Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

"These seafood market stalls all look pretty much the same, and the seafood looks quite good. Why don't we just pick one?"

Seeing Chen Yao beside him searching intently, Su Chen couldn't help but ask.

When Su Chen first arrived at the seafood market, he just wanted to find a decent-looking shop and have a simple meal. However, Chen Yao took on the task, saying that he would rather suffer on his own legs than let the people behind him suffer.

This piqued Su Chen's curiosity. How could eating seafood for lunch cause such a commotion? He asked Chen Yao what happened and learned how murky the seafood market was. Shortchanging customers was common, and the real danger was that someone might switch the seafood with something else. You might buy something fresh, but what happens when it's served is anyone's guess.

"Soon~ Last time I was in Dalian on a business trip, a colleague from the research institute took me here to eat. It's his family's restaurant, and the food is not only delicious but also of guaranteed quality!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yao spotted a familiar sign in the distance. His eyes lit up, and a look of joy appeared on his face. "Found it! Hao You Lai Seafood Stall! This is it! Come on, Lao Su, let's go!"

Su Chen followed Chen Yao's gaze and saw that the food stall was located at the northwest corner of the seafood market, a pretty good location. The sign above the door looked a bit worn, and the words on it had faded from their original deep red color, making them almost illegible. It seemed that this food stall had been open for quite a few years.

It was the peak season for summer tourism, and Dalian itself is a great place surrounded by the sea on three sides. Even though it was already two or three in the afternoon, the seafood market was still very lively, and many tourists, like Su Chen and his group, were looking for their favorite restaurants.

As Su Chen and his group approached, they noticed a heavy iron weapon on the transparent glass door, with a note next to it that read, "They went on a trip to the south and won't be back for half a month!"

When I looked at the date, wow... what a coincidence, it was posted today.

Chen Yao was completely dumbfounded when he saw this scene. Their luck was just too good.

"Hehe~ I didn't know it would be such a coincidence. Who knew they would suddenly go on a trip!" Chen Yao smiled sheepishly and looked at Su Chen, saying, "How about... we go to another place?"

Su Chen immediately rolled her eyes at him. What was so special about walking around this seafood market for ten or twenty minutes? Was it just an appetizer?

But there's no use saying all this now, so he shrugged helplessly and said, "Alright, you can arrange it as you see fit. Anyway, I'm not that picky about seafood, as long as it tastes good."

Just then, a warm voice came from beside them: "Hey handsome guys, wanna eat seafood? Why don't you come to my place and have a taste? It's all freshly caught this morning, super fresh!"

Looking back, they saw a middle-aged woman in her forties, wearing an apron, standing in front of a food stall next door, waving at them with a big smile.

The food stall's signboard looked very new, like a newly opened shop. It had the words "Chao Ge Seafood Food Stall" written in large red letters on a white background. The aquarium at the entrance was filled with lively fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish, which looked quite fresh.

"Are these all fresh catches from today?" Chen Yao asked after his gaze lingered on the aquarium for a moment.

Upon hearing Chen Yao's standard Mandarin, the older sister's smile widened even more, and she replied with a cheerful laugh, "Of course! You can choose for yourselves. We also have lobsters and king crabs in our restaurant, and the prices are very reasonable!"

Hearing this, Chen Yao looked at Su Chen beside him and asked, "Old Su, what do you think? This lady is so enthusiastic, why don't we go to this house?"

Su Chen's gaze lingered on the eldest sister's enthusiastic face for a moment before he nodded and said, "Okay, this is the place!"

When the eldest sister saw Su Chen and his group approaching, she immediately greeted them warmly, "Come, come, please come inside!"

The store's interior is simply decorated, perhaps because it has only been open for a short time. It looks very clean, and the tables and chairs are new, giving it a pretty good feel.

"What would you like to eat? You can choose any of these seafood dishes; the prices are all clearly marked!" The older woman said with a smile as she stood in front of the aquarium, holding a notebook.

Su Chen glanced at the aquarium. Each seafood display case had a number on it. The cheapest items were fifty or sixty, while the most expensive, like king crab, were only priced at a little over five hundred. Even the lobsters were just over one hundred.

Su Chen didn't really care whether the price was expensive or not, since he had never bought seafood himself before. But Chen Yao, standing next to him, frowned.

"Boss, your prices are wrong. How come your prices are so much cheaper than the place next door? The king crab next door sells for six or seven hundred, but you only sell it for five hundred. And this lobster, other places sell it for around two hundred, but you only sell it for a little over one hundred?"

As soon as Chen Yao finished speaking, the older sister's face froze for a moment, but she quickly put on an even warmer smile: "Oh, young man! What are you saying? Isn't it good to be cheap? Our seafood is all freshly caught every day, and look how lively the lobsters are."

"If our store hadn't just opened recently and we didn't need word of mouth to build a reputation, how would you have found such good seafood at this price!"

As she spoke, she deftly scooped a large, menacing lobster from the aquarium. The lobster's tail fins thrashed violently, splashing water everywhere.

Seeing this, Su Chen and Chen Yao subconsciously took two steps back.

"Hey handsome guys, how about it? This lobster sold for over a hundred, didn't you get a good deal?" the older woman said smugly.

It wasn't that she was showing off; the seafood in these aquariums was carefully selected by them, specifically to attract customers. Anyone who wanted to eat seafood would be tempted to leave once they saw such fresh seafood at affordable prices!
Chen Yao glanced at Su Chen, and seeing that he didn't react, nodded and said, "Okay, bring two large lobsters, three catties of swimming crabs, six of these three-headed abalone, and five catties of sea urchins..."

Chen Yao ordered six or seven kinds of seafood in one go, which came to about four or five thousand yuan. The lady who was keeping the bill was smiling so hard that her mouth almost reached her ears. She couldn't be happier.

The older sister had a big customer today, so she wasn't going to let him go so easily. She immediately pointed to the only king crab and said, "Handsome, how about we have one of these king crabs? It's only about four or five pounds."

Chen Yao glanced at the king crab, noticing its impressive size, and nodded, saying, "Alright~ Let's include this king crab too, we can just steam it!"

"Alright!" The older sister scooped out the king crab with a big smile, put it on the scale, and it weighed exactly four and a half pounds.

After confirming the weight, the eldest sister prepared to take the seafood Chen Yao had ordered to the kitchen. She had only taken a few steps when Su Chen's voice rang out.

"Wait a moment!"

Upon hearing this, the older woman paused, a fleeting hint of panic flashing in her eyes. When she turned around, her face returned to its usual warm demeanor, and she asked, "Handsome, is there anything else?"

Su Chen did not respond to his elder sister's words. Instead, he raised his hand and beckoned to Chen Fei behind him. When Chen Fei walked up to him, he said, "Afei, come with your elder sister to the kitchen and see if you can help out. It's getting late, and we have things to do after we finish eating."

Upon hearing this, a hint of panic immediately appeared in the older woman's eyes. She forced a calm smile and said, "No need, no need! The kitchen is busy enough. How can we let you customers help us? You can sit down and chat and have some tea. The food will be served soon."

Chen Yao, who was watching from the sidelines, naturally took in all the changes in his eldest sister's expression. The smile on his face immediately turned cold. At first, he thought that even if his eldest sister was so enthusiastic, it wouldn't be a big problem as long as she was happy. After all, the practice of short-weighing existed in many places, and everyone knew it.

But judging from the woman's reaction, it's probably not just a matter of short-weighting. Considering the low price, the word "switcheroo" immediately came to Chen Yao's mind!
"What? Is your kitchen something you can't show to anyone?" Su Chen's eyes flickered, and a cold gaze fell on his eldest sister.

"Gulp!" The eldest sister immediately felt a pressure coming down on her, and nervously swallowed. She finally realized that the people in front of her were not fat sheep at all, but tigers in sheep's clothing.

Especially the young man who called out to him; Chen Fei was standing so straight, he must be one of his bodyguards or something.

They even have bodyguards; their background can't be small.

"How could it be something that can't be seen by others? Come with me, young man!" The older woman forced a not-too-bad smile and beckoned Chen Fei to head towards the kitchen.

Chen Fei followed his older sister into the kitchen. A strong smell of seafood hit him. The kitchen was quite spacious, and two or three chefs were sitting around smoking and chatting. They were all burly men.

When they saw the seafood in the older sister's hand, a smile flashed across their faces, as if they were saying they had made a fortune. However, the smile did not last for more than two seconds before they saw Chen Fei following behind the older sister, and their faces showed a look of surprise.

"Li Fen, is this a guest? Why did you bring him to the kitchen? Don't you know that outsiders are not allowed in the kitchen?" A burly man who seemed to be the leader immediately showed a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

A bitter smile flashed across Li Fen's face. She made a gesture to the man who was speaking, her husband Ding Hao. He was immediately stunned. He knew the gesture very well; it was a gesture they had specifically agreed upon, meaning that this guest was no ordinary person.

Chen Fei paid no attention to Li Fen and Ding Hao's secret conversation. Instead, he looked around the kitchen and was surprised to find a small aquarium inside with several large lobsters and some swimming crabs that looked just like the ones outside.

Another issue is that there are too many freezers in the kitchen, a total of three, all of which are larger than a person. It looks rather awkward in the kitchen of a fresh seafood stall.

"Brother Hao, these are the seafood the guests ordered. Let's hurry up!" Li Fen put the seafood on the table and gestured to Ding Hao to stop dawdling and get these guests off as soon as possible.

Ding Hao looked at the king crab and lobster on the table... a hint of heartache flashed in his eyes. Although he didn't know what was going on, he knew his wife wouldn't cheat him, so he immediately called the other two chefs to start preparing the seafood.

Chen Fei also turned his gaze away from those freezers. He had a guess in his mind what those freezers were for. If he wasn't mistaken, those freezers were filled with all kinds of frozen seafood.

The reason why the seafood at this restaurant is so cheap is to attract tourists who think they've found a bargain. After they order all kinds of fresh seafood outside, the seafood is taken into the kitchen and placed directly into the aquarium. The restaurant is using frozen seafood instead of fresh ingredients.

As for why they are confident that others cannot tell that the food is frozen, it is likely that these chefs have done extensive research in this area, and satisfying the palates of these tourists is quite simple.

"Hey handsome, look, the chef's already cooking. Why don't we go outside and wait?" Li Fen didn't want to give up the last glimmer of hope and was still thinking of struggling a little more.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei lowered his eyes and gave Li Fen a cold look. Li Fen immediately felt a chill run down her spine and froze on the spot, causing her heart to tremble.

She had seen that look before. A few years ago, when they were still in the industry, she went with Ding Hao to meet a big shot in their circle. The two men's gazes were just as intense, except that guy had already passed away and was probably in elementary school by now.

Chen Fei withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "No need, I'll just watch from here!"

Upon hearing this, Li Fen fell silent. She knew that saying anything more would be of no use. She nodded and walked outside. She had to take good care of the two people outside, otherwise, who knew what might happen.

The chefs looked burly and tattooed, but their skills were truly exceptional. In just ten minutes, king crab, lobster, abalone, and other delicacies were transformed into delicious dishes.

After all the dishes were served and the doorman left the kitchen, Ding Hao immediately called Li Fen in and asked her what was going on with the group of guests.

Li Fen dared not conceal anything and recounted the whole story in detail, not even missing the glances from Su Chen, Chen Fei, and the others, including the look in her eyes when she finally advised Chen Fei. Upon hearing this, Ding Hao's face showed a hint of fear. He quickly went to the kitchen door and looked outside. He saw Su Chen and the others leisurely enjoying their seafood, nodding occasionally as if praising the dish.

He was so busy cooking that he hadn't had a chance to observe carefully. He was thinking of taking a good look at whether this person was really as mysterious as Li Fen had said. But as soon as his gaze fell on Chen Fei, Chen Fei, who was eating, immediately stopped and glanced discreetly towards the kitchen. When Ding Hao saw this, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away.

"What's wrong?" Su Chen asked casually when he saw Chen Fei suddenly look up.

Chen Fei withdrew his gaze and reported in a low voice, "It's nothing, I just felt like someone was watching us."

Su Chen smiled. Chen Fei had briefly explained his findings after coming out, so he naturally understood the situation of this shop.

"It's okay, don't worry about them, let's eat. I must say... this spicy seafood is really pretty good!" With that, Su Chen picked up a piece of stir-fried abalone and put it in his mouth, nodding in satisfaction.

Chen Yao nodded in agreement, "The taste is indeed good. To put it bluntly, it's much better than the food stall my colleague's family runs, but..."

Although he didn't finish speaking, Su Chen naturally understood the implication in Chen Yao's words: the store was passing off frozen goods as fresh ones.

"What, you want to do something about it?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow and looked at Chen Yao with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Actually, Su Chen had been thinking about managing it from the beginning. Later, while waiting, he checked the seafood market prices online.

Take some relatively inexpensive items, like razor clams and clams. Fresh ones would cost 50 or 60 yuan per kilogram, but here they're only 30 or 40 yuan. Even though they're frozen, with this skillful preparation, the price is still acceptable.

The real money-making opportunity for this food stall comes from its large items, such as lobsters and king crabs, which cost several hundred yuan per kilogram. They capitalize on customers' desire for bargains by attracting them with low prices.

Anyone with a brain could see the trickery involved and could simply turn around and leave the store. But if you're thinking "what if," believing you've found a bargain, then Su Chen can only say that it's a case of one willing to give and the other willing to take.

How many restaurants these days aren't using frozen food? Take those chicken feet stews and crab stews, for example. Where do they get so many fresh chicken feet to make them? Everyone knows they're frozen, but they still eat them happily.

It all comes down to one's own choice.

Chen Yao shook his head slightly: "I don't have the time to meddle in these trivial matters. I just think that if this restaurant could focus on improving the taste and diversifying the menu instead of resorting to these underhanded tricks, it might be able to grow bigger and stronger!"

Upon hearing this, Su Chen paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You can give the owner some advice later. Who knows, in a couple of years, this shop might really become the signature restaurant in this seafood market."

Chen Yao put a piece of garlic lobster meat into his mouth, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "What you said does make some sense."

Su Chen smiled and didn't say anything more.

After eating for about half an hour, Su Chen and his group had devoured all the seafood on the table, leaving only a pile of shells.

"Big sister, check please!" Chen Fei called out to the front desk after seeing that Su Chen had finished wiping his mouth.

Upon hearing this, Li Fen quickly grabbed her notebook and ran over, cautiously asking, "Handsome gentlemen, are you satisfied with your meal?"

Seeing that Su Chen didn't respond, Chen Yao could only continue the conversation: "That's right, with this fresh seafood and your chef's skills, you could say it's the best in the seafood market. Keep up the good work, and who knows, you might even make a name for yourself."

When talking about novelty and career, Chen Yao emphasized his words.

Li Fen was also surprised by Chen Yao's evaluation and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Coming to her senses, Li Fen smiled excitedly and said, "Thank you for the review, handsome! Your total bill is 6,780, so just give me 6,500!"

He then handed the price list to Chen Yao, indicating that he should check if there were any problems with the prices.

Chen Yao handed the bill to Su Chen without even looking at it, his meaning clear: it's Su Chen's turn to pay!
They had already calculated the price in their minds beforehand, and 6,500 was indeed quite cheap, considering they had ordered a lot of good stuff.

After paying the bill, Su Chen and his group did not linger at the seafood market. They went straight out and got into their Alphard and left.

"They just left, okay~ I got it!" Ding Hao hung up the phone with the seafood market security guard, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected those people to leave so decisively.

He thought he would at least be reported, and he was even thinking of using his connections in the market to suppress the matter. He never expected it to turn out like this, which finally put Ding Hao's mind at ease.

"Brother Hao, those guys just said your cooking skills are very good. What do you think about us stopping our shady ways and sticking to our proper profession?" Li Fen walked to Ding Hao's side and said softly.

Ding Hao didn't say anything, but took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Making money through shady means is fast. Take Su Chen and his group's meal today, for example. If they had used frozen goods through shady means, they could have earned at least five thousand.

But if they go through the proper channels, they'll only earn a few hundred dollars at most, or even less, since their seafood prices are much lower than the market price.

Unless they change their prices to be similar to other street food stalls, their profits will be relatively higher. But at that point, it will depend on their individual profits and reputation.

Li Fen knew her husband well and knew he was hesitating, so she immediately added fuel to the fire.

"Brother Hao, our previous food stall had to close down and move here because we were reported multiple times. I don't want to have to move to another seafood market after only a few months. If we keep going like this, our reputation will be ruined in the seafood market circle sooner or later!"

Upon hearing this, a decisive look flashed across Ding Hao's face. He threw the cigarette he hadn't finished smoking on the ground and stomped on it several times.

"Let's do it! From now on, we'll do the real thing. I don't believe that with our skills, we can't make a living. We'll renovate the kitchen and make it completely transparent so that customers can see the food being processed and feel at ease!"

Ding Hao was a worldly man, and he immediately came up with a good plan. To stand out in the seafood market, he needed to come up with an unconventional strategy.

"Um~ Hey Hao, what do you think about us filming cooking videos on Douyin, or occasionally live-streaming the cooking process in the kitchen? We might even become a hit online!"

Upon hearing this, Ding Hao turned around and saw that it was his good brother. His eyes lit up immediately. Maybe there really was a way out in the internet industry.

Even in his spare time, he would take out his phone to browse Douyin (TikTok) to pass the time.

“That’s a good suggestion. Li Fen, close down. We won’t be open this afternoon. Let’s have a good discussion about the future of the store!” With that, Ding Hao put his arm around his two brothers’ shoulders and walked towards the rest area at the back.

Li Fen quickly closed the door and followed.

Nobody knew that a future multi-million dollar food influencer would take his first step at this street food stall.

……

After leaving the seafood market, I received a call from the captain saying that the private jet was already at Zhoushuizi Airport, and the flight route to Beijing had been arranged, so it could take off at any time.

Su Chen and his group immediately returned to the port. Chen Yao immediately arranged for people and vehicles to move all the items in the warehouse onto the vehicles before slowly driving towards the airport.

Even with the spacious interior of Su Chen's private jet, it was barely enough to fit over twenty boxes.

Just as Su Chen finished everything and the plane was about to take off, his phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang. When he saw the caller ID, he was stunned.

He hadn't expected Raymond to call him at this time, so he immediately pressed the answer button.

As soon as the call connected, Raymond's excited voice came from the other end of the line.

"What did you say?" Upon hearing this, Su Chen immediately stood up from his chair, his breathing becoming several degrees heavier!

But Su Chen quickly calmed down and replied in a serious voice:

"Okay, I understand. Immediately arrange for people to block all news. Those who know the inside story must be closely guarded to ensure that not a single piece of information leaks out!"

"Boss, don't worry, only a handful of people know the situation, and I've already arranged for them to return to the base in South Africa!" As the head of IPS, he was very knowledgeable about handling this kind of matter.

"Okay, let's put this on hold for now. I'll call you back when I've figured out how to handle it!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yao immediately moved closer to Su Chen, asking with a face full of curiosity, "What's going on that makes you so happy?"

"Hehe~" Su Chen's lips curled up slightly, his eyes filled with excitement as he said, "Anyway, it's good news, but I can't tell you yet!"

Chen Yao smacked his lips and rolled his eyes at Su Chen, but he didn't press the matter further. He knew it must be something important, otherwise Su Chen would have already told him.

"Ugh, this journey has been tough!" Chen Yao complained, glancing at Su Chen with a hint of unease. His curiosity was like a cat scratching at his heart, making him itchy with desire.

Su Chen also noticed Chen Yao's expression, but this matter was indeed too important, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

Left with no other choice, she could only close her eyes and avoid looking at Chen Yao's resentful gaze. (End of Chapter)