Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

Yang Fan drove to the location of the e-sports hotel.

The four-story building, which was covered with scaffolding and protective netting just over two months ago, has now been completely transformed.

The exterior walls were repainted in dark gray, paired with simple black lines for a modern look.

The glass facade on the first floor is spacious and bright, with the neon signs for "Xinghai Esports Hotel" gleaming discreetly in the sunlight.

Zhou Jin was already waiting at the door. He was wearing a black polo shirt with the hotel logo on it, his hair was neatly combed, and he looked very energetic.

"Brother Fan!" Seeing Yang Fan get out of the car, Zhou Jin quickly came to greet him, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Is everything done?" Yang Fan looked at the exterior and nodded in satisfaction.

"It's basically finished!" Zhou Jin rubbed his hands together.

"We just need to fine-tune a few devices. I invited about a dozen students from the e-sports club to try it out, and they're on the third floor right now."

"Let's go take a look."

The two entered the lobby.

The reception area features a minimalist black marble countertop, while the background wall is a full-length LED screen that continuously plays highlights from esports competitions.

The lounge area, surrounded by several sofas, has a few laptops available for guests to use temporarily.

"The first floor mainly consists of a lobby, a rest area, and a small water bar."

Zhou Jin led the way and explained as he went.

"The second to fourth floors are the guest room area. As you mentioned before, we have three types of rooms—basic e-sports rooms, themed e-sports rooms, and multiplayer gaming suites on the fourth floor."

The elevator ascended smoothly and stopped on the third floor.

As soon as the door opened, a noisy commotion came through.

A dozen or so boys were scattered in different rooms. Some were playing games, some were testing equipment, and some were already lying comfortably in gaming chairs with their eyes half-closed.

"The president is here!" someone shouted when they saw Zhou Jin.

Everyone turned around and looked at Yang Fan next to Zhou Jin with curiosity.

"Brothers, this is my brother Fan, the boss of our hotel!" Zhou Jin introduced loudly.

"Hello, Brother Fan!" Everyone greeted him in unison, their voices filled with excitement and curiosity.

Yang Fan smiled and nodded: "Don't be shy, everyone. How's it going? Feel free to ask any questions."

"Brother Fan, this setup is amazing!" a bespectacled boy exclaimed excitedly.

"My computer at home cost over ten thousand yuan, and it's still not as smooth as this one!"

Another boy who was testing Cyberpunk 2077 turned his head:

"Is this graphics card a 5090? It runs smoothly with all effects on, and the frame rate is very stable!"

"The chair is comfortable too!" someone said, lounging in the gaming chair. "It's a hundred times better than the crappy chair in my dorm."

Zhou Jin led Yang Fan into a themed room.

The room is about 20 square meters, with sci-fi starry wallpaper on the walls and RGB light strips flowing with dazzling colors along the edge of the ceiling. There are two gaming desks side by side, equipped with high-end peripherals and a 34-inch ultrawide monitor.

"This is a Star Trek themed room," Zhou Jin explained.

"We also have several themes such as League of Legends, Genshin Impact, and Anime, and each room has a different decoration style."

Yang Fan walked to the computer and casually opened the device information—9800x3D, 5090 graphics card, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD. It was indeed a top-of-the-line configuration.

"How's the internet connection? Is it stable?"

"Absolutely stable!" Zhou Jin patted his chest confidently.

"I specifically hired a network company to create an enterprise-level solution, with gigabit fiber optic access to the home and eight high-performance access points deployed on each floor."

"Just now, more than a dozen of them were online at the same time, and the latency was all below 10ms."

As they were talking, a tall, thin boy walked over. He was the vice president of the e-sports club, named Liu Yang.

"Brother Fan, I'm Liu Yang," he said somewhat shyly.

"We just tested various games—MOBA, FPS, AAA titles, and live streaming."

"The computer's performance is perfectly fine, and the network is stable."

He paused, his voice brimming with excitement, "To be honest, these facilities are better than many professional esports arenas in the city. The key is... they have beds!"

Everyone laughed.

"Yes! Having a bed is crucial!" another boy chimed in.

"I used to go to internet cafes all night, and when I got sleepy I could only sleep on the table, and my neck hurt terribly."

"If you get tired of playing here, you can just lie down on the bed, take a nap, and then continue playing. It's perfect!"

Zhou Jin leaned close to Yang Fan's ear and whispered:

"Brother Fan, I asked them for their feedback, and it was all praise. I think... we've got this!"

Yang Fan was pleased to see the excited expressions on the young people's faces. He turned to Zhou Jin and asked:

"What about surveillance and fire protection?"

"They've all been approved." Zhou Jin took several documents out of his bag.

"The fire safety inspection certificate, the health permit, and the special industry permit are all complete."

"The surveillance system provides full coverage, and the access control system has also been tested and is working properly."

"Where are the employees?"

"We hired two girls for the front desk. They are both students from nearby universities. They have good looks and good communication skills."

Zhou Jin chuckled as he spoke, "As you said, it needs to be pretty, to attract customers."

Yang Fan rolled her eyes at him: "I meant the service needs to be professional, what are you thinking?"

Zhou Jin scratched his head and laughed: "Anyway, the people have been recruited and trained for a week. They can start working tomorrow."

We also hired three cleaning ladies, working in two shifts.

"What about the pricing?"

"Basic rooms are 299 per night, themed rooms are 399, and 'gang suites' range from 599 to 899."

Zhou Jin handed over a price list.

"I've compared our setup and environment with several other internet cafes and esports hotels in the area, and at this price point, our facilities and environment are definitely competitive."

Yang Fan glanced at it and nodded.

This price range is a bit expensive for college students, but it's perfectly acceptable if several people split the cost on weekends or holidays.

"Has the opening date been set?"

"May Day!" Zhou Jin's eyes lit up.

"There are many students during the May Day holiday, and many students from other places do not go home, which is the peak season."

"I plan to have a soft opening on April 30th and officially open on May 1st."

He paused, then added:

"The promotion has already started. I've posted messages on the school forum, Baidu Tieba, and various student groups, and the guys from the e-sports club are also helping with the promotion."

"Pre-sales are going...not bad, we've already got over thirty pre-orders."

Yang Fan patted him on the shoulder: "Well done. You've worked hard these past few days."

"It's not hard work!" Zhou Jin straightened his back. "Brother Fan, you've invested so much money. If I don't do a good job, what kind of human being would I be?"

The two then strolled around the suite area on the fourth floor.

The rooms here are larger, with a dedicated e-sports area and rest area, and even a small kitchenette.

Suitable for team training or friends gatherings.

Back on the third floor, Yang Fan said to the students who were trying out the game:

"Thank you everyone for helping with the testing today."

"For the first three days after opening, all room types are 20% off, and if you mention Zhou Jin's name, you'll also receive a free snack set."

"Wow! Thank you, Brother Fan!"

"I'll definitely come and support you!"

The crowd cheered.

It was already 4 PM when we left the esports hotel.

Zhou Jin escorted Yang Fan to the parking lot, his face still flushed with excitement.

"Brother Fan, don't worry, I'll definitely manage this hotel well for you!" He clenched his fist. "I have a feeling business will be booming!"

"I believe you." Yang Fan got into the car. "But don't overwork yourself, take care of your health. Call me anytime if anything happens."

"Okay!"

As the car drove away, Zhou Jin was still waving vigorously in the rearview mirror.

Yang Fan's lips curled into a slight smile. It seemed the e-sports hotel project was a sure thing.

As long as the business operates normally after opening, achieving a 20% return on investment should not be difficult.

He was even happier thinking about the system's return of six million plus thirty thousand investment coins.

However, this good mood did not last long.

……

At 6:30 p.m., Yang Fan drove to the hot pot restaurant.

He sensed something was wrong before he even reached the door.

At this time normally, there would already be a line of people outside the store.

But now, the entrance is empty, with only two students passing by in a hurry, without even glancing into the store.

Yang Fan parked the car and went inside.

The store was even quieter.

There were eight tables, but only one table was occupied—two girls were eating quietly in a corner, glancing around every now and then with somewhat uneasy expressions.

Xiaoya stood behind the cashier, head down, shoulders trembling slightly.

Lin Xiaoyu was tidying up a table next to her, moving very slowly, her eyes red-rimmed.

The kitchen was quiet, without the usual clattering of spatulas.

"What happened?" Yang Fan walked over, his voice turning somber.

Xiaoya looked up, saw Yang Fan, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Brother..."

Lin Xiaoyu also put down the rag in her hand, walked over, her voice choked with emotion:

"Brother, you're here."

"Don't cry." Yang Fan frowned. "Tell me, what happened?"

Xiaoya wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, but her voice still trembled with sobs:

"Since noon today... hardly anyone has come."

She pointed outside the door: "Before, there were at least seven or eight people lining up outside every day at this time."

"But today... only three tables came at noon, and this is the only one since tonight."

"Why?" Yang Fan asked. "Is there a problem with the taste? Or the service?"

"It's not our problem!" Xiaoya said excitedly, "Someone is spreading rumors!"

"Rumors?"

Lin Xiaoyu took out her phone from her pocket, opened the school forum page, and handed it to Yang Fan:

"Brother, look."

Yang Fan took the phone. On the screen was a post with a glaring title—

[Breaking News! The kitchen of that popular hot pot restaurant near the Normal University is filthy!]

The poster was a newly registered alt account, and the content was written in a vivid and detailed manner:

"Yesterday I passed by that Qianweifang restaurant and wanted to go in for a meal, but I saw the back door was open, the floor inside was covered in sewage, and cockroaches were crawling around!"

"The proprietress was cutting meat, and she picked up the pieces that fell on the floor and put them back! It's disgusting!"

"And I heard they're using gutter oil! It's cheap, and easy to fool students!"

"Everyone, please don't go there! You'll get food poisoning and have nowhere to complain!"

There are already dozens of replies below the post:

"Really? I thought it tasted pretty good before."

"Holy crap, is this disgusting? I even recommended it to my roommate!"

"No wonder it's so cheap, it turns out they use rotten vegetable leaves and gutter oil!"

"I've blocked you, I'll never go there again."

"I've reported it! I've reported it! This kind of shop should be shut down!"