Chapter 374 - 154: Prepare to Welcome a New Gourmet Storm

Chapter 374: Chapter 154: Prepare to Welcome a New Gourmet Storm

"What the hell is going on? Where did all these people come from?"

Zhang Yi adjusted his glasses, the bus filled with a deafening clamor.

"What’s up, fam! We’re on the bus now, ETA fifteen minutes to Houde Garden!"

"Boss Su’s location has been leaked, fam! All local Jingzhou fans, let’s go, go, go!"

"I heard Boss Su is selling braised pork with hawthorn today, plus Cthulhu soup dumplings! Someone in the know already posted pictures!"

"What the heck is a Cthulhu soup dumpling?"

Listening to the group of streamers holding up their phones, Zhang Yi’s sharp ears picked up a few key phrases.

’Boss Su? They’re looking for Boss Su?’

He had to watch the kid after work anyway. Zhang Yi sent his wife a text saying he had to work overtime, then decided to follow the crowd from the bus and see what all the fuss was about.

The bus reached the final stop on the outskirts of Jingzhou.

Zhang Yi followed the crowd off the bus. He took one look and could only think, ’Holy crap!’

Forget the suburbs, even downtown Jingzhou had never seen a scene like this.

The sea of heads before him was staggering. People were packed shoulder to shoulder, making it almost impossible to move forward even a few steps.

Zhang Yi shuffled a few steps forward with the flow of people, only to see a G-Wagen roar past the side of the crowd.

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

"Boss Su got away again!"

"Damn it, we were a step too late! Is Boss Su already done for the day?"

"Damn! Why is Boss Su avoiding everyone? Doesn’t he want to make more money?"

"Look! There’s someone still eating a dumpling over there! Sir! Sir! How much for that soup dumpling you haven’t touched? I’ll pay double for it!"

"I’ll pay triple!"

The residents at the gate of the complex stared, dumbfounded, at the sudden mass of people. Their minds couldn’t even process it.

Uncle Zhang had just taken his first bite of the braised pork he’d ordered when a girl in a flashy outfit snatched the bowl right out of his hands.

Uncle Zhang was about to blow his top, but when he saw the wad of red banknotes the girl stuffed into his hand, he could only fume and change his tune.

"Holy shit, these kids today... holy shit!"

Zhang Yi asked around until he finally got the whole story.

It turned out all these streamers had come to livestream Boss Su’s food, but for some reason, he was actually avoiding them and setting up his stall in secret!

So, as soon as a new tip about Boss Su’s location dropped, the streamers had all swarmed over.

’Someone’s actually offering a full set of Apple products as a reward to find Boss Su? Is there really such a sweet deal in the world?’

Zhang Yi, who was pretty quick on the uptake, immediately had an idea.

First, he created a new WeChat group with Zhan Yang and Fang Chang, which he immediately named "Food Intel Hub."

Then he grabbed a random streamer.

"Hey, man, wanna join a group? It’s an intel hub. Join up and get real-time info on Boss Su’s stall locations!"

"For realz?"

"For real. It’s just a fifty-yuan fee to join."

"It’s not a scam?"

Zhang Yi waved his phone. "Look, I eat at Boss Su’s company all the time. I even eat on the 19th floor. Do you have any idea how exclusive that is?"

The streamer scratched his head. "Alright, fine! But you better not be scamming me, or I’ll report you!"

"Don’t worry!"

Once the first one joined, the second followed.

In no time, Zhang Yi’s new intel hub had grown into a large group with over a hundred members.

’This money’s rolling in way too fast.’ Zhang Yi stared at his WeChat wallet balance. One moment, he was a pitiful wretch waiting for his wife to give him an allowance; the next, he was the admin of a group with over a hundred people!

A streamer in the group named "Random Eats" posted a picture.

[Random Eats: Holy crap! Paid a premium of five hundred yuan for an untouched Cthulhu soup dumpling. Down the hatch!]

[Xiaobai: Holy shit! Nice one, Random Eats! I couldn’t even get one for a thousand. Quick, tell everyone why it’s called a Cthulhu dumpling! Does eating it activate a Sequence or something?]

[Gourmet Patriarch: Is there a Foodie Sequence?]

[Random Eats: Haha! I ate it, but I’m not telling! If you wanna know what it’s all about, tune into my video tomorrow!]

Amid a flurry of curses, Random Eats went silent.

After lingering at the complex entrance for a good while longer, the bustling crowd of streamers saw there was little hope of running into Boss Su and began to disperse.

...

「Meiweilai Company.」

Su Chen slumped into a chair and chugged two glasses of water.

"Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! Who leaked our location?"

If it hadn’t been for Zhang Jiayi’s sharp eyes just now, he really would have been cornered by those streamers.

"A traitor! There’s a mole in our midst! Boss Su, look at this!"

Fang Chang had also come to the company. The moment he was added to that group, he had rushed over, happening to run into Su Chen just as he returned.

"Food Intel Hub? And the admin is Zhang Yi?"

Fang Chang said, "He’s that scruffy-looking guy who used to always come for the stir-fried chicken."

Su Chen thought for a moment. The guy sounded vaguely familiar.

’He was the one eating on the 19th floor, video-calling his wife and lying about working overtime. Ridiculous!’

"Blacklist him! Blacklist him right now!" Su Chen said irritably. "Oh, and add me to the group."

After a bit more small talk, Su Chen asked Zhang Heping to make dinner for everyone while he slipped into Ling Shuyu’s office.

As expected, President Ling was in her office, buried in work.

"How are the arrangements coming along?"

For once, a rare smile appeared on Ling Shuyu’s face.

"While you were out today, all the kitchen equipment arrived. I also hired a crew of workers at a premium to install it overnight. The third floor will be ready for a test run before dawn."

A test run mainly consisted of starting up all the equipment to see if there were any issues.

"What about Teacher Cui?"

Ling Shuyu was the picture of confidence. "I’ve already handled Teacher Cui. Seven of his apprentices have agreed to come. I’ve booked them the fastest tickets, by train and plane. They’ll all be here before dawn."

’Amazing!’

’That’s President Ling for you!’

She made it sound effortless, but Su Chen knew that getting all this done couldn’t have been smooth sailing.

"Excellent. Tell the apprentices to get some rest as soon as they arrive in Jingzhou. Tomorrow... at ten in the morning."

’That time can’t be too early,’ Su Chen thought.

"Let’s make it ten. Everyone meets on the third floor for training. Tomorrow at 4 PM, the third floor officially opens for business!"

For the first time, Ling Shuyu hesitated slightly.

"Boss, isn’t that too rushed?"

Su Chen picked up the water on her desk and drained it in one go. "There’s no time. If we want to ride this wave of hype, we have to move fast!"

If they didn’t hurry, this mob of streamers would gradually leave Jingzhou.

In other words, all this great publicity would be completely wasted. Su Chen wasn’t avoiding the streamers just to throw away the hype.

He was saving it to be used at the most critical moment!

"As for the sign, what should we call the place?"

Su Chen barely had to think. "Delicious Home-style Cooking! Yes, let’s go with that name."

"Okay."

"Go inform all employees they’ll need to work some overtime today. You’ll be in charge of directing them. I have other things to take care of, so don’t bother me unless it’s an emergency."

"Got it!"

Su Chen always had complete faith in Ling Shuyu’s ability to get things done. After giving a few simple instructions, he hurried back to his office on the 19th floor.

’Intel hub? Heh...’

’Starting tomorrow, I’m done with the food stall!’

Without even washing up, Su Chen went to his recliner, closed his eyes, and entered the practice room.

’I have to get all the remaining home-style dishes up to the required Level for the mission before ten tomorrow morning!’

’And I have to streamline the process as much as possible so those apprentices can master it quickly!’

’It’s been a while since I’ve worked this hard. Well then... let’s begin!’

Su Chen directly summoned a vast array of ingredients.

’Food vloggers?’

’Heh... get ready to face a real culinary storm!’