After being reborn, the school beauty's entire family knelt down to repent.

Chapter 105 5 Yuan

Aunt Li paused, then said earnestly, "Yu Zi, remember, this money isn't free; it's our investment. Ming Zi's offer of a 50/50 split is kind, but we can't just take it for granted. Think about it, Ming Zi put in 70,000 yuan all by himself—how much risk is that? We have to show our support. Consider this money as our support for Ming Zi, and also for you."

Old Li chimed in, "Your mother is right. We can't take advantage of Mingzi. This five thousand yuan is just a small token of our appreciation. It's also a way to reassure Mingzi and let him know that we genuinely want to work with him."

Looking into his parents' determined eyes, Li Yu felt a lump in his throat.

Five thousand yuan is not a small amount for them, but they took it out without hesitation. He will always remember this kindness.

"Dad, Mom, thank you," Li Yu said, her voice choked with emotion.

"I will definitely do my best and live up to your expectations, and I will not let down Brother Ming's trust."

Aunt Li patted Li Yu's hand with satisfaction: "Good boy, Mom believes in you. Mingzi is a good boy. Work hard with him, and things will get better and better in the future."

Li Yu's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded heavily.

Then, he took the five thousand yuan and went to Chen Ming's house.

Chen Ming frowned when he saw the money in Li Yu's hand: "Yu Zi, what are you doing?"

Li Yu was a little embarrassed: "Brother Ming, this is a small token of my parents' appreciation. They said it's... a way for me to invest."

Without even thinking, Chen Ming refused outright: "No, I can't take this money. I've already paid enough for the internet cafe, you don't need to pay any more."

Li Yu panicked: "Ming-ge, just accept it! My parents said to consider this money as an investment. We'll split the profits from the internet cafe later."

Chen Ming shook his head again: "No need, really no need. Your father is in poor health, keep this money for his medical treatment."

Li Yu's eyes reddened slightly: "Ming-ge, I know you're doing this for my own good, but... but my parents insist that I bring it, I... I have no choice."

Chen Ming sighed inwardly as he looked at Li Yu's anxious expression.

Given Li Yu's family situation, five thousand yuan is no small sum for them.

If he didn't accept it, Li Yu and his parents would definitely be restless and unable to eat or sleep.

"Alright," Chen Ming finally accepted the money.

"I'll keep this money for now. You must take it back when the internet cafe makes money later."

Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chen Ming gratefully: "Thank you, Brother Ming!"

Chen Ming smiled, but in his heart he was calculating what these five thousand yuan meant to Li Yu's family. It was all their savings and the guarantee of Old Li's life-saving money.

He couldn't let down Li Yu's parents' trust.

Consider it a loan; we can't let them feel guilty. We'll repay Li Yu's family double later.

Having secured the shop space, Chen Ming and Li Yu began working diligently to prepare for the internet cafe's renovation and opening.

They were extremely busy hiring people to paint the walls, install internet cables, and buy computer desks and chairs.

The news of their internet cafe spread quickly throughout the village.

Chen Ming had previously made a lot of money selling electric blankets and running an underground shopping mall, which was no secret in the village.

Now everyone is incredibly curious about what he's planning to do with an internet cafe.

"Has Chen Ming gone mad? Why is he abandoning a perfectly good commercial street and insisting on opening an internet cafe?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're just burning money."

"I heard that thing is called a computer and can access the internet, but I don't know what it is."

"Internet cafe? What's that?" Aunt Wang from the east end of the village asked Aunt Li next door while cracking sunflower seeds.

"I heard it's related to computers; you can play games and browse the internet." Aunt Li is always well-informed.

"Go online? Can you eat that stuff?" Aunt Wang asked with a puzzled look.

"That's ridiculous! Going online lets you see the outside world, just like watching TV, but even more amazing!"

Aunt Li pursed her lips, looking like she'd seen it all.

The news spread not only in the village, but also among some wealthy people in nearby towns.

They had been envious of Chen Ming's business before, and they were all doing very well and making a lot of money.

Now that Chen Ming is about to start a new project, many local tycoons from various towns have come to try and get a piece of the pie.

Chen Ming's courtyard was packed with people, as lively as during the Chinese New Year.

A man with a beer belly and a thick gold chain around his neck grinned, revealing yellow teeth, and said to Chen Ming:

"Boss Chen, I heard you're opening an internet cafe? I, Lao Huang, am a well-known figure in town, and I'd like to invest some money and join you!"

Another tall, thin man in a suit, with slicked-back hair, also joined in:

"Mr. Chen, my surname is Liu. I'm in the building materials business and I have some spare cash. I'd like to invest in your internet cafe project. What do you think?"

In an instant, everyone started talking at once, trying to stuff money into Chen Ming's hands.

Chen Ming looked at the group of people and sneered inwardly. These people didn't genuinely want to invest; they were clearly just looking to take advantage of him.

He made money selling electric blankets and running an underground shopping mall, which made many people envious.

Now that people hear he's going to open an internet cafe, they all think it's a lucrative project and they're looking to make a quick buck.

"Gentlemen," Chen Ming gestured with his hands to quiet everyone down.

"Thank you all for your trust in me, but the internet cafe already has enough funds and we don't need your investment for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Old Huang became anxious: "Boss Chen, that's not fair! We sincerely want to cooperate with you!"

"That's right, Mr. Chen, it's not very nice of you to eat all by yourself, is it?" The tall, thin Mr. Liu chimed in.

Chen Ming smiled and said, "Gentlemen, I really don't mean to hog all the business, it's just that this internet cafe isn't big enough to accommodate so many people."

“Boss Chen, you’re wrong about that. We invest money, you contribute your labor, isn’t that a win-win situation?” Old Huang winked and gave him a knowing look.

Chen Ming felt a surge of annoyance. These people were really something, all trying to get something for nothing.

He said with a forced smile, "Dear bosses, I prefer to do things myself and don't like to cooperate with too many people, so I appreciate your kindness."

Seeing Chen Ming's resolute attitude, these people had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

After seeing these people off, Chen Ming breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Li Yu, saying, "Yu Zi, these people are really annoying, always hoping for a windfall."

Li Yu nodded: "Brother Ming, these people are all trying to take advantage of you. You were right not to agree to their request."

Chen Ming smiled and said, "I'm not blinded by such a small amount of money. Besides, I don't care about this amount of money. Moreover, the future of this internet cafe is worth much more than just this little bit of money."

The renovation work was proceeding at a rapid pace, and Chen Ming went to the construction site every day to supervise and ensure that everything went according to his plan.

The decorating style Chen Ming wanted was simply a pipe dream in the 1980s.