Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

Lin Xiaoyu, oh no, she should be called Su Xiaoyu now.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.

"Old Lin, it's him. He came to our door in person to make a bet with us. If Hongyun Hotel wins the championship, he'll let us transfer Xiaoxiang Hotel to him. Similarly, if he doesn't win the championship, he'll transfer Hongyun Hotel to us."

Lin Zheng narrowed his eyes, his fingertips gently stroking the wine glass. The cheerful expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of composure and sharpness.

"Oh? Is that so?"

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two people in front of him, finally settling on Zhao Lei, his eyes filled with scrutiny and amusement.

"Alley Hotel is just a small restaurant that's just starting out, and you actually dare to bring up this kind of transfer bet? It seems you really think our Alley Hotel is a piece of fat meat that you want to swallow whole."

Zhao Lei lowered his head, sweat pouring down his face.

"No, no, it was all a joke."

Su Xiaoyu stood to the side, with someone backing her up, so she wasn't afraid and stood up straight.

She looked up at Zhao Lei, her eyes full of smugness.

For a while, I had to lower myself to hide my identity, but now that's great, I'm going to vent all the grievances I've suffered these past few days!

She looked at Lin Zheng and added.

"It wasn't just a transfer of ownership, Mr. Lin. He also made a threatening statement, saying that if we won, he would not only have to transfer ownership of the shop, but he would also have to apologize to us in public and make up for all the wages he had withheld from Master Guo."

Zhao Lei's face was deathly pale, and the wine glass in his hand trembled violently.

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! I really didn't say that!"

He looked at Old Lin, his eyes filled with fear.

Old Master Lin is a man of great experience and knowledge; how could he not see the intricacies involved?

The glass in his hand suddenly stopped, the crisp sound of it clashing jarringly in the quiet room, instantly drowning out Zhao Lei's flustered explanations.

However, before he could speak, Gao Yang spoke first.

"Boss Zhao, do you want to see the evidence?"

Gao Yang smiled brightly, but to Zhao Lei, that smile looked like that of a demon.

He was trembling like a leaf, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans kept sliding down his face.

"No, I couldn't have said that, Master Gao. We can't wrong every good person."

Even now, Zhao Lei remains stubborn and refuses to talk about what happened back then.

He was gambling. This bet was only a verbal agreement. As long as Gao Yang had no evidence, as long as Old Lin didn't lower himself to stand up for Gao Yang, and as long as Su Wanqing still abided by the rules, he would still have a chance to survive.

Gao Yang snorted coldly, having long anticipated this outcome, and snapped his fingers.

The banquet hall suddenly went dark.

While everyone was still confused, the large screen at the very front of the banquet hall suddenly lit up.

Inside the alleyway hotel, three figures appeared: Gao Yang, Su Xiaoyu, and Zhao Lei.

Zhao Lei looked arrogant, his nose practically pointing to the sky.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know, let's see."

"I think I heard that this Zhao Lei has a conflict with the Alley Hotel. Before the competition, he made a tough statement, saying that he would make sure the other party transferred the hotel to him."

"Is it really that disgusting?"

The audience was buzzing with discussion, and the video began to play.

"Gao Yang, how about we make a bet? If our Hongyun Hotel wins the championship this time, you'll transfer the Xiaoxiang Hotel to us."

"If Hongyun doesn't win the championship in this competition, I will transfer the Hongyun Hotel to you."

The moment those two sentences were uttered, everyone's expression changed.

Before Su Wanqing appeared, how many people in the room knew about the alleyway hotel?

If it weren't for Su Wanqing and Gao Yang's efforts, this alleyway hotel would probably have collapsed long ago. This guy actually wants to swallow up the alleyway hotel; he's shameless.

Everyone looked at Zhao Lei with disdain.

Zhao Lei stared intently at the screen that reflected his arrogant face; every word felt like a hot branding iron, burning his skin.

He opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't utter any rebuttal. Only cold sweat dripped down his chin.

The scornful curses grew louder and louder.

Guests who had previously held reservations about the Hongyun Hotel now all showed expressions of anger.

Zhao Lei's arrogant remarks and bullying behavior have crossed the line in the industry.

Lin Zheng sat in the main seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.

He stared intently at the disheveled man on the stage, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

He didn't speak, but that silence itself was a silent judgment.

Gao Yang stood aside, watching Zhao Lei's ashen face, and spoke calmly, each word piercing to the heart.

"Boss Zhao, words are no proof. Do you say it or not? Can't you even recognize your own voice?"

"Or do you want me to produce evidence that you bribed the judges?"

He clapped his hands with a smile, and a group of people walked in, handing each of them a paper document containing the testimonies of the three judges.

Even before the competition started, Su Wanqing had put pressure on them, causing the three of them to not dare to embezzle a single penny of the stolen money, so they were happy to testify at this time.

Zhao Lei completely broke down.

He understood that any defense would be futile in the face of irrefutable evidence. Old Lin remained silent, wanting to save face for him one last time.

He understood that the Hongyun Hotel's reputation in Yuncheng was ruined.

He knelt down with a thud, gripping the carpet tightly with both hands, his voice hoarse as he broke down in tears.

"I was wrong, I was blinded by greed, I was tempted by money! I shouldn't have coveted the alleyway hotel! I shouldn't have bribed the judges to cheat! Please, have mercy on me, my father is sick and bedridden at home, I had no other choice."

Su Xiaoyu snorted coldly, looking down at the scene, and the pent-up frustration in her heart was finally swept away.

She recalled how she had swallowed her anger and watched Master Guo suffer injustice and how her small shop was harassed. Now, she felt a sense of triumph and exhilaration.

But she didn't soften her heart; she just spoke coldly.

"Let you go? When you were trying to take over the alleyway hotel, why didn't you think about letting us go?"

"Master Guo works day and night for you, and when you deducted his wages, didn't you ever think about giving him a way to make a living?"

"If you had any conscience, none of this would have happened. You brought this all on yourself!"

Zhao Lei collapsed to the ground, unable to speak any longer.

Su Wanqing was annoyed by what she saw, so she waved her hand and ordered someone to take him out.

She and Gao Yang exchanged a glance and nodded to each other. The two of them walked into a private room one after the other.

Inside the dark private room, Zhao Lei lay sprawled on the sofa, like a dead dog.

"Zhao Lei, I'm giving you two choices. First, I'll pay to transfer Hongyun to me. Second, I'll report you and ruin your reputation."

"Have you thought it through? This is my only chance..."

Su Wanqing said coldly.

Gao Yang understood that this was a situation he and Su Wanqing had agreed upon from the beginning.

Gaining the Su family's approval is no easy feat. A small alley hotel can be run by anyone with a bit of skill. Therefore, what the two of them really want to do is to take over the Hongyun Hotel across the street.

Unfortunately, with Guo Yun's reputation at the time, they could only set traps step by step to lure Guo Yun into defecting and invite Zhao Lei to fall into the trap himself.

So from the very beginning, they kept stirring up Zhao Lei's desires, letting him see hope, and enticing him to bribe the judges.

Of course, that so-called evidence was indeed an accident, and it could not have any legal effect. However, it was enough to break down Zhao Lei's mental defenses.

He understood that Su Wanqing was now like a piece of driftwood on a vast ocean to Zhao Lei, and he could at least get some money from her.

Su Wanqing could also win everyone's favor by relying on this point, since her previous identity as the vice president of the catering association was just an empty promise and of no use.

After receiving the official transfer documents, the two smiled at each other. Their trip to Yuncheng had been a resounding success.