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

The police investigation results came out quickly.

As Zhou Jin said, "Zhang Jie Mala Tang" was not the only company involved in this malicious rumor-mongering incident.

Mr. Liu, the owner of "Old Liu's Stir-Fry Dishes," was the first person to urge Sister Zhang to "find a solution."

The owner of "Lao Wang Chuan Chuan Xiang" on the next street also participated in spreading rumors.

The owners of the three stores were summoned to the police station to give statements.

Faced with irrefutable evidence, the three confessed to their actions—they were envious of the success of "Qianweifang" and wanted to use such methods to steal back customers.

"It's just that their business is doing so well, I'm feeling resentful..." Liu said, head down, his voice trembling at the police station.

"I was thinking of spreading a rumor to deter customers from going there, which would improve the business of our businesses."

Sister Zhang cried with snot and tears streaming down her face:

"My son is still young and doesn't understand... I asked him to post this... Please, please don't pursue this matter..."

But age is not an excuse in the face of the law.

A week later, the results were in:

Zhang Lei was given 15 days of administrative detention and fined by the public security authorities for spreading a large amount of false information and maliciously defaming the business reputation of others online, causing serious consequences.

In view of the fact that his behavior seriously violated school rules and regulations and caused extremely bad social impact, the university decided, after deliberation by the president's office meeting, to expel Zhang Lei from the university.

Three shops, "Zhang Jie Mala Tang," "Lao Liu Xiao Chao Cai," and "Lao Wang Chuan Chuan Xiang," were fined 30,000 yuan by the market supervision and management department for suspected unfair competition and damage to the reputation of others. They were also ordered to post a public apology letter at the entrance of their shops for one month.

The university's logistics department also issued a notice stating that these three shops will be included in the "Key Supervision List Around Campus," with increased frequency of inspections for hygiene, fire safety, and other aspects. Any further violations will result in the revocation of their operating licenses within the university town.

The results of the investigation were published on the school's website, causing an uproar among the entire faculty and student body.

"Serves you right! You brought it on yourself!"

"Expulsion from school... that's too high a price to pay."

"Instead of doing business honestly, you always think of crooked ways. Now look what's happened!"

"Support the school! This kind of black sheep should be severely punished!"

"Qianweifang has actually benefited from this misfortune; now everyone knows their place is clean and hygienic."

Indeed, as this student said, after the incident, "Qianweifang" business was not only unaffected, but became even more popular than before.

The official endorsement from the school, coupled with the widespread impact of this dramatic reversal, made "Qianweifang" a household name in the university town.

Many people come out of curiosity, a desire to try something new, or a sense of compensation, but they are won over by the taste and become repeat customers.

The skill of Lin's mother in making the soup base, Lin Xiaoyu's gentle and meticulous service, and Wang Xiuying and Li Cuihua's diligent and efficient work style all became topics of conversation among the guests.

"Auntie, how do you make this soup base? It smells so good!"

"Young lady, I'm so sorry for misunderstanding you last time. I brought my roommate along today to support you!"

"Everyone online says your house is spotless, I came to see if it's true—wow, the kitchen is so bright!"

Daily revenue has stabilized at five to six thousand, up from three or four thousand previously.

On weekends, the figure can even reach seven or eight thousand.

Wang Xiuying's smile never stopped as she watched the numbers constantly changing in the POS system.

"Xiao Fan, Mom really didn't expect... this bad thing could turn into a good thing."

Yang Fan poured her a cup of tea: "Mom, this is what they call 'the innocent are innocent.' We do honest business, we're not afraid of others smearing us."

Li Cuihua also sighed:

"Yes, now the way our neighbors look at us is different."

They used to think we were easy to bully because we were from out of town, but now they're all very polite to us.

What makes Lin's mother happiest is that her bean and rice hotpot has gained recognition from so many people.

"If Xiaoyu's dad knew, he'd be so happy," she said while chopping vegetables. "We've finally established ourselves in the city."

Xiaoya and Lin Xiaoyu also breathed a sigh of relief.

In the past few days, they have received countless messages of apology and encouragement on their phones.

"Xiaoya, I'm sorry, I believed those rumors before."

"Sister Xiaoyu, your shop is amazing! I'll come every week from now on!"

"Sister Xiaoya, I'm a law student. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need legal advice!"

Seeing these heartwarming messages warmed the hearts of the two girls.

"..."

Time flies, and it's already the end of April.

The university town was filled with the restless atmosphere of the eve of the holiday.

"Have you heard? The e-sports hotel is opening on May Day!"

"Really? Where?"

"It's over by the west gate, in the building that used to be the billiards club. They've been renovating for two months, and I heard the equipment is top-notch!"

"It's owned by Zhou Jin, the president of the e-sports club, so how could the equipment be bad?"

"My roommate booked a room a week in advance, saying he's going to play games with his girlfriend during the May Day holiday..."

Such dialogues are taking place in every corner of the industrial university.

In the boys' dormitory, several boys wearing vests and shorts were huddled together scrolling through their phones.

"Holy crap, these room photos... a sci-fi themed room! Those RGB light strips are so cool!"

"Look at this spec sheet—a 5090 graphics card! A 9800X3D! 32GB of RAM! This is a hundred times better than what you get at an internet cafe!"

"The best part is there's a bed! You can just lie down when you're tired of playing!"

"Book a room! Let's have a seven-day May Day holiday and book a themed room in our dorm!"

"I'll offer three hundred!"

"I'll offer four hundred!"

The girls' dormitories are just as impressive.

"Honey, where should we go for the May Day holiday?"

"My boyfriend said we should go to that newly opened e-sports hotel, they said it has a couples-themed room..."

"Wow, that's great! The environment looks really nice."

"He said he wanted to take me to play games... Oh well, I'll just keep him company, anyway, the room is pretty nice."

In the cafeteria, several boys carrying trays walked and chatted.

"Has your team booked rooms?"

"Booked! The fourth-floor suite for gaming, three beds, enough for all five of us in the team."

"Seven days of training, let's climb the ranked ladder!"

"I heard that they offer a 20% discount for the first three days after opening, and also give away a snack set."

"We absolutely have to go!"

Discussions about "Xinghai Esports Hotel" are everywhere—on Baidu Tieba, forums, QQ groups, WeChat groups, and more.

Zhou Jin's publicity campaign was spot on—he started building hype a month in advance, releasing layout diagrams, room photos, and opening discounts, whetting the students' appetites.

During the May Day holiday, many students from other places did not go home, but stayed at school and were bored.

At this time, a top-notch e-sports hotel with comfortable facilities and overnight accommodations suddenly appeared, making it a perfect destination.

April 30th, the first day of trial operation.

At 3 p.m., a long queue had already formed at the hotel entrance.

Zhou Jin, dressed in a black polo shirt custom-made by the hotel with the "Xinghai" logo printed on the chest, stood at the door to personally greet guests with his hair neatly combed.

"Have you made a reservation, student?"

"Booked! Booked! Room 302 (themed)!"

"Okay, let's register here. Did you bring your ID card?"

"I brought it!"

The two receptionists were all smiles and worked quickly to process the check-in.

The lobby's lounge area was packed with waiting guests, some playing on their phones, others discussing game configurations—it was bustling with activity.

While maintaining order, Zhou Jin secretly observed the guests' reactions.

"This hall is huge! It looks even more impressive than in the photos!"

"How's the internet speed? I need to stream."

"Don't worry, student, gigabit fiber optic internet, full access point coverage, and latency guaranteed to be below 10ms!"

"This chair...it's the Rolls Royce of gaming chairs!"

"Brother, could you show me the themed room? I'd like to book it next time."

"Sure, sure. Room 301 on the third floor is Star Trek themed. No guests have checked in yet. Let me show you."

Zhou Jin led several students upstairs and pushed open the door to room 301.

"Wow--"

A gasp of surprise rang out.

A deep blue starry sky wallpaper, flowing RGB light strips, two gaming desks side by side, and a 34-inch ultrawide monitor gleaming with a soft glow.

The keyboard and mouse have a custom-designed color scheme, and the chair back features the Xinghai Hotel logo.

"That's so cool..."

"Take photos! Post them on WeChat Moments!"

Zhou Jin was secretly overjoyed, but on the surface he had to maintain a professional demeanor.

"Students, the rooms are disinfected daily, and the bedding is changed after each guest. Please call the front desk anytime if you need anything."

"Okay, okay! Thank you, President Zhou!"