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

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

Chen Feng opened the door, and Su Qing stood outside, clearly having touched up her makeup.

Today she wore a beige trench coat over a black fitted knit top, and dark blue jeans that hugged her long, straight, beautiful legs.

She held the small Motorola tightly in her hand, her face radiating youthful energy.

Good evening, Mr. Chen.

"Come in."

Chen Feng ushered her into the living room.

This was Su Qing's first time visiting Chen Feng's new home. Looking at this luxurious mansion, where even the carpets seemed incredibly high-end, and especially at the dazzling river view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a hint of shock and envy flashed in her eyes.

This is the life of a successful person.

She sat down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and moved with elegance.

"Tell me, how's your running going lately?" Chen Feng poured her a glass of warm water and sat down on the single sofa opposite her.

Su Qing took a sip of water to calm herself down and then took out her notebook.

"Mr. Chen, I've visited almost every internet cafe of any size in downtown Shanghai during this period."

"Excluding those small workshops with twenty or thirty machines, there are currently about 146 internet cafes with more than fifty machines that are relatively well-organized."

"This is a detailed distribution map and list, as well as contact information for some of the bosses."

Su Qing handed the organized materials to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng took the documents, glanced through them, and nodded in satisfaction.

This girl is indeed meticulous. She not only marked the locations but also noted the approximate occupancy rate and pricing of each internet cafe.

"Well done."

Chen Feng closed the file and looked at Su Qing. "Now that you've figured out the details, I'm going to give you an even more important task."

Su Qing sat up straight, her expression becoming serious.

"I want you to take this list and visit them one by one."

"Go tell those business owners that we can give them Storm's internet cafe billing system for free!"

"And not only is it free, but if they're willing to install it, we can also send technicians to their site for installation and debugging, and even train their network administrators!"

"What? Free?"

Su Qing opened her mouth wide in surprise, her red lips slightly parted, her face full of confusion.

"Mr. Chen, this...this system is our core competitive advantage! Other internet cafes are still using handwritten notes to keep accounts, while our system is so advanced! If we give it to them, won't we lose our advantage?"

"And they even have to send people to provide door-to-door service... Not only will they not make money, they'll actually lose money!"

Chen Feng smiled when he saw her shocked expression.

"Su Qing, you need to have a long-term vision."

"What do you think is the biggest attraction of this system for internet cafe owners?"

Su Qing thought for a moment: "Saves trouble? Prevents oversights? And...convenience?"

"Yes, it's about convenience and security," Chen Feng explained persuasively. "Once they start using this system, they'll become dependent on it. And once they become dependent, all the internet cafes will essentially become terminals in our hands."

"As for why it's free..."

Chen Feng stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the Bund outside, which was glittering with lights.

"Because what's free is often the most expensive."

"Once we control the desktops of these hundreds of internet cafes, we can decide which games to promote and which GGs to play. We'll make way more money than just collecting software fees."

Su Qing nodded as if she understood, though she didn't fully grasp the concepts of "terminal" and "traffic." But looking at Chen Feng's confident back, she chose to believe him unconditionally.

"Understood, Mr. Chen." Su Qing stood up. "I'll start recruiting tomorrow. I can't handle all of these hundred-plus internet cafes by myself."

"Sure." Chen Feng turned around. "You can go to the job market and recruit a few full-time salespeople, or find part-time students at universities. You set the budget yourself; I only care about the results."

"I'll have Zhao Kai cooperate with you on the technical support side. Remember, make sure they install it; even a small gift would be helpful."

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

......

After seeing Su Qing off, Chen Feng took out his phone and dialed Zhao Kai's number.

Ever since Zhao Kai received his bonus, he's been showing off by buying an Ericsson phone, which he wears on his waist all the time, as if he's afraid people won't know he has a cell phone.

"Xiao Zhao, I have something to tell you."

Chen Feng got straight to the point, "Our system needs a catchy name, so let's call it Storm Network Management Master. Remember to put those words on the boot screen and desktop wallpaper, make sure they're prominent."

"Also, cut out the core membership recharge and management functions and make a stripped-down version."

"If others want to use the full membership features, it's at a different price... or rather, they have to agree to our conditions."

Although Zhao Kai didn't understand the intricacies of business, his execution was impeccable: "No problem, Mr. Chen. The code is all ready-made. I just need to disable the modules, and it'll be done in two days."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Feng lit a cigarette.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his thoughts drifted to the approaching year of 2000.

According to his son Chen Xiaotian, the cash cow "Legend of Mir" will be launched at the end of next year.

Based on our calculations, the South Korean area should be almost fully developed by now.

I must go to South Korea early next year.

Before that, this year was a crucial period for seizing territory.

We need to spread "Storm Internet Cafe Master" to internet cafes across the country and firmly control the distribution channels.

Even if no one actually wins, just having a pop-up window appear on the desktops of thousands or tens of thousands of internet cafes will make this game a hit.

Moreover, they can sell game cards directly through the network management system, saving an astronomical amount in channel fees.

......

Shanghai, Jing'an District, Speedy Time and Space Internet Cafe.

Su Qing sat on the sofa opposite the boss's chair, her long legs crossed, her black stockings gleaming delicately under the light.

"Boss Zhang, you've seen the demonstration too."

Su Qing twirled a pen in her hand, a professional smile on her face, but her eyes revealed a shrewdness.

"Our Storm Network Management Master system can save you the salary of at least two cashiers. Moreover, the billing is accurate to the second, so you no longer have to worry about favors or miscalculations."

"Most importantly, it's free, and free for life."

Sitting opposite, Boss Zhang's gaze lingered on Su Qing's long, beautiful legs for a few moments before he swallowed hard and forced himself to remain calm.

"Miss Su, I'm a businesswoman, I don't believe in free lunches."

"Your Storm Internet Cafe is now the top dog in Shanghai. We're practically rivals in the same industry. Why are you giving me such a great system for free? What are you after?"

Su Qing smiled.

"Boss Zhang, your vision is too narrow."

"Shanghai is so big, with thousands of internet cafes. Even if we, Storm, open fifty branches, we still can't take over the entire market."

"Our CEO, Mr. Chen, said that instead of engaging in a price war, we should work together to improve our service."

"Moreover..." Su Qing paused, her tone becoming meaningful, "Our company's future focus is on building platforms and the internet, not just opening internet cafes."

"This system is our sincerity in making friends."

Mr. Zhang was stunned by these words.

Although he didn't fully understand what "building a platform" meant, the points about it being free and saving on labor costs really hit his weak spot.

"Alright, since Miss Su says so, I'll believe you this time."

Boss Zhang stroked his chin, then suddenly changed the subject, "But... I heard your store has a pretty advanced membership system? The one with top-up bonuses? Why wasn't it in the version you just demonstrated?"

Su Qing's lips curled up, revealing a sly smile.

The fish has taken the bait.

"Boss Zhang has a really sharp eye."

"The membership system does exist, and it's the full version with all the features. If you want it... that's not impossible."

"What are the conditions?" Boss Zhang asked eagerly.

With a membership system, he can also run recharge promotions to make money.

Su Qing tidied a stray hair behind her ear, her voice soft yet firm: "The conditions are very simple."

"You need to sign an agreement that allows us to keep an interface in the system background."

"In the future, if our company has any legitimate software or game promotions, we will be required to install and display them on your internet cafe computers without any conditions."

"Of course, if no one uses it for a long time, you can apply to uninstall it, and it will not take up your memory resources."

This is actually a "Trojan horse" clause.

But in 2000, not many people realized the terrifying value of "traffic portals" and "pre-installed software".

Boss Zhang thought about it for a moment.

Install a few programs? What's the big deal?

He'd be willing to try anything, even installing a bomb, if he could just get his hands on that money-making membership system.

"this one?"

"That's it." Su Qing nodded firmly.

"Deal!" Boss Zhang slapped his thigh, his gaze sweeping over Su Qing again. "Miss Su, would you do me the honor of having dinner tonight? How about we celebrate our collaboration?"

Su Qing stood up, tugged at her short skirt, and politely declined, "Let's do it another day, Boss Zhang. I still have several other places to visit."

Watching Su Qing sway her hips as she walked away, Boss Zhang took a deep breath; the scent of her perfume seemed to still linger in the air.

This deal is really worthwhile.