Which way to go is the road?

For three consecutive days, business at "Shuiyunjian" was dismal, with occupancy dropping from 50% to 30%. Looking at the rows of black-screen computers and idle tables and chairs, Xiang Fei felt that he was a very unqualified store manager.

These past few days, he has been thinking of solutions, but he has not been able to come up with a perfect solution. Although the previous methods should be effective, they are difficult to implement due to their flaws. After all, construction cannot be repeated, otherwise how can the business be done?

As night falls, the neon lights of the words "Eden" across the street illuminate the space, while the alluring male and female figures beside it are dynamic and seductive, making people want to go inside and explore.

The three illuminated characters "Shuiyunjian" on this side appear much more lonely and desolate. Without the lush ivy to accompany them, and with an outdated design, they look even more shabby in comparison. It's like a used Alto parked next to a Beetle, the difference in quality is immediately apparent.

Xiang Fei stood outside the revolving door, letting the chill of early spring help him sort out his thoughts. After a while, he realized that his thoughts hadn't cleared up, and his mood had only gotten worse. He inexplicably recalled his cousin Wang Zhiqiang's words and shouted loudly at the "Garden of Eden" across the street, as if he had left his soul there and that shout would bring it back.

"Hey! What are you yelling about? It's late at night, don't scare people!"

Xiang Fei turned around and saw Dong Lu standing behind him, deliberately speaking in a gruff voice like a man, with Zhang Fang standing next to her, unable to stop laughing, and Lao You following behind.

"Just like you said, it's just nonsense! By the way, why isn't Bai Xue here?" Xiang Fei was disappointed when he didn't see the familiar figure.

"The school is organizing a spring semester's Top Ten Singers competition, and Bai Xue is the host. The semi-finals are tomorrow night, but she has to rehearse today and can't make it! You should know that! Haven't you contacted her lately?"

When Zhang Chu said this, Xiang Fei realized that he had neglected Bai Xue because he was busy with the "Shuiyunjian" matter. However, he felt that since their relationship was based on solid foundations, it shouldn't be a big deal, and he could always make it up to her later.

"I've been busy with things at the internet cafe lately, so we haven't been in touch much. I'll call her in a bit. Let's go inside, it's quite cold outside!"

Entering the internet cafe, seeing that there were still so few customers, Lao You was somewhat distressed: "Hey, Xiang Fei, have you thought of a solution? We can't keep going like this. Once customers develop a habit of using the internet, it will be even harder to change their minds!"

"Who can argue with that? But there's nothing I can do. I can't find that many beautiful women to come here! This is too ruthless of them. Those women help out at the internet cafe during the day, and they still work at the nightclub at night. How could He Ping come up with such a thing!" Xiang Fei sighed.

"How did you know this information? Did you go to the other side again?" Zhang Fang asked.

"Du Xinpeng sent this message. This guy has been surfing the internet on the other side lately and rarely shows up on 'Shuiyunjian.' I even suspect he's betrayed us. Fortunately, he provides some real-time updates from time to time, so at least he has some stance!"

Dong Lu, who was also part of "Shuiyunjian," couldn't help but worry for the internet cafe, Sister Luo Mei, and Xiang Fei: "Is there really no way to deal with them? Their vulgar tricks are practically heretical. Are they really that hard to deal with?"

"Lulu, you don't understand. If it's not restrained and controlled, the more vulgar it is, the more it caters to people's base tastes and provides sensory stimulation, the more people it attracts! It's the nature of all animals, just like a hunter using a piece of meat as bait to lure wild animals into a trap. The recently popular online video chat rooms are like that; people are wearing less and less clothing, speaking more and more provocatively, and more and more people are watching!"

Zhang Fang's logical analysis drew a nod of agreement from Xiang Fei, but it made Dong Lu's eyebrows furrow: "You've been in quite a few video chat rooms, haven't you? You seem to know a lot about them. Aren't the girls in there pretty? Aren't they sexy? Huh?"

"Not as pretty as you, not as sexy as you!" Zhang Fang replied evasively.

"How dare you compare me to them?"

"Didn't you ask that? That's why I answered. Fine, fine, you can't compare to them!" Seeing Dong Lu's angry glare, Zhang Fang realized he had misspoke: "No, they can't compare to you!"

……

Xiang Fei was too lazy to pay attention to the couple's usual bickering, but their conversation just now was quite instructive. He nudged Lao You, who was watching the commotion, and asked, "What's the antonym of vulgarity?"

"Even high school students know this! It's so sophisticated!"

"Highbrow isn't right. Ordinary people these days don't have that kind of refined taste, let alone these internet addicts. Let's just use 'high' to create a few more words!"

"High altitude, advanced, sophisticated, high mountain..."

"Stop. 'High' and 'advanced' are interesting. So, what comes to mind when you hear these two words? People, things, events—anything is fine, just say it."

"Height? That's Yao Ming. He's tall and has a high status. He's doing very well in the NBA and bringing glory to the country. He definitely qualifies as tall! As for being advanced? That's being human. Humans are advanced animals, different from jackals and tigers. They have thoughts, morals, and emotions!..."

"That's right! We've fallen into a trap, mistaking their vulgar pandering for an advantage, and getting caught up in how to cater to their vulgarity. We're being led by the nose, no wonder we can't come up with a countermeasure! Break free from this mindset and do the opposite. They attack from the bottom, so we'll focus on the top. That's how we achieve a surprise attack!"

"That was a brilliant presentation, and the viewpoints were quite novel. So, how exactly should we proceed? We need some concrete measures for this 'upper three routes' strategy; empty talk will only harm the country!"

Xiang Fei smiled mysteriously: "Coming from the countryside, we're all about practicality. How can we just talk nonsense? You're talking about things that boost adrenaline, what else could it be besides those low-level pleasures?"

"Football, basketball, table tennis—basketball, all kinds of sports—people are incredibly enthusiastic and excited when watching these matches!"

"Add a word before 'sports' or 'competition'!"

"Competitive sports, competitive matches!"

"Yes, it's about competition. Let's have a gaming competition. Over 80% of people come to internet cafes to play games, and these games are highly competitive. By organizing gaming competitions, we can provide a platform for skilled players to showcase their abilities, and also give others a goal to emulate and strive for! This should attract quite a few people!"

"That's a good idea, Xiang Fei. You really have a lot of crazy ideas in your head!" Old You exclaimed sincerely.

"yeah!"

Xiang Fei gave himself a thumbs-up. After racking his brains for several days, the clouds finally parted and the sun shone through. The gloom of the past few days vanished, and he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

"Please have a seat, I need to go upstairs and talk to Sister Luomei about this!"

"What's wrong?" The couple who had been flirting nearby couldn't help but mutter when they saw Xiang Fei leave with a single sentence and run upstairs.

"Zhang Fang, what was the name of that pretty girl in the video chat room we watched yesterday? Youyou, right? She almost gave me a nosebleed!"

A bomb was thrown, and the two embarked on a new journey. Lao You watched the spectacle with schadenfreude, but when Zhang Chu returned from the restroom, he coughed and became serious.