Chapter 110 - 98: Member

Chapter 110: Chapter 98: Member

"Director, Mr. Gates has arrived. He’s waiting for you in your office."

"Alright, I’ll be right there." Carolyn handed the files to her secretary. "I’ll consider this. You can work on other things for now."

"Yes, Director," the staff member replied.

Carolyn nodded and returned to her office with her secretary.

Gates was idly flipping through a biosafety guide on the desk. When he saw her enter, he tossed the book aside.

"What brings you here today?" Carolyn asked.

"I came to ask about the lab’s situation. After all, we’ve invested so much manpower and resources, everyone’s curious." Gates crossed his legs. "It’s officially operational now, right?"

Carolyn nodded. "The personnel are all in place, and we’ve officially started the research and development experiments. However, there’s been no significant progress yet."

Gates waved his hand dismissively. "I’m not here to rush you. If this were that easy, we would’ve done it ourselves. It wouldn’t have been your turn. But I am curious, how do you plan on obtaining pure mutated seeds? If you can’t solve that problem, the most advanced equipment is just for show."

Carolyn’s smile faded slightly, a hint of gravity in her expression.

"It is indeed a difficult problem. Currently, no matter the method, the seeds’ purity rate only reaches eighty-five percent. We can’t map a clear and complete gene chain, which makes it very difficult to proceed with the next stage of research."

"So how do you plan to solve it? The Food Chamber of Commerce has high hopes for you. We’ve invested heavily. Don’t you dare disappoint us!" Gates said with a grin.

Carolyn smiled. "Just a moment ago, you said you weren’t here to rush me."

Gates shrugged noncommittally.

Carolyn’s voice was calm. "Dr. Walter has designed a new purification protocol. Preparations are already underway. If it goes smoothly, we can increase the purity to 90%. At that point, we should have a chance at obtaining a clear gene sequence."

"Let’s hope so. You should be well aware that if this fails, your career ends here. Not even the Caroline family behind you can save you." Gates stood up.

Carolyn’s gaze met his. Neither of them backed down.

"I understand. I will do my utmost," Carolyn said seriously.

"By the way, has *that person* contacted you recently?"

Gates paused for a moment, then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"He’s off having fun who knows where. Why would he contact me?"

"Is that so? We’re in a critical period. The Security Bureau has increased inspections for prohibited organisms in every district. If he plans on coming back, perhaps you could remind him when you have a moment not to bring any... unsavory things into the city. I’d rather not have to greet him in handcuffs."

Gates was silent for a second, then finally nodded. "I know. I’ll pass it on."

When their conversation ended, Carolyn personally saw Gates out. Just as they reached the office door, Gates suddenly seemed to remember something. He reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and handed it to her.

"What’s this?" Carolyn took the black card and glanced at it.

"That girl, Ning, opened a restaurant. This is a VIP membership card she sent for you," Gates said, his tone impatient.

A flicker of amusement appeared in Carolyn’s eyes.

"You mean she refused the cooperation offer from the President of the Food Chamber of Commerce and still managed to successfully open her restaurant?"

Gates’s expression soured even more.

"Hmph, just dumb luck. A vegetarian buffet is a good idea, I’ll give her that. But she’s buying ingredients at retail prices. She’ll be lucky not to lose money. How long can she last? You should go try it before she goes out of business."

Carolyn toyed with the card in her hand.

"Alright, I’ll keep it in mind."

After Gates left, Carolyn sat at her desk for a while and looked over the document again.

’450,000... she really is something.’

The entire city had shut down for three days last month due to thunderstorms and hail, so the restaurant was only actually open for 27 days.

That daily revenue was high enough to rank among the top in Beiluo City’s entire restaurant industry.

Carolyn’s fingers gently rubbed the document as if lost in thought. Finally, she picked up the phone and dialed an internal line.

"...Discreetly investigate the supply channels for this restaurant’s ingredients. Remember, verify the quantities."

"Yes, Director!"

With the arrangements made, Carolyn set the matter aside. After all, a small restaurant wasn’t enough to hold much of her interest.

Meanwhile, Ning He had no idea an investigation into her restaurant was about to begin.

She and the entire restaurant crew had just made it through another bustling weekend. To celebrate the first membership event, five new dishes were added to the weekend menu: onion rings, crispy sweet and sour eggplant, steamed vegetables with garlic sauce, multigrain vegetable buns with fresh mushrooms, and oil-splashed noodles. A new pumpkin-corn juice was also introduced.

Among them, the simple and unadorned steamed vegetables with garlic sauce were surprisingly popular. It was a dish Ning He had originally created to use up leftover ingredients, but after several refills, it had become another signature dish.

These frequent and effective menu changes elevated the diners’ appreciation for Heqi Chinese Restaurant to a new level. Even Mr. Rochester hadn’t gone to his gourmet club outside the city in a long time.

When she got home that night, Ning He checked her bank account.

The restaurant’s revenue was very high this month, but due to the steep cost of food, after deducting labor and taxes, only ten percent was left for her and Connie to split.

She and Connie split it 80-20, so she got 36,000. However, this month she had been secretly funneling in dozens of pounds of vegetables every day through her "secret channel," so her actual earnings were nearly double that.

Now, her bank account held nearly 90,000 original coins!

’Just a little more. At this rate, I can start the next phase of my plan next month.’

Ning He let out a sigh of relief, took a quick shower, and went to bed.