Chapter 82: I’m Coming! Little White Flower!

Chapter 82: Damn! Little White Flower!

Once Zhao Yu was safely discharged from the hospital, he and Cao Xu started planning their restaurant venture.

They spent a week scouting spots and finally landed on a storefront on the riverside commercial strip—Yinwanhui.

Zhao Yu squatted in the shade, cracking open a bottle of ice water, and looked up to watch Cao Xu calling the leasing hotline posted on the door.

"What kind of brand are you looking to bring in?" the leasing manager asked.

"We're not a chain—just an individual."

"Sorry, we don't take individual tenants."

Zhao Yu glanced at the luxury shops in the distance, knowing full well Yinwanhui was high-end, so he leaned toward the phone and said, "Hello, we're not an ordinary merchant—we're a celebrity chef looking to build his own brand. The head chef is Cao Xu—he used to be the head chef at Yatai."

"Oh, Yatai, I know it. Got it. Well, let me run it by the boss and get back to you."

After hanging up, Cao Xu gave Zhao Yu a thumbs-up: "Not bad, kid. You're pretty quick."

"Of course, Master. Leave this stuff to me."

Over the two days they waited for a reply, Zhao Yu dove into business models, reached out to design and renovation crews, and shopped around for fresh produce suppliers and cold-chain logistics companies.

Once he actually got into it, he realized opening a restaurant was way easier said than done—there was a ton of stuff to handle, and every bit of it was a headache.

The leasing manager never gave a straight answer—just handed Cao Xu an address and told him to meet the boss in person next Wednesday.

Cao Xu wondered, "Meeting the boss—what does he want to talk about?"

Zhao Yu thought for a second. "Whatever he wants, we need to be fully prepared."

"You done something like this before?"

"I've done something kind of similar..."

Zhao Yu's voice trailed off as he suddenly remembered the time he'd had to steel himself to pitch to Gu Hansheng to help Chen Li land an investment. He honestly felt there was no one harder to deal with in the whole world than Gu Hansheng.

First time's the hardest. Having survived the pressure Gu Hansheng put on him once, he wasn't all that nervous this time.

He snapped back to the present and quickly listed out every question they might face, turned it into an outline, and went over the details with Cao Xu.

Time flew, and Wednesday rolled around. Zhao Yu and Cao Xu drove to the meeting spot—a yacht club.

The boss, a guy named Li, was pretty easygoing and didn't give them a hard time. And since Zhao Yu had come prepared and already predicted every question, he answered without missing a beat.

Boss Li nodded, satisfied, and said with a smile, "I can lease you the Yinwanhui storefront, but only for six months to start. If everything goes well in those six months and the restaurant runs without problems, we'll sign a long-term lease. It's great that a chef wants to start his own thing, but I'd suggest bringing in a professional manager."

Cao Xu said, "Yeah, we've been thinking about that."

"Good. Best of luck. I won't walk you out."

"Thanks. When the restaurant opens, Boss Li, you've gotta come by."

"No problem."

Once they got outside, Cao Xu and Zhao Yu grinned at each other and high-fived.

Cao Xu said, "I'm gonna hit the restroom. Wait for me outside—I'll treat you to lunch."

"You got it."

Zhao Yu headed out, and by then the lounge on the first floor of the yacht club was already in full swing—way more people than when he'd arrived.

He was about to weave through the crowd when a guy suddenly stood up from a booth and slammed right into him.

"Ow! Hey! Watch it!" the guy shouted, clutching his sore forehead.

Zhao Yu winced, covering his red chin, wanting to snap back, but he'd just bitten his tongue and it hurt too much to talk.

The guy turned around, and when their eyes met, they both took a half-step back.

"Holy crap! Little White Flower!"

Zhao Yu hadn't heard that nickname in ages, and just looking at Song Wenhao's face made his teeth grind.

The lounge was packed with rich trust-fund types, and a few of them Zhao Yu had met once before—clearly a get-together of Song Wenhao's crowd. Hearing the commotion, everyone turned to look, clearly amused and waiting for a show.

Zhao Yu didn't want to get tangled up with Song Wenhao, and he hated being gawked at by a bunch of rich brats. He was about to leave when Song Wenhao blocked him, saying, "Oh? Why so quiet when you see me now? Old Gu dump you and take all that attitude with him? A stand-in's a stand-in, huh—never gonna pass for the real deal."

Someone snickered, "What, he's some boy toy Old Gu kept?"

Zhao Yu worked his tongue, ready to fire back once the sting wore off.

Suddenly, a voice cut in: "Song Wenhao, haven't I told you to stay away from him?"

Zhao Yu knew it was Gu Hansheng even without turning around.

Before Song Wenhao could say anything else, Gu Hansheng addressed the room: "Watch your mouths and show some respect." His tone had already gone cold.

Someone tried to smooth it over: "Old Gu, we're your classmates. No need to get worked up over some pretty boy, right?"

Song Wenhao added, "He's just a con man. I didn't say anything wrong."

Gu Hansheng said, "What happened before was all my fault—none of it was his doing. I mistook him for someone else, but calling him a stand-in is bullshit." Then he added, "Song Wenhao, don't forget I've still got something on you. If word gets back to Uncle Song, that's on you."

Song Wenhao's face went green, and he sat down awkwardly, shutting up.

Gu Hansheng's gaze swept over everyone else in the room. In terms of ruthlessness, no one there could match him, and in terms of family background, they all came up short.

Most people at this gathering had come for Gu Hansheng, hoping to catch up and curry favor—so they couldn't afford to offend him now. They all shut up and kept their heads down.

But everyone was stunned that Gu Hansheng had actually admitted fault in public.

With Gu Hansheng's personality, even if he was wrong, he'd never own up to it. It was always other people apologizing to him—never the reverse. This was practically a miracle!

Zhao Yu was just as stunned, until Gu Hansheng lightly touched his back. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

Zhao Yu snapped out of it. "I'm waiting for my master."

Just then, Cao Xu came out. Seeing Gu Hansheng, he stepped up and said, "What a coincidence, Mr. Gu. I've been meaning to thank you in person for covering the penalty fee—finally got the chance. Thanks a lot!"

"No need." Gu Hansheng glanced at Zhao Yu's profile. "Since you two have things to do, go on. Don't waste time."

"Alright, we'll be off then."

Once Cao Xu was done, Zhao Yu walked out without looking sideways, though the burning gaze on his back was impossible to ignore.

Gu Hansheng's words echoed in Zhao Yu's ears—he'd actually said everything before was his own fault. Zhao Yu knew damn well that his own fraud and swindling had been shameless. As for what Gu Hansheng did afterward, that was a whole other story.

Gu Hansheng was now taking all the blame upon himself, and in a setting like this, no less.

Zhao Yu walked out of the building, but in the end couldn't help turning back to look at the window. The one-way reflective glass blocked his gaze, and what he didn't know was that as he looked back, Gu Hansheng was standing at the window, reading every bit of his expression.

They seemed to have made eye contact, though Zhao Yu hadn't actually seen him, and Gu Hansheng knew this full well.

Even so, Gu Hansheng watched his back until he disappeared from sight, his fingers clenching into his palm, pressing a sharp, tight ache into it before releasing helplessly.

Even if he couldn't get close, there was no way he'd ever let go. It was just that he no longer had any right to be arrogant in front of Zhao Yu, and could only lower his head, again and again, to chase a result he might never get.

...

After two more busy days, Zhao Yu went to the hospital for a follow-up check, still coordinating renovation details with the decoration company on the way, every day stretched thin, squeezing two minutes' worth of work into one.

"Your wound is healing very well. I'll switch you to a different scar treatment—use it once in the morning and once at night." Zhuang Shubai finished prescribing on the computer and asked, "So, has the restaurant opened yet?"

Zhao Yu said, "We already signed the lease on the storefront, still working on the renovation—should be open within the month."

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Do you know anyone who's run a restaurant? I'm looking for a manager, but I haven't found a good candidate in interviews yet."

"Let me ask around for you."

"Thanks." Zhao Yu paused, then added, "But my mentor's pretty blunt—if someone doesn't get hired, it won't hurt your connections, right?"

Zhuang Shubai smiled and handed him the prescription slip: "I'm just making an introduction—whether you hire them is up to you, don't worry about my pride."

"Alright, thanks."

Zhao Yu got up to leave, and Zhuang Shubai spoke again: "Xiao Yu."

"Hmm?"

Zhuang Shubai had originally wanted to ask if he had time recently to go see the movie they'd agreed on but never watched, but seeing he was still dealing with work even during his appointment, he just smiled and said, "Your next check-up is in a week."

"Okay, see you then, Dr. Zhuang."

"See you."

Zhao Yu picked up his medication and hurried back to the shop to check on the renovation, then went with Cao Xu that evening to order custom kitchen and tableware.

The next day, two candidates came to interview for the manager position. Zhao Yu didn't ask which one was referred by Zhuang Shubai, so he wouldn't play favorites, and only judged them on their attitude and ability.

Unexpectedly, both men were dressed in suits, well-groomed and composed, a completely different caliber from the previous interviewees.

Cao Xu leaned over and whispered to Zhao Yu, "Did your friend refer two people?"

Zhao Yu shrugged, indicating he had no idea.

The two interviewed one after another, both going on and on about their resumes, with tons of experience, and both laying out their management ideas with equal confidence—it was hard to pick between them.

After finishing the interviews, Zhao Yu and Cao Xu closed the door to talk about who to hire. Cao Xu was leaning toward the guy named Pang Ze, so Zhao Yu went out to tell them the decision.

"Mr. Liu, thank you for coming to interview. Your ideas are great, but we think Mr. Pang's approach fits better with what we're looking for."

"No worries—glad you found the right person. Hope business goes well."

Zhao Yu saw him off, then turned to Pang Ze: "Mr. Pang, welcome aboard."

"Thanks—since Chef Zhao thinks I'm a good fit, I'll do my best to help run the restaurant well." Pang Ze smiled and shook his hand.

"I forgot to ask earlier—were you referred by Zhuang Shubai?"

"I saw your job posting online and came on my own. I don't know the person you mentioned—did you mix me up with someone else?"

"Oh, no, no—now that you're picked, that's settled. I'll notify you about the start date later."

After seeing Pang Ze off, Zhao Yu scratched the back of his head and sent a quick message to Zhuang Shubai.

From the interview, Zhao Yu could already tell that Pang Ze had a sharp business mind. For someone that talented to be willing to work at a no-name restaurant that wasn't even open yet—it was like striking gold.