If Li Shi were allowed to choose, he would have considered opening a branch at the entrance of Handong Jiaotong University’s East Campus or nearer to Ming Yun Villas. He would not have opened it at such an awkward position between both places.
According to his initial research, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s branch at Ming Yun Villas was indeed doing the worst out of all the branches. This was a direct consequence of the branch’s location.
Thus, Li Shi was confused.
The fact that the long-faced man was visiting the branch at Ming Yun Villas frequently showed that Boss Pei took this branch as an important part of his plan.
Yet, from any angle, it did not look like this branch had much potential. If Li Shi had been the boss, he would have given up on this branch very early on in order to cut his losses.
All of this made him extremely curious.
After pondering for a long time, Li Shi left Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s flagship store and prepared to drive to the branch at Ming Yun Villas in order to find out more.
At Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s branch in Ming Yun Villas…
There was a vast plain outside the cafe. After all, this was Jingzhou City’s outskirts. Naturally, it was not very crowded. Li Shi parked his car outside and walked into the internet cafe. Although the two branch’s set-ups were not completely the same, their styles were similar. This place felt familiar to Li Shi.
What’s more, this branch was a lot less crowded than the flagship store. To Li Shi, this was a huge plus point!
He walked to the coffee area, sat down, and then ordered a cup of tea.
The clean environment made him very happy.
However, Li Shi did not forget what he had come here for. He scanned the first floor of the internet cafe and found that Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were here indeed.
However, both of them were happily playing games in the internet cafe. They had headphones on, and they looked very focused.
Ma Yang was completely engrossed. However, Zhang Yuan looked like he was in unspeakable pain. One could only imagine how torturous it was to play games with a boss who was rubbish at it and who had no self-awareness whatsoever!
However, in the eyes of an outsider like Li Shi, both of them looked like they were enjoying themselves and were on very good terms.
“Indeed, they have shifted their focus onto this branch, but… Why? It is purely because this place is doing horribly, and they want to convert the losses to profits?
“No, I don’t think that’s it. Boss Pei is very far-sighted. Would he be so hung up on the losses that one branch is incurring? There must be more to it.
“For all I know, there’s a deeper, complex plan behind this branch.”
Once again, Li Shi was careful not to be negligent.
Earlier, he had not expected Pei Qian to use a singer to turn the tables around. Once bitten, twice shy. He now knew that behind every ordinary-looking plan, Boss Pei had deeper intentions.
This time would be no exception.
Li Shi did not want Ma Yang to spot him. After what happened the last time, he understood that this long-faced man’s relationship with Pei Qian was too good. There was no way he would be able to rely on him.
However…
The other lower-level employees were a different story.
Li Shi scanned the internet cafe and saw several waiters. The internet cafe was too deserted, and the waiters looked listless. It was obvious that they were only trying to maintain a high standard of professionalism because of their professional training. Li Shi guessed that these waiters were not paid very much.
Fish-Catching Internet Cafe might treat their workers much better than the average industry standard, but these waiters did physical labor after all. They were just not worth paying that much.
If that were true, Li Shi could spend some money to bribe them and understand more about this branch at Ming Yun Villas.
At that thought, Li Shi quietly noted down the names and faces of several waiters. He took two more sips of his coffee, paid the bill, and then left.
Bribing two or three waiters did not seem significant, but it could give Li Shi something very important: updates. Any money he spent would be well worth it as long as these workers continuously provided Li Shi with updates about the branch and allowed him to figure out the direction in which Boss Pei was going!
If he prioritized stability, bribing just one waiter would minimize the risks of him being exposed.
However, Li Shi was worried that one waiter would provide him with fake updates. What would he do then? If he bribed a few waiters, at least he could verify the updates against one another. This would increase the reliability of the updates he received.
Of course, this would increase the risk of his plan being exposed. However, Li Shi was not that worried.
He would ask his subordinates to contact these waiters. Pei Qian would not be able to trace these things back to Fu Hui Investments.
It would not be a problem even if these waiters reported the matter to Pei Qian. At most, the plan would fall through at no loss to Li Shi.
The only thing he had to worry about was that these waiters would collude to provide fake information. However, the waiters would probably only do so if they were absolutely loyal to Boss Pei. What’s more, they must be able to resist the temptation of money.
How could they?
Thus, Li Shi felt quite confident. He believed in the power of money.
The next day…
Coincidentally, Pei Qian had nothing much to do in the afternoon. He thought about walking around in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s branch at Ming Yun Villas.
He also wanted to take the chance to ask Ma Yang and the others about their progress in planning for Headwind Courier stations.
The initial preparations for Headwind Courier stations would not be complicated. They mainly had to rent spaces, renovate them, purchase shelves and office supplies, recruit delivery men, and contact express delivery companies and discuss collaborating.
Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were in charge of all of these things for now.
After all, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and Fish-Catching Take-Out were all incurring losses for now. Pei Qian was quite satisfied with this, and he trusted both of them.
Once Headwind Logistics’ business expanded and Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were unable to cope, Pei Qian would consider handing this business over to other people to manage.
When they saw Boss Pei walk in, the waiters in the internet cafe became slightly nervous. Everyone knew that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s branch at Ming Yun Villas was doing the worst out of all the branches. It was practically at rock-bottom! The waiters were worried that the branch would be closed all of a sudden, and they would lose their jobs.
The initial situation had been better. All the branches were incurring losses, and the branch at Ming Yun Villas was quite deserted. Boss Pei hardly visited them.
However, once Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s flagship store began making profits, everything changed. It seemed like Boss Pei had suddenly turned his attention to the branch at Ming Yun Villas!
The internet cafe’s manager, Ma Yang, and the regional manager, Zhang Yuan, seemed to be permanently stationed at this branch. What’s more, Boss Pei began visiting the branch more frequently as well. All the waiters were under immense pressure, and they were getting increasingly nervous.
It was obvious that the higher management had noticed that the branch at Ming Yun Villas was at rock bottom. For all they knew, huge changes were going to take place. Although everything seemed calm for now, nobody knew when the storm was going to come.
All the waiters understood their own situation. They received high salaries and good welfare here, but who knew how long more they could keep their jobs?
Thus, some of them began to work on back-up plans. Although they were treated very well here, everybody was selfish. They had to think for themselves.
“Brother Qian, you’re here!”
Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan welcomed Pei Qian warmly and led him to a table to sit.
A few waiters stood by the side, waiting for instructions.
Pei Qian sipped his coffee and said to Ma Yang, “Give our brothers an additional one thousand yuan for their salary this month.”
Ma Yang was shocked, and so were a few waiters.
Pei Qian explained, “This is an incentive! The branch at Ming Yun Villas is not doing well. I’ll need everyone to keep working hard! Don’t feel too stressed about our current results either. Relax, our Fish-Catching Internet Cafe will not give any of you brothers up!”
Pei Qian had not thought too much about it. He just wanted to spend more money because he felt like it.
There was reason to give out this sum of money, and it was not much to begin with. There was no reason for the System to deny it.
What’s more, the branch at Ming Yun Villas had been steadily incurring losses and showed no signs of improving. Pei Qian felt that this was the gold-standard business of his dreams. It directly contrasted what the flagship store had become. Naturally, he had to spend more money here to pad his expenses.
Once he finished speaking, Pei Qian noticed that three or four waiters had weird expressions on their faces.
They looked overjoyed but hesitant as well.
Finally, one of the waiters plucked up the courage to speak. “Boss Pei, there is something I want to report to you! Someone tried to bribe me and told me to give them updates about what happens in this branch!”
Another waiter nodded and said, “Me, too!”
Yet, another waiter looked hesitant. It was obvious he was guilty.
Actually, none of these waiters needed to report this secret to Pei Qian. After all, they were low-level workers in the internet cafe. They were not close to Pei Qian, and they might not have profited from blurting the secret.
However, after Boss Pei distributed one thousand yuan to each of them as incentives, the waiters felt moved.
They thought about the excellent treatment and welfare they had been receiving in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and began to feel their conscience prick them.
Thus, although they were being offered more money by the other party, someone took a firm stand!
Pei Qian paused.
He was quite shocked… not because his subordinates had been bribed but because… he did not expect someone to spend money on such useless updates.
The branch at Ming Yun Villas was doing so horribly. Why was there a need to plant spies?
Do you have too much money and nowhere to spend it? Just give it to me, then!
Pei Qian casually asked, “How much is he paying you?”
One of the waiters hesitated for a second, and then said, “Five hundred yuan for normal updates, and three thousand yuan for important updates.”
To Li Shi, the waiters would definitely not be able to resist this sum of money. However, he had underestimated the exceptional welfare that employees of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe enjoyed.
Pei Qian began cursing in his heart.
Why the hell do things like that not happen to me?
These are just updates about Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s branch at Ming Yun Villas. Three thousand yuan for some updates? I can sell so many updates to you that you go bankrupt, do you believe that?
