I only inserted it once, why such a big reaction?

At 7 AM, Xu Pengkun stepped into the internet cafe right on time. Before he could do anything else, Chen Hao grabbed him by the neck with his arm and pulled him behind the counter.

Chen Hao briefly explained the concepts of membership and top-ups to him, then assigned their tasks for the day.

"We'll probably have people lining up soon. I'll handle the money and system entries, Old Ban will maintain order, and Big Bird will be at the front desk to process new memberships. Otherwise, it'd be a waste of your good looks!"

While there was still no one around, Xu Pengkun took out a thick envelope from his bag and handed it to Chen Hao.

"Here's the twenty thousand from selling the account. It's all here, please keep it safe."

Chen Hao didn't refuse, shaking the envelope in his hand. "Consider your share an investment."

"That's the idea."

Chen Hao punched Big Bird playfully in the chest, then put the money directly into the internet cafe's cash box and locked it. They had been brothers for so many years; they knew each other inside out, no need for further words.

At 8 AM, the area behind the counter went from two groundhogs to three, bored out of their minds.

A gust of wind blew through, and apart from the sounds of keyboards and mice, it was very quiet.

Chen Hao's face darkened. Where the heck is everyone?

Finally, a customer arrived – a guy around thirty.

The three of them tensed up. Groundhog number one, Chen Hao, stood up, smiling like a blooming rose.

"Hello, welcome to Pentium Internet Cafe."

"I need to use a computer."

"Okay, our internet cafe is currently running a promotion. If you sign up for a membership now..."

"I don't need that, just hurry up." The guy was impatient. He had finally taken a day off and still needed to level up!

"Machine number 14, please..."

After the customer left, Chen Hao's face fell. He forced a smile, "That guy definitely didn't see the flyers."

The other two glanced at him with disdain.

Heh!

No rush, Chen Hao calmly sat back down. This was just the beginning.

A moment later, a voice rang out.

"Excuse me, is this where I can sign up for a membership card?"

Only hearing the voice, not seeing the person, Groundhog number two, Xu Pengkun, quickly stood up. He discovered it was a little boy whose height was about the same as the counter. No wonder he hadn't seen him earlier.

Seeing a customer, the little boy took out twenty yuan. "Just top up 20 for now."

"How old are you, kid?"

"Almost ten in two months?"

A kid who could pull out 20 yuan these days was a future tycoon. Xu Pengkun said with a friendly smile, "Go left at the intersection, about 200 meters down, there's an arcade that's more suitable for you right now. You're too young, and the waters here are too deep; I'm afraid you can't handle it."

"Okay. Thanks, uncle." The little boy took his money back and left the internet cafe.

Uncle?!

He, the campus heartthrob, whose love letters filled his drawers, a Casanova, a friend to married women, being called "uncle."

Xu Pengkun's handsome face contorted slightly in disbelief. He pointed at himself and asked his companions, "Do I look that old?"

Chen Hao burst out laughing, patting Old Ban. Old Ban, for the first time in a while, showed a hint of a smile. Hearing the question, both of them nodded in unison.

"I'll kill you guys!" Before Xu Pengkun could spread his wings and attack, Old Ban tackled him to the ground.

Damn, I forgot about Old Ban's combat power.

Time quickly passed, and it was now 11:30 AM.

Chen Hao calculated that during this time, a total of 27 people had topped up and signed up for membership cards, ranging from one hundred to three hundred yuan.

Including those who stayed overnight, the total amount topped up so far was only a little over 4,000 yuan. Most of them were middle and high school students, with a few college students, which was completely different from Chen Hao's initial expectations.

Where did it go wrong?

Chen Hao was puzzled, deep in thought trying to figure out the problem.

Oh, right. There was one office worker. That guy topped up and got a card in one go. Then he just walked out with the card.

Xu Pengkun asked him why he wasn't staying to use a computer.

The guy said he worked nearby and took advantage of a bathroom break to come out and sign up, and he had to rush back.

Wait, working... Today is Tuesday, most people are at work.

And lunchtime was at 11:30 AM.

Looking at the clock on the wall, it was already 11:33 AM.

Suddenly, a violent tremor started from the stairs next door.

The only possible cause for such a situation...

There was only one truth.

Chen Hao was excited, like a madam, and waved his hand grandly, "Brothers, get ready for customers!"

Today, as soon as Li Xiang and his two colleagues got off work, they didn't go to the cafeteria for their usual meal. Instead, they ran straight to the bike shed.

One of his chubby colleagues, panting a bit after running for a while, started to grumble, "Li Xiang, it's not that serious, it's just getting a card, it's not like it's going to disappear."

"Damn, if I hadn't played too late last night and overslept, I would have gone this morning. The discount is so huge, there must be tons of people, hurry up. I'll take my leave first and save you a spot. If I'm lucky, maybe I can even play for a bit."

With that, Li Xiang hopped on his beloved bicycle and rode off like a bolt of lightning.

Li Xiang's workplace wasn't too far from Pentium Internet Cafe; it normally took about seven or eight minutes by bike.

However, with Li Xiang pedaling like he had the wind beneath his feet, his bike's wheels practically sparking, he was already nearing his destination in just 4 minutes.

Damn it!

Li Xiang saw the long queue from a distance and had a bad feeling.

Arriving at the internet cafe entrance, he did a quick drift, throwing his bike to the side of the road.

As expected, the line stretched out from inside Pentium Internet Cafe.

He roughly counted about forty to fifty people in line, stretching out about ten meters, and more people were still rushing over.

A tall, burly young man was maintaining order outside the line. Li Xiang walked over and asked, "Pentium Internet Cafe, is this where I can get a membership card and top up my account?"

After getting confirmation, and seeing the competitors arriving one after another, Li Xiang sprinted to the end of the line as the first person. Within seconds, seven or eight people lined up behind him.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was damn exciting. He hadn't queued for anything in a long time. He vaguely remembered the last time he queued was at Ice City to register for a doctor's appointment. He queued from 4 AM to 8 AM but still couldn't get a number. Then a scalper nearby casually said, "Which department? 200 for one ticket," which made him want to punch someone!

Li Xiang gazed ahead. The scale of this line was no less than a hospital.

After observing for a while, it seemed like about one person came out every minute. In another half an hour, it should be his turn, and if he was lucky, he might even get to play for a bit.

Seeing his colleagues arriving late, Li Xiang waved at them, "Hey? Fatty, over here!"

Li Xiang squeezed back, making some space, and let his two colleagues cut in.

A tall young man behind him was unhappy and tugged Li Xiang's arm.

"Hey, why are you guys cutting in line?"

Li Xiang was already annoyed, having rushed over hungry and exhausted like a dog, only to have to queue. And now this guy was making a fuss about him making a little space for his friends, even pushing him.

You started it, he thought, his anger flaring up. He spun around and yelled at the tall young man, "What right do you have to pull me? What right do you have to pull me? Let me tell you, you've picked the wrong person to mess with! Just because you're tall, you can pull me?"

Li Xiang's two colleagues who arrived later chimed in from behind, "Putting aside the facts, do you have the right to pull someone? Did you start it?"

"You think you can bully us just because we're short? Let me tell you, we're not easy to mess with."

Faced with the aggressive trio in front of him, the tall young man felt a bit intimidated. Seeing that everyone behind him was just watching the show with no one coming to his aid, he mumbled defensively, "What, so you have the right to cut in line?"

"Saving a spot for a friend is cutting in line? Speak properly. You pulled me right away, what's your intention?"

Li Xiang, gaining the upper hand, pointed at the tall young man with one finger and continued to berate him.