Chapter 119: The Tavern in Flames! A Sudden Assault!

At this moment, Chu Lin beckoned to Cai Yao. After she approached, he introduced her to Wu Cuo, Qin He, and the others: "President Wu, President Qin, and everyone, this is Cai Yao, my business partner and the general manager of the restaurant. If you want to come for a meal in the future, just give her a call."

Hearing this, Wu Cuo and Qin He immediately smiled and said to Cai Yao:
"Manager Cai, let's exchange WeChat contacts so you can save a spot for us in the future."
"Exactly, we will definitely be coming to Lin Yao often, so we'll have to trouble you, Manager Cai."

The two men were very respectful of Chu Lin, and as they spoke, they took out their phones to add Cai Yao as a contact. The others followed suit, one after another. Having realized the remarkable nature of Lin Yao Restaurant, they knew they would certainly be entertaining guests here, so connecting with the general manager was essential. Cai Yao handled the situation with poise, exchanging WeChat contacts with everyone.

This scene only fueled the envy of Zhang Ju, Hong Hao, and the other young socialites. Compared to Cai Yao, what did Chen Feng have? Brother Lin was hand-holding Cai Yao, even bridging the gap for her to meet high-level power players. It was as if Cai Yao had transcended her status as a second-generation socialite and stepped up to a whole new level.

"I envy Chen Feng; he could at least learn how to hug Brother Lin's thigh," Hong Hao said with a sigh. "As for Cai Yao, there's no use envying her. The gender is different, and we don't have her looks or figure." The others clearly agreed with this sentiment. Meanwhile, some of the young women among the socialites watched Cai Yao with envious eyes, their pupils darting around as if they were deep in thought.

After Cai Yao finished exchanging contacts, Chu Lin turned to Wu Cuo and Qin He. "President Wu, President Qin, please head to your private room first. When you're finished, I’ll invite you for some tea. I’ve managed to get two more bottles of medicinal wine." Having previously received enthusiastic help from Qin He in promoting the restaurant on social media, he had intended to sell him a bottle of medicinal wine to repay the small favor, which was why he had already stowed two bottles in his car.

Upon hearing this, Wu Cuo and Qin He’s faces lit up with joy. Qin He, in particular, said enthusiastically, "Mr. Chu, actually, you could just invite me alone. You heard it yourself last time—Wu Cuo said he didn't need it, only I did."

"???" Wu Cuo, facing this backstabbing, immediately retorted, "Old Qin, you can't slander people. I clearly remember it was you who said you didn't want it."

This sudden development left the others confused. What was going on? Why were these two big shots suddenly at each other's throats? It seemed to be entirely over the two bottles of wine this Mr. Chu had mentioned. What kind of wine could be so attractive?

Watching Wu Cuo and Qin He glare at each other, Chu Lin quickly intervened: "President Wu, President Qin, there's no need to argue. This time, each of you gets a bottle. Next time I get my hands on more, I'll set some aside for you both."

"Mr. Chu, it's a deal then," Wu Cuo immediately laughed.
"It's settled, Mr. Chu," Qin He added, beaming.
With that, the two exchanged a glance and shared a knowing smile.

Chu Lin paused for a moment. Had he just been played? Were these two at it again? However, he wouldn't go back on his word, though he decided that for the next batch of wine, he would see how he felt before committing.

Cai Yao then began directing the guests to their reserved rooms. Chen Feng and the other socialites didn't hesitate; as soon as they sat down, they rushed to order the "Chu's Oysters." For young people like them, the oysters were a must-order. They were well aware that only about 250 of them were available each day, and if they ordered too late, they might be gone.

This was indeed the case. Most guests noticed the Chu's Oysters on the menu immediately, and having heard about them, they all wanted to order. It was a wonderful delicacy to share when out with a date, and many guests had come specifically for them. However, most realized upon ordering that the oysters were already sold out—they had been snapped up in a very short time. This taught them to reserve the oysters first whenever they visited next.

As time passed, all the guests with reservations arrived, as did the people they were hosting. For instance, President Qin, who had booked a large room for the evening, was hosting over ten guests. This made Lin Yao Restaurant exceptionally lively, with people even queuing outside, waiting for tables to clear. It could be said that Lin Yao Restaurant had become a massive hit. Once the news of the Yun He Restaurant's failed provocation and subsequent downfall spread tomorrow, one could only imagine how much more popular business would become.

Chu Lin made a trip to the parking lot to retrieve the two bottles of wine, placing them in a dedicated tea room at the restaurant.

While Lin Yao Restaurant was thriving, Ma Zhen returned home in a state of deep depression. He was truly miserable; he had never experienced such a setback before, and the frustration bottled up inside him made him irritable. Before long, he was summoned to the main hall by his father, feeling even more dejected.

"Explain this. What is going on?" Ma Yao placed his secretary's phone on the table, his face gloomy as he questioned Ma Zhen.

Ma Zhen had no idea what his father meant. He picked up the phone in confusion and saw a discussion unfolding in an elite professional group:
"Haha, I didn't expect Ma Zhen of the Ma family to be so lacking in investment talent."
"Indeed. He tried to invest in two catering businesses in a row; one was shut down for rectification, and the other was clearly the top-ranked one, but the moment he invested, it lost its status as number one."
"Hahaha, it's hilarious. For a capital-rich family like the Ma's, even a novice second-generation shouldn't be this incompetent."
"The news has been confirmed; I got a tip-off from someone at Yun He Restaurant! This Ma Zhen caused them such a disaster and then just abandoned them."

Seeing these comments, Ma Zhen trembled with rage. It was slander—pure, unadulterated slander. He had suffered two losses, but there were reasons for them! This was a group for the Min City elite—a place for senior executives from various companies to communicate. Didn't this mean the story would spread throughout every company immediately? But how had this even leaked, and why was it being discussed in such a group?

Dammit. If it wasn't a leak from someone at Yun He as the group suggested, then it had to be the work of Cai Yao and Chu Lin. Those bastards, framing him like this!

Ma Tao glared at his son and demanded, "Ma Zhen, do you have any idea how disastrous it is for the Ma family to be labeled with the reputation that whoever we invest in goes bankrupt?"

"Dad, I was set up," Ma Zhen hurriedly explained.

"Set up? That just means you're stupid! Do you have the nerve to say that?" Ma Tao said with a dark expression. "Do you know that your uncle and third uncle are circling like vultures? And your cousins, aren't they all working their tails off? Your grandfather already knows about this. He is furious and feels you've disgraced the Ma family. Tomorrow, your cousin will take over your duties, and you will stay home and reflect on your mistakes."

"What???" Ma Zhen was stunned into silence.

...

Back at Lin Yao Restaurant, as time passed, the guests gradually departed. As Chu Lin had requested, once Wu Cuo and Qin He finished their hosting duties, they were escorted to the tea room by a restaurant supervisor.

"Mr. Chu, this tea room is decorated beautifully. The color scheme and style are excellent—very high quality," Wu Cuo praised as soon as he entered.

Chu Lin teased, "President Wu, isn't this the work of your own Erbai Group's decoration team?"

"Haha, no wonder the standard is so high," Wu Cuo said, feeling slightly embarrassed. He was used to complimenting others, but having been forced to drink at dinner, his head was a bit foggy.

Seeing that they had both had quite a bit to drink, Chu Lin didn't keep them long. He took out the two bottles of wine and handed them over. "President Wu, President Qin, this is the medicinal wine. One bottle each."

Wu Cuo and Qin He's eyes lit up. Qin He, in particular, truly needed the item. He took the wine and said to Chu Lin, "President Chu, I truly need this. I'll remember this favor, and you must contact me next time you have more."

"Certainly, President Qin," Chu Lin nodded with a smile.

Having secured the promise, Qin He left with Wu Cuo, feeling satisfied. Not long after, Chu Lin received two notifications:
"Your account ending in... received 500,000.00 yuan. Balance: 10,605,636.00 yuan."
"Your account ending in... received 500,000.00 yuan. Balance: 11,155,636.00 yuan."

Clearly, the two men had been drinking heavily but hadn't forgotten the money, sticking to the 500,000 yuan they had mentioned last time. Two bottles of wine, another million in revenue.

If outsiders knew the price of this wine, they would surely be left speechless. However, the quantity was limited, and using it to build social capital was better than selling it all at once.

Chu Lin stayed at the restaurant all night, as it was the first day of business, intending to leave only after the last guest departed and the restaurant closed. However, just as things were wrapping up, he received a call from Manager Han: "Boss, President Cai has had too much to drink and is in the office."

Chu Lin was taken aback. He immediately went to Cai Yao's office and found the young heiress looking dazed, being supported by Manager Han. She had indeed drunk a lot; there were even wine stains on her clothes.

"President Chu, you're here?" Cai Yao seemed very happy to see him, swaying as she walked toward him. "Our restaurant is a huge success! We succeeded, and I succeeded too." Before she finished speaking, her soft body slumped against him.

He hurriedly caught her waist to steady her. "Why did you drink so much?"

"She was drinking with Mr. Chen Feng and the others. She kept saying how happy she was today, and she just couldn't hold back. You know about her experiences at Zhizhen and the favoritism of Old President Cai; she’s been under a lot of pressure," Manager Han explained hurriedly.

"I see!" Chu Lin understood. She had finally let herself go today.

Manager Han then added, "Boss, I still have things to wrap up. I'll leave President Cai to you." She had a very good relationship with Cai Yao, as it was Cai Yao who had promoted her at Zhizhen. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have entrusted the president to a man—even the boss—as most men were lecherous, and since the president was so beautiful, it would be dangerous even with the boss, who was her partner. But now that everyone at the restaurant knew about the relationship between the president and the boss, she left with tact.

Chu Lin looked at the drunken heiress with a sense of helplessness. This was the third time. He was becoming her dedicated post-drinking nanny. Still, as a business partner who was making him money, he would begrudgingly take care of her. Fortunately, she was quite docile when drunk. When he carried her out, she didn't resist at all. Of course, he didn't forget her bag, which contained her keys; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to get into her home.

When they reached the Cullinan again, Chu Lin was stunned to see another note tucked under the wiper. He picked it up; it was another WeChat ID with a message: "Cullinan Brother, we sisters really have no ill intent. We just really want to make friends with successful people. We are twins, you know!"

"..." Chu Lin was speechless. Was this the same one from before?

As he was thinking, the paper fell into the hands of the drunken Cai Yao. He heard her mutter, "President Chu, what are you looking at?" She waved her hand drunkenly, and the paper flew off into the darkness, carried away by the wind.

"..." Chu Lin was stunned. It seemed he really had no fate with these twin sisters.

He drove to the Jinhua apartment complex. After putting the heiress to bed, he faced a dilemma: her clothes were stained with wine—should he take them off? If it were anyone else, having reached this level of intimacy, it wouldn't just be a matter of removing clothes. But this young lady had threatened to castrate "scumbag men," and he was terrified.

Chu Lin thought about it and decided to take them off. Sleeping like that wouldn't be comfortable. Before doing so, he placed his phone to the side and started recording, ensuring the whole room was in the frame to prove he hadn't done anything improper, in case he needed to explain himself tomorrow.

Just as Chu Lin leaned over to lift the heiress, he was suddenly wrapped in a pair of slender arms around his neck. Before he could even gasp, his lips were blocked by hers. The sudden attack caused Chu Lin's brain to crash instantly.