Chapter 175: Your Wording Is Not Very Precise
It was unclear who started raising the price, but in the blink of an eye, the photo op had turned into a chaotic auction, giving Shen Lu a headache.
Shen Lu had to shout herself hoarse to get them to quiet down, but it had little effect.
In the end, it was the fierce and menacing Ye Fan who had to step in, subduing the clamoring group of young women.
After all, Ye Fan’s arms were bigger than their heads. One punch from him looked like it could kill three of them. People knew to be sensible in the face of absolute force.
"First of all, I run a small restaurant, I don’t sell merchandise." Shen Lu repeatedly clarified her scope of business, hoping to stop the fans from constantly demanding she make merch.
"Second, I am not selling these life-sized standees, but I will be giving them away as prizes."
"Finally, do not be loud and disruptive in my shop. You wouldn’t want Li Zexing to find out he has a bunch of rude fans, would you?"
The last sentence was devastatingly effective. The crowd fell silent at once.
Shen Lu let out a breath. "Now, if you want to eat, please line up properly to buy your food. If you don’t want to eat, please go outside. I’ll place the standees in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can see them just as well from out there."
As it was, the fans were all crammed into the waiting area, preventing actual diners from even entering. Shen Lu saw several customers turn and leave because they couldn’t get in.
The fans were receptive to her advice and slowly split into two groups. Some went to eat, while others went outside the shop.
Shen Lu moved the two standees to the floor-to-ceiling windows by the booth seating area. This way, they wouldn’t block the path and it would be convenient for the fans to take their pictures.
A few persistent fans continued to pester Shen Lu, asking what conditions they had to meet for her to give away the standees.
"A lottery."
This was an idea Shen Lu had just come up with.
"Starting tomorrow, anyone who wants to participate can pick up a card at the front counter. You get one stamp for each purchase, and ten stamps will earn you one entry into the lottery. The prize pool will include, but is not limited to, the Li Zexing standees. There will be other things as well, and it’s all purely based on luck."
"Ah, isn’t this just a way to force us to spend money at your shop?" one fan said indignantly. "Whoever buys more will have a higher chance of winning. That’s so unfair!"
"Just name your price. We’ll pay, you hand it over. Don’t bother with all this other nonsense."
Shen Lu gave her a sidelong glance. "You’ve never eaten here before, have you? This restaurant has a rule: all food is supplied in limited quantities. It’s impossible for anyone to make multiple purchases. Of course, I’m not forcing anyone to buy or sell anything. If you think it’s unfair, you’re free not to participate in the lottery."
Her tone was calm, but her stance was firm. That, combined with Ye Fan standing beside her like a bodyguard, made the few fans not dare to talk back anymore.
The small disturbance passed, and order was restored in the restaurant. The set meals sold out very quickly, and the daily mission was completed in less than two hours.
[DING! Detected Braised Pork Set Meal sold 360/360, Kung Pao Chicken Set Meal sold 260/260. Total revenue has reached 70,000 yuan, and customer satisfaction is at three stars or above. Mission complete. Reward: one Lottery Ticket.]
Yes!
The long-awaited Lottery Ticket! It’s finally back!
Including the ones she’d saved up, she now had four. Shen Lu rubbed her hands together. ’I should save up to five and use them all at once.’
’Getting something amazing on a single pull is great, but a five-pull is even better. Of course, a ten-pull or a hundred-pull would be the best.’
’But getting only one a day, saving them up without using them is a real challenge for me.’
Heaven knew she had almost caved and used her three Lottery Tickets several times already during this period.
In the afternoon, three people came to apply for the chef position—two women and one man. Shen Lu interviewed them all according to procedure and was quite satisfied with their performances.
She activated the Good and Evil Judgment Device for a peek, and the hearts above all three of their heads were white.
’That means they don’t bear me any ill will, but they don’t have any particular goodwill either.’
Shen Lu said, "Please leave your contact information and wait for my call. Once I’ve made a decision, I will contact you."
The three of them nodded and each wrote down a number.
Just as the interviewees were leaving, two men in sunglasses walked in. They said they were here to see Ye Fan and had contacted him beforehand.
Shen Lu was skeptical, but then Ye Fan came downstairs himself. He gave her a brief explanation and led the men to the booth area to talk.
A short while later, Ye Fan came out again.
"Boss Shen, they’re from that underground hospital," Ye Fan said, lowering his voice. "Do you remember that person you had me take there before?"
"Hm? Didn’t you say he woke up?" Shen Lu’s eyes widened slightly. "Did something happen?"
"No, he’s fine. They came for something."
"What’d they want?"
"Boss, did you... strip that person’s clothes off?" The corner of Ye Fan’s eye twitched. He was the one who had taken the person to the underground hospital, so of course he knew that the tightly wrapped figure was a man.
He never imagined that the seemingly pure and sweet Shen Lu would do something like strip a man of his clothes.
"Your wording is a little inappropriate. What do you mean, ’strip clothes’!" Shen Lu pouted in displeasure. "I had my reasons. I was just putting them away for him. They want the clothes, right? I’ll go get them, just a moment."
’I really don’t get what’s wrong with Zeng Xiaodao. Waking up and immediately asking for his clothes?’
’Those clothes were filthy and bloody, forgotten in a corner of the System Warehouse. If they hadn’t come for them today, I wouldn’t have even remembered they existed.’
’Wait, could there be something in the clothes?’
Shen Lu slapped her thigh in frustration. The clothes had been in her possession for over ten days, and she hadn’t once thought to go through them. Now it was too late; the opportunity was gone.
Pouting, Shen Lu stuffed Zeng Xiaodao’s clothes into a bag and angrily tossed it to Ye Fan.
"Here, take it."
Ye Fan was baffled. How had Shen Lu gotten angry in the blink of an eye?
He scratched his head and carried the bag into the booth area.
Ye Fan put on a cold expression and tossed the bag onto the table. "Here’s what you came for."
"Thanks." The two men in sunglasses didn’t linger. They picked up the bag and left without a backward glance.
Shen Lu slumped dejectedly into the chair behind the counter, her mouth set in a deep pout.
She carefully thought back. ’When I took Zeng Xiaodao’s clothes, I didn’t feel anything strange. It was just a bundle of fabric.’
’A tattered, torn, dirty bundle of fabric soaked in blood. That’s why I didn’t think anything of it.’
’Damn it. How am I ever going to finish this hidden quest if I’m this careless? It’ll take forever!’
Feeling dejected, Shen Lu opened her personal panel, hoping to see something that would cheer her up, like her popularity value getting close to 30,000.
[Name: Shen Lu
Popularity Value: 27107
Tasks: 1. Upgrade the restaurant.
2. Investigate the truth behind the expired nutrient liquid (Progress: 40%)
3. Hire a new employee.]
Huh?
’Wait, something’s not right.’
Shen Lu’s eyes widened. She looked again carefully. The progress of the hidden quest had changed again.
Because it had shot up by 30% all at once before, Shen Lu had noticed the change easily. This time, it had only increased by a sneaky 4%, which would have been easy to miss if she wasn’t paying close attention.
She really didn’t get it. What was the reason for this 4% increase in progress?