Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 154, Section 152: Internet Elements

In November, the temperature in Wuhan has already left behind the scorching heat of midsummer, and the air is filled with laziness and softness.

Zhou Mingyuan walked out of Building A8 and strolled along the Shanshui Huating residential area, feeling extremely relaxed.

The green belt is lush with vegetation, presenting a wonderfully vibrant scene on a weekend afternoon.

He had just received a group chat invitation from two beautiful girls, asking him to come over for afternoon tea.

The reason is not hard to guess.

The coffee shop officially opened in early October, and now that it's January, it's time for the big boss, Gu Caiwei, to review the performance and reward her team.

This has always been the style of the finance enthusiast.

The two discussed picking him up from school via WeChat, but Zhou Mingyuan quickly declined, saying that he happened to be nearby and would come to his door in person.

The distance between Building A8 and Building A2 can indeed be easily measured on foot.

Zhou Mingyuan put his phone back in his pocket, planning to take a walk in the neighborhood before going upstairs to knock on the door when it was almost time.

The self-cultivation of a time management master.

But to his surprise, after walking around the neighborhood, he felt like he was in a completely different world.

The Shanshui Huating residential community is located near several universities. Although it cannot be described as luxurious or high-end, the quality of its residents is definitely not lacking, with the majority being people working in the public sector.

The sun was shining brightly on the weekend, and the neighborhood was filled with elderly people and children.

The children's laughter gathered from all directions, turning the neighborhood into a joyous playground.

On weekdays, during the daytime, the green spaces and public areas of the community, where only elderly people greet each other, become unusually lively and crowded.

Several children who looked like elementary school students were playing with water guns in a corner, splashing water everywhere, and several girls screamed and dodged.

On the exercise equipment in the small square, a chubby little boy sat on the rotating disc, having already spun around many times, yet still unwilling to get off.

Some were playing badminton, some were playing shuttlecock, some were rollerblading, and some, like Zhou Mingyuan, were just sitting under the shade of the tree, smiling and watching with their arms crossed.

As several teenagers rode past on skateboards, Zhou Mingyuan couldn't help but drift into memories.

He received one of those skateboards for his tenth birthday, but he never learned how to use it.

Watching the figures of several boys skillfully weaving through the dappled shadows of the trees, he suddenly realized that he had once missed the chance to become a free spirit.

But now, it seems there's still a chance?

Further away, several elderly people with silver hair were practicing their singing by the pavilion. Amidst the various chaotic sounds, the singing sounded very familiar.

We have traversed thousands of rivers and countless mountains.
Every encounter and smile is etched in our memories.
On a sunny and joyful day

We're holding hands, there's so much we want to say~

As you walk through the woods and past the pavilion, a melody washes over you.

He had heard that song when he was a child; it was always played on TV during the afternoon slot.

Upon hearing the last two sentences, Zhou Mingyuan was momentarily dazed.

Standing in the bright sunshine, watching the children skateboarding against the light, watching the chubby little boy giggling and spinning around in place, my eyes reflected a carefree world.

The melody was so familiar, it felt like I had traveled back from my childhood in an instant, or as if I had been jolted by memories from a past life.

so good.
Zhou Mingyuan said with heartfelt emotion.

How many moments of carefree leisure can one have in a lifetime?
He took a deep breath, put his phone back in his pocket, and instead of rushing to Gu Caiwei's house, he sat on the stone steps by the small square for a few minutes.

He even reached out and grabbed a fallen leaf from the roadside, crushed it like a child, and tossed it away.

"Hello~"

Then someone patted my shoulder and a soft, sweet voice came from behind me.

"What are you daydreaming about, you entrepreneurial star!"

Zhou Mingyuan turned around and his gaze met that of the smiling brown-haired girl.

Gu Caiwei had obviously read the official tweet from Nanhu University. The moment she appeared in front of him, she immediately drew out her words and teased him, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Am I that famous now? Everyone knows me!"

Zhou Mingyuan grinned, stood up, and walked alongside her along the path toward the parking lot.

When the three of them go out to play, Gu Caiwei's BMW Z4 is completely useless.

Therefore, at this stage, I can only drive Li Zhi's Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

"cut."

Gu Caiwei pursed her lips slightly and said with a smile, "It's clearly written on the school's official WeChat account, and it's not like others can't see it."

"You're paying so much attention to me, huh?"

"Watch your words! We're clearly expressing interest in your school."

"It just so happens that I happen to be at the school, right?"

"Bah, so shameless."

While Gu Caiwei was arguing with Zhou Mingyuan as usual, she stood on tiptoe and waved to the car that was slowly driving towards the parking lot exit.

At 3 p.m. sharp, the three parked their car and appeared in front of a French afternoon tea shop in Jiangcheng Tiandi.

The shop, named "MON AMOUR," is tucked behind a row of modernist concrete buildings with a white lime wall facade and wood-grain window frames.

Two blooming pink roses stood by the entrance, their fragrance drifting in on the breeze.

"Hurry up, hurry up, I heard their tiramisu is limited edition."

Gu Caiwei had already researched the strategy and pulled Li Zhi by the arm as they entered the room.

The store is dimly lit with rattan chandeliers and olive wood furniture, creating a warm beige color scheme throughout.

Guests feel much more relaxed as soon as they walk in.

There aren't many seats, but they are arranged in a pleasing, staggered manner and cleverly separated by greenery and bookshelves, creating a space that is neither oppressive nor noisy.

They chose a small, semi-open private room by the window, where a rooftop garden stretched out before them, where chrysanthemums were in full bloom.

The three sat down and ordered their food.

A few minutes later, plates of exquisite desserts were served.

The plate is decorated with mint leaves, icing sugar, and edible petals, each item resembling a prop meticulously set up in a photography studio.

In other words, it's still early in the year, and Xiaohongshu hasn't yet developed into what it will become in the future.

Otherwise, Zhou Mingyuan could be 100% certain that as long as socialites befriended these two, they could become minor internet celebrities in no time.

There's always material to share!
Even if you don't specifically visit these chic and elegant afternoon tea shops, just taking a picture of Gu Caiwei or Li Zhi will definitely increase your fan base.

The two sisters sat opposite each other, laughing and joking. Zhou Mingyuan would occasionally drift off into a daze, observing them intently, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Appearance is justice.

Perhaps because they had put a lot of effort into preparing afternoon tea, both Gu Caiwei and Li Zhi had clearly put a lot of thought into their outfits and makeup.

Gu Caiwei wore a cream-colored high-waisted dress with a knee-length hem. The dress was made of soft corduroy and had a slightly cinched waist.

The dress features delicate ruffles above the waist, making her look like a royal girl who has just stepped out of a European retro illustration.

The collar is secured with pearl buttons, a cleverly hidden detail that makes it unforgettable at first glance.

Below the calves, she wore a pair of light-colored Mary Jane shoes with slightly thick soles, paired with cotton socks of the same color. As she walked, they made a slight creaking sound, like candy falling onto a porcelain plate.

Sitting in Zhou Mingyuan's seat, looking across the entire area.

Her eyelashes were curled naturally and clearly defined, and her eyeliner was brown, not deliberately drawn, but it just made her already clear and charming eyes look bigger.

"Yes, how did you report it? Tell us your experience!"

"Tell me more, the university is also about to hold a report session on entrepreneurship, what if I also get a startup grant?"

Gu Caiwei's eyes sparkled when she spoke, and her dimples appeared when she smiled, making her look just like a girl from an anime.

"Huh? Using our Relief Coffee Shop as a startup project presentation?" Zhou Mingyuan's curiosity was piqued.

"Why not?"

"Since you're from the school next door and it's inconvenient for you to come forward, then it'll just be the two of us going up."

Li Zhi sipped her black tea, her voice carrying a subtle languor.

"Hasn't someone always been uninterested in these things?"

Zhou Mingyuan poked at the mille-feuille pastry and blinked: "Let alone going on stage for a roadshow, would you change your mind?"

"We're all part of the same team. Are we going to let Vivi fight alone?"

Li Zhi spoke lightly, but her eyes were fixed on a ginkgo leaf falling somewhere outside the window.

"Besides, you can easily get 500,000 yuan in policy support, so it doesn't seem like a big deal.

"Indeed, trying it wouldn't be a problem, but..."

Zhou Mingyuan grinned, looked at the short-haired girl in front of him, and nodded.

Li Zhi's appearance today is equally stunning.

Her style is always unique, making her stand out in a crowd.

A loose-fitting, dark khaki short jacket was draped over her shoulders; the lightweight twill fabric had a slightly linen-like feel, and the cuffs were slightly rolled up.

She wore a pure white drawstring shirt underneath, made of soft fabric, with the neckline naturally flared out, subtly revealing her fair collarbone.

The shirt was loosely tucked into a pair of light blue washed straight-leg jeans. The jeans were high-waisted, and the cuffs were rolled up twice, just enough to reveal her slender ankles.

The clothes worn by Li Zhi seem to be an extension of her personal temperament.

—Clean and aloof, with a distinct sense of distance.

Her signature short hair is neatly trimmed, with bangs falling naturally down her forehead, one side slightly covering the corner of her eye, and the other side tucked behind, naturally outlining the shape of her ear.

As your gaze travels from her ears to her beautiful Hong Kong-style face, it's easy to spot a detail.

The key to Gigi Lai's makeup lies in the ultimate control of "coolness".

Her eyebrows are classic arched willow-leaf eyebrows with a slightly cool gray base, which, combined with her striking features, gives her eyes a natural charm.

Keep away from strangers.

The blush is very light towards the bottom, almost invisible.

On the lips, there's a rose-red velvet lip gloss with a hint of berry.

It adds a touch of warmth to the face without sacrificing composure.

"Just what?"

Li Zhi sat on a dark wooden armchair by the window, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled patterns on her shirt collar and short hair.

"To defeat all competitors, we at Relief Coffee need to have disruptive innovations."

Zhou Mingyuan raised an eyebrow at the two people in front of him.

"for example?"

Gu Caiwei sat up straight, and immediately became interested as well.

“I previously contacted an outsourcing company to help us develop an app, and it has recently finished internal testing, so we can launch it directly.”

Zhou Mingyuan added, "Coffee shops these days are too traditional."

"Do you think we have any innovative points?"

"At most, they'll promote it online, do some operations, and offer discounts to acquaintances. But at its core, it's still about the upstream and downstream supply chain, the same old coffee-selling methods."

"But aren't all coffee shops like this?"

Li Zhi put down her teacup and pressed for an answer.

She always holds the teacup with her left hand when she drinks tea; her fingers are slender, her palm faces outward, and her expression is serious.

Throughout the afternoon, she rarely spoke, but whenever she did, her tone always had a natural upward inflection at the end, a characteristic unique to girls from the Cantonese region.

He speaks at a leisurely pace, yet always manages to keep people listening quietly until the end.

Unlike her best friend, the short-haired girl doesn't laugh as much. When she does laugh, her lips only curve up slightly, as if the light is coming from her eyes.

Her style is like a tone created by combining lines and aura in a cloudy weather.

"That's right, so there's no competitiveness at all."

Zhou Mingyuan raised his hand and pointed to the phone on the table: "Do you still remember what the core of the policy is?"

"Mass entrepreneurship and innovation."

"To link coffee shops with innovation, we need to find ways to incorporate internet elements into them."

"Internet elements?"

Gu Caiwei repeated it, then fell into deep thought.

This name, both strange and familiar, seems to have absolutely nothing to do with a coffee shop.

"Correct."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and nodded: "Through the app I made, we can incorporate internet elements."

"Our next step is to get customers to download the Relief Coffee App."

"Provide benefits along with downloads, such as low-price coupons to attract users, and free app for new users, so that it can be shared and spread virally on social media."

Zhou Mingyuan paused halfway through his speech, glancing at Li Zhi and Gu Caiwei, who seemed lost in thought.

"Low-price coupons, free customer acquisition?"

A few seconds later, the finance girl was the first to react, blinking her eyes and asking.

"Let's put coupons aside for now. Have you calculated the costs? If you keep doing this, and customer acquisition is free, how can we still make a profit?"

Gu Caiwei was, after all, exceptionally intelligent.

No matter how eloquent or flowery Zhou Mingyuan's words were, he always kept a string called "cost" in his mind.

Ultimately, downloading the Relief Coffee App is free.

Free coffee won't do!
If a few hundred users actually download this, all our hard work for the whole day will be for nothing.

Moreover, Zhou Mingyuan's choice of words just now.

Fission!

What is fission?
If coffee were truly free, countless people would flock to it!

“The pattern is small.”

Zhou Mingyuan did not offer an explanation immediately, but simply smiled with his lips pursed.

"Profitability is secondary. When we transform the operation of physical stores into an internet-based approach, the entire mindset needs to be changed."

".What's the meaning?"

Gu Caiwei turned her head and looked at her best friend beside her, who also looked bewildered.

Does the internet-based business model mean you can't make money?

"The internet is all about user numbers, platforms, and traffic."

The sunlight outside the window was setting in the west, and the warm golden light shone in from the angle, dappling the teapot lid.

Zhou Mingyuan spread his hands and began to make empty promises.

"Then let me ask you, how much money did we earn after working so hard for a month?"

"Even if we don't earn a single penny this month, wouldn't it be worth it to add innovative elements and get the school's entrepreneurship fund?"

(End of this chapter)