To return as quickly as possible, Li Haochen no longer held back, flying back at maximum speed.
During the journey, Li Haochen was filled with excitement. If this massive market were truly secured, it wouldn't just benefit his village; it would likely boost the economy of the entire town.
After the initial excitement, Li Haochen also fell into thought. Logically, how could a top-tier company like Dongyang Fast Food Group know about his small workshop?
Besides his village, the town mayor, township head, and Mayor Liu Yufu, the only ones who knew about his workshop were Murong Yanran, Gu Xiaonian, and the recently partnered Huang Fusheng and Bi Yuanhang. He hadn't even told Xie Baolian, fearing that Ling Hanfeng helping him would lead to gossip, which wouldn't be good for him in political circles.
Oh, and the dock security guard, Uncle Wang Xiaoming, Li Haochen directly filtered him out.
“Who could it be?”
After thinking it over, Li Haochen felt that none of the people who knew about this had such capabilities. If they did, they would have long since achieved success.
After a good while, Li Haochen stopped thinking about it. He could ask the other party when the time came and perhaps find out the answer.
He finally returned at five in the afternoon.
He had important matters to attend to shortly, so the seafood had to be kept in the live water tanks. The banquet was tomorrow, and he had no place to keep them if he brought them back now.
Li Haochen was in high spirits. He scooped out a sea bass and a black seabream, put them in red bags, and carried them over to the security office.
“Haochen, you’re back! What’s got you so happy?”
“I encountered some good fortune, haha. See you later, Uncle Ming, I’m in a hurry.”
Li Haochen placed the two still-flapping fish down, pushed out the little Ema parked in the duty room, and zipped away from the dock.
Winter nights arrived truly quickly. It was not yet six o'clock, and the sky was already pitch black. The municipal streetlights hadn't come on yet. However, the advertising signs on both sides of the road were lit up, displaying a myriad of colors—red, green, yellow—making the entire city radiate a captivating charm.
Li Haochen followed the instructions of the "unscrupulous map" and finally found the place after half an hour.
Upon arriving, Li Haochen was somewhat dumbfounded. Was this the world's top 500 company with 3,000 chain stores?
Looking at the dilapidated two-story bungalow in front of him, which looked like it was about to fall apart, he thought he had gone to the wrong place. He confirmed again: Dongyang Fast Food Chain, yes, it was here.
He walked in with trepidation, but the interior was surprisingly refreshing. Simple yet elegant, understated yet meaningful. Although it was an office, it gave him a feeling of being at home, very comfortable.
Negotiating business in such a relaxed environment would likely be conducive, he thought.
“Hello, may I ask if you are Mr. Li Haochen?”
Hearing the voice, Li Haochen recognized it as the person he had spoken to on the phone. He just hadn't expected her to be so young and beautiful, and… well-endowed.
Alright, Li Haochen casually glanced again. She was unfathomable. It was truly hard to imagine how such a slender body could possess such grandeur.
“Uh, yes, hello!”
Li Haochen extended his hand and immediately regretted it. He felt it was a bit abrupt. He didn't know whether to retract his hand or not, feeling quite awkward.
The woman did not shake Li Haochen’s hand but instead extended her hand in a casual gesture of invitation.
“Mr. Li, let’s go inside to talk.”
Li Haochen followed her into the innermost office. The sign that read "Manager's Office" on the door surprised him slightly.
“She’s the manager?”
As he entered, he saw her sit in the chair in the center. “Mr. Li, please have a seat. To introduce myself, I am Lin Xiaoxiao, the General Manager of Dongyang Fast Food Group. This is the contract we have drafted. Please take a look.”
Saying this, Lin Xiaoxiao took out the prepared contract from a drawer and pushed it across the desk to Li Haochen.
Looking at the contract, Li Haochen’s breathing quickened. But upon opening the first page, he was stunned. Where were the promised 3,000 nationwide stores? Why were there only twelve in Binhai?
Well, he had been thinking too much.
A wry smile flickered across his face. Twelve stores were twelve stores. He picked up the pen and quickly signed his name.
Lin Xiaoxiao seemed a little surprised by Li Haochen’s decisive signing of the contract.
“General Manager Lin, forgive my impertinence, but it’s just a small workshop. How could it catch your discerning eye?”
Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at Li Haochen with slight impatience and replied, “I am merely executing instructions. I don’t know the specifics.”
Li Haochen could feel Lin Xiaoxiao’s impatience, and her eyes kept darting to her wristwatch.
Her demeanor made it obvious to anyone that she wanted him to leave. Thus, he proposed to leave. “General Manager Lin, I won’t disturb you any further. Goodbye!”