Chapter 79: The Restaurant

"It was our group that purchased it. The chairman at our headquarters is a friend of Mr. Lu, and after acquiring the Neijiang Restaurant, he decided to give it directly to Mr. Lu as a gift."

"As for you, you are the reason our chairman bought the Neijiang Restaurant. She didn’t want to see you continue working here, so she specifically instructed me to pay several times above market price to buy this place."

"Zhang Jiang, you are now dismissed. Is that clear?"

Long Gui spoke calmly, her indifference plain on her face. With her status in Shang Group, she had no need to personally oversee such matters; any regional director or president under her could have handled it, perhaps not even needing someone at the president level. Yet, to ensure Shang Group’s Shang Yunjie showed proper respect to Lu Hao, Long Gui had come herself.

“I...I’ve been fired? I...I...” Manager Zhang sat on the floor, his face suddenly drained of hope. He simply couldn’t accept the reality. Though he had anticipated this, he still had hope for the new owner. He never expected he would actually be dismissed.

And what felt most fantastical was that Lu Hao, a penniless university graduate, had suddenly become the owner of Neijiang Restaurant, while he lost his job.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jiang fell silent, unable to utter a single word, his expression a muddled mix of emotions. From his previous arrogance to utter dejection, his transformation was astonishing.

Meanwhile, Liu Shuiyu and Chen Dekui, standing to the side, were stunned.

“What...what does this mean? He’s going to be the boss of Neijiang Restaurant from now on?”

“I don’t get it. How could a pretty boy like him have the qualifications to buy this restaurant? Where did he get the money? This place is one of the best in the village...” Liu Shuiyu muttered, brimming with resentment and jealousy, casting a venomous glare at Zhao Cuihua.

How did Zhao Cuihua manage to find such a good man—so young, already a boss, and now an outright owner of a restaurant, handsome and tall to boot.

Comparing him to Chen Dekui beside her, she suddenly felt unlucky. At that moment, Liu Shuiyu felt as though she were a flower stuck in cow dung.

How could Zhao Cuihua land a man like Lu Hao, while she herself was stuck sleeping next to Chen Dekui every day? The thought left her bitter.

She had always believed herself superior to Zhao Cuihua—after all, she thought Zhao Cuihua was simple-minded and naive, not as clever as herself, and didn’t know how to extract money from other men in the village.

“Zhao Cuihua, tell me—are you all just acting? Huh? Are you putting on a show for us? Where did you find this conman, you sly vixen?” Consumed by jealousy, Liu Shuiyu blurted out again.

Smack! Manager Wu, towering at one meter seventy-eight, strode up and slapped Liu Shuiyu across the face.

“Are you done? Do you even know whose territory this is? This is our boss’s place! You dare speak ill of our boss and boss’s wife right in front of them? Are you looking to die?” Manager Wu frowned.

Manager Wu was used to dealing with villagers—especially shrews and thugs. When dealing with those types, if you’re tough, they go soft; if you’re soft, they go tough. As a manager, he had to handle both reward and punishment, so he was especially adept at dealing with people like Liu Shuiyu.

Liu Shuiyu was momentarily dazed by the slap, then began to cry in grievance.

“You dare hit me! You dare hit me...” She pointed at Manager Wu, her voice trembling in anger.

“Come on, help me, help me teach him a lesson!” Humiliated, Liu Shuiyu grabbed Chen Dekui, who, upon seeing the scene, was immediately frightened and unwilling to stay.

“Forget it, I—I have things to do, I’ll leave now...” Chen Dekui stammered, then bolted for his home, paying no further attention to Liu Shuiyu.

“Chen Dekui, you bastard, damn you, may your son be born without an anus! You damned dog!” Bereft of support, Liu Shuiyu could only sit on the ground and throw a tantrum.

But no one paid her any mind.

Manager Wu turned to Lu Hao and said, “All right, Mr. Lu, let’s go inside. I’ll have some people escort her out later. Don’t worry, I’ve dealt with plenty of situations like this.”

“Today is your first day in the restaurant, so I’ve already arranged for the kitchen staff to prepare the meal, just waiting for your arrival.”

“Very well,” Lu Hao nodded. He hadn’t eaten yet, so he brought Zhao Cuihua along with him.

The two entered the restaurant and sat down.

Lu Hao’s gaze fell on the shy Zhao Xiaojie seated across from him.

“Zhao Xiaojie, who would have thought I’d end up the owner of this restaurant?” Lu Hao laughed, picking up a dish with his chopsticks.

Zhao Xiaojie blushed. “Yes, things changed so quickly.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be a chef? Well, I’ll make you assistant kitchen manager right now, and you’ll never be demoted,” Lu Hao declared.

“As long as you work hard, the manager position will be yours in the future,” he smiled.

“As for manager, I’ll leave the post vacant for now. Later I’ll bring in an expert chef to run the place properly,” Lu Hao said.

“Thank you!” Zhao Xiaojie was thrilled, unable to find words to express his joy as he looked at Lu Hao.

He’d worked at Neijiang Restaurant for years, diligently chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and cleaning, never once promoted. Recently, by chance, he’d spoken up for Lu Hao, and now he was instantly promoted—it seemed luck mattered more than hard work.

“Mr. Lu, I’ll do my best from now on. To show my gratitude, let me offer you a toast,” Zhao Xiaojie said, standing up.

Lu Hao raised his glass in response.

Just then, from the private room next door, several waiters came out, including a few middle-aged women, their faces plastered with smiles as they approached Lu Hao’s table.

These were the ones who, when Manager Zhang made things difficult for Lu Hao, watched coldly from the sidelines, saying nothing, and pretended not to see when Lu Hao’s sister was harassed.

“The new boss is so handsome! Let’s toast the new boss!” they said, shamelessly crowding around Lu Hao’s table.

Bang! In the next moment, Lu Hao slammed his palm down on the table.