Chapter 101: Time to Slap Chu Lin’s Face!

Cheng Zhi and his assistant hadn’t been talking long when a small delivery truck drove in. He guessed the newcomer’s identity at once and hurried to greet him, asking the driver in a friendly tone, “Is this the seafood from Mr. Chu?”

Liu Fa nodded. “Yes, the boss sent me to deliver the seafood. Once everything’s registered, I’ll take your manager to sign the contract.”

“Excellent, excellent. Let’s start checking the delivery now.” Cheng Zhi wasted no time, immediately calling for help to unload the goods, and began weighing the prawns.

Chu Lin hadn’t kept any of this batch of prawns for himself; all were sent out for delivery. The total weight came to 748 jin. As he was weighing them, Cheng Zhi couldn’t resist eating two raw on the spot—the taste and texture brought a bright smile to his face. These were the same prawns that had once stunned him, and now it was his turn to surprise Zhi Zhen.

Yet what interested him even more were the oysters. Compared to the prawns, these oysters packed a more formidable punch—pity that Mr. Chu had only agreed to sell fifty.

Looking at the oysters, he remembered Zhi Zhen’s ongoing search for substitutes. Not to take advantage of this long-standing rival would be a shame.

With that thought, he offered Liu Fa a bottle of drink, smiling broadly. “Sir, please wait a moment. I need to arrange a few things and then I’ll go with you to see your boss and sign the contract.”

Liu Fa had no objections, accepting the drink with a nod.

Cheng Zhi then called his assistant aside and instructed, “Send someone to negotiate with Zhi Zhen—tell them we have premium oysters, and find a batch of oyster kings at ten yuan apiece to pass off as these premium oysters, then flip them for three hundred each.”

“When you trade with them, give them a few from these fifty real oysters so they’re convinced they’re all premium. Make a hefty profit, and, ideally, let them sell those ordinary oysters as premium. When enough people have tasted them, we’ll turn around and report them to the Consumer Association. Zhi Zhen will have to suspend operations for rectification—a real blow to their business.”

The assistant was taken aback. “Chairman, this is quite the ruthless move. But Zhi Zhen’s warehouse does random inspections on incoming goods—that’s beyond our control.”

Cheng Zhi smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ve made arrangements. Success depends on luck, but with a useless manager like Cai Sen and his cronies in charge, our odds are good.”

“Yes, Chairman,” the assistant replied, hurrying off to execute the plan.

Cheng Zhi, beaming, walked back to Liu Fa. “Sir, please take me to your boss to sign the contract!”

…

At the fish farm, the Panamera had just returned. Chu Yan, Chu Ling, and Cai Yao stepped out, carrying their new purchases.

“Brother, we’ve bought the clothes!” Chu Ling ran up to Chu Lin, grinning and eager to show off her achievement. “I picked out a very sexy bikini for my future sister-in-law—you’re in for a treat.”

Cai Yao fell silent at this, thinking it hardly necessary to announce this to Mr. Chu, let alone say he’d be in for a treat. Surely such a proper gentleman wouldn’t entertain such thoughts?

She decided she’d best keep her distance from Chu Lin’s mischievous little sister. The girl was a little devil.

Hearing this, Chu Lin couldn’t help glancing at Miss Cai, curious what kind of “sexy” bikini she might have chosen. Still, he was adept at hiding his thoughts and didn’t let it show. Instead, he said, “Go have fun. I just ordered some fruit—I’ll make you all fresh juice.”

With that, he fetched the juicer. He’d bought it precisely to show his gentlemanly side.

Soon, he came out with three glasses of juice. By then, the three women had all changed.

His eldest sister wore a conservative one-piece swimsuit—nothing noteworthy. His little sister, being flat-chested, wasn’t much to look at either. But when his gaze landed on Miss Cai, his eyes lit up.

She wore a scantily-clad, bright red, vest-style bikini—just as his sister had promised, undeniably sexy.

Miss Cai was seated on the ground, opening a bottle of sunscreen and carefully applying it to her skin. Clearly, she cared about her complexion. In contrast, his sister and little sister were already splashing in the water, paying no heed to such things.

The way Miss Cai applied her sunscreen accentuated her curves—an irresistible sight.

He felt a flutter of attraction. What if he tried to win over this Miss Cai? It might not be impossible.

When she stood up and headed towards the water, he noticed the bikini was tied with thin straps at the back, barely supporting her ample assets, as if they might come undone at any moment. He thought of those online videos where beach bikinis get swept away by the waves—only to be deleted soon after.

If Miss Cai suffered such an embarrassing mishap…

Chu Lin quickly changed into his swim trunks and joined them in the water, his gaze fixed on Miss Cai. Unfortunately, those straps, while appearing fragile, were actually quite sturdy.

…

Not long after, Chu Lin’s phone rang. He stepped out of the water to answer—it was Liu Fa.

The people from Jinshan Restaurant Chain had arrived at the farm.

He went to the yard outside the steel-structured house and saw the middle-aged man who had come with Liu Fa.

“Boss, this is the owner of Jinshan,” Liu Fa reported.

Cheng Zhi instantly understood Chu Lin’s identity and hurried to flatter him. “Mr. Chu, it’s truly an honor to meet you. As you instructed, I’ve brought the contract for signing.”

Seeing how young Chu Lin was surprised him—he was much younger than his own son. Yet this young man could sway the fortunes of both Jinshan and Zhi Zhen, two major restaurant chains. Who knew how he raised such extraordinary seafood?

“Let me see the contract,” Chu Lin said.

Cheng Zhi quickly handed it over. “We still have to thank you for giving Jinshan this opportunity to cooperate.”

Chu Lin took the contract and read it carefully.

The supply contract for Jinshan was nearly identical to Zhi Zhen’s, except the prawn price was set at 100 per jin, and oysters at 400 each. There was no exclusivity clause as with Zhi Zhen; instead, Jinshan had priority purchasing rights at the same price.

This clause, while not exclusive, gave them a first-mover advantage. In other words, anyone else would have to offer a higher price to compete. But if Jinshan matched the offer, they’d still get priority.

The Jinshan people were smart—they knew to negotiate this way rather than try to tie him down with exclusivity, unlike Miss Cai.

As for priority rights, Chu Lin didn’t care. The terms were flexible enough. Seeing no issue, he signed the contract.

Thus, he established a supply relationship with Jinshan Restaurant Chain.

“Mr. Chu, I hope to host you properly sometime. I won’t keep you today,” Cheng Zhi said, noticing Chu Lin still in swim trunks, dripping wet. He sensibly took his leave after the contract was signed.

Soon after, Chu Lin received confirmation of Jinshan’s transfer—94,800 yuan. If he’d sold to Zhi Zhen, it would’ve been 40,000 less.

Cheng Zhi returned to the Jinshan transfer warehouse at once. As soon as he arrived, his assistant reported, “Chairman, everything’s been arranged. Our man is in touch with Zhi Zhen’s people. If it works out, he’ll disappear from Min City for a while.”

“Good, I’ll make a call as well.” Cheng Zhi nodded, pulling out his phone and dialing Zheng San.

Meanwhile, in Zhi Zhen’s general manager’s office, Cai Sen was worried sick. Li He had searched everywhere but still hadn’t found a suitable oyster substitute.

This couldn’t be hidden for much longer.

Just then, Li He burst in, elated. “Boss Sen, I’ve found it! I’ve found oysters that can substitute.”

“Really?” Cai Sen’s face lit up. “How did you find them?”

“Boss Sen, I went all out for this, owed several favors,” Li He boasted. In truth, the supplier had sought him out, drawn by the high price, but Li He wasn’t about to let anyone else claim the credit.

“Well done. I’ll make sure you’re rewarded,” Cai Sen said, thrilled. “Bring the supplier in, and bring the oysters too.”

Li He nodded and soon returned with a middle-aged man carrying a bag.

The man placed the bag on the table—inside were several oysters.

“I have twenty thousand of these oysters right now,” he said, “three hundred each. If this first deal goes well, I’ll supply Zhi Zhen from now on.”

“Twenty thousand?” Cai Sen was overjoyed.

Chu Lin could only supply three hundred a day, always acting so aloof. Now they had twenty thousand at once. He wanted to close this deal immediately and rub it in Chu Lin’s face.

“Can I try one?” he asked. He knew better than to buy without tasting—being duped would be too embarrassing.

“Go ahead,” the man replied.

Cai Sen wasted no time, fetched a tool, and pried open an oyster to eat it raw. Premium oysters were delicious raw as well.

After one, his eyes lit up—that familiar taste and texture. He quickly ate three more; each was just as good. Afterward, he felt a warm sensation spreading from his waist.

“Haha! This is exactly the oyster I want.” Cai Sen couldn’t help laughing. “I’ll take all twenty thousand. Deliver them to Zhi Zhen’s warehouse. Once they pass inspection, we’ll sign the contract and pay you.”

“Alright, I’ll deliver them myself,” said the man.

After he left, Cai Sen looked at Li He. “Go fetch Xiao Li.”

“Yes, Boss.” Li He grinned, then went out, returning soon with Cai Sen’s secretary in silk stockings.

With a wicked smile, Cai Sen advanced, lifting her onto his desk.

…

Half an hour later, with the odd sounds fading, Cai Sen grew increasingly excited. These oysters were every bit as good as Chu Lin’s. And Chu Lin had blocked him? Did he really think Zhi Zhen couldn’t survive without his supply? Once these oysters hit the market, he’d show them all.

He straightened his clothes just as Li He called. “Boss Sen, the oysters have arrived at our transfer depot. Shall we go inspect them?”

“Right now.” Cai Sen hung up and left with Li He for the Zhi Zhen transfer warehouse.

When they arrived, several trucks were parked outside, their beds loaded with boxes of oysters, glistening wet and muddy, with a whiff of rotting seaweed.

“You can inspect them now,” the middle-aged man said, a bit nervous—this was the critical moment.

Cai Sen had no intention of climbing into the muddy truck himself. What were employees for? He told Li He, “Go do the inspection.”

Li He didn’t want to do it either, but he promptly turned to Zheng San, “Zheng San, you’re in charge of the warehouse now. Get on with it!”

Zheng San gave them a strange look, then called the workers to unload the oysters and began inspecting them. His checks seemed random, but in fact, he was quite selective.

Soon, he picked out a dozen oysters and brought them to Cai Sen and Li He.

They eagerly had the oysters opened and tasted them. The more they ate, the brighter their eyes became—every oyster was delicious, with perfect texture.

If a random sample of a dozen from a batch of over twenty thousand turned out flawless, the whole lot must be fine.

With that, Cai Sen ordered Zheng San, “Distribute these premium oysters to all our branches, start the promotions, and tonight there’s no limit on orders.”

The warm feeling in his waist grew stronger, and the thought of being blocked by Chu Lin and Cai Yao only made him more determined to retaliate.

“You haven’t paid yet,” the supplier reminded him.

Cai Sen laughed smugly. “Relax. Three hundred each, twenty thousand—that’s just six million. Zhi Zhen can afford it. We’ll sign the contract right now.”

Zheng San immediately rushed to arrange distribution, anxious to avoid any delays.

…