Chapter 14: Mutual Benefit

"Only with tolerance can one accommodate others, only with depth can one bear things. ——Xue Xuan."

Chu Zhixuan, over thirty years old, was naturally adept at reading people's expressions. Seeing Lin Feng's demeanor, he knew that Lin Feng was not willing for him to invest. However, Boss Chu Lian was really unwilling to just be a landlord. Moreover, learning that Lin Feng was opening an internet cafe, she was truly tempted. If it weren't for the daily management of the internet cafe, Chu Zhixuan quickly distanced himself, indicating that he was only investing and not managing the cafe.

Just investing without participating in management, Lin Feng could勉强accept. However, Lin Feng also knew how popular the internet cafe would be in the future. Although some internet cafes had opened nearby, this would be the only large-scale internet city in the area. The trend in the future would be that internet cities would make money, while small internet cafes would be squeezed out.

After some thought, Lin Feng decided to listen to Chu Zhixuan's investment proposal. If Chu Zhixuan invested, more computers could be added in the early stages, and development would be faster. Although the profit would be less, Lin Feng did not expect to soar to success solely through the internet cafe. He had other plans, and the internet cafe was just a stepping stone for him to take off.

"So, how do you plan to invest, Brother?" Lin Feng asked.

"Brother, I plan to invest with the rent of the storefront, for just 30% of the profit," Chu Zhixuan said, seeing Lin Feng's attitude soften. Although he wanted to invest in the internet city, he was more afraid of scaring Lin Feng away, which would make it impossible for him to lease the storefront.

Lin Feng smiled coldly. Thirty percent of the profit, you're just robbing me. If 500 computers are installed later, and the hourly rate is 1 yuan, the 30% profit for a month would be terrifying. After all, the location here is extremely advantageous, with no other storefronts around that can accommodate more than 100 computers. The future profits would definitely make everyone envious.

"Brother, that's too much," Lin Feng said, since Chu Zhixuan was asking for a high price, he had to bargain, "I can give you at most 5% of the profit."

"Five percent? No, that's too low. The location of my storefront is the best in the area, and it will definitely appreciate in value," Chu Zhixuan knew his advantage.

"Brother, even if the storefront appreciates, the potential is limited. After all, it's not in a prime location. But once the computers are fully equipped, the profit will be huge. Thirty percent is too much," Lin Feng insisted.

"Brother, how about 25% of the profit?" Chu Zhixuan bargained.

"No..."

After a heated debate, they finally reached an agreement. Chu Zhixuan would invest with the storefront and receive 25% of the monthly profit. For the first three months, all expenses such as electricity and water would be covered by Chu Zhixuan, and he would be responsible for setting up the internet. The agreement also stipulated that all revenue for the first three months, except for necessary living expenses, must be used to purchase computers. Any future additions to the computer inventory would be shared according to their shares. Lin Feng would manage the internet cafe, while Chu Zhixuan would only receive dividends and not be involved in management.

A special clause was added: as long as Lin Feng operated the internet cafe, Chu Zhixuan could not reclaim the storefront for any reason.

This clause was added because Lin Feng was afraid that Chu Zhixuan would see the booming business and kick him out to operate it alone. After all, for an internet city, funding was easy to come by, but a good location was hard to find. Such a prime location would make anyone envious.

After reaching the agreement, they smiled at each other. This agreement was mutually beneficial: Lin Feng could use all the initial funds to purchase computers, and Chu Zhixuan could invest in an industry he had long coveted without spending any money.

Of course, Chu Zhixuan was deeply impressed by Lin Feng's eloquence and ability, thinking he was far from a typical 19-year-old. Lin Feng just smiled; he looked 19, but he had lived 29 years before his rebirth, working as a salesperson, bookbinder, mover, operator, printer, and drafter. With such rich social experience, how could he still be a naive teenager?

A week later, the "Chu Feng Internet City," named after a character from each of their names, opened. At the opening, there were 50 computers, with an hourly rate of 3 yuan and a nightly rate of 20 yuan. Three cashiers, one cleaner, and Lin Feng as the temporary network administrator were hired.

Lin Feng had also wanted Aunt Huang to invest in the "Chu Feng Internet City," but she declined, preferring to stay close to take care of Huang Piaotian Literature. As a result, Lin Feng could no longer enjoy the quiet path under the stars every night.

Over the next half month, the relatives on both sides of the family despondently accepted the fact that Yi An Technology's stock had been in a continuous free fall. Hollow eyes and indifferent expressions were the true reflections of all the stockholders of Yi An Technology. Many nearly疯狂stockholders even went to various temples rumored to be extremely effective, but it did nothing to stop the plummet of Yi An Technology.

The market was in a state of depression, and countless families were plunged into despair. Finally, Lin Feng's father, unable to bear it, asked if Lin Feng could help the relatives by letting them invest in the new internet city.

Lin Feng naturally refused. Previously, he had asked Aunt Huang to invest because her capital was small and would not threaten him; secondly, he wanted to keep the "Huang Piaotian Literature" from disbanding. He would not allow such a thing to happen.

However, under his father's persistent persuasion, Lin Feng agreed to introduce a high-profit business to the relatives who had lost everything. His mother, on the other hand, did not put any pressure on him, as she had been repeatedly warned by her son, and it was their own fault for not listening.

After dealing with the persistent relatives, Lin Feng's "Chu Feng Internet City" officially opened.

The opening of "Chu Feng Internet City" caused a sensation in the Lantai Special Zone, especially among students, who spread the news by word of mouth. Although there were seven or eight internet cafes in the area, they had few computers, small spaces, and the air was unbearable due to smoking, making them almost exclusively male-dominated.

After "Chu Feng Internet City" opened, the situation changed. The hardware facilities remained the same as "Huang Piaotian Literature," and since Lin Feng disliked the smell of smoke, the no-smoking rule was continued. This rule was welcomed by all female and non-smoking customers, and "Chu Feng Internet City" attracted more customers. Even those who initially resisted the no-smoking rule had to return to "Chu Feng Internet City" because it was the only place in Lantai Special Zone where all the beautiful women gathered.

Why do men go online? For the beautiful women, of course.

In the early stages, due to the large number of internet users and the limited number of computers, Lin Feng added many sofas and chairs for students to rest and wait. This was an unexpected bonus.

Lin Feng also added a bar on the first floor to sell drinks and snacks. Having experienced all-night gaming sessions himself, he knew that during meal times or all-night sessions, the most needed items were drinks and snacks. Although there were options outside, few people would leave the game to go out for a meal, and drinks and snacks were the most practical choice, being both economical and convenient.

Moreover, this would bring additional income to "Chu Feng Internet City," so why not?

For seven consecutive days, "Chu Feng Internet City" was fully booked, making Chu Zhixuan both delighted by the success of the investment and regretful about the 25% dividend. Overall, the initial cooperation between the two was a success.

After one month of operation, Lin Feng calculated the accounts: the total revenue from the computers and the bar was 84,000 yuan, with 1,200 yuan in taxes, 600 yuan per cashier (1,800 yuan in total), 500 yuan for the cleaner, and 1,000 yuan for Lin Feng as the network administrator, resulting in a net profit of 79,500 yuan. Lin Feng, as agreed, used all the money to purchase more computers.

After one month, the number of computers in "Chu Feng Internet City" increased from 50 to 63. The configuration of the computers was upgraded to: Celeron 664, 128MB RAM, 16MB Shadow Ram graphics card, and 20GB hard drive. This configuration could run "Red Alert: Yuri's Revenge" smoothly, meeting the needs for Lin Feng's next plan.

At this time, Aunt Huang's internet cafe also had seven computers, and the business was still booming. However, due to the large number of internet cafes opening in Chu City, the hourly rate had dropped from 3 yuan to 2.5 yuan, and the trend seemed to continue. This made Aunt Huang secretly admire Lin Feng's foresight for leaving this competitive "battlefield" early.

As "Chu Feng Internet City" expanded, the surrounding small internet cafes began to feel the pressure. However, since the demand for internet cafes was still high, with students constantly looking for computers, the owners of these small internet cafes relaxed their guard, losing their last chance for survival.

"Brother, I see that the computers are often empty in the morning, which is a waste," Chu Zhixuan, who now often visited the internet city, said. Although he only received 25% of the profit, seeing that 50 computers could generate 84,000 yuan in a month, he calculated that if there were 500 computers, the monthly revenue would be 840,000 yuan, and he would receive 210,000 yuan, which was an astonishing amount. Therefore, he was particularly concerned about the internet city's revenue, and seeing empty computers made him feel uneasy.

Empty computers mean lost money! —— Chu Zhixuan cried in pain.

"Ha ha, Brother, don't worry, I already have a plan," Lin Feng smiled, knowing that after the initial boom, "Chu Feng Internet City" would enter a steady period. Since students had classes in the morning, the internet cafe would not be as busy as in the afternoon and evening. However, Lin Feng was confident he could lure them away from their classes. Although this might be a bit unfair to the future of the country, it was a mutual agreement, and no one could blame anyone.

"Brother, help me put up some advertising banners later," Lin Feng said with a mysterious smile.

Page break for AD start

Page break for AD end