5: Chapter 5 Xia Xiaotang Becomes a Boss!

Over the course of the morning, the two of them tirelessly visited three storefronts in succession.

Each one was between two hundred and three hundred square meters, and each had its own pros and cons: some were located in busy downtown areas with high foot traffic but limited parking, which would make future operations troublesome; others had square layouts that were easy to renovate but were in slightly remote areas with unstable customer flow; and others had moderate rent but lacked surrounding amenities, resulting in average development potential.

By noon, both of them were feeling a bit hungry, so they found a nearby burger shop called 'White-Bearded Old Man' and decided to grab a quick bite.

After ordering at the counter, they carried their trays to the second floor and sat down in a relatively quiet corner.

Xia Xiaotang took out the small notebook she carried with her, which was densely packed with detailed information about the three storefronts they had just seen, and began to flip through it while carefully analyzing the details.

Watching her serious expression, Lin Yu was silent for a few seconds before his tone suddenly became formal: "Xiaotang, there is something I must make clear to you. The food at your place is truly delicious, and business at the old shop is booming, but the space is too small, and the table turnover rate can't keep up. However, we aren't opening a small shop anymore; we are moving to a larger one, and perhaps even opening a chain in the future. The scale is completely different."

He paused, his gaze sincere: "In the catering industry, everything else is easy to handle; waiters, receptionists, and cleaning staff can be hired at any time, but the kitchen staff is different. Especially the head chef and the core culinary team—they are the roots of a restaurant. The flavor cannot change, and the people definitely cannot be replaced casually. Have you thought about it? If we really open a large restaurant, can the kitchen handle it?"

Xia Xiaotang looked up at him.

Lin Yu continued: "To be honest with you, my situation is that I have investments in other areas, so generally speaking, if I don't make money here, I make it elsewhere. But you and your father are different; you are running a real business. If the shop doesn't succeed, you might not lose much money, but the time, energy, and effort you put into it will all be wasted. My money is just sitting in the bank earning a little interest, so I thought about partnering up. But I advise you and your father to only take on what you can handle. I will provide the corresponding funds, but you shouldn't try to pull a big cart with a small horse and end up failing at the last hurdle. So, know your limits, understand?"

These words came from the heart, without a hint of insincerity.

Xia Xiaotang was taken aback at first, but then her eyes lit up. A confident smile instantly appeared on her face, and she patted her chest, her tone firm: "Lin Yu, you can rest easy on that! My dad is professionally trained in catering and has been in this industry for decades. What kind of situations hasn't he seen?"

"The senior chefs, prep cooks, and cold dish masters he knows are plentiful, and every single one of them has top-tier skills! As long as our shop opens, my dad can have the staff in place in minutes. The kitchen will be absolutely rock solid; there's no need to worry at all!"

Seeing Xia Xiaotang's confident appearance, the stone that had been hanging in Lin Yu's heart finally fell, and he nodded gently: "That's good. With that said, I can rest easy."

The two of them finished eating quickly. Without further delay, they immediately set off to look at the fourth potential storefront.

This shop's conditions were similar to the previous three, still around two hundred square meters. Its advantages weren't particularly outstanding, and its disadvantages were acceptable; it was a mediocre choice that didn't offer any eye-catching surprises.

After leaving the fourth shop, the car drove toward the final potential location.

Lin Yu sat in the passenger seat, casually watching the streetscape rapidly receding outside the car window as the city's high-rises and streets swept past.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he looked at a magnificent, antique-style complex of buildings not far away, and he immediately spoke: "Xiaotang, pull over."

Xia Xiaotang subconsciously stepped on the brake, and the car came to a smooth stop on the side of the road. She turned her head, her face full of confusion: "What's wrong, Lin Yu? Did you forget to take something?"

Lin Yu didn't answer but just raised his hand and pointed to the ancient building complex outside the window: "We aren't going to the last one anymore; let's go check that place out."

Xia Xiaotang looked in the direction he was pointing, and her eyes widened instantly. She said with some surprise: "There? That's the ancient city cultural tourism project that our Ze City spent seven or eight years building and just finished delivering. I heard the rent here is terrifyingly expensive; it's definitely not something a regular small shop can afford."

The corners of Lin Yu's mouth curled up slightly, and he thought to himself: Being expensive is exactly the point. An ordinary location wouldn't match the plans he had in mind; only a landmark-level place like this could create a true flagship brand.

He snapped his fingers crisply and pointed toward the entrance of the ancient city again: "Let's go!"

Although Xia Xiaotang was full of doubts, she still listened to Lin Yu and drove toward the ancient city.

The two found the project's investment promotion center. The staff inside saw that they were dressed plainly and were young, so their attitude was slightly perfunctory at first, merely giving a brief introduction and clearly not taking them seriously.

However, when Lin Yu spoke and clearly asked a series of professional questions about the area of the standalone storefronts, rent policies, estimated customer flow, supporting parking lots, fire safety conditions, and future operational plans, the staff's attitude changed instantly. They went from perfunctory to serious, hurriedly bringing out detailed materials and explaining patiently.

Lin Yu's gaze swept over the three-story antique-style standalone building in front of him. The exterior facade was completely in the style of ancient architecture, with flying eaves, upturned corners, and carved beams and painted rafters, blending perfectly with the entire ancient city scenic area. It came with a large underground parking lot downstairs, and the future customer flow would absolutely be amazing.

He made the decision on the spot: "This is the one."

The staff member was stunned but quickly reported the data: "Hello, sir. The total area of this building is 3,500 square meters. The original annual rent was 2.8 million, but since our project has just launched, there is a policy discount, which brings it down to only 2 million per year!"

Xia Xiaotang was stunned listening from the side. Lin Yu laughed and said: "We are establishing a catering company, and I've already thought of the name. It will be called [Min Shi Wei Tian]. Since we've encountered this project, this building is an opportunity and destiny! We must seize it."

Lin Yu did the math in his head. Including renovation, equipment, fire safety, and initial recruitment salaries, a total budget of 6 million would be enough. Besides, he had over 60 million in the blink of an eye. Thinking of this, he was a bit dumbfounded and just chuckled happily.

It took a while for Xia Xiaotang to come back to her senses. Her eyes were sparkling, filled with stars of admiration, and she looked at Lin Yu with deep reverence. From checking out shops to choosing a location, from hesitating to making decisive decisions, every action of this man in front of her made her admire him from the bottom of her heart.

Lin Yu turned to look at Xia Xiaotang, who was gazing at him with admiration. The corners of his mouth curled into a composed smile, and his voice was steady and powerful: "Xiaotang, how about it? Do you have confidence?"

Xia Xiaotang seemed to have made up her mind at this moment. She puffed out her chest, her little face full of determination, and her tone was light yet carried a hint of confidence: "I definitely have confidence! At worst, I'll just have my dad call in his connections!"

Looking at the confident girl in front of him, Lin Yu's mouth curled up slightly. He didn't say anything more and simply took out his phone to operate it. As the transfer notification sounded, 460,000 in deposit was instantly transferred to Xia Xiaotang's account, leaving her responsible for handling the relevant procedures with the staff on-site.

Ding! Xia Xiaotang's intimacy + 10

Current intimacy: 31

The staff member in charge of receiving them saw that Lin Yu was so generous, transferring hundreds of thousands without even batting an eye. Their attitude instantly became extremely attentive, and they smiled broadly while gesturing to lead the way: "Mr. Lin, Ms. Xia, the paperwork will take a little time to process. Why not sit in our office and have a cup of tea to rest?"

Lin Yu waved his hand gently, his tone indifferent yet carrying an unquestionable distance: "No need to trouble yourself. I'll just walk around the area."

He didn't want to be surrounded by people making small talk in the office, so he simply walked onto the main street alone and strolled around leisurely. His gaze swept over the various shops on both sides of the street, and he secretly calculated what other viable industries there might be on this street besides catering. He casually opened his mobile banking app and looked at the striking string of numbers: Balance: 10,550,000 Yuan.

Breaking ten million! If this were two days ago, it would truly be an astronomical figure, but before long, it should just be the pocket change returned by the system.

"Sigh, I should consider hiring an assistant or putting together a management team..." Lin Yu rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.

Not long after, Xia Xiaotang walked out quickly, holding the completed deposit paperwork, a relieved smile of having finished her task on her face: "Lin Yu, it's all done. Let's go. Shall we go back to the small shop and discuss things with my dad?"

Lin Yu nodded, followed Xia Xiaotang into the car, and they drove all the way back to her family's small restaurant.

It wasn't dinner time yet, and the shop hadn't started receiving customers. Old Xia saw the two return and immediately arranged for another chef and a service staff member to prepare the ingredients in advance, while he himself, along with Xia Xiaotang and Lin Yu, got back into the car parked on the side of the road.

"It's convenient to talk in the car; there are too many ears in the shop. How did the storefront visits go?" Old Xia closed the car door, his expression grave.

Xia Xiaotang recounted the situation of the entire day in detail and handed the deposit receipt to Old Xia.

Old Xia took it and looked at it carefully, his lips trembling slightly: "This... this...!"

Lin Yu leaned back in the car seat and spoke in a calm tone: "Uncle Xia, Xiaotang! My idea is this: since we've decided to open a branch, it means we have to strive hard. Since we have to strive anyway, there isn't much difference between a small shop and a large one; it's just a matter of hiring more people. Moreover, let professionals do professional work: the kitchen is the top priority. Uncle Xia, you should contact a few skilled and reliable chefs to come over and offer them salaries higher than the market rate. You will be in overall charge of the kitchen, ensuring the taste is guaranteed, regularly launching two new dishes, and handling procurement—no one understands ingredients better than a chef. In addition, for the dining hall: hire a professional manager to manage the front desk, cashier, cleaning staff, waiters, security guards, etc. Then there's finance: hire a full-time person with impeccable character. Later, we'll need to expand and hire a cashier. The accounts must be truthful; we will absolutely not do anything illegal. We aren't short of that little bit of money. The HR department needs to be set up first; we'll be hiring quite a few people in the early stages, so this will save us a lot of effort. Xiaotang will be the legal representative, responsible for gatekeeping and scheduling all internal and external affairs, as well as decision-making authority."

Ding! Xia Xiaotang's intimacy + 10

Current intimacy: 41

Watching Old Xia and Xia Xiaotang staring at him without blinking, and seeing their breathing become noticeably heavier, it wasn't hard to guess that their hearts were very unsettled at this moment. Lin Yu unscrewed a bottle of water, took a sip, and continued:

"The renovation period will take at least one to three months. At the opening, I will invite some wealthy or influential friends to show their support. First, to establish our presence so we won't be bullied by people with ulterior motives. Second, word of mouth is a great advertisement. Of course, advertising on multimedia for pre-promotion is also an option. Once we've opened up the situation, we can open branches in other cities, or even nationwide and worldwide. That's a future strategic goal; let's talk about the immediate present."

He took another sip of water: "I previously took out 1 million, and now I will continue to take out 5.5 million. Of this, 5 million will be used to register the new company, which will be called [Ze City Min Shi Wei Tian Catering Liability Co., Ltd.]; the remaining 500,000 will be used to acquire 51% of the shares of your small restaurant. Although it doesn't make much money, it is an old shop after all and is your hard work, so I don't want to close it, and this will facilitate management. I will also own 51% of the company's shares in full. I won't participate in daily management. You two, father and daughter, will hold 49% of the shares with technology and management as your investment, and your salary and benefits will be calculated separately."

Ding! Xia Xiaotang's intimacy + 20

Current intimacy: 61

Old Xia's heart was pounding wildly, almost jumping out of his throat. From the moment Lin Yu first discussed investment with the father and daughter, they subconsciously felt it was unreliable. Later, they were moved by the sincerity of Lin Yu's first transfer of 540,000, then conservative when deciding to look at a 200-square-meter branch, shocked when things changed to a 3,500-square-meter large restaurant, and now, filled with longing when hearing Lin Yu describe the blueprint, and then happy and excited when discussing profit distribution.

"Who says pies don't fall from the sky? This is definitely the rhythm of being given money for free and being taken to the top! With money, what kind of chef can't be hired? It's not like it has to be us. What is Lin Yu after?" Thinking of this, Old Xia turned to look at his daughter, only to see her looking like a little fan girl with a crush, staring at that young man opposite her.

He sighed in his heart, "Sigh, a daughter grown up can't be kept!" Thinking this in his heart, he said aloud: "Thank you for your trust and support, General Manager Lin. I am willing to work with you!"

"What about you?" Lin Yu asked, looking at Xia Xiaotang.

"I will devote my all until my heart stops beating!" As she said this, she cupped her hands in a salute, which made both Lin Yu and Old Xia laugh, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

Lin Yu continued: "Since you both agree, you can start operating tomorrow. There are far too many things to handle. How about this, you can ask your boyfriend to help, first recruit a few people, and it will be faster if we act separately."

"I... I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh, alright. I'll transfer the money to you first. You are the boss; arrange it yourself."

Looking at the 5.5 million that arrived on their phone, the father and daughter's eyes were slightly red. Happiness came too suddenly; a new life was placed before them, and this all stemmed from the person in front of them, who unconditionally opened a company for them and made them bosses.

Ding! Xia Xiaotang's intimacy + 10

Current intimacy: 71

Lin Yu heard Xia Xiaotang's intimacy rising again and again, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a chuckle.

The matter was settled, and Lin Yu didn't stay any longer. Xia Xiaotang wanted to drive him, but he politely declined, saying: "You'll be busy lately, but take care of your health. If anything comes up or you need my signature, just call!"

"Alright, General Manager Lin."

"Goodbye, General Manager Xia."

"Hee hee..."