Evening, at the Slacking Internet Café.
The previously deserted internet café suddenly welcomed many customers.
Groups of young people entered the café, while some lingered outside, repeatedly confirming the location before pushing open the door.
“Are you sure this is the place? There isn’t even a sign.”
“Yes, this is it.”
“Then what’s this neat row of computers for?”
“This place isn’t just a bar; you can also surf the internet.”
“You can surf the internet? …If I wanted to surf the internet, why wouldn’t I just go to an internet café? I came to drink.”
“You can drink too, and the drinks are even better than most bars. But mainly people come to listen to the music, listen to the music!”
“Is it that good?”
“It’s different from other bar singers. You’ll understand once you hear it.”
At the entrance, a few young people pushed open the door.
A server immediately approached with a beaming smile, led them to their seats, offered warm towels, and politely asked what drinks they would like.
The most enthusiastic among them was a fashionably dressed young woman who, after everyone had ordered drinks, excitedly explained to the group how she had discovered this hidden gem.
“Do you know how I found this place?”
“I had passed by here before, but after glancing at the menu outside, I saw everything was particularly expensive. The place was also empty, so I didn’t go in.”
“But last week, I happened to pass by again and heard someone singing!”
“I had just gotten off work, so I listened at the door for a while before going in. I ordered a drink and stayed until closing time!”
“It was truly amazing—not a noisy style, but very subtle and relaxed with a hint of melancholy. Having a drink while listening creates a special feeling.”
“And after coming a few times, I realized that although this place is expensive, the service is genuinely excellent. The servers are extremely attentive—you don’t even need to call them. Just a glance, and they immediately come over. It’s comfortable!”
Someone interjected: “Really? Can the servers read minds or something?”
The young woman gave him a sidelong glance: “Of course, not mind reading. It shows the servers are dedicated and constantly watching the customers. They can understand from subtle body movements that a customer needs help and immediately come over.”
“Plus, the servers here don’t waste words, don’t try to sell you drinks or memberships, and are exceptionally polite.”
“Later, I started coming during the day too, ordering a coffee and reading a book. It’s quite pleasant.”
“Don’t rush; the singer should be here soon.”
“His name is Chen Lei. They say he lives nearby. After graduating from high school, he didn’t go to college but stayed home making music.”
“I wonder how this shop found such a treasure.”
“Look at the stage! He’s coming!”
As Chen Lei took the stage with his guitar, several cheers erupted from below, with one girl shouting: “Chen Lei, I love you!”
Chen Lei blushed, sat down on stage to adjust the microphone, plucked his guitar a few times, and pretended not to hear, causing ripples of laughter from the audience.
There were no pleasantries or small talk, no warming up remarks. Chen Lei wasn’t good with words.
He just cleared his throat and, accompanied by his guitar, sang softly into the microphone.
“The lights went out / The moon is a lonely eye / Quietly watching / Who lies awake alone…”
The melodious tune flowed through the internet café.
The audience sipped their drinks, silently immersed in the atmosphere.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“It’s very different from the original, yet the essence feels similar.”
“That’s Chen Lei for you. Whatever he sings has a strong personal style—the kind that makes you feel relaxed, but when you listen carefully, there’s a touch of gentle melancholy.”
“It’s wonderful.”
A somewhat weathered-looking man took a light sip of his drink, his eyes gazing at the hazy nighttime lights beyond the glass wall, perhaps recalling some memory triggered by the lights.
Suddenly, he looked at his glass with slight confusion.
“What’s wrong?” his female companion asked.
The man took another taste.
“This drink… It’s genuine?”
His companion burst into laughter: “Isn’t that stating the obvious? They have a proper business license. Why would they sell fake liquor to deceive you?”
The man shook his head: “You don’t understand. Many bars nowadays commonly refill bottles of expensive liquor. A drink that originally costs several hundred yuan, they just pour in something worth one or two hundred yuan and sell it at the same price. When mixed into cocktails, who can tell the difference?”
“It’s not exactly fake liquor; it’s more like cheaper merchandise. Fake alcohol gives you a headache and might send you to the hospital, but with cheaper substitutes, there’s only a subtle difference in taste. Once it’s in your stomach, it’s all the same.”
His companion remained skeptical: “And you can taste the difference?”
The man smiled: “Of course. Between liquor that costs several hundred yuan and one that costs one or two hundred, although both are genuine, there’s a difference in taste. Otherwise, why would anyone sell it for several hundred?”
“Anyone who knows a bit about alcohol can feel the difference.”
He gently swirled his glass, looking at Chen Lei singing on stage: “This place is quite interesting.”
“I should bring some old friends here sometime.”
…
At the bar counter.
Ma Yang sipped his drink slowly, watching Chen Lei sing on stage, and remarked: “He seems… genuinely better than you at singing.”
Zhang Yuan admitted frankly: “Yes. Ma Bro, you’re just realizing this now?”
Ma Yang shook his head honestly: “I didn’t hear it; I saw it. When you sing, there aren’t this many people listening, not this many people ordering drinks, and no one listens so attentively…”
Zhang Yuan: “…Ma Bro, for the sake of this drink, could you stop stabbing me in the heart?”
Zhang Yuan was internally cursing. Chen Lei had natural talent. Was there any point in constantly reminding him that the other guy sang better?
“So, how do we set his salary?”
Ma Yang raised a serious question.
Last week, after hearing Zhang Yuan sing, Chen Lei inexplicably gained confidence and volunteered to perform.
After his performance, the effect was very obvious, and Ma Yang immediately asked him to stay for a one-week trial without hesitation.
If they were satisfied after a week, they would sign a formal contract; if not, they would give him a thousand yuan for his trouble and let him go.
Now, a week had passed, and Ma Yang was very satisfied with Chen Lei.
But they encountered a problem regarding his salary.
“What’s the appropriate wage for a resident singer in a typical bar?” Ma Yang considered whether he should refer to standard bar wage rates.
Zhang Yuan knew this inside out, as he had previously worked in this field.
“Ma Bro, a resident singer in a small bar, might only get around three thousand yuan a month. Of course, those are mostly unknown singers.”
“The specific amount depends on the bar’s level, the singer’s reputation, and how much the owner is willing to pay.”
“Some large bars already have high customer flow, and many singers perform for free just to gain fame. Conversely, if a small bar wants to hire a singer with some reputation, they naturally have to pay more.”
“Given Chen Lei’s level, I think four or five thousand wouldn’t be excessive; it might even be too little.”
Four or five thousand…
Ma Yang hesitated.
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to spend the money, or that I don’t think Chen Lei is worth it.”
“The main issue is that our internet café is still operating at a loss.”
“What do you think about this: we offer him a base salary of 1,500 yuan, and the rest comes from commission.”
Zhang Yuan was taken aback: “Commission? From where?”
Ma Yang pointed to the drinks at the bar: “From the drinks. From now on, we’ll be clear with customers that during performances, half of the profit from drinks goes to Chen Lei.”
Zhang Yuan drew in a sharp breath: “Ma Bro, taking half seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it?”
“It’s fine; we don’t sell that many drinks anyway…” Ma Yang said dismissively.
Zhang Yuan was momentarily speechless: “That’s true, and we sell genuine alcohol, so the profit margin isn’t that high.”
“When I think about it that way, it’s acceptable…”
In the typical bar model, drinks were the main source of profit.
Many bars, nightclubs, and KTVs are more or less engaged in some form of adulteration, such as recycling expensive XO bottles, filling them with cheaper alcohol, and reselling them—a quite common practice.
With such methods, drinks became extremely profitable.
But from the very beginning, Mr. Pei had strictly ordered that all drinks at Slacking Internet Café must be genuine. Not only no fake alcohol but not a drop of inferior quality alcohol could be mixed in.
Whatever drink they claimed to sell, it had to be exactly that.
So while selling drinks, although Slacking Internet Café’s pricing included profit, the profit margin couldn’t compare with other bars.
Moreover, with the current foot traffic, they couldn’t sell much in a day anyway.
Zhang Yuan thought for a moment: “Then you decide, Ma Bro. I think commission works, too. It might even drive up drink sales.”
Ma Yang immediately made the decision: “Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll talk to Chen Lei after he finishes singing tonight. I’m sure he’ll agree.”
“If we go with this model, I have a suggestion,” Zhang Yuan suddenly had an idea. “Let’s order a batch of new menus with each drink price followed by parentheses showing how much commission Chen Lei gets.”
“For example, the Aurora cocktail sells for 60 yuan per glass, with a cost of around 30 yuan. Add in venue and labor costs, let’s say our total cost is 40 yuan, with a profit of 20 yuan. If we give half to Chen Lei, that’s 10 yuan.”
“Then we can simply write (10) after the Aurora cocktail’s price of 60, so everyone knows that this glass gives Chen Lei a 10-yuan commission.”
Ma Yang frowned, hesitating: “This way, won’t people guess our approximate profit?”
Zhang Yuan shook his head: “Ma Bro, even if you don’t write it, don’t people already know your profit margin? Anyone can search online for these drink prices.”
“Most people who come to bars for drinks are well aware of the profit margins, but the entire industry operates this way, so no one makes an issue of it.”
“By writing down the singer’s commission, it shows we treat our singer well and are very generous.”
Ma Yang had a realization: “Oh, that’s right! I think this method is excellent. Let’s do it!”