Chapter 107: Nan Zhi’s Thousand-Layer Scheme

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Nan Zhi’s Thousand-Layer Scheme

In just a day and a half of business, Qi Pei’er had already evolved from being completely clueless into a competent senior.

And so—

"Director Xu, you missed a spot here! You can’t just give it a couple of half-hearted wipes and call it a day! Customers have to sit in these chairs!"

"Director Xu, your way of carrying plates is too inefficient. You need to learn from me!"

"Director Xu, why don’t you wash the bowls too."

"Director Xu..."

"Director Xu..."

Xu Lin sighed.

He seriously suspected this was Qi Pei’er’s way of getting revenge. ’Otherwise, out of the five or six crew members working alongside them, why single me out to exploit? I won’t stand for it!’

Nan Zhi happened to be passing by.

She saw right through Xu Lin’s silent complaints and chuckled.

"It’s not revenge, Director Xu. It’s what the audience loves to see."

[Hahaha, that’s right, I love to see it!]

[Correct, reasonable, and straight to the point!]

[Exactly! Every day, the director torments everyone else. Today, we get to see the director tormented in return. Who else understands this delicious feeling!]

[Xu Lin is a veteran variety show director who’s produced so many hit shows. This must be the first time he’s ever been this exhausted, right?]

["The guests and crew are one"... How can you call it tiring when it’s all in the family!]

[This is hilarious. I’m convinced this show isn’t scripted!]

...

Xu Lin heaved a long sigh.

He put himself in their shoes for a moment. ’If I were a viewer, I’d probably enjoy seeing the production crew get cornered by the guests too! So, what else can I do? I just have to bow my head and get on with it for the sake of the ratings!’

Bending his old back, Xu Lin put on his cleaning gloves and diligently continued washing the dishes.

Nan Zhi turned back and happened to meet Qi Pei’er’s gaze.

The two exchanged a look of mutual understanding.

With the crew members joining in, many hands made light work, and the dining hall and kitchen were cleaned in record time.

When Nan Zhi inspected the area and nodded, saying, "This is good enough,"

Everyone, including Xu Lin, let out a genuine sigh of relief.

...Wait a minute.

’Why does it only count as "good enough" when Nan Zhi says so?’

Xu Lin was grumbling inwardly.

Just then, he heard Nan Zhi say out of the blue:

"Director Xu, there’s something I’d like to say."

Xu Lin jolted, almost thinking Nan Zhi had mind-reading powers and had heard his grumbling.

His bravado instantly deflated, and he adopted a much more conciliatory tone.

"What is it?"

"By now, Director Xu, you should understand how heavy the workload at the restaurant is. There’s no way the four of us can handle it alone."

Nan Zhi said unhurriedly.

The kids were also gathered around, watching the adults talk. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Qing Xi, his face full of curiosity, had been dangling from the armrest of a chair.

As he listened, he suddenly felt that something was off.

He raised his hand high.

"Auntie Zhizhi, you’re wrong! There are more than four of us... MMMPH!"

The expressionless Nan Yi clamped his small hand firmly over Qing Xi’s mouth.

Qing Xi’s eyes went wide, filled with indignation.

In the end, Fu Chao was the first to react, quickly dragging the clueless Qing Xi away.

A flicker of amusement flashed in Nan Zhi’s eyes, but her expression remained sincere as she patiently waited for Director Xu to reply.

Xu Lin already understood what Nan Zhi was getting at.

"Don’t tell me you want to..."

"Yes, I want to hire a few people. When a restaurant’s business reaches a certain scale, isn’t it normal to expand the storefront and increase staff?"

Xu Lin refused without a second thought.

"How could that possibly work! We’re filming..."

The assistant director beside him quickly coughed twice.

Only then did Xu Lin snap back to his senses.

’Right, we’re filming a variety show!’

Xu Lin shot a quick glance at the camera and switched to a more tactful explanation.

"What if the people who apply don’t want to be on camera? Also, the comings and goings of new staff would be complicated. We wouldn’t have time to do background checks, which might be inconvenient for the guests."

The audience had been excited by Nan Zhi’s proposal and were urging Director Xu to agree, but they started to change their minds when they heard his explanation, thinking he had a point.

[Nan Zhi’s idea is interesting, and it would add a lot of watchability to the show, but just as Xu Lin said, the applicants would be a diverse and complicated group. It would be bad if they ran into obsessive fans or something.]

[Even though I was all ready to go apply at Nan Family’s Small Restaurant, I have to admit Xu Lin’s concerns are valid!]

[Nan Zhi is being a bit idealistic, not considering the practicalities at all.]

[Why does it feel like Nan Family’s Small Restaurant has become Nan Zhi’s one-woman show? Does everything have to be her way?]

...

Nan Zhi said, "But our predicament is very real. We have to find a way to solve it."

Xu Lin was sidetracked by Nan Zhi’s rhetoric.

His mind was filled with one thought: ’Right, how should we solve it?’

He frowned in frustration.

Suddenly, he noticed several of his subordinates standing by, quiet as mice.

"What about our own crew members? How about having them help out?"

Nan Zhi pondered.

"That sounds plausible, but..."

"They’re our own internal staff! We don’t have to worry about anything else. It’s definitely better than hiring outsiders!"

Xu Lin tried to settle the matter once and for all.

Nan Zhi remained hesitant.

"But I feel like..."

"How about two people? Is that enough? Any more and the audience might complain."

The audience, having been suddenly called out: *Thanks a lot.*

However, Xu Lin’s words did preemptively silence some people.

Nan Zhi mulled it over for a moment before nodding reluctantly.

"Alright, then."

Xu Lin breathed a sigh of relief. A smile had just begun to form on his face... when it froze.

He slowly began to realize that he’d been played.

"You..."

Xu Lin gave Nan Zhi a complicated look.

Nan Zhi offered a polite and subtle smile.

At this point, what was there left for Xu Lin not to understand?

It turned out Nan Zhi’s plan from the very beginning was to get the crew members to help.

But she knew that if she had asked directly, Xu Lin might not have agreed.

So she proposed something even more unacceptable to him, forcing him to suggest the alternative himself.

And in front of the live-streaming audience, no less.

Now Xu Lin was in a bind; it would be difficult to go back on his word.

Xu Lin was roaring internally: ’Is this really Nan Zhi? The same empty-headed, easy-to-read Nan Zhi I used to know?’

Nan Zhi raised a delicate eyebrow.

"So, Director Xu, what do you think of the job? Why not take it on yourself? The audience would definitely love to see it."

"...No, thanks."

Xu Lin squeezed out two words.

Nan Zhi nodded with regret.

Finally, the audience was starting to get it too.

[Whoa... amazing! Nan Zhi’s multi-layered scheme!]

[Xu Lin is a sly old fox, isn’t he? And he didn’t even realize Nan Zhi was digging a pit for him, hahaha!]

[He’s realized it now. Look at his face, he looks so utterly defeated!]

[Why am I so excited about this, hahaha!]

[Too bad Director Xu isn’t willing to be one of the helpers. That would’ve been really interesting!]

[Wait, am I the only one who thinks this breaks the immersion? What happened to the restaurant management game we were promised? What’s with suddenly adding crew members to the team?]

[What’s there to break immersion? Just think of it as a game, and the crew members are utility NPCs provided by the system, the kind that are there to slave away for the shop owners!]

...