Chapter 60 - 61: It Turned Out to Be Him

Chapter 60: Chapter 61: It Turned Out to Be Him

Li Yang was dumbfounded.

’I know I’m talented, but aren’t you guys a little too enthusiastic?’

’For a moment, it was actually hard to choose.’

"You..." Faced with Boss Zhong’s aggressive persistence, Zhao Xuechu found herself speechless.

’I can’t very well say I’ll go to a hotel with you right now, can I?’

Boss Zhong gave another triumphant smile.

"President Zhong, if I recall correctly, you have other shareholders here, don’t you?" But Zhao Xuechu was no pushover. After calming down, she immediately found an angle of attack. "If Mr. Li were to join, what percentage of the shares could he even get?"

Boss Zhong’s expression froze.

"Mr. Li, if you’re willing to come to our restaurant, I’m prepared to give you thirty percent of the shares!" Zhao Xuechu made her offer.

It was an undeniably good offer.

He wouldn’t have to put up any money and would still get thirty percent of the shares.

Boss Zhong felt a pang of regret. His restaurant did indeed have several other shareholders, making it impossible for him to offer Li Yang thirty percent.

Li Yang chuckled. "Fifty percent!"

Fifty percent!

Zhao Xuechu nearly shot to her feet to curse him out.

’That’s just daylight robbery! Asking for fifty percent right off the bat!’

"Miss Zhao, don’t be so hasty!" Li Yang didn’t think his demand was outrageous at all. "I haven’t taken a close look at your medicinal cuisine, and I have no idea how effective it is. But I do know the level of effectiveness my own recipes can achieve. More importantly, if I become your shareholder, I can review all of your recipes. This isn’t just to ensure they work, but more critically, to remove any that have side effects. Otherwise, if something really goes wrong, this won’t be about making money anymore."

A chill went down Zhao Xuechu’s spine.

That was a very real fear in the medicinal cuisine business.

"Putting that aside..." Li Yang looked at Zhao Xuechu with a grin. "Let’s just talk about that person we ran into at the market the other day. What if someone like that ate some of your medicinal cuisine, had a problem—even if it wasn’t your fault—and decided to pin the blame on you? What would you do?"

Zhao Xuechu fell into a long, contemplative silence. This was exactly why she had wanted to hire Li Yang as a consultant in the first place.

"Forty percent!" She gritted her teeth and said, "That’s the absolute most I can give you! Forty percent of the shares!"

"Deal!" Li Yang chuckled. "Forty percent it is."

Zhao Xuechu let out a sigh of relief, yet she felt like she was in a dream.

’Did I get the better end of this deal, or did he?’

"Mr. Li, what about me?" Boss Zhong asked, feeling an itch of envy as he watched them cut a deal.

’This guy is a real treasure!’

"President Zhong, my apologies!" Li Yang said with a sly grin. "After all, I’ve already reached an agreement with President Zhao. I can’t exactly have my feet in two boats, can I?"

"Mr. Li, you’re getting ahead of yourself..." Boss Zhong, hearing the hidden meaning in his words, immediately smiled and said, "You haven’t actually stepped onto President Zhao’s boat yet."

Zhao Xuechu was getting fed up.

’This guy is always such a flirt. Is partnering with him a good thing or a bad thing?’

Just then, the door creaked half-open, and a middle-aged man’s face appeared. "President Zhong, could you come over here for a second? Have you prepared that medicinal cuisine I told you about before?"

"Mr. Tang, yes, yes, of course. I’ll be right there. It’s already been prepared for you." Boss Zhong had no choice but to excuse himself and go out first.

But Li Yang’s eyes lit up where he sat.

’Heh, I can’t believe I ran into this guy here!’

This Mr. Tang was clearly the ’other man’ that the proprietress of Hidden Dragon Manor had mentioned—Qin Susu’s stepmother’s lover.

’What a coincidence!’

Li Yang couldn’t stay seated any longer. He turned to Zhao Xuechu and said, "Um... Miss Zhao, just wait here for a moment. I have to step out for something."

Without even waiting for her reply, Li Yang had already hurried out.

After leaving the room and walking past two others, he heard Mr. Tang’s anxious voice from inside. "Boss Zhong, is this medicinal cuisine actually going to work? I’ve been to so many hospitals for this illness, and I’ve seen countless traditional Chinese medicine doctors, but nothing has had any effect."

"Mr. Tang, an illness like yours is indeed quite difficult to treat. Before... well, I might not have been completely confident. But if you wait a moment, I’ll ask a Divine Doctor to take a look. Perhaps he’ll have a solution. Besides, my medicinal cuisine does have some effect—at the very least, it can suppress the symptoms. How about this? I’ll have them place the order for you. You can start with that, and in the meantime, I’ll consult with the special advisor we’ve just hired."

"Okay, okay, good!" Mr. Tang nodded repeatedly.

Li Yang understood what was happening and quickly made his way to the other end of the hallway.

Boss Zhong opened the door and his eyes lit up when he saw Li Yang. He strode over in a few quick steps and grabbed Li Yang’s hand. "Mr. Li, I’ve got a difficult case on my hands..."

"What’s the illness?" Li Yang asked directly.

Boss Zhong paused. "You..."

"I overheard," Li Yang said with a sly grin. "Tell me about it."

’Too bad. I only saw his face and didn’t realize who he was right away, so I didn’t get a look at his illness.’

"It’s *that* kind of disease!" A trace of disdain crossed Boss Zhong’s face. "Syphilis."

"Holy crap!" Li Yang was stunned. "That guy has syphilis?"

"You know him?" Boss Zhong asked in surprise.

Li Yang stood there, dumbfounded, when a sudden urge to clap his hands and laugh out loud washed over him.

’Huh, is the Qin Gang family about to star in its own soap opera?’

’Interesting!’