Super Rich: It all started when I met a young woman in a sleeper car.

The afternoon after the truth or dare game ended, the store wasn't too busy.

Chen Xun called Lin Xinyue, Li Qian, and Yang Xiaotao behind the cashier.

"Sit down." Chen Xun pulled up a chair. "I have something to tell you."

Three people were looking at him.

"How about we," Chen Xun tapped the table, "open a second store?"

There was a two-second silence.

"Holy crap!" Lin Xinyue was the first to jump up. "Opening a branch? Really? Bro, are you serious?"

Yang Xiaotao's eyes widened: "The...second one?"

Li Qian didn't speak, but tapped her finger lightly on the table.

Chen Xun nodded: "Really. Now the business at this store is stable, we've hired people, and we have the manuals. We have money and experience. I think it's time to expand outwards."

Chen looked at the three people.

What do you think?

"I think it'll work!" Lin Xinyue's face flushed with excitement. "We're already making a lot of money with the lines every day. If we open another one, won't that double the profits? This is a sure-fire way to take off!"

She pulled out her phone and opened her accounting app: "Look, this is last week's revenue, up 15% from the week before. At this rate, we'll have enough capital to open another store next month. Shouldn't we make a profit?"

Chen Xun looked at Li Qian.

Li Qian thought for a moment and said, "I agree to open a branch. But location is very important."

She took out her phone and opened a map app: "I can't be too close to this place, otherwise I'll be stealing my own business. But I can't be too remote either, there won't be any foot traffic. I need to find a new business district, or a place like a university town with lots of young people."

She paused, then added, "And we need to see if there are any similar shops over there, how many competitors there are. We don't want to jump right in and find that everyone around us is selling instant noodles; that would be a disaster."

Yang Xiaotao said softly, "Then...can we manage? We've just gotten this shop running smoothly, and we still need to train the new staff. If we open another one, the four of us will have to split up, won't we? I'm afraid...I'm afraid we won't be able to handle it."

She glanced at Chen Xun, then at Lin Xinyue and Li Qian: "And opening a new store requires even more worry, right? Renovation, hiring, getting licenses... just thinking about it gives me a headache."

Lin Xinyue patted her on the shoulder: "What are you afraid of! We're experienced now, just copy the manual. If we don't have enough people, we'll just hire more! With money, we're not afraid of not being able to recruit people!"

Li Qian shook her head: "It's not that simple. The new store needs someone to oversee it, especially in the first few months. Of the four of us, who will go? If they go to the new store, who will manage the old one? Can we trust the newly hired people? These are all problems."

The three of them chatted away, one after another.

Chen Xun listened without interrupting.

He only spoke after they had finished talking.

"Xin Yue is right. We have money and experience, so we should expand."

"Li Qian is right. You can't just pick a location randomly; you have to consider the market."

"Xiao Tao's concerns are not unfounded. People have limited energy and can't burn the candle at both ends."

He stood up: "So, let's not rush into a decision. The first step is research."

"Research?" The three people looked at him.

"Yes," Chen Xun said. "Let's split up and go to some of the busiest commercial districts and university areas in the city. Check the foot traffic, see if there are any suitable shops for sale, and see if there are any competitors around. Just treat it as a shopping trip."

Li Qian nodded: "That's a good idea. Just sitting here thinking about it won't do any good; we have to go and see for ourselves."

"I'm going too!" Lin Xinyue raised her hand. "I know the university town is really lively, with lots of students and good spending power."

Yang Xiaotao nodded: "Yes, it would be good to go and take a look."

"Okay." Chen Xun made the decision. "We're not busy this afternoon anyway, so let's set off now. Xin Yue, you go to the university town area. Li Qian, you go to the area around those shopping malls in the city center. Xiao Tao, you go... you go check out that emerging cultural and creative park; there are a lot of trendy shops there, take a look."

"And what about you?" Yang Xiaotao asked.

"I'll just wander around," Chen Xun said. "If I see a suitable shop, I'll go ask about it. We'll meet up at the apartment tonight and discuss what I've seen."

"good!"

The four of them decided to leave immediately, closed the shop, and set off on their own.

Chen Xun drove around the city.

He first went to several established commercial streets. There were shops for sale, but the rents were outrageously expensive, and many of them were fast food and milk tea shops, making the competition too fierce.

He then went to a newly developed commercial area. The foot traffic was decent, but the occupancy rate of the surrounding communities seemed low, and there might be no one there at night.

I spent the whole afternoon looking around, but nothing really satisfied me.

As evening approached, his phone rang.

It was Li Qian calling.

"Feed?"

"Chen Xun," Li Qian's voice came from the other end of the phone, slightly out of breath, as if she had just walked, "I found a shop here, and it feels... like something's up."

"Where?"

"In the east of the city, outside the newly opened 'MixC World' shopping mall, at the very beginning of the pedestrian street. It used to be a dessert shop, but now it has a 'For Sale' sign. I've seen it; the size is about the same as our current one, the basic decor is quite good, and it can be used with a few minor modifications. The key is the location; it's right opposite the mall exit, so there's definitely enough foot traffic."

Chen Xun's heart skipped a beat: "Did you ask about the rent?"

"The notice has a phone number on it, but I haven't called. Why don't you come and take a look?"

Send me the address, I'll be there right away.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Xun found Li Qian on the pedestrian street outside MixC World.

Li Qian pointed to a shop that was closed not far away.

The pink sign has been removed, and a large "For Sale" sign is pasted on the glass door. Through the glass, you can see that the interior has a light-colored decor, and the place is indeed quite nice.

Chen Xun walked around the shop.

To the left is a bubble tea shop with a long queue. To the right is a claw machine arcade, where kids are screaming with excitement. Across the street is the mall exit, bustling with people.

"This location..." Chen Xun nodded, "is indeed suitable."

"I looked around," Li Qian said. "There are fast food options, but not many proper, distinctive casual dining options. If our instant noodle shop opens here, it will be easily recognizable. Besides, eating in shopping malls is expensive, but we're at the entrance, so we have a price advantage and can attract customers."

Chen Xun laughed: "You even know how to intercept water."

"I learned it by watching business analysis videos," Li Qian said. "You learn what you do."

Chen Xun walked to the glass door and wrote down the phone number on the transfer notice.

He dialed it directly.

It rang seven or eight times before they finally answered.

"Feed?" came a middle-aged man's voice, a little hoarse.

"Hello, I saw that your shop on the pedestrian street is for sale and I'd like to ask about it," Chen Xun said.

"Oh, that shop?" the man said. "You want to rent it?"

"Let me find out more. How big is the area? How much is the rent? What about the transfer fee?"

"The area is 70 square meters, the rent is 12,000 yuan per month, three months' deposit and one month's rent in advance. The transfer fee is... 150,000 yuan." The man recited quickly, as if reciting lines.

Chen Xun did the math in his head. The rent was much higher than his current shop, and the transfer fee was also higher.

"Can I see inside the shop?" he asked.

"Now?" The man hesitated for a moment. "Okay, I happen to be nearby. Wait a minute, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xun said to Li Qian, "The homeowner is coming over."

Li Qian nodded without saying anything, and continued to observe the crowd of people passing by.

About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a polo shirt and carrying a small leather bag jogged over.

"Are you the one looking at the shop?" He sized up Chen Xun and Li Qian, his gaze lingering on Chen Xun's car parked by the roadside.

"Yes," Chen Xun said.

The man took out his keys and opened the door.

The inside looks cleaner than the outside; the tables and chairs have all been moved out, making it feel quite spacious. The water and electricity are still running, and the kitchen area is well-organized.

"Why is it being transferred?" Chen Xun asked as he looked at the document.

"Hey, so you used to run a dessert shop, business's not good." The man sighed. "This place looks crowded, but most people are just shopping; not many come out specifically to buy desserts. I managed for six months, but I couldn't keep going."

Chen Xun went to the back kitchen and looked at the ventilation and drainage systems.

"Can we negotiate the rent?" he asked.

"Well... 12,000 isn't that high." The man rubbed his hands together. "Look at this location. I can lower the transfer fee a bit. If you're really serious about it, 135,000 is fine too."

Chen Xun did not agree immediately.

"Let me think about it and give you an answer tomorrow?"

"Okay, okay." The man handed over a business card. "Call me anytime you've decided. But you'd better hurry, I've got a lot of inquiries these past few days."

When I came out of the shop, it was already getting dark.

Chen Xun let out a sigh of relief.

"What do you think?" Li Qian asked.

"The location is undeniably excellent," Chen Xun said, "but it's expensive. Add to that the costs of modifications, sourcing inventory, and hiring staff, and the initial investment is substantial."

"But the returns could also be high," Li Qian said. "The consumer base here is a very good match for our store."

"Go back and discuss it with Xinyue and Xiaotao."

Evening, in the apartment living room.

The four of them sat down together again.

Lin Xinyue started complaining: "I looked around the university town area. There are shops, but all the good locations are taken. The remaining ones are either too out of the way or small and shabby. I feel they're not as good as the one Li Qian looked at."

Yang Xiaotao whispered, "The shops in the cultural and creative park are all very beautiful, but the rent is extremely expensive. And it seems that people there value taking photos more, so the table turnover rate might not be high."

Chen Xun gave a detailed account of the situation at the shop in the east of the city.

"The monthly rent is 12,000, the transfer fee is 135,000, and with modifications and such, the starting price is estimated to be over 300,000." After he finished speaking, he looked at the three people.

"Three hundred thousand..." Yang Xiaotao gasped. "That's so much! Is what we've earned now enough?"

"It's enough," Lin Xinyue said quickly. "We have about that much in our account right now. But if we invest it all, we'll have no working capital left. If the new store doesn't do well at the start, and the old store needs money, that would be awkward."

Li Qian crossed her arms: "My opinion is that you can open it, but you need to control the pace. Don't put all your money in at once. Either negotiate installment payments for the transfer fee, or save on renovations and ensure the safety of the old store's cash flow first."

Lin Xinyue retorted, "What business doesn't involve risk? Once you've identified a promising opportunity, you have to go for it! Didn't we start our first store this way? The fact that business is so good now proves that our model works. What's there to be afraid of in replicating a successful experience?"

"The situation is different," Li Qian said calmly. "With the first store, we had nothing to lose and weren't afraid of those wearing shoes, so we didn't invest much money. Now that we have some savings, we need to be more cautious. If the new store doesn't take off and drags down the old one, then everything will be over."

"Why do you keep thinking about 'what if'?" Lin Xinyue asked anxiously. "What if it works out? Both stores would be making money together, wouldn't that be amazing?"

Yang Xiaotao glanced at Lin Xinyue, then at Li Qian, and whispered, "I think... Sister Li Qian has a point. Are we moving too fast? Should we wait until we have more money?"

"Wait? Opportunity waits for no one!" Lin Xinyue said. "If you like that location, someone else will too. By the time you've saved enough money, the shop will be gone!"

The two started arguing.

Chen Xun didn't speak, he just listened.

He only spoke after they had finished arguing.

"A shop, for rent."

Lin Xinyue's eyes lit up.

"However," Chen Xun continued, "we need to control the pace, just like Li Qian said. I'll negotiate an installment plan for the transfer fee, and we'll use the most cost-effective renovation scheme to ensure basic operations first. We can't touch the money from the old store, and I'll find another way to get the start-up capital for the new store."

Li Qian looked at him: "What method?"

"Don't worry about that," Chen Xun said. "In short, we need to open a new store, but we also need to control the risks. We can't go all in at once."

He looked at the three of them: "Tomorrow I'll go talk to the owner again and try to negotiate a better deal. If we succeed, the opening of the new store might be a bit tough initially, with a lot of running around. You need to be prepared."

Lin Xinyue immediately replied, "I have no problem with that!"

Li Qian thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Yang Xiaotao whispered, "Yes, it's up to you, brother."

"That's settled then." Chen Xun stood up. "Everyone's tired today, get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll probably have to start working on the new store."

The three of them went back to their rooms.

Chen Xun sat in the living room without moving.