The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 340 Equal Bargains

As Liu Tong finished speaking, the room fell silent instantly.

Xu Zhe's expression kept changing, from initial astonishment to contemplation and finally to sudden realization.

He gave Liu Tong a deep look. "Are you the one sabotaging our 'Fish Flavor' restaurant's food supply chain?"

“Mr. Xu, you’re being too unfair,” Liu Tong chuckled. “I just happen to know these supply chain owners.”

"Hmph!" Xu Zhe snorted coldly, "I don't think your cooking challenge is as simple as it seems."

"Tell me, what will happen if 'Fish Flavor' restaurant loses?"

“Since Mr. Xu is so straightforward, I’ll be frank too.” Liu Tong crossed his arms. “If ‘Fish Flavor’ restaurant loses…”

“Then transfer the store to our ‘Haishengyan’ company.”

"Perfect timing, I'm planning to open another branch in Yuehu City."

"You really dare to ask such a question." Xu Zhe's eyes turned cold.

This restaurant is the culmination of his father's life's work; he would never give it up so easily.

“If Mr. Xu doesn’t agree, then I have no other choice.” Liu Tong sighed and turned to look at the food suppliers behind him.

"Gentlemen, you have all seen it."

"If Mr. Xu doesn't even dare to take on a small cooking challenge, then this restaurant is not a good partner for cooperation."

The food suppliers were clearly in cahoots with Liu Tong, and they all chimed in, making Xu Zhe's expression even more unpleasant.

"Boss, say yes!"

A voice came from behind Xu Zhe. It was a middle-aged man in a chef's uniform. He snorted and looked at Liu Tong with disdain.

"Boss, you know the skill level of the chefs at 'Hai Sheng Yan'. With me in charge, we can definitely handle it!"

"Chef Wen, you've arrived." Xu Zhe looked at the newcomer, and his expression softened slightly after hearing what the other person said.

The man in front of us is Wen Tao, the head chef of their "Fish Flavor" restaurant, and what Wen Tao said is correct.

The "Haishengyan" restaurant has been in business for too short a time, and its popularity is entirely built up through various marketing and advertising methods. Its selling point is high-end ingredients, but its culinary skills are simply not commensurate with its huge popularity.

In terms of culinary challenges, "Sea Feast" has no advantage.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhe looked at Liu Tong and said in a deep voice, "Are you sure that if 'Fish Flavor' restaurant wins, the food suppliers will continue to provide 'Fish Flavor' with the same ingredients?"

“Not bad.” Liu Tong chuckled. “This time, I will let the entire restaurant industry witness this cooking challenge, and I will also invite official personnel from the Royal Chef Association to serve as judges. I will absolutely not renege on my promise.”

"Moreover, the new contract will come with a hefty penalty for breach of contract, so there's no need to worry about food supply disruptions during the contract period."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of interest flashed in Xu Zhe's eyes.

However, his shrewdness as a businessman prevented him from speaking immediately.

“Even so, the stakes are still unequal,” Xu Zhe said in a deep voice. “Without these ingredient suppliers, we can simply change the recipes and launch new dishes. Although our popularity will decrease, we can still keep operating.”

"Oh?" Liu Tong crossed his arms and looked at Xu Zhe. "Let me state this beforehand: if 'Fish Flavor' restaurant loses, it must transfer the premises to us. That is non-negotiable."

“If you feel it’s not fair…” Liu Tong’s face showed intense struggle, “How about this, the price of ingredients in the new contract will be 10% off.”

Xu Zhe paused for a moment, then slowly said, "30% off."

"A 30% discount won't do!" Before Liu Tong could even speak, one of the food suppliers behind him couldn't help but shout, "That would mean losing money!"

“A 30% discount is too low.” Liu Tong shrugged. “Even if I agreed, no one would do it.” “How about 20% off?” Liu Tong gritted his teeth. “This is the limit I can go.”

“If you lower the price, we at Haishengyan will have to purchase ingredients at a higher price as compensation.”

"A 20% discount is already a lot!"

Xu Zhe pondered for a moment, then said, "Okay."

“I agree to the cooking challenge.”

"As the one being challenged, I have the right to choose my subject matter."

"The subject I chose is fish."

This is the type of cuisine that "Fish Flavor" excels at. With Chef Wen Tao personally in charge, they should have no problem winning this cooking challenge.

If we can really secure the food supply at a 20% discount…

Fish Flavor can not only return to prosperity, but also go even further!
"No problem!" Liu Tong laughed heartily, cupped his hands in greeting to Xu Zhe, "Then tomorrow, I'll set up the stage and wait for you to come and fight!"

With that, he waved his hand and led the food suppliers away.

The "Fish Flavor" restaurant fell silent again. Qin Lang, who had witnessed the whole process, couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Xu Zhe, wasn't that a bit too impulsive?"

"What if we lose? All of Mr. Xu Chen's hard work..."

“There’s no chance.” Before Xu Zhe could speak, Wen Tao interrupted Qin Lang with a light snort, “In terms of fish dishes, our signature dish, Three-Cooked Lake Fish, is unmatched in the entire Yuehu City.”

"Although we can't get enough ingredients to operate without suppliers, we can still buy a small amount of ingredients at a high price for cooking challenges."

"Don't worry, boss." Wen Tao patted his chest confidently, "I'll be making this three-course lake fish dish for tomorrow's cooking challenge."

“Alright.” Xu Zhe nodded slightly, then looked at Qin Lang, “I understand your concerns, young friend Qin, but we are confident in this battle.”

"If you are interested, you are welcome to attend the ceremony tomorrow."

“…Okay.” Qin Lang nodded.

He always felt that it was unreasonable for the "Sea Feast" restaurant to go to such lengths just to complete a challenge they were destined to lose, and to rush to give "Fish Flavor" a benefit.

But since Xu Zhe had already said that, he couldn't very well dampen his enthusiasm.

"We will come to the ceremony tomorrow."

After saying goodbye, Qin Lang and the others returned to the hotel.

Xu Zhe refused their request to visit Mr. Xu Chen. In order to obtain clues about the jade pendant, Qin Lang could only proceed slowly and try to persuade Xu Zhe to allow him to meet Xu Chen after tomorrow's cooking challenge.

Back in his room, Qin Lang put Xiao Cai back in the large fish tank. The Golden Lake perch, which was already in the tank, instantly became his little brother, extremely attentive.

Ignoring the two of them, Qin Lang took out a Chengxing Stone and tossed it to Lala, who had been eyeing it for a long time.

Egg Baby last absorbed a Clear Star Stone on the "Leaping Fish" cruise ship, and less than half a month has passed since then. Lala absorbed one when she was born, so now she can absorb a second Clear Star Stone.

"Chapter!"

With a cheer, the spicy aura rapidly increased, rising directly from Lv10 to Lv14, and excitedly leaned in to give Qin Lang's arm a "whoosh".

Qin Lang smiled and patted its head, then took Lala off his arm and lay down on the bed.

Next, we just have to wait for tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)