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

When I went downstairs, the house was already quiet—my parents and my third uncle and aunt must have already gone to the market to set up their stalls, and Haozi should have gone to deliver goods.

Just as they finished getting ready, Zhou Yao's clear voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate: "Brother Fan! I'm here!"

Yang Fan opened the door and saw that Zhou Yao was wearing a beige hooded sweatshirt, light blue ripped jeans, and white sneakers.

Her pink hair was tied into a high ponytail, bouncing with her movements, making her look refreshing and lively.

"Let's go, bro! My rice noodle rolls are calling me!" Zhou Yao made an exaggerated "Go for it!" gesture.

The two walked to the "Lao Guang Ji" rice noodle roll shop at the entrance of the residential area.

The shop wasn't big, but it was very clean, and there weren't many people there at this time of day.

The proprietress was a woman in her forties who greeted customers warmly in Cantonese-accented Mandarin.

"What would you two like to eat?"

"I'd like a bowl of shrimp rice noodle rolls! With an egg!" Zhou Yao said immediately, then looked at Yang Fan, "What about you, big brother?"

"I'll have a beef rice noodle roll," Yang Fan said.

"Alright! Please wait a moment, it'll be ready soon!"

While waiting, Zhou Yao took out her phone from her small handbag, opened the memo app, leaned close to Yang Fan, and whispered:

"Big brother, last night I asked my dad and a few uncles, and we found out about three places that are quite suitable for converting into e-sports hotels."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Yang Fan became interested.

Zhou Yao pointed at the phone screen:

"The first place is in the south of our area, about three kilometers away from the university town."

"It's a three-story detached building. It used to be a small hotel, and the renovation is still relatively new."

"The landlord said it could be divided into about twenty standard rooms, each 15 to 20 square meters. The advantage is that the overall condition of the house is good, so there is no need for major renovations, and the rent is relatively cheap."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "The downside is the location—it's a bit far from several universities, so students might have to take a taxi or ride a shared bike. But three kilometers isn't actually that far."

Yang Fan nodded without speaking, signaling her to continue.

"The second place," Zhou Yao swiped the screen:

"It's right in our university town, very close to the university and the teachers' college, less than a ten-minute walk. But..."

She frowned: "This building is on the third floor, the whole floor is about 700 or 800 square meters, and it used to be classrooms for a training institution. The biggest problem is—there's no elevator."

"No elevator?" Yang Fan raised an eyebrow.

"Mm." Zhou Yao nodded. "But the landlord is a nice guy; he's an old acquaintance of my dad's."

"I heard it was my friend who wanted to rent it, and he even said he could give me a discount. But my dad also said that not having an elevator is a real problem. Young people these days are lazy; they won't even bother climbing three flights of stairs."

Yang Fan asked thoughtfully, "What about the third one?"

Zhou Yao's eyes lit up, and she tapped the screen with her finger: "The third place, I think, is the best! But it's also the most expensive, with the biggest investment!"

She leaned forward, her voice brimming with excitement: "This place is right in the heart of the university town, next to a commercial street, across from a food court, and the furthest of the four or five universities in the vicinity is no more than a kilometer! The location is amazing!"

"Where is it?" Yang Fan asked.

"It used to be a billiards hall!" Zhou Yao said. "It has three floors, totaling over two thousand square meters!"

"The first floor faces the street, while the second and third floors are open-plan spaces."

"The billiard hall closed down last year because business was bad, and the building has been empty ever since."

"The landlord wants to rent out the whole place, but it's such a large area that most businesses don't need it, so it's been listed for more than half a year and still hasn't been rented out."

"More than two thousand square meters..." Yang Fan quickly calculated in his mind. If each room is twenty to twenty-five square meters, plus the public area, reception, and rest area, at least eighty or ninety rooms can be partitioned.

"And there's an elevator!" Zhou Yao added:

"Because it was previously an entertainment venue, fire safety requirements mandated the presence of elevators and two emergency exits, which were already in place. It's just that..."

She hesitated for a moment, looking at Yang Fan:

"Brother, this place is great, but the investment is too huge."

"It's over 2,000 square meters. The rent alone isn't cheap. We also need to partition the rooms, renovate, and buy equipment... The initial investment will be at least several million."

"I think... it might not be suitable for us when we're just starting out."

Just then, the proprietress came over with two steaming bowls of rice noodle rolls:

"Careful, both of you, your rice noodle rolls are hot!"

"Thank you, Auntie!" Zhou Yao was immediately drawn to the delicious food, and her attention was temporarily diverted.

Yang Fan didn't rush to speak, but picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the rice noodle roll.

The rice noodle sheets are thin and smooth, the beef is fresh and fragrant, and the sauce is just the right amount of salty. It's really good.

The two ate quietly for a while. Zhou Yao took a satisfied sip of soy milk, then remembered the important matter:

"Brother, shall we visit all three places today? They're not far from each other anyway."

"Okay." Yang Fan nodded. "Let's look at the first one, the one with twenty rooms."

……

After finishing the rice noodle rolls, Yang Fan kept his promise and took Zhou Yao to the nearby "Cha Yan Yue Se" to buy milk tea.

Zhou Yao ordered the signature "Orchid Latte," while Yang Fan ordered a regular green tea.

Holding their milk tea, the two got into Yang Fan's Mercedes-Benz E300.

Following the address Zhou Yao gave us, we first drove south.

About fifteen minutes later, the car stopped in front of a beige three-story building.

The building looks a bit old, but the exterior has been freshly painted and is fairly clean. There's a large "For Rent" sign hanging at the entrance, with a phone number below it.

Zhou Yao dialed the number, and soon a middle-aged man in a suit and carrying a briefcase came running out of the building.

"Is this Ms. Zhou? Hello, hello! I'm Liu from Anju Real Estate!" The agent greeted him with a beaming smile. Seeing Yang Fan get out of the driver's seat, he quickly turned to him, "This must be Mr. Yang, right? It's a pleasure to meet you!"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the real estate agent took out his key, opened the building door, and led the two inside.

"Mr. Yang, Ms. Zhou, look at this place!"

The agent enthusiastically introduced the services as they walked:

"Although this building is a bit old, the main structure is sturdy, and the landlord renovated it a couple of years ago. Look at the walls and floors, they're still brand new!"

Just as Zhou Yao had said, the building was originally set up as a small hotel.

A long corridor with rooms on both sides, each with its own bathroom.

The room wasn't large, but it was well-organized.

"There are three floors in total, with seven rooms on each floor, making a total of twenty-one rooms." The agent pushed open a room door:

"Each room is about 15 square meters and has a private bathroom. The water and electricity are already installed, and the internet is easy to connect."

Yang Fan went into the room and took a look. The room was indeed small; a double bed, a table, and a wardrobe were all it took to fill it up.

However, if converted into a gaming room, removing the bed and replacing it with a gaming chair and computer desk, the space would be sufficient.

"The advantage of this building is that it's easy to renovate," the agent continued, pushing the sales pitch.

"No major renovations needed, just paint the walls, change the furniture, and replace the bed with a gaming chair and computer desk. Saves money and time!"

He led the two up to the third floor and opened a window: "Look, the surrounding environment is quiet and peaceful. Students can play games here without being disturbed."

Yang Fan looked out the window. Behind the building was an old residential area, which was indeed quiet.

But the street ahead also looked rather deserted, with few pedestrians.

"Manager Liu," Yang Fan turned and asked, "How far is this place from the university town?"

"Not far at all!" the agent immediately said. "It's a ten-minute drive! A student could get there in twenty minutes by shared bike! Plus, parking is convenient here; there's an open space behind the building that can accommodate seven or eight cars!"

Zhou Yao whispered, "Brother Fan, it's actually about three kilometers."

Yang Fan nodded without saying anything, and then walked around the building again.

To be fair, this place is indeed quite nice.

The room is already available, easy to renovate, and the rent should be cheap.

For those trying out esports hotels for the first time, this is a safe choice.

But the distance of "three kilometers" left him with a question mark.

Nowadays, most students, especially those who stay up all night playing games, do so for convenience.

If the distance to the school is too far, even just three kilometers, it may become an obstacle for them when making their choices—taking a taxi costs money, riding a bike is inconvenient, and walking is even more impossible.

"Manager Liu, what's the rent?" Yang Fan asked.

The agent's eyes lit up; knowing there was a chance, he quickly quoted a price:

"The entire building is available for rent at 32,000 yuan per month, with a three-month deposit and one month's rent in advance. If you sign a three-year contract, we can negotiate it down to 30,000 yuan per month! This price is absolutely reasonable for our area!"

Yang Fan didn't rush to give a response, only saying, "We'll consider it further and look at other places. Thank you for your help, Manager Liu."

Although the agent was somewhat disappointed, he still maintained a professional smile.

"No problem, no problem! Mr. Yang, take your time to consider it! This place is really great value for money! Feel free to contact me anytime!"

After leaving the first place and getting back into the car, Zhou Yao, biting her straw, asked, "Brother Fan, what do you think of this place?"

"It's alright." Yang Fan started the car. "Like you said, it's easy to modify and inexpensive. But the location... is definitely a problem."

"Yeah," Zhou Yao nodded, "I also think it's a bit far. Shall we go see the second one next? The one without an elevator?"

"Walk."

……