Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games

"Pfft!"

Zhang Yuan nearly spat out his drink.

Fifty units?!

President Pei, that's not fair!

If you needed fifty computers, you should've said so earlier!

I was planning to give you a 1,000 yuan discount as a friendly gesture… but fifty? That's a 50,000 yuan loss out of my pocket!

I'm just a lounge singer at a bar. Where the heck am I supposed to get 50,000 yuan?

Zhang Yuan stood there, completely dumbfounded.

"Wait, President Pei, how many PCs do you actually need...?" Zhang Yuan asked, struggling to keep his cool. "I only accepted your 3,000 yuan service fee because I felt bad, so I thought I'd throw in 1,000 yuan from my end to build a good connection. But if you're ordering fifty units, there's no way I can keep that price…"

Pei Qian blinked in surprise.

What a genuine guy!

"You're the one being unreasonable," Pei Qian said earnestly. "The 3,000 yuan is what you deserve. Why would you even think about giving me a discount? That's just nonsense!"

"So, the full build for one unit comes out to 26,000 yuan, right?" he asked.

Zhang Yuan nodded sheepishly.

He had originally planned to put on a little show, impress President Pei and maybe earn some goodwill.

But instead, the act completely backfired.

What a mess.

Still, he couldn't help but be curious—why would President Pei want so many high-end computers?

Was he overhauling the entire company's setup?

Didn't seem like it.

Pei Qian pondered for a moment. "Alright then. One computer is 26,000 yuan. I won't let you work for free. On top of the 3,000 yuan service fee, I'll pay you another 200 yuan per unit for installation."

Zhang Yuan opened his mouth to respond, but Pei Qian raised a hand to cut him off.

"No need to argue. It's settled."

"Let's talk about something else now."

Zhang Yuan nodded. "Alright. Um, President Pei, if you don't mind me asking… what are you planning to do with so many computers?"

"Oh, I'm planning to open an internet café," Pei Qian replied casually. "The guy who brought you here, Ma Yang, he'll be running the place. If the conditions are right, would you be interested in working in Jingzhou?"

Zhang Yuan's eyes widened in shock.

So that's it! The big boss wants to invest in an internet café!

With someone this rich behind it, the salary must be fantastic!

Wait… was this an invitation?

If President Pei himself is involved, there's no way I'd be some regular IT guy. At the very least, I'd be in some kind of management role!

And judging by how freely he's throwing money around…

The pay's definitely not going to be bad!

Zhang Yuan had just managed to calm himself down, and now he was all riled up again.

"If the offer's good, I'd love to!" he replied eagerly.

Pei Qian nodded. "Great. Can you tell me about your previous work experience?"

Gulp…

Zhang Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Crap, I might've blown it.

President Pei probably only considered me because I'm a mod on GPU forums and have deep hardware knowledge.

But if I tell the truth—that I currently work as a lounge singer and part-time bartender at a bar…

Would he still want to hire me?

Should I lie?

No, that's too risky. President Pei is clearly smart and experienced. He'd see right through me.

After a brief internal struggle, Zhang Yuan decided to come clean.

"President Pei, I, uh… I'm a resident singer at a bar, and I also do bartending on the side… plus, I help moderate a GPU tech forum…"

The more he spoke, the weaker his voice got.

He could already picture the disappointment on Pei Qian's face.

But then—

Pei Qian's eyes lit up like stars in the night sky.

"Impressive! You're multitalented!"

"Alright, I'll set up a small bar counter in the internet café so you can bartend—and I'll pay you a bartender's salary!"

"Wait, no—you're also a singer, right? That's another role. I'll pay you three salaries!"

Pei Qian was practically beaming with joy.

A perfect candidate!

Talented in bartending and singing, but totally unrelated to internet café operations!

If I give him a managerial position and pay him as a bartender and singer, I can burn through the system funds even faster!

With Ma Yang and this guy working together, there's no way this business will survive!

Zhang Yuan almost thought he was hallucinating.

President Pei... was actually satisfied?

And he's offering me three salaries?!

This was...

Zhang Yuan stared at the man across from him, stunned.

He wasn't sure what had just happened, but judging by the bright joy on Pei Qian's face, this wasn't a prank.

Could it be... that President Pei truly had an eye for talent? That he could somehow see through to his hidden potential?

Pei Qian continued with a few more questions, and the more he asked, the happier he seemed.

"Excellent! Just wait a moment—I'll go grab the contract," Pei Qian said as he got up and left the meeting room.

A few minutes later, he returned holding a printed document.

"Internet café supervisor, with part-time roles as bartender and live singer. Three positions, one person. Total monthly salary: 14,000 yuan."

"Ma Yang will be your direct superior. Report any problems to him, and if he can't handle it, come to me. Just focus on your work—I've got your back!"

"Here. If you've got no objections, sign here."

Zhang Yuan froze, his brain trying and failing to process the number.

Fourteen thousand?!

The pen was right in front of him, but he didn't dare pick it up.

It was just too good to be true. No way something this nice was real.

Pei Qian noticed his hesitation and suddenly thought of something. "Ah... you're not still under contract with your previous job, are you?"

Zhang Yuan shook his head. "No, I never signed a contract with the bar. I was just a temp worker."

"Perfect. Then go ahead and sign. If you want to think it over, that's fine too. Just talk to Assistant Xin when you're ready."

With that, Pei Qian stepped out, leaving Zhang Yuan alone in the room.

Zhang Yuan frantically read through the entire contract from start to finish.

It was legit. Just a standard labor agreement.

No shady fine print. The salary of 14,000 yuan was spelled out loud and clear, black ink on white paper.

With trembling fingers, Zhang Yuan picked up the pen.

'A poor kid like me… is finally making it!'

. . . . . . .

A few minutes later, in the meeting room

"Brother Qian, see? I told you he was a hidden gem! Super reliable!"

Ma Yang was practically glowing with pride after learning Zhang Yuan had signed the contract. He felt like he'd made the perfect recommendation and had finally earned Pei Qian's approval.

Pei Qian gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Not bad. You nailed it this time."

Zhang Yuan was only now starting to realize that the guy who brought him in—the goofy-looking, long-faced guy who seemed a little slow—was definitely not an ordinary person.

Judging from how close he was to President Pei, their relationship was solid.

Luckily, both Ma Yang and President Pei seemed to think highly of him!

Ma Yang opened his lightweight laptop and pulled up a presentation.

"Brother Qian, I've already scouted out a location for the internet café. It's right here—an independent two-story building. Here's the detailed info, take a look."

Pei Qian and Zhang Yuan both leaned in to check out the materials.

The location wasn't near Handong University, nor was it in one of Jingzhou's busiest commercial zones.

It was in a small, relatively quiet business district. There was a shopping mall nearby, but it wasn't exactly bustling, and a street separated it from the potential building—it wasn't right next door.

It just barely qualified as a "downtown location," enough to satisfy the system's criteria.

The building was two stories tall, a standalone structure that looked fairly new—probably built within the last year or two.

Its exterior was mostly glass walls, offering a wide, open view. The interior looked decently renovated.

From the photos and design, it seemed this used to be a high-end restaurant. But the place was clearly abandoned, its entrance eerily quiet—looked like it had already gone under.

The total floor area was around 3,000 square meters, and the rent was 315,000 yuan per month, which came out to 3.5 yuan per square meter per day.

Ma Yang explained, "Brother Qian, I checked out the place myself. The surroundings are good, the interior's in great shape, and the building is almost brand new."

"It used to be an upscale restaurant, but they ran into financial trouble and had to close. That's why they're leasing it out. And for a place like this, the rent is super reasonable! I really think it's a good spot—and it's a standalone building. What do you think?"

Pei Qian stayed silent.

Zhang Yuan, however, couldn't help but frown.

This location… didn't seem all that promising.

He glanced at Ma Yang's eager face.

Mister…

Did you even stop to wonder why that restaurant went out of business?

<+>

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