Chapter 44

"What do you think?"

"I don't think SBH is well-known enough, and it doesn't sound impressive."

"Same; I think SBH doesn't sound good."

"What about the club?" At this time, Jake's girlfriend, Karen, suggested, making everyone look at her with bright eyes.

"Club? As in those in school, like a chess club, art club, music club, etc.?"

"Club isn't limited to school, idiot!"

The group discussed the matter carefully, making sure everyone had an opportunity to voice their thoughts.

After considering various viewpoints, pros and cons, they all reached an agreement and chose to label their group as 'Club', since it fits them.

"Then what are we going to call our Club? After all, we can't be called a Club, right?"

"How about something like a Mickey Mouse clubhouse, or something?"

"Idiot! Do you want to be sued by Disney?"

"I'm just using it as a reference!"

"How about Avengers?"

"That's also owned by Disney, right?"

"You guys, stop messing around. We're talking about something serious!"

"We can also call ourselves Nouveau Club, since that's the name of our YouTube channel."

"... But that sounds boring."

The group discussed for a while until they finally decided to call their group 'Nouveau Group' or NG for short.

"Then how should we recruit members?"

"Let's recruit through Facebook. We could create a Facebook group and allow members to join that way."

"What if thousands of people join at once?"

"Then let them join. However, they are at most unofficial members. To become an official member, we must interview them carefully, and most importantly, they must be nearby so that they can join us to shoot videos."

The group discussed various aspects, including who would create and manage the group pages, oversee recruitment, and set the necessary requirements for potential members.

At six in the evening, as the golden hues of sunset painted the sky, Edward invited the group to a nearby restaurant—the same restaurant where they had shot their first skit.

Upon entering the restaurant, the welcoming ambiance enveloped them, and they swiftly settled into a cozy corner.

Glancing at the menu, they engaged in conversation while deciding on their dishes. In the midst of their chatter, a familiar figure approached their table."

"Hello, Mr. Morales, it's been a while since we last met," the restaurant owner said, a warm smile on his lips.

"Yeah, it's nice meeting you, uh... Richard, yes, Richard. Just call me Edward. It's been a week right?" Edward greeted back, feeling a bit embarrassed that he had almost forgotten the other party's name.

"Yes, it's been a week. I wonder if we could talk privately," Richard said, glancing at the others. Edward caught the implication and nodded in understanding.

The group easily picked up on the situation, and after a few more words, Edward followed Richard to a quieter table in the corner where there weren't people around. 

After they sat, Edward started, "How's the business lately?"

"Haha, the business is doing well. Lately, we've seen a rise in our customers, although not a significant number, but it has boosted our revenue more than usual. I have to thank you, Edward, for it..." Richard kept explaining and Edward nodded his head in understanding.

However, the more he listened, the more he felt doubtful.

According to him, the increase in customers was due to the skits they made, but... Are there really many people who knew them already?

Although the total views of Nouveau Studio's YouTube channel were approaching 100,000, considering various factors such as re-watching, the actual viewership should only be around 20% to 30%.

Moreover, the 20% to 30% actual viewers were scattered all over the country.

The probability of people finding this place through YouTube seems unlikely.

"It's increased?" Edward asked in confusion, as he didn't believe that YouTube alone could increase the customer base of this small restaurant.

"Hehe, well, do you see the TV over there?" Richard pointed at the large CRT TV on the wall not far away, then explained, "We played the video you shot in the restaurant on them..."

Richard kept explaining, and the more Edward heard, the more dumbfounded he was.

Basically, they played the skits they made on TV.

At first, they simply aimed to enhance the customers' experience at their restaurant, but what happened took them by surprise.

The skits not only improved the customers' dining experience but also transformed the restaurant's atmosphere.

The change in style spread among the locals, attracting more customers, making this unique and lively dining experience enjoyable.

"..."

Listening to him narrate about the reasons behind the increase in customers, Edward felt lost.

It turns out things could still work like that..

No way...

Edward had rented the restaurant for shooting skits, excited about the affordable deal. Unexpectedly, they suddenly turned what they had paid for into their own exclusive advertisement.

"T-that, well, congratulations?" Edward replied with a smile on his face.

Although he felt cheated, he refrained from showing it openly, considering it too petty.

Anyway, it had already happened, so he thought it best to move on and not let it affect him too much.

"Thanks," Richard said with a smile, then inquired, "By the way, what are your thoughts on cooperating with us again?"

'Sure enough,' Edward thought, observing the expressions of the other party. He nodded in understanding.

Recalling their brief interaction from the last encounter, he knew the other party was business-oriented and liked to get straight to the point..

"What kind of cooperation?" he asked in reply. Although he already knew what the other party wanted to say, he still wanted him to elaborate it.

"We will allow you..." Richard began to explain, outlining the arrangement. 

Basically, they were offering permission to shoot in their restaurant without any charges.

I have to say that Richard is indeed a savvy businessman.

During his explanation, he emphasized that by offering the restaurant for shooting at no cost, they would potentially lose a significant amount of revenue. Although he didn't elaborate completely, his tone made it clear that they would be the ones taking advantage of this arrangement.

Edward listened carefully, and the more he did, the more he felt a sense of disdain.

This guy was treating him as if he were stupid.

But again, he was just 16 years old at this time and at this age, he's supposed to be a naive little boy.

Unfortunately, not.

He's a time traveler who had experienced more than what his age supposed to be.

Anyway, its not the cared about it.

He had no need to prove anything to others just because they underestimated him; he wasn't that petty.

"Well, it is indeed a good offer, but we currently don't have plans to shoot skits with a restaurant theme. However, if we decide to do so in the future, this restaurant will undoubtedly be our first choice," Edward replied, and this time he wasn't lying.

Since the other party offered a place to shoot for free, why bother seeking out other options and incurring additional expenses?

It was unnecessary when a cost-free option was already available.

However, they truly had no immediate plans to shoot skits in restaurants. They had recently completed such a project, and the concept remained fresh in viewers' minds.

At least they needed to wait a while to prevent overwhelming their audience and causing aesthetic fatigue.

After all, it's crucial to maintain a sense of novelty and diversify the content by introducing different themes and settings at appropriate intervals.

Edward talk to the other party for a while, explaining his reasons etc., and Although Richard was disappointed that they couldn't do restaurant-themed skits at the moment, he still understood the situation.

A while later, after bidding farewell to Richard, he made his way back to the group's table and joined the others for a meal.

"What was that about?" Jake asked curiously.

"He's offering to let us shoot here, free of charge..." Edward briefly explained to them about the offer Richard made.

"That's good, what did you say?" Angela beamed and asked, her enthusiasm evident.

Others also looked interested and wanted to learn more. After all, last time they had spent a considerable amount of money to be able to shoot in this restaurant, and they were still unconvinced.

"I refuse," Edward stated, shaking his head. Seeing the perplexed expressions on everyone's faces, he then continued to explain, "We've just finished shooting skits with a restaurant theme. Doing another one so soon might overwhelm viewers aesthetically... I believe I mentioned this point last time, remember?"

After hearing the explanation, everyone agreed. It made sense not to repeat similar themes too soon, ensuring they kept things fresh and varied for their audience.

"When can we shoot another restaurant-themed skit?" one person asked, and the others nodded, also expressing their interest in doing such content again.

"At least in a month or two," Edward estimated, believing that this time frame would let people move past the familiarity. By then, the theme wouldn't feel stale, and the audience should still find it engaging.