Chapter 196: A New Layout!
After sending Lin Wan off, Pei Qian finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Hah, thought you could resist me?
He knew very well that Lin Wan's weakness lay in her obsession with improving her personal abilities. As long as he made her feel like this task was valuable training, she'd take it—no matter the pay.
In short, putting Lin Wan at Shangyang Games would keep her busy enough.
Moreover, he had deliberately dropped subtle hints.
What if Lin Wan, halfway through the project, suddenly felt short on funds and simply went to her brother for money?
So Pei Qian hinted heavily that this assignment was a critical test of her ability—meant to cultivate her capacity to independently manage a project.
That way, Lin Wan would stubbornly refuse to use her family's resources, in order to "prove herself," lowering the odds of success even further.
Perfect!
Closing his little notebook, Pei Qian felt most of the immediate risks had been addressed. Both game companies were more or less arranged properly now.
But this was only the first step of a long march. With such a wide business empire to manage, he had to keep an eye on all fronts.
To make sure every cent was spent solidly and that the company truly hit its loss target before settlement, President Pei would just have to bear with it.
He decided to head out and check on the Moyu Internet Café.
. . . . . .
Moyu Internet Café, Mingyun Villa branch.
This was the worst-performing location out of all the cafés.
Zhang Yuan and Ma Yang were already waiting inside.
Pei Qian walked in and glanced around.
Ah, that familiar feeling.
There were only a handful of customers. The rows of PCs weren't even half full. The coffee area was cold and deserted.
The bartender was dozing off on his feet, and the staff outnumbered the customers.
This was exactly how a Moyu Internet Café should be!
Ever since the flagship location blew up in popularity, Pei Qian had avoided going there.
Although Chen Lei had already returned to Shanghai, the hype he left behind hadn't dissipated. The flagship store was packed daily, and had now completely turned profitable.
In short, Chen Lei had single-handedly turned the flagship store into a hit.
Pei Qian had no desire to revisit that painful place.
He picked a random seat, and a waiter served coffee. The three "Moyu giants" sat together, chatting as they sipped.
Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan exchanged a glance, silently understanding each other.
For Pei Qian to choose this branch clearly carried deeper meaning.
They had always held meetings at the flagship before—why come to this remote Mingyun Villa branch this time?
This was obviously a signal!
Since the flagship was already thriving, it no longer needed attention.
Now, Mingyun Villa was the weakest link, bleeding the most money. Naturally, the next step was to turn this store around.
By picking this as the meeting spot, President Pei's intentions were clear.
They absolutely had to grasp his vision and make sure the bottom-ranking Mingyun Villa branch became the next success story!
Ma Yang was in high spirits, visibly having gained weight.
The flagship café's turnaround had let him shine in front of Pei Qian, and he now walked with a noticeable swagger.
This time, he was even more confident in his plans.
"Brother Qian, I've got some good news about the flagship store."
Pei Qian's left eyelid twitched violently, but he forced his face to remain calm. "Go on."
Ma Yang spoke excitedly: "Ever since Chen Lei's live performance at the flagship, beverage sales have kept climbing. Right now, they've completely offset all losses—the store's profitable!"
"Not only that, but we've also started forming a positive cycle when it comes to singers. After word got out about Chen Lei, quite a few local singers from Jingzhou wanted to switch over to us. The overall quality of our performers has gone up by a whole level!"
Hearing this, Pei Qian felt his heart ache.
He had expected this, but the reality still stung.
Chen Lei's fame had attracted hordes of fans, turning the flagship Moyu Internet Café into a minor tourist spot. Naturally, that meant more and more talented singers were lining up to apply.
As a result, even if Chen Lei left, the flagship café's beverage revenue would remain sky-high!
For the foreseeable future, the singers at the flagship would probably be the best in Jingzhou—maybe even the whole of Handong Province. It was a golden brand now.
Thankfully, there was only one flagship café. The other branches weren't enjoying such treatment—at least, not yet.
Ma Yang continued excitedly: "So, Brother Qian, I think we can expand this model! Actually, we could just renovate and turn the whole internet café into a bar. That way, drink sales would climb even higher—"
Pei Qian immediately shook his head. "No. Old Ma, you're too short-sighted."
Ma Yang was left speechless.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan quietly smirked on the side.
'See? I knew President Pei wouldn't agree!'
Zhang Yuan couldn't help but admire him.
'Seriously, Ma Yang always fails to grasp President Pei's true intentions. How can someone's perception be this lacking?'
And yet, despite this, President Pei still kept him around loyally. Their bond must be incredibly strong.
'Did Ma Yang take a bullet for him or something?'
Clearly, what President Pei wanted was diversified growth, not one-dimensional business.
Turning the café into just a bar to earn some extra beverage revenue? Too shallow. Of course President Pei wouldn't allow that!
Zhang Yuan speculated that President Pei's next move was to let the flagship drive the success of the other branches—then spread this "new model" throughout Jingzhou, and even into neighboring cities…
He felt a little proud.
Ever since working under President Pei, his own growth has been astonishing!
From initially not understanding him at all, to grasping bits and pieces, and now to the point where he could occasionally predict his next move—even if only barely.
This proved that his perspective was expanding, and he was finally beginning to approach Pei Qian's level of thinking!
Pei Qian took a sip of coffee and casually asked, "How's Moyu Delivery doing?"
Ma Yang quickly replied, "Right now, our takeout service has a great reputation! Everyone says the food is healthy, hygienic, and trustworthy… Uh, and they also give our delivery staff high praise."
"...But we're still some distance away from profitability."
In reality, it wasn't "some distance"—it was miles away.
Zhang Yuan had secretly studied the model too, and his conclusion was that profitability was impossible in the short term.
Unless the business scaled massively—covering a wide enough area to offset the high costs of delivery, dish collection, and sanitization—there was no chance.
Pei Qian nodded, clearly satisfied.
Zhang Yuan couldn't help analyzing again.
'Strange. He didn't bring up the other branches, but instead asked about takeout.'
'Could it be that the next stage is focused on delivery? Using the café's popularity to boost Moyu Delivery's reputation?'
While Zhang Yuan was still pondering, Pei Qian calmly revealed his plan for the next stage.
"Next, we'll be taking our first steps into the logistics industry."
"We'll be founding a new company called Against the Wind Logistics!"
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