Upon noticing that Shen Yunqing was unaware, Bai Ying immediately exclaimed, "Yu Antong plans to open a restaurant. I suspect he's trying to imitate you. Yet he doesn't realize his own limitations. How could he compare to you, the culinary heir of the Shen family?"

Shen Yunqing scoffed, "Indeed, Yu Antong. Of all things, you chose to open a restaurant, encroaching on my territory?"

He turned on the faucet, washing off the grease from his hands, and inquired, "How did you come to know of this?"

"Oh, it's quite a coincidence. The place Yu Antong bought was originally a restaurant. My family supplied its vegetables. Right now, we're discussing if he'd like to continue our partnership."

After sharing, fearing that Shen Yunqing might be upset, Bai Ying hastily added, "Don’t worry. If you were to open another Ju Ying Tower right opposite his restaurant, it would undoubtedly overshadow his. I bet he'd have to shut down in no time."

"In no time?" Shen Yunqing meticulously dried each finger with a towel, gritting his teeth, "I'll make sure he can't even operate for a single day."

Bai Ying whispered, "What are you planning to do?"

Shen Yunqing ushered Bai Ying into his private lounge. Sitting down, with eyes lowered, he slowly said, "Try to secure a supplier contract with him. Then, on his grand opening, add something special to the ingredients..."

"That's out of the question!" Bai Ying jumped in shock, thinking Shen Yunqing had gone mad. "If something goes wrong and it's traced back to us, not only will Yu Antong’s restaurant be finished, but our family business will be jeopardized. Absolutely not!"

Shen Yunqing smirked, "Why the fear? If they investigate, let them. As long as the other vegetables from your family pass quality checks, there'd be no evidence linking the issue to your supplies."

Regretting his decision to seek Shen Yunqing’s help, Bai Ying vehemently shook his head, "The business is managed by my father. I can't make such decisions."

Shen Yunqing's tone turned icy, "Then relay my message to your father. If he can make this happen, all branches of Ju Ying Tower will source their vegetables from your family henceforth."

With over a dozen branches of Ju Ying Tower, Bai Ying's family already supplied to five. The profits from all the branches would be substantial...

Tempted, Bai Ying responded, "I’ll go home and discuss it with my father, then get back to you."

"Don’t keep me waiting too long." Shen Yunqing chuckled softly, seemingly already savoring the thought of Yu Antong's impending distress.

"Dad, should we really proceed?"

After finishing his cigarette, Mr. Bai's eyes revealed a businessman's ruthlessness. "Do you know the effort I put in to secure supply contracts for five branches of Ju Ying Tower? This is a golden opportunity we can't miss."

He forcefully extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, asserting, "Fortune favors the bold. As long as we’re careful and avoid any fatalities, all will be fine."

Bai Ying clenched his fists, "Alright, I'll relay our decision to him."

"Wait." Mr. Bai stopped him, whispering a few instructions before saying, "Proceed."

——

"Boss, our previous supplier has contacted us again."

As Yu Antong was busy finalizing the menu for the grand opening, he responded without looking up, "Didn't I already say we're not using their supplies?"

Yu Antong has strict standards for ingredient sourcing. The produce from Maoyuan Vegetable Factory didn’t impress him. He was on the hunt for better quality ingredients.

The purchaser explained, "Maoyuan claims they can supply high-quality vegetables that meet our standards. To celebrate our opening, they're offering a 20% discount on the first batch. If we agree to a long-term partnership, they're willing to cut their original quote by another 5%."

"Have a look at these samples they provided." The purchaser presented a box of sample vegetables, "Their quality seems just as good as those from Rong Ding Company, whom I was in touch with."

Yu AnTong examined the sample, finding its quality truly remarkable. Intrigued, he remarked, “Such generous discounts, how is this possible?”

The procurement manager, familiar with the supplier, shared, “MaoYuan typically provides middle-tier vegetables. They mentioned that they are now aiming to break into the high-end market, hence the keenness to secure every new customer.”

Ingredient sourcing is crucial. Not one to be swayed by trivial gains, Yu AnTong grew cautious at the attractive offer, stating, “Send me their details. I need to think it over.”

The next day, Yu AnTong summoned the procurement head, instructing him to make a trial purchase from MaoYuan Vegetable Factory.

——

Time flew, and the grand opening of the 'Fairy Banquet' was upon them.

“See the lengths I go to make a statement?” Han LeLe had two large floral arrangements unloaded from a truck and positioned at the restaurant entrance.

He even rallied a group of young affluent friends to patronize Yu AnTong’s establishment.

Yu AnTong laughed, “Thank you for this. Please, come in and take a seat.”

“The young owner is so handsome! Could I take a photo with you?” A beautifully dressed girl from Han LeLe’s entourage asked.

Han LeLe intervened, “Qiao MengMeng, what are you up to? He's married! No matter how handsome he is, he's not available. Focus on the food tonight.”

[Website reference]

Qiao MengMeng pouted slightly, “All the good-looking ones get married so young, don't they?”

Han LeLe guided the group inside, “You might not snag the guy, but you can definitely savor his dishes.”

The crowd he brought occupied three tables instantly. A chubby young man inquired, “LeLe, is this place as good as you hyped it to be?”

Han LeLe's confidence was palpable, “Once the dishes arrive, I guarantee you’ll be so immersed you won't utter a word. One taste, and you'll be hooked.”

“Ha! The way you describe it, are we dining or getting addicted?”

These young elites had primarily attended for the camaraderie and Han LeLe's insistence, not particularly concerned about the food's quality.

Qiao MengMeng advised, “Be mindful of your words. I’m about to go live. Don’t get my account banned.”

Qiao MengMeng, a popular internet influencer, was pondering content for her livestream. With Han LeLe inviting her for a meal, she decided to stream the dining experience.

Amidst the jovial conversation, the dishes arrived.

“It smells divine! I'm starting to believe LeLe's claims.”

Even as the chubby friend commented, Han LeLe was already sampling the dishes. Knowing his friends had yet to taste Yu AnTong's culinary wonders, he acted fast, ensuring he had the first bites.

“LeLe, it's not like we haven’t eaten in days. You're overdoing it!”

As the plump friend teased, he picked up a piece of the steamed pork rib. One bite into its soft and rich flavor left him awestruck, unable to halt his culinary journey.

Qiao MengMeng, conversing intermittently with her followers, noticed the sudden silence. Drawing her attention from her phone, she saw her normally picky friends engrossed in the meal, as if they were feasting after a famine.

"Really?" The tantalizing aroma made its way to Qiao Mengmeng's nose, and she couldn't help but swallow, reaching out with her chopsticks to snatch the last piece of sweet and sour fish.

A second later, she tossed her phone onto the table, "Hang on, my lovelies! Give me a few minutes!"

Messages kept pouring in on her phone screen.

"What just happened?"

"All I saw was Qiao Mengmeng eating a piece of fish and then throwing her phone."

"Was the fish poisoned?"

"Are you okay, Qiao Mengmeng?"

Five minutes later, fans heard a loud voice, "Waiter, more dishes, more dishes!"

Qiao Mengmeng then picked up her phone again, her previously pristine lipstick smeared from the food scuffle. Without even touching up her makeup, she eagerly began promoting to her fans.

Excitedly, she said, "It's absolutely delicious! My friend recommended this newly opened place. To be honest, I came here as a favor to him. But, everyone here is living proof of Teacher Wang Jingze's legendary phrase."

As she spoke, she panned her camera over the table, showing off the aftermath: "See this? In just ten minutes since I started streaming, ten dishes were devoured, leaving just ten empty plates. It’s like a locust invasion!”

"Teacher Jingze: Truly delicious!"

"Hahaha, now we've got the full picture."

"Impressive! They really cleaned up those plates."

"Oh, I'm so hungry now. I want some too!"

"Hahaha, so Qiao Mengmeng went off to join the food fight!"

Qiao Mengmeng added, "Yes, can you believe my friends? Not one of these guys showed any gentlemanly behavior. They didn’t even let me have the last piece of steamed pork ribs!"

"Which restaurant is this? Do they deliver? I'm still in bed but want to order lunch."

"Drop the address! I want to casually bump into Qiao Mengmeng."

"It's a new place. To be honest, I didn’t even notice the name since I was dragged here by friends," Qiao Mengmeng replied, scrolling through comments, "They probably don’t deliver, but I’ll ask the owner for you."

"Haha, this is clearly an advertisement. Who'd believe they finished everything so cleanly in just a few minutes?"

"Idiot! They must've dumped it all in the trash."

"She's so ugly! She should use her ad money for some plastic surgery."

"I just spoke with the owner, and they said they currently don't offer delivery, but they might in the future," Qiao Mengmeng, spotting the derogatory comments, exploded in anger.

"You keyboard warrior piece of trash! If you don’t know the situation, shut your mouth! If I've taken any money, may I be struck by a car the moment I step outside. I swear it! But if I haven’t, may you end up in the crematorium tomorrow! Always hiding behind your screen, just spewing nonsense!"

Qiao Mengmeng's die-hard fans knew her temperament well. They loved how she usually came off as delicate and gentle, but when confronted with haters, she could transform into the fierce Sun Erniang.

"Hahaha, our fierce Dream Sister is on a roll!"

"Dream Sister makes a comeback!"

"I just love watching Dream Sister lash out, it's so satisfying!"

If it weren't for the fear of making a scene in the restaurant, Qiao Mengmeng would've unleashed all her wrath on that troll. She said, "It's okay to question, indeed many streamers get paid for ads, but can't you phrase it more decently? If you're going to be vulgar, I'll show you what eloquence is."

"Just learned a new way to roast people from Dream Sister."

"Dream Sister's cultured, she rhymes!"

...

As the newly ordered dishes arrived, Qiao Mengmeng said, "I have to eat now or they'll snatch it all again. Ending the stream."

Qiao Mengmeng's swift sign-off convinced her fans she wasn't promoting anything.

What kind of ad doesn't even mention the shop's name or address?

This only heightened the viewers' curiosity, and they flooded Qiao Mengmeng with private messages.

But Qiao Mengmeng was too busy eating to check her phone.

As lunchtime approached, customers started streaming into the restaurant, drawn by the half-price opening special.

In a corner of the restaurant, two odd patrons had ordered dishes but weren't eating.

One, tempted by the delicious aroma, whispered, "This smells so good; it's hard to resist!"

The other replied, "Tell me about it. I'm drooling! But we can't eat."

"Mr. Shen asked us to wait here and take photos, but there's been no action yet."

Someone must be having a stomachache by now.

"Let's wait a bit longer."

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