Chapter 57: A Transfer Fee of Two Hundred Thousand

"Too much."

Upon hearing the figure of five hundred and fifty thousand, Chen Fan's face remained impassive, giving the woman opposite him no way to guess what he was thinking.

"First of all, computers are consumable goods, and they update at an extremely fast pace."

"Especially since you run an internet cafe, your requirements for computer performance are even more demanding. Once your hardware falls behind, you will instantly be overtaken by your competitors."

"Therefore, to me, the computers in your internet cafe are not worth that much. I might have to consider replacing all of them in a year's time."

"And the most valuable asset of an internet cafe is precisely its computers..."

At this point, Chen Fan paused, fixing his gaze on the woman across the table.

"So, the price you've named feels a bit like you're taking advantage of the fact that I'm an outsider to the industry."

The woman looked at Chen Fan with surprise. In less than ten minutes since they first met, he had already startled her several times.

Seeming a bit embarrassed, she raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well then, if you are genuinely interested in taking it over, I can lower the price a bit more."

After a moment of thought, the woman named a figure.

"Three hundred and seventy thousand."

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, indicating that the price was still unjustified.

"To be honest, if I had three hundred and seventy thousand, I could just rent a small storefront and open a brand-new internet cafe right away."

"Moreover, I'd be using the latest computers on the market with the best configurations. My business certainly wouldn't do any worse than your current shop, would it?"

Having her most crucial point exposed so directly, a flicker of panic appeared in the woman's eyes for the very first time.

She had not expected Chen Fan, a mere college freshman, to possess such a sharp perspective.

With just a few words, he had gone straight to the core of the issue, completely defeating her.

The woman glanced at Chen Fan, hesitated for a moment, and then hardened her resolve.

"As long as you can pay in full, I can transfer the whole package to you for three hundred thousand."

Chen Fan continued, "I don't know how long you've had your transfer ad posted."

"But I believe that if you ask for three hundred thousand, unless you run into a complete fool, no one is going to take it off your hands."

"Like I said before, with that kind of money, why wouldn't someone choose to open a brand-new internet cafe on the same street?"

Chen Fan went on to analyze: "Internet cafes are the most troublesome businesses to transfer. Because their most expensive assets are computers, they also happen to suffer the highest depreciation rates."

"And since computer technology updates at such a breakneck speed, transfer fees for internet cafes are usually exceptionally low."

"The only competitive advantage your internet cafe has is its location, because it's right next to Yunhai University. If managed well, you won't have to worry about a customer base."

The woman nodded hastily.

"That's right, there's no need to worry about customers. Isn't that point alone worth three hundred thousand?"

Chen Fan smiled faintly.

"If I were a customer, why would I come to an internet cafe that's about to become obsolete instead of going to one with better configurations?"

"My purpose in taking over your internet cafe is to make money. If these computers become outdated in a year, won't I have to buy all new ones, or else face bankruptcy?"

"Then what would be the point of me taking over your internet cafe in the first place?"

"Don't you think that's the logic?"

Upon hearing this, the woman stared blankly at Chen Fan, finally slumping back against the chair in defeat, as if all her energy had been drained away.

Clearly, she had been left speechless by Chen Fan's arguments.

This fellow didn't look or act like an inexperienced college freshman at all; instead, he seemed more like a seasoned elite from the corporate battlefield.

Seemingly recalling something, the woman's eyes turned slightly red.

After a dozen seconds of silence, she spoke in a weary, listless tone.

"Two hundred thousand."

"This is my absolute bottom line. If you think it's not suitable, then there's no point in us discussing this any further."

"You've pointed out so many flaws, but you actually know very well that my internet cafe is still turning a profit right now."

"Let's do a simple calculation: even if these computers become obsolete in a year, the money you earn during this year will more than cover the transfer fee."

"You simply cannot lose."

Chen Fan was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected this woman to bounce back so quickly.

To be frank, if this were twenty years later, given the current state of her internet cafe, even two hundred thousand would feel like a trap.

However, what the woman had just said was entirely correct.

This was the year 2000, and internet cafes were consistently profitable.

Furthermore, Chen Fan knew very well that in another year or two, internet cafes would usher in a genuine peak period.

Opening an internet cafe back then was equivalent to planting a money tree.

Calculated this way, a transfer fee of two hundred thousand was definitely a bargain.

Still, in any negotiation, one always has to push in the direction that benefits oneself.

Chen Fan looked at her and said with a smile:

Chen Fan quietly glanced at the woman in front of him.

Even though she knew he was cutting the price so ruthlessly, she had still agreed to lower it.

It seemed she was genuinely in urgent need of money.

However, Chen Fan's goal from the very beginning had not been the internet cafe itself.

"Um... may I ask, are you the owner of the storefront where this internet cafe is located?"

The woman looked at Chen Fan with some surprise.

"You can rest assured about that. The property is mine. If you take it over, I can give you a discounted rate on the rent and promise not to raise it for three years."

"You've misunderstood."

Chen Fan waved his hand with a smile and probed, "I wanted to ask whether you have any intention of selling the property itself."

The woman was visibly stunned.

"You... are you trying to buy the internet cafe or the real estate?"

Chen Fan smiled. "If possible, I'd like to buy both the internet cafe and the property together."

For the first time, the woman looked at Chen Fan with a deep, meaningful gaze.

"Little brother, you certainly think big."

Chen Fan smiled. "Do you have any willingness to sell?"

The woman shook her head.

"Sorry, the property was left to me by my parents, and I have no plans to sell it for the time being."

Chen Fan felt a tinge of disappointment.

His target had always been the real estate.

Now that the property couldn't be bought, spending two hundred thousand to take over an internet cafe—while unlikely to result in a loss—still felt somewhat incomplete.

"What are you thinking? Are you still going to buy it?"

The woman looked at Chen Fan expectantly.

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment and tested the waters.

"May I consider it and give you an answer later?"

The light in the woman's eyes dimmed instantly, though she managed to force a smile.

"Of course you may."

"However... I'll only give you one week. If..."

"No problem."

Chen Fan agreed without hesitation.

"During this week, you can keep your sign posted. If anyone else is willing to buy it or offers a higher price than me, you are free to sell it to them at any time."

Hearing this reply, the woman was satisfied.

She fished a notebook out of her pocket.

"Leave me your phone number so we can stay in touch..."

Chen Fan smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a phone. But please rest assured, as soon as I've made up my mind, I will come straight to the internet cafe to find you."

The woman looked at Chen Fan with a mixture of surprise.

She was starting to lose her read on this kid.

He could calmly discuss a deal worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, yet he didn't even own a telephone.

Was this guy seriously not just messing with her for fun?