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

As the car drove out of the trademark agency, Chen Xun gripped the steering wheel while Li Qian sat in the passenger seat, flipping through the stamped acceptance notice in her hand.

"It's been accepted, and the official fees have been paid," Li Qian said. "Next, we just have to wait for the review, which will probably take a few months."

"A few months is fine," Chen Xun said, looking at the road ahead. "Anyway, we're not in a rush."

Li Qian put the notification letter into a folder: "What the agent just said about the 'nostalgic campus' theme might be objected to. What do you think?"

"He's right." Chen Xun nodded. "The phrase 'Nostalgic Campus' is indeed too generic, and the success rate of direct registration is not high. You can change it to the combination of 'Taste of Nostalgic Campus Themed Restaurants' on the spot, and add graphic elements. That will be much better."

"Hmm." Li Qian paused, "But I'm still a little worried."

"What are you worried about?"

"I'm worried someone might register it first." Li Qian turned to look at him. "The words 'Xunwei' are too common. Several restaurants have already applied for it. Although the categories are not exactly the same, it will be very troublesome if someone maliciously registers our graphic logo or a similar name like 'Xunwei Instant Noodle Research Institute'."

Chen Xun didn't speak immediately.

The car passed a traffic light.

【Ding! 】

[The host has been detected making substantial investments in the intellectual property protection of the "Xunwei Instant Noodles" brand.]

[Investment Nature: Trademark registration and legal risk mitigation.]

[Investment Amount: Application fees and agency fees.]

[Triggering a 10x rebate calculation...]

[Calculation in progress...]

[Due to the investment's forward-looking nature and alignment with business expansion needs, additional factors have been added...]

[Rebate amount: 80,000 yuan.]

[The money has arrived.]

A system notification sounded in my mind.

Chen Xun's lips twitched.

Eighty thousand yuan, not much.

But this is a signal that the system approves of him spending money on brand protection.

"Your concerns are valid," Chen Xun said. "That's why we can't just register one."

Li Qian looked at him: "What do you mean?"

"Defensive registration," Chen Xun said. "We registered names like 'Instant Noodle Research Institute,' 'Instant Noodle Campus,' 'Instant Noodle Themed Catering,' and other names we might use. It's a little extra money for peace of mind."

Li Qian's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea. I'll go back and compile a list, making up all the similar names I can think of, and submit them together next week."

"Okay," Chen Xun said. "You're in full charge of this; don't skimp on the budget."

"clear."

The car was driven back to the shop.

The office door was open, and Lin Xinyue and Yang Xiaotao were both inside.

Lin Xinyue sat in front of the computer, the screen filled with densely packed tables. Yang Xiaotao leaned over her, holding a large sheet of paper.

"You're back?" Lin Xinyue looked up.

"You're back." Chen Xun walked in. "The trademark is sorted out and accepted."

Yang Xiaotao immediately jumped up: "Wow, so fast! Big brother's efficiency is off the charts!"

Li Qian walked to her seat and sat down: "It's just an application submission; it's still a long way from registration."

"That's still amazing!" Yang Xiaotao held up the drawing in her hand. "Look, big brother, I've fixed it!"

Chen Xun took the blueprints.

It's a zoning design diagram for the cinema, more detailed than the one we discussed last time.

The first-floor dining area is marked in bright yellow, the second-floor movie theater area in dark blue, and the third-floor game area with colorful neon effects. The signs, furniture, and lighting on each floor are drawn, with small notes next to them.

"Not bad, Xiao Tao." Chen Xun looked at it carefully. "This time the drawing is quite detailed."

"Absolutely!" Yang Xiaotao said proudly. "I've done a lot of research these past few days and even visited several themed restaurants for inspiration. Look at this photo wall on the first floor, I designed it to look like an old-fashioned blackboard, with 'Seeking the Flavors of Instant Noodles' written on it, and a cartoon noodle bowl drawn next to it, so customers can stand in front of it to take photos."

Chen Xun nodded: "That's right."

"There's also a second floor," Lin Xinyue added. "I've already calculated it."

She turned to the computer screen: "Based on Xiaotao's partitioning design, if the renovation is done in phases, the initial investment can be controlled within this amount."

She gave a number.

Chen Xun listened and realized that the figure had dropped slightly compared to his previous estimate.

"How did it drop?" he asked.

"I renegotiated the supply chain," Lin Xinyue said. "For the light catering segment, I talked to three local bakeries and two juice shops. They are willing to join in a partnership. We provide the space, and they provide the equipment and raw materials, with sales revenue split. This way, we don't need to build our own kitchen, saving a lot on initial equipment investment."

"What about the profit-sharing ratio?" Li Qian asked.

"It's 20/80, we get 20%, they get 80%," Lin Xinyue said. "But we charge venue fees and brand usage fees. All things considered, the profit is a little lower than if we did it ourselves, but the risk is lower and the cash flow is more stable."

Chen Xun thought for a moment: "Okay. Let's do it this way for now, and then make adjustments after the model is working."

"And then there's the fire safety renovation," Lin Xinyue continued. "I got quotes from three fire safety engineering companies and chose the most reliable one. They looked at the cinema's structural plans and said they could do the work in sections so it wouldn't affect our opening on the first floor."

"What about the construction period?"

"The entire renovation will take about three months," Lin Xinyue said. "But if we only renovate the first floor and half of the second floor, we can open for business in a month and a half. We can wait until the customer flow stabilizes before starting work on the third floor."

Chen Xun leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table.

The office fell silent.

Yang Xiaotao looked at Lin Xinyue, then at Li Qian, and finally at Chen Xun.

"So..." she asked softly, "Are we really going to take over this movie theater?"

"Let's do it," Chen Xun said, "but not by ourselves."

All three women looked at him.

"Let's put out a tender." Chen Xun stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and said, "The cinema renovation is a huge project, involving fire protection, structure, decoration, and equipment. We can't handle it ourselves, and there's no need for us to do it ourselves."

He wrote the word "Tender" on the whiteboard.

"Xin Yue, compile the renovation plan, budget, and construction period requirements into a detailed tender document." Chen Xun looked at Lin Xin Yue. "Send it out next week and find at least three engineering companies to bid."

Lin Xinyue nodded: "Okay."

"Li Qian, you're in charge of reviewing the qualifications of the bidding companies, especially their experience in fire safety and decoration." Chen Xun turned to Li Qian. "Don't just look at the quotes; look at what projects they've done and whether they have experience with similar themed spaces."

"Understood." Li Qian wrote it down.

"Xiao Tao." Chen Xun looked at Yang Xiao Tao one last time, "Your design drawings need to be turned into technical standards. What materials, colors, and lighting will be used in each area must be clearly stated and included in the tender documents so that the engineering company can construct according to the drawings."

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

Chen Xun put down his pen and looked at the word "Tender" on the whiteboard.

"This is our first flagship project," he said, "and also our first standardized model store. The bidding process isn't about handing things over; it's about letting professionals do what they're good at, while we control the direction and standards."

He paused for a moment: "We have the money. But we need to spend it wisely. The bidding process is to find the sharpest blade."

Lin Xinyue suddenly laughed: "Big brother, you're starting to sound more and more like a big boss."

"Does it look like it?" Chen Xun smiled. "If it does, then it does. Anyway, what we're doing now is the kind of work the big boss does."

Li Qian closed her notebook: "I'll compile the list of defensive trademark registrations tonight."

Yang Xiaotao raised her hand: "I'll write the design standards tomorrow!"

Lin Xinyue looked at the computer screen: "I'll have the tender documents ready before the weekend."

Chen Xun looked at the three people in front of him.

Three people, three directions, but the same goal.

"Okay," he said. "Then it's settled. Trademark registration, defensive planning, and cinema renovation bidding—these three things will proceed simultaneously."

He walked back to his seat and picked up his car keys.

"That's all for today," Chen Xun said. "Go back and rest. Starting tomorrow, everyone can get back to their own work."

The three women began packing their things.

As Yang Xiaotao stuffed blueprints into her bag, she muttered, "I'm going to have to work overtime drawing again. My beauty sleep is coming..."

Lin Xinyue shut down her computer: "Shall I take you home?"

"Okay, okay!" Yang Xiaotao immediately leaned over.

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

Chen Xun was still standing in front of the whiteboard, looking at the words written on it.

"Is there anything else?" Chen Xun turned his head.

"No," Li Qian shook her head, "It's just that I feel like what we're doing is becoming more and more serious."

"Isn't being serious good enough?"

"Okay." Li Qian smiled. "It's just a little strange."

After she finished speaking, she gently closed the door.

Chen Xun was the only one left in the office.

He walked to the window and looked at the darkening sky outside.

The city lights began to come on.

And their first flagship store will be transformed from a blueprint into reality under those lights.

He turned and walked back to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and wrote another line of small print below "Tender":

"Step 1: Plant the flag securely."

A flag is a brand.

Only when it's firmly planted can you move forward with peace of mind.

He put down his pen and turned off the office lights.

The corridor was quiet.

But Chen Xun knew that the quiet was only temporary.

Things are about to get busy.