If only a few individual players were complaining, Pei Qian could simply pretend not to hear them and do nothing.

But judging by the current trend, if Pei Qian didn’t make some kind of statement, the players definitely wouldn’t let the matter rest.

If the players got angry enough to make “Ghost General” trend on hot searches…

That would be disastrous!

The system had one rule: no one could be allowed to doubt the existence of the system or its challenges. This meant Pei Qian could secretly do things that didn’t make much sense, but he couldn’t be widely suspected on a large scale!

Not releasing new versions for a profitable game like “Ghost General” was precisely the kind of thing that didn’t make sense.

If nobody paid much attention to it, things would be fine.

But if the matter blew up and attracted widespread attention and suspicion from within and outside the industry, it might trigger a violation.

Pei Qian had no reason to take such a risk.

So after thinking about it, he decided that once “Game Producer” was finished, he could consider making a new version of “Ghost General.”

He could just buy a few card art pieces, casually add some new function templates, set a relatively low price, and muddle through.

That would be a problem for the next settlement cycle.

When that time came, he’d just have to think of new ways to lose money!

As he was thinking, he arrived at the Slack Internet Cafe.

At the entrance, several renovation workers were installing the facade.

Above the main entrance was a glass curtain wall with a huge, irregular logo:

In the center was a silly-looking salted fish, like the one from meme packs, just more symbolic, with a flamboyant posture and traces of dragon transformation at its tail;

Above the fish was an abstract letter M that looked like an abstract hand tickling it, or like a crown on its head;

Behind the logo was a capital letter Y that supported the entire logo structure.

Pei Qian carefully examined this logo.

Hmm, stylish yet silly, with a touch of artistic flair…

The entire facade had only this large logo, without any Chinese or English text.

Pei Qian guessed this must be Ma Yang’s handiwork.

The logo must have been professionally designed and custom-made. Who knows what unreliable art requirements Ma Yang had given the designer.

Having no text on the facade aligned with Pei Qian’s vision.

It was better for people to see the entrance and feel intimidated by its sophistication, not knowing what kind of place it was!

Pei Qian entered the internet cafe and looked around.

The interior decoration was complete, with two cleaners tidying up.

All the tables and chairs had been purchased, and the gaming area was piled high with boxes. Zhang Yuan was busy assembling computers, with two young assistants helping him—likely newly hired employees.

“What do you think, Brother Qian? Satisfied?” Ma Yang approached with a proud expression.

Pei Qian nodded. “Mm, pretty good.”

“Any instructions? Do you like the counter position? How about the table and chair layout? And this bookshelf, what kind of books should we put on it?”

Ma Yang rushed back and forth, partly seeking advice, mostly showing off.

Showing off that he had perfectly completed his task!

Pei Qian carefully observed everything. Basically, everything had been decorated according to his requirements, and was even slightly better than he had imagined!

In the coffee area, or bar area, there was a counter near the computers where various alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks could be ordered. On the other side was a small stage area with microphones specifically for singing.

All the walls in the corners had been made into bookshelves, giving the place a very artistic atmosphere.

Seeing the bookshelves, Pei Qian felt he needed to say something.

Currently, the bookshelves are empty. Ma Yang hadn’t decided what kinds of books to buy yet.

Options included comics, bestsellers, classic novels, and so on.

Looking at these rows of bookshelves, Pei Qian estimated they would need several thousand books.

If they followed the Japanese internet cafe style, there would be no question—they’d fill them with comics.

At the very least, they’d stock popular online novels.

But Pei Qian definitely wouldn’t do that.

Filling the shelves with comics might attract wealthy otaku customers, and then what?

As the saying goes, an otaku’s wall decoration costs as much as a Beijing apartment. These people’s spending power couldn’t be underestimated!

Comics and figurines were absolutely out of the question.

Pei Qian coughed twice and pointed at the bookshelves. “Old Ma, you need to remember. What we’re looking at isn’t books, it’s…”

Ma Yang finished his sentence: “Loneliness?”

“What loneliness? It’s status! We’re looking at status!” Pei Qian was exasperated.

“Oh, right, status.” Ma Yang nodded repeatedly.

“Comics, novels, what’s the point of those? Vulgar!”

“High-status books, that’s what we need to focus on.”

Pei Qian pointed commandingly.

“Brother Qian, why don’t you suggest some book titles to make it easier for me to purchase them?” Ma Yang said.

Pei Qian nodded. “Alright, let me think.”

“‘A Brief History of Ukrainian Tractors,’ ‘Reading Manual for Small Tractor Drivers,’ ‘I Built Iron Oxen for My Motherland,’ ‘Stories of the Tractor Station Director and Chief Agronomist,’ ‘Use and Maintenance of Hand Tractors’…”

Ma Yang listened in bewilderment.

“Brother Qian, why… why so many books about tractors?”

Pei Qian said seriously, “This is also a kind of status! The extremely common becomes the extremely refined, understand?”

“Ah, forget it. It’s a bit difficult for you to understand this concept. Here’s what you do: go online and search for ‘books for pretentious literary youth,’ and buy the ones with titles you don’t understand!”

“Or find a secondhand bookstore and buy those old, worn-out books. The more aged they look, the better!”

“Oh, no problem.” Ma Yang nodded vigorously.

The two moved to the kitchen area.

They hadn’t decided on a head chef yet, but several had already applied. After all, the salary was generous, and judging by the place, the workload wouldn’t be heavy.

“Remember, the chef must be as I described before. No Japanese cuisine or French cuisine whatsoever. We only want chefs who excel at home-style cooking, got it?”

Pei Qian was still a bit concerned and reminded him once more.

Ma Yang patted his chest confidently. “When I handle things, you can relax!”

Pei Qian nodded. “Indeed!”

After a complete tour, Pei Qian was very satisfied.

Bright and beautiful, it looked like a place that would lose money!

Looking at Ma Yang, Pei Qian sincerely exclaimed, “Old Ma, without you, I really wouldn’t know what to do!”

Ma Yang’s long face bloomed into a flower. “Come on, you’re exaggerating. I’m not that great! Brother Qian, if you praise me like this, I’ll get conceited!”

“It’s fine, go ahead and be conceited. Being modest isn’t your style.”

Pei Qian returned to the internet cafe area.

Zhang Yuan was assembling computers quite quickly, but had only completed about half so far.

Pei Qian casually found a computer that was already running.

It felt amazing!

The computer desk was spacious enough, the gaming chair was extremely comfortable, and the keyboard and mouse weren’t cheap products—they felt excellent to use.

This was an unavoidable side effect of spending more money.

“Remember, each table should have a small pack of high-quality wet wipes readily available. Let customers wipe their hands and face before using the computer, as well as the keyboard and mouse, to keep them clean.”

“Of course, if they get dirty anyway, we have no choice but to replace them with new ones.” Pei Qian feigned helplessness.

Ma Yang seemed hesitant. “Will this work, Brother Qian? Will they develop the habit of wiping their hands before using the computers?”

Pei Qian thought about it—he had a point. Expecting all customers to conscientiously use wet wipes to clean their hands?

That was a bit unrealistic.

“Then let’s do this: when people come to use the computers, have the service staff directly offer them a clean hand towel, just like in some high-end restaurants.”

“These towels will be uniformly cleaned and high-temperature sterilized. Assign someone specifically responsible for this!”

Ma Yang’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that… too extravagant?”

Pei Qian shook his head. “What do you think this place is? A high-end, comprehensive entertainment center! Our target customers are all high-quality people, so we need to provide high-quality service, understand?”

Pei Qian remembered something else and continued, “Also, our internet cafe is completely non-smoking. No smoking anywhere! If they want to smoke, they can do it outside.”

“Huh?”

Ma Yang had originally planned to divide the internet cafe into smoking and non-smoking areas, like other internet cafes, and was just about to purchase signs.

But Pei Qian wouldn’t allow it.

“But…”

Pei Qian shook his head before he could finish. “No buts. With such a nice environment, we can’t let it get all smoky. Oh, and install a fresh air system too. This kind of densely populated area needs enhanced air circulation.”