Chapter 38: Business Dinner
Finally having his own car, Ye Xing was in high spirits. Since Sister Chen was catching up with an old classmate, he drove out alone, speeding from Luoxian County’s Honghua Square toward Ice Sea New City.
’Whoa, it’s already eleven-thirty. I’d better get to Jinsheng Hotel!’ Ye Xing’s eyes flickered, and he immediately headed in the direction of the hotel.
The wide road was a constant stream of traffic, the traffic lights blinking and changing in sequence.
Jinsheng Hotel was a thirty-story building located near Ice Sea New City’s Charming Commercial Street. The area was bustling and considered prime real estate.
As the reputation of the Immortal Flavor Old Fish spread, the number of diners in the area had recently skyrocketed. Business at Jinsheng Hotel was booming beyond belief.
"I hear a lot of big bosses are coming to our Jinsheng Restaurant today."
"Yeah, pretty much all the restaurant owners in Luoxian County have gathered here. Look at all those Mercedes and BMWs in the parking lot. We’ve never had this many before."
"Why are all these bosses coming to our Jinsheng Hotel? They’re all competitors. Normally, they wouldn’t even give our Boss Huang the time of day."
"I’m not sure. I heard it was organized by the supplier of the Immortal Flavor Old Fish."
"Oh, no wonder they have that much Energy."
After delivering some dishes, a few waiters inside Jinsheng Hotel chatted for a moment before getting busy again.
Inside the restaurant, every table was packed with diners. The dishes on the tables sent up fragrant clouds of steam, and business was at capacity.
Ye Xing parked his Porsche 911 in the hotel’s parking lot and walked inside.
He had already booked a private room with Huang Jingsheng—Room 501 on the fifth floor.
Ye Xing took the elevator to the fifth floor.
Inside Room 501 on the fifth floor, twenty to thirty people were seated around a large, round table. Most of them were middle-aged bosses in their forties and fifties. Several wore thick gold chains around their necks and clutched expensive leather briefcases, every bit the part of a big shot.
"I’m so jealous of Boss Huang. He gets to sell a hundred Immortal Flavor Old Fish a day, while we only get five or six. It’s just not enough."
"How do you guys think Mr. Ye raises those fish? How are they so delicious?"
"I’m not sure. I heard that Mr. Ye has an ancestral secret formula..."
"With the Immortal Flavor Old Fish being so delicious, he must be raking in the money."
"Do you think if I offered ten million, I could buy that ancestral secret formula from Mr. Ye?"
"Haha, Boss Yu, you’re dreaming. Boss Huang already asked. He even offered a much higher price than that. That ancestral secret formula is a cash cow. If it were me, I wouldn’t sell it either."
"Let’s be realistic. In a bit, it’ll be every man for himself. We’ll see who can convince Mr. Ye to give them more Immortal Flavor Old Fish to sell."
Just as the restaurant and hotel owners were deep in conversation, the sound of footsteps approached from outside the door, and a young man in his early twenties walked in.
"Ah, you’re all here so early?" Ye Xing said with a slightly surprised smile. The meeting was scheduled for noon, but it was only a little past eleven-thirty. He hadn’t expected all these hotel and restaurant owners to arrive so early.
"Haha, Ye Xing, you’re here! Come on over. Everyone’s arrived; we were just waiting for you," the portly Huang Jinbao said with a laugh.
"Oh, so this is Mr. Ye? He’s so young!"
"Mr. Ye, a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you!"
"There’s an empty seat over here! Mr. Ye, please, sit by me."
The crowd of owners scrambled to their feet to greet him. They knew that Ye Xing was now their golden goose, holding their very livelihood in his hands. The number of Immortal Flavor Old Fish they received directly determined how well their businesses performed. If this were somewhere else, where no restaurants had the fish, it wouldn’t matter much. But here in Luoxian County, everyone was selling Immortal Flavor Old Fish. If a single establishment didn’t have any to sell, its business would absolutely plummet, making it impossible to compete. It was like a new trend; those who couldn’t keep up would be left behind. For this reason, all the restaurant owners naturally did their best to curry favor with Ye Xing.
Ye Xing took his seat and swept his gaze across the room, looking at the various owners. He smiled and said, "Everyone here is a major player in the Luoxian County restaurant scene. It’s a pleasure to meet you all."
"Haha, Mr. Ye, you’re too kind."
"With the Immortal Flavor Old Fish, Mr. Ye’s future is limitless."
"Before long, the Immortal Flavor Old Fish brand could easily expand to the entire province, maybe even the whole country."
"When you strike it rich, Boss Ye, don’t forget to bring us along for the ride!"
"The honor is all ours, Boss Ye," the other owners chimed in, showering him with flattery.
"Heh, you all flatter me too much," Ye Xing said with a small smile, his voice deepening. "I didn’t invite you all here today for anything major. I mainly wanted to meet everyone, since we’ll be working together for the long term. And while we’re at it, we can discuss the allocation of Immortal Flavor Old Fish for each of your businesses!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the eyes of every owner in the room lit up, and they all snapped to attention. To them, the allocation of the Immortal Flavor Old Fish was the most important thing in the world; no one turns their nose up at money. Instantly, some owners pricked up their ears, others steeled themselves, and a few immediately started pouring out their grievances.
"Mr. Ye, you’re really not giving me enough Immortal Flavor Old Fish! We at Mingyu Restaurant only get six a day. It’s just not enough."
"Jinsheng Hotel gets a hundred, and we only get a handful."
"Hey, talk about your own problems. Why drag me into it? My relationship with Ye Xing is on a different level than yours."
"You can’t say that, Boss Huang..."
"That’s right, Mr. Ye. My Agarwood Hotel may not be as big as Jinsheng Hotel, but six fish is nowhere near enough to operate."
"You guys get six, and my restaurant only gets three! They’re sold out the moment they’re cooked."
"Your dump of a restaurant is so small, you’re lucky to get three."
"Hey, Old Zheng, what’s that supposed to mean? My restaurant is a time-honored brand..."
Before the meal had even begun, the owners were already arguing, their faces flushed with indignation.
Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the door, and two waitresses walked in carrying dishes and drinks.
The two waitresses set the dishes on the table, placed the serving plates to the side, and then, each holding a large glass bottle of coconut milk, began to pour drinks for the guests.
"Boss, would you like some coconut milk?" one of the waitresses asked, approaching Huang Jingsheng with an eager-to-please expression, intending to pour his drink first.
"Oh, I’ll have some later! Go pour for Boss Ye first," Huang Jingsheng said, gesturing toward Ye Xing.
With over twenty people sitting at the large round table, the waitress hadn’t noticed any "Boss Ye" when she first walked in. She immediately followed Huang Jingsheng’s gaze, and when she saw who he was pointing at, she froze.