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

Li Zhibai had a dream.

In his dream, he was wearing a white robe and standing on a mountaintop shrouded in mist. In front of him was a huge iron pot, in which something golden was being stir-fried.

The foot of the mountain was filled with a dense crowd kneeling down, shouting in unison, "Long live the God of Food!"

Just as he was basking in the admiration of thousands, a man suddenly rushed out from the crowd, pointed at his nose, and yelled, "Li Heizi! You fucking sell a bowl of fried rice for 1288 yuan, don't you have a conscience?!"

He looked down and saw that the person was actually Yu Shen.

Then, Lu Qianshan, Pang Yi, Mu Cixuan, Liu Dexin (whom Yu Shen had swindled out of over 100,000 yuan), and even that bastard Zhao Lei rushed out from behind Yu Shen.

A group of people rushed up and dragged him down from the mountaintop...

Li Zhibai suddenly sat up in bed, startled awake, his head covered in cold sweat.

"Damn it, I even dream about these guys coming to collect debts. What bad luck."

He picked up his phone and glanced at it; it was only 8:30 in the morning.

After yawning, I slid downstairs in my slippers.

The first thing he did after going downstairs was to send a voice message to Su Su on his phone.

"Sister Su, I've sent you the ingredient list. Please arrange for someone to deliver it to me."

The message was sent and Su Su replied instantly, less than two minutes later.

"Understood, Master!"

Listen to this, and you'll get the hang of it.

Li Zhibai felt especially warm whenever he thought of his apprentice who didn't ask for a salary but even paid out of his own pocket and helped provide him with food supplies.

It would be even more heartwarming if the other party could pay his salary for a year in advance.

While Su Su was arranging for someone to deliver the goods, Li Zhibai first made himself a simple fried rice for breakfast, and then began to deal with the remaining food in the refrigerator and start preparing meals.

Those guys said last night they'd bring people over for dinner today. Even if each of them brings just one person, there should be at least twenty people today.

We need to stock up on more ingredients, especially the luxury ones, and rip them off badly.

Prepare ten sets of the deluxe version of Bodhi Jade, five sets of the regular version, and the three sets left over from yesterday, for a total of eight sets, which should be enough.

Besides the regular customers who have already dined there, any new customers who want to order the limited-edition fried rice must bring in more new customers. If this cycle continues, making 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a day, or even more, shouldn't be a problem.

Jie Jie Jie...

Li Zhibai revealed a shrewd businessman's smile.

He didn't know that he was destined to fail today, because the guy who helped him yesterday had no intention of continuing to recruit people.

The newly established "Anti-Black Alliance" has already added all the customers from yesterday to the group, and Yu Shen and others have also explained the pros and cons to them in the group.

That means they can come to eat, but they shouldn't bring in any new customers unless absolutely necessary, otherwise everyone will have to wait in long lines in the future.

Finally, they reached a united front: Li Heizi would definitely prepare the food today, and if they weren't allowed to order the limited-edition dishes, they wouldn't order them; they could just eat something else. Alternatively, the person who was eligible could order for the unqualified people, and then transfer the money back to the qualified person later. This would solve the problem of needing to solicit customers to eat the limited-edition dishes.

It's impossible for Li Zhibai to expect customers to bring in two new users every time they order the limited-quantity fried rice; that's unrealistic and would exhaust the patience of existing customers. So, attracting just one new user is sufficient.

Yu Shen and his team discovered this vulnerability through research, which is why they came up with this corresponding solution.

They didn't even need to be there in person; they could simply transfer money via WeChat to a qualified person to buy it on their behalf. This perfectly foiled Li Heizi's treacherous scheme.

Incidentally, Su Su is not in this anti-gang alliance.

They already considered her a traitor and were afraid she would betray them.

It was a little after 10 a.m.

Su Su's BMW Mini appeared at the store entrance, followed by that familiar small van.

"Master, everything is complete. I've checked it."

Today, Su Su wore a cartoon T-shirt with a menacing crab printed on it, and her hair was tied in a bun. She was as energetic as ever.

"Thank you for your hard work." Li Zhibai rolled up his sleeves and helped the two deliverymen carry goods into the store.

After checking the list, Su Su left because she had urgent business at her own restaurant and didn't stay to help.

Li Zhibai generously granted the leave; after all, the person was already being paid to work, so what was wrong with wanting to take leave?

It was just past three in the afternoon when Li Zhibai finished preparing the meal.

The sun was blazing on Financial Street, making the asphalt surface gleam with an oily sheen.

Li Zhibai squatted at the shop entrance, holding a water ladle, watering the few half-dead potted green vines placed at the door.

These potted green plants were left behind by the previous tenant. I don't know how long it's been since they were watered; the leaves have all withered.

"What an unlucky master you've been following."

"The previous boss ran away, leaving you all to fend for yourselves. Now it's my turn to take over and serve you."

"We brothers are all in the same boat; we've all been scammed."

Just as Li Zhibai was grumbling as he watered the pothos, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

A girl dressed like a saleswoman was walking towards him from the bus stop.

The girl's face was covered in sweat, and she was carrying a canvas bag with an insurance company logo printed on it in her left hand.

Li Zhibai took a closer look.

Isn't this Wen Ran?

That legendary intern who swindled his supervisor out of 170,000 yuan, but incidentally helped his Shaxian restaurant achieve its highest single-day revenue since its opening.

It's only been two days, how come you've switched to selling insurance?

Wen Ran clearly saw Li Zhibai squatting by the door watering the flowers, and her eyes lit up immediately. She ran over.

"Boss! Boss!"

"Great, you haven't run away yet."

Li Zhibai: "..."

Why would I run away?

"Sorry, it was a stress reaction. I heard your supervisor came to see you, so I..."

"Don't worry, even if you run away, I won't," Li Zhibai said irritably.

He glanced at Wen Ran's outfit: a white shirt, black trousers, and a name tag pinned to her chest that read "Anping Insurance - Wen Ran".

"What happened to you? Did you get fired?"

"Yeah," Wen Ran nodded, "That lousy company is a complete disaster. The boss is stingy, and the supervisor is no better. Last time at the company dinner, I wasn't even the one choosing the restaurant, and they pinned all the blame on me and threatened to punish me. Why stay at such a garbage company? I just resigned and ran away, leaving gracefully!"

Li Zhibai gave her a thumbs up: "You did the right thing!"

"The sooner this unscrupulous company runs away, the better! It's just a meal that cost 170,000 yuan, and they're making things difficult for a young girl like you? They're so petty, they'll go bankrupt sooner or later!"

He spoke with righteous indignation and passion, as if that exorbitantly priced meal of 170,000 yuan had nothing to do with him.

Wen Ran has a good attitude and nodded vigorously: "That's right, that's right, I saw through it a long time ago. Those kinds of companies can't retain people, so that's why I left."

"So how's it going with your new job?" Li Zhibai asked.

"So far, I feel pretty good. The commission is high, the hours are flexible, I don't have to be in the office, and my colleagues are all very positive."

"I was running errands in the Financial Street area today and happened to pass by your place, so I thought I'd stop by. After all, your food is so delicious, I'd be really sad if you went out of business."

Li Zhibai: "..."

Are you here to see me or to curse me?

I just really don't like chatting with you.

"Oh, right!" Wen Ran suddenly remembered something, took out another business card from her canvas bag, and handed it over with both hands: "Boss, this is my new business card. Wen Ran from Anping Insurance. You can contact me for car insurance, life insurance, property insurance, and accident insurance. I will definitely give you the lowest discount."

Li Zhibai took the business card, looked at it, and then looked at her: "Your business scope is quite broad."

"Absolutely!"

"By the way, boss, do you want to buy insurance? I think you could buy personal accident insurance. It only costs three hundred dollars a year, and if something happens to you, the maximum compensation is two million dollars," Wen Ran said with a caring expression.

Li Zhibai: "..."

He really didn't want to talk to this girl anymore; he hadn't said a single nice word. Did he really look that unlucky?

"What are the benefits like at your company? Is it a good career path?"

"Well, yes, there are some. The most capable woman in our company earned 120,000 yuan in commission last month, all from running sales. Her monthly income is equivalent to what I earned in two or three years of my previous job."

"I've already made up my mind. From now on, I'll be out there every day, scanning every office building in this financial district. I refuse to believe I can't close a deal."

Looking at her full of energy, Li Zhibai suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Could he perhaps continue to develop the company's group catering business with her?

She'll have to have a meal with her colleagues when she gets to her new company, right?

Li Zhibai coughed and asked in a tone that tried to sound as natural as possible, "Um, Wen Ran..."

"Um?"

"Does your current insurance company usually have any team-building activities or dinners?"

"I think I can do it..."