Chapter 151: Responding to All Changes with Steadfastness

Looking around at the other shops in the vicinity, almost every single one of them was running promotional events and offering discounts.

As far as the eye could reach, practically every dining establishment surrounding the Qingli Health and Wellness Diet Restaurant was holding some kind of promotion.

What on earth was going on here?

If it were just one or two shops running promotions independently, that would be understandable and well within the normal range of business.

However, for so many restaurants in the same place at the same time to be launching promotional campaigns—and with such massive discounts—was truly strange and abnormal!

"How are things holding up in our shop?" Jiang Hao asked after a moment of thought.

Su Qingli sighed and said with a helpless expression, "Affected by the surrounding shops that are currently running promotions, our business has taken a huge hit. Our sales are not even a fifth of what they used to be. To put it mildly, almost no customers are coming to our restaurant to eat."

Hearing Su Qingli's words, Jiang Hao fell into deep contemplation.

It was blatantly obvious that this was a deliberate targeted attack against Su Qingli's Qingli Health and Wellness Diet Restaurant.

Otherwise, how could all the surrounding establishments coordinate so tacitly to launch promotions all at once?

Now that the customers had all been snatched away by the neighboring shops running sales, very few patrons were left at the Qingli Health and Wellness Diet Restaurant, transforming what was once a booming and prosperous business into a desolate scene.

"Jiang Hao, what should we do?"

Su Qingli could not think of any good solutions for the moment, so she looked at Jiang Hao and asked.

Jiang Hao smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I have no idea either. I've never been in the restaurant business before."

Su Qingli said softly, "At this rate, it looks like we'll have to start running promotions too. Otherwise, we won't have any competitiveness left at all."

Jiang Hao rejected her suggestion almost instantly without a second thought.

Although Su Qingli could indeed have her own shop run promotions and escalate the discounts to an absurd degree, doing so would mean abandoning profits and even operating at a loss.

Isn't the ultimate goal of doing business to make money, with promotions merely serving as a tactic to attract customers?

If they operated at a loss just to draw in patrons, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?

However, Jiang Hao could also understand Su Qingli's perspective. From her point of view, as long as they could retain their customer base, even a temporary period of operating at a loss was acceptable.

Still, who could predict how long the surrounding shops would keep their promotions going?

They couldn't possibly afford to drain their resources in a war of attrition with them indefinitely, could they?

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Hao asked again, "How are the other two branch stores in Maple Leaf City doing?"

Mentioning the branches brought a slight improvement to Su Qingli's expression. She quickly replied, "The business at the second and third branches hasn't been affected at all. The shops surrounding those two locations aren't running any promotions like this."

"Since that's the case, there's nothing to worry about," Jiang Hao stated firmly.

Seeing Su Qingli's puzzled look, Jiang Hao explained, "Sure, our original store is being targeted and its customers are being stolen away, but so what? You aren't just running this single shop anymore. There are still three other stores continuously generating revenue. We just need to maintain the status quo. Besides, I refuse to believe that the restaurants surrounding the old store can keep running these promotions forever."

Hearing this, Su Qingli finally let out a breath of relief.

She was far from stupid; her mind simply hadn't shifted gears yet, and she hadn't fully adapted to the mindset of a high-ranking corporate executive.

Now that Jiang Hao had spelled it out for her, her worries vanished instantly.

As the president of the Qingli Health and Wellness Diet Company, Su Qingli oversaw a total of four physical locations. While the flagship store was being targeted, the other three were operating normally, meaning the overall impact was minimal. Although they suffered some losses, it was of no consequence to the big picture.

"So we're just going to endure this standoff?"

Su Qingli hesitated before asking.

"Let's maintain the status quo for now and see if anything changes. Perhaps after a while, the people truly behind this plot will lose their patience and reveal themselves," Jiang Hao said with a confident smile, his face radiating absolute assurance.

Watching Jiang Hao's confident and composed demeanor, the anxiety in Su Qingli's heart gradually dissipated.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

The restaurants surrounding the old store were still running their promotions, allowing them to draw in massive crowds of customers, whereas Su Qingli's original flagship store remained in a state of sluggish business.

Even during peak meal times, entering the shop would reveal that well over half the seats were empty, with very few people dining inside.

Nevertheless, supported by the revenues from the other three locations, Su Qingli's company still maintained a net positive income overall.

Inside the kitchen of the Qingli Health and Wellness Diet Restaurant:

Su Qingli did not cook herself; instead, she was directing the two kitchen assistants.

"Don't prepare too many fresh vegetables. Keep all the meat stored in the freezers. That way, even if customer numbers are low and we can't finish all the ingredients, we won't suffer heavy losses."

Following her instructions, the two assistants placed the vast majority of the meat into the freezers while preparing only a small amount of fresh vegetables required for that day's business.

Out in the front dining hall, Jiang Hao was seated at a table in the corner.

There were a few customers dining in the restaurant, but their numbers were so sparse that the place felt rather desolate.

Yet none of that mattered to him; he didn't care in the least.

At that moment, he was casually toying with a badge in his hands.

The badge was exceptionally exquisite and diminutive, roughly the size of a thumb.

Circular in shape, it featured a red star at its center, flanked by a majestic and awe-inspiring divine dragon—this was the token of the Nine Dragons Society, the Divine Dragon Badge!

A few days prior, Silver Moon, the head of the Maple Leaf City branch of the Nine Dragons Society, had sought Jiang Hao out and had him complete all the membership paperwork, delivering this badge to him shortly thereafter.

With this badge in his possession, Jiang Hao was officially inducted as a member of the Nine Dragons Society.

He had yet to visit the Maple Leaf City branch of the society, but Silver Moon had already provided him with the exact address, instructing him to go straight there should any issues arise.

"The Nine Dragons Society... I truly never expected such an official organization to exist," Jiang Hao muttered to himself.

Right at that moment, Su Qingli walked over carrying a large bowl and gently set it down in front of him.

"Have a taste. This is a dish I've recently developed," Su Qingli said with a beaming smile.

Jiang Hao knew that Su Qingli was using him as a food tester, but far from minding, he felt genuinely happy. After all, back when they lived together previously, even if he had wanted to eat food cooked by Su Qingli, it would have been impossible.

Now, whenever he desired it, Su Qingli would personally cook for him.

"This is a nourishing *maocai* dish I prepared specifically for male customers, containing Chinese herbal medicines like wolfberries and others," Su Qingli explained.

"Will it actually have any effect?"

Jiang Hao found it quite amusing.

The Su family dealt in traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, and since Su Qingli had entered the restaurant industry, she had cleverly combined ordinary meals with herbal medicines, giving birth to the novel and unique business concept of the health and wellness diet restaurant.