Su Can suddenly tightened his buttocks, knowing Lü Ge's personality all too well.
He might actually pull off something like that tonight, so he hurriedly spoke up.
"Fellas, I've got a money-making business idea. Wonder if the three of you are interested?"
The moment the words "making money" were mentioned, the three of them instantly perked up.
Liu Ran's family wasn't well off to begin with, and he still owed money to the hospital. On top of that, he relied on work-study programs in his spare time. Although his full scholarship was enough to cover his living expenses, who wouldn't want to earn a little extra?
The same went for Wang Kai. While his family wasn't a financial burden, dating itself was an expensive endeavor.
As for Lü Ge, nobody ever complained about having too much money, though he was mostly in it for the thrill of making it.
"Father, is there anything your humble younger brother can help with? As long as there's money to be made, even if you tell me to go eat in the restroom right now, your boy won't even blink an eye!" Lü Ge looked at Su Can with absolute sincerity.
"Eat a mouthful right now, and I'll give you a hundred."
Wang Kai coughed twice and slowly raised his hand. "Count me in."
Liu Ran chimed in, "Actually, I can scrape together a hundred yuan too."
Lü Ge looked at the three of them and instantly collapsed onto the floor. "Ah! I've made bad friends! You guys are absolute beasts. Sob, sob, I can't go on living."
Watching Lü Ge's antics, the other three exchanged a smile.
Having lived for forty years, Su Can had long since lost his youthful vigor and ambition. But as his body grew young again, that former vitality seemed to have returned to it as well.
The money-making scheme Su Can had in mind was inspired precisely by Lü Ge's foul-mouthed rant just moments ago.
The year 2013 was the absolute golden age of League of Legends. For the next five years, League of Legends would remain on an upward trajectory until IG clinched the championship, fulfilling the dream of a generation. Only then would League of Legends begin its decline. But right now, whose computer among male college students lacked League of Legends?
As for the business Su Can wanted to start, it was none other than the "simp economy."
Prior to 2023, the market was dominated by the female-centric economy. Most of the time, men spent money on women—until the era of the simp finally ended, and the masses of men began considering themselves more, living for themselves, and spending money on themselves.
From its very inception, gaming seemed to have been slapped with a male label, with female players always forming a tiny minority. Whenever a female player appeared, countless simps invariably trailed behind her, willing to foot the bill.
Just like in their previous match: a guy playing with a default skin was willing to buy an ultimate skin for a female player. And an ultimate skin cost 199 yuan back then. Right now, a male college student's monthly living allowance was only about 700 yuan, yet men willing to spend money on female players were everywhere. Sometimes you would even find a single woman in a match, and all four of her teammates would turn into total simps.
The industry Su Can thought of was none other than "gaming companions"!
Gaming companions only truly exploded in popularity during the pandemic, when everyone was trapped at home and unable to go out. Social interactions were instantly compressed, and the accounts of former battle comrades never lit up again. Gaming companionship thus became an immensely lucrative industry.
A sweet-sounding young woman would not only shower you with praise but sometimes even carry you in-game. What man could possibly resist a sweet, gentle female player who was good at gaming?
Su Can's somewhat wretched smile instantly put the other three on high alert.
"Cough, cough. Old Su, as much as we want to make money, we're definitely not selling our bodies!"
Lü Ge fiercely shielded himself. As a college student, how could he be completely clueless? Liu Ran's face instantly turned pale. Could Second Brother be thinking of selling them off to wealthy older women? At the thought of steel wool scrubbers, Liu Ran shuddered all over. Still, if the client offered a million, five million, or ten million yuan, it didn't seem entirely out of the question.
Su Can shot Lü Ge a look of utter contempt. "You? Even if you threw yourself at me for free, I wouldn't want you."
That single sentence utterly shattered Lü Ge's defenses. Rich as he was, his looks were indeed hard to praise. Actually, Lü Ge wasn't short, and his facial structure was fine, but he was plagued by acne, which instantly disqualified an otherwise somewhat handsome Lü Ge from any romantic prospects.
After a brief scuffle, Su Can straightened up.
"You saw that match just now. Wherever there's a female player, simps are bound to follow. For their goddesses, they're willing to shell out their entire life savings."
The three of them listened, completely baffled. Simps were willing to spend money on goddesses, sure, but what did that have to do with them? It wasn't like they could fly to Thailand for a sex change.
"Old Lü, what if there's a girl with a sweet voice, decent skills, and who hangs on your every word in the game? It only costs twenty-five yuan to have her accompany you for a match. Would you do it?"
"Hell yeah! Isn't it just twenty-five yuan? If there really is a girl like that, fifty yuan a match is fine by me," Lü Ge replied without the slightest hesitation.
Twenty-five yuan—this was the price Su Can had settled on after careful consideration. Of course, it could be adjusted depending on the girl's skill level and popularity. In 2013, the average salary was around 3,400 yuan. After deducting rent and food, a person had roughly 800 yuan left over. That meant twenty-five yuan would let you hire a companion for about thirty matches.
Twenty-five was a price that seemed slightly painful yet remained within reach—for college students, it pinched a bit, but it wasn't unacceptable. Su Can was confident that once these simps experienced it even once, they would fall hopelessly deep into it.
"So, what we're going to do is gaming companionship."
Lü Ge was stunned at first, but he quickly grasped Su Can's meaning.
"Twenty-five yuan a match, and as the platform providers, we take a five-yuan cut from every twenty-five. One person might not yield much, but what about ten, a hundred, a thousand? Besides, this isn't a one-off business. Repeat customers are the true source of our profit. Once we get this off the ground, there will naturally be girls with pretty faces and sweet voices who become more popular, and people will be willing to pay extra to play alongside their favorite girls."
Hearing the prospect Su Can painted, a brilliant light ignited in the eyes of the three.
Then suddenly, a single sentence from Wang Kai plunged the remaining two back into silence.
"But we're guys..."
Right. They were guys.
While female gamers did exist, they weren't all that numerous, and none of them even knew any.
The hardest part of any enterprise is always the beginning—and that reality was staring them right in the face.
Su Can simply smiled faintly, then leaned in and whispered something to the three of them.
The moment they heard Su Can's words, the color drained entirely from their faces, and they frantically waved their hands in refusal. Lü Ge even crossed his arms over his crotch, eyeing Su Can with intense suspicion.
***
Inside the girls' dormitory, Lin Shanshan looked at the discussions on the campus forum, a trace of resentment flashing through her eyes.
Suddenly, her roommate chimed in.
"Shanshan, Su Can really went to great lengths just to get your attention."
Hearing her roommate's words, Lin Shanshan froze for a moment. Su Can was trying to get her attention?
"Huh?"
"Who doesn't know that Su Can likes you? I reckon his getting close to Chu Youwei was just a ploy to draw your notice."