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At the foot of Guangyue Tower, the restaurant that Suning acquired is being renovated day and night. The green protective netting and the occasional knocking sounds have become a new sight on this street, naturally attracting the attention and discussion of the neighbors.

Not far away, in a restaurant called "Yafengju" with a significantly more upscale decor, the proprietress, Ouyang Xue, was standing behind the counter, rapidly calculating accounts on an abacus while frowning and listening to the faint construction noise coming from outside.

She was in her early thirties, dressed appropriately, with the shrewdness and competence of a businesswoman in her eyes and brows, but at this moment her face was full of irritability.

"Sigh!" She finally couldn't help but slam the account book shut and complained to her friend Rui Xiaodan, who was sitting by the window leisurely reading the newspaper, "Xiaodan, listen to this! Another new store has opened! Business is getting harder and harder these days. The competition is already fierce enough, and now there's another competitor vying for our business right in front of Guangyue Tower!"

Rui Xiaodan put down the newspaper, revealing a beautiful face with a touch of heroism.

Looking at Ouyang Xue's expression, which seemed to want to monopolize the entire city's catering industry, she couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "Ouyang, from what you're saying, you wish the whole ancient city had only one restaurant, 'Yafengju,' so that everyone would have no choice but to eat here?"

"Hmph! Is that not allowed?" Ouyang Xue rolled her eyes at her, sat down opposite her, and complained, "My dear Miss Rui, it's easy for you to talk when you're not in the business! You don't sit in the shop every day, so you don't know how tough business is these days. Rent, utilities, labor—everything is going up! And customers are getting more and more picky! This new guy, who knows what he's up to? What if he starts a price war or does something underhanded and disrupts the market? Then nobody will be happy!"

Seeing her friend's alarmed expression, Rui Xiaodan smiled and shook her head, pouring her a glass of water: "You're overthinking it. Running a restaurant is all about skill. Our 'Yafengju' has stood the test of time in terms of taste and ambiance, and we have plenty of loyal customers. As long as we make good food and provide excellent service, why should we be afraid of competition? Maybe the opening of a new store will even boost the popularity of this street."

Ouyang Xue took the water glass, sighed, and knew that Rui Xiaodan was right, but the anxiety in her heart was not so easy to dispel.

She suddenly remembered something, and changed the subject, lowering her voice to ask, "By the way, Xiao Dan, did that guy your friend Xiao Yawen asked you to look after... the one who came back from abroad and is living in seclusion in the ancient city, his name is Ding something-ying, contact you later?"

Rui Xiaodan was taken aback by the question, then suddenly realized and gently patted her forehead: "Ding Yuanying? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it."

A look of confusion crossed her face. "It's strange, it's been almost a year and he hasn't contacted me even once. Yawen said he might be having some difficulties and asked me to help him out if necessary. I thought he would at least call to check on things or something."

"Oh?" Ouyang Xue raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised. "That's strange. Normally, a grown man, new to the area, with no relatives or friends, and having Xiao Yawen as a connection, would surely try to get close to you, right? Plus, you're so beautiful, I thought he would find all sorts of excuses to pester you."

Rui Xiaodan picked up her teacup, gently blew on the steam, and said calmly, "How could that be? Don't think of people as so calculating. Maybe they just prefer peace and quiet and don't want to bother others."

While she said this, she secretly harbored a subtle curiosity about the mysterious Ding Yuanying.

What kind of person is someone who Xiao Yawen specifically instructed and cared for, yet remained so calm and didn't try to curry favor?
Outside the window, the sounds of renovations at the new restaurant could still be faintly heard.

Ouyang Xue's worries, Rui Xiaodan's calm curiosity, and Ding Yuanying, who has yet to appear, together form a subtle picture of life in a corner of the ancient city.

Little did they know that the restaurant owner, who was under renovation, and the reclusive Ding Yuanying, would soon intersect with their lives in unexpected ways.

……

The restaurant downstairs in Guangyue is being renovated at an astonishing pace.

Suning spends almost every day at the construction site, personally supervising every detail.

He had ample funds, made clear demands, and the workers worked exceptionally hard.

In just over half a month, the old and greasy shop has been completely transformed, revealing a simple yet sophisticated new look, attracting passersby to stop and look.

However, in stark contrast to the bustling renovation site, Suning never contacted Ding Yuanying again after their parting at the digital mall that day.

He knew that for an "eccentric" like Ding Yuanying, whose spiritual world was extremely self-consistent and who almost lived in his own dimension, ordinary visits and deliberate attempts to befriend him would not only be futile, but might even arouse his resentment.

What he needed was not a blunt phone call, but a "field" that could naturally pique Ding Yuanying's interest and draw him closer.

The inspiration for this "scene" came from the stack of records that Ding Yuanying had once treasured.

Music may be the only key to unlocking that proud and aloof heart.

Therefore, Suning began secretly preparing a piece of equipment that could be considered a "weapon of mass destruction" in this era...

A top-of-the-line audio system that transcends the understanding of its time.

Using his vast funds and vision ahead of his time, he ordered the best core components available at the time through various channels, and combined them with his understanding of future top audio technology to create a "black technology"-like assembly.

In the audio source section, he abandoned the mainstream cheap CD players at the time and managed to obtain a Philips LHH series high-end CD player in excellent condition. He personally modified the operational amplifiers and capacitors in its analog output section and replaced them with audio-specific components obtained from special channels, whose performance far exceeded the contemporary level, in order to minimize the loss of digital signals and improve the purity and detail of the sound.

The power amplifier section is the most important part of this new system.

Instead of choosing an off-the-shelf brand amplifier, Suning opted for a separate pre- and power amplifier design.

He customized a special toroidal transformer and an ultra-large capacity filter capacitor bank to provide the power amplifier with a plentiful and clean power supply.

The amplifier circuit borrowed from the later widely acclaimed "pure Class A" architecture, which, although extremely inefficient and generates a lot of heat, provides an extremely warm, linear, and low-distortion amplification effect.

The heat sink has been carefully calculated to ensure stability during long-term high-power output.

Next, for the speaker section, we chose a classic, high-end bookshelf speaker from a British brand as the base.

But he was not satisfied. He also designed a more complex and precise frequency divider, using hollow inductors and Teflon capacitors with extremely small errors.

The internal structure of the enclosure has been reinforced and specially damped, effectively reducing the sound coloration caused by enclosure resonance.

The wiring for the speaker unit has also been replaced with high-purity oxygen-free copper wire.

Of course, Suning knows that "details determine success or failure".

All connecting cables use custom-made high-purity single-crystal copper wire, and the interfaces are gold-plated to ensure good contact.

They even custom-designed marble shock-absorbing bases for CD players and amplifiers to isolate ground vibrations from interfering with the precision electronic components.

After several days and nights of meticulous tuning, this system, which combines top-of-the-line hardware from 1996 with future audio concepts, was finally born.

When Su Ning put an original CD he had bought from Ding Yuanying into the CD player and pressed play, the music, clear as a mountain spring and warm as sunshine, flowed out, even he was slightly moved.

The density of the sound, the richness of the details, the openness of the soundstage, and the texture and elasticity of the low frequencies far exceed the level of any consumer audio system of this era.

Especially when playing classical music and vocals, the vividness, realism, and immersive experience—as if the performers were right in front of you—is enough to amaze any listener with even a slight appreciation for sound quality. Su Ning looked at this masterpiece, the result of so much painstaking effort, with satisfaction.

He plans to make this sound system the restaurant's "crown jewel," playing those precious records during business hours.

He believed that when such extraordinary music resounded in this corner of the ancient city, it would be like a lighthouse in the darkness, and would surely attract Ding Yuanying, the "deep-sea fish" who truly knew how to appreciate it.

He didn't need to go to Ding Yuanying; he just needed to prepare enough tempting "bait" and then wait for the fish to take the bait.

This is the smartest way to deal with experts.

Of course, Su Ning didn't know Ding Yuanying very well, and his contact with him was only to complete a system task.

Therefore, he doesn't have much of a competitive spirit, and he certainly can't learn Ding Yuanying's Zen-like quality.

……

After nearly a month of meticulous preparation, the "Tranquility Leads to Far-Reaching Vision" restaurant has finally unveiled its mysterious veil.

The name is taken from Zhuge Liang's "Letter to His Son," implying that one cannot achieve great things without a tranquil mind and a detached attitude. It has an elegant style that complements the ancient city wall behind it.

The store's decor eschews extravagance, incorporating a large amount of wood and bamboo elements, paired with warm lighting, creating a tranquil and sophisticated atmosphere that stands out among the many bustling street-side shops.

With a visionary approach and generous compensation, Suning quickly assembled a highly capable team: an experienced chef skilled in fusion cuisine, several efficient and well-trained waiters, and a tactful and communicative female store manager.

With everything ready, the restaurant officially entered its trial operation phase.

Only then did Su Ning calmly pick up the phone and dial the number left by Ding Yuanying.

He knew all too well that all the groundwork laid in the early stages...

The process involved taking over the store, meticulously decorating it, assembling a team, and even the painstakingly crafted sound system.

All of this was done so that the invitation would appear natural and not abrupt or presumptuous, while also minimizing Ding Yuanying's defensiveness.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered. Ding Yuanying's slightly hoarse voice, as if he had just been awakened from deep thought or sleep, came from the other end: "Hello, who is this?"

"Mr. Ding, hello. I apologize for bothering you, I'm Su Ning. I bought some records from you at the digital mall not long ago." Su Ning's tone was calm, with just the right amount of respect.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was searching their memory for this almost forgotten name and fragments.

"Oh...it's you." Ding Yuanying's voice was devoid of emotion. "What is it?"

"I opened a small restaurant called 'Tranquility Leads to Far-Reaching Vision' downstairs in the ancient city, and it will begin its trial operation tomorrow. I thought of the time I met you, sir, and I would like to take the liberty of inviting you to come and sit down when you have time, and to taste the dishes. It would also add a touch of elegance to my little shop."

Suning spoke sincerely, but without being overly enthusiastic.

Ding Yuanying almost instinctively wanted to refuse.

He has always disliked social engagements; even his father's cerebral hemorrhage couldn't make him like worldly affairs, let alone a restaurant opened by a young man he had only met once.

In his view, such occasions were nothing more than noise and superficiality.

Just as he was about to politely decline, he heard Su Ning add, seemingly casually, on the other end of the phone:
"...In addition, the store has a decent sound system. During the trial operation, we will play some original records from my collection, including those I got from you. I thought that since you are a connoisseur of music, you might be interested."

These words, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, created ripples in Ding Yuanying's heart.

Play his records?

Decent audio equipment?
Ding Yuanying's discerning taste in music runs deep. He knows the world of difference between a truly good sound system and ordinary equipment, and he understands that in this small town, equipment that can be considered "decent" is probably extremely rare.

More importantly, those records were his treasured possessions, each one carrying his emotions and memories.

What would it be like to play these in an unfamiliar environment using unknown devices?
Is it a waste of resources, or... a hidden paradise?
A mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, and even a barely perceptible, faint expectation of finding a "kindred spirit" replaced the initial rejection.

There was another brief silence on the phone, followed by Ding Yuanying's voice, which was devoid of any discernible emotion: "Address."

Suning clearly stated the restaurant's location.

"Understood." Ding Yuanying hung up the phone after saying that, without promising a specific time, but her attitude was clear.

After hanging up the phone, a predictable smile appeared on Suning's lips.

He knew that direct benefits or personal favors were unlikely to sway someone like Ding Yuanying; only by touching upon the core of his spirit, which truly interested him, could he attract his attention.

That advanced sound system and those records were the irresistible bait he offered.

The tranquil and far-reaching trial operation finally welcomed an expected, yet crucial, potential customer.

An unspoken clash of music, food, and wisdom is about to unfold quietly in this elegant space.

Fang Qiuhong, the store manager of "Ningjing Zhiyuan", knocked on Suning's office door and said, "Boss, the invitation letters you asked to be sent to government agencies have all been delivered."

"Okay! I get it."

"Boss, will these important figures really come to our store to support us?"

"It's not important! The most important thing is our attitude. In addition, I have great confidence in our dishes and believe that they will definitely become our customers."

...(End of chapter)