Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

Guo Licheng felt slightly awkward.

Ordinarily, fitness trainers were not supposed to use gym equipment during working hours. In most gyms, fitness trainers' priority was supposed to be training their students and selling training sessions. Maintaining their own fitness would not have been that important.

Guo Licheng had only allowed the trainers to test the equipment because there were no customers in the gym. Yet, Boss Pei happened to walk in just then.

"Boss Pei, I was the one who asked them to test the equipment. I'll gather them now and ask them to get back to work…"

Guo Licheng turned around, prepared to ask all the trainers to gather back there.

However, Pei Qian quickly stopped him. "What are you talking about?! Isn't it natural for trainers to work on their own fitness?!"

Guo Licheng, "Huh?"

In a strict tone, Pei Qian said, "As fitness trainers, you should obviously work on your own physiques first. If you can't maintain your own physique, how are you meant to instruct others?

"What's more, all the equipment would just be lying there anyway. Of course, you'll have to make good use of it.

"Let me emphasize this: as long as they've done their basic work, all trainers would be allowed to use the equipment during working hours.

"You're the branch manager. You should be setting an example! Your physique has to be the best out of all the trainers!"

Guo Licheng's heart warmed at once. "Alright, Boss Pei! Would we… be allowed to use the equipment when we're not working, then?"

Pei Qian looked at him sternly. "You can use the equipment when you're not working, but you cannot be in the gym because you're strictly prohibited from working overtime."

Guo Licheng, "…"

Although Pei Qian sounded ridiculous, Guo Licheng still felt moved.

The previous gym had not treated the trainers like humans. Many trainers in the industry competed with one another intensely. One could sell a few memberships one day while another sold several training sessions the next. Every month, everyone would be kept on their toes. Sometimes, those who could not hit their quotas would even be fired.

The previous gym could not have cared less about the trainers' personal fitness.

Most trainers had no choice but to train for one or two hours late at night after the gym closed each day. How could they spare the time and energy to work out during working hours when it was so important for them to make more sales?

Yet, Boss Pei was different. He did not care about results at all. Instead, he prioritized his trainers' physique, fitness, and health!

Having a generous boss like him was truly a blessing!

Pei Qian scanned the trainers who were training very seriously. He began thinking about how much time and effort Guo Licheng would have to spend trying to have a better physique than everyone else. It would be a considerable amount of time and effort, right?

That would take time and effort away from managing the gym and drawing customers in.

It worked!

Soon, the trainers walked over one by one. After greeting Pei Qian, they began eating.

Pei Qian looked at the fitness meals on the table.

The fitness meals were packed in Fish-Catching Take-Out's transparent lunch boxes. There was a pile of brown rice, two boiled sweet potatoes, chicken breast, shrimp, salmon, boiled eggs, avocadoes, cherry tomatoes, and lettuce.

Less oil and salt were used, but the servings were very generous so that they were guaranteed to be full after the meal.

On top of that, Fish-Catching Take-Out provided fruits and cooked corn as side dishes.

Taking fitness meals meant having more meals but eating less for each meal. People were asked to have an additional meal in the morning or afternoon even if it was a cup of milk, an apple, or a corn cob. It could make one feel more satiated and increase one's basal metabolism, thus reducing one's lunch and dinner intake… and fats that came with it.

As Guo Licheng ate his fitness meal, he reported his feedback for the fitness meal to Boss Pei: "The ingredients are fresh, and there's a good quantity. I think it'll provide enough nutrition."

Pei Qian paid close attention to Guo Licheng and the other trainers' expressions but did not find anything strange. Their eyes did not suddenly light up, and background music had not suddenly played.

That meant the food was not delicious!

At least, compared to the fitness meals that they were used to, this food did not stand out.

However, just to be safe, Pei Qian asked a question. "How does the food taste?"

Guo Licheng pondered for a moment, and he said, "It's about the same as ordinary fitness meals. Healthy meals can only be so yummy; one just has to exercise portion control."

Pei Qian was relieved.

As long as the fitness meals were not much better than those sold outside—apart from in terms of price and quantity, then Pei Qian would not have to feel threatened.

Chefs of Fish-Catching Take-Out had prepared this version of fitness meals. They had just reduced the calories in the meal while ensuring that the food remained nutritious. Thus, they had not focused on improving the taste of the food.

At the same time, the trainers were obviously used to having healthy meals like that. The only merits of the food from Fish-Catching Take-Out were that they were free of charge, and their portions were controlled.

Most customers would not be happy about being forced to purchase those meals.

Soon, everyone finished their lunch. The trainers kept their cutlery and waited for the delivery man to return and collect them. While this was happening, Guo Licheng led Pei Qian around the gym to survey its situation.

The gym had ordered a bunch of bracelets with serial numbers, just as Pei Qian had requested. Members could claim a bracelet from the front counter once they entered and then find the locker that corresponded to the serial numbers on their bracelets. All they would have to do was scan their bracelets to unlock the lockers.

As one was leaving, the staff at the front desk would collect the bracelets back and enter the serial number of the bracelet into the computer.

That way, members' exercise data could be recorded.

Of course, at the moment, one still had to stupidly and manually enter the data into the system. Guo Licheng thought about creating an application in the future to resolve this problem. However, the gym did not even have customers now. It did not seem necessary to work on the system.

Pei Qian looked at the other facilities like the changing room, the bathroom, and the toilets. He felt quite satisfied.

High-end shampoo and soap had also been provided in every shower cubicle, just like in high-end hotels. Since they were stored in soap dispensers, visitors of the gym would not be able to tell their price.

Pei Qian found it a good idea to increase expenses in areas that customers would not notice. He turned around, satisfied.

"Alright, maintain things in this state. I'm making a move now."

Pei Qian was just about to open the door when he was stunned again. He noticed a couple walking into the gym after looking around outside!

There were customers!

He turned to Guo Licheng. "Go and greet them. I'll wait for a little longer."

This place was a high-end gym near a university. It was not in a very good location, but not in a bad one either. Although the gym's members had already been transferred away, it was expected that new people would seek to become members.

Pei Qian decided to stay behind to see the couple's reaction after discovering the gym's prices. It wouldn't be too late to leave after that!

Guo Licheng was just about to welcome them, but Yaling beat him to it. She shot Guo Licheng a look as she walked by him.

Guo Licheng immediately understood and backed away.

Obviously, to get through to the couple, they first had to get through to the lady. Of course, the man would not want any male trainer to get close to his girlfriend. Naturally, Yaling would have an advantage as a female trainer.

In addition, she was well-sculpted and beautiful. Males would be attracted to a certain extent. Thus, she had a better shot at making the sale compared to Guo Licheng, who was not good with words.

Pei Qian frowned when he saw this.

"What's her name?"

Guo Licheng immediately answered, "She's Li Yaling, and she's an amazing female trainer. She did not take any initiative to sell training sessions in her previous gym, and yet it was filled with die-hard members. We know each other very well, and so I poached her over.

Pei Qian, "?"

She didn't even have to take initiative to sell training sessions, and yet the gym was filled with die-hard members?

Why did you bring this unstable element over here?!

What's more, Yaling had gone up to welcome the guests of her own accord. That wouldn't do!

Everything would be fine if she failed to rope the customers in, but if she did…

Hmph, Pei Qian had to think of a way to 'promote' her.

Pei Qian remained silent and casually grabbed a banana. He ate as he observed her closely. Yaling led the couple around the gym and then led them to a seat in the resting area for a chat. It was ten minutes before the couple finally left.

Yaling walked towards Guo Licheng, frustrated.

"It failed?" Guo Licheng asked.

Yaling shook her head. "It failed."

Pei Qian rejoiced inwardly. However, he maintained his expression as he asked, "What happened?"

Yaling was obviously frustrated. "Boss Pei, it was all going well in the beginning. I showed them our gym's facilities, the quality of our trainers, and the accompanying services. Both of them were obviously tempted.

"Yet, the moment I said the price, the man's expression changed. Obviously, he had been a member of other gyms before. After doing some brief calculations, he concluded that our gym is way too expensive.

"The lady liked the environment and the fact that we only charge by the session. To a newbie like her, that's a good thing.

"The man was about to give in to the lady, but both of them found it hard to accept the gym's specific requests, which I started to introduce…

"They already thought that the training sessions were expensive. In addition to the mandatory fitness meals, the package was out of their budget.

"That was why… they decided to leave. I think they went to check out the other gyms nearby."

Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief.

What was this? He had escaped unscathed and achieved speedy success.

Indeed, the strategies that he had put in place to turn customers away had proven effective. Even though Coach Yaling stepped up, she failed to rope in customers!

Still, although the beginning was looking good, Pei Qian reminded himself to remain steady.

He cleared his throat and said, "It doesn't matter. Those were just two customers. Our gym has good potential. A few customers wouldn't make a difference.

"We just have to be patient, and the customers would come!

"That's right. Coach Guo, remember to order a sign with our gym's prices and requests on it. Set it up at the entrance, so that people wouldn't bother coming in and disturbing the trainers to ask questions.

"Those who cannot accept our requests would be turned away by the sign.

"As opposed to answering people's queries, your time would be much better spent working on your physiques. Your bodies would be walking advertisements for Deposit Fitness!"

Yaling looked confused. "Huh?"

Were they to put their prices and requests on a sign outside the gym? Were they afraid of roping in too many customers?

It was one thing not to be distributing flyers, but it was another to resort to negative advertising. What was Boss Pei thinking?

Pei Qian stood up. "Alright, I'll make a move first. Get the sign done as soon as possible."

Guo Licheng quickly answered, "Alright, Boss Pei. Don't worry."

At the moment, Guo Licheng seemed very obedient. While Li Yaling seemed slightly threatening, Guo Licheng was still the branch manager after all. As long as Guo Licheng stuck strictly to Boss Pei's requests, everything would be alright.

Pei Qian walked out of the gym in a good mood.

However, he noticed another problem. He was dealing with too many things at the same time.

He had too many businesses at the moment. What's more, all the people in charge remained silent as they worked on their respective plans. They would only report 'good news' to Boss Pei once they achieved a measure of success. That was not a good thing.

The more he thought about it, the more Pei Qian realized that he had to keep all the departments in check. He had to increase the level of control he had in his company.

Otherwise, it would become increasingly difficult for him to incur losses. Even if he dedicated himself to fighting fire full-time, he would eventually burn out.

He had to appoint an imperial guard in Tengda as soon as possible!