The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 452 Was it a setup by capital?
"Drinking poison to quench thirst?"

Zhao Qian asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"

Tang Yu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but put down her chopsticks and listen attentively.

"The reason is simple: it's a matter of credibility," Qin Lang said softly. "The issue of Hai Ba Wang's ingredients is an objective fact."

“Once someone makes this public, diners won’t care whether they can taste the problem with the ingredients or not; they will definitely have a negative impression of Haibaowang.” Qin Lang paused slightly. “More importantly, Haibaowang is a chain restaurant brand.”

"A problem in one store can affect all the stores."

“Deputy Manager Song’s current actions are a gamble.”

"We bet that the problem with Haibaowang's ingredients will not be exposed until the issue is resolved."

"In this way, once the food problem is solved, everything will be over, and Hai Ba Wang will still be Hai Ba Wang."

"But what if we lose the bet..."

Before Qin Lang could finish speaking, a faint arguing and cursing suddenly came from outside the private room, and it seemed to be getting more and more intense.

problem occurs!
The four exchanged glances, quickly got up, and left the private room.

In the lobby outside the private room, a lean man was pointing at the dishes on the table and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Using inferior ingredients to pass off as superior ones? Is this what Hai Ba Wang Catering, which claims to use only the finest seafood, is all about?"

"This snail meat, this abalone, and this grouper!" The man pointed to the signature dishes on the table. "If any of these dishes match the ingredients on the menu, I, Ke Ming, will be swearing on my life!"

"Sir, please calm down."

Song Yu was sweating profusely with anxiety. Feeling the stares from the other diners around him, his heart began to sink. "Sir, please come with me. Please do not disturb the other guests' dining."

"Move over?" Ke Ming's eyes darted around, his gaze shifting to the other tables. "Did everyone hear that?"

"This is the attitude of the Sea King in solving problems!"

"Trying to silence me? Let me tell you, that's impossible!" Ke Ming declared defiantly. "This is blatant fraud; you're exploiting everyone's trust in Hai Ba Wang!"

"Spending so much money but not being able to eat the ingredients listed on the menu? How can that be fair?"

As Ke Ming finished speaking, the diners at the other tables seemed to be stirred up by him. One of the diners at the next table couldn't help but stand up and say, "That's right, I knew this ingredient tasted weird!"

The other person at the table looked at him strangely and whispered to the person next to him, "This guy didn't say that when he was eating."

"He also said you get what you pay for, no wonder he's called the Sea King."

The person next to him gave him a knowing look, and the two of them chuckled to themselves.

However, once it happened, it happened again, and more and more diners started making a fuss. Even though they hadn't noticed anything wrong with the ingredients before, they were now trying their best to express their anger at being deceived.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans slid down Song Yu's forehead.

He knew that things were beyond repair, so he gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Distinguished guests, please hear me out."

"I will have Haibaowang's kitchen staff investigate whether there is a problem with the ingredients. I guarantee there will be no concealment."

"If there is indeed a problem with the ingredients, all customers who ate the problematic ingredients today will receive a free meal and double compensation."

"Please believe in the sincerity of the Sea King."

Upon hearing Song Yu's words, the noisy diners immediately quieted down.

Free meal, double compensation!
Hearing about such good news, everyone's eyes lit up. However, at that moment, Ke Ming scoffed, "Do you think I just started dining at your restaurant today?"

"A week!" He raised his hand, making a "seven" gesture. "I've been at your restaurant for a full week!"

As he spoke, he took out a series of sealed food packages from his waist bag. “For the past week, there have been problems with the ingredients and dishes served at Haibawang every day. I have kept evidence of this and can check it at any time.”

"Your Haibawang is nothing but a black market!"

As Ke Ming finished speaking, the diners, who had almost calmed down, slammed their fists on the table and looked at Song Yu with hostility.

Song Yu's face had turned completely pale.

One week…

He had only been implementing this plan to turn the company around for a week, which meant that this guy named Ke Ming had been secretly preparing to deliver this fatal blow to him from the very first day of the plan.

"You..." He stared intently at Ke Ming, now completely certain that the other man was no ordinary customer. "Who's behind him?"

"Behind me?" Ke Ming scoffed.

"Behind me are millions of consumers!"

With a loud shout from Ke Ming, a blinding flash and the clicking of camera shutters erupted from behind him.

Dozens of reporters representing various media outlets swarmed over with their cameras and microphones, snapping photos of Song Yu.

Song Yu felt dizzy from the flashing lights, making it impossible for him to see Ke Ming's appearance clearly. The next moment, everything went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

"Deputy Manager Song has fainted!"

The waiters who followed were shocked and rushed forward to lift up the unconscious Deputy Manager Song and take him to the hospital for treatment.

The sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air. By the time the farce ended, the lobby of Hai Ba Wang was nothing but a mess.

"Holy crap..." Cao Dongdong, who had witnessed everything from the doorway of the private room, was dumbfounded. "Was this a setup by capital?"

"Your Tianzhou Group is all about capital, and you still dare to say that?" Qin Lang shook his head, both amused and exasperated, before his expression turned serious. "But you're right, Hai Ba Wang was indeed set up."

"If the problem with the ingredients was only discovered today, Deputy Manager Song's previous response could have erased most of the negative impact, and with some marketing, it might even have made diners feel that Haibaowang knew its mistake and corrected it."

"But the problem is that the man named Ke Ming produced the dishes that had been preserved over the past seven days, which directly blocked Deputy Manager Song's path."

"Not only that, the other side also arranged for so many media outlets in advance." Qin Lang frowned. "I'm afraid it won't be long before Hai Ba Wang's reputation is completely ruined in the entire Xianyu City."

“This was definitely not something Ke Ming did alone; there were other people behind him.”

"Such a precise strike means that the other party must have started targeting Hai Ba Wang a long time ago, and even..." Qin Lang paused slightly, "Hai Ba Wang's initial ingredient problem may also be related to them."

"However... this also puts the other party in the open."

"Do you need my help?" Tang Yu asked calmly. "I have friends here who should be able to help investigate Ke Ming and the people behind him."

"Then I'll leave it to Sister Tang Yu."

Qin Lang did not refuse and nodded with a smile.

(End of this chapter)