About half an hour later, Zhao Mingyuan arrived.
"Brother Qin, I apologize. There was some business at the shop over there, so I'm a bit late."
"It's fine."
Qin Tian smiled and waved his hand.
"Shall we find a place to eat and chat? It's past eleven, not too early anymore."
Zhao Mingyuan glanced at his watch and suggested with a chuckle.
"Alright!"
Qin Tian smiled and agreed, then looked at Han Qian beside him and invited, "Sister Qian, would you like to join us?"
"I won't be going. I still need to keep an eye on the shop!"
Han Qian eagerly shook her head and politely declined.
Qin Tian didn't insist further. He left the internet cafe with Xia Nuannuan, following Zhao Mingyuan.
They chose a nearby restaurant specializing in local cuisine. After ordering a few dishes and a soup, Qin Tian and Zhao Mingyuan chatted for a bit before discussing expansion plans.
"Brother Qin, my idea is, since these three shops are doing so well, this time we should go big."
Zhao Mingyuan's face was flushed, and his eyes gleamed with eagerness.
"What do you mean?"
Qin Tian picked up a cup of tea handed to him by Xia Nuannuan and asked with a smile.
Zhao Mingyuan looked at him intently and said seriously, "My idea is, let's open ten shops this time and strive to capture the largest share of the high-end internet cafe market in Jiangcheng all at once."
"Ten shops?"
Qin Tian was slightly taken aback, astonished by Brother Zhao's ambition.
"That's right!"
Zhao Mingyuan nodded emphatically and continued, "During this period, besides the matters of these three shops, I've also been investigating other competitors in Jiangcheng who have similar positioning and pose a threat to us. I'll tell you in detail."
"Yes, Brother Zhao, please tell me."
Qin Tian nodded with a serious expression.
Subsequently, Zhao Mingyuan meticulously presented his investigation findings.
During this time, the waiter brought the dishes and drinks they had ordered.
Since Qin Tian had to drive back to school later and it was lunchtime, neither of them drank alcohol.
After the dishes were served and the waiter left, Zhao Mingyuan began to speak while unwrapping his cutlery.
Qin Tian listened attentively. He picked up his chopsticks, scooped a piece of stir-fried pork with chili, and naturally placed it into Xia Nuannuan's bowl.
Earlier, after Xia Nuannuan had poured tea for both him and Zhao Mingyuan, she had opened his cutlery for him, scalded it with the tea from the table, and arranged it neatly in front of him.
Xia Nuannuan was completely uninterested in their business discussion and busied herself with her own tasks.
She quite enjoyed this feeling.
She remembered accompanying her parents to dinners with business friends when she was little. Her mother would also quietly do these small chores for them.
Xia Nuannuan also put some of Qin Tian's favorite dishes into his bowl, then quietly began eating her own meal.
Zhao Mingyuan spoke at length, but his points were not complicated.
The high-end internet cafe industry in Jiangcheng had only recently begun to take off, and the number of threatening competitors could be counted on one hand.
Zhao Mingyuan had clearly put in the effort. He had meticulously investigated and understood each competitor in comparison to Tianming Internet Cafe, their respective competitive advantages, and their geographical locations.
Around 2010, the internet cafe market was already saturated, with internet fees in some places dropping as low as one yuan per hour.
This indirectly led to the birth of new business models like internet cafes. Their differentiated competitive advantage over ordinary internet cafes allowed high-end internet cafes to develop rapidly.
Currently, in first-tier cities like Shanghai and Beijing, the market share of internet cafes had been largely carved up.
However, Jiangcheng was still in its nascent stage, and the market was still vast enough.
The two brand internet cafes that posed the greatest threat to them, one from Shanghai and one from Guangzhou, were both vying for the Jiangcheng market.
Those two brands had significant backing and wealthy owners. Their geographical locations and internet cafe equipment were superior to Tianming Internet Cafe. They each had more than three outlets and were continuously expanding.
Tianming Internet Cafe also had its own advantage, which was the concept of game-themed internet cafes, something that had not yet appeared.
Coupled with the previous League of Legends game competition they had hosted, Tianming Internet Cafe had generated sufficient buzz and promotional effects.
In terms of brand recognition, Tianming Internet Cafe was ahead of those two branded internet cafes.
Zhao Mingyuan took a sip of the shop's signature corn and pork rib soup and looked questioningly at Qin Tian opposite him.
"So, Brother Zhao, you want to strike first, leveraging the momentum from our previous competition to seize the biggest piece of the pie?"
Qin Tian asked with a smile.
Honestly, this was exactly what he needed, perfectly aligning with the system's mission.
"Precisely!"
Zhao Mingyuan nodded vigorously, his face beaming. "It's so easy chatting with a bright student like you, Brother Qin. That's exactly my idea."
He then lowered his smile, his expression turning serious. "Those two are backed by big bosses. If we don't seize this opportunity now and give them more time, even just half a year, we'll only ever be able to drink the leftovers."
Qin Tian nodded slightly, agreeing with his statement.
"Brother Qin, I know that taking too big a step can lead to trouble... cough cough!"
Zhao Mingyuan blurted it out before realizing Xia Nuannuan was present and coughed awkwardly.
Seeing Xia Nuannuan engrossed in her food and seemingly oblivious, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "But we only have this one chance. If we miss it, it's gone. At my age, I have to give it my all. If it succeeds, I can retire for the rest of my life. If we lose, we'll just be a bit poorer. After all, I've enjoyed myself over the years."
"Brother Zhao, your mindset is commendable!"
Qin Tian praised him with admiration and added, "I'm fine with it. It's indeed a big step, but I trust in your ability, Brother Zhao."
"That's great!"
Zhao Mingyuan excitedly slapped his thigh.
"What about the budget? How much more investment is needed?"
Qin Tian asked.
"We've already recovered most of the costs for our three shops, and this time I have the experience. When opening more shops, the costs can be slightly reduced. I have some savings, and if necessary, we can also get loans from the bank. I believe the capital chain should be fine."
Zhao Mingyuan said confidently.
He hadn't expected Qin Tian to invest further. The one million yuan Qin Tian had contributed to each of the previous three shops had already astonished him.
"I don't think loans will be necessary. I can still come up with some. Four million should be enough, right?"
Qin Tian asked with a smile.
"How much? Four... four million?"
Zhao Mingyuan couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Xia Nuannuan, quietly eating, glanced at his expression and chuckled inwardly.
Every time someone was shocked by Qin Tian, she felt a little bit of pride.
"Not enough? Actually, I still have over five million, but I need to keep some for further trading. If absolutely necessary, five million is also fine. Just leave me a little."
Qin Tian said with a serious expression.
Zhao Mingyuan's mouth twitched hard a few times, and he asked disbelievingly, "You earned all of this from stocks?"
"Mm!"
"Damn, is making money that easy for you?"
Zhao Mingyuan couldn't help but curse, looking speechless. "Then you don't even need to open internet cafes! Making money from stocks is much faster."