After finalizing the contract, Lu Fei became even happier. At that moment, Li Wentao, who had been watching students playing games, turned to see Hu, the boss, chatting happily with Lu Fei. This seemed strange to him.
Lu Fei didn't explain much to Li Wentao and hastily left. Since he was planning a fresh start, he naturally wanted to bring Li Wentao along.
In Lu Fei's eyes, Li Wentao wasn't a bad person at heart. Among the group of friends, he didn't know who was sincere and who was trying to deceive him. He realized that it was actually the influence of Li Wen Tao and a few others that led him to gamble.
Back then, Lu Fei was naive and considered them his brothers. Later, he found out that Li Wen Tao had colluded with the owner of the gambling den. They knew Lu Fei had some money, so they conspired to cheat him.
During gambling, Li Wen Tao had tried to dissuade him, but he didn't listen at that time.
Apart from being lazy and addicted to playing, Li Wen Tao didn't have any other major flaws.
Lu Fei put his arm around Li Wen Tao's shoulder and said, "Taozi, do you trust me?"
Li Wen Tao scratched his head. He had noticed that Lu Fei seemed different when he saw him today, and now it was even stranger.
"Yes, I trust you. You are the one I trust the most."
Lu Fei nodded and said, "From now on, don't have any contact with the people led by Fatty (Li Wen Tao's nickname). It's not beneficial for you. I found out that they were the ones who swindled me and made me lose all that money."
"What? Is it true?" Li Wen Tao asked. "Let me call and ask. If it's true, I'll make sure he regrets it!"
"Forget it, don't make the call. Now that you know, that's enough," Lu Fei quickly stopped Li Wen Tao, who was impulsive. "As your brother, I want to open an Internet cafe. Join me, and you will have a share. It's not good to be idle all day long. At least we'll have a proper occupation!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Feige (Big Brother Fei)!" Li Wen Tao nodded, scratching his head again. "But where do we get the money to open an Internet cafe? It costs tens of thousands. I only have a few bucks in my pocket."
"No worries, just follow my lead. Go back first and change your appearance. Dress more formally. If the customers see a careless owner when they enter the Internet cafe, they won't even come in," Lu Fei instructed.
Li Wen Tao's eyes shifted as he said, "Alright!"
"Go then, I'll be waiting for you at the Internet cafe!"
At 10 p.m., Lu Fei and Li Wen Tao entered the Star Internet Cafe again. When Hu, the boss, saw Lu Fei smiling, he said, "You're taking over the night shift too?"
"Of course, the contract states the time, and I believe in conducting business honorably. How can you trust me if I break the rules?" Lu Fei replied.
"Alright, let me tidy up. It's perfect timing for me to go home and sleep," Hu said while counting the money at the counter. "Bro, we have an agreement. It's 4,500 for a week!"
Lu Fei nodded and said, "Of course, if it's not enough, I'll add more from my own pocket. It's clearly stated in the contract. If I don't fulfill it, you can call the authorities."
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"Deal!"
If anyone says Hu fully trusted Lu Fei, they must be kidding. He was simply more greedy. In an average week, he could barely make 3,000, but now, with a contract for 4,500 per month per week, he gladly agreed. With the contractual obligations, he wasn't worried about Lu Fei not fulfilling his promise. Although he was a ruffian, he didn't dare to act unreasonably in such circumstances.
Let's see how things unfold...
After Mr. Hu left, Lu Fei and Li Wentao officially took over the Star Internet Café.
Lu Fei briefly taught Wentao how to operate the card reader. Lu Fei quickly found a large cardboard and a marker, and his operation was about to begin.
Lu Fei had a plan in mind to manage the internet café in order to attract and retain customers. Although the strategies seemed cliché, they were relatively fresh at the moment.
First, he focused on time management, differentiating between weekends and weekdays. Since the business was booming on weekends and many people didn't have computers at home, they decided to increase the price from one yuan per hour to one yuan fifty fen. Lu Fei believed that even with the price increase, it wouldn't significantly affect the weekend business. In fact, it might even generate more revenue.
On the other hand, during weekdays when the business was slow during the day, they would lower the price to fifty fen per hour and then raise it to one yuan after 6 p.m. This way, people who had free time during the day would come to the internet café, thus boosting daytime business.
Additionally, they offered overnight packages from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. for just five yuan, ensuring business even during the nighttime.
With these strategies in place, Lu Fei was confident that the café's revenue would increase substantially.
However, these changes were only meant to increase revenue. Lu Fei had bigger plans.
Looking at the numbers 1234 written on the cardboard, Li Wentao scratched his head and asked, "Fei Ge, will these changes work?"
Lu Fei replied, "Just focus on collecting the money!"
Saying that, Lu Fei found another cardboard and began showcasing his calligraphy skills that were not pleasant to the eye.
"Anniversary celebration, gratitude and big rewards. 1. If an old customer introduces a new customer and they spend money here, they will receive three hours for free. 2. If a new customer spends more than 10 yuan, they will receive an additional 2 yuan. 3. Recharge promotion: Recharge 30 yuan and receive 5 yuan, recharge 50 yuan and receive 10 yuan, recharge 100 yuan and receive 30 yuan, recharge 200 yuan and receive 80 yuan, recharge 500 yuan and receive 200 yuan, recharge 1000 yuan and receive 500 yuan! Offer valid from March 17th to March 24th!"
Muttering the promotions written by Lu Fei, Wentao's scalp went numb, "Fei Ge, recharge 1000 yuan and receive 500 yuan?! Are you crazy? If everyone recharges 1000 yuan, you'll be bankrupt. Won't you?"
Lu Fei laughed and said, "I hope they recharge 1000 yuan! How long will they use that 1000 yuan? Even if they spend every day and night here, it will still take them two to three months. In reality, it would probably take them about a year!"
"If they pay for a year, what can't they do to earn money? Plus, even if we were to go bankrupt, they wouldn't lose much. Our total investment is only around a hundred thousand."
How much money they could make back would depend on this week.
Li Wentao didn't fully understand what Lu Fei was saying, but since Fei Ge had made the decision, there must be a reason. He nodded and said, "Alright, Fei Ge. I'll do as you say!"
These strategies were commonly used in later businesses such as fitness clubs, barber shops, and beauty salons, where some people resorted to these methods to deceive others. They invested a few hundred thousand, raised millions in funds through recharges, and then declared bankruptcy, fleeing with the money, leaving everyone else in a mess.
However, Lu Fei wouldn't do such a thing. It was illegal, and the internet café industry was just beginning its development, with plenty of opportunities to make money. Why resort to illegal methods?
Early the next morning, Lu Fei hung the two calligraphy pieces outside the door where they were easily visible. As he watched the people passing by on Yuanting Street, he silently wished himself luck.
Returning to the café, Lu Fei checked on Wentao, who was sitting behind the counter, and said, "Record all the money in a notebook, assign a number to each person. Make sure you handle this well."
"Don't worry, Fei Ge. Even though I didn't graduate from high school, I've still had some education. If I can't handle this simple task, I might as well die," Wentao assured, patting his chest.