Reaching the age of thirty, my income randomly doubled

Gao Hu had arranged for the stay at a farmhouse on a hillside,

boasting not only picturesque scenery but also raising a flock of big geese.

People from Guangdong are especially fond of farmhouse dishes, and high-end gatherings are usually arranged at farmhouses.

After Chen Pingsheng's group arrived, Gao Hu first discussed the recent developments of Fei Yangyang in Guangdong and then talked about some of the small business plans supported by the Dream Fund.

It turns out, quite a few shop managers are doing quite well.

Frankly speaking, Chen Pingsheng was not too keen on investing in the catering industry anymore, mainly because he projected that in a few years, as real estate prices fell,

competition in the catering industry would be beyond imagination.

It all boils down to cost performance. Under extreme cost performance, it's hard to guarantee high wages for employees.

This is also the main reason why Fei Yangyang's stock prices couldn't surpass the hundred-billion mark.

You should know they have over a thousand self-operated stores nationwide, nearing 1800.

The investment in just these stores alone wouldn't be less than three billion.

Yet, their stock prices are still only 80 billion.

Most of the revenue goes into paying the employees' salaries.

"Old Chen, the new self-service fast food is pretty popular now. I know a few managers who opened these stores and are doing quite well,"

Of course, the best business for chefs is naturally to open a restaurant.

The so-called new fast food is generally divided into two types, one is all-you-can-eat buffet style for a set price per person.

The other is where customers take their own dishes onto a plate and pay by weight.

Clearly, the second type aligns more with the market economy.

Chen Pingsheng said, "The era of vicious competition in the catering industry is probably less than three years away. In the future, unless a restaurant is truly special, it will be an era of competing on price."

His point was a reminder, another way to understand it would be thin profit, high volume.

Folling the same model as Fei Yangyang.

If you can't provide service like Haidilao, then offer great value for money.

After a pause, he continued, "You might not feel it yet, but Chu Qiuyan's Bobo Milk Tea has started to feel the pressure. On one street, new milk tea shops are opening randomly, four or five at a time. She's lucky that she diversified early into milk tea and ice cream, otherwise, it would be hard for her now."

In contrast, the development of Antler Coffee has been quite good, mainly due to the lack of competitors.

They only have Starbucks as a direct competitor at the same level.
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Overall, the consumer market is on a decline, although not very apparent, the sensation is definitely tangible.

The simplest point, official business dining has decreased.

This alone has had a tremendous impact.

Chen Pingsheng was no longer interested in investing in high-end restaurants; there was simply no need.

The future environment wouldn't allow it.

A small and refined model will inevitably become a new trend in the catering industry.

Gao Hu agreed, "Old Chen, are you going to Tengying Art School this afternoon?"

"I'll head there after lunch. This trip is mainly to increase the investment in short dramas and Teng You Media. I might even buy a large headquarters here specifically for the development of Teng You Media and short dramas."

"In these past few years, the funds you've spent just on headquarters buildings must've reached 200 billion, right?"

Gao Hu marveled.

The Baiyun Headquarters in Guangzhou alone has a 28-floor building, plus over a hundred billion was spent in Xiangjiang, along with Magic City and Capital City.

Just these buildings combine to be worth several hundred billion.

"Roughly speaking, yes."

Chen Pingsheng said with a smile, "Look at how the spoiled brat eats; if I don't spend more money buying commercial real estate, I'm afraid she won't be able to protect even this small family asset in the future."

Chen An'an, who was enjoying her meal heartily, immediately put down the goose leg she was holding upon hearing this.

"Dad, you have to work hard. Just buying buildings isn't enough. It'd be better to buy a big island and build our own little nation on it."

Wahaha, Chen An'an was amused by her own idea.

"You've been watching too much Teletubbies, daydreaming all the time."

Chen Pingsheng didn't bother with her; his wife was unexpectedly pregnant again, and he didn't know whether it was a boy or not.

In any case, the family was quite looking forward to it.

After the meal, they proceeded to Tengying Art School in Huadu.

Xu Jing handed him a survey from the internet. Recently, Tengying Art School had dismissed two thousand students at once.

The online uproar was quite significant.

People have heard of companies laying off employees but never an art school dismissing students so vigorously.

Some students, instead of looking for reasons within themselves after returning home, kept blaming the school.

As a result, countless parents started cursing online as well. Nowadays, anyone with a smartphone could be a keyboard warrior.

Chen Pingsheng couldn't care less.

His own school wasn't earning money from tuition fees, so why cater to those interns who weren't serious in class and only thought about dating after class?

That's right, all the students in this art school were considered by him as interns of his own company.

The company provided them with learning subsidies and salaries, not for them to pursue romance.

This first round of dismissals was just to make everyone realize the harsh reality of Tengying Art School.

Out of five thousand people over three years, it would be quite impressive if even a hundred remained.

Of course, as some are dismissed, others are brought in.

This was similar to the artist training class he had initially organized at Tengying Entertainment.

The winner of the first artist training class, Bai Lu, now firmly occupies the A-list ranking.

Without experiencing the bitter cold, how could one appreciate the fragrance of plum blossoms?

Chen Pingsheng said, "Don't bother with all that. Just help me keep an eye out for office buildings for sale; I plan to purchase another large building to use as Teng You Media's headquarters."

The TikTok app that launched on September 20 has grown geometrically in user base after two months.