Chapter 330: Spring Brook Is Finished
More and more people arrived at Spring Brook. A line soon formed at the doors.
Han Lei and Master Chef Du could not stop grinning when they saw that.
They felt that the two million they spent was worth every cent. If this went on, they would earn tens or even hundreds of times their initial investment.
Tang Hao occasionally looked at his wristwatch. Suddenly, he cracked a wide grin and looked at the entrance to Spring Brook. “Watch closely,” he mumbled.
Ling Wei was taken aback when she heard that. She turned her head toward Spring Brook.
Soon, a commotion was heard in the restaurant. The people inside were screaming loudly.
Han Lei and Master Chef Du were shocked when they heard the commotion. “What’s going on?” They turned around and prepared to go into the restaurant to see.
A group of people rushed out of the restaurant at the same time. They were all clutching their stomachs with agonized and worried looks on their faces. Their gait was also rather unusual.
The two people were dumbfounded when they saw that.
More and more people rushed out of the restaurant with the same expression on their faces.
“Toilet! Where’s the toilet?”
“What scam of a restaurant is this? I’ll be making a complaint to the authorities!”
They ran around anxiously, looking for a place to void their stomachs.
“I’ve come from afar to support you, Boss Han, and this is how you treat me?”
The rich people who arrived first rushed out of the restaurant. They were clutching their stomachs and holding their bottoms. Their expressions were a mixture of agony and anger.
More than half of the customers had rushed out of the restaurant.
The two people standing in front of their restaurant stepped backward so that they did not get knocked over.
The situation inside Spring Brook became more and more chaotic. The people who were waiting for their food were arguing at the cashier counter, asking for a refund.
“How could this be?” Han Lei was confused when he saw the scene.
Everything was going so well earlier, but suddenly it all came crashing down.
“This is impossible!” Master Chef Du’s face was ashen.
The kitchen only used the freshest ingredients. It was impossible that the food upset the customers’ stomachs. Even if there might be a problem with one or two of the ingredients, only a small portion of the customers would be affected.
However, it seemed as though everyone was having a stomachache.
It was evident that someone must have sabotaged their food.
Master Chef Du came to his senses. He abruptly turned around and glared at Tang Hao angrily. “It’s… it’s you! You must have added something to our food! How could you!”
Han Lei also came to his senses. His eyes were opened round and wide in anger. “President Ling, I didn’t expect that you’re an underhanded person. I want to report this to the police and make sure that your reputation is ruined.”
Ling Wei was shocked. She did not expect that Tang Hao had used such methods.
Normally, she would have disapproved of such underhanded means, but she felt that Spring Brook deserved it for what they did to her restaurant.
Tang Hao chuckled. “Do you have any evidence? If you don’t have any, please don’t slander us!
“How would you know if someone added something into your food anyway? Maybe there is a problem with your ingredients!” Tang Hao’s tone of voice was mocking when he said that.
“You…” Han Lei gritted his teeth in anger.
He was very sure the kid had sabotaged their food, but he did not have any evidence. Their grand reopening should have been a runaway success. After all, everything was kept in utmost secrecy.
‘Unless… he managed to bribe my staff?’
“Just you wait, Tang kid. I’ll find the traitor,” Han Lei said viciously.
He had just finished speaking when a few cars appeared from the other end of the road. They were from the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Food and Drug Administration. The cars stopped in front of Spring Brook and a group of people with unfriendly faces got out.
When Han Lei saw that, he trembled and his face turned as pale as a sheet.
‘How did these people arrive so fast? Someone must have arranged all this!’
“Who’s the person in charge of this restaurant?” A man asked sternly.
“I… I am…” Han Lei stammered.
“We’ve received many complaints that your restaurant has serious food safety problems. We are shutting down the restaurant now for investigations.”
The man led his subordinates into the restaurant.
“Hey, you can’t do that! It’s all his fault! Arrest him!” Han Lei yelled hysterically while pointing at Tang Hao.
However, everyone ignored him.
“How could this be?” His knees went weak and nearly fell sitting on the ground.
He and his restaurant were utterly finished!
He stood there with his shoulders slouched, as though he was a deflated ball.
Police sirens were heard from the other end of the street.
Two police cars soon arrived at the restaurant. A few police officers got out of the cars and walked toward Han Lei.
“Why are all of you here for?” Han Lei was shocked.
“Don’t you know what you’ve done? We’ve searched your mansion earlier and found five bronze jars. How do you explain that?
“The five bronze jars were reported as stolen from Magical Kitchen. Why are they in the Han family mansion? Come with us for a bit, Han Lei!”
Two police officers stepped forward and each of them grabbed an arm, then brought Han Lei to the car.
“You can’t arrest me. Someone framed me…” Han Lei struggled with all his might.
“Be quiet!”
The police officers roared and shoved him into the police car. Then, the cars sped away, leaving only a crowd of onlookers.
Master Chef Du fell sitting on the ground with a heavy thud. His face was pale as a sheet.
He regarded Tang Hao with fear.
He was feeling smug and arrogant earlier, but he did not expect that the kid knew about everything he did.
Tang Hao threw him another glance, then spoke to Ling Wei. “Are you happy with the results, President Ling?”
Ling Wei turned around and looked at Tang Hao profoundly. “Not bad at all! Spring Brook is finished after this. Han Lei has also gotten himself into a lot of trouble,” she said with a smile.
“He deserves it though. He’s the one who tried to set us up first.”
Tang Hao smiled. He briefly surveyed the restaurant before leaving the scene.
Another two days passed in the blink of an eye.
News of Spring Brook had spread throughout Provincial City. Spring Brook’s reputation was irredeemably ruined. None of their restaurants had customers.
Once Magical Kitchen opened more branches, it would be time for Spring Brook to forever close its doors.
As for Han Lei, he was smart enough to find someone to take the fall for him.
Without concrete evidence, it was hard to prove that he had bribed someone to steal anyway.
Even so, the stint in the lock-up had made him suffer.
For the next two days, Tang Hao stayed at home, busy sharpening the dragon teeth and claws he had obtained. He was preparing to turn them into weapons.
After reaching the completion of the State of Qi Channeling, he could not cultivate any further. Instead, he spent his time studying talismans and pill-making.