America's Greatest Villain: I Defeat Magic with Magic

Faced with Chen Yuan's question, Boss Huang turned ashen-faced, his parched lips trembling for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

He never expected that Su Nian would secretly record him, and he never expected that Chen Yuan would know that he used near-expiry ingredients.

If it were just a recording, there would still be room for maneuver, since Su Nian didn't sign that statement, at most it could only be considered Huang Fugui shirking responsibility.

But near-expiry ingredients are definitely Huang Fugui's Achilles' heel!

Because he knew very well that if that white-skinned lawyer knew that he had illegally used near-expiry ingredients, then there would be sufficient evidence to cause food poisoning in the customers.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) alone could fine him into bankruptcy.

In addition, the deliberate framing of employees also involves fraud and false accusation.

In an instant, Huang Fugui seemed to have aged more than ten years.

After a long while, he asked weakly:

"How much money do you want?"

In Huang Fugui's view, Chen Yuan, a mere lad in his early twenties, had gone to great lengths to come here and threaten him, simply to extort hush money.

He had seen plenty of these opportunistic scoundrels in America.

However, Chen Yuan countered, "If you lose the food poisoning lawsuit, will you still have any money left?"

Huang Fugui opened his eyes wide, about to burst into a tirade, but found himself unable to refute it.

Three million dollars in compensation is by no means a small amount.

Even with a discounted out-of-court settlement, it would still cost at least one million dollars.

Huang Fugui has been in America for many years, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk to build this restaurant. Although it may seem glamorous on the surface, he knows better than anyone how difficult it is to save money in this cutthroat world.

Each year there are various taxes, commercial insurance, medical insurance, plus the costs of children's schooling and starting a family.

There's also half of the family property that was divided between my wife and me a few years ago when we divorced.

He could indeed come up with a million dollars if he gritted his teeth, but that was basically all the cash he had accumulated in his life.

However, Chen Yuan possessed deadly evidence that could send him straight to jail.

Several thousand or even tens of thousands of dollars would probably not be enough to satisfy their appetite.

But if the other party makes an exorbitant demand, Huang Fugui really won't be able to afford it.

Seeing that Huang Fugui remained silent for a long time, Chen Yuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, finally offering the bait:

"I have a good idea that can help you avoid this lawsuit caused by food poisoning, so that you can live out your retirement in peace with all the remaining assets."

Huang Fugui was surprised that Chen Yuan would offer such terms. A glimmer of hope flashed in his dim eyes, and he quickly asked:

"What are you planning to do?"

Chen Yuan leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and continued:

"It's very simple. The legal entity responsible for the customer's food poisoning is the restaurant, not you personally. Even if Attorney Walker wants to file a lawsuit, he'll have to sue the restaurant's legal representative first."

"So, as long as you're no longer the restaurant owner at this crucial juncture, even if the restaurant loses the lawsuit and faces exorbitant compensation, this mess won't be attributed to you."

"You want me to transfer the restaurant to someone else?!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Fugui immediately shook his head in refusal, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

This Rongding Pavilion restaurant is the culmination of his hard work, built from scratch. It's like his own child, and he's unwilling to give it away easily.

Chen Yuan knew it wouldn't be so easy to persuade the other party, and his tone gradually became serious:

"Boss Huang, guess how I found out the shop was using near-expiry ingredients?"

Huang Fugui was also taken aback when he heard this.

Yes! After that white lawyer came yesterday, he worked hard all night, packing up all the leftover near-expiry ingredients in the kitchen and transferring them to the refrigerated truck, preparing to send them away and get rid of them when he had the chance.

To keep it a secret, he didn't even call Lao Ma.

But why did Chen Yuan know about this so early this morning, as if he had witnessed it himself?

Seeing Huang Fugui's surprised and uncertain expression, Chen Yuan smiled mysteriously and said:

"Since I know about this, others probably do too. If you don't transfer the restaurant soon, your use of near-expiry ingredients will soon be exposed. Then, it won't just be one fat guy with food poisoning causing you trouble."

"Any customer who purchased fried snacks during this period has the right to file a joint claim against you if they experience even the slightest stomach discomfort. How many three million do you think you'd need to spend to avoid this jail time?"

Chen Yuan's words left Huang Fugui completely stunned, and he remained speechless for a long time, leaning back in his chair.

Although Rongdingge has not been in the fried snack business for very long, its business is booming due to Su Nian's eye-catching appeal.

These days, there have been at least eight or ten thousand customers who have bought fried chicken.

If these people are incited by unscrupulous lawyers to launch a class-action lawsuit demanding that Rongdingge compensate them for mental and physical damages, let alone three million, even if they were cut into pieces and sold, it would be far from enough!

It was only then that Huang Fugui realized with despair that the restaurant was most likely doomed.

He gave a wry smile and asked, "But the fact that our restaurant is being targeted by litigators has already spread throughout the Chinese restaurant community. At a time like this, who would be willing to take on this doomed mess?"

Chen Yuan smiled calmly and pointed to himself, saying:

"It's simple, just transfer the restaurant to me."

"Transferring it to you?!"

Huang Fugui's expression shifted between light and shadow.

Currently, besides Lao Ma, only Chen Yuan knows that Rongdingge uses expired ingredients.

Although he initially suspected that Lao Ma had leaked the information to Chen Yuan, he then thought that Lao Ma simply didn't have the guts.

In other words, Chen Yuan has his own information channels!

Could it be that a competitor who is envious of Rongdingge's business is behind Chen Yuan's downfall?

Yes! It's absolutely possible!

After all, those cheap, near-expiry frozen goods were originally purchased from several local restaurant owners.

It must be that a competitor, after learning that a customer at Rongdingge had suffered food poisoning, guessed that they had used those inferior ingredients.

That's why he bribed Chen Yuan, an employee of the restaurant, to coerce him into handing over the restaurant.

Thinking of this, Huang Fugui was filled with remorse.

I shouldn't have done that! I shouldn't have been so blinded by greed for that little bit of advantage!

Having figured out this "insider information," Huang Fugui finally couldn't take it anymore.

After decades of ups and downs in the business world, he never expected to be defeated by a bunch of frozen chicken nearing its expiration date, and was strangled by a series of traps set by capital without any power to fight back!

He glared at Chen Yuan with hatred, gritted his teeth, and asked in a low voice:

"How much are you willing to pay to acquire my restaurant?"

Due to the recent deterioration of public security in the Southern District, Rongding Pavilion's business has declined significantly.

In addition, Huang Fugui is already 58 years old and can no longer work, so he has been thinking about retiring.

Therefore, if the person behind Chen Yuan makes a suitable offer, Huang Fugui is not necessarily determined to hold onto the restaurant.

If he could sell the restaurant for a few hundred thousand US dollars, plus his savings of over a million, he could easily live a carefree retirement.

Seeing that things were looking promising, Chen Yuan suppressed his smile.

"This restaurant is about to face a huge lawsuit for damages, and it is already legally insolvent. By acquiring it, I am also taking on a huge risk for you."

As he spoke, he held up one finger to Huang Fugui:

"How about one dollar then?"

"One dollar?!" Huang Fugui jumped up in anger, his face flushed red, and roared, "That's absolutely impossible! This is blatant robbery!"

Chen Yuan remained seated calmly in his chair, watching him with an air of composure.

"If we wait until Attorney Walker applies to the court for asset preservation and freezes all of the restaurant's accounts, even if you want to sell the restaurant at a loss, no one will be willing to take it over."

As he spoke, Chen Yuan stood up and looked down at Huang Fugui:

"So I advise you to make a decision quickly. Don't worry, considering you've been paying me minimum wage for a few months, I'll treat this restaurant well."