Chapter 3 – Fried Failure
Li Ming stood in front of the vacant storefront, squinting at the faded "For Lease" sign. The place had been a dumpling shop before, then a bubble tea place, and finally a storage space for some guy's failed aquarium business. The perfect location for his next money-burning masterpiece.
The System's task for the week was simple:
[Mission]: Spend ¥500,000 on a new venture. Goal: Zero profit. Deadline: 30 days.
Penalty: Increase in target spending next cycle.
"Zero profit?" Li Ming muttered, "Buddy, I can guarantee you negative profit."
His plan was genius in its stupidity: open a Western-style fast-food place in 1997 China, but strip out anything that made those places work. No burgers. No fries. No Coke. Just awkward sandwiches, watery soup, and an experimental "spicy peanut milkshake" he'd invented after accidentally knocking a jar of peanuts into a blender.
The renovations started the next day. He ordered imported tiles from Italy — because obviously a fast-food joint needed flooring fit for a palace. He hired a designer who insisted on installing chandeliers over every table. His staff wore uniforms inspired by Victorian butlers. And the kitchen equipment? All imported from the US, including an industrial ice cream machine that took up half the kitchen and required three electricians to keep from blowing the fuse.
The grand opening was a disaster in the most satisfying way. On day one, only three customers walked in — two left after looking at the menu, and the third ordered a "peanut milkshake" out of morbid curiosity before promptly asking for a refund.
"Perfect," Li Ming said to himself, sipping tea in his office upstairs. "This place is going to sink faster than my high school romance."
Except… it didn't.
A week later, a popular food magazine ran a piece titled "The Most Bizarre Restaurant in the City You Have to Try Before You Die." College students started coming in just to take photos under the chandeliers. The peanut milkshake became an ironic cult hit. And some genius on TV declared that Li Ming's sandwiches were "a fresh fusion of East and West."
Sales doubled. Then tripled.
Li Ming stared at the System's profit report in horror.
[Warning]: Your venture is generating positive revenue. Please spend more aggressively.
"Spend more aggressively?" Li Ming groaned. "What do you want me to do, serve the milkshakes in solid gold cups?"