Chapter Ninety-Six: Miss Cai Has Hooked Him, Hook, Line, and Sinker!

Li He’s tone was thick with smugness and mockery, as if he were making one point and one point only: I am here to slap your face.

With that, he even handed the two documents over to Cai Yao with a beaming smile, wearing the triumphant look of a petty villain.

Cai Yao took the papers and said coldly, “You can leave now.”

“Of course I will.” Li He grinned even more proudly. “There’s still a whole pile of things waiting for me back at Zhizhen, and besides, Young Master Sen still needs me as his general manager…”

Bang.

Before he could finish, Cai Yao had already shut the door hard in his face.

Seeing that, Li He’s smile grew even more self-satisfied.

So she really is furious out of shame.

Thinking this, he left in high spirits. Naturally, he would go back and report this scene to Young Master Sen.

...

Cai Yao returned to the table with the two documents in hand and said with a touch of self-mockery, “Mr. Chu, this notice suspending our purchasing is addressed to you. I really didn’t expect some useless nobody to come running over just to sneer at me.”

At the thought of it, her mood truly soured.

Seeing the dispirited look on this young heiress, Chu Lin could not help but say, “I say, Miss Cai, do you really need to be like this? You have looks, you have ability, and only Zhizhen can bring out your worth?”

“Isn’t there a saying, ‘If they won’t keep me here, there will be another place that will’? If you have talent, where can’t you go? If all else fails, open your own restaurant and take down Zhizhen. Prove their foolishness in the most direct way possible.”

Cai Yao looked at Chu Lin’s indignant expression and, for some reason, felt that Mr. Chu was rather attractive at this moment. A strange stirring rose in her chest; her heartbeat quickened.

Startled by the sensation, she hurriedly suppressed it.

He already has a girlfriend. She had even met that little Qian before.

Thinking of that, she hastily changed the subject and said wistfully, “Opening a restaurant isn’t so easy these days. Competition is cutthroat. Zhizhen, Jinshan, and those other chain restaurants have basically taken over the Min City market.”

Chu Lin smiled and said, “Miss Cai, have you been hit so hard you can’t even think anymore? Have you forgotten how Zhizhen got popular lately?”

Cai Yao said with a bright smile, “Of course it was because of Mr. Chu’s giant prawns and oysters!”

Chu Lin reminded her, “Exactly. With me as your supplier, what do you have to fear? From now on, I can supply all my oysters and giant prawns to you. If you cannot swallow this insult, then by all means, open your first branch right across from Zhizhen’s flagship store.”

At this, Cai Yao again fell into visible conflict, and said weakly, “What Mr. Chu says is true, but opening a restaurant requires capital. Don’t be fooled by the fact that I am the eldest daughter of Zhizhen; you know what my position in the Cai family is like…”

Halfway through, Miss Cai let out a sigh and showed a forlorn look, one so pitiable it tugged at the heart.

Chu Lin shook his head and said, “Miss Cai, if you’re still troubled by this, I can invest in you. I trust your ability, and I trust my seafood.”

“Mr. Chu, it’s settled then.” Cai Yao suddenly shed that helpless expression, and a sly glint appeared on her lovely face instead.

“?”

Chu Lin froze for a moment and subconsciously asked, “Wait, did I just walk into your trap, Miss Cai?”

“Mr. Chu, you’re a grown man. You wouldn’t go back on your word to a little woman like me, would you?” Cai Yao looked at him again with those soft, pitiful eyes.

“…”

Chu Lin finally understood. He really had been had by this young heiress.

How true that saying was: the more beautiful a woman is, the better she is at deceiving people.

A capable woman like Miss Cai could not possibly have been shaken by something this trivial.

Instead, he had been reeled in like fish on a hook, had even offered up the promise of supply himself, and had主动 spent money to invest in her.

This woman was far too shrewd.

Still, that was not necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, if he invested in her, he would not have to worry about the business failing.

Thinking of this, Chu Lin asked, “Miss Cai, then I suppose you already have a plan?”

Cai Yao did not hide it from him. “Actually, I’ve had a plan for a while. Zhizhen has always catered to the middle and lower-end market. Because of your giant prawns and oysters, Mr. Chu, I thought about concentrating resources and opening a representative high-end restaurant aimed specifically at affluent customers.”

“I’ve done my research. A high-end restaurant that does well can make more profit than ten of Zhizhen’s branches. More importantly, a successful high-end restaurant has advantages that middle and lower-end places do not: it helps expand one’s network and connections.”

“I started working on this plan after I returned to the country. Only now has it been fully refined. Zhizhen can no longer use it, so I’ll use it for myself instead. Besides, I’ve already looked into several capable people over at Zhizhen. When the time comes, I can simply poach them.”

“Before that, I’ll prepare an investment proposal for you, Mr. Chu. Then we can sign the investment contract!”

“Mm.” Chu Lin nodded.

That was the Miss Cai he knew.

“Oh, and for now we’re only opening one high-end restaurant, so we won’t need more than seven hundred jin of giant prawns every day.” Cai Yao suddenly remembered this and suggested, “I think the Jinshan chain would be very happy to take the rest of Mr. Chu’s shrimp.”

Chu Lin blinked. “Isn’t Jinshan Zhizhen’s competitor? Miss Cai, you’re ruthless.”

Miss Cai rolled her eyes at him. “Rather than let me suffer alone, I’d rather make everyone suffer together. Besides, I don’t believe you don’t have the same thought.”

Chu Lin smiled without speaking.

When dealing with an idiot, of course the goal was to make him suffer as much as possible.

Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Chen Feng.

As soon as he answered, Chen Feng said, “Brother Lin, something came up. Director Wang’s side suddenly informed us that they’ll be inviting reporters from Min City Television to our investment promotion event. They want a brief interview with the person in charge at that time, and there will need to be a speech too.”

“Uh, you handle it,” Chu Lin said decisively.

He had never liked being in the spotlight.

“Really?” Chen Feng asked with delight.

Clearly, he loved this sort of attention. If you did not show your face and make a scene, how could you prove that Young Master Chen had accomplished something? It was just that matters like this usually fell to the chairman, not him.

“Really.” Chu Lin answered once more, then hung up.

Inside Linfeng Water Pets, Chen Feng held his phone, grinning from ear to ear. Then, remembering something, he immediately opened a search on his computer: how should a successful person speak to the media so as to appear proper and impressive.

Apparently, he had forgotten that a local station like Min City Television was basically unwatched these days, serving mostly as a stage for certain Min City officials to put on a show.

On the other side, Li He hurried back to Zhizhen at top speed and headed for the general manager’s office.

The moment he returned, he felt as though even the air smelled sweet. Entering the office, he saw Cai Sen already seated on the sofa, his arm around a girl in silk stockings with long legs.

As expected, that sultry secretary had also been summoned back by Young Master Sen.

“Were the things delivered?” Cai Sen asked as soon as he saw Li He return.

Li He hurriedly replied, “Young Master Sen, they’ve been delivered. The notice suspending purchases and the notice removing Cai Yao from her post were both sent over. That woman Cai Yao got so angry and humiliated that she nearly exploded. Her face was a real pleasure to see.”

“That’s not enough,” Cai Sen said at once. “Later, sort it out and fire every single person at Zhizhen who has anything to do with Cai Yao. Also, prepare a new operating plan right away. We will no longer accept preorders for those premium oysters.”

“These oysters should be used for high-end business, not something anybody can reserve. That girl Cai Yao really thinks too highly of herself. She cannot even understand something this simple.”

The end.