203: Merged food court

After speaking, the man patted his chest and pulled a few others away.

Having learned a lesson this time, he first gave the few people sent previously a stern warning.

Then, the group gathered into a single line to prevent anyone from eating the chicken again.

A full hour later, the group finally returned.

At this moment, the faces of those upstairs were as dark as ink.

However, what they were angry about was not that the group had taken so long to return.

Rather, it was that an hour had passed, and the line on the opposite street had barely shrunk; instead, it was growing even more intense.

What kind of food could make people so obsessed?

Lining up hour after hour just to eat those two pieces of meat?

Moreover, during this process, quite a few people could not stand the wait and went directly into the Food Under Heaven shop to order separately.

Unfortunately, those who went in later were too late; there were hardly any seats left for them.

As a result, even if they wanted to spend money, they did not have the chance. So, they could only continue waiting in line to eat the free food.

"Boss, I haven't failed the mission; the item has been brought back."

Back upstairs, the group of employees had nervous expressions on their faces.

However, the few who had gone first were still somewhat reluctant to part with the chicken on the bamboo skewers in their hands.

But with so many people watching, they had no choice but to hand it over.

The group of Gourmet City shareholders gathered together. Looking closely at the chicken in front of them, their faces were full of doubt.

In terms of appearance, the chicken did not have anything strange about it.

At most, the skin was a bit brighter in color and the meat was a bit more tender.

With better quality chicken and a little control over the heat, this could be achieved.

Hesitating, the Gourmet City shareholders each picked up a piece and put it into their mouths.

"I don't believe this plain-looking chicken could really have such great magic..."

Everyone thought this defiantly, but the next moment, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

Their pupils were filled with shock.

Yes, it was shock; at least for them, this was definitely a shock.

Most of these shareholders were the previous owners of this row of shops, and they themselves were chefs by trade.

How could they not tell the quality of the food?

But the food in their mouths right now completely exceeded their understanding.

Because they could feel that the chicken in their mouths was purely tender; there were none of the high-tech ingredients or additives they had imagined.

It was simply the taste of the food itself, fully and completely expressed.

How could they compete with this?

This thought immediately arose in everyone's mind.

That was why they felt such shock.

"Everyone, what do you think?"

After a long silence, someone finally spoke.

"We were showing off before an expert and brought humiliation upon ourselves!"

"It's impossible to compete; it's a complete dimensional strike. In front of their ingredients, we don't even have a chance to struggle."

"The worst decision I ever made was believing your nonsense about 'unity is strength.' As it turns out, you knew nothing about the power on the other side."

"Everyone, you're blaming me now, right? Why don't you think about it? Even without me, you were already backed into a corner back then. How much difference would it really make compared to now?"

"The difference is huge. At least back then we had a chance to pull out, sublease the shops, and do something else. Now? Not only are the shops gone, but we've also sunk so much money into this Gourmet City. You tell me how we're supposed to run?"

"With the current strength of the other side, what sucker would dare to take over our Gourmet City?"

"Exactly. Everyone knows how big the losses are for every day we persist with our current scale. I really don't know what to do."

"'The army is defeated before it even leaves'—that is the most accurate description of our current situation."

"So, what you're saying is that we should just admit defeat like this?"

"What else can we do? Even with free food, no one is eating. You tell me how we can continue?"

"The most infuriating thing is, damn it, the free food didn't earn any favors; it just became a stepping stone for someone else and turned into a textbook negative example."

"Exactly. A short pain is better than a long one. Let's figure out a way out now. There's nothing else to consider."

"Is there even a way out? Who would dare to take over our shop?"

"I don't know about others, but there is one person who definitely would."

"Who?"

Everyone asked in unison.

"The other side!"

"Them? Are you serious?"

"What else? A bet is a bet, aren't we gambling with them today? You should be grateful that the battle ended before we even truly started fighting. Strictly speaking, the resentment isn't deep yet. If we go over to discuss with them now, we can still save some face, and there might be some room for negotiation on the price. Otherwise, if we wait until our place is completely deserted and worthless, we won't even be able to talk."

"That makes sense. I support it."

"I support it too."

"Agreed!"

In an instant, most of them had reached a consensus.

Only a few people still had uncertain expressions, seemingly still hesitating.

"What are your thoughts? If you're reluctant or think you can keep going, that's easy to handle: we'll just transfer our shares to you. Since you want to persist, you must feel that you won't lose money, right?"

"This..."

The expressions of those few changed, and their faces instantly darkened.

They realized the key point: the only reason this shop could open was because there were many shareholders to share the risk.

Now, with just the few of them, and in a situation where they were already backed into a corner, what was the point of persisting?

"Forget it, I agree to sell too."

"Sigh, whatever you say, let's do it."

Within a few words, there were no more dissenting opinions.

The anxious group quickly selected a few representatives to head over to the other side to negotiate.

Inside the private room, Ye Tian and the others had almost finished eating. Taking advantage of the meal,

Zhang Aiguo and the young boss also signed another formal supply contract with Li Ming.

Li Ming guaranteed a certain amount of ingredient supply, and the two catering businesses would also do their best to help build the brand.

It was a win-win situation for everyone.

"Boss, a few people have come from the other side, saying they are the people in charge of Fenggu Food City and want to discuss something with you."

A waiter entered and said.

"Them? What could they possibly want to talk to me about?"

Li Ming frowned.

Although he didn't take them seriously now, he had seen their flyers before, and the scale and tactics they used were indeed disgusting.

If not for Ye Tian's reminder today, and his seizing the opportunity to strike, it would have been very difficult to snatch so much traffic from them.

"I don't know, but they are already at the door. What should we do?"

"Let them in, Brother Li. It should be good news."

Ye Tian smiled slightly, glanced at the golden phantom hovering outside the glass window, and said calmly.

The waiter nodded and left.

Li Ming and the others were a bit curious.

"Xiao Tian, what do you think they came here for?"

"Brother Li, if you were in their shoes and encountered our blockade, what would you do?"

"I..."

Looking at the long line outside the door, and then at the empty street on the other side, Li Ming frowned.

Even putting himself in their shoes, he felt a headache. After all, such decoration and scale were no joke.

If they weren't careful, they would definitely lose everything.

The next moment, Li Ming's eyes lit up.

"Xiao Tian, you mean they aren't here to cause trouble, but to admit defeat?"

"It seems that must be it. So, Brother Li, you need to talk to them properly later, because besides us, absolutely no one in all of Copper City will take over their mess."

"Understood!"

Li Ming chuckled, excused himself, got up, and left the private room to meet the representatives from the Gourmet City.

"I never would have guessed, Xiao Tian, you really have a knack for business. Even I didn't realize their purpose for coming until just now."

Zhang Aiguo said with a smile.

"That's just because you haven't been paying as much attention, Uncle Zhang."

"Hehe, it looks like you have double happiness today. Honestly, the decoration of the shop across the street is much grander than yours. If I didn't know the situation of the two places beforehand, I would definitely have gone there first if I wanted to dine."

"Me too. But looking at the current situation, you are truly unrivaled here at the South Gate Night Market. Congratulations."

The people in the private room had happy expressions on their faces and raised their glasses again.

By now, Ye Tian had become the backbone of this business group. The better he developed, the smoother everyone's business would surely be.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the dishes on the table were almost finished.

And today, it wasn't even Ye Tian's doing.

It was truly because, with the combination of various ingredients, every dish seemed to have been elevated to a new level.

Even Zhao Rubing, who usually didn't have a big appetite, couldn't help but rub her little belly, complaining that Ye Tian kept making her eat and that she was going to gain weight.

Ye Tian, however, looked with satisfaction at Zhao Rubing's complexion, which had obviously improved significantly over the past few days, and smiled very happily.

After chatting for a while, Li Ming walked in, beaming.

"Xiao Tian, it's done. We got it."

He poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and Li Ming let out a long sigh of relief.

"What price?"

"8 million!"

"What? How much? Brother Li, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

Ye Tian was shocked. The others also frowned.

"No mistake. I bought it for 8 million."

"No, Brother Li, even if the decoration over there is brand new, it can't possibly be worth that much, right?"

Li Ming just chuckled.

"It's not just that I bought the Gourmet City for 8 million; I also took over all their cabinets and equipment. This time, we made a huge profit."

After speaking, seeing that Ye Tian was getting anxious, Li Ming smiled again.

"Brother, didn't you hear me clearly? I said buy, not transfer."

"Buy? Brother Li, you mean including the property?"

"Exactly. Otherwise, how could I spend 8 million to take over his shop? I'm not burning money because I have too much. The reason I offered this price is entirely because the property itself is worth that much, even without any decoration, so there was no way to negotiate it down. As for the decoration and all that brand-new kitchenware, it's completely free."

"Why would they be willing to take such a big loss? After all, even if the business couldn't continue, it's still prime storefront property. Given the situation at the South Gate Night Market, it shouldn't be hard to sell, right?"

"It certainly wasn't hard to sell before, but now, their Gourmet City was merged from eight different shops. I guess they burned their bridges and fought a desperate battle from the start, so they never considered the possibility of failure. Now that it's all opened up, there's no room for maneuver. Restoring it would be extremely difficult. Plus, with eight people involved in the business, the more people there are, the more complex the motives; no one wants to let anyone else get the better deal. So, seeing the situation, they simply decided to cut their losses and get out early."

"I see. Not bad, not bad. I was just worried that you had been cheated by them, but now it seems you didn't let them take advantage of you at all."

"That's for sure. Your big brother here started from a small business; I know the value of money. From now on, that Gourmet City is yours, Xiao Tian. Do you have the money to pay for it?"

"Mine?"

"Of course. Where would I get 8 million to buy it? I was just negotiating it for you, haha."

Li Ming laughed.

"You wish. We agreed to build this business together. I can put up the money, but the shares will remain as they were."

Ye Tian quickly said.

"That's up to you. Anyway, working with you, I'll be stuffed even if I'm just drinking the broth."

After knowing each other for so long, Li Ming and his wife understood what kind of person Ye Tian was, so they didn't say anything more.

Bank Manager Chen, who was on the side, couldn't help but speak up.

"What are you being so modest for? Businessmen shouldn't be using their own money. An 8-million-dollar Gourmet City, right? That can just be considered an affiliate of the Chicken Farm. It's perfectly reasonable to enjoy an interest-free loan policy."

"When it comes time for the audit, just factor it in. I won't say too much, but getting it valued at 12 million shouldn't be a problem. That way, you won't have to pay a single cent, and you'll even have at least 4 million extra. Why not do it?"

After he finished speaking, Ye Tian and Li Ming's eyes lit up.

Both nodded happily.

In this society, who would complain about having too much money? Moreover, money in Ye Tian's hands was a completely different concept than money in the hands of ordinary businessmen.

Without interest, given enough time, it would definitely skyrocket.

With that, the new shop's opening could be called a triple celebration.

Having picked up such a big bargain, Ye Tian was afraid that things might change if he waited too long.

He immediately went to the bank with the people from the Gourmet City, paid in full, and obtained ownership of the Gourmet City.

Thus, Food Under Heaven had, for the first time, acquired its own true physical shop.

No longer having to rely on renting shops like before.

And no longer having to worry about landlords causing trouble once the business took off.

As for Li Ming, he immediately had a huge sign rushed to completion.

He replaced the Fenggu Food City sign with a simple, rustic Food Under Heaven sign.

As a result, the customers still waiting in line witnessed this miraculous scene in a state of complete confusion.

The two shops that were fighting to the death in the morning had become one in just half a day.

This left many customers who had hoped to take advantage of the competition between the two shops feeling very disappointed.

Fortunately, although Food Under Heaven had eliminated its competitor, it didn't ruin its own reputation in the process.

The free tasting event continued until the evening before it finally concluded.

The cost incurred made those customers who had stood in line all day feel satisfied.

After all, this was genuine, high-quality chicken.

Throughout the day, at least a thousand were slaughtered.

This was real money being spent on promotion.