Lu Zhixing knew that although Boss Duan's words might be an exaggeration, they were, for the most part, the truth.
The direct cause of Starway Internet Cafe's business crisis was the lack of funds, but the root cause lay in the declining customer traffic.
For the business model of internet cafes, the biggest threats are the improvement of hardware capabilities and the shift in gamers' consumption habits.
When most people can afford a decently configured computer, traditional low-margin, high-volume internet cafes are phased out, replaced by cafes with better environments.
Furthermore, as hardware continues to improve and portable devices become capable of handling traditional AAA titles, the purpose of internet cafes weakens overall.
Not to mention, with the advent of the fifth generation of VR technology, there has been a huge impact on the traditional gaming industry, with various VR experience stores emerging, further compressing the living space of traditional internet cafes.
In this macro environment, the only way for internet cafes to survive is to continue transforming.
For example, collaborating with game companies to secure exclusive offline benefits for some popular games, or holding offline events in conjunction with popular games, steering the internet cafe towards becoming an experience store or an offline physical shop.
This was the reason Lu Mingyuan had been running around lately, dining with operation managers from various game companies.
But the problem is, there are very few game companies with such influence, while the number of internet cafes is too large.
These game companies prefer to collaborate with financially strong chain internet cafes instead.
So, despite all his efforts, Lu Mingyuan had little to show for them.
Obviously, Lu Mingyuan had also recognized the current situation, which was why he decided to talk to Duan Lin about selling the Starway Internet Cafe. He just hadn't made up his mind yet.
Duan Lin exhaled another cloud of smoke and looked at Lu Zhixing, "How about it, Boss Lu, have you made up your mind?"
Duan Lin hoped Lu Zhixing could persuade Lu Mingyuan. In his view, as a college student with little worldly experience, Lu Zhixing should be easier to sway than Lu Mingyuan.
Lu Zhixing smiled and handed back the contract.
"Sorry, Boss Duan, we're not planning to sell."
Duan Lin frowned slightly, showing a look of surprise on his face.
He couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.
"Boss Lu, are you sure? This isn't child's play. My time is very valuable, and I don't have the time to keep being dragged around by you.
"I was moved by compassion seeing how hard you and your brother are struggling. If you don't know what's good for you, I don't mind waiting for your internet cafe to go out of business before negotiating with the landlord.
"By then, you won't be getting a penny."
A smile spread across Lu Zhixing's face. Such talk might deceive a naïve child, but fooling him was out of the question.
"Boss Duan, nothing personal, but we simply believe that Starway Internet Cafe still has a chance to turn things around, so there's no need for Boss Duan to trouble himself."
Duan Lin's expression darkened. Although he didn't yet know exactly where the problem lay, he could tell that this deal was probably going to fall through.
This younger brother seemed even more resolute than his elder sibling.
"Hmph."
Duan Lin stood up and extinguished his cigarette on the coffee table, "Alright, Boss Lu, the naïve are fearless. It's good for young people to have drive.
"So let me tell you something.
"Last week, I already negotiated with the management of Changteng Entertainment. You're aware of the very popular variety show 'Campus Talent Show,' right? Changteng Entertainment is going to release a namesake game, and I've secured the exclusive offline partnership in all of Jinghai City.
"When the time comes, my internet cafes will host many events to capitalize on the popularity of 'Campus Talent Show.' I can't say too much, but I'm sure to capture the customer traffic around Jinghai University.
"Starway Internet Cafe is already losing money. I'm curious to see how you will manage to survive then!
"Boss Lu, this is your last chance. Think it over. No need to see me out."
After speaking, Duan Lin walked out of the private room and left without looking back.
Lu Mingyuan was a bit stunned. He stood up, "Hey, Boss Duan..."
Lu Zhixing, who had absolutely no interest in engaging any further, stood and opened the window for some fresh air, "Smoking indoors, what a lack of manners."
Lu Mingyuan stood there, somewhat dazed. The conversation between Lu Zhixing and Duan Lin had happened so quickly he hadn't had the chance to get a word in. By the time he gathered his thoughts, Duan Lin was already gone.
"Zhixing! What are you doing? I haven't even made up my mind about this, and you've rejected Boss Duan. If we ever want to sell the cafe in the future, we might not even be able to get rid of it!
"It's obvious to everyone that the internet cafe business is tough these days, and not many people are willing to take over!"
Lu Zhixing looked at his brother and calmly said, "Brother, what's there to consider? The internet cafe is your blood, sweat, and tears; it absolutely cannot be sold.
"Moreover, changes in the big environment are both crisis and opportunity.
"Indeed, a number of internet cafes will be eliminated, but there will inevitably be internet cafes that can survive by transforming into offline experience stores or VR cafes, and even live better than before.
"Since we've already taken this step, there's no reason to step back."
Lu Mingyuan was anxious, "That's easy to say, but what about the immediate difficulties? Forget transformation, we don't even have the funds to keep the operation going."
Lu Zhixing took out his phone and tapped a few times, "Brother, check your phone."
Lu Mingyuan, looking puzzled, took out his phone, opened the social media app, and saw that Lu Zhixing had just transferred eighty thousand yuan to him.
He was taken aback, but the expression that appeared on his face was not one of joy but of anxiety.
"Zhixing, where did this money come from?"
At this moment, words like "online loan" flashed through his mind.
Seeing Lu Mingyuan's anxious expression, Lu Zhixing couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Brother, what are you thinking? I earned this money by making games myself. And this is just the beginning, I can earn even more later.
"Don't believe me? Look."
Lu Zhixing casually turned on one of the computers in the private room and logged into his official platform account.
Lu Mingyuan was even more surprised: "Zen? You made this game?"
Lu Zhixing enjoyed the shocked expression on his older brother's face.
"Otherwise? Didn't you notice the stone bridge in the game is the one in the old district?"
Lu Mingyuan was still puzzled: "But even if you're a genius who made this game using a VR headset, where did all these art resources come from?"
Lu Zhixing cleared his throat: "You know I major in game design, right? Professor He Cheng from our college retired from a game company and has a lot of connections. I got on good terms with him, so I got some scraps that other games didn't need."
The expression on Lu Mingyuan's face relaxed: "Oh... so that's how it is?"
This rationale was something Lu Zhixing had prepared beforehand. True or false, it was very deceptive to outsiders, and sure enough, it smoothly fooled Lu Mingyuan.
"Then, I read online that the creator of the game went to Longtan Park late at night to pretend to be Big Tree, was that..." Lu Mingyuan trailed off.
Lu Zhixing quickly coughed twice: "Ahem! Brother, let's not talk about that anymore, I was gathering materials.
"Anyway, you don't have to worry about the internet cafe anymore, I will make even more games later.
"Isn't it just about collaborating with game companies? Since those big game companies don't care about us, we'll just make our own games."
To avoid the embarrassment of a social death, Lu Zhixing quickly changed the subject.
Only then did Lu Mingyuan's brow smooth out, his face full of relief: "Alright, that's great! I didn't expect it, my foolish brother has grown up...
"With our brotherly cooperation, we can definitely turn Starway Internet Cafe's losses into profits and reach new heights!"
During this time, Lu Mingyuan was a bit desperate.
He had run around, contacting many game companies, but the operation managers of these companies either looked down on the small internet cafe, unwilling to cooperate, or tried to take bribes, hinting at various additional conditions.
With no other options left, Lu Mingyuan thought about transferring ownership of the internet cafe. Although he would have to sacrifice most of the hard work he had previously put in, at least it could minimize the losses.
But he never expected that his seemingly unremarkable brother could solve the problem in such a way.
This made him even more confident that it was the right decision funding his brother's education at Jinghai University by selling the pot and the iron!
Studying game design, he applied what he learned right away by creating a game, and even solved the crisis of the internet cafe. What do you call that? That's called knowledge changing fate!
Of course, the revenue from "Zen" wasn't just the eighty thousand yuan; Lu Zhixing was planning to continue giving the bulk of the game's income to Lu Mingyuan to sustain the normal operation of Starway Internet Cafe.
But this still didn't solve the problem at its root.
Lu Zhixing knew that the internet cafe's biggest issue was the lack of customer traffic; compared to other internet bars, it had no core competitiveness. If this situation didn't change, any amount of money poured in would be like throwing it into a bottomless pit.
So he had to quickly complete the acting task and create more influential big games to gradually revitalize the internet cafe and successfully transition.
...
...
The next day, after finishing his classes, Lu Zhixing started to busy himself with renting a house.
He found a real estate agent near the university and swiftly inspected housing options that were about two streets away from Jinghai University and reasonably priced.
He had saved up a hundred thousand yuan, eighty thousand of which he gave to Lu Mingyuan, leaving him with twenty thousand.
The twenty thousand was his start-up capital.
He needed to rent a house because Lu Zhixing had to play the role of both a "working person" and a "paralytic patient," and for both identities, he needed to avoid the eyes of his roommate and brother as much as possible.
A physically able young man pretending to be a paralytic patient could be even more socially fatal than pretending to be Big Tree.
The choice of location for the house was also carefully considered. First, it couldn't be too far from Jinghai University, as he would need to attend classes and study from time to time, but also it couldn't be too close, as he didn't want to be seen by classmates while out in a wheelchair pretending to be disabled.
Thus, renting a house two streets over was just the right distance.
The rent in this area wasn't cheap either. A standard one-bedroom apartment cost over three thousand yuan, and paying three months' rent upfront, plus a deposit, meant spending twelve thousand yuan in an instant.
But it couldn't be helped; this was an expense that couldn't be spared.
Besides that, Lu Zhixing also spent over nine hundred yuan to buy a wheelchair online.
An electric wheelchair would have been more convenient, but it was too expensive, generally costing several thousand yuan. Moreover, Lu Zhixing wasn't sure how long he would need to pretend to be a paralytic patient, so a standard wheelchair would suffice for now.
For the next two days, Lu Zhixing was busy setting up the rented house with bedding, toiletries, and went out to buy some basic, affordable furniture.
After getting everything arranged, Lu Zhixing collapsed on the old sofa in the rental for a while, then sat up.
"Alright, it's about time to start drafting the game design concept!"