Middle-aged tycoon: Twins come knocking on his door when he goes home for Chinese New Year

Li Ze, accompanied by Lao Yi, swaggered into the Prince Xuan Restaurant across the street.

It was lunchtime, and with the added bonus of the flower shop across the street giving away snow lotus flowers, the restaurant was bustling with activity, almost as lively as a wet market. The line to get a number stretched all the way to the elevator.

Li Ze glanced around, his brows furrowing slightly. The hall was packed with people; there wasn't a single empty table, let alone a private room.

"Boss, there are no seats left," the old man whispered from the side.

Li Ze didn't mind and pointed to a booth by the window with a great view. A young couple was sitting there, having just ordered their food.

"Go, move that seat over here. We're here to eat, we can't eat standing up."

The old man nodded and walked straight over.

Without any further ado, Lao Yi walked up to the couple at the table, took out a stack of bright red banknotes from his pocket, about two thousand yuan, and gently placed them on the table.

"Consider this my treat; would you mind giving us this seat?"

The young couple paused for a moment, looking at the money on the table, then at the old man wearing sunglasses and looking serious, and then at the large bunch of valuable snow lotus flowers next to him.

Without saying a word, the guy grabbed the money, pulled his girlfriend to her feet, and said, "Brother, please sit down. We were just thinking of going somewhere else to eat hot pot!"

After saying that, the two left happily.

That's the charm of money power: simple, direct, and harmless.

Li Ze sat down with satisfaction, picked up the menu, and with a wave of his hand, ordered a table full of signature dishes. Abalone, lobster, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall—anything expensive and looking delicious, he ordered one of each.

While waiting for the food, Li Ze's eyes scanned the restaurant like radar.

He quickly identified his target.

Not far away, Zhang Ruoran was using a walkie-talkie to direct the waiters to serve the dishes, so busy that she barely had time to breathe.

Not far from her, a man named Wang Cong was smiling broadly as he followed behind a portly client, talking to him, but his eyes kept glancing at Zhang Ruoran.

Li Ze glanced at Wang Cong and scoffed inwardly.

This kid looks respectable, but he's got some wild ideas.

Li Ze withdrew his gaze and waved to the old man standing behind him:

"Oldest brother, you go."

"Go and call Wang Cong over here."

"Just say I'm the owner of Zeran Flower Shop across the street. I've heard so much about you and I need to talk to you about something."

The old man accepted the order and left.

A short while later, Wang Cong followed Lao Yi over.

Although Wang Cong didn't know Li Ze personally, he was very familiar with the name of Ze Ran Flower Shop today. Li Ze was a lucky charm who brought a huge influx of customers to their shop.

Therefore, Wang Cong's face was plastered with a professional fake smile, and he stretched out his hand from a distance:

"Oh my, so you're the owner of the flower shop across the street! It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Wang Cong, the manager of Taizixuan Xudong branch."

Li Ze didn't stand up; he simply sat on the sofa, extended his hand briefly to shake his, and then gestured to the chair opposite him.

"Manager Wang, please have a seat."

Wang Cong didn't stand on ceremony, sat down, and said with a smile:

"Boss, you're really young and capable! Your marketing today was brilliant. Not only did it boost your flower shop's reputation, but it also helped our restaurant. I haven't even had a chance to thank you yet."

Li Ze picked up his teacup, took a sip, and wore that enigmatic smile on his face:

"You're too kind, Manager Wang."

As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative.

"My flower shop is right across from yours, we see each other all the time."

"In the future, we'll inevitably have times when we need each other's help."

At this point, Li Ze leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Wang Cong:

"I'm a person who values ​​fate the most."

"Since we're all working in this area, I hope we can look out for each other in the future, don't you think, Manager Wang?"

This sounds like typical business pleasantries.

However, under the oppressive aura of Li Ze, a big boss, Wang Cong inexplicably felt a chill down his spine.

But he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just the boss's strong presence.

Wang Cong nodded repeatedly:

"That's for sure! That's for sure!"

"Don't worry, boss. If you ever need a car or need to order food, just let me know."

"Let's help each other and achieve win-win cooperation."

Li Ze nodded in satisfaction:

"Manager Wang is a smart man."

"Alright, I won't keep you from your work any longer; you're quite busy too."

Wang Cong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly stood up.

Before leaving, to show his sincerity, he called out to the waiter next to him:

"Hey you, put this table on my tab, and give this owner a 12% discount! Plus, a complimentary fruit platter!"

After saying that, he exchanged a few more polite words with Li Ze before turning around and leaving to continue entertaining his clients.

Li Ze watched Wang Cong's retreating figure, a playful smile curving his lips.

This kid knows how to handle people.

It's a pity he had such poor taste; he actually fell for his wife.

Not long after Wang Cong left, Zhang Ruoran noticed the situation here.

She saw Li Ze sitting there eating casually, so she walked over.

Zhang Ruoran stood by the table, looking at the dishes laid out before her, then at Li Ze, her eyebrows slightly raised:

"What are you doing here?"

Li Ze picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and said with an innocent look:

"If that's the case, then what you're saying..."

"I was just hungry and came over for a meal, is that not allowed?"

"Besides, I'm the customer, and the customer is king. How can you turn a king away?"

Zhang Ruoran was amused by his shameless behavior and shook her head helplessly:

"Fine, fine, you're God."

"Whatever you want, as long as you're happy."

"But I don't have time to keep you company, the shop is incredibly busy, you'll have to eat by yourself."

Li Ze put down his chopsticks and said seriously:

"You go about your business, don't worry about me."

"I just wanted to come and see you, and maybe try some of the food you make."

"Don't overthink it, and don't feel pressured."

Zhang Ruoran glanced at him, feeling a little sweet inside, but still said aloud:

"Okay, then I'll believe you."

"Don't cause me any trouble."

After saying that, Zhang Ruoran turned around and threw herself back into her busy work.

After Zhang Ruoran left, a young waitress came over with a fruit platter.

The waitress's name is Xiao Li, and she's a very lively young woman.

As she placed the fruit platter, she curiously observed Li Ze.

She had just witnessed that her usually decisive and efficient store manager, Zhang, spoke to this man in a completely different tone and manner.

Moreover, this man had just been chatting with Manager Wang.

Unable to contain his gossip, Xiao Li asked in a low voice:

"Boss, are you very familiar with our store manager, Zhang?"

"I saw that Manager Zhang came over to see you just now."

Li Ze smiled, picked up a slice of watermelon, took a bite, and said casually:

"Of course it's ripe."

"I'm her husband."

"ah?!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li was so surprised that he almost dropped the tray he was holding.

She stared wide-eyed at Li Ze in disbelief:

"Really?"

"Are you Manager Zhang's husband?"

"My goodness! This is huge news!"

She has worked at the store for almost a year and has never heard that Manager Zhang has a husband. Everyone thought she was a single, divorced woman with two children.

After calming himself down, Xiao Li seemed to remember something, lowered his voice, and looked at Li Ze with a sympathetic expression, saying:

"If that's the case, then your rival in love is none other than our store manager, Manager Wang?"

Li Ze raised an eyebrow and asked, feigning ignorance:

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Xiao Li is someone who can't keep a secret. When the person in question asked, he immediately spilled everything he knew:

"Oh dear, this isn't a secret in our store."

"That Manager Wang, even though he works at a branch store, keeps coming here."

"They always dote on Manager Zhang, sending her breakfast, flowers, and snacks. They're incredibly attentive."

"Moreover, he has a very sweet tongue and often helps Manager Zhang avoid drinking alcohol; he does seem quite helpful."

Li Ze listened without showing any anger on his face; instead, he nodded.

"Hmm, he does seem quite enthusiastic."

"But that's normal. If someone is that outstanding, it's a good thing that they have suitors."

Seeing Li Ze's composure, Xiao Li admired him even more and asked again:

"Since you're her husband, don't you get jealous seeing other men pursuing your wife like that?"

Li Ze put down the watermelon rind in his hand, wiped his hands, and said with a smile:

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"Actually, strictly speaking, I am Ruoran's ex-husband."

We've been separated for many years.

"I came back this time to win Ruoran back."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li suddenly realized:

"Haha, I see!"

"I knew it! I've never seen you before."

"But boss, in that case, you'll have a formidable competitor."

"That Manager Wang is also quite qualified, and he has the advantage of being in a good position."

Li Ze looked at Zhang Ruoran, who was still busy not far away, with a firm and confident gaze.

He turned his head, smiled at Xiao Li, and said in a relaxed tone:

"It's okay."

"Isn't competition what creates pressure?"

"Besides, I'm not someone to be trifled with either."