Free Web NovelChapter 251: Chapter 203: A Female Celebrity? What Female Celebrity
Three billion seemed like a fortune, but it was surprisingly easy to spend.
First, Lin Chu paid for the land—290 million to Famous Group.
And 203 million for the plot in Zeng City.
After a moment of thought, Lin Chu also settled the remaining 600 million balance for the golf club, paying Famous Group in full ahead of schedule.
For one, he wanted the peace of mind that came with being debt-free.
Second, he was now in complete control of the club, so he no longer needed the debt as a form of leverage.
Third, Zhou Ming had an 800-million-yuan loan due next month, and these three payments combined would be enough for him to cover it.
He decided to settle all these transaction-related funds first.
Otherwise, he would have had to give Zhou Ming a personal loan anyway.
A personal loan would have earned him interest, but business was business.
It was better to keep things clean by resolving the business matters before dealing with personal favors.
And just like that, nearly a billion was gone.
He then sent money to Yang Huixian to buy back the two raw jadeite stones, which were worth over a hundred million. Another two hundred million-plus spent.
Remaining balance: 1.8 billion.
He still needed to set aside funds for the daily operating costs of the streaming company and the golf club, as well as staff salaries.
Of course, that amount wasn’t huge.
This pile of cash was enough for him to live it up for a long time.
Lin Chu reviewed his finances. By the end of the year, the streaming company should be generating positive cash flow.
And by the middle of next year, the golf club should be in a similar position.
While these two businesses were slow and steady earners, they would provide a stable income.
Once they were up and running, he would no longer have to worry about scrutiny from the real world regarding the source of his massive funds.
It was a bit like raising children.
At first, they lose money. But as you nurture them, they gradually become self-sufficient and can even start giving back.
...
「August 18th.」
Li Kai’s maid café officially opened for business.
He named it ’SUG Café’.
Using English letters for the name was a move born of desperation. Nearly all the good, catchy Chinese names were already registered, and brainstorming a new one was exhausting. So, he decided to take a different approach.
Besides, the three letters ’s-u-g’ were short for ’sugar,’ which carried a certain subtle implication.
The café was stylishly decorated. It occupied an entire four-story building, with an American retro theme throughout, giving it a dignified and elegant feel.
An enterprise of this scale was naturally beneath Lin Chu’s notice, given his current standards.
But it was his friend’s grand opening, so the scale didn’t matter. The important thing was for everyone to have a good time.
Lin Chu came alone, without a date. ’Why bring a date when you’re going to a maid café?’
Pretty much the whole crew had arrived.
It was basically Lin Chu’s core circle—all his closest friends.
The small courtyard in front of the first-floor entrance was filled with congratulatory flower arrangements.
The café wasn’t open to the public today; it was a private event exclusively for friends.
Besides, the café was intended to be members-only, with a minimum one-thousand-yuan deposit to join.
In Li Kai’s own words, his motto was "I don’t rip off poor people." His target demographic was the young, second-generation wealthy.
At this moment, sinking into a comfy lounge chair, Lin Chu watched his friends laughing and chatting. As the young, beautiful waitresses moved back and forth, he felt a sense of genuine relaxation wash over him.
’The atmosphere really is great.’
Liu Junfeng was in the middle of vehemently condemning and strongly criticizing Li Kai’s despicable behavior. He called him a heartless capitalist leading a depraved and corrupt life for hiring so many young, pretty waitresses.
So—where were the membership cards for the rest of the guys?
The rest of the group all chimed in.
—Yeah, where are our cards?!
Li Kai shot him a contemptuous look. Of course, he had already prepared them.
One for everyone.
With an unlimited balance.
They could come whenever they wanted.
Lin Chu had been the one to invest in the café in the first place. Not all of the five-million-yuan investment had been spent on opening it, so there was enough left to keep it running for at least a year. It was always meant to be a hangout spot for his friends anyway.
As for actually making money, that was a problem for another day.
Li Kai even felt that as long as the café could cover its basic monthly expenses and provide him with some living money, that would be enough.
Then again...
His friends were all well-off now and had large social circles. Between word-of-mouth within their niche community and the business brought in by personal connections, the café would likely stay afloat.
Besides, if things got really dire, he could always set up "matchmaking sessions" for his buddies!
And charge for it!
Having girls meant he had the core resource!
And if a genuinely good girl actually hit it off with one of his friends, that would be a great outcome too.
While this business plan might seem a bit "frivolous," that was the general idea.
And if all else failed, he could just ask Brother Chu for a cash injection.
Li Kai had already talked to Lin Chu about this.
Lin Chu had even suggested that if things got tough, they should just buy the building. That would significantly reduce their fixed costs.
Li Kai had quickly shut that idea down.
Things weren’t that dire yet.
But with Lin Chu’s offer, he knew in his heart that he was set. ’Completely secure.’
With that safety net, he felt no pressure. Of course, he still planned to run the business properly. A café like this, if managed well, could definitely be profitable.
No matter how sluggish consumer spending became, there were still plenty of rich people in Peng City.
As long as the place was fun, he wasn’t worried about a lack of paying customers.
What he did need to worry about, however, was regulatory risk.
In other first-tier cities, maid cafés that were too high-profile had even been shut down.
That’s why in all his online descriptions, he never used the word "maid." Instead, he promoted it as a high-end board game café.
Right now, the group was laughing and joking around, chatting casually.
Li Kai suddenly shifted the topic to Lin Chu, a teasing smile on his face. "Brother Chu, you seem to be flying solo lately. Done playing the field? Ready to settle down?"
