I Really Didn't Mean to Make Money

At Mingri Group,

Song Xia and Su Dan arrived at the top floor, excitement written all over their faces as they knocked on the door of the CEO’s office.

Upon entering,

They saw President Chen seated behind his desk, looking at them with a calm, indifferent expression.

Hmm.

He seemed rather cold.

And there wasn’t the slightest hint of a smile.

Song Xia felt a flicker of doubt. When President Chen used to visit the coffee shop for inspections, he was never like this.

Even when the shop had no customers and was operating at a loss, President Chen always wore a kind and pleasant smile. So why was his attitude so different now that Nanhe Coffee was finally turning around?

“You’re here. Sit.”

Chen Mo gestured casually to the chairs in front of his desk.

As for the sofa in the lounge area, or any tea or refreshments—don’t even think about it.

Those were reserved for friends.

Song Xia and Su Dan exchanged a quick glance, both catching the confusion in each other’s eyes.

President Chen didn’t seem to be in a good mood today.

They sat down somewhat uneasily.

“President Chen, is there something you’d like us to do?”

After taking her seat,

Song Xia asked cautiously.

“Yes, there are a few things to arrange. But before that, tell me—after launching the Pastry Combo, do you have any other plans?”

Chen Mo looked up at Song Xia.

The Pastry Combo had already brought a significant increase in foot traffic to Nanhe Coffee, but he wasn’t sure if these two had any more tricks up their sleeves.

That was the real reason he had called them in.

Now that the Pastry Combo had been launched, the system’s restrictions meant it couldn’t be undone.

But plans that hadn’t been implemented yet? Those, he could still shut down.

So,

If Song Xia and Su Dan really had more cards to play, he could cut them off in advance.

Reduce the chances of Nanhe Coffee turning a profit.

“We do have a few more ideas,”

Song Xia nodded slightly.

“Go on.”

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, giving her a meaningful look.

So they really did have more in store.

“Well, President Chen, after observing these past few days, we’ve found that set combos are a great promotional tool. They don’t actually offer much of a discount, but they give customers the impression that they’re getting a great deal.”

“So, we’re planning to expand the combo options beyond just the Pastry Combo.”

“These days, we’ve noticed a lot of couples coming into the shop. So we thought, why not launch a Couple’s Combo?”

“This combo would include two cups of coffee and a selection of pastries. The pastries could be shaped romantically—like a heart-shaped cake—and paired with a small bouquet of roses.”

“Of course, we’ve also seen a lot of female friends coming in together. So we thought of creating a Bestie’s Combo. The format would be similar to the Couple’s Combo, but with details that highlight friendship. For example, we could add engraved messages on the pastries.”

“…”

Song Xia spoke enthusiastically, sharing all the ideas she and Teacher Su had come up with over the past few days.

If they were going to do combos, they might as well do them thoroughly.

But halfway through her explanation, Chen Mo’s brow began to furrow.

A Couple’s Combo?

That could actually work.

If there’s one thing that always sells well in the market, it’s romance.

Young couples in the honeymoon phase are more than willing to spend money for the sake of atmosphere and romance.

As long as the Couple’s Combo was designed to be romantic enough, it would definitely attract a lot of couples to the coffee shop.

And of course,

The other combos Song Xia mentioned also carried the risk of significantly increasing customer traffic.

This had to be stopped.

Absolutely.

After a while,

Song Xia finally finished outlining Nanhe Coffee’s upcoming plans.

She looked at President Chen with anticipation.

She had a fair amount of confidence in these combo ideas. They were sure to boost customer flow.

How much of a boost, she wasn’t sure—but it would definitely be an improvement.

Just as she expected President Chen to approve of her ideas, he shook his head slightly.

“No.”

President Chen rejected the proposal outright.

“President Chen, this plan is guaranteed to increase foot traffic. And even if it doesn’t, there’s really no downside.”

Song Xia looked puzzled. She couldn’t understand why President Chen would shoot it down.

Chen Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the desk as he looked at Song Xia’s disappointed face.

“Do you know what the most important thing is for a good specialty coffee shop?”

“The taste of the coffee?”

Song Xia thought for a moment and answered cautiously.

Chen Mo heard her response and shook his head faintly. He was just about to come up with a random reason to dismiss her answer when—

Su Dan, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

“It’s the environment. And the atmosphere.”

Hmm.

The environment and the atmosphere.

Hearing Su Dan’s answer,

Chen Mo paused, and the words he was about to say died on his lips.

He glanced at Su Dan with a look of approval.

“That’s right, it’s about the environment—and the atmosphere.”

“What is a coffee shop? It’s a quiet, comfortable place where a tired person can come to relax. It’s also a space where two business partners can meet and exchange ideas. And it’s a place where students can sit down and study in peace…”

As Chen Mo spoke, his gaze swept over Song Xia and Su Dan. Seeing both of them deep in thought, he continued.

“But if you start adding things like Couple’s Combos, Bestie’s Combos, Birthday Combos…”

“Then what kind of place will the coffee shop become? Over here, someone just wants to sit quietly with a cup of coffee and unwind. But right in front of them is a couple who ordered a Couple’s Combo, complete with a rose on the table, showing off their affection. Do you think that person can still relax in peace? And what if that person just went through a breakup? Wouldn’t that be like rubbing salt in the wound?”

“Or over here, two business professionals are in the middle of a serious discussion about a potential partnership. But at the next table, someone ordered a Birthday Combo and now everyone’s singing the birthday song. Tell me, how are they supposed to focus on their meeting?”

“……”

Chen Mo kept listing example after example, each more pointed than the last. Inwardly, he couldn’t help but admire the argument.

Su Dan’s point really hit the mark. It made far more sense than the rebuttals he’d come up with earlier.

Listening to President Chen’s words, both Song Xia and Su Dan lowered their heads in silence.

Song Xia didn’t have much to say. She simply felt that President Chen made a good point. It was just a bit of a shame—if they couldn’t go through with the combo plans, then Nanhe Coffee would have to find another way to turn a profit.

Su Dan, on the other hand, had fallen into deep reflection. In her efforts to make the coffee business profitable, she’d completely forgotten the essence of what a coffee shop was meant to be.

The most important thing about a coffee shop is the environment.

Many people choose to drink coffee at a coffee shop precisely because they enjoy the quiet, calming atmosphere.

If those combo packages were really implemented, it would be nearly impossible to maintain that kind of peace.

After a while, both of them snapped out of their thoughts.

“President Chen, we understand now.”

“Good.”

Chen Mo looked at the two of them, satisfied with their humble attitudes. He knew his brainwashing had worked.

Now that the coffee shop issue was settled, it was time for punishment.

There was no way he was going to let these two newly crowned troublemakers off the hook so easily.

However, since Nanhe Coffee’s headquarters wasn’t in this building, and Su Dan and Song Xia rarely stayed at HQ—spending most of their time inspecting various store locations—morning runs were out of the question.

He’d have to come up with another form of punishment.