Chapter 170: Chapter 170: He Just Watched as Lu Youxi Conned His Parents Chapter 170: Chapter 170: He Just Watched as Lu Youxi Conned His Parents Upon learning that Lu Youxi had incurred so much debt, the Lu Family’s elders hadn’t even had time to sever their relationship with Lu Youxi.
Lu Youxi smiled as he withdrew his gaze from the courtyard entrance and was about to put away the loan contract, when, upon turning around, he bumped into Lu Zhenguo’s grim face.
“What did you borrow all that money for?” Lu Zhenguo asked in alarm. “You kid, why didn’t you tell us about such a big matter, didn’t consult with us? If it wasn’t for your grandparents coming to ask for money today, were you planning not to tell us at all?”
“Yes,” Lu Youxi admitted without any cover, “Telling you would only make you nervous and stressed. I can handle the loan and its repayment on my own.”
“No way!” Lu Zhenguo still felt the whole affair was too risky. “Can’t we cancel this loan?”
“Of course not,” Lu Youxi responded.
Even Liu Yushu felt shocked and, tugging at Lu Youxi, asked, “Why did you take out such a large loan? What do you need it for? If you needed money, you should have told us, we would have tried to help you gather it.”
“Let’s talk inside,” Lu Youxi suggested.
With a stern face, Lu Zhenguo headed into the house first.
Lu Youxi put the loan contract back in his suitcase before sitting down to explain to Lu Zhenguo and Liu Yushu, “I bought a house.”
“What?” Liu Yushu and Lu Zhenguo were both so shocked that they jumped up from their chairs.
Lu Youxi had not only rented a house but bought one as well?
“I bought this house intending to use it to open an Internet café. The house is in the same neighborhood where we currently live, on the roadside,” Lu Youxi explained. “The previous owner had converted it into a storefront, which I purchased to set up the Internet café.”
“An Internet café?” Lu Zhenguo asked. “Why would you want to open an Internet café? Aren’t you going to school anymore?”
“I am,” Lu Youxi patiently explained. “You don’t know, but it’s quite inconvenient for people to get online these days. Computers are too expensive, and not widely owned by families. Even those families that do buy them tend to have machines with poor specs, limiting their use. Take us university students for example, unless from a particularly affluent home, very few students can afford to install a computer in their dorms, not to mention routing cables and paying for internet service, all of which add up to a considerable expense.”
“But we still need the internet for research, and many boys like to play online games. The cheaper computers can’t handle the popular large-scale online games of the day, so they have to go to Internet cafés. Nowadays, Internet cafés are quite popular, and if you don’t go early, you can’t even get a spot.”
“There’s even an Internet café in our school, but it can’t provide services to so many students at once. Everyone has to go early to secure a spot, or if you’re late, there’s no computer to use; then you have to find other places outside the school to go online,” explained Lu Youxi. “So, I bought the storefront and planned to convert it into an Internet café to make money.”
“Living in the Imperial Capital, there are many expenses, and stock trading doesn’t guarantee a profit every time; we need a stable occupation,” Lu Youxi explained further. “Besides, aren’t you guys looking for jobs in the Imperial Capital? Now that I’m opening this Internet café, you don’t need to look for jobs elsewhere. Just take care of our family business. Doesn’t that work out? I’m not comfortable entrusting it to strangers.”
“Mom will manage the café’s accounting,” Lu Youxi added. “I’ve already planned it all out. Mom is a great cook, and she could provide catering services to our customers as well.”
“How would you provide that?” Liu Yushu’s interest was piqued.
She had been worrying about what kind of job she’d find in the Imperial Capital.
Before moving to the Imperial Capital, she had thought about working as a housekeeper.
But after arriving, she realized it wasn’t so straightforward.
The Imperial Capital was too large, and there were too many job seekers.
To work in housekeeping, employers preferred those with good reputations and referrals from regular clients.
Who could trust just any stranger in their home?
Certainly, a referral was needed for that peace of mind.
Housekeeping services hiring housekeepers would also have various requirements.
She hardly met any.
“Young people go to Internet cafés, especially to play games, and they don’t play for just a few hours. It’s common for them to become addicted to games and stay there all day, even pulling all-nighters,” Lu Youxi said. “But staying in a café for that long inevitably means they’ll need food and drink. Most people just buy a bottle of water or a box of instant noodles. We will offer more than just water and instant noodles; we’ll provide boxed meals too. I’ll draw up the details. Mom, you can just cook the meals at home, and then we’ll sell them at the Internet café.”
“As for Dad, he could be in charge of security and sanitation at the Internet café, which is similar to being a security guard elsewhere. You won’t have to commute far for work; just go downstairs, leave the residential area, and you’re at work,” Lu Youxi said cheerfully. “Later on, I’ll pay you salaries. If the Internet café makes money, I’ll give you dividends.”
“What dividends, what salaries? We’re all family. If we make money, is it going to end up in someone else’s home? Just give us some living expenses if you make money,” Liu Yushu said smilingly.
“That won’t do. I can’t let you work for nothing. I’m definitely going to pay you salaries,” Lu Youxi shook his head.
Lu Zhenguo thought for a moment. Lu Youxi’s debt had already been accumulated and could not be undone.
Hearing Lu Youxi’s plans, they did seem quite promising.
“Alright, let’s give it a try,” Lu Zhenguo nodded in agreement.
“Don’t worry. What is the Imperial Capital? It’s our country’s capital; house prices are always going to rise. As the development of the Imperial Capital progresses, prices will only go higher,” Lu Youxi stated. “If we decide to stop later, selling the house would be pure profit.”
“Really?” Liu Yushu became more and more intrigued as she listened.
“Of course. If you don’t believe what I’m saying, when we get back to the Imperial Capital, you can ask around about the housing prices from a few years ago and compare them to the prices now; that’ll show whether I’m telling the truth or not,” Lu Youxi said with a smile. “Besides, when have I ever made a loss?”
“After we return, I’ll take you to see the house I bought. Now we are among those who own a house in the Imperial Capital. Even though we won’t be living there, having a property in hand means there’s no panic, right?” Lu Youxi grinned. “I’ve already contacted some workers, and I’ll have them start the remodeling once summer break is over. As for assembling the computers, I’ve asked some classmates from our school to help.”
“Oh my, your school classmates, now those are real talents! Having them assemble computers seems like an underuse of their skills,” Liu Yushu said, both shocked and delighted.
“That’s true, but a computer assembled by a whiz kid is bound to be reliable,” said Lu Youxi.
Zhou Shuyan: “…”
He just watched silently as Lu Youxi sweet-talked his parents.