My son is a reincarnated soul; I overheard his inner thoughts and became the richest man.

The next day was a Saturday, so Chen Xiaotian didn't have to go to school.

Chen Feng got up early on purpose, changed into a neat casual suit, combed his hair meticulously, and even sprayed some hair gel.

Today I have to interview the college student that Sister Hong introduced, and I also have to supervise the construction of the new store on the pedestrian street. I have to keep up with the "General Manager Chen" persona.

"Come on, son, let me show you the land we've conquered."

Chen Feng scooped up Chen Xiaotian, who was still rubbing his eyes, and strode out the door.

Upon arriving at the third floor of the pedestrian street, the renovation team was working diligently.

The partition has been installed, and the electrician is laying a dense network of cables.

Although the several hundred square meter hall was still a mess, the feeling of spaciousness and openness had already emerged.

Chen Feng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling crowd below, and a sense of pride welled up within him.

"How about it, son? If we deploy these hundred machines, it'll be a sight to behold in Linjiang City! Aren't I amazing?"

Seeing his father's smug expression, Chen Xiaotian clapped his hands enthusiastically, saying, "Daddy's awesome! Daddy's a superhero!"

He said that, but in his heart he was rolling his eyes like crazy.

It's impressive, but the efficiency is just too low.

[It's been over half a year since they opened their second store. At this rate, when will they ever achieve financial freedom in this era of abundant opportunities?]

The current internet cafe management is too outdated, relying entirely on manual bookkeeping. Customers have to write a note when they use the computer and the time they leave has to be recorded. If they run a hundred computers in the future, the cashier alone will be overwhelmed with work, and it's also prone to errors and embezzlement.

[Sigh, it's a pity I'm still a kid and can't do it myself. Otherwise, I'd definitely build a whole "internet cafe management system."]

[Software that can automatically lock the screen, automatically calculate billing, and be remotely controlled. If we had that, not only would it save manpower, but most importantly—we could implement a membership system!]

[Recharge 100 and get 10 free, recharge 500 and get 100 free! This is the real killer feature!]

[Once this membership system is implemented, the cash flow will be like a waterfall. Use customer prepayments to open new stores, then use those new stores to collect more prepayments... This snowballing strategy can cover the entire province with internet cafes in just six months!]

Hearing his son's heartfelt words, Chen Feng felt as if he had been struck by lightning, as if he had been enlightened.

Membership system? Top-up bonus?

This...this is absolutely a genius idea!

Nowadays, internet cafes pay customers on the spot, and even regular customers are recorded in a notebook, which is not only troublesome, but also results in small amounts of money being collected little by little.

If what my son said is true, and we let people deposit money first... then these hundred machines might collect tens of thousands of yuan in membership fees before they're even turned on!

With this money, why would he worry about cash flow? He could just open a third or fourth store!

Chen Feng was so excited that his palms were sweating, and he wanted to hug and kiss his son.

This kid's brain isn't filled with brains, it's a money-printing machine!

However, that so-called "internet cafe management system"... Chen Feng is a complete idiot who only knows how to use a computer to play Red Alert, so asking him to develop software is simply a pipe dream.

We need to find someone! Someone who knows the stuff!

Just as Chen Feng was pondering where to find such talent, a timid voice came from the doorway.

"Excuse me...excuse me, is this Storm Internet Cafe? I'm looking for Boss Chen."

Chen Feng turned around and saw a young man standing at the door.

The man was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, not very tall, and somewhat hunchbacked.

He was wearing a faded plaid shirt and his jeans were also a bit old.

He wore thick, black-rimmed glasses that looked like the bottom of a beer bottle, his hair was messy, and his face was covered in pimples.

He's obviously a typical bookworm.

"I am Chen Feng." Chen Feng looked him up and down. "You're the nephew that Sister Hong introduced?"

"Yes! Yes! Hello, Mr. Chen!"

Upon hearing that this was the person in question, the young man quickly bowed, appearing quite flustered. "My name is Zhao Kai, and my aunt sent me here."

Chen Feng nodded and pointed to a stack of tiles next to him: "Sit down, don't be shy. Your aunt told me you're a college student? What's your major?"

Zhao Kai placed his hands on his knees, his palms sweating with nervousness.

"I graduated from Linjiang Vocational and Technical College, majoring in... Computer Application and Programming."

"Programming?" Chen Feng's eyes lit up. "You mean writing software?"

"Yes...I know a little."

Zhao Kai said softly, "I learned C and VB in school, and I've written some small programs, but they were all little games like Snake..."

Chen Feng took out a cigarette from his pocket and tossed one to Zhao Kai.

"Xiao Zhao, since you studied programming, you should have no problem handling this kind of work at an internet cafe. Tell me, what's your expected salary?"

Zhao Kai visibly tensed up when Chen Feng asked about his salary.

He pushed up his thick glasses, hesitated for a long time, and then cautiously extended his finger: "Mr. Chen, I...I want...eight hundred a month!"

He originally wanted to ask for a thousand, but he hesitated when he got to the point, afraid that he would lose the job, so he changed it to eight hundred.

Eight hundred a month is definitely considered a high salary in Linjiang City at that time.

Li Zhicheng and his colleagues at Chen Feng's shop only received 600 yuan.

However, considering that he is a college graduate and works in a technical field, it is reasonable for him to earn a slightly higher salary.

Chen Feng didn't hesitate much and nodded immediately: "Okay, eight hundred it is!"

Zhao Kai looked up abruptly, his face filled with disbelief, then overjoyed: "President Chen, you...you really agreed?"

Chen Feng smiled and said, "I keep my word."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen! Thank you, Mr. Chen!"

Zhao Kai was so excited that he bowed repeatedly.

It seems this kid has faced quite a few setbacks since graduation, otherwise he wouldn't be so happy about 800 yuan.

Having settled the details of the compensation, Chen Feng steered the conversation to the main topic.

"Xiao Zhao, since you have formal training, writing software shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

Zhao Kai's smile froze for a moment. He scratched his messy hair, a little embarrassed: "Uh... simple ones are okay, but if they're too complicated... I'm not sure I can handle them."

"That's right, Xiao Zhao."

Chen Feng flicked his cigarette ash. "I have an idea. I want to develop a software program."

"This software should allow customers to enter their account and password to log in and out, and it should also automatically calculate the bill. Most importantly, it should be able to manage membership top-ups."

"I don't understand the specific code, but these are the functionalities. Can you take a look and see if you can get it working for me?"

Before Zhao Kai could even finish speaking, Chen Xiaotian, who was sitting next to him, dropped his lollipop to the ground with a "thud".

The little guy stared wide-eyed at his dad with a look of utter disbelief.

[Holy crap? How did Dad's brain work?]

[He actually came up with the idea of ​​an internet cafe management system? And a membership system too? His business acumen is incredible!]

I originally thought I'd have to go through a lot of explaining to him, but I didn't expect him to figure it out on his own? Could it be that my dad's miserable life before his rebirth was really just due to bad luck, rather than a lack of ability?

Hearing his son's heartfelt words, Chen Feng was overjoyed, but he maintained his calm and collected boss demeanor.

You brat, how dare you look down on your dad?

You'd never dream that your dad has some kind of cheat code, and can hear your thoughts!

At this moment, Zhao Kai frowned and thought for a while before speaking, "President Chen, the functions you mentioned... are logically not complicated, it's just that database integration is a bit troublesome. However... I can give it a try!"

"OK!"

Chen Feng slammed his hand on the table. "The new store still needs some renovations, so you'll report to the old store tomorrow. I'll have someone set up a dedicated computer for you; you can use it for development."

"Yes, Mr. Chen!"

Zhao Kai immediately agreed, then remembered something, "Oh right, Mr. Chen, developing software requires some programming environments and tools, but the computers in the store only have games. I need to go buy some CDs..."

Chen Feng waved his hand dismissively: "You can handle these yourself. If you need to buy any software or books, keep the receipts and come to me for reimbursement."

"Okay! I guarantee I'll complete the task!"

Zhao Kai was full of energy, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now. Try to get a basic prototype out within half a month."

"No problem, I'll go back and prepare."

Just as Chen Feng breathed a sigh of relief watching Zhao Kaixing's hurried departure, the familiar voice rang in his mind again.

Although Zhao Kai's skill level is a bit low, as long as he's willing to put in the effort, creating a simplified billing system shouldn't be a problem.

It's 99 now, and the internet revolution is just around the corner. In two years, internet cafes will be everywhere. I need to remind Dad that once this system is developed, he shouldn't keep it a secret; he should give it away for free to internet cafes all over the country!

[Obtaining control of all the desktops in internet cafes—that's the most terrifying channel.]

I remember the game "Legend of Mir" was released around the second half of 01. It was a true money-making machine! It was practically a cash cow!

[I'll have Dad go to South Korea beforehand and buy the distribution rights for that company called Wemade. As long as we control the internet cafe system channel, we can save on advertising costs and directly push the product to millions of computers!]

That's legendary! It represented the youth of a generation! Later, Chen Tianqiao used this game to become the richest man in China in 04, with a net worth of tens of billions!

[And he only spent about $300,000 to buy the agency rights back then...]

[Three hundred thousand US dollars for tens of billions! If this deal goes through, my position as the "son of the richest man" will be secure!]

Chen Xiaotian sat in the chair, swinging his legs, his eyes glazed over, as if he could already see himself rolling around in a pile of money.

While listening to these words, Chen Feng forgot to smoke his cigarette, and didn't even notice that the ash had burned a hole in his pants.

Three hundred thousand US dollars? Tens of billions?

The richest man?