During lunch break, Lin Huai asked a few friends from his dormitory including Pu Chengji over the phone to gather at the arcade. When they saw the huge arcade that belonged to Lin Huai, they were all excited. They even announced how they would gather all the students in college to come over and support the business whenever they are free. The only exception was Pu Chengji as he was constantly frowning and that caught Lin Huai’s attention. Soon, Lin Huai called Pu Chengji over to his office along with Dao Zi, Chu Wenxing, Wu Jun and Wu Mengjie whereas the rest of his friends stayed downstairs to have fun.
When everyone entered his office, Lin Huai took a seat and with a smile, he said, “Go ahead and take a seat. How does my arcade feel?”
All of them took a seat on the couch and Wu Mengjie was the first to respond. He excitedly said, “Boss, I used to love going to arcades when I was younger and back then my dream was to open one myself. If only I could skip school and come to manage the arcade for you on a daily basis.”
A smile also appeared on Wu Jun’s cold face and it was pretty much the same for everyone else. The only exception was Pu Chengji who looked calm and composed.
Lin Huai glanced at Pu Chengji and Pu Chengji then looked at Wu Mengjie and asked, “At what age were you when you referred to your younger self?”
“When I was in primary school.”
Pu Chengji nodded his head and said, “Oh. Arcades were the fad back when we were in primary school along with video rooms. However, video rooms transformed into cinemas and arcades to cyber cafes and even into internet cafes.”
After Pu Chengji’s speech, everyone kept quiet. They clearly understood what Pu Chengji was implying which had slipped their minds. However, after Pu Chengji pointed out this issue, all of them realized that even if this arcade was huge, the reality was that it probably did not generate much revenue.
Pu Chengji asked, “Brother Huai, did your boss only give you an arcade for you to manage?”
Lin Huai nodded and replied, “Yes.”
Pu Chengji frowned and said, “I’m afraid an arcade would not be able to feed eighty over people. Why don’t you ask most of your followers to head back to college for now and just leave a dozen people behind?”
Pu Chengji’s calculation was spot on and even managed to come up with a rough figure of how many people should stay behind. It’s a pity that Pu Chengji isn’t my White Paper Fan. However, I have no plans on staying in the underworld for the rest of my life. Thus, it would be a waste of time if Pu Chengji dropped out of school just to be my follower. What is he going to do when the day comes where I leave the underworld?
Lin Huai said, “It’s not possible to leave just a dozen men behind. If that’s the case, there is no way I will be able to gain a firm foothold here even though we managed to resolve the financial issue. The other four Red Canes have plenty of men under their command, so how would it make sense if I only have a dozen men under my command?”
Pu Chengji said, “True, I also feel it’s inappropriate. Looks like we have to come up with other income streams then. I had a quick look around just now and the first floor is practically filled with huge gaming consoles and a few lottery machines. I feel that it would be better to purchase a few more lottery machines as that might be able to attract more customers over and in turn earn more money. After all, you can’t make a lot of money just from selling gaming chips.”
Lin Huai shook his head and said, “I’m not a fan of lottery machines as they are a complete scam. Two of such machines is more than enough.”
Pu Chengji said, “Then we can go to Yulan College and spread word around. That’s something easy we could help you do as all we have to do is rely on your popularity within the college. It’s going to be difficult to not be popular. Through this, I think the revenue generated every month should be able to come up to around twenty to thirty thousand right?”
Lin Huai said, “Okay, that seems like a decent plan.”
Pu Chengji continued, “If that’s the case, we can practically cover the salary of a dozen men and even have a bit of leftover profit. However, it’s not feasible to cover the expenses of eighty over people through purely an arcade.”
Lin Huai asked, “What other ideas do you have in mind?”
Pu Chengji replied, “Protection fees. We can’t be contended with just managing an arcade so we have to look for Thunder God and request more territories. That way we could collect protection fees along that territory. Although Thunder God seems like he is taking precautions against you, if he is not even willing to give up one street over to you then that is very disappointing. It would also not make any sense.”
Lin Huai nodded and with a smile, he said, “You are right. I merely thought about how Thunder God was trying to restrict my growth but I forgot that even so, he still had to rope me in as well. I forgot to complain to him about how poor I am right now.”
Pu Chengji laughed and said, “Brother Huai, this is a typical example of how the person on spot is baffled but the onlooker sees things clearer. As the saying goes, even the best housewife would not be able to cook without rice. That’s your exact scenario. You think of resolving the problems on your own yet you forgot that you don’t even have a grain of rice in your arms, how could you possibly cook? Therefore, there are times where you have to approach him no matter what.”
Pu Chengji looked at Lin Huai and expressed his thoughts meaningfully. “Even though he’s wary of you, you shouldn’t make him feel like you are taking precautions against him as well.”
Lin Huai got what Pu Chengji meant right off the bat. Thunder God wants me to realize that there was no way I could survive without his help. If that’s the case, what’s wrong with satisfying the ego of Thunder God? My men being united is enough for me. Managing my men is a lot easier than coming up with ways to generate revenue.
Lin Huai smiled and said, “I don’t regret asking you to come over today.”
Pu Chengji smiled and replied, “Actually I have another piece of advice.”
Lin Huai asked, “What’s that?”
“An arcade is really going against the trend right now. The only thing going through your mind was methods to better manage and run the arcade but no matter how well you run the business, would it be able to go against the trend in today’s day and age? Businesses are objects, humans are life beings. Since the property is ours, why don’t we change the business model?”
Lin Huai suddenly stood up and with a smile, he said, “You are right! Good, good, Pu Chengji, I really like your idea. I fell into the trap of constantly thinking about how to better govern the arcade and was just stuck in this vicious cycle. The change in business model slipped through my mind. You are right, if this business doesn’t work out, we can always change and do something else that’s more suitable in today’s day and age.”
Pu Chengji smiled and said, “Oh right, since this property is huge, if we choose to convert it into a bar, we might be able to make quite a lot of money.”
“Haha, Pu Chengji, you possess the capabilities to be a White Paper Fan. Unfortunately, you are still a freshman so I can’t allow you to stay by my side and help me. Otherwise, that would be ruining your future, so you have to continue studying hard.”
Pu Chengji looked at Lin Huai and said, “Brother Huai, I actually want to be by your side.”
Lin Huai smiled and said, “I understand but do you know that these things don’t last forever? It’s not worth risking your future over a short moment of invigoration. We have to look at things in a long term perspective and plan for the future.”
“Okay.” Pu Chengji did not persist with his opinions and said, “Brother Huai, do let me know when you need help. Anytime you are short-handed, I will always be prepared to leave college and be by your side.”
Lin Huai smiled and said, “I will definitely let you know. Let’s enjoy tonight with some drinks. I am going to propose a few toasts with you.”
Wu Jun said, “Brother Huai, I am not made for studying…”
Lin Huai solemnly said, “Trust me. The future will not be governed by the underworld. The most important thing is to study hard and focus on your academics. Let me strive to build my forces first. Then if the day comes in the future where you still feel like joining the underworld, I will allow you to join me and be by my side.”
Before Wu Jun could continue, Wu Mengjie patted him on the shoulders and said, “Brother Jun, since Brother Huai has already voiced out his opinions, let’s listen to him.”
Lin Huai smiled and said, “That’s right. You all must listen to me when it comes to this situation. That’s because you all don’t understand what’s going on at the moment but someday you all will be able to understand me.”
Wu Jun and the rest of them looked at each other. Although they could not understand Lin Huai at the end of the day, Lin Huai is still their boss. Since their boss had already voiced his opinions, they had no choice but to obey. Despite their wish of being by Lin Huai’s side and accomplishing great achievements together, they did not persist about it upon seeing Lin Huai’s unwillingness to do so. Furthermore, they lived a rather enjoyable life in college right now. With the absence of Lin Huai, Wu Jun and Wu Mengjie were the emperors in college where nobody dared to disobey them. The people from Lin Huai’s dormitory were all leaders within the college as well.
Lin Huai asked the rest of them to head outside and have fun. He then sat down with Pu Chengji to look into types of potential opportunities available and the profitability of different businesses. Ultimately, the both of them agreed that having a bar would be a great business idea. They could also look for lounge bar singers where they could easily resource from Yulan College. After all, most college students have the desire to do part time work and based on Lin Huai’s popularity, girls who could sing would definitely flock toward him.
On the other hand, customers pay a visit to bars because they want to listen to nice songs, have a quick chat with their friends over some drinks. Ultimately, everyone wants to have fun and relax. Thus, if the safety of the place was an issue, how can the customer enjoy themselves? Therefore, it is vital for a bar to have top notch security in order to grow business. With regards to that, Lin Huai had an advantage which even the other four Red Canes lacked and that was being the boss of Yulan College. The students showed reference and admiration for Lin Huai which is why he would strike fear into the student’s heart as compared to the gang leaders from the underworld.
Pu Chengji said, “We could have about ten tables here since the place is huge. I suggest we focus on safety and position ourselves as a bar with strong security. Other than that, we are left with a space that could be converted into a dance floor. Then, we can have a couple more tables for the singers to form a temporary band so they can conduct their performances. That should be enough for now.”
Lin Huai added by saying, “I also have another idea whereby it would be a bar at night and used as a café during the day. That way we maximise the usage of the place through the entire day.”
Pu Chengji smiled and said, “Yes, that way leaving a dozen people behind in the bar is more than enough. The other henchmen could be in charge of collecting protection fees and other activities. With that, it should be enough to cover for the expenses of all eighty people.”
Lin Huai patted Pu Chengji on the shoulders and exclaimed, “Taking you in as my follower back then was an amazing decision!”