Chapter 31: The First Regular Meeting

At the beginning of August, under the accountant Zhang's calculation, the profits for July were revealed.

Chu Feng Net City, with 225 computers, had a gross income of 351,000 yuan for the month. Although 30 more computers were added, the income only increased by 23,400 yuan, all due to college students returning home for the summer. However, once school resumes, the profits are expected to return.

The bar that supplies food and drinks maintained a pure profit of around 1,500 yuan. The coffee machine, due to the hot weather and the decrease in college students, saw its profit drop to 1,200 yuan.

In terms of expenses, the staff cost 8,000 yuan, various taxes amounted to 1,200 yuan, the "public security management fee" for the Lante District police station in August was 3,375 yuan, the corporate tax (without invoices) was 2,000 yuan, and the dividends to the eight internet cafe owners totaled 58,240 yuan, making the total expenses 72,365 yuan.

The 225 computers, including the air conditioning, used 41,000 kWh of electricity, at 1 yuan per kWh, totaling 41,000 yuan. The water bill was 50 yuan.

After the settlement, Chu Feng Net City's pure profit for July was 239,835 yuan.

"Brother, there were already some idle machines in July. Let's not add more computers for now. We can wait until the college students return," Chu Zhixuan suggested.

Chu Zhixuan's suggestion was not without reason. Before the college students return to school, 225 computers are sufficient to handle the local customer base. Adding more computers would just be for show. However, Lin Feng had a longer-term perspective. Once school resumes, there will be a small wave of computer purchases, and with the National Day holiday, the computer market will see a price increase for a considerable period. It would be more cost-effective to buy the computers now and have the time to set them up leisurely.

Moreover, in September, an incredible game will be released. Thinking about this game, a nostalgic smile appeared on Lin Feng's lips.

September 11, 2000, is a day that all game enthusiasts should remember. On this day, the groundbreaking game "Counter-Strike" was made available for public download, ushering in a crazy "CS era" worldwide. Lin Feng, who experienced this era, knew how疯狂 it was. From individual battles to team battles, and then to various competitions, it was like basketball "street ball," with teams of varying sizes challenging each other, often with wagers. Winning brought joy, while losing brought grumbling and cursing.

Crazy, everything could only be described as crazy!

Therefore, it was necessary to equip the computers now, as many as possible. When the time comes, there would definitely be a shortage of computers, not an excess. Lin Feng also remembered that after the public release, it took a long time for "Counter-Strike" to appear in China, and even then, it was in English. It wasn't until it became popular that some translation teams localized it.

Perhaps I can bring "Counter-Strike" to China earlier and make some money from it. — Lin Feng seemed to see the god of wealth smiling at him.

Under Lin Feng's insistence, Chu Feng Net City added another 35 computers, making it a large net city with 260 computers. They also added two vending machines that could dispense both hot and cold drinks, providing a variety of cold beverages for gamers.

Compared to the high-investment, high-return internet cafe industry, the profits from the "Murder Club" caught Lin Feng's attention even more.

The six "Murder Clubs" operated for 15 days, selling a total of 330 cups of herbal tea. Each cup cost 4 yuan to make, with a pure profit of 11 yuan, making the total pure profit 3,630 yuan. The six "Murder Clubs" had six referees, with a total salary of 2,400 yuan for half a month, three waiters with a total salary of 900 yuan for half a month, rent of 1,000 yuan for half a month, and electricity costs of 1,080 yuan.

Without considering taxes, the total expenses were 5,380 yuan, resulting in a slight loss of 1,750 yuan. Knowing that the herbal tea sold so well but still resulted in a loss of 1,750 yuan, Chu Zhixuan felt even more guilty.

Lin Feng, of course, did not mind this loss, as the 17 "Murder Clubs" that joined his franchise brought him even greater profits.

The 1,700 yuan franchise fee from 17 clubs amounted to 34,000 yuan. Over ten days, the 17 "Murder Clubs" sold a total of 3,500 cups of herbal tea, with a pure profit of 6 yuan per cup, bringing Lin Feng a total pure profit of 21,000 yuan from herbal tea alone. Starting from the next month, each club would also pay a monthly membership fee of 300 yuan, another substantial income that required no additional investment.

On August 2, 2000, Lin Feng Catering and Entertainment Co., Ltd. had a total of six employees: one accountant, one business department director (Liu Yingying temporarily serving as director), and four regular employees.

The accountant's salary was 2,000 yuan, Liu Yingying's salary was 2,000 yuan, and the four regular employees' trial period salaries totaled 2,400 yuan, making the total salary 6,400 yuan. The rent was 500 yuan, and the electricity bill was 300 yuan. The tax (only for herbal tea sales) was 254 yuan.

In the first month of operation, Lin Feng Catering and Entertainment Co., Ltd. had a total income of 58,630 yuan, with expenses of 12,830 yuan, resulting in a pure profit of 45,796 yuan. After the accountant Zhang's calculation, with a total investment of 120,000 yuan, the profit return rate was 38%, another astonishing figure.

The profit return rate for internet cafes during the same period was 19%. However, the initial investment for internet cafes was high, but they would become a highly profitable industry, with the profit return rate potentially increasing to 100% or even higher.

However, Lin Feng believed that for a long time, the "Murder Club" would remain a stable and highly profitable business.

"Mr. Lin, many merchants have sent requests to join the 'Murder Club' franchise," Liu Yingying said at the regular Monday meeting.

Lin Feng smiled and glanced around at the people present: the accountant Zhang, Liu Yingying, and the four employees, feeling a sense of nostalgia. Before his rebirth, he often watched TV shows about listed companies holding weekly shareholder meetings and fantasized about what it would be like. Although the scale and atmosphere of his current business were far from those of a listed company, Lin Feng believed he would have his day.

"However, I believe their true intentions are not in the 'Murder Club' itself. They are interested in the herbal tea recipe," Liu Yingying continued, seeing that Lin Feng was silent.

"According to our investigation, the 'Murder Game' market in Chu City is already severely saturated. Due to many individual merchants opening 'Murder Clubs,' the competition is intense. To attract customers, many 'Murder Clubs' have maliciously lowered their prices. Now, the 17 'Murder Clubs' under our franchise have shifted their profits mainly to herbal tea, with the fees for providing 'Murder Game' services barely covering the referees' salaries and rent and utilities." Liu Yingying handed the printed data report to Lin Feng.

"Indeed, if our 'Murder Clubs' are struggling, the others must be struggling even more. By the way, are there any competitors in Chu City that can match our herbal tea?" Lin Feng was not worried about the competition in the 'Murder Clubs'; the herbal tea was the key.

"None for now. Although many merchants have introduced herbal tea, none can match ours in taste, aroma, or color. However, I have a suggestion. Could we add more varieties of herbal tea to offer a wider selection to customers and enhance our appeal?" Liu Yingying suggested.

"Sure, I'll talk to the master about it," Lin Feng nodded. To monopolize the herbal tea recipe, Lin Feng had apprenticed himself to the old man a week ago and brought the lonely old man home to live with his father. This way, he would not have to worry about the recipe being leaked.

This method might be a bit underhanded, but Lin Feng did not care. To succeed, one must pay a price. Besides, this was not purely a profit-driven investment. At least Lin Feng would take care of the old man, ensuring he did not live alone and unsupported in his old age. To put it bluntly, if the old man lived alone, he might die without anyone knowing.

"Since the competition is so intense, let's drive some of them out of business," Lin Feng smiled, pointing to the 32 'Murder Clubs' on the data report.