Ever since Wang Yue won the city's calligraphy competition, his fame had spread beyond his own high school to all the high schools in the small town.
Zhou Dewen would boast to anyone who would listen, "This is my brother!"
Li Xiaoman was also surprised and chatted with Wang Yue on QQ for a long time, expressing her admiration.
Regardless of the storms raging outside, Wang Yue himself felt nothing.
Days passed one by one. In the blink of an eye, it was January. The festive atmosphere of the New Year grew stronger, and the final exams loomed.
However, Wang Yue was unconcerned about exams. His internet cafe was finally renovated. This internet cafe had cost Wang Yue over 800,000 yuan, much more than the milk tea shop. But the results were obvious. For the internet cafes that were still just basic internet bars at this stage, this was a "dimension-crushing" upgrade.
Wang Yue named the internet cafe "Tiger Shark E-sports." On one hand, it incorporated his brother's name. On the other hand, he hoped the cafe would be as invincible as a tiger shark, crushing other internet cafes.
The opening date was set for January 3rd, the last day of the New Year's holiday. On New Year's Day, Wang Yue brought Wang Hu to Tiger Shark E-sports.
The moment Wang Yue turned on the lights, Wang Hu froze. The scene was incredibly impactful! He had never imagined an internet cafe could look like this. Seeing the orderly partitions, the brand-new computers, and the luxurious sofas and chairs, Wang Hu felt it was a paradise from his dreams!
"Xiao Yue, what is this place?" Wang Hu asked, swallowing. He loved it so much that he would willingly pay a year's salary for internet time if he were a customer here.
"See those big words?" Wang Yue said with a smile. Behind the counter, in colorful letters, were the words: "Tiger Shark E-sports!"
"Is this a new internet cafe? Why is it so well-decorated? The boss must have spent a lot of money, right?" Wang Hu's throat felt a little dry.
"No, this isn't called an internet cafe, it's called an internet lounge," Wang Yue explained with a smile. "For the internet cafes of this era, this is a dimension-crushing upgrade. Future internet cafes will all be like this. Do you like it here?"
"I like it, I like it very much. I'll come here to surf the net from now on." Wang Hu didn't understand what an "internet lounge" was, but the spacious environment was far superior to the crowded internet cafes he was used to. The decor also blew them away.
"It's good that you like it. From now on, you are the boss here." Wang Yue handed him the keys with a smile.
"Ah?!" Wang Hu's eyes widened. "You're... giving it to me? Xiao Yue, stop joking. You're not just finding me a job as an internet manager here, are you? I can't do that, I still need to help Mom and Dad."
"Hahaha." Wang Yue laughed. "Brother, I'm not joking. Look at the business license on the wall." Wang Hu looked over, and the legal representative's name was indeed his: "What... what's going on?"
It took Wang Yue half an hour to make Wang Hu accept that the internet cafe was opened under his name and that he was the boss from now on! Wang Hu was so excited he didn't know what to say, tears welling up in his eyes. A sense of immense happiness washed over him. This was likely the most fantastical day of his twenty-plus years. I, Wang Hu, 23 years old, now own my first internet cafe! And it was given to me by my younger brother.
"I've already hired internet managers and staff for you. If you don't like them, you can fire them later and hire new people," Wang Yue said with a smile. The internet managers and staff were all attractive young women. The benefits at Tiger Shark E-sports were on par with the milk tea shop, so countless people were eager to join. When Wang Hu heard that his employees were all young women, he blushed and repeatedly expressed his concern about how he would manage them. Wang Yue comforted him with a smile, saying he was the boss and didn't need to worry about so much, just collect the money. Wang Hu's ability to adapt was quite strong. Within an hour, he had adjusted to his identity as the boss. He asked Wang Yue to show him around the internet cafe. When he saw the huge e-sports stage, he asked, "Xiao Yue, what is this for? Why is there a big screen?"
"This is for playing games. The big screen is for watching matches," Wang Yue said with a smile. This year, League of Legends would be officially licensed by Tencent and become immensely popular. He was preparing in advance. Wang Yue had previously thought about becoming a professional player himself, but his ideas had changed. Why be a professional player when he could establish a club and have his own team compete!
Wang Hu didn't quite understand. It took them over an hour to see every part of the internet cafe. Wang Hu tried booting up a computer and felt incredibly satisfied sitting on the new sofa while playing games. The computer configurations were the most mainstream for the current time, and the e-sports area used the top-tier configurations available. Although it might have been a bit overkill, it certainly gave them prestige!
The next day, Wang Jianguo and Pan Huiying also visited Tiger Shark E-sports and praised it highly. They said it didn't look like an internet cafe at all. They were also very pleased with Wang Yue opening this internet cafe for Wang Hu. This way, Wang Hu wouldn't have to run around with them. Recently, Wang Jianguo and Pan Huiying had also been considering closing their shop. Wang Yue's monthly income of nearly 300,000 yuan could support them in any venture they wished. Pan Huiying's idea was to open a mahjong parlor. Wang Jianguo hadn't decided yet; after a lifetime of hard work, he wanted to rest for a while. Wang Yue knew very well that once Tiger Shark E-sports was established, it would be a money-making machine, generating at least tens of thousands of yuan in net profit per month. Once it stabilized, he would start opening branches. He was determined to build its reputation, which would make earning money even easier.
On January 3rd, Tiger Shark E-sports officially opened. On the opening day, all internet access was free. Hundreds of flower baskets at the entrance of the internet cafe created a spectacular sight. Countless teenagers addicted to the internet were attracted, but only adults were allowed entry. Upon entering the 800-square-meter internet lounge, the stunning decor immediately captivated the young gamers.
"Holy crap! Is this an internet cafe? Are you kidding me?"
"Damn, compared to this, the internet cafes I've been to before are garbage. This is too awesome."
"No smoking throughout the internet cafe? Really? I hate the smoky atmosphere of internet cafes. If this is true, I'll come here to surf the net from now on."
"The air feels so fresh. I saw the internet cafe's promotion about using the most advanced air circulation system, and I thought they were bragging."
"Why are there so many pretty girls? It seems like all the staff and internet managers are beautiful young women? Oh no, the boss really knows how to capture our hearts, knowing what we internet surfers like. I've decided to come here from now on!"
"Internet manager, open an account. I want to top up a thousand!"