Chapter 185 - 170: What to Do When an Employee Slacks Off? Waiting Online, Urgent

Chapter 185: Chapter 170: What to Do When an Employee Slacks Off? Waiting Online, Urgent

The whole series of tasks for the advertising project—planning, applications, approvals, revisions, and so on—was all handed over to Wei’s company. Aside from a few things that required Xu An’s signature or confirmation, he could be a completely hands-off manager.

After taking a photo of the challenge event and prize plan he had just drafted and sending it to Wei, Xu An said his goodbyes and left the photography studio. Since filming was still in progress, Xu An waited until he was outside to take off his protective suit. Once he removed his gas mask, Xu An noticed his clothes had picked up a faint smell of the Hellish Braised Flavor, but it was nowhere near pungent. With the circulation of fresh air, the lingering scent on his clothes quickly dissipated, and the air around him felt clean and natural again.

He tentatively brought the fabric to his nose. The smell was completely gone. He glanced back at the studio, leaned close to the crack in the door, and took two deep breaths. Still no pungent, spicy aroma. Xu An’s eyes suddenly lit up. ’Protective suit + gas mask + dedicated studio = no smell!’

’I could renovate the kitchen at Store Number One to be just like this studio, specifically for cooking the braised dishes, especially the Hellish Braised Flavor. With gas masks and protective suits, this setup would provide multiple layers of protection. It would keep Zhang Dezhen safe and ensure the restaurant’s operations are no longer disrupted by the Hellish Braised Flavor...’

Just as Xu An was getting excited about the idea, a sudden thought struck him like a bucket of cold water, chilling him to the core. All three of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant’s locations were currently on the land designated for Phase Three of the Zijing Garden construction project. According to the timeline from his previous life, notices would be sent out at the end of next year requiring all businesses to vacate. The official demolition would begin right after the New Year.

This meant that Xu An had to find and renovate a new location before the demolition to ensure a seamless transition and avoid disrupting the operations of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. Although they would definitely have to move, even by the end of next year, there would still be over a year until Phase Three of Zijing Garden was fully completed. Throughout that time, the number of workers on the construction site wouldn’t decrease, and Xu An had no intention of abandoning this steady stream of customers.

Now deep in thought, Xu An was no longer in a hurry to leave. He gave the receptionist a nod, sat down in the waiting area, and pulled out a notebook and pen, starting to sketch and scribble. A little while later, the receptionist brought him a cup of warm lemonade.

Using simple lines, Xu An sketched out the entire Zijing Road area. He then circled the sites for Phase One, Phase Two, and Phase Three of the Zijing Garden project. Finally, he marked the locations of the three Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant stores within the area.

Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant was situated at the entrance of the Phase One site. ’According to the original timeline,’ he thought, ’Phase One will hit the market next March. The nearby residents and businesses will slowly start to return, and they will ultimately converge on... here!’

His pen stabbed down hard on a street he had drawn just outside the Zijing Garden construction site—a street represented by two parallel lines. The force was so great it nearly tore through the paper, leaving a deep indent in the notebook.

’This is it! Zijing Road’s Qianjin Street!’

Although Zijing Garden was an integrated, mid-to-high-end residential area with its own housing, education, medical, and commercial facilities, the high-end commercial district wouldn’t be able to satisfy all the residents’ needs. Besides, the commercial district was only planned to be built and opened for business during Phase Three. By that time, the residents of Phase One would have already been living there for a year. So, how would their daily needs be met during that year? On Qianjin Street, right off Zijing Road!

Qianjin Street on Zijing Road only started getting attention at the end of this year, after word got out that Phase One of Zijing Garden was complete and had entered the final interior finishing stage, meaning units could go on sale any day. Right now, it was just a very common, ordinary old street. It was only five hundred meters from his current store, accessible from the same main road; their geographical locations were nearly identical.

’I need to find time to check it out, see if I can scout out a suitable storefront on that old street. If I find a good spot, I should try to buy it. Real estate prices now are nowhere near as high as they will be in the future!’

After writing "Zijing Road, Qianjin Street" in his notebook, Xu An capped the pen and tucked it, along with the notebook, into his pocket. He picked up the cup of now-cold lemonade, downed it in one gulp, and was about to stand up to say goodbye to the receptionist. Just then, a loud voice echoed from the entrance.

"Hello, delivery from Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant! You all ordered twelve boxed meals today. They’re all here. Just do a quick count, and if it’s all good, please sign here," a delivery rider announced, bustling in and placing twelve boxed meals on the front desk. He pulled out a delivery slip and handed it to the receptionist.

"Let’s see here... one, two, three... twelve. Yep, the count is right." The receptionist smiled as she took the slip, signed her name and the time, and handed it back. "So it’s your turn to deliver today, huh?"

"Yep, and tomorrow too," the rider said, taking back the slip and tucking it into the bag at his waist. He waved goodbye. "The payment was already settled online. I’ll be heading out. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." After the rider left, the receptionist tapped a few keys, apparently sending out a message. A moment later, seven or eight people came clamoring down the stairs, laughing and chatting as they grabbed the boxed meals marked with their names.