Reborn in 2000: I just want to love a few people properly.

The surrounding commercial area mainly consists of several parts. One is along Wenyi Road, which is bustling on both sides with many small shops known for their low prices and high cost-performance ratio. It is the first choice for nearby college students to drink together.

Another option is Jiaogong Road, where there are many restaurants, but the prices are a bit high. Students who want to improve their meals can come here once a month.

There's also the area near Wen'er Market, where there are many taverns, and every night vendors come here to make money, with varying levels of hygiene.

After going around in circles, Xu Bo and Wang Yan still ended up on Jiaogong Road. Due to intense competition, some shops there couldn't survive and naturally went out of business.

Arriving at the door of a shop, Xu Bo peered inside through the closed door. The shop was fully furnished with tables and chairs, and the decor wasn't outdated. A sign on the door read "Prime Location for Rent," followed by a phone number.

"Is there any explanation for this store?" Xu Bo turned to ask the local reporter.

Logically speaking, this place has a great __cpLocation, close to a university and surrounded by residential areas, so there is no shortage of foot traffic. As long as the food isn't particularly bad, it should be able to survive. Therefore, Xu Bo is worried about what some people are saying about this place.

"This restaurant used to be a hot pot restaurant. Someone died from food poisoning, and the restaurant lost a lot of money. It has been closed ever since."

"The next one was a stir-fry restaurant, which also ate everyone out of the place." Wang Yan, a local expert, knew all the big and small things happening in the area and quickly came up with the answer after a quick search in his mind.

Xu Bo hesitated after hearing this. The shop was undoubtedly perfect in his mind, but business people are a bit superstitious. After all, he was also in the catering business, but he was also a bit at a loss in this situation.

"Let me call and ask first." After glancing at the phone number, Xu Bo hesitated for a moment before taking out his phone and dialing the number.

The phone rang for a few seconds before being answered quickly.

"Hello, I'm currently in the commercial area on Jiaogong Road, and I'd like to go inside and take a look."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, and they seemed surprised that someone would come to look at the shop. They quickly said, "Please wait a moment, I'm nearby, I'll be there in five or six minutes."

After the call ended, Wang Yan, who was following behind, suddenly spoke.

"Xiao Bo, are you making hot pot?"

Xu Bo was somewhat surprised, but quickly said, "That's right, it's about making hot pot."

"If you need money, you can tell me, and I can invest."

What followed surprised Xu Bo even more. He wanted to invest in the store without even understanding how it operated.

Thinking of this, Xu Bo deliberately said, "Then how much money are you prepared to invest? I won't do it if it's less."

"The monthly rent for this shop should be between 20,000 and 40,000 yuan, based on the same proportion in the surrounding area."

"If you agree, I can come up with six months' rent; that's no problem."

Now it was Xu Bo's turn to be shocked. He never expected that his roommate was actually a hidden tycoon.

"How do you have so much money?" Even Xu Bo couldn't help but be surprised.

"I've saved up all the New Year's money I've received since I was little. Also, because of my dad's job, some uncles and aunts often send things to our family. Sometimes I get watches or shoes too."

"I also have some restaurant prepaid cards registered in my name. If I sell them and get the money back, it should be less than 200,000 yuan. If I don't have enough, I'll just go home and cry to my mom."

"So, can you tell me about your philosophy?" After Wang Yan finished speaking, he began to inquire about Xu Bo's plans for opening the store.

Xu Bo was truly shocked. Nearly 200,000 yuan! These days, let alone a college student, even an adult might not earn 200,000 yuan after working hard for ten years. Moreover, 10,000 yuan still has considerable purchasing power at this time, let alone 200,000 yuan.

"I'm planning to make hot pot, the kind we had in the dorm last time," Xu Bo said after catching his breath.

Wang Yan frowned slightly and said, "If it's just about making hot pot with a single, unique flavor, then I'm not optimistic about it."

Xu Bo shook his head and continued, "Yes, to be honest, I don't think highly of this kind of hot pot with only one flavor."

"So what I want to do is make sure everyone can enjoy the hot pot they like."

Wang Yan was stunned. Isn't hot pot just a pot with broth, where you put things in, dip them in sauce, and eat them? How can there be flavors that everyone likes?

Do you know what a four-square grid is?

Wang Yan shook his head.

Xu Bo explained, "The four-compartment pot is divided into four sections by dense welding, and each section can be filled with the broth that each person likes."

"At the same time, different base areas have different functions. For example, people in Hangzhou like mushroom hot pot, so they leave that area for soup, and put water, spicy, or tomato flavors in the other three areas respectively."

"Do you know what I mean? A pot of meat cooked in two different broths will taste different when it enters a person's mouth."

Wang Yan understood Xu Bo's meaning and found it interesting. He then said, "What other competitive advantages do we have? After all, this kind of thing can be imitated very quickly."

"The food and taste are just bonuses for us; our most important core advantage is our service."

"Serve?"

"That's right, service."

Xu Bo pointed to the area behind the glass door and said, "I don't plan to put tables in this area. Instead, I'm going to create a special area where we can provide unique services for every guest!"

"Service?" Wang Yan's upbringing made him more knowledgeable than his peers. Upon hearing this, his eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Xu Bo incredulously.

"What services do you offer? Is this your core competitiveness? What services do you offer in such a blatant place?"

Wang Yan suddenly said angrily. Xu Bo stood there stunned for a moment before realizing that what he said was ambiguous, and quickly pulled Wang Yan back.

"You little rascal, you know so much!" Xu Bo understood the meaning behind Wang Yan's words and couldn't help but tease him.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yan suddenly became serious and looked earnestly into Xu Bo's eyes as he spoke.

"If you want to start a business, I'll support you, because I also want to make something of myself during university. From the first day we met, I felt you were different, so if you have a good idea, I will support you wholeheartedly, but!"

"But what I, Wang Yan, do must be legal. If you do something shady, then I, Wang Yan, have misjudged you."

Xu Bo listened quietly to Wang Yan's words, took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, and also took out another cigarette from the pack and tucked it behind his ear.

As soon as Wang Yan finished speaking, Xu Bo immediately handed him a cigarette. Wang Yan didn't react in time and put it in his mouth. Seeing this, Xu Bo quickly lit it.

As the firelight flickered, Wang Yan subconsciously took a breath, followed by a violent coughing fit. Xu Bo patted Wang Yan's back repeatedly and said...

"You're overthinking it. I never do anything illegal."

"The service I'm referring to is letting guests know that they are being 'valued' and experiencing that emotional value."

Wang Yan recovered, holding a cigarette between his fingers, and looked up to ask.

What does it mean to be "valued"?