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

Chapter 94 Chain Blueprint

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The office lights were still on.

After the celebratory Japanese meal, the four of them didn't leave but went straight back to the restaurant.

Chen Xun sat behind his desk, while Yang Xiaotao and Lin Xinyue squeezed onto a double sofa opposite him, and Li Qian dragged a chair over and sat to the side.

Several notebooks were spread out on the table, along with a few bottles of drinks that Yang Xiaotao had just bought at the convenience store on the way.

"The celebration drinks are finished," Chen Xun said, unscrewing a bottle of water. "Now, let's get to work."

Yang Xiaotao immediately sat up straight: "Big brother, are you really not going to wait until tomorrow? I just finished eating, my brain isn't working very fast."

"It's good that I'm full; all the blood is flowing to my stomach, and my mind is clear," Chen Xun said. "Let's strike while the iron is hot. Li Qian, you go first."

Li Qian nodded and pulled out a few pages from the folder she carried with her.

"Draft of a brand protection mechanism." She pushed the paper to the center of the table. "Let me briefly explain the key points."

"First, trademarks. The four characters '寻味泡麵' (Xunwei Paomian) and the logo of the cartoon noodle bowl we use must be registered immediately. For the food and beverage category, it's best to register all categories, or at least cover the core categories. This can't be delayed. I've checked, and several restaurants with '寻味' in their names have already applied, although the categories aren't exactly the same, but there might be disputes later."

"Second, the legal process. From now on, all contracts—rental agreements, purchase contracts, employee contracts, and even agreements for joint activities—must go through a legal process. We can find a reliable law firm to cooperate with, paying annually or per case. Hiring our own legal counsel is too costly and unnecessary at this stage."

"Third, public opinion monitoring." Li Qian paused for a moment. "This time, Jiang Tianxiong's attack on us started with online trolls. As we open more stores and gain more fame, this kind of thing will only happen more often. I suggest buying a public opinion monitoring software, or hiring a third-party company to do it. Set keywords like 'Seeking the Flavors of Instant Noodles,' 'Instant Noodle Research Institute,' and our names. Once there are any negative signs, we'll know immediately and deal with them promptly."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Chen Xun.

Chen Xun didn't speak immediately, but picked up the few pages and flipped through them.

The list above is very detailed, even including a rough budget range.

"What about the budget?" he asked.

"For trademark registration across all classes, the official fees plus agency fees will be around ten to twenty thousand yuan. Legal cooperation, if done on an annual basis, will cost a few tens of thousands of yuan. Public opinion monitoring software will also cost tens of thousands of yuan per year," Li Qian said. "In total, the initial investment can be kept under one hundred thousand yuan. But these are fixed costs. As you have more stores, more contracts, and a wider monitoring scope, the cost may increase."

"One hundred thousand..." Chen Xun thought for a moment, "It's worth it. We can't skimp on this money."

He looked at Li Qian: "You're in charge of this. Find an agency to handle the trademark registration as soon as possible, and contact a few law firms to get a proposal. Compare the public opinion monitoring software and choose one with a high cost-performance ratio."

"Okay." Li Qian noted it down.

"It's my turn! It's my turn!" Yang Xiaotao raised her hand.

Chen Xun looked at her: "You speak."

"We can't just open a shop here!" Yang Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "My idea is to create a pop-up shop!"

"A pop-up store?" Lin Xinyue frowned. "How do you calculate the costs? How do you guarantee foot traffic?"

"Let me finish!" Yang Xiaotao took out her phone, opened the map, and said, "Look, the next city is only a two-hour drive away. They have a huge pedestrian street there, which is packed with people on weekends. We don't need to rent a storefront; we can just rent a temporary stall, or collaborate with someone to put on a themed pop-up event for the weekend."

She became more and more excited as she spoke: "For example, we'll call it the 'Instant Noodle Taste Exploration: City Roaming Project.' We'll simplify our 'Nostalgic Campus' theme, set up a few photo spots, sell our signature instant noodles, and create some limited-edition merchandise. The goal isn't to make money, it's to test the waters! To see if people from other places accept our brand and if they like the taste. Low cost, short cycle, and quick results!"

Chen Xun listened, tapping his fingers on the table.

"That's interesting," he said. "But what about the specifics? How will the stalls be rented? How will the materials be transported? How will the staff be deployed? Can the food safety permit be used across cities?"

Yang Xiaotao was taken aback by the question and blinked, "This... I need to think about it some more."

"You can think about it," Chen Xun said, "but you have to think it all through. Write down what you just said in a plan, clearly outlining the budget, process, risks, and objectives. Show it to me when you're done."

"No problem!" Yang Xiaotao nodded vigorously. "I promise I'll write it down clearly!"

Chen Xun looked at Lin Xinyue: "It's your turn."

Lin Xinyue was already prepared. She took out a tablet from her bag and opened a PowerPoint presentation.

"I've narrowed down three potential locations." She turned the tablet to Chen Xun. "The first one is the commercial street in the university town. Advantages: a concentrated young customer base with strong spending power and a high acceptance of trendy products. Disadvantages: large fluctuations in customer traffic during summer and winter vacations, relatively high rent, and fierce competition; there are more than a dozen milk tea shops alone."

The tablet displays photos of the university town street scene, along with data comparing surrounding rental prices.

"The second location is in an emerging commercial district, a gathering place for white-collar workers." Lin Xinyue scrolled to the next page. "Advantages: strong purchasing power, guaranteed lunch and dinner business on weekdays, and many office buildings nearby. Disadvantages: the decoration and positioning need to be more business-oriented and sophisticated, and the initial investment may be higher than that of the university town store."

"The third option is a large community commercial center." She underlined it again. "Advantages: stable customer flow, many family customers, suitable for repeat purchases. Disadvantages: the average transaction value may not be high, and community stores don't have such high requirements for 'brand image,' so our theme and characteristics may not be fully utilized."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Chen Xun and said, "My suggestion is to prioritize the first and second locations. The university town store can replicate our current 'nostalgic campus' theme, which is a familiar approach. The commercial district store, on the other hand, will need some adjustments; it might be better to create a concept like a 'decompression canteen for urban white-collar workers.'"

Chen Xun looked at the data and images on the tablet but did not immediately express his opinion.

The office was quiet for a while.

The air conditioner is humming.

"Trademark registration takes time," Chen Xun suddenly said, "and the pop-up store plan also takes time. But site selection and investigation can begin immediately."

He looked at Lin Xinyue: "Go to the university town and that emerging commercial area in person next week and take a look. Bring your phone, take lots of photos, talk to the shop owners in the area, and ask about rent and transfer information. Don't rush into a decision; get a clear picture first."

"Okay." Lin Xinyue nodded.

"Li Qian," Chen Xun turned to her again, "you handle the brand protection matter concurrently. Submit the trademark application as soon as possible, and give me preliminary options from the law firm and monitoring software within a week."

"clear."

"Xiao Tao," Chen Xun said, turning to Yang Xiao Tao one last time, "I need to see your pop-up store plan, including a detailed budget and contingency plan. Don't just think about having fun; list out all the potential pitfalls."

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Yang Xiaotao puffed out her chest.

Chen Xun leaned back in his chair and glanced at the three people in front of him.

"Today's meeting is the first step in our blueprint," he said. "Brand protection is the shield, site expansion is the spear, and pop-up testing is the scout. These three things should be done simultaneously, but with a clear priority. The shield must be erected first, the spear must be aimed correctly before thrusting out, and the scouts must be deployed skillfully."

He paused for a moment: "We have money now. But we can't spend it recklessly; every penny must be spent wisely. Jiang Tianxiong may have fallen, but there are only more people waiting to laugh at us and take advantage of us. Every step we take now must be more stable and more cautious than before."

None of the three women spoke, but their eyes were all very serious.

"Alright," Chen Xun waved his hand, "That's enough for today. Go back and rest. Starting tomorrow, everyone go about their own business."

Li Qian and Lin Xinyue stood up and began packing their things.

Yang Xiaotao stretched and yawned, "Ugh, I've lost a lot of brain cells. Big brother, could you schedule this kind of meeting during the day next time? Meetings at night make it hard to fall asleep."

"If you can't sleep, think about your pop-up store plan." Chen Xun smiled. "If you come up with a good idea, get up and write it down."

"You devil!" Yang Xiaotao stuck out her tongue, picked up her bag, and went out with Lin Xinyue.

Li Qian walked last. She reached the door and glanced back.

Chen Xun remained seated, looking at the papers spread out on the table.

"Is there anything else?" Chen Xun looked up.

"No," Li Qian shook her head, "I just feel that the feeling of drawing up a blueprint is pretty good."

After she finished speaking, she gently closed the door.

Chen Xun was the only one left in the office.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

【Ding! 】

[The host has been detected making a clear investment in the brand building and chain expansion plan of "Xunwei Instant Noodles".]

[Investment Nature: Strategic Planning and Team Division of Labor]

[Investment Amount: Implicit (Time, Energy, Team Focus).]

[Triggering a 10x rebate calculation...]

[Calculation in progress...]

[Due to the clear planning, well-defined goals, and reasonable division of labor within the team, additional factors are being considered...]

[Rebate amount: 80,000 yuan.]

[The money has arrived.]

A system notification sounded in my mind.

Chen Xun opened his eyes, took out his phone, and glanced at the bank app.

The balance number jumped up again.

Not much, 500,000.

But this is a signal.

The system approved his direction.

He placed his phone face down on the table and didn't look at it again.

Money is important, but what's even more important is going in the right direction.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the city at night, and the lights on the buildings are much sparser.

The story of this store in MixC World goes from an initial idea to a dispute with Zhou Wenbin, competition with the beverage shop next door, a themed renovation, being targeted by Jiang Tianxiong, a counterattack, and a celebration.

Step by step, it looked thrilling, but every step was taken firmly.

Now, it's time to take the next step.

Open branches, build a brand, and expand outwards.

It sounded exciting, but he knew in his heart that this step was more difficult than all the previous steps combined.

It used to be one shop with four people; all they had to do was keep a close eye on things.

In the future, there will be two stores, three stores, or even more stores.

With more people and more things to manage, what if we can't keep up? What if standards get messed up? What if the flavor changes? What if someone copies us? What if we face malicious competition?

There are a lot of problems.

But when problems arise, they need to be solved.

He turned and walked back to his desk, picked up Li Qian's draft of the brand protection proposal, and read it again.

Trademark, legal, and public opinion monitoring.

These are all shields.

First set up the shield, then think about how to swing the spear.

He put the draft back, turned off the main office light, and left only a small desk lamp on.

A halo of light illuminated a corner of the desktop.

He picked up a pen and wrote a few words on a blank sheet of paper:

"Chain blueprint: Shield, Spear, Scout."

Then three lines were drawn below, pointing in three directions respectively.

He finished drawing and looked at the picture on the paper.

Clear, simple, and direct.

This is the path they will take next.

He folded the paper and put it in the drawer.

Then I turned off the desk lamp and left the office.

The corridor was quiet, with only the green light of the safety signs.

The city nights are still long.

And their journey has only just begun.

But at least, this beginning was drawn by four people together.

This is enough.