Living in a small county town, earning a million a year

Chapter 130 Private Chef
Despite their family's poor financial situation and Teng's father's long-term health problems, poverty does not mean a lack of ambition.

They also know that Teng Peizhi is having a tough time working in Shanghai. If the two of them are serious about dating and can get married in the future, they will naturally be happy for them. After all, it would be a good thing for them if Teng Peizhi could find her true love!

But feelings are feelings, and it's fine for them to come and visit, but if you take the money, the nature of the situation changes.

If the two of them have a conflict in the future, it will definitely be caused by this incident.

After all, one is obligated to those who feed them and accept their gifts.

That's the truth.

Teng's mother went to the elevator lobby outside the ward and made a phone call to Teng Peizhi.

Just then, Teng Peizhi, who was sitting in the car, received a call from her mother. She frowned and answered the phone with some confusion, "Hello? Mom, what's wrong?"

"I just found a red envelope with 20,000 yuan inside the flower basket that Xiao Xu gave me."

“Tell Xiao Xu that we can’t accept this money. You two aren’t married yet, and this is the first time he’s come to the hospital to see us. There’s no reason for him to give us money. The sentiment is enough. We can’t take the money! And to put it bluntly, as his son-in-law, it should be your father and I who give him a red envelope when he comes to visit us.”

"How can a junior like him give a red envelope?"

"Huh?" Teng Peizhi turned her head and glanced at Xu Mu, who was starting the G-Wagon. "I understand. I'll transfer the money to him later. You guys keep it!"

"Okay, you must return the money to them. I don't want any conflicts to arise because of this money before you get married! Although our family is poor, we can't take other people's money for nothing!" Teng's mother's voice faintly reached Xu Mu's ears on the phone.

This made Xu Mu smile slightly, though he couldn't quite describe the feeling. At least Teng's mother's attitude made him think that Teng Peizhi's character was related to her parents. Education determines a person's character, and obviously, her parents' character was not bad, so Teng Peizhi's character was not bad either!
"Okay, I'll return it to him!"

"Call me again if you need anything!"

After saying that, Teng Peizhi hung up the phone.

"Xu Mu, you're too kind. You secretly gave my parents red envelopes behind my back!"

"I'll return the money to you! I'm already so touched and grateful that you said you'd buy me a gift. I don't know how to repay you. If we accept your money back, we'd be ungrateful!" Teng Peizhi said, taking out her phone to transfer 20,000 yuan to Xu Mu.

However, Xu Mu stopped Teng Peizhi's hand from transferring money and said, "Visiting elders is the right thing to do!"

"Consider this money as their pocket money."

"Besides, it's not appropriate to bring fruit on a first meeting. You don't need to argue with me about this!"

Xu Mu was quite domineering in these matters. One reason was that Xu Mu didn't care about the 20,000 yuan, and the other was that Xu Mu felt that Teng Peizhi's family needed the money.

Of course, this isn't about being a simp; Xu Mu is just quite compassionate. Once he has money, all Xu Mu can do is help those he can.

"Xu Mu!"

This time, Teng Peizhi didn't go along with Xu Mu's wishes. Instead, she transferred the money to Xu Mu, saying, "We'll accept the gift, but we really can't accept the money!"

"I'm your boyfriend, you're my girlfriend, what's wrong with me spending money on you?"

Xu Mu turned his head and looked at Teng Peizhi curiously, then smiled calmly and said, "Just consider it a red envelope to celebrate you becoming a senior partner!"

"There's no reason for me to take back the money I've given away!"

Xu Mu drove Teng Peizhi to her company.

After parking the car, Xu Mu followed Teng Peizhi upstairs.

"President Teng, President Xu!"

"Oh, what brings you two here together?"

The receptionist saw Xu Mu and Teng Peizhi enter the elevator together and immediately asked in confusion.

"I had Mr. Teng accompany me out to run some errands this morning, and we just happened to come back together!"

Xu Mu explained calmly.

Of course, given the front desk's intelligence capabilities, the news of Xu Mu and Teng Peizhi's return together would spread throughout the company in less than five minutes. Moreover, Teng Peizhi was not in the company all day yesterday. Although they did not know whether the two were together last night, their appearance together in the company today clearly provided a topic for discussion.

"You go ahead and get busy!" Xu Mu said to Teng Peizhi as she walked into the company. "I'm going to have a chat with President Zhou!"

"Okay, Mr. Xu!"

Upon arriving at the company, Teng Peizhi naturally assumed her position, and her expression remained as aloof as ever, with a cold look in her captivating eyes.

That look was meant for others to see. Who would have thought that last night Teng Peizhi was sitting on Xu Mu's lap, gently rocking him to express her inner joy?

The two discussed projects worth hundreds of millions of yuan seven or eight times in three hours, and their relationship was so deep that they knew each other inside and out.

The extent to which you know my strengths and weaknesses, and I know your depths and shallows, is naturally beyond what these people can imagine.

Xu Mu and Teng Peizhi went to their respective private offices, while in the shared office, they chatted idly in a group chat.

"I just saw Teng Peizhi's eyes, they were incredibly cold. I feel like it's because President Xu wanted to pursue President Teng but was rejected, right?"

"That's unlikely! Mr. Xu is so handsome, and to be honest, Ms. Teng isn't as stunning as I imagined. Besides, the two of them look so well-matched. Mr. Teng shouldn't reject Mr. Xu, who is handsome, young, and rich, right?"

The receptionists spoke in the group chat.

"Do you think everyone is like you? You fawn over rich and handsome men? Teng Peizhi shouldn't be that kind of person. Otherwise, she's been in the company for so many years without a single scandal. Look at all the people she's worked with before, weren't they all because of her looks? And there were plenty of rich second-generation heirs who looked like male celebrities, but I don't see Teng Peizhi showing any reaction."

"Damn it, just say what you want, why are you cursing at me?"

"You think I can't scold you? You slut, how many male colleagues have you seduced at the company? It's only because you're shameless that you've stayed here. If I were in your shoes, I'd be ashamed to death!"

"..."

They never expected that they would suddenly start arguing when they were having a good chat.

"What's there to argue about? Let's talk business!"

"I'm more inclined to believe that President Xu likes President Teng, but President Teng may have his own criteria for choosing a partner!"

"Who knows? But it doesn't stop me from supporting President Xu and President Teng. I think it would be a good thing if the two of them could be together."

"If that's the case, then Teng Peizhi's promotion to senior partner was probably arranged by President Xu. If he wants to pursue President Teng, he should give her an advantage through his position! However, I also noticed the distance in Teng Peizhi's demeanor just now, so I guess President Xu is still in the process of pursuing her!"

"Mr. Xu is just too busy. I think he is still developing his business in his hometown. He just bought an apartment in Shanghai."

"So I don't have that much free time. If a guy as handsome as Mr. Xu were to pursue me, I would definitely agree!"

"..."

There are many female colleagues in the company, and conflicts between men and women are quite rampant in a big city like Shanghai. Even in a small company like Harvest Venture Capital, there are quite a few conflicts.

Xu Mu had no idea what they were thinking, but he knew that coming in with Teng Peizhi would inevitably lead to gossip, whether in group chats or private gatherings.

However, Xu Mu is currently drinking tea in Zhou Sheng's office.

"What time is the dinner party tonight?"

Xu Mu took a sip of tea and looked at Zhou Sheng, asking a question.

"We have to leave around four o'clock. There are some big shots in the financial world, including our superiors at work. They're mainly curious about you." Zhou Sheng lit a cigar for Xu Mu and handed it to him, saying, "Mr. Xu, have a taste of this!"

"You even lit a cigar?"

Is this what life is like for you Shanghainese?

Zhou Sheng laughed and said, "Please stop teasing me. I don't live that kind of life. I've just been using your name to show off a little in Shanghai recently. I was hoping you could help me make this show even more polished tonight."

"They delivered all of these things."

"We all want to see you!"

"What do you want to see me for? To ask me for investment?" Xu Mu raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Where would I get money?"

Xu Mu took out her phone and placed it in front of Zhou Sheng. "Look at my bank account balance. It's only tens of millions, not even a hundred million. Where would I get so much money?"

"..."

Zhou Sheng didn't want to look... This long string of numbers was really too glaring.

"I won't listen, I won't look!" Zhou Sheng covered his eyes, his face contorted in pain. "It's too bright!"

"President Xu prefers to keep a low profile."

"It's better to keep a low profile!" Xu Mu said with a smile. "My business hasn't taken off yet, so I definitely need to keep a low profile!"

The main system gives away a few shares, not much cash.

Of course, if there are really good projects, Xu Mu will still consider taking out a loan. After all, he has so many properties under his name, and he can easily get billions of yuan by taking out a few loans. It's just that Xu Mu doesn't want to make himself so tired.

He hasn't reached the point where he absolutely has to invest in a project unless it's truly outstanding.

Of course, investing is still too advanced for Xu Mu, since he lacks the relevant knowledge. Right now, he can only rely on Harvest Venture Capital. Xu Mu doesn't have much interest in other investment institutions.

The main reason is that the system didn't give me enough money. Another real problem is that the current economic environment is not as perfect as imagined. Many investments are losing money and are easy to go down the drain.

In the field of animal husbandry, Xu Mu had firsthand experience before acquiring the system. Moreover, the ceiling for animal husbandry is extremely low. A farm that can earn one or two hundred million yuan in net profit a year is already an extraordinary achievement and can definitely be called a top-tier farm.

But you're talking about developing further up the value chain?
That's very difficult!
The consumer base for exotic pets is limited, and since these aren't essential products, the number of potential buyers is ultimately finite.

"Mr. Xu, these were all sent to you by our friends in Shanghai. Shall I deliver them to Tomson Riviera for you?"

"No need!" Xu Mu waved his hand and said, "Just throw it in your office to entertain guests. It'll probably just get moldy if you leave it in Tomson Riviera. I don't have that kind of good taste to sit in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking a cigar and sipping red wine."

"But you can put the wine in the wine cabinet, that's fine. Tomson Riviera is still empty right now, there's nothing there."

"I'll arrange for someone to send it to you later," Zhou Sheng said with a smile.

"Who else is here tonight besides the boss?"

"There are also two well-known investment companies in Shanghai, Hongyun Wealth and Hengrong Investment. The head of Sequoia Capital's Shanghai branch will also be coming tonight. He heard that you would be there, so he called me to ask to meet you!"

"Does Sequoia Capital still have funding issues?"

Xu Mu raised an eyebrow and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Xu Mu felt that he was just a bit rich in the outside world. In fact, Xu Mu felt that he didn't have much. He was the kind of person who was all show and no substance. The main problem was that Xu Mu was rich, but his knowledge was not up to par!
Moreover, Xu Mu rarely speaks in areas he doesn't understand, precisely because he's afraid of saying the wrong thing and becoming a laughingstock.

However, Xu Mu recalled the random things he said when he was eating with Zhou Sheng and the others, which they found quite reasonable.

This is roughly the difference between what rich people say being considered truth, and what poor people say being seen as ignorant and boasting.

This world is just that real.

"They manage 300 billion yuan in capital, which is already one of the top capital groups in the country. However, at their level, it's more about exchanging resources. They admire your investment courage and want to come over to meet and chat to see if there are any areas for cooperation in the future!"

"They even wanted to collaborate with Harvest Venture Capital!"

"Sure," Xu Mu thought for a moment and agreed. "But you can figure it out yourself, I don't know anything about this."

"I'm just an ordinary rich person."

"..."

Fuck!
Why did Zhou Sheng feel so angry when he heard Xu Mu speak?
Damn rich people!
What I hate most is when someone says something like "hundreds of millions isn't money" in the most casual tone. He's never even seen that many Happy Beans in Happy Landlords!

Grass.

Xu Mu was smoking a cigar.

Cigars are different from cigarettes. You can't inhale through a cigar; you just take a puff, exhale, and then take another puff. Xu Mu didn't know what was so great about this stuff. It wasn't as satisfying as Black Liqun cigarettes. But according to Zhou Sheng, each one cost a thousand yuan... Xu Mu wasn't very familiar with cigar prices. It was called something like Davidoff cigars, and a box of ten cost ten thousand yuan.

Smoking is fine, but you can't smoke too much. I've heard that smoking too much can cause bad breath!
"By the way, let Teng Peizhi come with us to dinner tonight. It's good to bring a female companion to these kinds of dinners, right?"

"Yes, I've arranged for Teng Peizhi, along with two pretty young ladies who can hold their liquor, to go with us. Of course, the most important thing is to keep these leaders happy."

"After all, the leaders in charge of our units in Shanghai have taken the initiative to invite us to dinner, so we should give them some face. We must make sure to arrange everything properly tonight!"

Xu Mu frowned and looked at Zhou Sheng, saying, "President Zhou, I think you have a sycophantic mentality. These leaders are asking us for favors. We are exchanging ideas on equal terms. How can we be so humble because of them? Besides, we have money. As long as we don't break the rules, we can go wherever we want. To put it bluntly, they still have to give us relevant benefits!"

Xu Mu didn't have such a serious servile mentality. In his opinion, as long as you have enough money in this world, your superiors will be begging you to do things for them. How could you possibly be the one begging your superiors to do things for you?
The most obvious example is in small county towns. With Xu Mu's current influence, top leaders would actively invite him to dinner, but Xu Mu has never participated.

Xu Mu was reluctant to attend these so-called dinner parties and social gatherings, where one had to be very careful about what one said. However, Xu Mu was also unwilling to say such polite words, as they were meaningless.

"That's true... Sigh, in these kinds of situations, it's all about social niceties!" Zhou Sheng looked at Xu Mu, poured him a cup of tea, and said, "President Xu, you should be a little more careful with your personality tonight, and don't speak too impulsively!"

"Okay!" Xu Mu switched between modes quite quickly. After all, he's almost thirty, so it's impossible for him to be immature. Besides, Xu Mu has experienced so many years of harsh realities in society, so he definitely understands human relationships.

It's just that Xu Mule isn't happy about it!
At four o'clock, Zhou Sheng called in the three girls who were with him.

"Come with me and Mr. Xu to a dinner later. I've already told you about it before."

"Are all the clothes ready?"

"Ready?" The three nodded.

"Huh? What clothes should I prepare?"

Xu Mu crossed his legs, looking completely bewildered.

Xu Mu was wearing a simple casual outfit.

She was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, and Vans canvas shoes.

The overall style of dress is quite youthful.

"It's just casual wear for tonight's dinner party. If we go in business suits, it's obviously a bit distant, so President Zhou told us to wear skirts or casual clothes!"

"President Zhou, I have to criticize you for this idea! Isn't this disrespectful to the women in our company? They're not emperors who need to fawn over them!"

Xu Mu frowned, clearly displeased.

Of course, this is Xu Mu's personal opinion, because Xu Mu has no one to ask for help from. But if you look at it from another perspective, Xu Mu can understand Zhou Sheng. After all, in this society, interpersonal relationships are very important. Even if the company has no problems, if they want to mess with you and come to cause trouble every few days, wouldn't you feel disgusted?

The saying "It's easy to guard against a wise person, but hard to stop a petty person" perfectly illustrates this point. "Yes, Mr. Xu is right. So... should we still wear these clothes?"

"Wear it." Xu Mu waved his hand and said casually, "After all, he's a high-ranking leader in Shanghai, so you should still show him the respect he deserves. But you should also protect yourself when necessary!"

You know that, right?

"Furthermore, it seems that President Zhou is treating this dinner as a regular business dinner. In my opinion, a business suit would be more appropriate for a formal occasion. Since this is casual wear, it means that tonight's dinner isn't as serious as we might think. Let's leave it at that..."

The five of them left Zhou Sheng's office together. The three girls went to the restroom to change their clothes, while Xu Mu stood in the stairwell smoking.

Xu Mu felt something was off when he was smoking a cigar earlier, and now he felt something was also off when he was smoking a Black Liqun cigarette.

After waiting for about ten minutes, three girls came out of the bathroom.

Today, Teng Peizhi was wearing the outfit Xu Mu bought for her yesterday: a white lace short-sleeved top with off-the-shoulder design, a black pencil skirt, and the same high heels and black stockings she hadn't changed.

As for the other two girls, they were quite pretty, arguably on par with Teng Peizhi. Xu Mu only glanced at them before averting his gaze, and his description of them was simply—"omitted!"

There's not much to describe.

"Let's go, let's go!"

After going downstairs, Zhou Sheng had a dedicated company van, which was a black Mercedes-Benz Vito with a stand-up emblem.

Xu Mu originally wanted to drive herself, but then she thought about how she would be drinking later and would have to call a designated driver, which was pointless. She decided to just take the company car.

Zhou Sheng had already taken his seat in the front passenger seat, while Xu Mu and Teng Peizhi sat in the last row. Although the last row looked small, the space could actually be moved back and the two individual seats in the middle moved forward, making the back row quite spacious.

Of course, the most important thing is that you can make some small moves in the back seats.

After the five people got into the car, the driver drove to a private kitchen a few kilometers away.

This restaurant is not open to the public; reservations are required. The diners here are all wealthy business owners or elites from the business and political circles. The owner of this restaurant is a very rich person with extensive connections, so he hardly needs to operate in the public eye.

You need to book a week in advance for meals.

There are no seats available without a reservation.

Xu Mu sat in the last row, and Teng Peizhi sat next to him.

As for the two independent girls in front, they were engrossed in chatting on their phones in the group chat.

"Holy crap, guys, I'm convinced!"

"President Xu is pursuing President Teng. He just took the initiative to sit in the back row with President Teng, right behind me!"

"That's right!!"

The girl on the left echoed, "But President Teng still has that cold look on his face, and President Xu's expression is also rather aloof. He doesn't seem to have been rejected at all. I guess that's the confidence of rich people!"

"I reckon the two of them are still somewhat interested in each other, because President Teng didn't seem to be refusing earlier!"

"It might not be because he didn't mean to refuse, but Mr. Xu is our company's boss, so he can't refuse, right? After all, isn't that how the workplace is? Mr. Xu was able to acquire our Harvest Venture Capital in its entirety without needing to go through the shareholders' discussions. He directly decided our life or death. I guess President Teng was also under pressure from Mr. Xu!"

"..."

Xu Mu was sitting in the back row scrolling through Douyin (TikTok). With a slight glance up, she could see the girl diagonally opposite her typing away in a group chat.

To be honest, my typing speed is quite fast, and there are tons of messages in it.

Xu Mu's eyesight was still good, and he could vaguely make out the words "President Xu," "President Teng," and "Teng Peizhi" that they mentioned. He guessed they were talking about how he and Teng Peizhi were sitting in the back row.

Xu Mu couldn't help but smile, and typed a message on his phone to Teng Peizhi.

"They're cricketing at us in a small group!"

Teng Peizhi felt her phone vibrate, picked it up, glanced at it, and typed, "I know!"

"There's a young girl I mentored who's also in the group. She often sends me messages, but their chatter is generally within the normal range; they haven't said anything bad. However, it's hard to say about some smaller groups of four or five people. After all, three women make a drama, and a group of women makes even more drama!"

Teng Peizhi can accept it.

It's perfectly normal to chat with colleagues, gossip, and discuss various topics during breaks from work.

Otherwise, how would they get through this monotonous life like cattle and horses?

"That's true!" Xu Mu smiled, stopped chatting with Teng Peizhi, and leaned back in his seat to continue scrolling through Douyin.

Of course, his hand also began to gently caress Teng Peizhi's beautiful legs, which were covered in black stockings, under the cover of darkness in the back row. Because of the black stockings, Xu Mu's hand silently explored inside.

This made Teng Peizhi frown, and she couldn't help but turn her head to glare at Xu Mu, instantly squeezing her legs together.

This was in the car, with two colleagues from the company sitting in front of her. She couldn't make a sound at all, and could only resist Xu Mu's invasion with a silent leg-clamping motion.

Xu Mu smiled, not letting Teng Peizhi off so easily, and still gently flicked his index finger, provoking Teng Peizhi.

Teng Peizhi's pretty face flushed slightly as she pressed down on Xu Mu's playful hand.

Xu Mu didn't go too far; she just rubbed it for a while before taking it out, smelling it. It smelled quite nice, with a unique, light fragrance that belonged only to Teng Peizhi.

This action made Teng Peizhi feel both ashamed and embarrassed, so she could only kick Xu Mu with her high heels.

Xu Mu chuckled and continued scrolling through Douyin (TikTok) idly. Of course, his other hand was still casually stroking his thigh. He couldn't go too far, lest he anger Teng Peizhi and have to pay hundreds of millions to appease her that night.

Although the distance to the private chef is not far, it's rush hour now, so there's still some traffic.

What should have been a ten-minute drive took a full half hour.

Xu Mu was scrolling through Douyin in the car when he glanced at his novel. He had already managed to get around 20,000 average daily subscriptions, and he had three Golden Alliances and had also obtained the badge for the Hundred Alliances Tournament. In addition, he was being followed by tens of thousands of people.

And its popularity!

Xu Mu maintained a daily output of 10,000 words for this book. Although the early chapters were a bit sluggish, Xu Mu became more and more proficient in writing as the book progressed. In addition to the data from the marketing team, there were also some new readers joining the book.

"I just don't know if I can get a contract with a top player!"

Xu Mu writes whenever he has a spare moment and already has a lot of drafts saved up.

And it should be basically finished in about two more months.

The rest of the time is spent updating 10,000 words a day on a set schedule, and the rest of the time is spent writing new books.

For some reason, Xu Mu quite enjoys writing books, and ever since he acquired the skill of being a keyboard warrior, he has become adept at both criticizing others and writing.

Xu Mu didn't dwell too much on writing the book. After all, with his current net worth, writing was just a hobby, something he could do casually. But the sense of accomplishment from writing a book was different. It's like how some businessmen in the business world, after achieving success, will hire someone to write about their experiences and publish a book to show off!

Pretentiousness is a characteristic of every man.

For them, whether they are eighteen or fifty-eight, they all like to show off.

Some men in their seventies and eighties even dance with elderly women in the square, because men are boys until they die.

The Vito van was parked in the private kitchen's designated parking lot, and Xu Mu and the others got out of the car.

"Sister Teng, why is your face so red?"

"Hmm?" Teng Peizhi brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear, then said softly, "It's a bit too hot in the back, and the windows aren't open, so the air conditioning isn't blowing properly!"

Teng Peizhi explained calmly.

There were no emotional fluctuations.

Because she knew that these people were quite the gossips.

"Oh, let's go inside the shop and get some fresh air later. It's really hot here. It's almost National Day, but it's still like the lingering heat of late summer!"

"It's unbearably hot!"

Drivers are not allowed to participate in the meals; they usually eat at nearby restaurants or order takeout to eat in their cars.

Zhou Sheng led Xu Mu inside, while Teng Peizhi and the other two followed behind.

"Director Jin, we've arrived at the door!"

Zhou Sheng made a phone call to the leader who organized the dinner party that evening.

"Oh, I'll have Xiao Yu come pick you up!"

"Okay, thank you!"

Upon entering through the main gate, a doorman checked their electronic admission tickets and then led the way.

This is a private kitchen in the style of a small villa. The yard in front is about 100 square meters, and there is a bluestone-paved path leading directly to the kitchen gate.

Surrounded by bamboo groves and maple trees, interspersed with lights, the green bricks and white walls exude the charm of a Jiangnan water town.

There is a small pond and a large vat in front of the villa. The ecological pond is filled with some large carp, which are golden and red, swimming around.

Xu Mu really liked this garden-style decoration.

"President Zhou!" Jin Sanyang's assistant, Xiao Yu, pushed open the door from the inside and called out to Zhou Sheng, "Director Jin sent me to pick you up!"

"Please come in!"

"You're too kind, you're too kind!"

Zhou Sheng smiled and shook hands with Xiao Yu.

Xu Mu followed her inside without greeting Xiao Yu, instead looking around at the interior decoration.

The interior decoration contrasts sharply with the blue bricks and white walls of the outer courtyard. The interior is decorated in a luxurious style, with crystal chandeliers overhead and dark granite tiles underfoot. The decoration must have cost a lot of money.

"The decor here is quite nice!"

"I really like it!"

Xu Mu glanced at Teng Peizhi and subconsciously asked, "Does this kind of private chef not accept customers from the public?"

“That’s right.” Teng Peizhi nodded. “This is my first time here too, but I’ve heard that this private chef is amazing. We’re not usually qualified to eat here, so we’re just here today to tag along with President Zhou and President Xu!”

"Haha!" Xu Mu laughed and said, "Then why don't we hurry up and take some photos?"

"I'll post this on my WeChat Moments to show off!"

Before Xu Mu could speak, the other two girls had already taken out their phones and started snapping photos.

Teng Peizhi gently shook her head, "I don't like posting on WeChat Moments."

Xu Mu nodded, which was quite in line with Teng Peizhi's personality.

"Mr. Zhou, who is this?"

Xiao Yu led the way and saw Xu Mu looking around the shop with the air of a naive newbie, which made Xiao Yu frown and ask Zhou Sheng a question.

Even if someone is inexperienced and naive, they shouldn't have that expression in this situation!
They've gotten used to being in high positions, and to be honest, they look down on these people.

low.

There's a strange kind of low-class about him; having dinner with him seems to lower your own standards.

"This is Xu Mu, the wholly-owned owner of Harvest Venture Capital! He's also the owner who acquired Magnolia Plaza!"

"Tonight, Director Jin is hosting a special banquet for President Xu. I'm just here to guide him!"

Upon hearing Zhou Sheng introduce the other person as Xu Mu, Xiao Yu's eyes widened in shock. Her previous disdain turned into astonishment as she looked at Xu Mu with a surprised gaze. For some reason, after learning Xu Mu's identity, Xiao Yu's feelings towards Xu Mu changed.

This is probably the casualness of a big shot. He doesn't care about details at all and doesn't care about other people's opinions. He could easily buy this private kitchen with a wave of his hand. He just hasn't been there and admires the style of the decor.

Um! That must be it!

After all, someone as wealthy and influential as Xu Mu must have seen a lot of the world, so his comments on the decor of this private kitchen were more of a critique!

Xu Mu was unaware of Xiao Yu's complex inner thoughts. To him, Xiao Yu was nothing more than an insignificant lackey, and he didn't need to care about such a person's inner thoughts and ideas.

"So you're President Xu!"

"I have long admired your great name!"

Xiao Yu bent down, smiling, and reached out to shake hands with Xu Mu.

"Hello." Xu Mu nodded slightly, shook hands gently, and then continued to look around at the interior design.

"It looks like there are three floors in total, but why is his villa so big?"

Xu Mu recalled the private Western restaurant he had gone to with Shen Yuting before. It was also located in a villa, but their villas were damn huge, which gave Xu Mu a great visual impact.

"This used to be a manor, a place where every inch of land is precious. It was only later bought by this owner and converted into a private kitchen. There's also a back garden. It's not just a simple villa. And the place we just came in from is actually the back door."

"There's no parking space at the front entrance, so over time everyone got used to coming in from here!"

Seeing Xu Mu's curious expression, Zhou Sheng immediately smiled and explained, "Moreover, the system here also emphasizes the membership card system. With a membership card, you can dine on the same day, but for other times you have to book a week in advance. Even with a membership card, there might not be any seats available."

"In that case, won't those with membership cards take other people's spots?" Xu Mu asked curiously.

"No, the rules are still followed here."

"After all, everyone who comes here to eat has a background and status. In this situation, to say that you stole someone's seat is just a slap in the face, isn't it?"

Chatting casually along the way, Xu Mu and Zhou Sheng entered the private room.

There were already some people sitting inside. Xu Mu glanced around and saw that there were about ten people, including seven middle-aged men in suits and six women accompanying them.

Xiao Yu pushed open the door to the private room and greeted Jin Sanyang first, "Director Jin, President Xu and President Zhou are here!"

(End of this chapter)