Gourmet Food Supplier

The meeting lasted over 40 minutes and only ended when Yuan Zhou had to start preparing the dinner ingredients.

Zhou Jia and Hu Ti left after bidding their farewells. Yuan Zhou gazed at their departing backs and said, “This kid is alright. He is steady, earnest, mature, and handsome. Of course, he’s not as good as me but still, he’s a hardworking lad.”

“Zhou Jia, that lass, will probably not have to bear any hardships being with him,” Yuan Zhou finished his conclusion, looking every bit the part of a father. He then went to the second floor and changed into a narrow-sleeved robe that was easier for him to move around in.

For some reason, there were people booking the All-Fish Banquet every day recently. There was one particular banquet where the attendants were suddenly absent, and Yuan Zhou had to finish the banquet himself.

While Yuan Zhou was busy cooking, Mr. Wei and his rival started their friendly exchange.

Mr. Wei’s rival was called Xie Hao, and was of similar age with Mr. Wei. He was 42 years old, still in his robust years. And with his recent promotion, he looked like a person flushed with success.

The news had spread from human resource two days ago. Although he had yet to be formally appointed to the new position, there were still people from various departments coming to congratulate him each day.

Xie Hao greeted everyone with a friendly smile on his face. But when a certain person came, his face fell.

“Xie Hao, congratulations. I have never expected you to be promoted with your capabilities and efficiency. Director Liu is truly a kind person,” said Mr. Wei, sarcasm filling his words.

“Thank you, thank you. I heard from the HR that you were also one of the candidates for this general manager position,” said Xie Hao.

Xie Hao was not a person that was easy to deal with. He immediately countered. He continued, “Unfortunately, an incapable person like me has defeated a capable person like you.”

“The incapable person has merely gotten lucky. Luck won’t bring him far, that’s for sure. Remember to check the date each day before leaving home in the future. After all, you have exhausted all the remaining luck in your life today,” said Mr. Wei.

“You don’t have to worry about that. In the future, the company secretary will be handling my travel plans,” said Xie Hao.

The people in the company were already used to the two bickering against each other. At times like this, they couldn’t be bothered with worrying about how to calm the two. Rather, they were more concerned with leaving a healthy distance between themselves and the two so as to not get pulled into the fight.

While the two were busy bickering, Mr. Wei suddenly laughed heartily and said, “Xie Hao, you are still as eloquent as ever. Since it’s your promotion, it won’t do for me to not show any appreciation. Therefore, I have already booked an All-Fish Banquet for you at Yuan Zhou’s restaurant. Consider that a celebration I’m throwing you.”

Xie Hao was indeed very eloquent. In any case, he had never suffered defeat when bickering with Mr. Wei. But the moment Mr. Wei made that announcement, he hesitated.

“You are throwing me a banquet for my promotion?” Xie Hao looked at Mr. Wei suspiciously.

“Yes. And it’s also your favorite All-Fish Banquet,” Mr. Wei said with a nod.

“I believe you must have never tried the All-Fish Banquet at Yuan Zhou’s restaurant before. Tonight, take the chance to give it a try,” said Mr. Wei with a smile.

Everyone were already used to them bickering. But now when one was treating another to a meal, everyone’s gazes were attracted by them.

Everyone looked over uniformly.

In truth, Xie Hao’s favorite wasn’t the All-Fish Banquet. In any case, very few restaurants could make an authentic All-Fish Banquet nowadays. What he loved eating was actually fish, especially freshwater fishes. This was common knowledge in the company.

Xie Hao’s first reaction was the meal Mr. Wei was treating him was definitely a terrible meal. But when he thought about it, that seemed unlikely.

Xie Hao was aware of the reputation Yuan Zhou’s restaurant enjoyed. That was a restaurant popular throughout Sichuan, and was flooded with positive reviews. He had not gotten the chance to try the food there for some reason, but he believed the food there was definitely good.

“Which Yuan Zhou’s restaurant are you referring to?” Xie Hao asked cautiously.

He was trying to avoid being tricked with a restaurant sharing the same name.

“Not to mention Chengdu, in the entirety of China, how many Yuan Zhou’s restaurants are there?” Mr. Wei asked.

All the colleagues were here, thus, Mr. Wei couldn’t lie. Otherwise, that would be too low of him. Xie Hao fixed his eyes at Mr. Wei, doubt filling his face.

Mr. Wei was very frank. He asked, “Why? Are you too important to have a meal with me now that you are going to be the general manager of a subsidiary company soon?”

The more honest Mr. Wei seemed, the more fear Xie Hao felt. Xie Hao believed Mr. Wei was a person that would kick him out of the company without a second thought given the chance.

Archnemesis was the perfect term to depict their relationship. They were the kind of rivals that had not come to respect each other. Rather, they both wished the worst for the other.

But looking at Mr. Wei’s mocking gaze, Xie Hao still agreed.

“What time is the All-Fish Banquet?” Xie Hao asked.

Mr. Wei said patiently, “Yuan Zhou’s restaurant is not a place you can make bookings in advance. For that restaurant, booking merely signifies you have obtained the permission to order the All-Fish Banquet after waiting in line.”

“Therefore, to eat there, one has to line up and take a number. If I can help with that, I would have done so. But according to the restaurant’s rules, the diner must be there personally,” said Mr. Wei.

These were the rules Xie Hao had read about on the Internet before. Thus, he had nothing to say about that. But since when was Mr. Wei so kind? He was even giving him such a detailed explanation!

After saying those words, Mr. Wei left with a smile on his face and returned to his work.

Meanwhile, at Yuan Zhou’s restaurant, dinnertime was arriving. Something else was happening at the restaurant.

“Excuse me, Boss Yuan. What is your opinion on Teacher Xin’s invention?” asked a customer who was also a reporter while waiting in line.

It was a normal occurrence for there to be reporters at the restaurant. What made this incident stood up was the question asked.

Teacher Xin’s invention? What invention? Wait, who’s Teacher Xin? Yuan Zhou looked at the reporter expressionlessly. Before he had the chance to ask, a different reporter who wasn’t waiting in line spoke impatiently.

“During his interview, Teacher Xin claimed that you are his source of inspiration when inventing. May I ask what are your thoughts on this?” This reporter was very professional. The moment he took out his voice recorder, he asked his question.

Although Yuan Zhou was feeling appreciative of Teacher Xin’s good taste, he still had no idea who Teacher Xin was. He gazed at the two reporters with a deadpan face.

He decided to face all variables with stillness.

Ultimately, after the two reporters spoke some more, the witty Yuan Zhou finally figured out who Teacher Xin was.

That was the person who had invented chopsticks that could be used only two times, an invention lauded as useless by Wu Hai. His name was Xin Kui.

This time, he invented a robot pet dog, winning himself the most prestigious award in the country for scientists and had even won an award at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva.

That was why the two reporters had came to interview Yuan Zhou. After all, Xin Kui had made their country proud, and had clearly stated that Yuan Zhou was his source of inspiration…