Chapter 178: Change Someone to Trick
June 25th, Friday night.
Music still echoed through the Moyu Internet Café, but all the seats below the stage were empty. Only two or three people had come to drink.
The singer sang half-heartedly, and the few people listening looked half-asleep.
Ma Yang wore a face full of worry.
"What are we going to do about this?"
As the offensive from nearby stores intensified, the foot traffic at the Moyu Internet Café grew even thinner.
Even though they had live music performances in the evening, the surrounding bars not only had their own singers—they also had discounted drinks throughout the house!
Those places were bustling with people and energy. Many regulars from the café had already jumped ship.
After all, most people go to bars to have fun and socialize. No one wants to drink alone in a cold, empty place—especially not one that's more expensive.
The new singer at the café was decent, but nowhere near Chen Lei's level. Naturally, he couldn't attract many patrons.
The fewer the people, the less motivation he had; the less motivated he was, the worse he sang. It was a vicious cycle.
"Brother Qian told me not to do anything."
"But I feel so useless..."
Ma Yang sipped his drink gloomily, feeling he was at his breaking point.
Moyu Internet Café was still losing money, and the food delivery service wasn't picking up either. And now, this new mess on top of everything—it was making him seriously question himself.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
At a corner table, Li Shi took a small sip of his cocktail, the corners of his mouth lifting in satisfaction.
'Just a bunch of kids... You want to play with me? Still too green.'
Fu Hui Capital had already invested in several local businesses in Jingzhou and held considerable influence.
All it took was a little money. By collaborating with a few shops near the café to run some promotions, they could bring in more attention and foot traffic—while also putting pressure on the Moyu Internet Café. It would make their eventual investment much smoother.
It was a win-win for both Li Shi and the surrounding businesses.
Having gone undercover at the Moyu Internet Café for a while now, Li Shi had a solid grasp of its internal structure.
That young President Pei was the real owner behind the scenes—stubborn, hard-headed, and not the kind of guy to listen to advice. He would have to be approached slowly and carefully.
Zhang Yuan, labeled a regional manager, didn't seem especially close to Pei Qian and mostly handled the café's operations.
The real key was that long-faced guy.
That was Ma Yang. He seemed close to President Pei—and frankly, a little slow. The type of person who's easy to fool.
If Li Shi could first get Ma Yang on board, then slowly use him to influence President Pei, the whole thing would fall into place.
It was unclear what President Pei's current state was—he hadn't shown up at the café recently—but from Ma Yang's expression, it was obvious he was already cracking.
Li Shi's plan was simple and sharp. He wanted this over quickly.
After all, burning money couldn't go on forever. The real tactic was to go for the mental blow.
Plant the seed of doubt in everyone's mind about the café's business model. Then offer help just in time—like rain during a drought.
If done right, the investment would be a sure thing.
With glass in hand, Li Shi walked straight over and sat across from Ma Yang.
Ma Yang, still lost in gloom, glanced at the weathered-looking man and froze.
'Huh? What's this supposed to mean?'
'There aren't any pretty girls at my table. What's this guy want?'
'Wait a sec... Do rich people have... special interests or something??'
Ma Yang was momentarily speechless. Silently, he slid his glass a little farther away, putting some distance between himself and Li Shi.
Li Shi, unaware of the wild drama playing out in Ma Yang's head, assumed the guy was just instinctively on guard.
"Mr. Ma, hello. Let me introduce myself—I'm Li Shi, President of Fu Hui Capital."
He confidently handed over a business card.
"Actually, I've been a long-time customer here. I was wondering if Mr. Ma might be interested in talking about a possible collaboration?"
Realizing the man wasn't after his body, Ma Yang relaxed slightly, carefully took the card, and squinted at it under the dim lights.
Li Shi: "..."
He realized—this Manager Ma didn't seem to know what Fu Hui Capital was…
Li Shi was on the verge of a breakdown.
That doesn't make sense!
Fu Hui Capital was a well-known name in Jingzhou's investment circles, right?
But judging by Ma Yang's half-hearted expression, he clearly had no clue what kind of value Fu Hui Capital could bring to the Moyu Internet Café.
Fortunately, Li Shi was a seasoned veteran—experienced and composed. Since Ma Yang was clueless, he decided to get straight to the point.
People like Ma Yang, who knew nothing, were the easiest to manipulate.
Li Shi took a couple sips of his drink, then activated his "successful entrepreneur aura" and began speaking in a calm, confident tone—as if everything was already under control—as he laid out his proposal to Ma Yang.
In short, Fu Hui Capital would invest in the Moyu Internet Café, and use its rich experience to "guide" its operations. They would make money together and expand the business model nationwide as soon as possible—
In other words, Li Shi casually painted a perfect picture of the future.
Ma Yang's eyes gradually lit up—he was clearly tempted!
Li Shi, being a true professional, looked and spoke with a level of polish far beyond shady salesmen or pyramid scheme hustlers.
More importantly, everything he said hit Ma Yang right where it hurt—the café's profitability crisis.
Right now, the business is getting worse. Zhang Yuan didn't have any real solutions, and Pei Qian always kept things mysterious. Ma Yang was starting to feel completely lost.
But then, Li Shi casually threw out a few so-called "proven internet café profit models"—and Ma Yang was hooked.
Li Shi took note of every reaction. He knew—he'd succeeded.
'That went way smoother than expected.'
All he had to do now was wait for the fish to bite.
By the time he finished talking, Ma Yang was visibly excited. It was clear he was enamored with the bright future Li Shi had painted.
But—he didn't immediately agree.
"Mr. Li, your proposal sounds great. But… I still have to check with my boss."
Ma Yang hadn't forgotten—when it came to the café, Pei Qian had the final say.
Li Shi had been expecting this and smiled calmly.
"Of course."
At this point, saying more would only backfire.
Li Shi was sure—he'd completely convinced Ma Yang. As long as this long-faced manager kept whispering sweet nothings—err, persuasive suggestions—to Pei Qian, the deal was basically sealed.
He wasn't worried about raising suspicion either. This kind of "soft influence" was part of his standard playbook.
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"Brother Qian, that's pretty much how it went! If we accept Fu Hui Capital's investment, we might finally turn a profit, right?"
On the phone, Ma Yang's voice carried a trace of excitement.
Pei Qian quietly chuckled.
Ma Yang really is easy to fool.
But Pei Qian wasn't angry. In fact, he thought this was one of Ma Yang's strengths as an employee.
It seemed Ma Yang had been completely brainwashed by this "Mr. Li" from Fu Hui Capital. No matter—Pei Qian figured he could undo that with just a few words.
"Old Ma, you're being scammed."
There was a noticeable pause on the other end.
"Huh? Brother Qian, what do you mean?"
Pei Qian gave a wry laugh.
"Fu Hui Capital actually called Assistant Xin a few days ago. They said they wanted to invest in the Moyu Internet Café, and I already turned them down."
Ma Yang sounded puzzled.
"Why turn them down, Brother Qian? They're offering a big investment—we could all make money together. Isn't that a good thing?"
Pei Qian smiled.
This "Mr. Li" had clearly decided Ma Yang was easy to manipulate and was trying to use him as an opening.
In the end, he hadn't given up on trying to invest in the café.
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