"Hou Mingzhu, while I'm not particularly interested in you, as a man, I must advise you not to play with fire. Stay away from me."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng refuse her once again, which was completely different from what she had expected, Hou Mingzhu felt a bit awkward. She quickly put some distance between them and lit a cigarette.
"What exactly are you playing at with me? You're making me fall for you step by step. I find I can't control myself lately, investing more and more in you. And it's all your fault!"
Ye Tiancheng didn't rush to refute Hou Mingzhu's accusations, as they were indeed true.
"Alright, it's all just small money. I don't care about it at all. I've already saved a fixed fund. Even if I close down my farm-to-table restaurant now, as long as I don't squander it, I'll have enough for the rest of my life. But I think life should be more exciting."
"How exactly do you want it to be exciting? Just say it. This suspense is making both of us uncomfortable. Or do you want to marry me?"
Ye Tiancheng let out a disdainful laugh. "Let's not get married. I'm used to being free and don't like people bossing me around. I want to make my own decisions in life. Anyone who tries to control me is annoying."
Ye Tiancheng's words were quite clear, leaving Hou Mingzhu unsure how to respond. She started to feel restless.
"Fine, I don't know what your intentions are. Do as you please. I have other things to attend to, so I'm leaving."
"Would you like to try the taste of these signature dishes? I believe you'll like them."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng still seemed to want her to stay, Hou Mingzhu felt a bit dismissive.
"I have a hotel right next to yours. All my chefs are five-star chefs, and some were even poached from abroad at great expense. Do you think I would eat your so-called simple home-style cooking?"
In fact, Hou Mingzhu's arrogance was quite appealing at times; at least she was genuine. However, more than her arrogance, Ye Tiancheng enjoyed watching Hou Mingzhu facepalm herself.
"Why don't you try them? You know, my farm-to-table restaurant is fully booked, but you can eat here for free. This is your privilege as my fiancée, Ye Tiancheng."
Ye Tiancheng's words did indeed move Hou Mingzhu. All women like special things. If everyone has them, it loses its appeal. It's like when women wear the same outfit, they say it's not the outfit but the person who looks bad, but deep down, they both feel uncomfortable and won't wear that outfit again.
"Alright, since you've invited me so warmly, I can't refuse. I'll try them."
Although Tianfu Hotel used the same vegetables and had carved out a niche in high-end cuisine, when Hou Mingzhu tasted these so-called simple home-style dishes, the most ordinary farm-to-table fare, she felt refreshed.
However, Hou Mingzhu remained stubborn and refused to praise them. She understood why Ye Tiancheng was so arrogant and had turned a small farm-to-table restaurant into a viral sensation. Just being able to taste this felt like becoming a person of higher status. This was the power of marketing.
"Very good, Ye Tiancheng, you do have some skills. Your gardening center is thriving, with so many new vegetable varieties. Now you're running a restaurant. I see you're going to strike it rich."
"I'll take your good words."
"However, I must warn you, stay a bit further away from that woman, Su Muxian. She's beautiful. I don't have any animosity towards ugly women, but beautiful women are a different story."
After Hou Mingzhu's warning, she left. Ye Tiancheng suddenly had an idea to tease her. How interesting would it be if Hou Mingzhu lost her arrogance in front of him one day?
After Hou Mingzhu left, Ye Tiancheng called Su Muxian to discuss the investment.
There was another building planned, and this one wasn't a haunted house, so the rent would definitely be expensive. However, if the farm-to-table restaurant could be established in this building, it might even monopolize the surrounding cities.
"Of course, Big Brother. I'll discuss it with my grandfather. My grandfather thinks very highly of you. Even if you hadn't called, my grandfather wanted to talk to you about investment matters."
With Su Muxian acting as a go-between, the matter was quickly settled. The Su family was wealthy, and after acquiring the building, they began renovations.
An entire building dedicated to farm-to-table cuisine was unprecedented. On the opening day, through the Su family's connections, almost every prominent figure in the city was invited.
It was a very lively day, with sales exceeding a million. Due to the high profit margins, everyone saw hope.
Ye Tiancheng happily welcomed guests at the entrance. He then learned from Xiao Pang that although the dishes were the same, Hou Mingzhu's Tianfu Catering was experiencing some problems due to the excessively high prices.
To put it mildly, no one was going there anymore; it could be described as deserted.
Anyone in the catering industry knows that once customers stop coming, prepared dishes go unsold. Unsold dishes become stale, and stale ingredients lead to a decline in customer taste. This is the biggest taboo and vicious cycle in the catering industry.
Su Muxian attended in full attire, as she had a stake in the restaurant. It was no longer just a restaurant; it was more like a high-end club.
It had a KTV, a swimming pool, a cinema, and even a golf course on the top floor. This was not something ordinary people could achieve. Although farm-to-table cuisine sounded rustic, it became sophisticated after packaging.
Spending a day here only cost a thousand yuan. Wealthy people wouldn't mind this amount, and they could have multiple experiences. This concept was correct and quickly attracted a large number of customers.
After Ye Tiancheng expanded his business, about three days later, Hou Mingzhu couldn't hold back and came to see him.
"Ye Tiancheng, you did this on purpose, didn't you? It's not like it benefits you to ruin me."
Hou Mingzhu was anxious. This woman always cared about her reputation. Seeing her rush over regardless of appearances, Ye Tiancheng knew she couldn't bear the pressure any longer. If she could still manage, she wouldn't have come to talk to him privately.
"Why would you say that? You were the one who funded my previous farm-to-table restaurant. Our relationship has always been quite close. You're talking as if we're enemies, which has confused me."
Hou Mingzhu saw through Ye Tiancheng's feigned innocence, his "green tea" behavior.
"If we're talking about closeness, it's far from it. Ye Tiancheng, why don't you just be honest? Are you already together with Su Muxian?"
Besides her business being squeezed, what made Hou Mingzhu even more upset was that it seemed her man had been snatched away. For Hou Mingzhu, this was a great humiliation.
"I can't admit to something that isn't true. My reputation doesn't matter. Miss Hou doesn't have a boyfriend yet. If she gets involved in a scandal with a farmer like me, do you think she'll be able to get married in the future?"
The more Ye Tiancheng said this, the angrier Hou Mingzhu became.
"You're quite considerate of that woman. Ye Tiancheng, as a man, don't hide it. Just tell me the truth, do you like Su Muxian?"
Ye Tiancheng couldn't understand why Hou Mingzhu, who was supposed to be discussing business competition, suddenly shifted to emotional matters. Ye Tiancheng had always felt that such trivial romantic affairs were unimportant and was unwilling to discuss them.
"I don't know. I've never considered it. I probably don't like her. If I liked Miss Su, I would think about her, but I don't."
"Fine, you said it yourself, Ye Tiancheng. Since you don't like her at all, why are you on the same side as that woman?"
Ye Tiancheng smiled helplessly. "Hou Mingzhu, please don't joke. When did we ever get on the same side? I'm just collaborating with the Su family because they have money and connections. Although I could do it myself, I don't want to go through so much trouble. The Su family has plenty of people to manage that building, and I only need to provide ideas and some vegetables."
Hou Mingzhu was about to fly into a rage, but after hearing Ye Tiancheng's explanation, she found it quite reasonable and was momentarily unable to refute him. This was the most frustrating part. When you're arguing and find the other person has a point, it becomes a serious question whether to continue the argument.
"But I'm the largest shareholder in the gardening center for the vegetables. I won't allow you to continue cooperating with the Su family. And I forbid you from seeing that vixen Su Muxian again. That woman will bewitch you."
Seeing Hou Mingzhu acting jealous, Ye Tiancheng looked at her in disbelief. Wasn't this woman the most ruthless? It was said that Hou Mingzhu only cared about business and money, and any man she associated with was either for profit or to climb the social ladder. Why the sudden change of heart to talk about true love?
"Hou Mingzhu, I advise you not to take this so seriously. I can't have genuine feelings for you. If you get emotionally involved and we break up later, won't you hurt yourself?"
Ye Tiancheng's words were direct and hurtful. Hou Mingzhu couldn't hold back, her eyes turning red. Ye Tiancheng was quite surprised. Could this venomous woman, Hou Mingzhu, actually cry?
"What's wrong?" These three words from Ye Tiancheng broke Hou Mingzhu's last line of defense. Tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string, uncontrollable.
"Ye Tiancheng, now you see me cry, and you feel better, don't you? You just want to bully me, right?"
Good heavens, Ye Tiancheng swore he didn't know what he had done to cause such unpleasantness. Wasn't commercial competition normal? Besides, Hou Mingzhu's place was just seeing fewer customers. With such low costs, she wasn't losing money, just not earning as much. Why act like she was on the verge of death, crying so pitifully, making herself look like a scumbag who bullied a woman?
"Stop, don't cry anymore, Hou Mingzhu. I'm most afraid of women crying in front of me. Let me live a few more days, don't shorten my lifespan."
Ye Tiancheng intended to comfort Hou Mingzhu and stop her from crying, but his blunt, "straight man" remark only made her more upset. Hou Mingzhu not only shed tears but also started sobbing.
"Alright, I'm completely defeated. What do you want?"
"Terminate the cooperation with the Su family and merge your current two farm-to-table restaurants into Tianfu Group."