Chapter 103 - Deserted! (1/2)

They waited for more than another hour… until noon.

A young man stood outside the door and looked inside for a very long time before he finally pushed the door and entered. The waiter that had been waiting for very long immediately went forward to greet that man.

“Welcome! Are you here to surf the net or drink some coffee?”

This was a slightly amusing way to ask; however, as Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was indeed a place that combined both dining and surfing the net, how else could he have phrased the question?

The young man had evidently seen the high-tech computer setup inside through the glass and guessed that this was an internet cafe; that was why he had entered.

“You guys… how much an hour?”

The waiter answered honestly, “Ten yuan.”

The young man was a little bewildered, thinking that he had misheard. “Ah? I’m asking about the open area, not a private room.”

“That’s right, sir. The open area is ten yuan an hour; we don’t have private rooms here.”

The man was obviously lost for words. “Do you have any membership promotions?”

“Yes, we do. After becoming a member, alcohol and other drinks are ten percent off.” The waiter warmly served the menu.

The young man took a look as he staggered.

What the f*ck!

The front side of the menu listed all sorts of drinks and cocktails; all cocktails and anything with alcohol cost forty to fifty yuan a glass. The flip side contained some traditional comfort food such as tomatoes with eggs, Yuxiang shredded pork, and whatnot. They weren’t cheap either!

Even if there was a ten percent discount, he couldn’t afford these prices!

Furthermore, the internet cafe membership actually didn’t offer discounts for surfing the net, but only for drinks? What rubbish was this?

The young man coughed twice and said, “I’m sorry; my family isn’t that well-off. I’ll make a move first.”

He turned and left. The few waiters exchanged glances, not knowing what to do.

This…

They really wanted to stop him from leaving. However, Boss Pei had instructed that service had to be as natural as the spring breeze! It had to be just like the spring breeze gently floating by one’s cheeks, to allow customers to feel their sense of presence; they couldn’t make their presence too strong either.

Hence, the few waiters could only endure and do nothing.

Very soon, it was noontime; and more people stopped by. Some also came to ask about the price. In the end, three or four others came. Similar to that young man before, they heard the price of this place and beat a swift retreat.

Someone even mumbled to himself softly, “This is daylight robbery!”

Zhang Yuan had been standing by the bar counter, preparing to display his skills at mixing drinks. Alas, not even one person came in to surf the net, much less order drinks!

“Brother Qian, this cannot continue!” Ma Yang saw what was happening and grew anxious.

The opening was going so poorly; this was bad! The more deserted this place became, the fewer people would come; wouldn’t that be a vicious cycle?

Pei Qian also nodded very seriously. “En, we can’t continue like this. Someone, come. Make a sign and paste the price on the door! Everyone’s only coming in to ask about the price and leave; this is unacceptable.

“We’ll let them know the price at the door so that they don’t even have to enter to ask and then leave, what a wet blanket! If they think it’s expensive, I’d rather they not come in. We’ll have one less person to entertain; how good would that be.”

Ma Yang and company were dumbfounded.

This was what Boss Pei meant by ‘we can’t continue like this’?

If they didn’t hang a sign outside, perhaps someone might come in, ask about the price, feel bad about leaving under the watchful gaze of the waiters, and stay. This way, they might be able to keep some thin-skinned customers.

If they did a sign and everyone looked at it from outside, they would leave without even entering!

Weren’t they chasing away some thin-skinned potential customers as well?

Ma Yang was a little conflicted.

Pei Qian saw that Ma Yang was hesitating as he prompted Ma Yang again. “Hurry up and get it done. Why are you hesitating to do something that benefits everyone?”

Ma Yang stood up rather reluctantly as he arranged for someone to make a sign.

Pei Qian continued to drink his coffee. It seemed as if even this ordinary coffee smelled much sweeter than usual!

…

When afternoon came, customers finally arrived.

Two seemingly rich second-generation-heir young lads had come to surf the net together. Seeing the price at the door, they evidently hesitated for a while. However, after bickering between them, they still entered and sat in the internet cafe area.

A few looking like white-collar workers also went to the coffee area and ordered some coffee. This was actually within Pei Qian’s expectations. Although this place wasn’t in a proper commercial district, it after all bordered one such place. It was a street away.

As people came and went, some people might actually walk by this place to drink a cup of coffee or the likes; this was unavoidable. As this was after all a well-furnished internet cafe, even if the price was steep, it wasn’t to that extent where not even one customer would come. That type of situation was too ideal; it was unreal.