Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

Pei Qian happily kept the one hundred thousand yuan and placed the trophy and award in his office. He felt much more relieved now.

Finally, he could relax!

Of course, Pei Qian did not forget to instruct Assistant Xin to reimburse the interview team for the money they had spent on their return flight. It was not much, but he had to take every opportunity he had to spend money.

Now that he had sent the interview team off, he could focus on spending money without any qualms.

It was October 24th, the first day of a week of events to celebrate 1024 Digital Day!

They had already been marketing the event for some time before this. Thus, the moment the event started, many people began to participate!

Fish-Catching Take-Out was first.

During the event period, Fish-Catching Take-Out would offer a discount on their food and free delivery. The more they could sell, the more losses they would incur.

Early in the morning, old and new users alike ordered food on Fish-Catching Take-Out’s mobile application. A few chefs in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had never worked so hard in their lives. They produced dish after dish to meet the demand.

The food was then quickly packed with exquisite cutlery into a heat-resistant bag, ready for the delivery men to arrive on their scooters and bring them to customers like busy bees.

Of course, the staff in charge of collecting the cutlery, washing them, and disinfecting them was equally busy.

Pei Qian had already considered that there might not be enough manpower. Thus, he allowed Fish-Catching Take-Out to hire temporary workers during this period, who were to be paid daily. This ensured that there would be enough help and deliveries would not be delayed.

Even if deliveries were delayed, nothing else could be done but to give customers further discounts or waive charges altogether. If the delays were too long, Pei Qian would even compensate customers with double the price of their order.

All in all, he had to make sure that Fish-Catching Take-Out—which had already been incurring losses—would incur more loss!

On top of these, Pei Qian also spent a large sum of money on ensuring that the temporary workers could wear the same uniform and use the same heat-resistant bags and scooters.

If one walked around Jingzhou, they would be able to see delivery men wearing Fish-Catching Take-Out’s yellow and blue uniform, riding similar-looking scooters to deliver food. One could say that they looked bright and stood out.

Compared to the delivery men whom Pei Qian remembered, who tore through the crowd with their electronic scooters; Fish-Catching Take-Out’s delivery men were different. They were not so rash. Instead, they were very polite and kept strictly to the rules and regulations by avoiding pushing others and tearing through crowds.

Even if they failed to deliver the orders on time, their pay would not be docked. The compensation to customers would come from Fish-Catching Take-Out’s account.

What’s more, Fish-Catching Take-Out was healthier and more generous compared to other platforms. Delivery men earned more per delivery, which minimized the need for them to rush and risk their safety to complete as many orders as possible.

Of course, basic efficiency and quality were ensured. If the delivery men were too slow and failed to help Pei Qian maximize his losses or if they were rude and made customers unhappy, they could still be fined or fired.

Things were equally busy at Upwind Logistics. Before this, they had notified many delivery companies about this event. During the event period, Upwind Logistics was not going to charge any fees for delivering parcels. Thus, many delivery companies agreed to dump their parcels at the Upwind Courier stations.

One could enjoy a discount or waiver on postage at Upwind Courier stations. Thus, customers who needed the discount could hire Upwind Logistics to deliver their mail.

All the Upwind Courier stations around Jingzhou became incredibly busy. The delivery men constantly sent parcels and mail. Each time they started or completed a delivery, Boss Pei would see the remaining balance in his System Funds fall slightly.

There wasn’t an obvious increase in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s customers, but there was in the number of people who purchase ROF’s units!

Several gamers began waiting in line even before the internet cafes opened for the day Shortly after they did open, the first one hundred units were given out. They did not remain available for long at all.

This was because it was too worth it!

The units were originally to be sold for their cost price. That meant the installation, delivery, and after-sales service charges would be waived. In addition to the free upgrade, customers could save about four thousand yuan with one purchase! Naturally, they were greatly attracted!

Even though the first one hundred units were sold out in the blink of an eye, the rest of the customers remained excited to purchase units of their own.

The excess stock that Pei Qian had instructed Zhang Yuan to purchase came in handy at once. The various parts were continuously being delivered from warehouses to the storerooms. There, the staff quickly assembled the system units and then arranged for them to be delivered once they were done. The entire process was very quick.

Many people received their system units in the afternoon after placing their orders in the morning. This surprised them beyond words.

In the afternoon, at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe…

Yu Hang had been focusing intently on his screen. He lightly tapped the left button on his mouse with his index finger. At once, the gun on his screen spat out blue fire, causing the zombies in front of him to stumble backward.

He had to admit—the high-end hardware and gaming monitors with high refresh rates in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe were providing him with unique gaming experience.

After the game ended, Yu Hang leaned back in his chair and took two sips of his coffee. His heart was still racing from the excitement of the game. At that moment, the manager of the internet cafe approached him, bent down, and mumbled in his ear. “Congratulations, Sir. You’ve won a prize.” Yu Hang jumped. He quickly turned around and saw the manager staring at him, smiling. He was at a loss for words.

Is this a scam?

That can’t be. This manager has been working in this internet cafe for a long time. I recognize him.

Such a big establishment can’t be trying to cheat me in broad daylight, right?

Could this really be my lucky day?

Yu Hang looked at the manager, only half believing him. “What prize? Are you going to waive my bill for today?”

The manager smiled. “Sir, please leave your shipping address and contact details. You are our internet cafe’s first lucky winner; we’ll be delivering a computer system unit to you. It will be of the same brand as the ones you see in our internet cafe.”

Yu Hang almost thought that his ears were playing tricks on him. “Huh? A computer? For free?”

The manager continued smiling as he nodded. He spoke again in a low voice. “Yes, we are giving you a custom-made ROF system unit for free.”

Yu Hang suddenly felt light-headed. The hairs on the back of his neck stood.

How strange!

He had taken part in activities organized by other internet cafes before, but other internet cafes always made sure to draw as much attention to these activities as possible.

They would have signs put up at the entrance and posters put up on the walls. If someone really were to win a prize, the internet cafe would announce it for three days consecutively so that everyone else would know.

Why was Fish-Catching Internet Cafe holding the event so secretively?

He had just won a system unit. Shouldn’t they blow trumpets and make announcements? Why were they acting like they had done something horrible, that they did not want others to find out about? Why did they have to notify him by whispering in his ear?

Yu Hang had no idea what was going on. If he had not been a regular customer at this internet cafe, he would have run out as fast as he could and told the world that this shop was a scam.

However, he could not help but feel excited when he heard that he would be receiving a ROF system unit.

He knew about ROF. The internet cafe had been making announcements about a ROF promotion recently. The hardware looked attractive, and the free upgrade sounded very good. Customers could save about four thousand yuan with a single promotion; it was as good as getting a computer for nothing.

However, Yu Hang was not rich. He could not even afford the lowest-grade ROF system unit.

Now, he was getting one of the system units for free? How could that be?!

He took the pen from the manager and wrote down his shipping address, still only half-believing what was happening. He wrote ‘Handong Jiaotong University’s main campus, Block Number 14, 4-03’. Then, he wrote his name and cell phone number under it.

The manager nodded. “Alright, we’ll arrange for delivery now. Please be prepared to receive the delivery.”

The manager picked up the pen and paper and then left.

Yu Hang scratched his head, unable to wrap his head around what just happened.

What’s going on?!

The manager came, asked for my address, and then left.

That was it?!

Yu Hang began to doubt that he had even won a prize. Perhaps he had imagined everything. Perhaps this was the side effect of having too much coffee.

“Forget it. They didn’t ask for any money from me anyway. I’ll just wait.” Yu Hang did not think too much into it. Instead, he continued playing Ocean Stronghold.

I’ll just wait. If I really receive something in a few days, then I will decide what to do.

He played until 1 PM and then began to feel his stomach rumbling with hunger. It was time to eat.

It was about time to go home.

On the way home, he ordered Fish-Catching Take-Out. That way, he would receive his order once he arrived back at his dormitory. He could eat and then take an afternoon nap. Life was beautiful.

When he reached the main entrance of his school, his cell phone rang.

“Hello, are you Mr. Yu Hang? Your express delivery is here.”

Yu Hang quickly answered, “Oh, alright. I’ll be right there.”

Yu Hang hung up and mumbled to himself, “Why did they deliver my order so quickly today?”

He had ordered Fish-Catching Take-Out many times in the past. His timing was always just right; once he approached his block, his order would arrive.

However, they had called him the moment he walked through the school gates today.

Yu Hang walked briskly back to his dormitory.

When he was approaching his block, his phone rang again. “Hello? Are you Mr. Yu Huang? Your food is here.”

Yu Hang was speechless. “Alright, alright. Stop rushing me; I’m almost there.”

The delivery man responded, “Huh?”

Yu Hang paused. He suddenly realized that this man’s voice sounded different. On further thought, the earlier man seemed to have said that his ‘express delivery’ was here.

Yu Hang quickly said, “Ah, I’m sorry. I got it wrong. Give me a moment; I’m almost there.”

He hung up, feeling extremely confused. Express delivery? I didn’t order anything recently. Where is this express delivery from?

What’s more, parcels wouldn’t ordinarily be sent to his hostel. Instead, they would be left in a line on a plain field for people to claim them on their own. Why was this delivery being made directly to his block? He was being treated too well!

Yu Hang walked briskly to the first floor of his block and saw the Fish-Catching Take-Out delivery man from afar, dressed in a yellow and blue uniform.

However, there was also a motor tricycle beside this delivery man and another staff with a massive box in front of him.

Yu Hang looked confused. He approached Fish-Catching Take-Out’s delivery man and received his food. Then, he approached the other staff.

“What is this?” Yu Hang scanned the massive box, looking perplexed. The man smiled and said, “Your computer has arrived. Do you need me to take it upstairs for you?”

Yu Hang was evidently shocked as he exclaimed, “Holy sh*t!”

He had just won the prize earlier this morning, and yet the system unit had already arrived by the afternoon?!

Even rockets didn’t move this quickly! Yu Hang had not even thought about the system unit when he was trying to figure out why he was receiving a delivery. Even if it was true that he had won one, he expected it to only arrive in three to five days.

He already knew that ROF installed computers. One could order the hardware online. However, he never thought that they would deliver units much faster than physical stores would deliver purchases! “Please help me take it upstairs. Thank you!”

Yu Hang was extremely excited. Am I dreaming?

When he arrived at his dormitory, his roommates were going about their day. Some were sleeping on their beds while others watched shows on their laptops.

The delivery man was extremely skilled. He set the box down, unsealed it, and then retrieved the system unit from within. Then, he placed it on Yu Hang’s table.

Handong Jiaotong University’s main campus had much better facilities than Handong University. Instead of bunk beds, they had beds on the upper deck and working space on the lower deck. Thus, there was space for Yu Hang to place the system unit.

Yu Hang rushed to his classmate’s side and said, “Old Li, lend me your monitor!”

old Li slept in the bed opposite Yu Hang, and he was the only one who owned a desktop. Yu Hang was used to laptops as well; that was why he did not own a monitor. What’s more, this system unit did not come with a monitor.

If he wanted to test out the system unit, he had to borrow someone else’s.

Old Li had been playing a game when he turned around to see the impressive-looking system unit on Yu Hang’s table. His eyes widened as he said, “Holy sh*t! Old Yu, did you win the lottery?!”