EAMRF Chapter 30

Yu Antong called Fu Xin and made an appointment to meet at the Immortal’s Banquet. After hanging up the phone, Yu Antong decisively said, “President Wang, let’s go there now.” 

“This… President Xing, what does this mean?”Although Wang Ge was much older than Xing Lixuan, he was really afraid of Xing Lixuan’s confrontation in the business field. If Xing Lixuan wants to intervene in this business, then he might not be able to gain any advantage.     

Yu Antong said, “We’re just going out for a meal. There’s no need to be so careful.”

Xing Lixuan glanced at him, his gaze undecipherable.Then he nodded to President Wang and said, “Antong is not in good health. That’s why I worry about him going out alone. However, I won’t disturb you.” 

“What’s wrong with President Yu’s health?” To be honest, seeing Yu Antong’s ruddy complexion, he really couldn’t tell that the younger man was suffering from a serious illness that needed someone to accompany him, and he suspected that it was an excuse made by Xing Lixuan.     

Yu Antong replied, “It’s nothing serious, it’s just a stomach problem.”     

With this reason, when they dine out, he would have an excuse to reject any alcoholic drinks. 

Wang Ge was nervous, so he wasn’t very good at talking, “Stomach disease is not a serious illness, but it must not be underestimated. It must be taken care of. President Yu should stop drinking after eating.”

Yu Antong politely nodded at that. 

---

In a private booth inside Immortal’s Banquet, Yu Antong introduced Wang Ge and Fu Xin to each other, and then joked, “You two are talking about business, while I’m here to have a meal with my family.” 

As someone who followed various business news, Fu Xin knew about Wang Ge. He was a bit of a fan of the older man. He stretched out his hand to Wang Ge, “I have admired President Wang’s name for a long time, it is a pleasure to meet you!”

Wang Ge shook hands with him and replied with a smile, “Mr. Fu is really a young talent…”

Wang Ge and Fu Xin exchanged polite greetings. Both of them sat down, and what surprised Wang Ge was that Xing Lixuan and his wife really came to eat when they said they came to eat. They didn’t even look at them.

Wang Ge thought, ‘There are rumors outside that said Yu Antong used some unscrupulous means to marry into the Xing family. But seeing this… it’s clear that it’s Xing Lixuan who chased after his wife.’ 

Yu Antong pushed away the shrimp that Xing Lixuan had brought over, and complained in a low voice, “No more. I said I don’t want to eat it, you are so annoying.”

Xing Lixuan said in a soft coaxing tone, “How about eating some more meat?”

Yu Antong shook his head. ” I’ll just eat some sour radish.”

“Come on, President Wang, wish us a happy cooperation!”

Fu Xin called Wang Ge’s attention back, and Wang Ge toasted back, “Happy cooperation!”

Fu Xin also met Xing Lixuan directly for the first time. The situation of his little boss getting along with President Xing was really a good thing. He didn’t expect President Xing, who has always been indifferent, to have such a gentle side.

The dinner continued on, with Fu Xin and Wang Ge finalizing their agreement, while Yu Antong and Xing Lixuan just enjoying the feast. 

After seeing off Wang Ge, Yu Antong asked Fu Xin, “Why are there so few customers in the store today?”

In the past, during this meal time, it would be jam-packed until there would be a queue outside. Today, only 80% of the seats are occupied.

“You came from West Street, maybe you didn’t see it,” Fu Xin explained, “The Shen family opened a Juying Tower restaurant next door to us. It opened today, with a discount of 30%, and all the customers went to them.”

The last poisonous vegetable incident dealt a heavy blow to Juying Tower, and its business has been in a slump for more than a month. But it was an established enterprise after all, and it would bounce back after a while. Once the limelight passes, they still have a prosperous business.

The Immortal’s Banquet on Phoenix Street was located at the northwest corner of an intersection, and the Shen family’s newly opened Juying Tower was at the northeast corner.

“Shen Yunqing really made it hard for me on purpose, didn’t he?” Yu Antong said with his hands on his hips, “I’m not afraid of losing him with a 30% discount.” 

No matter what industry, a 30% discount was a vicious competition. There has never been such a big discount, and this move was obviously aimed at Yu Antong.

Yu Antong pinched Xing Lixuan, “This is the result of you blindly gathering rotten peach blossoms!” 

Xing Lixuan took his hand and said, “I don’t know him at all.”

Hearing this, Fu Xin thought to himself that his little boss and the Shen family were a love rival. The young boss still has personal grievances, and after he mulled about it, he decided it’s a net positive. With this stimulation, his boss’ professionalism would be gaining momentum, and he wouldn’t use such a weird excuse of “pregnancy” to be a salted fish. 

Fu Xin acted as if he was angry, “Boss, we can’t just sit around and watch customers go to the opposite restaurant…”

Yu Antong pulled out his chair and sat down, calmly saying, “What are you afraid of? They must be losing money every day, how long can they last?”

“At most three days, they will have to adjust the original price,” Yu Antong continued, “As long as the taste and quality of our dishes are guaranteed, we can introduce a few more new dishes. And the guests will come back to us.” 

Fu Xin sighed silently, regretting not being able to deceive his unprofessional boss. “Then you will come up with a few more new dishes, right? Tell me, how long has it been since you came to the Immortal’s Banquet?” 

Yu Antong felt guilty as he rubbed his stomach. Indeed, it’s been a long time. Between his final exams, Grandma Xing’s death, and his pregnancy… many things had happened. He hasn’t developed a new dish for a long time.

“I have something to do. I’m busy,” Yu Antong said guiltily, and suddenly straightened up pointing to his stomach and said, “I told you I’m busy giving birth.” 

The indoor air conditioner was fully turned on, and Yu Antong took off his thick down jacket and only wore a white sweater.

Fu Xin stared at Yu Antong’s flat waist, and the next second Xing Lixuan blocked Yu Antong’s way possessively.

Fu Xin raised his eyes slowly, and met the eyes of the cold President Xing: “…” 

There was a strange silence in the room for a few seconds, and Fu Xin acquiesced, “Okay.”

President Xing has actively cooperated with his wife, what else can he say?

Yu Antong didn’t intend to hide it from the people around him. After all, after the child was born, he didn’t want anyone to say that it was a surrogate or something. The child belonged to him.

He told the truth, but apparently no one believed him.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Yu Antong smirked inwardly, ‘I’ll just wait for my son to come out and slap you in the face himself.’

Yu Antong didn’t take Shen Yunqing’s provocations to heart at all. He had originally planned to give all the staff a holiday during the Chinese New Year, but he forgot to notify them in advance because of the pregnancy. 

Therefore, no matter how many customers Juying Tower attracts, it won’t be a big loss for him. He didn’t plan to make this money in the first place.

Yu Antong said to Fu Xin, “Let them lower the price of Juying Tower. We will just close our doors and go home for the New Year. Tell the store managers and chefs of all the branches that I will hold a meeting tomorrow and give out red envelopes. I will be on holiday the day after tomorrow.” 

“No, this…” Fu Xin originally planned to persuade Yu Antong to compete in the ring against Juying Tower, so why didn’t the New Year’s Eve dinner project succeed, and there was a holiday instead? 

“There is a lot of traffic during the Spring Festival, which is the golden age of the food industry. How can we have a holiday?” Fu Xin was afraid that the little boss, a layman, would not understand the inside going-ons of the food industry, so he quickly explained to him, “Our business is all about compensatory leave after the festival or rotating holidays, we really couldn’t close down directly.”

“Except for some small self-employed people, all restaurants are open during this holiday season. It’s when the business is the most prosperous, and you must not take a holiday.” 

Yu Antong insisted, “As the boss, I’m not afraid of making less money. What are you afraid of? I’ll give you a red envelope during the holidays, and I promise you won’t suffer any losses.”

Fu Xin began to wonder whether working with an unmotivated boss would have a future. Frowning, he said, “You know it’s not about red envelopes…” 

“Listen to me,” Yu Antong interrupted him, “Money can be earned at any time, but the time spent with relatives and friends is something to cherish. “

Ever since he knew that he would not live for only half a year, Yu Antong’s sense of belonging to this world has become stronger and stronger. He also has a longer-term plan for the Immortal’s Banquet. A company without a healthy corporate culture would never go far.

“A good company should pay attention to human care while pursuing product excellence,” Yu Antong said seriously, “I think this is a good corporate culture, a corporate culture where the well-being of the employees are prioritized.” 

After Yu Antong’s little speech, Fu Xin was silent for a moment. Then, he replied with a smile, “As expected, I did not follow the wrong boss.”

It was because he was too eager for quick success, and his thinking was not as mature as that of a college student who hadn’t graduated. Now Fu Xin was really convinced by Yu Antong, a small boss who had a long-term view of things.

When Fu Xin went back to deploy work, Yu Antong lost his convincing look for a second. He asked Xing Lixuan with a smile, “Husband, was I particularly wise and powerful just now, with foresight and courage?” 

“Well, you are a rising business star,” Xing Lixuan praised him cooperatively and helped him put on the down jacket.

Yu Antong looked down at his own toes and said, “What kind of star am I? I look more like an orangutan.”

The bloated and thick down jacket directly wrapped Yu Antong into an orangutan.

---

The next day, Yu Antong had a meeting with the employees at the head office.

“In the past six months, thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication, the Immortal’s Banquet has been booming. Here, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone,” Yu Antong bowed to them, pulled out a bunch of red envelopes, and continued, “No matter how many beautiful words I say, they are not as powerful as red envelopes. In order to thank everyone for their hard work, you will get a paid holiday for this New Year period. We will work together to make the Immortal’s Banquet better next year.”

The employees cheered after Yu Antong’s words.

The day before, they heard that the back kitchen had stopped purchasing. Making them believe that they would get a vacation. However, they didn’t expect to get paid and get bonuses for the holiday time! 

This was a good treatment only for white-collar workers who were paid in the office building next door.

“Thank you, Boss!”

“We must work hard!”

Guo Jianying, the restaurant manager of the No 3 branch of Immortal’s Banquet, couldn’t help wiping away tears. He forgot how many years since he could go home to celebrate the New Years with his family. He thought that this year would be no exception, but he didn’t expect his boss to give them a paid holiday. 

How could he find another job in this industry with such a good salary? He secretly made up his mind that he would repay his boss with better work in the coming year.

The other restaurant managers were in the same mood as Guo Jianying. They thought they would lose their jobs half a year ago, but they didn’t expect the new boss to continue to hire them and make their salaries much higher than before. 

While Yu Antong distributed red envelopes to the employees, someone knocked on the door outside. A waiter went out to check, and came in after a while holding a large bouquet of delicate red roses.

“Boss, someone sent you flowers!”

“Who sent them?” Yu Antong looked at Xing Lixuan standing beside him, hesitating whether to accept the flowers.

Who sent him flowers here? It also happened to be seen by the torturer Lixuan, which made him look like he was caught having an affair.

The key was that he hasn’t talked about having an affair recently, and he hasn’t been out a few times. Where was the suitor?

“Wow~ Congratulations, boss! Will we get a lady boss?” The restaurant managers didn’t know that Yu Antong was married, and thought Xing Lixuan was his friend. They cheered when they saw the boss receiving the red rose showing love, congratulating their boss’ supposed budding romance. 

A round of cheers rang in the office, and everyone took turns in congratulating him. 

Under Xing Lixuan’s scorching eyes, Yu Antong hugged the rose, like hugging a piece of hot potato.

Xing Lixuan glanced at the delicate card sandwiched on the rose, he raised his chin to signal Yu Antong, “Why don’t you open it and have a look?” 

Yu Antong held the card as if it had thorns on it. “Would you like to see it?”

Xing Lixuan: “Don’t you want to see it?”

Yu Antong: ‘Which idiot wants to hurt me???’

Wasn’t this someone’s attempt to make him have a divorce and turn him into a single father? 

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