"Old Zhang, who's here?"
Just as the butler was about to order the bodyguards to make a move, Fang Zhoucheng's voice suddenly came from behind. Steward Zhang hurried over, pointing at Er Zhu by the door and said, "It's that arrogant country bumpkin. He claims to be here to cooperate with you. Our Fang family is a prominent family, how could we possibly associate with such a riffraff..."
*Slap!*
Before the word "cooperate" was even fully uttered, everyone heard a loud slap. Steward Zhang's cheek instantly swelled up.
"Have you forgotten I told you a distinguished guest was coming today? Er Zhu is that distinguished guest, he is my benefactor!"
Steward Zhang was about to ask a question, but he never expected such a reply. He widened his eyes, stunned for a long time, and even the pain in his face seemed to lessen considerably.
He remembered the master saying a distinguished guest would arrive today, but who could have imagined that the so-called distinguished guest would be a country bumpkin!
The bodyguards at the nearby entrance were even more shocked to hear this. They looked at their master, then at Er Zhu by the door, their eyes filled with disbelief.
A distinguished guest?
Good thing they hadn't made a move, or their master would have skinned them alive!
The bodyguards exchanged glances, then respectfully bowed to Er Zhu and slowly retreated, disappearing without a trace within a few minutes.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and apologize to Er Zhu!"
Fang Zhoucheng couldn't be bothered with those bodyguards. He said, pulling Steward Zhang towards the door, his face flushed red with anger!
He had spent a lot of effort convincing Er Zhu to cooperate with him. If Er Zhu canceled the partnership because of a mere butler, it would be a loss for his Fang family!
Steward Zhang trotted along, his head lowering further as Er Zhu got closer.
"Er Zhu, I'm so sorry. This butler is old and has poor eyesight, he didn't recognize you. Please don't hold it against him."
As soon as they reached the main entrance, Fang Zhoucheng let go of the butler. He apologized to Er Zhu with a smile, opening the gate, and repeatedly winked at the butler.
"I apologize, sir. I was indeed blind just now. For the sake of my old age, please don't hold it against me."
Steward Zhang respectfully bowed to Er Zhu, his attitude as humble as could be, a stark contrast to his arrogant demeanor just moments ago.
"Grandpa Fang, let's go inside." But Er Zhu didn't even glance at him. He directly supported Grandpa Fang and walked towards the house.
Watching Er Zhu's retreating back, Steward Zhang let out a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with complexity.
Thankfully, the young man didn't say anything, otherwise, he would have been out of a job!
"Er Zhu, I'm truly sorry about what happened just now. If you're still upset, I'll dismiss him right away."
Seeing that Er Zhu hadn't said a word the whole way, Fang Zhoucheng thought Er Zhu was still angry with the butler but was too polite to say it as a guest. He stood up as he spoke, about to walk out.
"Grandpa Fang, let's talk about the cooperation first. He's just a butler, I've never taken him to heart."
Er Zhu spoke as he pulled Fang Zhoucheng back to his seat. Hearing Er Zhu say this, Fang Zhoucheng's face broke into a smile, and he admired him even more.
Anyone else would have demanded that he severely punish the butler for them, but only Er Zhu, with his magnanimity and righteousness, truly showed he had not misjudged this young man!
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business. Our cooperation is a nine-one split, I get one, you get nine!"
Fang Zhoucheng said as he picked up the formal contract that had been prepared long ago. Hearing this, Er Zhu was overwhelmed and quickly stopped him.
"Grandpa Fang, that won't do. I'm only providing one dish. It wouldn't be right for you to give me ninety percent of the hotel's revenue."
The Fang family's establishments were all five-star hotels, offering a variety of dishes covering all Chinese cuisines and even Western food. His Five Flavors Chicken was just a drop in the ocean among these delicacies, and Er Zhu felt it wasn't appropriate.
He wanted to expand his business empire, but not through such means, especially when the other party was someone he deeply respected!
"How could it not do? Five Flavors Chicken will surely be the most popular dish in the hotel from now on, and all other dishes will just be accompaniments. Nine percent still feels low. If possible, I'd even gift you these hotels!"
Hearing Er Zhu say this, the smile on Fang Zhoucheng's face grew even wider. He liked this child more and more.
If it were someone else, they would have been ecstatic, grinning from ear to ear. Only a self-aware and good child like Er Zhu would stop him.
"Old Master, who are you giving the hotels to? We agreed that all the Fang family's hotels would be managed by our branch!"
Just as Er Zhu was about to speak, a woman's voice suddenly rang out. Er Zhu looked up and saw a woman in a business suit approaching them, her eyes filled with disdain and wariness.
The woman's name was Fang Min, Fang Zhoucheng's niece and the most important branch of the Fang family. However, Fang Min's father had passed away early, and he only had this one daughter, so she was somewhat isolated within the Fang family.
She had accidentally learned today that there was a distinguished guest at home and had intended to greet them, but instead, she overheard such words!
"Oh, Er Zhu, this is my niece, Fang Min. Fang Min, this is Er Zhu. I have no intention of interfering in the hotel business, I'm just introducing a dish for the hotel..."
"No need!"
Seeing Fang Min's cold, sharp gaze, Fang Zhoucheng knew Fang Min had misunderstood and tried to explain, but before he could finish, he was met with Fang Min's resolute refusal.
"All our Fang family hotels are high-end establishments, not roadside stalls. A dish made by this kind of country bumpkin is not qualified to be in our hotels!"
Fang Min stared fixedly at Er Zhu, her eyes full of vigilance!
"Uncle, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. This dish is just a stepping stone. If I agree, tomorrow you'll be able to bring in other people, and the day after tomorrow, you'll be in charge of a hotel!"
"So, sir, please leave!"
Fang Zhoucheng was about to speak when Fang Min's eyes turned to him, and she continued, finally taking a deep breath and making a gesturing motion for Er Zhu to leave.
"Fine, you don't want it, then don't regret it!"
"Er Zhu, this matter was my oversight. I'll buy you a hotel. I believe that with Five Flavors Chicken, you can establish yourself in Hua Bei City!"
Fang Zhoucheng's face was flushed red with anger. He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with shame and indignation!
He had asked Er Zhu to travel a great distance. If he let him leave like this, what would become of Fang Zhoucheng's reputation!
If the Fang family didn't want it, that was fine; he would start a business with Er Zhu himself!
"Hahaha, wonderful. Then I'll just watch and see how you establish yourselves in Hua Bei City with just one dish!"
Hearing Fang Zhoucheng's words, Fang Min burst into laughter. She cast a contemptuous glance at the two of them, uttered these words, and then turned to leave.