Establishing a gaming workshop

"5,000 yuan, my goodness, these rich folks are really loaded."

Looking at the incoming 50,000 yuan, Zhang Jianming was once again astonished.

"It's not too bad, all things considered."

Chen Yu wasn't particularly surprised. There were plenty of wealthy individuals in China; they had just been spending their money on different things before.

Now that there was a new game, spending a little on equipment and skill books was quite normal.

"I'll withdraw the money later. As per our usual arrangement, I'll take 70%, and you'll get 15,000."

"No, no, no, I didn't really do much this time."

"Alright, let's not argue about this. We're brothers, and we shouldn't haggle too much. Otherwise, I'll just do it all myself from now on."

"That won't do, Chen Yu. I still want you to help me get rich."

"Well, that's fine then."

With an easy 50,000 in earnings, 15,000 of which went to Zhang Jianming, Chen Yu was left with 35,000. Adding the previous 7,000, he had made over 40,000 yuan in just a few days.

"By the way, Chen Yu, someone asked about the price of the Magic Shield."

"3,000 yuan."

"Huh, not selling it for 5,000 anymore?"

"5,000 was a bit of an overpricing. After all, not everyone is a big spender. Right now, there's an opportunity to sell it, or else, when Magic Shields start dropping in large numbers, their price might not even reach 2,000."

"I'll follow your lead."

Afterward, Chen Yu sold two more Magic Shields, earning a total of 6,000 yuan. However, it became more challenging after that.

Many people thought 3,000 yuan was too expensive and called it a rip-off. This was quite common since the average monthly salary in 2001 was only around 1,000 yuan.

3,000 yuan was equivalent to three months' salary for most people. Ordinary players couldn't afford it.

But Chen Yu wasn't in a rush. He wasn't selling to regular players. Magic Shields were still a rare item, and he could still make a profit from them.

"Let's go. Today's market seems to be settling down like this. Let's grab a meal."

Fearing Zhang Jianming would suffer from malnutrition, Chen Yu took him to the same restaurant as last time.

In the meantime, Chen Yu withdrew the money, totaling 56,000 yuan. Zhang Jianming received over 16,000 yuan.

"Jian Ge, I heard you're studying computer science at school?"

"Yeah."

"How's it going? What do you think of your studies?"

"It feels like I'm learning some kind of ancient script."

Zhang Jianming put the money away, shook his head, and smiled bitterly. "I thought computers were fun before, so I enrolled in computer science. But once I started classes, it turned out to be a real headache—all programming and stuff. My head hurts just thinking about it."

"Jian Ge, you still need to learn some programming; it'll be beneficial for your future."

"I know, but I really can't get the hang of it."

Chen Yu shook his head in resignation and said, "I've actually thought about learning some programming myself, see if I can develop a small software application."

"Huh, you want to learn programming?"

"Yeah, if I don't learn some, it'll be tough to get by in the future."

Playing games, although it can earn money, seems to have a limited skill level involved. Whether it's the Horns dropped by the Wooma Taurus or buying up all the advanced skill books from the bookstore owner, it won't last. Just like the Horn business couldn't continue, it's unlikely that skill books will continue to sell for thousands of yuan each in the future. Even if Chen Yu agrees, Shanda won't.

"What about you? What are your plans for the future?" Chen Yu asked Zhang Jianming.

"Oh, as for me..." Zhang Jianming shook his head. "I haven't really thought about it. But yesterday, Wang Pangzi approached me, saying he wants to start a gaming workshop together with us. What do you think?"

"Wang Pangzi, does he also play The Legend of Mir 2?"

"He does." Zhang Jianming nodded. "It's probably because The Legend of Mir 2 seems quite popular lately, and he's showing some interest."

"Gaming workshops can still be viable in the next year or two. Is he coming this afternoon?"

"Yes, he'll be here in the afternoon. He mentioned he wanted to chat with us."

"Alright, let's talk to him this afternoon."

Zhang Jianming's interests didn't lie in programming, and Chen Yu couldn't force him. Besides, Chen Yu wasn't doing exceptionally well himself right now, so he couldn't really help Zhang Jianming find a way out. On the other hand, this gaming workshop might be something Zhang Jianming could get into. Accumulating some experience with the gaming workshop first would also be beneficial for Zhang Jianming at this stage.

...

In the afternoon at two o'clock, Wang Pangzi arrived, accompanied by a young man who appeared to be in his late teens.

They referred to him as a "young man from society", primarily because Chen Yu had a sense of familiarity with him. It seemed like this guy was the leader of some small group in the county town – essentially, he was involved in the world outside.

"Brother Chen Yu, you're here."

"Jianming, you've told Chen Yu about what we discussed yesterday, right?"

"I have."

"That's good. Let's go upstairs; we can talk upstairs."

Wang Pangzi led Chen Yu upstairs with a friendly smile. The internet cafe, called "Dreamscape Junction", had two floors: the first floor was used as an internet cafe, and the second floor was a meeting room. Although it was referred to as a meeting room, it was quite spacious.

"Brother Chen Yu, come, have some tea."

"Thank you."

"Let me introduce you. This is my buddy, Chen Li. You guys are of the same family."

Wang Pangzi made the introductions, and Chen Li said, "Hehe, you guys should recognize me."

"You do look somewhat familiar."

"Definitely familiar; I used to hang around near your high school gate quite often. By the way, I hope I didn't extort money from you guys."

Chen Yu nearly burst out laughing. He hadn't expected this guy named Chen Li to be so humorous. He replied, "I don't think so."

"That's good, that's good." Chen Li laughed and added, "I was worried that I might have extorted money from you guys, so I'd have to apologize in person."

"No need to be so polite."

Chen Yu glanced at Wang Pangzi, wondering why he had invited Chen Li.

"Brother Chen Yu, please don't take offense. Chen Li took the wrong path before, but now he wants to find something decent to do and stop messing around. So, I'm thinking of helping him out."

"Oh, I see."

Chen Yu understood.

This was a prodigal son turning his life around.

But it was for the better. While a gaming workshop wasn't necessarily a great job, it was certainly better than aimless wandering.

"Well, there's no way around it. Life isn't as easy as it used to be. We get scolded by our parents on one side and face risks on the other. We were clueless back in our idiotic days, but now that we're a bit older, we've gained some wisdom," Chen Li said with a wry smile.

"A prodigal son can indeed return to greatness. I'm the first to agree. Boss Wang, tell us your thoughts," Chen Yu said.

"Why call me 'Boss Wang'? I feel uncomfortable with that. Just call me 'Wang Pangzi' like before," Wang Pangzi replied.

"You're older than me, so I'll call you 'Big Brother Pang'. And you can just call me 'Chen Yu', no need for 'Brother Chen Yu' all the time."

"That sounds good; it makes everyone more comfortable."

Wang Pangzi took a sip of water and continued, "Actually, my thoughts align largely with what I discussed with Jianming yesterday. The Legend of Mir 2 is becoming more and more popular. I've noticed that around three to four out of every ten customers coming to my internet cafe are playing The Legend of Mir 2. I believe the player base may continue to grow. With so many people playing this game, the potential profits are unimaginable. So, I'm thinking of starting a gaming workshop."

"Jianming mentioned the gaming workshop idea to me, and I think it's feasible. However, Big Brother Pang, have you considered what would happen if The Legend of Mir 2 loses its popularity?"

"Loses popularity?" Wang Pangzi clearly hadn't thought about this question. After a moment, he said, "Even if The Legend of Mir 2 loses its popularity, other games will rise. Our gaming workshop can easily transition to other games."

"Big Brother Pang, are you that confident?"

"Absolutely. I've been running an internet cafe for these past few years. I know that in the past, everyone used QQ, and they still use it now, but when there are games, people will naturally spend more time playing games than on QQ. Gaming is human nature. With so many people in China, online games are bound to explode in popularity."

"Bravo, Big Brother Pang, you have great insight."

Chen Yu gave Wang Pangzi a thumbs-up. It was impressive how he could discern so much with just his observations and experiences from the internet cafe. This was a testament to Wang Pangzi's vision.