baiyu knew he would accept.
Liang Qinxuan is quite open-minded, always saying that he wants to be childless. He had tested him before, and when Liang Qinxuan heard him talk about homosexuality, he didn't feel disgusted, only curious.
Even if Liang Qinxuan hadn't asked, he would have told him in a few days.
Deep down, he hoped that more people would know about this.
After Liang Qinxuan had finished speaking, Guan Baiyu changed the subject: "Alright, let's talk about opening an internet cafe."
Actually, there are already internet cafes in the provincial capital.
Guan Baiyu had visited it before; the internet cafe was rather small.
This time, he plans to invest 800,000 yuan to build a bigger and more luxurious internet cafe. He has already found a property and is just waiting to negotiate the lease in a few days before starting renovations.
Computers are now cheaper than before; you can buy one for seven or eight thousand yuan if you're an individual.
You can buy the parts and assemble the computers in the internet cafe yourself. There are also discounts for bulk purchases, so the price should be able to be controlled at around six thousand.
Guan Baiyu plans to buy at least one hundred computers at once, and use the remaining money for renovations, as well as purchasing tables, chairs, and so on.
Guan Baiyu talked with Liang Qinxuan for a long time and found that Liang Qinxuan now knew a lot of things.
His internship at his father's company didn't seem to be in vain.
Guan Baiyu doesn't plan to just open this one internet cafe. He plans to open other internet cafes as soon as he has the money after opening this one.
The internet cafe business will only be profitable for a few years. After that, more and more people will follow suit and open internet cafes, and the government will regulate them more strictly, making it harder to run an internet cafe and no longer able to earn millions a year.
After reaching an agreement with Liang Qinxuan, he returned to the house he and Shi Zhen lived in in Changxi City.
He planned to go to the provincial capital after the Lantern Festival... Firstly, there was a lot of preparation work to be done to open an internet cafe, and secondly... he would be starting school soon.
Guan Baiyu told Shi Zhen about opening an internet cafe.
Shi Zhen really didn't know that internet cafes could make so much money. He only remembered from his previous life that... for many years after Guan Baiyu's death, countless parents denounced internet cafes.
However, later on, many families got computers, and fewer people went to internet cafes.
After smartphones became widespread, even fewer people went to internet cafes.
At least those kids won't save up money to go to internet cafes; they'll only save up money to buy a second-hand phone.
"Can you really earn that much?" Shi Zhen asked.
Guan Baiyu said, "Given the current situation, charging five yuan per hour for internet access isn't too much, is it? If a computer is used for ten hours a day, that's fifty yuan. If a hundred computers are used, that's five thousand yuan a day. And if there are thirty days in a month, that's one hundred and fifty thousand yuan."
Shi Zhen: "..." That's some serious money-making!
Guan Baiyu laughed: "Of course, electricity and internet fees cost money, but... nowadays, no internet cafe computer is used for only ten hours a day... some internet cafes are open all night, and the computers are running 24 hours a day."
Shi Zhen lay flat on the bed.
He felt a little pathetic.
Sigh, his workers work so hard every day, but they don't even earn as much as a single computer. After paying the workers' wages, he gets even less.
Guan Baiyu leaned over and began to tease Shi Zhen.
Shi Zhen quickly couldn't take it anymore: "Don't do this..."
Guan Baiyu laughed heartily and said, "Brother, I'm using my beauty to seduce you! You can consider yourself a victim of my scheme."
"Then I've fallen for their trap."
"Okay, then I'll start making my requests... Brother, can you help me with the design, and then help me with the renovations?" Guan Baiyu said.
Shi Zhen is preparing to open another decoration company called Baishi, and he has already recruited quite a few people.
Guan Baiyu plans to have his own people do the renovations for the internet cafe to save money and ensure the speed.
As for the decorating style, he would discuss it with Shi Zhen and then decide on it.
After the Lantern Festival, Guan Baiyu went to the provincial capital and rented a two-story shop with an area of about 180 square meters in a newly built bustling commercial center not far from H University.
These two floors together cover more than 300 square meters, which he can use for his purposes.
After renting the house, Guan Baiyu immediately brought renovation workers from Changxi City to the provincial capital to renovate the shop.
He planned to set up the ground floor like a regular internet cafe, while turning the second floor into private rooms with better computers and higher prices for internet access, to make money from wealthy people.
His internet cafe also sells snacks and drinks.
As for the decorating style... well, whatever's trendy is the way to go!
Nowadays, internet cafes are high-end establishments, so they can't be too ordinary.
While Guan Baiyu was busy with renovations, his business license for opening an internet cafe was approved.
The fact that it was approved so quickly is related to Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng.
Professors of their age... if you just casually chat with them, you'll find alumni everywhere, and the people they and their friends have taught are working all over the world.
Nowadays, the approval process for opening an internet cafe is not strict, and it's easy to get one approved.
Guan Baiyu got to work in a flurry of activity.
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