I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

[Fragrant Mixed Noodles: NT$128/serving, Deluxe Version NT$588/serving.]

[Crystal Steamed Dumplings: 128 RMB/basket, Deluxe Version 588 RMB/basket.]

Chicken Leg Rice: NT$168/serving, Deluxe Version NT$688/serving.

【……】

Because the font is indeed quite small, it's a little hard to read at first glance.

The other two workers also came over and looked at it with a magnifying glass, and immediately burst out laughing.

"Holy crap! That deluxe version of noodles is even more outrageous, 588 for a bowl!"

"These days, even Shaxian County dares to rip people off! Is there no law left?!"

"Damn it, if you were a beautiful female boss running a honey trap, we'd accept it, but you, a grown man, are you out of your mind for money?!"

"What a rip-off!"

"Let's go, let's go, this isn't the place for us to eat."

The three workers stood up cursing and left through the door.

Li Zhibai watched them leave and couldn't help but sigh.

He had guessed that this would be the outcome.

This is why he later decided to set the business hours for the evening.

People who work overtime at night are usually tired and hungry, so they are less sensitive to prices. Also, the spending power of the people who come out to eat at night is generally stronger than that of the daytime customers.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the store saw several groups of customers coming in and out.

The reactions of each group of guests were remarkably consistent.

Most of these people are ordinary workers such as delivery riders, cleaners, and temporary workers who just want to find a cheap restaurant nearby for lunch.

Looking around, this newly opened Shaxian Snacks shop on the entire financial street seemed to fit their budget best.

However, after Li Zhibai patiently quoted them the price, everyone showed an incredulous expression, then cursed "crazy" and "rip-off" before turning and leaving.

In fact, Li Zhibai could have chosen not to quote the price and waited until they finished eating before asking for payment, but he couldn't bear to betray these hardworking and thrifty ordinary laborers.

Of course, if he encounters a wealthy tycoon, he certainly won't be polite.

From the time the store opened in the morning until now, past 5 p.m., more than a dozen groups of people have come and gone, but not a single item has been sold.

There's no way around it; the stereotypes surrounding Shaxian, a popular fast-food chain, are just too deeply ingrained.

No matter where your store is located, anyone who has eaten at Shaxian or has even heard of the name knows roughly what its price range is.

Even if a store is located in such an expensive area, people can accept a slight price increase.

But Li Zhibai's shop raised prices more than ten times; no wonder people couldn't accept that.

This price is comparable to those high-end restaurants near Financial Street, so why don't people go to those high-end restaurants?

Ironically, the previous owner went bankrupt because he sold the property too cheaply and couldn't even pay the rent.

He, on the other hand, had no business at all because he sold his products at too high a price.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened.

Li Zhibai checked the progress of the system task again, which showed [0/100], and couldn't help but complain.

"System, I told you this pricing was outrageous. People these days are frighteningly rational. Even in a place like Financial Street, no one is willing to pay an exorbitant price for Shaxian snacks."

[Host, there's no need to worry. There are still six days and six hours until the mission deadline.]

"Holy crap! How can I not be anxious?"

"Don't you even see how outrageous the penalties for the tasks you posted are?!"

Li Zhibai rubbed his temples and looked at the menu on the wall.

"How about... we completely cover up the price first?"

But he nipped the idea in the bud as soon as it came to mind.

No.

He, Li Zhibai, can be a ruthless boss, but he cannot be a fraudster.

It's not illegal to overcharge people by clearly displaying prices, but it's a completely different matter if you deliberately hide prices to lure consumers.

He even now thinks the menu needs to be changed, and the prices need to be made more eye-catching.

The trick he used during the day—pairing large-font menu names with small-font prices—has already shown its drawbacks.

This type of layout can easily mislead customers and, from a legal perspective, may constitute price fraud.

That's why he had to explain things to people repeatedly during the day when they were ordering and paying, until his throat was practically parched.

This approach can't go on forever. It's better to abandon that clever trick and make the prices more visible so that people know the prices before they enter, and they won't have to explain them to him.

Li Zhibai is a man of action.

Realizing that the current menu was unreasonable, he immediately took out his phone and sent another message to the printing shop.

"Boss, redo the menu. This time, make the prices bigger and bolder, as obvious as possible."

The other end replied instantly: "???"

"Boss, are you serious? Didn't you tell me yesterday to lower the price?"

Yesterday is yesterday, now is now.

"Alright, you're the customer, so you get to decide. But I have to say something, brother, the prices on your menu seem a bit outrageous. Shaxian Snacks really don't need to be this expensive!"

Li Zhibai was too lazy to explain and replied, "You don't understand, this is high-end Shaxian cuisine."

Print shop owner: "..."

After a long pause, he finally replied.

"Boss, you're awesome! Wishing you booming business! ദ്ദി!"

Looking at the thumbs-up emoji, Li Zhibai felt that the other person was mocking him, but he had no proof.

After settling on the menu, he went to the door and took down the handwritten opening hours sign, then traced it over again.

Then he sat at the entrance, looking at the packed Michelin three-star restaurant across the street, and grumbled sourly, "Are all the rich people blind these days? Can't they see my Shaxian restaurant, which offers amazing value for money?"

"Alas, in the end, they were blinded by worldly prejudices!"

[The host possesses impeccable literary skills, top-tier self-brainwashing abilities, and a slightly increased level of ruthlessness.]

"Shut up!"

Just as the two people and the system were arguing, the wind chimes at the door rang crisply.

Ding-a-ling~~

A guest has come in.

Li Zhibai reflexively stood up to greet the guests: "Welcome, sir..."

He froze halfway through his sentence.

The "Adapt to the Dishes" talent was automatically triggered, and an information box popped up above the head of the customer who entered.

[Customer: Executive at a technology company]

[Personal Wealth: Purple]

[Preferred food: Soups and light dishes. Health-conscious and willing to pay for high-quality, nourishing foods.]

Purple!

Li Zhibai instantly perked up.

Almost all the customers who came into the store today were dressed in green; he has developed a psychological aversion to the color green.

Finally, a purple one has arrived!

What does this mean?

Green probably represents the average working person, blue represents the middle-class, and purple definitely represents the wealthy!

We have to fleece them... cough cough, don't get excited, don't get excited, stay calm.

This customer was a very elegant woman, probably around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She was wearing a beige trench coat, a white shirt and a dark pencil skirt underneath, and a pair of expensive-looking stilettos. She was carrying a black tote bag, and Li Zhibai recognized the understated logo on the bag—it was called Hermes.

He should be a senior executive of a company in a nearby office building.

After the woman pushed open the door and entered, she first glanced at the store's environment, frowned slightly, and then asked:

"Is there soup?"

"Yes, yes, yes! We absolutely must have it!"

Li Zhibai quickly and enthusiastically introduced, "Our stewed dishes are absolutely amazing! Sister, you've come to the right place!"

The female customer was startled by his enthusiasm and subconsciously took a half step back, her eyes showing a hint of wariness.

The boss gave her the feeling of a hungry wolf that hadn't eaten for days, drooling over her.

To be honest, if she hadn't been in a hurry to get back to the company to work on a document she needed for the next morning, she wouldn't have chosen to get a bowl of soup from Shaxian.

She usually has her aunt cook soup at home and bring it over, but today her aunt took the day off and went back to her hometown, so when she saw this newly opened Shaxian snack shop, she just wanted to grab something quick.

Seeing her reaction, Li Zhibai realized he had been a bit too excited, so he quickly coughed twice, trying to look like a proper boss.

"Uh, sorry, we just opened today, and I'm a little excited to see customers. Ma'am, you'd like some soup, right? Let me show you."

"Our shop currently offers four types of stewed soup: old duck soup, pork tripe soup, chicken soup, and pigeon soup. Each one is freshly stewed daily and tastes exceptionally good!"

The female customer thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll have a pigeon soup to go."

Li Zhibai: "Alright! Pigeon soup, 888 yuan. Sister, since you're the first customer to order soup here, I'll round it down to 880!"

For those with purple-colored spending power, the luxury version of the stew pot is a must-recommend!

This is the correct way to approach food preparation.

The female customer subconsciously hummed in agreement and instinctively took out her phone to scan the code to pay. Just as she was about to enter the amount, she suddenly realized what she had done.

"How much...?"

"Discounted price: 880 yuan."

Female customer: "..."

"Boss, may I ask your name?"

"Me? My name is Li Zhibai."

The female customer nodded, then turned and left, as if she had made up her mind. She didn't look at him again and even picked up her phone to make a report.

"Hey! I want to report someone!"

"I'm reporting this place for being a shady business!"

"Yes! The boss's name is Li Hei..."

Li Zhibai: "???"